Worst foods for brain health

"Of all the organs in our body, the brain is the one most easily damaged by a poor diet," said Dr. Lisa Mosconi, director of the Women's Brain Initiative and an associate professor of neuroscience in neurology and radiology at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.

"When we eat a fatty, sugary meal and experience symptoms like sluggishness, brain fog, and drowsiness – these symptoms originate not in the stomach but the brain," Mosconi said.
And the effects aren't necessarily temporary.

Research indicates a poor diet may cause the loss of key structural and functional elements in the brain, she said, along with "a higher vulnerability to brain aging and dementia."

A 2018 report from the Global Council on Brain Health, an independent group convened by the AARP, noted that foods and diets good for heart health are also good for brain health.

Yaffe, a member of that brain health council, said the mechanisms of the brain are complex, but it stands to reason that "if you're eating a dietary pattern that is heart-healthy, it's probably also healthy (for) the vessels in the brain."

She acknowledged that some people have difficulty seeing the connections between brain health and their diet or other activities such as smoking, sleep, and exercise.

Mosconi, also a member of the AARP brain health council, put it this way: "Day after Day, the foods we eat are broken down into nutrients, taken up into the bloodstream, and carried up into the brain. Once there, they replenish depleted storage, activate cellular reactions, and, finally, become the very fabric of our brains.

"Consider that the next time you reach for a brownie. Its ingredients will become part of your brain."
Mosconi highlighted some nutrients – antioxidants, such as vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, and anti-inflammatory B vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids – are essential for neurons.