Boost Brain Health with Grassfed Beef Nutrition Insights

August 05, 2019 , Ted Slanker

Are You Thinking About Your Brain?

Column #207

Are you forgetful and worried about dementia? Are you always on edge? Are you depressed? Is problem solving more difficult? What about the children and grandchildren? Will they all go nuts? Is craziness the new normal?

The mental problems many Americans are dealing with are staggering. They range from suicides, broken homes, addiction, uncontrollable anger, anxiety, problem children, low self esteem, Alzheimer’s, bipolar disorder, depression, and more.

I sifted through my research library looking for answers and pulled out the ones that dealt with mental function. I’ve footnoted them in this column for additional reading. From each one I selected a pertinent point and put them in quotes preceded by the lead author’s name. It’s no secret, brains are diet dependent plus they must be maintained properly. These reports underscore that knowledge. Let’s step through them and I’ll conclude below.

Janet M. Mullington, Ph.D., et al. “... the effects of acute sleep loss in humans have shown that mediators of inflammation are altered by sleep loss. ... such sub-clinical shifts in basal inflammatory cytokines are known to be associated with the future development of metabolic syndrome disease in healthy, asymptomatic individuals.”¹

Lulu Xie1, et al. “... the restorative function of sleep may be a consequence of the enhanced removal of potentially neurotoxic waste products that accumulate in the awake central nervous system.”²

Natalie Parletta, et al. “... showed low n-3 [Omega-3] PUFA levels, particularly DHA, in children with neurodevelopmental disorders. Furthermore, our study shows strong correlations with symptoms.”³

Janice K. Kiecolt-Glasera, et al. “... n-3 supplementation can reduce inflammation and anxiety even among healthy young adults. The reduction in anxiety symptoms associated with n-3 supplementation provides the first evidence that n-3 may have potential anxiolytic benefits for individuals without an anxiety disorder diagnosis.”⁴

Erika F.H. Saunders, et al. “Inflammation is an important mediator of pathophysiology in bipolar disorder (BD). The Omega-3 and Omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) metabolic pathways participate in several inflammatory processes, and have been linked through epidemiological and clinical studies to BD and its response to treatment.⁵

Simon C. Dyall “Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) exhibit neuroprotective properties and represent a potential treatment for a variety of neurodegenerative and neurological disorders.”⁶

Kuan-Pin Su1 “In the elderly patients, lower DHA and higher AA, n-6/n-3, AA/EPA, and AA/DHA ratios were associated with depressive disorders compared to healthy volunteers.”⁷

Joanne J. Liu, M.S., et al. “Consistent with previous reports in major depressive disorder (MDD), lower Omega-3 PUFA plasma levels and a higher plasma AA to EPA ratio were seen in MDD compared to healthy volunteers.”⁸

M.E. Berger, et al. “... higher levels of n-6 PUFAs and lower levels of n-3 PUFAs, possibly due to long-term changes in dietary intake or differential usage, pose a risk for depression.”⁹

Capt. Joseph R. Hibbeln, MD, USPHS “... an increased risk of personality disorders, and an increased sense of despair in normative populations, might be considered as symptoms of deficiencies of Omega-3 fatty acids. The major changes in the essential fatty acid composition of the food supply, including increased availability of the Omega-6 linoleic acid, may be correlated not only with increased risks of homicide, but also increased risks of suicide and suboptimal social cohesion.”¹⁰

Capt. Joseph R. Hibbeln, MD, USPHS, et al. “Ecological studies indicate that in comparison to countries with the highest seafood consumption, low seafood consumption is associated with a 65-fold higher risk for lifetime prevalence of major depression, a 50-fold higher risk for postnatal depression, a 30-fold higher risk for bipolar spectrum disorder, and a 10-fold higher risk of death from homicide mortality.”¹¹

Jalal Shakeri, et al. “The results of this study showed that supplements containing Omega-3 are useful in the treatment of Bipolar I Disorder.”¹²

Simona Noaghiul, M.D., M.P.H. “... greater seafood consumption predicted lower lifetime prevalence rates of bipolar I disorder, bipolar II disorder, and bipolar spectrum disorder.”¹³

Shlomo Yehuda “... a ratio of 1:1 is the optimal ratio for preventing cardiovascular diseases, and another ratio would be optimal for cancer prevention. ... a ratio of 4:1 was the optimal ratio for the development of the frontal cortex, hippocampus, cerebellum and glial cell number in developing rats. Small changes in the ratio, such as 6:1, impaired the rate of development.”¹⁴

