You stopped at last time.
The story in four panels
A table that supports BDNF
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1The problem
A tired person with a lowered head beside an almost empty battery What should I eat?
Sometimes it's hard to know what to eat for your brain.
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2How it works
A sprout growing from the top of a brain Grow the brain's fertilizer
BDNF affects the survival and plasticity of nerve cells.
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3What to do
A plate with meat, an egg, and greens, with a fork and knife Broccoli, berries, olive oil
Get sulforaphane (cruciferous vegetables), flavonoids and monounsaturated fats.
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4The change
A brain with an even wave and a slowly beating heart One hearty meal
Even one brain-minded meal a day supports the hippocampus.
We’ve looked at how to boost BDNF, which affects our cognitive function and the survival and plasticity of nerve cells, what causes BDNF to run low, and how to improve it. Now, thinking it would be good to eat brain-strengthening food for at least one of our three daily meals, let’s take some time to look at foods rich in BDNF.
If you’re not yet sure what BDNF is or how to activate it, the posts below should help.
- BDNF, brain-derived neurotrophic factor: what are you?
- What causes BDNF deficiency, and does brain health improve too?
1. Sulforaphane from cruciferous vegetables
In 2017, a research team led by research professor Kim Ji-young (Seoul National University), supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea, found that the sulforaphane in broccoli helps keep BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) strong and healthy, a protein found in abundance in brain areas such as the hippocampus.
When mice with dementia were fed the sulforaphane contained in broccoli, the team confirmed that it increased BDNF and also increased nerve cells and microtubule-associated proteins, as well as synaptophysin and PSD-95.
Sulforaphane is said to be good not only for BDNF release but also for killing cancer cells, so I strongly recommend eating broccoli (one of the top ten cancer-prevention foods in the US), cabbage (good for anemia, stomach trouble and constipation), kale (helps suppress metabolic syndrome and prevent cancer) and cauliflower (an anti-cancer superfood).
To boost the effect of sulforaphane, it’s best to blanch them briefly in boiling water or steam them lightly, so keep that in mind.
2. Foods high in flavonoids
One of the causes of BDNF deficiency was sugar, or excessive sugar intake. Flavonoids come from natural plants and can also promote BDNF production. They’re found in cranberries, chocolate (such as dark chocolate), green tea, olive oil, spices, pepper and turmeric.
3. Foods rich in monounsaturated fatty acids
Research shows that foods high in saturated fat, along with sugar, reduce BDNF, while foods eaten before the age of industrial processing (putting it that way is too complicated, isn’t it!) are known to promote BDNF production. To put it in terms of Korean history, the foods people could eat in the Joseon era are known to promote BDNF production. Monounsaturated fatty acids such as those in olive oil belong here.
Being human, we can’t eat only healthy foods every single day, but for the sake of the brain health that will shape our future, let’s make at least one meal a day count. As the saying goes, “how you take care of yourself now decides who you’ll be ten years from now.”
I hope you’ll take a moment to check what you’re eating right now, and that we can all spend each day in good health.
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