15 foods that harm our brain health

Have you ever heard the phrase: “we are what we eat”? Well, this saying may have a lot of truth. If in our article “The 5 foods that help improve intelligence”We talked about the benefits that some foods have on our cognitive functioning, on the Today's article we will talk about the opposite: foods that negatively affect our brain.

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Harmful foods for our brain

Everything we eat influences the way in which our body tries to maintain a balance so that all vital functions, tissues and organs are in optimal health, so do not miss this list of 15 harmful foods for your brain function. Let us begin!

1. Fructose

Fructose is the main sugar found naturally in honey and fruit. (and in some vegetables, such as carrots), but other sources, not so healthy, are common or table sugar, sucrose, which contains half fructose and half glucose; and glucose-fructose syrups, which are made from corn and wheat and are used as sweeteners in various foods.

Fructose has a higher Glycemic Index (GI) than glucose, which causes hyperglycemia. A study published in The Journal of Physiology found that fructose has a negative effect on Our brain, well affects the function of brain cells and how they store the energy necessary to process both learning and thoughts.

2. Salty foods

Salty foods like bagged potato chips pose serious health risks (for example, high blood pressure). Its consumption is also not recommended for weightloss, because excess salt is responsible for fluid retention.

Recent studies also affirm that salt affects our intelligence and impairs our ability to think. This is what explains an investigation published in the magazine Neurobiology, since diets that contain a high sodium content are associated with heart problems and cause cognitive deterioration to be more accelerated.

3. Artificial sweeteners

Many people substitute table sugar by other sweeteners to drink coffee, thinking that they are healthy products. The truth is their prolonged consumption can be just as negative as the product they intend to replaceSince sweeteners can cause brain damage and problems with cognitive ability.

And although these people think they are doing their body a favor by consuming fewer calories than sugar, in the long run the consequences are just as detrimental to them. your body, since these substitutes contain preservatives, colorants and other ingredients that add flavor or texture, and, at the same time, harmful consequences for our Health.

4. Monosodium glutamate

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is an additive widely used by the food industry, especially in Asian cuisine, and is considered a flavor enhancer, as it highlights the nuance of other flavors. However, its components negatively affect our brain through the overexcitation of neurons to the point of brain damage.

Even though the Food and Drug Administration of the United States (FDA, for its acronym in English) classified it as a safe food in 1958, some studies of Laboratory animals have shown that the consumption of this substance causes damage to nerve cells of the brain. In addition, excessive consumption of MSG can lead to headaches, fatigue, or disorientation.

5. The fritters

Fried foods may taste great, but for the sake of our brain health, their consumption should not be part of our daily diet. These, in addition to being products with a high fat content, are also cause cholesterol to affect the arteries. In the long term, fried foods destroy our neurons and impair our ability to learn and memorize.

6. Added sugar

Too much sugar is associated with serious health problemsFor example, it suppresses the immune system, weakens eyesight, or contributes to obesity. Not only that, but its prolonged consumption affects our brain: it causes neurological problems and learning and memory difficulties. This is what a study concludes in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

Furthermore, the researchers concluded that the participants in their experiment who consumed between 17-21% of calories in sugar had an increased risk of death from disease cardiovascular.

7. The drinks

Soft drinks have a very high sugar content. For example, Coca-Cola contains for each 330 milliliter can, approximately 39 grams of sugar, which is equivalent to almost 10 sugar cubes. Although the sporadic consumption of these drinks does not cause any harm to our health, prolonged and excessive consumption can be lethal.

In addition to the negative effects on our brain caused by sugar and that have been discussed in the previous point, soft drinks are prepared compounds that contain acid Aspartic and Phemylamine, substances that cause damage to brain cells, brain tumors and increase the acidity of the urine creating susceptibility to tract infections urinary. On the other hand, different studies have shown that light sodas, with high content of sugar substitutes, increase the chances of brain damage, memory loss, and mental confusion over time. years.

8. Junk food

The different media warn us of the danger of incorporating these foods into our diet, but the truth is that there is more and more access to this type of product. Research has shown that its prolonged consumption affects our brain and causes chemical changes in it, with symptoms similar to withdrawal, and even causing anxiety Y depression.

Junk food becomes a drug, and the abuse of these foods has an effect on the area of ​​reinforcement and, therefore, on dopamine production. This neurotransmitter is actively involved in learning ability, motivation or memory.

9. Saturated fats

The consumption of foods high in saturated fat has increased in recent decades, causing an increase in obesity and problems associated with this condition. However, an investigation carried out by Nuria del Olmo and Mariano Ruiz-Gayo at the CEU San Pablo University and presented at the Annual Congress of the Endocrine Society (San Francisco), has concluded that diets rich in saturated fat are not only a problem for physical health, but cause eating disorders, metabolic and cardiovascular diseases and a risk for cognitive development, especially related to memory.

10. Hydrogenated oils

If saturated fats are harmful, the trans fats found in foods are even worse. hydrogenated oils. Experts warn that diets high in trans fat increase beta-amyloid in the brain, which is associated with Alzheimer's disease.

In addition, the magazine Neurology published research showing that high trans fat intake is associated with brain shrinkage and increased risk of stroke.

11. Processed and precooked foods

Processed foods meet most of the negative characteristics that we have discussed in the previous points. They contain high contents of sugar, fructose, sodium, hydrogenated oils, and therefore these foods can damage brain health. In fact, processed or precooked food affects the central nervous system and increases the risk of developing a neurodegenerative disorder like Alzheimer's disease.

12. Alcohol

The alcohol It is known as a food that does not provide nutrients but does provide extra calories to our diet. Along with tobacco, it is, without a doubt, one of the substances most consumed and at the same time harmful to our body. The harms of excessive alcohol consumption are well known, but recently a group of researchers from the University of the Basque Country (UPV / EHU) and the University of Nottingham (United Kingdom) have identified the damage caused to brain level.

Alcohol causes alterations in the prefrontal area of ​​the brain, a region that controls executive functions such as planning and strategy design, working memory, selective attention or the control of behavior, in addition to other areas related to different alterations in behavior or motor functioning.

13. Caffeine

Having a coffee in the morning at the office is not a bad thing, because it can help us to be a little more alert and carry out tasks with greater concentration. However, if this substance is abused it has a negative side.

The Food and Drug Administration The United States states that 600 milligrams of caffeine a day can cause headaches, elevate anxiety, and cause different sleep disorders. Too much caffeine can cause different consequences such as confusion, and in the long term cardiovascular problems and even stroke.

14. The tuna

It is true that tuna is a great food because it provides a large amount of protein, in addition to fatty acids such as Omega-3, and that is why the American Heart Society recommends its consumption twice a week at least. Nevertheless, large-eyed tuna or albacore tuna are rich in mercury, so its excessive consumption can cause an acceleration in cognitive deterioration.

15. Cured products

Cured products such as Serrano ham, bacon or cured loin, despite their great flavor, are rich in fat and salt. When consuming salty products, the body retains more fluid and needs more water. According to a study by Military Medicine, this can lead to dehydration and, therefore, a decrease in cognitive function.