The Christmas feast is often lambasted as an orgy of gluttony. But with its sides of multiple vegetables, its nutritional density may make it among the healthier meals some people eat throughout the year
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But the pleasure goes deeper. Animal proteins, such as roast fowl, hams or fish, contain all the amino acids that the body needs including many it cannot make for itself. Tyrosine and tryptophan are needed for the production, respectively, of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that controls feelings of pleasure and reward, and serotonin, another such, which helps regulate mood. Brussels sprouts contain folate, a vitamin without which the brain cannot function properly.
Disentangling the brain’s nutritional needs from those of the rest of the body is tricky. Recommended daily allowances are little help. They were formulated during the second world war on the basis of the nutrients needed for the physical health of troops. No suchCompared with other fields, nutritional science is understudied. That is partly because it is hard to do well. Randomised controlled trials , used to test drugs, are tricky. Few people want to stick to an experimental diet for years.
Half a century after Funk’s discovery, the notion that nutrients might be able to treat mental illnesses took hold. Abram Hoffer, a Canadian psychiatrist, tried treating schizophrenics with high doses of vitamins B3. Then in 1968 Linus Pauling, a Nobel-prize-winning chemist, coined the term “orthomolecular psychiatry” to describe the theory that varying the concentration of substances normally present in the body could treat mental disease.
And yet today much science does support the idea that there is a strong link between what people eat and their mental health. Studies have shown that12 shortages cause depression and poor memory and are associated with mania and psychosis. Low levels of vitamin D are associated with increased risks of dementia and stroke, and are implicated in neurodevelopmental disorders. A recentof 1.3mg—reduces anxiety.
Dr Rucklidge was sceptical that any improvement was due to the supplements but it nudged her towards conducting more trials. A few decades on and she has shown that supplements are helpful in children with—particularly those who struggle to regulate their emotions. The trial was recently replicated in America. Other evidence of the efficacy of supplements is emerging. The results of a largepublished in September showed that taking a daily multivitamin may improve cognition in those over 65.
Belgique Dernières Nouvelles, Belgique Actualités
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