High Calorie Diet And The Human Brain

This monograph presents readers with cutting edge and comprehensive information on the effect of long term consumption of a high calorie diet on visceral organs and brain. It is the first monograph to describe the effect of macronutrients (carbohydrates, fats, and protein), table salt, and fiber (high calorie diet) on neurochemical processes related inflammation and oxidative stress in the brain. It will be useful to postgraduate students, faculty, research scientists, nutritionists, and physicians, who are curious about alterations in signal transduction processes due to long term consumption of high calorie diet. Healthy diet is an important component of good health. Long term consumption of a high calorie diet promotes insulin resistance, obesity, type II diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. The later is an important risk factor for stroke, Alzheimer disease, and depression. In contrast, the long term consumption of Mediterranean Diet reduces the risk of obesity, type II diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. A healthy lifestyle--which includes a healthy diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables, beans, fish, less red meat; moderate exercise for maintaining a healthy body weight; and optimal sleep may help in preventing not only diabetes, and metabolic syndrome, but delaying the pathogenesis of stroke, Alzheimer disease, and depression.

The purpose of this monograph is to present readers with a comprehensive and cutting edge description of neurochemical effects of diet (beneficial and harmful effects) in normal human brain and to discuss how present day diet promotes pathogenesis of stroke, AD, PD, and depression in a manner that is useful not only to students and teachers but also to researchers, dietitians, nutritionists and physicians. A diet in sufficient amount and appropriate macronutrients is essential for optimal health of human body tissues. In brain, over-nutrition, particularly with high-calorie diet, not only alters cellular homeostasis, but also results in changes in the intensity of signal transduction processes in reward centers of the brain resulting in food addiction. Over-nutrition produces detrimental effects on human health in general and brain health in particular because it chronically increases the systemic and brain inflammation and oxidative stress along with induction of insulin resistance and leptin resistance in the brain as well as visceral organs. Onset of chronic inflammation and oxidative stress not only leads to obesity and heart disease, but also promotes type II diabetes and metabolic syndrome, which are risk factors for both acute neural trauma (stroke) and chronic age-related neurodegenerative and neuropsychological disorders, such as Alzheimer disease (AD), Parkinson disease (PD) and depression.

Presents the State-of-the-Art in Fat Taste Transduction A bite of cheese, a few potato chips, a delectable piece of bacon – a small taste of high-fat foods often draws you back for more. But why are fatty foods so appealing? Why do we crave them? Fat Detection: Taste, Texture, and Post Ingestive Effects covers the many factors responsible for the sensory appeal of foods rich in fat. This well-researched text uses a multidisciplinary approach to shed new light on critical concerns related to dietary fat and obesity. Outlines Compelling Evidence for an Oral Fat Detection System Reflecting 15 years of psychophysical, behavioral, electrophysiological, and molecular studies, this book makes a well-supported case for an oral fat detection system. It explains how gustatory, textural, and olfactory information contribute to fat detection using carefully designed behavioral paradigms. The book also provides a detailed account of the brain regions that process the signals elicited by a fat stimulus, including flavor, aroma, and texture. This readily accessible work also discusses: The importance of dietary fats for living organisms Factors contributing to fat preference, including palatability Brain mechanisms associated with appetitive and hedonic experiences connected with food consumption Potential therapeutic targets for fat intake control Genetic components of human fat preference Neurological disorders and essential fatty acids Providing a comprehensive review of the literature from the leading scientists in the field, this volume delivers a holistic view of how the palatability and orosensory properties of dietary fat impact food intake and ultimately health. Fat Detection represents a new frontier in the study of food perception, food intake, and related health consequences.

