Grandparents.comBy Sara Schwartz Posted: 11/08/2015 04:37 PM EST
White Rice
High glycemic-index foods increase your risk of depression.
Certain kinds of carbs can have a negative impact on your brain, resulting in an emotional health dip. A 2015 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that post-menopausal women who eat foods with a high glycemic index, meaning refined carbohydrates like white bread and rice, cornflakes, and potatoes, have a higher incidence of new-onset depression. Conversely, the more lactose, fiber, non-juice fruit, and vegetables study participants ate, the less likely they were to get depressed.
The connection: Foods with a high glycemic index make your blood sugar shoot up suddenly, causing your body to produce a spike of insulin, says Kristin Kirkpatrick, M.S., R.D., Manager of Wellness Nutrition Services at Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute. “Consumption of highly refined carbs is linked to fatigue, mood swings, and other symptoms of depression,” she says. The reason why blood sugar can have a lasting effect on your mood still isn’t understood by the scientific community, but the strong correlation should make you think twice before dining on bread and pasta alone. Tip: If you want to indulge in a high glycemic-index food, make sure eat a sensible portion and pair it with a low glycemic index food, such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, or whole grains, to mitigate a blood sugar spike, according to the American Diabetes Association.
Certain kinds of carbs can have a negative impact on your brain, resulting in an emotional health dip. A 2015 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that post-menopausal women who eat foods with a high glycemic index, meaning refined carbohydrates like white bread and rice, cornflakes, and potatoes, have a higher incidence of new-onset depression. Conversely, the more lactose, fiber, non-juice fruit, and vegetables study participants ate, the less likely they were to get depressed.
The connection: Foods with a high glycemic index make your blood sugar shoot up suddenly, causing your body to produce a spike of insulin, says Kristin Kirkpatrick, M.S., R.D., Manager of Wellness Nutrition Services at Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute. “Consumption of highly refined carbs is linked to fatigue, mood swings, and other symptoms of depression,” she says. The reason why blood sugar can have a lasting effect on your mood still isn’t understood by the scientific community, but the strong correlation should make you think twice before dining on bread and pasta alone. Tip: If you want to indulge in a high glycemic-index food, make sure eat a sensible portion and pair it with a low glycemic index food, such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, or whole grains, to mitigate a blood sugar spike, according to the American Diabetes Association. Fruit Juice
Sugar reduces cognitive flexibility, as well as short- and long-term memory.
Opting for orange juice instead of soda may seem like a healthy choice, but when it comes to sugar delivery, fruit juice is as big a culprit as cola — and that extra sugar could compromise your brain function. A 2015 study in the journal Neuroscience shows that mice subjected to high-sugar and high-fat diets ended up with significant cognitive decline. Their long- and short-term memory took a hit, as did their cognitive flexibility, described as the ability to problem-solve in the face of new information. The high-sugar diet group showed the biggest declines in brain function, especially cognitive flexibility.
Opting for orange juice instead of soda may seem like a healthy choice, but when it comes to sugar delivery, fruit juice is as big a culprit as cola — and that extra sugar could compromise your brain function. A 2015 study in the journal Neuroscience shows that mice subjected to high-sugar and high-fat diets ended up with significant cognitive decline. Their long- and short-term memory took a hit, as did their cognitive flexibility, described as the ability to problem-solve in the face of new information. The high-sugar diet group showed the biggest declines in brain function, especially cognitive flexibility.
To figure out why, researchers examined the gut bacteria present in the mice before and after their new diets. They found substantial changes: One bacteria, Clostridiales, flourished in the high-sugar environment, while another, Bacteroidales, was reduced. “This work suggests that fat and sugar are altering your healthy bacterial systems, and that’s one of the reasons those foods aren’t good for you,” said lead study author Kathy Magnusson in an article on the Oregon State University website. “It’s not just the food that could be influencing your brain, but an interaction between the food and microbial changes.” more
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