Fructose is linked to a number of health conditions...

Same fructose used in sodas found to damage brain cells... makes you stupid and promotes Alzheimer's

by: Isabelle Z.

We already know that sugar is bad for our health in general, but a remarkable study shows that its destruction even extends to our brains. That's right: The food you eat could actually be making you stupid.

According to research from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), fructose can damage your brain cells and spur a number of diseases, including Alzheimer's, heart disease, and diabetes.

In the study, researchers fed rats water spiked with fructose for a period of six weeks. This amount is roughly equal to a liter of soft drinks per day for humans. After that period, the rats were placed in a maze along with other rats who had only been given water to drink.

The rats who had been drinking fructose took double the amount of time it took the water-fed rats to complete the maze, even though both groups had received the same level of training. This implies that those who drank fructose were suffering from some sort of memory impairment.

Fructose is linked to a number of health conditions

Fructose can be found in cane sugar as well as in high-fructose corn syrup. While fructose does occur naturally in fruit, fruits also contain very important antioxidants that make them worth consuming. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that Americans consume around 35 pounds of high-fructose corn syrup, and 47 pounds of cane sugar per year on average. This is pretty alarming when you consider the fact that studies have linked fructose consumption to fatty liver, obesity and diabetes.

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that fructose failed to trigger brain activity in the regions associated with satiety and feelings of fullness; it's almost as though fructose "tricks" the brain into seeking out food and increasing food intake.

Of course, high-fructose corn syrup is not the only unhealthy ingredient in foods. The truth is that grocery stores are full of dangerous foods, from canned goods that contain BPA, to food sprayed with toxic pesticides like cancer-causing glyphosate. There are so many dangers that Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, was inspired to write a book about it after analyzing a number of foods in his cutting-edge lab. The result of this effort is Food Forensics, which is set to be released this summer.

DHA has the power to reverse the harmful effects of fructose on the brain

Perhaps even more interestingly, the UCLA study also showed that the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) seemed to reverse the damage caused by fructose. A third group of rats who had been given an omega 3-rich flaxseed oil extract in addition to fructose water, were able to get through the maze almost as fast as those that had only been given water.

Senior author of the study Xia Yang said: "DHA changes not just one or two genes; it seems to push the entire gene pattern back to normal, which is remarkable."

DHA is also believed to help prevent age-related dementia. You can find DHA in fish – salmon is an especially good source. It can also be found in nuts and some vegetables.

UCLA Neurosurgery Professor Fernando Gomez-Pinilla said: "Eating a high-fructose diet over the long term alters your brain's ability to learn and remember information. But adding omega-3 fatty acids to your meals can help minimize the damage."

It's no secret that certain foods have the power to heal, and this is something that the people behind the Natural Medicine, Healing and Wellness Summit are well aware of. In the summit, they show people how they can reverse disease and feel younger in general.

While food can do some serious damage to our bodies, it also has the power to bring about tremendous healing. Processed foods can cause irreversible harm, but natural, organic, whole foods can dramatically improve your health.

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/053860_HFCS_sodas_brain_damage.html#ixzz47UmXwfar