Brain health

1. Brain health Alicia Brown, RD, LD

2. Overview • The Brain • Functions of the Brain • General Nutrition for the Brain • Brain Issues: • Stroke • Brain Cancer or Tumor • Seizures • Review

3. The Brain • The center of the nervous system • Extremely complex • Cerebral cortex contains 15-35 billion neurons • Controls the other organ systems of the body • Activating muscles • Secretion of hormones • Despite scientific progress, much about how the brain works remains a mystery.

4. The Brain (cont.) • Regions of the Brain: • Cerebrum • Frontal lobe • Parietal lobe • Occipital lobe • Cerebellum • Temporal lobe • Brain Stem • Spinal Cord

5. Functions of the Brain • Neurotransmitter • Sending signals to other parts of the body • Sensory systems • Sight, sound, taste, touch, smell • Motor systems • Body movement, reflexes, involuntary movements • Arousal system • Cycle of sleeping and waking

6. Nutrition for the Brain • Protein • Provides the building blocks to make tissues and are used to make neurotransmitters • Carbohydrate • Provides the main source of energy for the brain • Glucose or sugar • Fat • The brain is more than 60% fat • Plays a key role in transmission of information • Omega 3 fatty acids are essential

7. Nutrition for the Brain (cont.) • Vitamins • B complex vitamins play a role in producing energy • A, C and E are antioxidants • Minerals • Magnesium and manganese are needed for brain energy • Sodium, potassium and calcium facilitate the transmission of messages

8. Nutrition for the Brain (cont.) • Improper diet or lack of nutrients can effect: • Mood • Thinking capacity • Energy level • Motivation • Developmental status

9. Brain Issues - Stroke • Many individuals are malnourished upon admission to hospital after stroke • Elderly at highest risk • Malnutrition can increase due to: • Low-conscious level • Unsafe swallowing • Arm or facial weakness • Poor mobility • Ill fitting dentures

10. Brain Issues – Stroke (cont.) • Nutrition after a stroke • Taste of foods may change • Motor skills needed to eat may be impaired • Keeping a desirable body weight may be a problem • No cure-all to improve status • Overall healthy diet is recommended

11. Brain Issues - Stroke • Eating after a stroke • Each person’s diet must be individualized after a stroke • May use special utensils to ease eating • Proper dental health and proper fitting dentures • Eating softer foods • Reduces risk of choking if individual is at risk • Especially until motor skills are relearned or individual is comfortable feeding themselves

12. Brain Issues - Stroke • Preparing foods after a stroke • If meat has off-flavor use: • Marinades • Sauces • Cook with fruit/juices • Seasonings such as oregano, rosemary, basil, and pepper have strong flavors • Tart foods may be desirable • Oranges, lemons, lemonade • Flavor vegetables with garlic or onion

13. Brain Issues - Stroke • Preparing foods after a stroke • Eating foods at room temperature can enhance taste • Liquids may need to be thickened • Maintaining a desirable weight • Eat a variety of foods • Balance the amount eaten and exercise • Choose whole grains, vegetables, and fruits • Avoid high fat foods • Drink alcohol in moderation

14. Brain Issues - Stroke • Prevention • Control high blood pressure • Manage diabetes • No tobacco • Lower cholesterol levels • Maintain healthy weight • Regular physical activity • General healthy diet

15. Brain Issues – Cancer or Tumor • Cancer, Tumors and treatments may create nutrition related side-effects • Diet is an important part of cancer treatment • Eating healthy foods before and after treatment can help an individual feel better and stay stronger • Treatment can often cause side effect which make it difficult to eat well • Anorexia, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, mouth sores, trouble swallowing, depression, pain

16. Brain Issues – Cancer and Tumors • Anorexia and cachexia are common factors for malnutrition in cancer patients • Anorexia – the loss of appetite or desire to eat • Very common side-effect of cancer or tumor • Cachexia – a wasting syndrome • Less common in brain tumors or cancer

17. Brain Issues – Cancer and Tumors • Anorexia suggestions: • Eat small high protein and high calorie meals every 1-2 hours • Have help preparing meals • Add extra calories (butter, skim milk powder) • Store small portions of favorite foods so they are ready to eat when hungry • Eat larger portions in the morning • Avoid foods with strong odors • Try new foods

18. Brain Issues – Cancer and Tumors • Good eating habits during cancer care can help individuals cope with the effects of the cancer or tumor and treatment • Proper nutrition before and during treatment may mean patients can handle high doses of treatment • Some treatments more effective when patient consumes adequate protein and overall calores

19. Brain Issues – Cancer and Tumors • Nutrition and Prevention • Choose foods low in fat • Choose foods low in salt • Maintain a healthy weight • Regular physical activity • Drink alcohol in moderation • No tobacco

20. Brain Issues - Seizures • Seizure happen because of sudden, abnormal electrical activity in the brain • Not all seizures cause convulsions • Most last from 30 seconds to 2 minutes • Most do not cause lasting harm • Is an emergency if seizure lasts longer than 5 minutes or if a person has many seizures and does not wake up between them • Recurring seizures due to a brain disorder is called epilepsy

21. Brain Issues – Seizures (cont.) • Seizures can be treated with a ketogenic diet • High in fats • Low in carbohydrates • Mostly success in children • Developed over 80 years ago • Very strict • Helps 2 out of 3 children with epilepsy • Should only be tried if 2 or 3 medications have failed • Takes the commitment of a whole family to succeed

22. Brain Issues – Seizures (cont.) • What the ketogenic diet does • Normally the brain runs on glucose • After 24 hours of starvation, the body uses all of its stored glucose, and the body begins to burn fat • It forces the body to burn fat constantly by keeping calories low and providing the patient with high fat foods • It is the mimicking of starvation that reduces the seizures

23. Brain Issues - Seizures • Side Effects • This treatment should not be tried without the assistance of a doctor and a dietitian • Most common side effects: • Dehydration • Constipation • Kidney or gall stones • Pancreatitis • Decreased bone density • Eye problems • Vitamin depletion – can be added through supplements

24. Brain Issues - Seizures Ketogenic Diet Example Menu • 1 Day, 1500 kcal • Breakfast: egg with bacon, made with heavy whipping cream and butter, plus an apple • Snack: peanut butter mixed with butter Lunch: tuna salad made with celery, mayonnaise, and heavy whipping cream, served with lettuce • Snack: “keto” yogurt (made with heavy whipping cream, sour cream, strawberries, and artificial sweetener) • Dinner: cheeseburger with lettuce and green beans • Snack: “keto” custard (heavy whipping cream, egg, and pure unsweetened vanilla flavoring)

25. Review • There is no cure-all for stroke, cancer, tumors, or seizures • Often, general good nutrition and diet is the best method for recovery • Ketogenic diets for seizures is a serious commitment and but does have good chance for success • Discuss all nutrition issues with a Registered Dietitian

26. Resources • “Stroke and Nutrition”. http://www.bethabe.org/ Stroke_and_Nutrition172.html. Beth Abraham Family of Health Services. • M Dennis. “Nutrition after stroke.” British Medical Bulletin. http://bmb.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/ reprint/56/2/466. 2000:56; 466-475. • “Stroke – Prevention”. Feb 12, 2009. http://www.cdc.gov /stroke/prevention.htm. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. • “Nutrition in Cancer Care”. National Cancer Institute. http://www.cancer.gov/. • “Seizures”. MedlinePlus Trust Health information for You. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/seizures.html#cat10.