11 tips for a fit brain

Fine-tune your genes and improve your memory, concentration and learning ability

The hectic pace of life places high demands on our brains. We need to think fast, be creative, concentrate as much as possible, just be efficient. But at the same time, it is the hectic times of today that are threatening all these abilities. How do you deal with this and keep your brain performance at its peak?

Train him

Our brain is not an immutable structure, but it is endowed with a high degree of plasticity. The individual neurons that make it up not only continuously arise and disappear, but above all the number of connections between them, which are essential for the functioning of the brain, changes.

All of this is a very energy-intensive process, and therefore the brain does not unnecessarily maintain anything that is not used. This is also why it is often compared to a muscle, which also grows stronger through regular exercise, while it becomes weaker through inactivity. Therefore, regular training of memory, solving logical problems, but also improving concentration, which is a problem for a large number of people today because our attention is distracted by the large number of stimuli from the environment, should be part of our life.

The changes that take place here are epigenetic in nature – when cognitive processes are regularly engaged, genes are activated that subsequently control the relevant processes in our brain.

Limit your intake of sugars

One of the biggest nutritional problems in the civilized world is the excessive intake of carbohydrates, especially those with a high glycemic index. Not only does it increase the risk of obesity and diabetes, but it also promotes inflammatory processes and affects the functioning of our brains.

The body’s cells, including those of the brain, can obtain energy in two basic ways: glycolysis, or oxidation (popularly “burning”) of glucose, and ketosis, or oxidation of fatty acids obtained from the breakdown of fats. If enough glucose is available, they prefer the first option. Otherwise, they switch to the second method – ketosis.

However, the ongoing breakdown of fats also acts as a signal that there is a lack of food, so changes begin to take place in the cells to increase the efficiency of energy use. At the same time, epigenetic processes are taking place, which also result in a direct effect on the activity of genes responsible for memory and learning.

Ketosis increases the activity of enzymes from the sirtuin family, especially the one called SIRT-1, which regulate the activity of genes in our DNA (these are important histone deacetylases). In particular, ketosis positively affects the production of SIRT-1 in the hippocampus, the area of the brain responsible for memory. In addition, ketosis in the brain (and again especially in the hippocampus) improves the production of a growth factor called BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophin factor), which has a profound effect on brain neurons – not only does it promote the survival of existing nerve cells, but it also promotes the formation, growth and differentiation of new neurons. For example, in elderly people with mild cognitive problems, researchers have seen significant improvements after six weeks on a low-carbohydrate diet. In healthy young people, on the other hand, studies have seen a reduction in their brain’s performance on cognitive tests after just one dose of glucose (20 minutes after administration).

Limiting the intake of sugars, especially those with a high glycaemic index, is particularly important in the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, in which insulin resistance plays an important role (sometimes even referred to as type III diabetes). As blood glucose levels rise, so does the concentration of glucose in the brain. However, the same is not true for insulin levels in brain tissue. The neurons, although they have plenty of glucose around them, paradoxically suffer from a lack of nutrition and are damaged. Particularly vulnerable in this respect are again the cells of the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for memory.

Limit calorie intake

In addition to limiting sugars, limiting total calorie intake has a significantly positive effect on our brains. It is also worth extending the breaks between meals – eating every three hours, as has been recommended for years, is really not necessary.

When the stomach is empty, it starts producing the hormone ghrelin. Although it is not popular among people trying to lose weight, because it awakens hunger signals in the brain, it also triggers the production of growth factors in the brain tissue, both the aforementioned BDNF and the insulin-dependent growth factor IGF-1. Both are important for both protecting and promoting nerve cell growth.

Lose weight

Obesity is another enemy of our brain. Here too, the production of one of the hormones responsible for appetite plays an important role. This is leptin produced by adipose tissue, which is nicknamed the satiety hormone because it binds to specific receptors in the brain that suppress appetite. However, there are also receptors for leptin, for example in the hippocampus and other parts of the brain responsible for cognitive processes. Unfortunately, obese people develop so-called leptin resistance, where their adipose tissue produces enough, but their brain tissue does not respond.

Don’t stress

We have already talked about the brain’s great capacity for plasticity, that is, for adapting its structure in terms of the number of neurons and their interconnections in response to the way we use it. But this ability can be fundamentally disrupted by stress, whether it is a large acute stress or a smaller but long-term stress.

Stress causes a reduction in plasticity in areas responsible for memory, learning and other cognitive processes – in particular, the hippocampus and an area of the cortex called the prefrontal cortex. Conversely, plasticity increases in a part of the brain called the amygdala, which is a kind of ‘fear centre’. These changes are part of the reason why stress can become a trigger for depression.

Get enough sleep

When we are sleep deprived, our ability to concentrate decreases significantly, memory and overall brain performance deteriorate. But it’s not just that we have a harder time thinking after one sleepless night. More serious is the longer-term sleep deficit that triggers extensive epigenetic changes in the brain. In particular, it affects a reaction called histone acetylation – this involves the proteins around which our DNA is ‘wrapped’ and is essential for individual genes to be read.

Keep moving

A number of studies have confirmed that, especially in older age, physical fitness is closely related to mental fitness. In fact, regular exercise, especially aerobic exercise, triggers a cascade of epigenetic changes in the body that result not only in increased athletic performance but also in a number of indicators related to our health.

It helps to improve the ability of muscles to use glucose, which leads to a decrease in blood glucose levels, it also increases the production of growth factors IGF-1 and BDNF, including in brain tissue, reduces the rate of inflammatory processes and improves blood circulation in all body tissues, including the brain.

Meditate

Meditation is not only proven to reduce stress levels, but also has a positive effect on the rate of aging. In fact, research on the so-called epigenetic clock, i.e. the rate of epigenetic changes associated with ageing, has found that people who meditate regularly over a long period of time have a slower epigenetic clock – the negative epigenetic changes that inevitably increase with age in every person (especially gene methylation) are slower in regular meditators. This not only reduces their risk of developing age-related chronic diseases, but also slows the decline of memory and overall mental performance.

Supplement omega-3

Perhaps no other nutrient is as essential to brain function as omega-3 unsaturated fatty acids. One of them, DHA, is a component of cell membranes and its high concentration is found especially in the membranes of brain cells. When it is deficient, the brain simply lacks the “building material” to create new neurons and maintain the function of existing ones.

In addition, omega-3s have extensive epigenetic effects that also affect brain function. Omega-3s are absolutely essential for brain development and function in the prenatal period and in childhood, but they have also been shown to slow memory and other cognitive decline with age. Older people who are deficient even have smaller brain volumes compared to their peers, especially in the grey cortex.

Bet on rosemary

Rosemary very effectively promotes memory, learning ability and concentration. This is due to the content of two substances with epigenetic action: rosmarinic acid and ursolic acid, which promote the production of the growth factor IGF-1 in brain tissue. Rosemary can even help people who have developed symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.

Rosemary does not only work in the long term, but also immediately. Its effects are so pronounced that concentration and cognitive abilities can be improved by simply inhaling rosemary essential oils, for example when used in an aromatherapy machine.

Try boswellia

An extract from a tree also known by the Czech name incense tree slows memory loss due to aging and can even directly improve both memory and learning ability and other brain functions.