How does what we eat affect our brains?
The brain is one of the most complex organs in the human body. A vast number of factors can lead to huge changes in the functionality of the human brain, in a multitude of unexpected and intriguing ways.
Despite the, much needed, increase in related research over the past few decades, the exact mechanism of action of many dietary nutrients still remains unknown or unexplained, the subject of concern to many.
Effects are caused by excesses or deficiencies in certain chemicals, and can manifest themselves in various ways - current understanding suggests a myriad of ways in which dietary chemicals affect the brain.
Many have the potential to alter the presence of various chemical signalling agents, and
…show more content…
This contains near toxic vitamin A levels, which can induce huge effects upon the brain and body alike. The negative effects caused by vitamin A are known as hypervitaminosis A.
Vitamin A has effects ranging from altered metabolism of other vitamins, changing their absorption and processing by the body, to causing blurry vision. With these, huge effects on the brain are also ushered in. A common symptom of excessive vitamin A is increased pressure inside the skull. This then results in numerous consequences for the brain, including swollen optic nerves which affect vision. This can also lead to seizures.
Part of the reason for the relatively high intensity and long lasting brain effects of vitamin A is the fact it is, unlike many other vitamins, fat soluble, meaning it will not dissolve in water. This means that it does not leave the body in urine, as with many other toxins. Instead, the liver takes the role of removing it from the body. This is often slower than removal via the kidneys, and can result in issues if excessive quantities are consumed along with other toxins such as alcohols.
There are a wide range of chemicals related to vitamin A, known as retinoids, which are also found naturally in the body, being produced by metabolism - the biochemical reactions necessary for life. The levels of these products can be increased via ingesting excessive amounts of vitamin A.
The exact
Alcohol is causing the brains of these children to be poisoned, as it is a neurotoxin. The excessive consumption of alcohol can interfere with the absorption of vitamin B, which helps prevent the brain from being able to function correctly. Drinking above the recommended levels can cause brain disorders later on in life. Some symptoms of these disorders include: difficulties learning and problems memorizing things, and difficulties with balance.
15. Which of the following is NOT a possible toxicity symptom associated with vitamin C excesses?
Phenylalanine can pass through the blood brain barrier and significantly change the production of neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters are the chemicals that send signals from one neuron to another. By bonding to a, “…neutral amino acid transporter (NAAT)...” (Humphries, Pretorius, Naudé, 2008, para. 7) phenylalanine is able to pass through the blood brain barrier. The body also further breaks down phenylalanine to tyrosine when it is processed through the liver. If tyrosine is additionally broken down to dihydroxyphenylalanine and reaches the brain the production of dopamine will be compromised leading to depression like symptoms after the consumption of aspartame. Further cellular breakdowns are additionally explained throughout the article. The two most shocking assertions are the long-term effects with consuming high levels of aspartame with increasing the chemical glutamate on the NMDA receptors leading to a decrease in stimulation and neurodegeneration, possibly causing or mimicking the symptoms of the disease Alzheimer 's. The second alarming claim made on the effect of long-term ingestion of aspartame is when aspartame 's temperature exceeds 86 degrees Fahrenheit. As the authors observed, “…the wood alcohol in aspartame is converted into formaldehyde and then to formic acid, which in turn causes metabolic acidosis.” (Humphries, Pretorius, Naudé, 2008). Metabolic acidosis causes methanol toxicity, which has been associated with mimicking the symptoms of multiple
Excesses vitamin leads to nausea, headache, dizziness, hair, loss, birth defects. Deficiences are night blindness, degeneration of epithelial tissues.
When phenylalanine builds up it affects brain functions and the central nervous system. Some symptoms include: skin problems, neurological impairment, seizures, development delays and mental retardation.
