How the food you eat affects your brain - Mia Nacamulli

Prevoditelj: Sanda L Recezent: Ivan Stamenković

Your Brain on Food

Vaš mozak pod utjecajem hrane

If you sucked all of the moisture out of your brain

Kada biste iz svog mozga isisali svu vlagu

and broke it down to its constituent nutritional content,

i rastavili ga na njegove osnovne hranjive sastojke,

what would it look like?

kako bi to izgledalo?

Most of the weight of your dehydrated brain would come from fats,

Većina mase vašeg dehidriranog mozga sastojala bi se iz masti,

also known as lipids.

koje još zovemo lipidima.

In the remaining brain matter, you would find proteins and amino acids,

U preostaloj masi mozga našli biste bjelančevine i aminokiseline,

traces of micronutrients,

tragove mikronutrijenata

and glucose.

i glukozu.

The brain is, of course, more than just the sum of its nutritional parts,

Naravno, mozak je više od samog zbroja svojih nutritivnih dijelova,

but each component does have a distinct impact on functioning,

ali svaka komponenta ima jedinstven utjecaj na funkcioniranje,

development,

razvoj,

mood,

raspoloženje

and energy.

i energiju.

So that post-lunch apathy,

Ta apatija nakon ručka

or late-night alertness you might be feeling,

ili budnost kasno noću koju možda doživljavate,

well, that could simply be the effects of food on your brain.

to bi jednostavno mogli biti učinci hrane na vaš mozak.

Of the fats in your brain, the superstars are omegas 3 and 6.

Od masnoća u vašem mozgu, superzvijezde su omega-3 i omega-6.

These essential fatty acids,

Ove esencijalne masne kiseline,

which have been linked to preventing degenerative brain conditions,

koje povezuju sa sprječavanjem degenerativnih bolesti mozga,

must come from our diets.

moraju dolaziti iz prehrane.

So eating omega-rich foods,

Prehrana bogata omega kiselinama poput

like nuts,

seeds,

orašastih plodova,

sjemenki

and fatty fish,

i masne ribe,

is crucial to the creation and maintenance of cell membranes.

ključna je za stvaranje i održavanje staničnih membrana.

And while omegas are good fats for your brain,

I dok su omega masti dobre za vaš mozak,

long-term consumption of other fats, like trans and saturated fats,

dugotrajno konzumiranje drugih masti, poput trans i zasićenih masti,

may compromise brain health.

može ugroziti zdravlje mozga.

Meanwhile, proteins and amino acids,

U isto vrijeme, bjelančevine i aminokiseline,

the building block nutrients of growth and development,

hranjivi gradivni materijali našeg rasta i razvoja,

manipulate how we feel and behave.

manipuliraju time kako se osjećamo i ponašamo.

Amino acids contain the precursors to neurotransmitters,

Aminokiseline sadrže prethodnike neurotransmitera,

the chemical messengers that carry signals between neurons,

kemijskih prenositelja signala između neurona,

affecting things like mood,

utječući na raspoloženje,

sleep,

san,

attentiveness,

pozornost

and weight.

i težinu.

They're one of the reasons we might feel calm after eating a large plate of pasta,

One su djelomično razlog zašto se osjećamo smireno kada pojedemo tanjur tjestenine,

or more alert after a protein-rich meal.

ili pozornije nakon obroka bogatog bjelančevinama.

The complex combinations of compounds in food

Složene kombinacije spojeva u hrani

can stimulate brain cells to release mood-altering norepinephrine,

mogu potaknuti moždane stanice da otpuste norepinefrin, koji mijenja raspoloženje,

dopamine,

dopamin

and serotonin.

i serotonin.

But getting to your brain cells is tricky,

Dolazak do vaših moždanih stanica je složen

and amino acids have to compete for limited access.

i aminokiseline se moraju boriti za ograničen pristup.

A diet with a range of foods helps maintain a balanced combination

Prehrana raznovrsnim namirnicama pomaže održanju uravnotežene kombinacije

of brain messengers,

prijenosnika signala do mozga

and keeps your mood from getting skewed in one direction or the other.

i sprječava da vaše raspoloženje ode iz jedne u drugu krajnost.

