Dietary Fiber Can Raise Your IQ, Prevent Alzheimer's & Reduce Brain Inflammation

Did you know that eating more dietary fiber can raise your IQ, protect you from Alzheimer’s, reduce brain inflammation and improve memory?

As we age, immune cells in the brain known as microglia begin to transform into chronically inflamed cells. In this inflamed state, they emit various compounds known to diminish cognitive abilities and impair our fine motor skills over time. Examples of cognitive abilities include the ability to process information and store memory. Examples of fine motor skills include the act of using a spoon to scoop granola out of a bowl, signing your name on a document, or typing out a text message to your friend.

According to a new study from the University of Illinois, there may be a remedy to delay what is largely seen as the inevitable decline that comes with aging. And that remedy is dietary fiber.

Dietary fiber has been shown to encourage the growth of friendly bacteria in the gut. When the good bacteria in our gut eat that fiber, they produce numerous byproducts, including short-chain fatty acids like Butyrate.

What is Butyrate?

Butyrate is a short chain fatty acid that serves as a highly potent detoxifier of neurotoxins, and also lowers inflammation in the body. Furthermore, Butyrate has been shown to encourage the formation of friendly bacteria within the gut.

Butyrate is being researched because it has been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties on the Microglia, and it has also been shown to improve memory when administered pharmacologically. Eating high fiber foods takes advantage of the fact that the gut bacteria can convert dietary fiber into that butyrate naturally. This is why researchers talk so often about the importance of having a healthy gut and that gut-brain connection. The study goes further and says, this is actually how it’s working:

“The new study reveals that, in older mice, butyrate stops the production of toxic chemicals by the inflamed microglia. Chief among these toxic chemicals is interleukin-1β, which has been repeatedly associated with Alzheimer’s disease in human beings.” And it was also discovered that feeding the mice a high fiber diet raised the level butyrate and other short-chain fatty acids in the blood both for young and old mice.

Butyrate helps to offset the negative impact that the Microglia can cause as they age. That inflammatory response occurring within the brain which is affecting your motor skills and affecting your cognition, hence your memory. We know that diet has a major influence on the composition and the function of microbes in the gut and that diets high in fiber benefit good microbes, while diets high in fat can have a negative influence on microbial composition and function, so this is once again another showing the importance of the foods that you are eating. Having a high fiber diet is so incredibly important.

Society at large is not aware of the importance of dietary fiber, because current research indicates that adults consume 40 percent less dietary fiber than is recommended by most nutritional guidelines. Not Getting enough fiber could have negative consequences for things we don’t even think about, such as brain health, brain cognition and inflammation throughout the body.

So, where do you obtain dietary fiber from?

Oftentimes when people hear the word fiber, they immediately think of tasteless supplemental forms of fiber that come in the form of bland powder. They overlook what should be their primary source of fiber(i.e, nuts, vegetables and fruits). This is why including more plant-based foods in your diet is such a great idea. When you incorporate more nuts, seeds, vegetables, and fruits into your diet, you will naturally be eating more high fiber foods because fiber can only be obtained from these types of plant-based food sources. Consider the avocado. An Avocado is going to yield healthy fat and protein, but also a significant amount of fiber.

When you eat nuts, fruits and vegetables, you‘re not only obtaining a wonderful spectrum in terms of vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and antioxidants, but you are also obtaining a significant amount of fiber.

It is important to understand that not all sources of dietary fiber provide the same benefits. The source of your dietary fiber should be examined carefully. Say, for example, you take one single slice of white bread. That slice of white bread is most likely going to yield less than one gram of fiber. How about an Apple? An apple will yield you about five grams of fiber. Now, why does this matter? Because when we think about inflammation occurring within the brain, if we’re not having adequate fiber intake in the diet every day, inflammation may be ramped up throughout the body, including the brain. Now, how much fiber should someone get every day? Well, it is often recommended that you should have about 30 to 50 grams of fiber per day.

What is The Best Source of Dietary Fiber?

Research has identified Nuts and seeds as key sources of satiating dietary fiber. Studies show that once nuts and seeds are ingested, gut bacteria convert certain substances within these foods into highly specialized short-chain fatty acids that subsequently work to inhibit prostate cancer, colon cancer growth, nerve dysfunction, and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and neuroinflammation.

Make sure to eat nuts and seeds that have been soaked and sprouted; or eat them as part of a superfood blend which includes a variety of nuts/seeds, without added refined sugars.

A well crafted Superfood Granola that is a great source of fiber is Yogi Granola. Yogi Granola is made up of sprouted nuts & seeds that are infused with a proprietary blend of adaptogenic herbs, medicinal mushrooms and other superfood botanicals. Yogi Granola is micronutrient rich and contains optimal levels of dietary fiber that provide immediate and sustained benefits when consumed on a daily basis.

Yogi Granola is now available in Dark Chocolate. Check out Yogi Granola by clicking here or on the bag of granola below:

RESEARCH REFERENCES & CITATIONS:

1. DiSabato DJ, Quan N, Godbout JP. Neuroinflammation: the devil is in the details. J Neurochem (2016) 139(Suppl 2):136–53. doi:10.1111/jnc.13607

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

2. Matt SM, Johnson RW. Neuro-immune dysfunction during brain aging: new insights in microglial cell regulation. Curr Opin Pharmacol (2016) 26:96–101. doi:10.1016/j.coph.2015.10.009

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

3. Matt SM, Lawson MA, Johnson RW. Aging and peripheral lipopolysaccharide can modulate epigenetic regulators and decrease IL-1beta promoter DNA methylation in microglia. Neurobiol Aging (2016) 47:1–9. doi:10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2016.07.006