New research about dieting and the brain can make it easier to resist that extra helpings at dinner time. Scientists have discovered that an important gene associated with longevity is switched on under a particular diet (calorie control) that not only keeps a brain young, but is also associated with decreased incidences of diabetes, obesity, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. In contrast, over indulgence is believed to speed up early brain ageing, leading to diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
Many studies have shown that restricting the normal amount of calories consumed in many diffrent animal species leads to a longer and healthier life, for example Mice restricted to 70% of the calories they normally consume live up to 30% to 40% longer than they usually would. They also took much longer to develop dementia than overfed mice, whilst also cutting out the issues of obesity and diabetes.
With many studies linking obesity to brain ageing, the reasoning to why eating less would benefit the brain has been a puzzle until now. Italian researchers claim, the answer lies with a molecule called CREB1 which is activated in the brain by calorie restriction. CREB1 switches on another group of molecules linked to longevity called “sirtuins”.
The goal of the researchers is to now develop a pill that will activate the genetic switch without the need for special dietary conditions to help people keep their brains young.
Dr. Giovambattista Pani from The University of Sacred Heart in Rome, states that, “Our hope is to find a way to activate CREB1, for example through new drugs, so to keep the brain young without the need of a strict diet…our findings identify for the first time an important mediator of the effects of diet on the brain,” says Dr. Pani.
“This discovery has important implications to develop future therapies to keep our brain young and prevent brain degeneration and the aging process. In addition, our study sheds light on the correlation among metabolic diseases such as diabetes and obesity and the decline in cognitive activities,” says Dr. Pani.
