Thanks to the internet, many are starting to learn the true status of mass produced food.

Read a good article today that discusses how up to 15% of US poultry weight consists of

If you are overweight, here’s some additional incentive to lose the pounds from a recent study in the journal Neurology that suggests there is a connection between obesity and brain power amongst the middle aged.

Here’s some new research that will come as a surprise to most neurologists: Moderate iron deficiency- without overt anemia- can impair learning and memory.

Importantly, the study found that iron supplementation can reverse the cognitive dysfunction.

The study was published in the March 2007 issue American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

There is an ever-growing body of scientific evidence indicating omega-3 fats likely play a very significant role in depression. Unfortunately, because drug companies can’t really profit from omega-3 oils (non-patentable), I doubt you’ll currently find many physicians who understand the potential significance of such a simple intervention.

Your mental energy and ability to concentrate depend to a very large extent on the types of food you eat. Unfortunately, most people fall short when it comes to understanding how to best feed the brain. Here’s a short tip you may find helpful:

It is estimated that more than 1 in 3 Americans take vitamin supplements every day. Many believe that by taking these pills, they can improve brain function. B Vitamins are especially popular.

Do they work?

My suspicion is, as long as you don’t have a significant deficiency, they are probably not doing your brain very much good.

If you’ve ever tried to chew Vivarin instead of swallowing it, you’re well aware of the fact that caffeine- as available in its raw form- has a horrible, bitter taste.

Over the past 4 years, I’ve eaten a lot of dark chocolate, and some of the world’s best bars have made their way through our kitchen. Amedei, Valrhona, Michel Cluizel, El Rey, Domori, Bonnat. The nice thing about chocolate is that it is a very affordable luxury. You can grab yourself the world’s finest bar for less than $20.

From www.rinkworks.com, we have the following puzzle to feed your brain:

The headlines from the last few days would make you think so: “Folic Acid may boost brain power”, “Folic acid boosts minds of over-50’s”, “Folic acid improves memory in elderly”, “Folic acid boosts cognition in older adults”.

The truth, however, is that this new study published in The Lancet shows that

Found this quote from Benjamin Franklin:

“My refusing to eat meat occasioned an inconveniency, and I have been frequently chided for my singularity. But my light repast allows for greater progress, clearness of head and quicker comprehension.”

One of the greatest misunderstandings people have about the brain is their belief in “free energy”.

Earlier Smartkit posts delved into the strong relationship between your brain’s ability to work well and the health of its blood vessels.

As I’ve pointed out in earlier posts, omega-3 fatty acids are very, very important for superior brain function:

• In the 1950s, school kids were given daily cod liver oil

A study which appears in the January issue of Neuropsychology indicates that a simple blood test- checking for uric acid levels- may help predict risk of cognitive impairment in older adults.

Patients with high-normal uric acid levels were found to have lower scores on tests of:

• mental processing speed
• verbal memory
• working memory

Almost all of the pork eaten in this country comes from Smithfield Foods. Last year they killed 27 million hogs. Amazingly, there aren’t that many people in all the major U.S. cities combined.

An eye opening

I stopped regularly drinking milk years ago for health reasons, and- based on the sheer volume of milk propaganda going around- have always felt the dairy industry has had an unnatural grip on American dietary habits.

From the site

About 2 months ago, a study came out in the British Medical Journal claiming that breast milk had no effect on infant brain development and intelligence.

Does listening to Mozart make you smarter? According to a landmark neuroscience research study out of the University of California, Mozart’s sonata for two pianos K448 (which you can listen to below) can increase your spatial-temporal IQ scores by 9 points

A new study reveals that both green and black tea have the ability to inhibit the enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE). This enzyme is important, because it breaks down the acetylcholine, a key neurotransmitter in the brain.

Just read an article on WebMD that discusses new research out of the University of Florida.

The study, published in The Journal of Pediatrics, reveals that children who are obese by age 4 are more likely to have lower IQ scores.

Specifically, children that weigh 150% more than their ideal weight had IQ scores that were 25-30 points lower.

Compared to those who drank less than one glass of fruit or vegetable juice per week, those who drank three or more were 76% less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease.

Dr. Qi Dai and colleagues out of Vanderbilt School of Medicine reported these results in the September issue of The American Journal of Medicine.

You can read the full article

Although I’m still wondering how Grandma knew “fish is brain food”, while leafing through my latest issue of Archives of Neurology, I came across another neat study that illustrates how beneficial DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid) is for your brain.

Back in the 1950s, all school kids in England were given daily cod liver oil. Smart parents have known for a long time that seafood is good for young brains

A new study done by Scott Hemby and colleagues at Wake Forest University of Medicine finds that long term cocaine use leads to “profound changes in brain function”.

Cocaine, Ritalin (amphetamines), and coffee all work differently on the brain, but in the end, they are all stimulants, and they can all induce euphoria by modulating the amount of the neurotransmitter dopamine.

Out of the many different types of vegetables, green leafy vegetables appear to be most effective in protecting the brain from memory loss as we get older. At least according to a new study out of Rush University Medical center in Chicago and published in the journal Neurology.