ALZHEIMER'S AND CHOLESTEROL

". . . those people on extremely low fat diets are starving themselves for some of the most needed and powerful anti-disease nutrients on earth."

Grandma used to say I should eat my scrambled eggs fried in a little butter. She said the same thing about flounder filets. She said these were brain foods. Of course, I had no idea what she was talking about, but I did enjoy these foods.

One of the reasons these are considered brain foods is that they encourage proper cholesterol levels in the blood. Cholesterol is a brain fuel, playing an essential part in the makeup of brain and nervous system tissue. In fact, the arachidonic acid found in butter and eggs is absolutely vital for the makeup of cell membranes. Cell membranes are the building blocks of good health, especially mental health.

Besides encouraging proper brain function via cholesterol production, foods like butter and eggs that contain natural fats are also rich in arachidonic acid. Arachidonic acid is essential for the produc­tion of prostaglandins, which are hormone-like chemicals that are produced in every single cell of your body. These play a major role in how your glands, organs, and your entire body function.¹

Without adequate amounts of the fat found in these foods, prostaglandin and cholesterol production would be impaired. You would then be prone to poor mental health and Alzheimer's. When your body is properly producing prostaglandins and cholesterol from fats (including saturated fats like butter and eggs), you are better able to maintain good mental health.

Ironically, the most powerful block to proper prostaglandin production comes from the very foods that are touted by the food industry and the medical profession as "healthy." These are trans fatty acids found in margarine, shortening, and hydrogenated fats. ² Avoid these at all costs. On the other hand, do consume good sources of natural fat, especially if you are prone to mental health prob­lems.

While we're at it, for you new moms: I recommend that pregnant women eat eggs and a little raw butter. (Try to obtain organically produced butter and eggs.) The fat and cholesterol from egg yolks and butter are essential for your developing baby's men­tal health. Following birth, start your baby eating these foods after six months of age. (For instance, serve baby a scrambled egg cooked over low heat in just a little butter.) This will help ensure proper development of the brain, which will impact on speech, coordination, and freedom from learning disabilities.

Alzheimer's

The message here is simple. Do not fall for the low-fat craze! The Japanese put an extremely high value on eggs and fish as brain foods. As a population, the Japanese are not prone to high cholesterol, blood fat problems, or heart disease. Keep in mind that the enzyme functions that maintain proper cholesterol and prostaglandin activity in the body generally become less efficient as you age. This means more good fats are in order for your diet.

If you doubt this, here's evidence of how egg con­sumption alone makes a big difference in mental function in older age. A University of California at Berkeley study compared two groups of men in their 80s. One group suffered from dementia or Alzheimer's, the other did not. Their diets were almost identical except for one factor—the men who were free from dementia consumed at least one egg daily, the others did not.³

By the way, unless vegans are very careful about their diet, they also have problems with getting enough of the type of fat necessary for good mental health. The majority of vegans are probably deficient in the most important fatty acid nutrients needed as the source for proper brain and nervous system function.⁴

^Notes

1. Horobin. David F, "The regulation of prostaglandin biosynthesis by manipulation of essential fatty acid metabolism," Reviews in Pure and Applied Pharmacological Studies, Vol. 4, pp. 339-383, 1983.

2. "Margarine, the `un-health' food." Health Alert. Vol. 5, No. 11. "The low-fat craze," Health Alert, Vol. 12, No. 4.

3. "Let's get technical...about prostaglandins," Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation Health Journal, Vol. 20, No. 3.

4. Sanders, TBA. et al. "Studies of vegans: The fatty acid composition of plasma choline phosphoglycerides, erythrocytes, adipose tissue and breast milk, and some indicators of susceptibility to ischemic heart disease in vegans and omnivore controls." The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 31, pp. 805-813.

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