Eat Little, Keep Brain young

News Health Articles - Eat Little, Keep Brain Young. Food can activate the molecules in the brain. Researchers found eating too much can cause aging of the brain while eating less can activate molecules that help keep the brain young. Researchers suggest eat 70 percent of the portion not all.

Activation of the molecule to diet was found by Italian scientist. Researchers find molecule that is activated by food can make the brain live longer.



The team of researchers at the Catholic University of Sacred Heart in Rome, Italy, have discovered that the active molecule called CREB1 was triggered by calorie restriction during meals. CREB1 activates many genes associated with age and brain function.

CREB1 is a molecule that is activated by calorie restriction and activates other molecules associated with longevity 'sirtuins'. CREB1 is known to have important functions in the brain for the ability to remember, organize the process of learning and anxiety and reduce aging.

"Our hope is to find a way to activate CREB1, for example through the new drug, so it can keep the brain young without the need for a strict diet," said Dr. Giovambattista Pani, a researcher at the Institute of General Pathology, Faculty of Medicine at the Catholic University of Sacred Heart in Rome as MedicalXpress.com reported on Tuesday (20/12/2011).

Calorie restriction study was conducted intensively in rats. Calorie restriction means that animals can only eat up to 70 percent of commonly consumed foods and are experimentally known to prolong life.

Normally, mice that restricted calorie intake does not get fat, do not have diabetes, have a better memory and less aggressive. Furthermore, these mice did not have Alzheimer's disease and suffered fewer symptoms than mice that glut.

For humans, this amount is equal to about 600 calories per day. A cup of tea or coffee can also be beneficial, because the study also showed that caffeine increased the number CREB1 made in the body.

The study also found that lack of CREB1 in mice eliminates the benefits of caloric restriction on the brain. Thus, animals without CREB1 showed the same brain damage such as stuffed animals or old.

Unfortunately, in a report published the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA (PNAS), researchers still have not managed to find the precise molecular mechanisms behind the positive effects of low-calorie foods.