Vitamin A and D have showed unexpected and crucial effects on immune system. Vitamin A includes innate immune towards microbial infection, absence of vitamin A can increase the chance of bacterial, viral, and parasitic infection. Also excessive intake of vitamin A Is associated with toxicity, including blocked hematopoiesis, mitogen-induced T-cell spread, antigen-specific antibody production, and an increased susceptibility to infectious organisms. Vitamin A is also given by Retinoid supplement to treat the skin effects of T-cell lymphoma. Vitamin C also known as Ascorbic Acid also contribute in innate immunity system, Vitamin C works during infection to prevent oxidative damage. Lower concentration of vitamin C in leukocyte is related to reduce immune response in humans. It has been proven that Vitamin C concentrations in the plasma and leukocytes rapidly decline during infections and stress. Iron chelators such as desferrioxamine inhibit the activity of phagocyte oxidase and reduce reactive oxygen intermediate-dependent killing of bacterial pathogens, both in vitro and in vivo. Lastly, Zinc is a dietary trace mineral that is responsible for growth and development, and it is essential for the function of cells of the immune system. It increased susceptibility to
And another moral that you may learn from hemochromatosis is moderation. There is a point where a plethora of a good nutrient may actually be harmful, such in the case of hemochromatosis. However, the fact that scientists discovered an overload of iron may be dangerous could lead to new studies of nutrient overload. A rare disease known as hypervitaminosis D is caused by the toxicity of vitamin D (The Clinical Resource for Cellular Nutrition & Trace Mineral Analysis). As a future research potential, we can explore other diseases such as hemochromatosis and hypervitaminosis
Vitamin A is needed as it helps in the formation and maintenance of healthy skin and hair. It is also necessary for proper bone growth and tooth
Although it has it's cons, the chemicals could affect the brain if you have Alzheimer's.
To understand why the public’s health is in a precipitous decline it’s best to first look into the case of nutritional deficiency; are we getting all the vitamins and minerals our bodies require? One of the core issues is the misinformation on what a vitamin really is and why one should be concerned about this. The Food and Drug Administration has a firm stance that these synthetic vitamins
Vitamin A supplements help in cases of serious acne. But, before you start taking any supplements with Vitamin A in it, you need to speak with your doctor to learn what the correct dosage is. Too much of Vitamin A could be poisonous to the body.
The CNS will not be able to receive the proper nutrients it needs and maintain homeostasis to be able to function and operate properly. “Vitamin D deficiency and/or VDR polymorphisms, which may decrease the affinity of VDR to vitamin D, may affect detoxification mechanisms, calcium homeostasis and expression of neurotrophins. This may lead to neuronal aging, neuronal damage and neurodegeneration via other genomic and environmental factors” (The Tohoku Journal of Experimental Medicine, 2007)
By disturbing the gene expression, it can interfere the brain development process such as brain cells divide, these further developments will make connections with the other brain cells and depraved. Even those nerve cells that responsible for transmitting nerve impulse can be destroy by environmental factors. Any disturbance in the stages of the growth of the brain will have impacted and obstruct the procession. During childhood “lead” exposure through water and lead paints can cause hyperactivity, and lower IQ. There also environmental exposures, besides chemicals, that can have negative concern on our brain function. As we know today is the world of technology, children these days are exposed to a large screen of electronic device such as Ipad,television, and cell phone. To be affect by those electronic device exposures, large doses over long periods of time can certainly have long term effect. My experienced from knowing a woman who was using drugs and alcohol during her first pregnancy, her child was born premature and lung was not fully
At least 1 million malnourished children die every year because they lack access to the necessary treatment; 17 million children suffer from severe acute malnutrition, a deadly condition if not treated according to Action against Hunger and organization taking steps to alleviate hunger around the world. Not only is malnutrition a current issue presiding in our world it is that of a growing nature and stemming far beyond that of a hunger issue. Inadequate intake of essential vitamins and nutrients has repercussions on the entire body. One of the most concerning aspects of malnutrition on the body is that of its impact on the brain. The brain is singularly in charge of thinking, conducting emotion and producing bodily reactions; with that the
As with other nutrients, vitamins, and minerals, over intake or overdose of vitamin C can become damage to our health. Toxicity of vitamin C can cause nausea, diarrhoea, fatigue, insomnia, flashes or rashes, kidney stones, etc. The amount of vitamin C cannot be higher than 3000mg/day “Actually 2000mg/day is considered to be high for adults” (Ly Pham, 2011).