Going nuts helps with brain function

A new study shows that going for nuts changes your brainwaves for the better. Seems nuts and peanuts (really a legume) strengthen brainwave frequencies that are associated with cognition, empathy, healing, learning, memory, recall and other important brain functions.

The study published in the FASEB Journal found that pistachios got the biggest response from your brain’s gamma waves, and that builds cognitive processing, information retention, learning, perception and rapid eye movement during sleep. Peanuts triggered the greatest delta-wave response. It’s associated with healthy immunity, healing and deep sleep.

Plus, all nuts are packed with flavonoids, potent polyphenols that are anti-inflammatory and help fight off cancers and heart disease. And, say the researchers, nuts’ flavonoids support growth of new neurons and improve blood flow in the brain. Walnuts deliver the most.

In another new study, researchers followed more than 200,000 people for an average of 32 years and found that eating more nuts was tied to a lower risk of stroke, heart attack and heart disease. Walnuts came out on top again: Eating them two to three times a week was associated with a 19 percent lower risk of heart problems Peanuts and other-than-walnuts tree nuts also ranked high on the heart-protection list.

Obese teens losing weight

Seems there’s a faulty appetite regulator in the brains of obese teens. The question is: Did the broken regulator cause the excess weight, or is it a result of it? Well, we don’t know, but realizing there’s a broken food regulator provides a new understanding of the challenges obese teens face in achieving a healthy weight.

A study presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America makes it clear that the 20.5 percent of 12- to 19-year-olds in the United States who are obese have measurable changes in the appetite-, impulse- and reward-regulating centers of their brain. Helping teens attain a healthy weight means dealing with all of that.

How to do it : It takes a team to help them reset their brains: an exercise physiologist/coach; a nutritionist ; a yoga or meditation instructor, plus cognitive behavioral therapy. That can provide the tools needed to establish impulse control and help a teen recognize when enough food is enough.

Email questions for Mehmet Oz and Mike Roizen to youdocsdaily@sharecare. com.