We are surrounded by an environment full of a wide variety of low nutritional foods that can easily lead to complicated physiological health conditions. Obesity, for example, can be considered a risk factor in the development of chronic diseases, and it is not simply the result of overeating. The UIC Barcelona Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Neurolipids Research Group analyses the effect of certain nutrients on our brain health in the article “Feeding the Brain: Effect of Nutrients on Cognition, Synaptic Function, and AMPA Receptors.”

The study, led by Dr Núria Casals and Dr Ruth Fadó, affirmed that the intake of saturated fatty acids and simple sugars, present in cheese, butter, pastries and soft drinks, contribute to the progressive deterioration of our memory. One of the most significant consequences of neurological damage to our brain is the increased risk of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease.

On the contrary, the consumption of unsaturated fatty acids, such as omega-3, present in the Mediterranean diet, appears to have a neuroprotective effect on cognitive decline, capable of reversing most of the harmful effects of saturated fatty acids at the synaptic level.

Dr Núria Casals and Dr Ruth Fadó, lead authors of the study affirmed, “The extensive review we conducted is a major step forward in nutrition, as it has allowed us to conclude that eating a balanced diet of foods rich in saturated fats combined with unsaturated fats does not seem to harm brain health.”