Category: HACK 1-50

You know that volunteering is good for your community. Did you know it’s also good for your brain? Researchers have known for a long time that helping out others makes you feel better. Your brain produces dopamine and endorphins and other feel-good chemicals when you reach out to help. But a recent study conducted by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health showed even longer- lasting benefits than that momentary glow of goodness. The study found that people who volunteered maintained or increased the size of their memory centers (which usually decrease over time). Volunteering also helped women in particular improve their physical health, which of course is crucial to brain health. Re- searchers theorize that these physical improvements could help improve executive function (decision making). Another study showed that volunteers have lower blood pressure, which means less likelihood of stroke and other health problems.

Key elements of brain-boosting volunteering include working in teams (socializing helps the brain), problem-solving (practice makes perfect), and sharing knowledge (having a purpose makes your brain happy). In other words, simple tasks you perform by yourself are unlikely to boost your brain as much. 

Your brain loves carotenoids, which, among other things, help chase away free radicals before they can do too much damage. And tomatoes have lots of carotenoids, so eat up! In recent research, people with cognitive problems and those with Alzheimer’s all showed higher levels of carotenoids in their blood after eating tomatoes. When you cook down tomatoes, you actually make it easier for your body to absorb the carotenoids, so ladle on the marinara. Since carotenoids are fat-soluble, a little olive oil in the sauce helps your body absorb even more of these do-good chemicals. But don’t skin them! That’s where much of the nutrition hangs out. 

Everything your body does, from warding off infection to digesting your dinner to sending blood to your brain, occurs through a process called metabolism. During metabolism, cells break down chemicals and nutrients to generate energy and form new molecules, like proteins. Metabolism in brain cells affects how information is signaled, according to a recent study by McGill University and University of Zurich researchers. Researchers concluded that this is why a special diet can help some individuals with seizure disorder control their seizures. In other words, there is a link between how brain cells create energy and how they communicate. Brain glucose metabolism also affects brain function, particularly memory. Research shows that maintaining stable glucose concentrations in your brain is healthier for your brain, and that levels that are too high or low have a negative effect on brain function.

To fast-track your metabolism: 

• Start off your day with breakfast. This wakes up your metabolism. 

• Graze with small meals and snacks throughout the day to maintain a more stable metabolism. Avoid the peaks and valleys associated with eating large meals less frequently.

• Eat enough—but not too much. Under eating and overeating both damage your metabolism.

• Skip artificial sweeteners. These may interfere with your body’s metabolism.

• Sip a cuppa. A cup of coffee helps boost metabolism. 

If you’re like most people in the world, you have a dominant hand—one hand that handles most tasks. Call it your go-to hand. If we had to guess, we’d say you’re right-handed (about 90 percent of people are). Only a tiny percentage—about 1 percent—of people use both hands equally (this is referred to as being ambidextrous). This is because your brain is lazy. For one-handed tasks, such as writing a note, it defaults to same-old, same-old. One way to ward off cognitive decline is to get out of this rut. You need to stimulate your brain—make it do something in a new way. Since the left side of your brain controls the motor function on the right side of your body (and vice versa), by switching which hand you do a task with, you’ll light up a different part of your brain. For example, brush your teeth with your non dominant hand. Put your fork in your non dominant hand and eat your dinner that way (bonus points for not spilling all over your shirt). The fact that these tasks likely feel awkward is a sign that you’re engaging your brain in a new way. 

Any exercise is good for your brain, but walking in particular has some significant benefits. Researchers at New Mexico Highlands University found that “the foot’s impact during walking sends pressure waves through the arteries that significantly modify and can increase the supply of blood to the brain”

Furthermore, walking elevates your mood, which is good. And when you’re wrestling with a knotty problem, a long walk can stimulate the creative centers of your brain, helping you to figure out a resolution. There’s also evidence that walking improves your memory skills. So put on those walking shoes and get started. 

