I hope you have had a lovely day-everything seems to be springing to life once again. It seems to me that Spring works so very hard to bring about all of this beauty that I wish it could be this way all year long. Well- a friend once told me that IF I was going to wish for a watermelon then wish for a BIG watermelon in life. LOL
These days are just going too fast. I just do not recall anybody telling me when I was young that the older you get - the faster time goes??? But, It Sure Does. LOL
DH goes bright & early in the morning for a CT scan . He really does not like those things but the lady who gives them always works hard with him. She is just a little tiny smidgen of a gal. I wish I could give her some of my blubber. LOL- sorry could not help myself.
We went this afternoon to visit with his sister & hubby in the city as they did a CT Scan on her for her back. She has another ruptured disc & they are making plans for another surgery. It really does amaze me how So Many people have back problems. ????
But, driving home DH was so exhausted . He made the comment that back when he was younger he could drive day and night and not get tired. It always seemed to enthuse him. It was always me the one that driving just plum wore out? I sometimes wish we had come to earth with some kind of a owners manual.
Well, I better hop off and get things in order. But I read an interesting article & I thought I might share it with you!
Scientists Warn: Too Much Sugar Harms the Brain
Tuesday, May 15, 2012 5:48 PM
Eating too much sugar can eat away at your brainpower, according to US scientists who published a study Tuesday showing how a steady diet of high-fructose corn syrup sapped lab rats' memories.
Researchers at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) fed two groups of rats a solution containing high-fructose corn syrup -- a common ingredient in processed foods -- as drinking water for six weeks.
One group of rats was supplemented with brain-boosting omega-3 fatty acids in the form of flaxseed oil and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), while the other group was not.
Before the sugar drinks began, the rats were enrolled in a five-day training session in a complicated maze. After six weeks on the sweet solution, the rats were then placed back in the maze to see how they fared.
"The DHA-deprived animals were slower, and their brains showed a decline in synaptic activity," said Fernando Gomez-Pinilla, a professor of neurosurgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
"Their brain cells had trouble signaling each other, disrupting the rats' ability to think clearly and recall the route they'd learned six weeks earlier."
A closer look at the rat brains revealed that those who were not fed DHA supplements had also developed signs of resistance to insulin, a hormone that controls blood sugar and regulates brain function.
"Because insulin can penetrate the blood-brain barrier, the hormone may signal neurons to trigger reactions that disrupt learning and cause memory loss," Gomez-Pinilla said.
In other words, eating too much fructose could interfere with insulin's ability to regulate how cells use and store sugar, which is necessary for processing thoughts and emotions.
"Insulin is important in the body for controlling blood sugar, but it may play a different role in the brain, where insulin appears to disturb memory and learning," Gomez-Pinilla said.
"Our study shows that a high-fructose diet harms the brain as well as the body. This is something new."
High-fructose corn syrup is commonly found in soda, condiments, applesauce, baby food and other processed snacks.
The average American consumes more than 40 pounds (18 kilograms) of high-fructose corn syrup per year, according to the US Department of Agriculture.
While the study did not say what the equivalent might be for a human to consume as much high-fructose corn syrup as the rats did, researchers said it provides some evidence that metabolic syndrome can affect the mind as well as the body.
"Our findings illustrate that what you eat affects how you think," said Gomez-Pinilla.
"Eating a high-fructose diet over the long term alters your brain's ability to learn and remember information. But adding omega-3 fatty acids to your meals can help minimize the damage."
The study appeared in the Journal of Physiology.
How did his scan go? do you know any more about his condition yet?
ReplyDelete