Jessica E. Beilharz, et al. “... higher intakes of Omega-3 PUFA compared to Omega-6 PUFA have been linked to a lower risk of cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease.”¹⁵

Natalie Sinn “Increased intakes of DHA and EPA benefitted mental health in older people with mild cognitive impairment. Increasing n-3 PUFA intakes may reduce depressive symptoms and the risk of progressing to dementia.”¹⁶

Dale E. Bredesen, M.D. “... memory loss in patients with subjective cognitive impairment, mild cognitive impairment, and at least the early phase of Alzheimer’s disease, may be reversed, and improvement sustained ...” with medicinal therapeutic diets.¹⁷

Erika F.H. Saunders, et al. “Simple addition of an n-3 PUFA supplement without concurrent reduction in dietary n-6 LA may not alter brain PUFA metabolism to the extent required to produce clinically meaningful benefit.”⁵

The are many decades of research supporting the need for Omega-3 fatty acids in optimizing brain function. But as the last comment by Saunders indicates, a simple Omega-3 supplement without reducing Omega-6 consumption may be next to worthless. It’s the ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 that is so critical for keeping the brain in tip top shape. Yehuda made a point that regarding brain development in young rats, the ratio should be no more than 4:1.

Before closing I have one more quote from one the world’s most respected authorities on Omega-3 fatty acids.

Artemis Simopoulos M.D. “In humans, the brain is the most outstanding organ in biological development: it follows that the priority is brain growth and development, and in the brain the balance between Omega-6 and Omega-3 PUFA metabolites is close to 1:1. This ratio should be the target for human nutrition. In Western diets, the Omega-6/Omega-3 ratio has increased too between 10:1 and 20:1. This high Omega-6 proportion is largely made up by LA, is far from optimal and is highly inappropriate for normal growth and development. The ratio of Omega-6/Omega-3 fatty acids in the brain between 1:1 and 2:1 is in agreement with the data from the evolutionary aspects of diet, genetics, and the studies with the fat-1 [a transgenic mouse] animal model. Therefore a ratio of 1:1 to 2:1 Omega-6/Omega-3 fatty acids should be the target ratio for health.”¹⁸

Consuming a variety of foods every day that have an average Omega-6/Omega-3 ratio of 2:1 or less takes some doing. Wild-caught seafood is a slam dunk. Grass-fed meats, Omega-3 meats, and green leafy vegetables such as kale, spinach, and broccoli are also perfect low glycemic, nutrient dense and diverse foods with Omega-6/Omega-3 ratios of 2:1 or less. But as good as these foods are at nailing the proper ratio, foods such as nuts, grains, seeds, some fruits, and vegetable oils can easily raise the ratio of the combined diet to well above 4:1.

What is your target?

To your health.

Ted Slanker

Ted Slanker has been reporting on the fundamentals of nutritional research in publications, television and radio appearances, and at conferences since 1999. He condenses complex studies into the basics required for health and well-being. His eBook, The Real Diet of Man, is available online.

Don't miss these links for additional reading:

1. Sleep Loss and Inflammation by Janet M. Mullington, Ph.D., et al.

2. Sleep Drives Metabolite Clearance from the Adult Brain by Lulu Xie1, et al.

3. Omega-3 and Omega-6 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Levels and Correlations with Symptoms in Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Autistic Spectrum Disorder and Typically Developing Controls by Natalie Parletta, et al.

4. Omega-3 Supplementation Lowers Inflammation and Anxiety in Medical Students: A Randomized Controlled Trial by Janice K. Kiecolt-Glasera, et al.

5. Reconsidering Dietary Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Bipolar Disorder: A Translational Picture by Erika F.H. Saunders, et al.

6. Long-Chain Omega-3 Fatty Acids and the Brain: A Review of the Independent and Shared Effects of EPA, DPA and DHA by Simon C. Dyall

7. Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Prevention of Mood and Anxiety Disorders by Kuan-Pin Su1, et al.

8. Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Status in Major Depression with Comorbid Anxiety Disorders by Joanne J. Liu, M.S., et al.

9. Omega-6 to Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Ratio and Subsequent Mood Disorders in Young People with At-Risk Mental States: A 7-year Longitudinal Study by M.E. Berger, et al.

10. The Potential for Military Diets to Reduce Depression, Suicide, and Impulsive Aggression: A Review of Current Evidence for Omega-3 and Omega-6 Fatty Acids by Capt. Joseph R. Hibbeln, MD, USPHS, et al.

11. From Homicide to Happiness – A Commentary on Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Human Society by Joseph R. Hibbeln