For all the good that connecting with old friends on social media can create, it can also do bad things for your brain. You’ve probably had that experience where you go to check Facebook for just a few minutes and three hours later wonder what happened to the time. (Look at the kitties!) Or you anxiously await your friends’ “Likes” and ponder when you turned into a lab rat pressing the lever for pellets. A German study showed that one in three people say they feel worse after spending time on Facebook than they did before, with “worse” meaning lonely, frustrated, and/or sad. Another study showed that the more people used Facebook, the worse they felt. Researchers call this “Facebook depression.” So much for the joy of connecting with friends. And that thing about the lab rat? It’s true: being on social media can feed your brain’s tendency toward addiction. It wants rewards, and what’s more rewarding than seeing a thumbs-up on your post? One study at Stanford University showed that people who spent a lot of time on social media have trouble filtering out unimportant information and have more trouble remembering things. But that doesn’t mean you have to quit social media cold turkey and go live in a cabin in the woods. In moderation, connecting with others via social media can help you stay informed, help you express yourself, and help you become part of a greater community. The key word is moderation.

Did you know that exercise has been shown to help combat major depression? It’s true. Exercise produces feel-good chemicals, such as endorphins, that help boost mood. Endorphins are neurotransmitters, which are chemicals that help your nerve cells send signals. Endorphins protect you from feeling pain and help elevate your mood. Exercise isn’t the only way to prompt your brain to reward you with those beneficial chemicals, though. You can also stimulate their production by smelling certain aromas, like lavender. Or you can eat something spicy. The burning sensation, caused by capsaicin, prompts the brain to release endorphins. Not a fan of spice? Any of your favorite foods can help move your happiness needle up a notch.

Although raw food proponents claim that when you cook food you destroy its nutritional value, research shows that sometimes the opposite is true. Several studies show that cooking food actually helps people access the nutrition in it. For example, one carotenoid, lycopene, is hard for the body to absorb from uncooked food. One study showed that people who ate raw diets had low levels of lycopene. Cooking also allows other antioxidants to become more freely available. Carotenoids and antioxidants are essential to brain health. 

However, it is true that some vitamins are lost during the cooking process, such as vitamin C and some B vitamins. But overall, cooking improves the bio availability of nutrients. By occasionally eating raw food you can balance the nutrition you’re getting. Steaming and boiling are the healthiest choices, although if roasting is what it takes to get you to eat your veggies, then do it! 

Your brain needs iron. Iron helps with cognitive functions—for example, children who have an iron deficiency tend to do worse on math and language tests. Recent studies show that even minor levels of iron deficiency can have negative effects on brain function. Iron is necessary for the production of myelin, the insulating sheath around neurons (nerve cells), which helps speed the rate at which cells convey impulses. Without appropriate myelination, the nervous system, including your brain, cannot function correctly. If you have an iron deficiency, you may need to rely on supplementation rather than diet to raise your iron content to normal levels. But don’t overdo it. Taking iron supplements can cause side effects such as nausea, vomiting, constipation, diarrhea, dark-colored stools, and/or abdominal distress. To minimize these side effects, follow your doctor’s recommendations and take with food.

Turmeric (Curcuma longa), sometimes called curcumin, is a common ingredient in curry powder and has been used for centuries in traditional medicine mostly for its pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory properties. Researchers became interested in the brain-protecting properties of the herb because people in India, who tend to eat a lot of curry and thus turmeric, have lower rates of Alzheimer’s than people in other countries who don’t eat the spice or who don’t eat as much of it. 

One recent study showed that turmeric may help the brain repair itself and grow new cells, which could help in the treatment of neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Another study showed that the anti-inflammatory properties of turmeric may help heal brain damage in Alzheimer’s patients. An analysis of various studies of turmeric shows that it may help lower cholesterol (and therefore may help lessen the chance of stroke) and that it may prevent neurotoxicity by binding to metals like iron and copper. However, most curcumin is eliminated from the body rather than being used by it, so absorption is a problem. It should be taken with food. If you have liver or gall bladder problems, you should avoid turmeric, especially heavy doses that occur with supplementation. It may interact with blood thinners and NSAIDs, so check with your healthcare provider if you take those types of drugs. Otherwise, now’s the time to learn to love curry!