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Health: Feed your brain
Top of the range EFAs for improved brain function and general wellbeing
At the Paphos Health & Wellbeing show last weekend, I was surprised how many people admitted that memory loss and decreased brain function was their major problem. The question most regularly asked was: ‘is there anything I can do to improve my mental acuity?’
The nutrition/health connection is not new and the ‘you are what you eat’ adage works equally well for mental health as it does for physical wellbeing. Briefly, according to nutritional therapist Deborah Colson of London’s Brain Bio centre, there are three primary factors implicated in mental health disorders. The first is fatty acid imbalance, where a deficiency of Omega 3 essential fatty acids (EFAs), relative to Omega 6, may play a role in many mental disorders from ADHD – well documented – to schizophrenia and autism. The Daily Telegraph reported that, in a study of healthy 70-year-olds, regular doses of Omega 3 supplements helped reduce memory loss; improvement over a six-month period was the equivalent of ‘turning back the brain clock by three years’.
The second factor is vitamin deficiency, most importantly Vitamin B12. The BBC recently highlighted a study where people short on B12 were reported as six times more likely to experience brain shrinkage, which is strongly linked to dementia; they also concluded that B12-deficiency may affect 40 per cent of people.
Blood sugar imbalances are the third factor. Blood glucose levels need to stay within a narrow margin to maintain health; unregulated, these levels result in hypoglycaemia (low levels) and hyperglycaemia (high levels). Frequent blood sugar swings can cause wide fluctuations in behaviour and concentration, and are implicated in several mental health disorders; obesity is an associated problem. The Daily Telegraph reported that, among volunteers aged 60 on average, those instructed to eat 30 per cent fewer calories improved their memory test scores by 20 per cent compared to those asked to maintain their diets or eat 20 per cent more.
So – equally briefly – supplement solutions offer fascinating food for thought: forgive the pun! My recommendations include a range of exceptional nutritional oils from Tigon UK, two of which deliver Omega 3s and 6s in the correct balanced ratio. PolarPower is derived from wild Alaskan salmon while PureOmega is a unique blend of oil from Amazonian Sacha Inchi nuts, providing easily digested vegetarian Omegas in a palatable liquid form. Finally Oil of Black Seed Plus, a mix of plant oils which not only provides high levels of Omega 3 but also contributes valuable digestive tract and immune system boosters. Order your choice from www.oliveleaf.co.uk or call 0044 1664 485257.
Some experts recommend that Vitamin B works best in its complex form rather than in single isolated B factors and Viridian Nutrition’s High Twelve complex supplies both the whole BComplex but fortified with extra B12. An impressive supplement from www.nutriglowexclusive.com
Finally eggs as a source of Omega 3: I'm amazed how people overlook the importance of what an animal was fed and its relationship to the nutritional benefits. In general, the regular eggs you get at the supermarket - from factory-farmed grain-fed Cyprus hens - contain between 30 and 80mg Omega 3 fatty acids per egg. Eggs from hens roaming freely outdoors and eating a diverse diet of mixed greens and bugs/grubs/worms, can contain anywhere from 300mg to 700mg of Omega 3 per egg. Look for Savvas Petrides organic free-range eggs; not only will you get the extra Omega 3, you’ll taste the difference.
YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
Superfood or scam?
I recently bought a product called AcaiBerryDetox on line, having read good things about Acai berries. The site said ‘free trial’, encouraging me to order, but the product makes me really ‘whizzy’. Can you explain why?
Mrs LF Anarita
Acai is one of those ‘superfoods’ along with Noni and Goji that are much touted by mail order companies, but not scientifically researched. According to www.Sitejabber.com/reviews/www.acaiberrydetox.com, AcaiBerryDetox is one giant scam marketed by FWM Laboratories! One of seven posts states: ‘This is a fancy website long on promises and short on ethics and morals. I ordered a "free trial" - i.e. pay only sales and handling (S&H) for the sample. I cancelled within the cancellation period by phone… but the charge on my bank statement was full price. When I contacted them, they said it was cancelled but I was beyond my 30 day time limit to return it. So they screwed me out of $79.95, instead of the $3.95 S&H.
‘In my opinion it’s a misleading site designed to work against time so you will be charged the full price and get involved in an automatic shipping program.’
As well as Acai, the potion contains 200mg caffeine anhydrous – the equivalent of two cups of strong coffee; no wonder poor Mrs LF was on fast forward. Excessive caffeine from whatever source can produce irritability, anxiety, insomnia and potentially serious symptoms like heart irregularities and delirium. Caffeine included in many stimulants, cold remedies and painkillers is often extracted during chemical production of decaffeinated coffee/tea. Enough said!
This totally reinforces my theory that you should only buy supplements from reputable companies recommended by health professionals. A good detox product is Viridian 10Day Detox Box from www.nutriglowexclusive.com (see Cyprus Mail website, www.cyprus-mail.com).
- Nikki’s column appears once every four weeks. Send your enquiries by email cnndake@cytanet.com.cy. Or by post to Nikki Dake, PO Box 21144, 1502 Nicosia. Tel: 99 170406