Like the other organs in our bodies,

Poput drugih organa u našem tijelu,

our brains also benefit from a steady supply of micronutrients.

i naši mozgovi imaju koristi od stalnog priljeva mikronutrijenata.

Antioxidants in fruits and vegetables

Antioksidansi u voću i povrću

strengthen the brain to fight off free radicals that destroy brain cells,

jačaju mozak u njegovoj borbi protiv slobodnih radikala koji uništavaju stanice

enabling your brain to work well for a longer period of time.

i omogućuju mozgu da dobro funkcionira kroz duže vrijeme.

And without powerful micronutrients,

Bez moćnih mikronutrijenata,

like the vitamins B6,

poput vitamina B6,

B12,

B12

and folic acid,

i folne kiseline,

our brains would be susceptible to brain disease and mental decline.

naši mozgovi bili bi podložni moždanim bolestima i propadanju.

Trace amounts of the minerals iron,

Tragovi minerala željeza,

copper,

bakra,

zinc,

cinka

and sodium

i natrija,

are also fundamental to brain health and early cognitive development.

također su ključni za zdravlje mozga i rani kognitivni razvoj.

In order for the brain to efficiently transform and synthesize

Kako bi mozak učinkovito transformirao i sintetizirao

these valuable nutrients,

ove dragocjene nutrijente,

it needs fuel, and lots of it.

potrebno mu je dosta goriva.

While the human brain only makes up about 2% of our body weight,

Iako ljudski mozak čini samo oko 2% naše tjelesne težine,

it uses up to 20% of our energy resources.

on koristi i do 20% naših energetskih resursa.

Most of this energy comes from carbohydrates

Većina ove energije dolazi iz ugljikohidrata

that our body digests into glucose, or blood sugar.

koje naše tijelo razbija u glukozu, odnosno, šećer.

The frontal lobes are so sensitive to drops in glucose, in fact,

Zapravo, frontalni režnjevi su toliko osjetljivi na pad glukoze,

that a change in mental function is one of the primary signals

da je promjena mentalnih funkcija jedan od osnovnih signala

of nutrient deficiency.

nedostatka hranjivih tvari.

Assuming that we are getting glucose regularly,

Pod pretpostavkom da redovito dobivamo glukozu,

how does the specific type of carbohydrates we eat affect our brains?

kako određeni tip ugljikohidrata koje jedemo utječe na naše mozgove?

Carbs come in three forms:

Ugljikohidrati dolaze tri oblika:

starch,

sugar,

škrob,

šećer

and fiber.

i vlakna.

While on most nutrition labels,

Iako su na većini deklaracija

they are all lumped into one total carb count,

zbrojeni u jedan zajednički broj ugljikohidrata,

the ratio of the sugar and fiber subgroups to the whole amount

odnos podgrupa šećera i vlakana u ukupnoj količini

affect how the body and brain respond.

utječe na to kako reagiraju tijelo i mozak.

A high glycemic food, like white bread,

Hrana visokog glikemijskog indeksa, poput bijelog kruha,

causes a rapid release of glucose into the blood,

izaziva munjevito izlučivanje glukoze u krvi,

and then comes the dip.

a onda slijedi pad.

Blood sugar shoots down, and with it, our attention span and mood.

Šećer u krvi pada, a s njim i naša pozornost i raspoloženje.

On the other hand, oats, grains, and legumes have slower glucose release,

S druge strane, zobene pahuljice, žitarice i mahunarke sporije otpuštaju glukozu,

enabling a steadier level of attentiveness.

čime se dobiva stabilnija razina održavanja pažnje.

For sustained brain power,

Za održivu snagu mozga,

opting for a varied diet of nutrient-rich foods is critical.

ključno je odabrati raznovrsnu prehranu bogatu hranjivim tvarima.

When it comes to what you bite, chew, and swallow,

Kada se govori o onome što grizete, žvačete i gutate,

your choices have a direct and long-lasting effect

vaši izbori imaju izravan i dugotrajan utjecaj

on the most powerful organ in your body.

na najmoćniji organ u vašem tijelu.