80/10/10 and brain health

I am currently reading a book on brain health by Dr. Daniel G. Amen, called "Making a Good Brain Great." There is some really interesting information in it, like how many things affect our brain and how many aspects of ourselves, including many issues, are caused by problems in the brain. (This was obvious to me beforehand, but this puts it in a new and tangible light.) In the book, Amen also outlines some nutritional guidelines for a healthy brain (and body; the two tend to go hand in hand, of course). While he mentions fruit as being an excellent source of antioxidants and vitamin C for the brain, and strongly discourages the SAD diet, he still includes meat, fish, dairy, etc. Of course, this is probably because he hasn't come much in contact with a vegan (nonetheless 80/10/10) diet. But he also talks a lot about fish and how it's great for the brain (although most 80/10/10'ers already know that we can easily get a good omega ratio by eating less overt fats and getting all omegas from fruits and veggies and some nuts, like walnuts). He conducted studies where fish oil was shown to greatly improve brain function, but 80/10/10'ers have, to my knowledge, never been studied as far as brain function goes.
What do you think of brain health? I would be interested to hear if anyone knows how 80/10/10 impacts brain health (from reliable sources and solid knowledge, please). He also talks about needing sufficient protein and fat (as the brain is, what, 60% fat, not including water?). Has this lifestyle been shown to better or worsen brain health? Or do we just not know yet? I'm super-curious to learn more about this.

Tags: Brain, amen, function, health, mental, mind, omegas, protein

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Permalink Reply by Alex Pence on July 11, 2012 at 2:15am

Fish is 'good for the brain' for people consuming too little ALA (alpha-linolenic acid) and too much LA (linoleic acid), which is the vast majority of humans. Fish is especially good in the case of extremely large amounts of LA because it contains preformed EPA and DHA, which normally would be produced from ALA but the excess amounts of LA prevent this from happening due to both ALA and LA requiring the same enzymes.

I don't believe that fish would be beneficial for people eating 80/10/10 however as even the lower fat ones (3% fat instead of 10% for example) tend to get over recommended amounts of ALA (0.5g to 3g are the ones I've seen) and a balanced ratio of LA as opposed to the 1:15+ ratio which is fairly standard for the rest of population.

There are only 2 essential fats: alpha-linolenic acid and linoleic acid, all the other ones can be synthesised by the body hence why people can gain some fat eating large amounts of carbs. When considering if you get enough fat or not look at the amounts of those two essential ones, not the non-essential ones as eating 100g of saturated fat isn't going to provide your body with anything other than energy.

I apologise for the lack of references but all that I've written is basically common knowledge within the area of human nutrition and you shouldn't have any trouble confirming it.

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Permalink Reply by Shananana-Bananana on July 11, 2012 at 8:41am

Thanks a ton for all the information! It's just what I wanted to know. ;)

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Permalink Reply by Nathan on July 11, 2012 at 9:09am

The brain is made up of mostly fat, but that doesn't mean it needs large amounts of fat to maintain itself. That would only be true if it was constantly degenerating and rebuilding itself.

Instead, the brain needs only small amounts of the right fat, which can be found in fruits and vegetables.

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Permalink Reply by Shananana-Bananana on July 11, 2012 at 9:34am

And that certainly does make sense. 80/10/10 makes for a better omega ratio. I was just wondering what the minimum amount of fat would be. By the way, does anyone know if the brain repairs itself? I remember hearing that it doesn't, but I feel like that could be wrong? Also, when does the brain stop developing?

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Permalink Reply by Alex Pence on July 11, 2012 at 10:00am

Personally I think I go against the grain a bit here by airing on the side of caution when it comes to fat amount, I eat an ounce of walnuts each day (the only overt fats I eat) which are almost entirely made up of essential fats with a very limited amount of saturated and other non-essential fats which along with my fruit and greens on a 3000kcal diet tends to put me at around 7g ALA (omega3) and 12g LA (omega6). This amount of essential fatty acids is obtainable while still staying in single digit percentages when it comes to calories from fat, but also easily matches even the higher dietary recommendations for EFAs by nutritional bodies.

I'm not certain that these amounts are necessary and there are indeed plenty of sources suggesting that lower levels are sufficient and that the original study used to establish LA requirements was flawed but I'd rather be safe than sorry and sit on the fence until more research is done and it's fully understood.

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Permalink Reply by Shananana-Bananana on July 11, 2012 at 10:11am

I do and think the same, but especially because I'm still growing and developing and recovering from an eating disorder (I'm at an alright weight, as I went to treatment, but my body needs to repair). I eat overts every day; an avocado or an ounce of walnuts. I think that my body needs that extra fat.