Power up your brain
It’s a fishy problem. But there are some healthful alternatives to fuzzy mindedness and lack of concentration
IN OUR fat-phobic world, many people don’t realise that certain types of fat are vital to our health. These are the two families of essential fatty acids (EFAs): omega 3 and omega 6. These life enhancing compounds are long-chain polyunsaturated fats as opposed to the short-chain saturated fats found in junk food.
Research is showing that fatty acids play an important role in the development of both the eyes and brain; co-ordination, learning ability, memory and concentration. Oily fish (containing omega 3) has long been commended as ‘brain food’ and by and large we just don’t eat enough of it. If you’d mentioned fish oil to the average mum just a few years ago, chances are she’d have screwed up her nose at the memory of childhood doses of cod liver oil. I certainly recall them!
But these days the British mum is more probably singing their praises because she’s found that supplementing her children’s diet with fish oils is helping them concentrate, boosting their ability to learn and reducing behavioural problems. Efalex, one of the original child-targeted EFA supplements, has been widely tested in UK and is available in Cyprus health-food shops.
More recently, research by the UK’s Durham Education Authority used an omega supplement called eye q (by mail-order www.equazen.com but soon to be available in Cyprus pharmacies) in a double blind, placebo-controlled trial focussing on over 100 children. Double blind, for the uninitiated, means neither doctor nor patient knows who gets the supplement and who the ‘dummy’. The trial’s lead author Dr Marion Portwood said, “We saw dramatic improvements in reading ability” and, for writing, just compare these before and after handwriting samples.
In fact about 20 per cent of the dry weight of the brain and some 30 per cent of the eye retina are made from the long chain fatty acids, which are crucial for most processes of our life. So it makes sense for adults to supplement with EFAs as well. There are several on the market: my recommendation would be Supercritical DHA100 from New Chapter (www.wisofnature.com) which combines omega 3 fatty acids from Arctic fish with spices, together with herbs like sage.
The properties of sage have been known for centuries: famous British herbalist Nicholas Culpeper, whose tome was published in1652, extolled its virtues. New research has confirmed that sage can improve memory: scientists from the Medical Plant Research Centre (MPRC) at two north of England universities carried out clinical trials in healthy young adults and found that those who took sage oil performed significantly better in word recall tests.
Sage is also being investigated as a potential treatment for Alzheimers. For the technically minded: research by the MPRC found that it inhibits an enzyme called acetylcholinesterase (AChE) which breaks down the chemical messenger acetylcholine. They believe that a combination of chemicals in sage oil has an effect on AChE and give it antioxidant, oestrogenic and anti-inflammatory properties. North American Herb and Spice manufactures an excellent Oil of Sage, available from UK distributor, Derek Fox (00 44 116 236 6841 – Cyprus stockists available soon).
Do contact me if you have difficulty in accessing any supplements mentioned ([email protected])
Indium Update:
Four weeks ago in an article on feeling more energetic I referred to a supplement called Indium and reported that I was trialling it myself. Well does it work? Yes! I think it works! I can definitely report that:
a. It tastes vile
b. I have more energy
c. I sleep better and for less time
d. Libido? That’s my business!
YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
I’ve just read that parabens is one of several potentially harmful chemicals added to beauty-care products. What is it and why is it used?
Mrs JL Nicosia
Parabens is an umbrella name given to a number of chemicals which are used in combination to preserve water-based products. The chemical of choice for years because of its effectiveness in controlling mould, Parabens’ bio-accumulative and oestrogen-mimicking properties have recently raised grave doubts.
Other ‘P’ words to check on the ‘ingredients’ lists in your bathroom are Phthalates, which also may have oestrogenic properties and, in high doses, damage reproductive tissues and cause deformities in embryos. It isn’t mandatory to list Phthalates, amazingly, and they are included under ‘Parfum’ or ‘Perfume’. More than 4,000 chemicals are used in fragrances today, 90 per cent of which derive from petroleum.
Exposure to scented products like body-care potions may cause exhaustion, dizziness, headaches, nausea and palpitations.
Other horrors to look out for include Propylene Glycol (a humectant used in hydraulic fluids as well as face-creams!); Triclosan (an organochloride used in toothpastes which, I’ve read, derived from the Vietnam defoliator Agent Orange); and Sodium Lauryl Sulphate – a harsh, foaming, degreasing agent that should have no place in shampoos, but is usually top of the ingredients list; SLES is just an alcohol-based form.
To find safer products for your family, label reading is a ‘must’; check out health-food shops particularly. UK-based Linda Anousta has a wonderfully pure range, made by hand. For full information and mail order, visit www.anousta.co.uk or call Linda on 00 44 1722 741200: she’s an inspiring person!
Nikki’s column appears every four weeks. Please address your questions to [email protected], PO Box 21144, Nicosia. Tel: 22 818585