Role of the Mediterranean Diet in the Brain and Neurodegenerative Disease provides a comprehensive overview of the effects of all components of the Mediterranean diet on the brain, along with its beneficial effects in neurodegenerative diseases. It covers topics on neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer disease (AD), Parkinson disease, (PD) Huntington disease (HD) and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also providing information on how cardiovascular disease, Type 2 Diabetes, and Metabolic Syndrome become risk factors for neurodegenerative diseases. This book focuses on how the Mediterranean diet suppresses oxidative stress and neuroinflammation in neurodegenerative diseases as well as signal transduction. The Mediterranean diet is characterized by the abundant consumption of olive oil, high consumption of plant foods (fruits, vegetables, pulses, cereals, nuts and seeds); frequent and moderate intake of wine (mainly with meals); moderate consumption of fish, seafood, yogurt, cheese, poultry and eggs; and low consumption of red meat and processed meat products. High consumption of dietary fiber, low glycemic index and glycemic load, anti-inflammatory effects, and antioxidant compounds may act together to produce favorable effects on health status. Collective evidence suggests that Mediterranean diet not only increases longevity by lowering cardiovascular disease, inhibiting cancer growth, but also by protecting the body from age-dependent cognitive decline. Comprehensively provides an overview of the effects of the Mediterranean diet on the brain and its beneficial effects in neurodegenerative diseases Discusses the relationship among Type 2 Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and Alzheimer's Disease, and the effect of the Mediterranean diet on normal aging, longevity, and other neurodegenerative diseases Focuses on how the Mediterranean diet suppresses oxidative stress and neuroinflammation in neurodegenerative disease

Insulin Resistance as a Risk Factor in Visceral and Neurological Disorders provides an overview on the risk factors for insulin resistance in visceral and neurological disorders. The book focuses on molecular mechanisms and signal transduction processes associated with the links. The comprehensive information in this monograph will not only help in the early detection of insulin resistance related visceral and neurological disorders, but also promote the discovery of new drugs which may block or delay onset in elderly patients. Understanding these processes is important not only for patients, caregivers and health professionals, but also for health policymakers who must plan for national resources. Presents the first comprehensive book dedicated to insulin resistance as a risk factor for neurological disorders Focuses on the molecular mechanisms and signal transduction processes associated with insulin resistance Discusses insulin resistance to heart disease, obesity, diabetes, stroke, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, dementia and depression

Are we really the pinnacle of 4500 million years of evolution? Closely related to the aggressive chimpanzees, have we evolved enough to cope? The nightly news on television, that mervelous technical invention of scientists, no turned into a field too barren to be termed a wastelad, provides little hope that Homo sapiens is more than another of natu

A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year From an obesity and neuroscience researcher with a knack for engaging, humorous storytelling, The Hungry Brain uses cutting-edge science to answer the questions: why do we overeat, and what can we do about it? No one wants to overeat. And certainly no one wants to overeat for years, become overweight, and end up with a high risk of diabetes or heart disease--yet two thirds of Americans do precisely that. Even though we know better, we often eat too much. Why does our behavior betray our own intentions to be lean and healthy? The problem, argues obesity and neuroscience researcher Stephan J. Guyenet, is not necessarily a lack of willpower or an incorrect understanding of what to eat. Rather, our appetites and food choices are led astray by ancient, instinctive brain circuits that play by the rules of a survival game that no longer exists. And these circuits don’t care about how you look in a bathing suit next summer. To make the case, The Hungry Brain takes readers on an eye-opening journey through cutting-edge neuroscience that has never before been available to a general audience. The Hungry Brain delivers profound insights into why the brain undermines our weight goals and transforms these insights into practical guidelines for eating well and staying slim. Along the way, it explores how the human brain works, revealing how this mysterious organ makes us who we are.

Ischemic and Traumatic Brain and Spinal Cord Injuries: Mechanisms and Potential Therapies presents readers with comprehensive and cutting-edge information on molecular mechanisms, including the signal transduction processes associated with neurodegeneration and neuroprotection in ischemic, spinal cord, severe and mild brain injuries. The book also covers the molecular mechanisms of drugs used for the treatment of neurotraumatic disease. Chapters are organized by molecular aspects and neuroprotective strategies by disease, including ischemic injury, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, and chronic traumatic encephalopathy. The book integrates and consolidates knowledge on neurotraumatic diseases, with the hope of bringing forth more dramatic advances and developments, not only on molecular mechanisms, but also on the causes of, and treatments for, neurotraumatic diseases. Offers a clearly written, logically organized, comprehensive overview on the molecular aspects of risk factors, pathogenesis, biomarkers, and therapeutic strategies for ischemic, spinal cord, severe and mild brain injuries Provides cutting-edge research information on the signal transduction processes associated with neurodegeneration and neuroprotection in ischemic, spinal cord, severe and mild brain injuries Presents chapters that are organized by molecular aspects and neuroprotective strategies by disease, including ischemic injury, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, and chronic traumatic encephalopathy