Boosting our brain health

diagnosed with diabetes, arguably the most difficult aspect of managing the life-long illness is, of course, changing the way they approach diet and nutrition.

This rings especially true for a nation that is famous for its rich and carb-laden cuisines, including deep-fried flour-based snacks and sugary sambals.

And while there is no real harm in the occasional indulgence of sugar, it is best to consider a specialised nutrition diet based on a diabetes-specific formula (DSF), or Glycemia Targeted Specialised Nutrition (GTSN).

Through GTSN, which is a structured calorie-controlled meal plan, diabetics can decrease the risk of overfeeding their body during meals or while snacking.

When combined with regular exercise, GTSN offers a diet with less sugar, comprising different types of carbohydrates that will help to stabilise blood sugar glucose after meals.

It also assists in the intake of necessary nutrients, as diabetics can consider GTSN as a calorie replacement or supplementation formulated to manage their disease.

The emphasis is on better nutrition because a poor diet can lead to further serious diabetes-related health complications such as heart disease, strokes and retinopathy.

People living with diabetes are not only two to four times at risk of developing heart disease and five times more likely to suffer a stroke, but are also at risk of developing retinopathy, or blindness, within the first five years of diagnosis.

Diabetes also affects kidney function, where some 10% of diabetics are likely to develop kidney disease, according to Persatuan Diabetes Malaysia.

Perhaps the most visibly noticeable complication resulting from diabetes is nerve disease and amputation, as an alarming 50% of diabetics is likely to develop nerve damage.

Diabetics can help manage their condition through a combination of regular exercise, proper medication, as well as a GTSN-based diet.

One such meal replacement or oral supplement formulated specifically for diabetics is Glucerna Triple Care powder, which is designed with a low GI, meaning it helps the body release energy from carbs at a steadier pace.

Backed by 28 years of clinical research by Abbott Laboratories, Glucerna Triple Care can be easily incorporated into a diet as recommended by healthcare professionals.

In an investigator-initiated study, Malaysian patients recorded a significant reduction in weight and better sugar control through medical nutrition therapy.

Joslin Diabetes Centre’s Obesity Clinical

In addition, women who had severe premenstrual syndrome (PMS) in their younger years may have more severe mood swings during perimenopause. And those with a history of clinical depression are up to 4.5 times more likely to experience another episode at the start of menopause.

Many may not realise that during menopause, not only are the female hormones out of balance but also the neurotransmitters in the brain.

Our brain has 10 billion neurons (brain cells) connected by neurotransmitters (chemical messengers) that transmit thought from one cell to the next, allowing brain cells to ‘talk to each other’.

There are three types of neurotransmitters – norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin – that need to be kept in balance at all times, or risk affecting our mental state and mood.

Research has found that depression and other brain-related diseases are due to the lack of a natural substance commonly found in the brain called S-Adenosyl-L Methionine (SAM-e for short).

SAM-e functions by activating a critical process in the body called methylation, which is one of the main processes in the brain to generate energy, improve brain nerve communication, and protect brain cells from damage.

In short, SAM-e helps to keep the brain balanced, energised and protected. However, just like other good substances in the body, the level of SAM-e declines as one ages.

Other reasons that cause the body to be deprived of SAM-e include: the lack of protein intake and the reduction in gastrointestinal functions as one ages will lead to the body lacking important nutrients such as vitamin B12, folate, and betaine that are required to build SAM-e; and the high levels of toxins accumulated in the body due to excessive exposure to alcohol, cigarette smoke, petrochemicals, pesticides and herbicides lead to huge amounts of SAM-e being diverted to the liver, instead of the brain, to cleanse toxins, thus depriving the brain the benefits of SAM-e; SAM-e is a natural molecule produced in the body. However, in its native form, SAM-e is labile (easily broken down) and degrades rapidly at room temperature.

Gnosis, an Italian pharmaceutical company, has managed to overcome this issue and successfully developed a commercially-stable SAM-e called Adonat, which has been clinically proven to be effective in improving brain health.

This patented SAM-e is produced through an extraction process of selected highly-productive yeasts, using a patented fermentation technology, which generates a superior quality of SAM-e.

Through more than 83 human clinical trials worldwide, Adonat has been proven to contain the highest potency of active SAM-e which allows it to deliver invaluable and unique health benefits for the brain as well as other parts of the body.

For more, visit the Gnosis website.