カレーを食べると元気になる。市販の牛脂で固めたルーはもちろん駄目。胃腸が逆に悪くなる。松井選手の母のカレーは植物油を使っていてとても美味い。
さてカレーで元気が出るのはカレー粉に原因がありか？curcuminという分子に秘密がありそうだ。
Eat More Curry for a Brain Boost?
A Spice to Boost Mood and Memory? Recent Science Says Yes! Post published by Drew Ramsey M.D. on Jan 03, 2013 in The Farmacy
psychologytoday.com/blog/the-farmacy/201301/eat-more-curry-brain-boost
By Mala Nimalasuriya and Drew Ramsey, MD
Looking to spice up your cooking with a serious brain booster? While many spices and herbs that flavor foods offer brain health benefits, few hold the promise of the active ingredient in most curries - turmeric, the source of a special polyphenol called curcumin.
We hope this Farmacy post will convince you to brighten your plate, expand your palette, and boost your brain health with a dash of turmeric. And we'll even share one of Mother Nature's top food synergies so you can maximize its brain health benefits.
Used for thousands of years in traditional South Asian cooking and traditional medicine, turmeric is a basic ingredient in curries. Also known as Indian Saffron, the spice gives these dishes their amber coloring and rich, earthy aroma...and provides you with a brain-boosting dose of curcumin.
While used in India and China for centuries in various traditional remedies, it’s been garnering attention in the scientific and medical communities for its impact on mental health, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. In fact, over 4000 scientific publications have focused on curcumin in the last decade. One study of 1,010 participants found that even small amounts of dietary turmeric are clearly linked to lower rates of dementia().
According to studies of how curcumin works on a molecular level, there are three ways that that more curry is great for your brain.
Research in animal models indicates that the active chemical in turmericウコン, curcumin, can enhance the birth of new brain cells, a process called neurogenesis.
The discovery that your brain can produce new cells has huge implications for your mental health. The production of these new neurons (brain cells) in the hippocampus and other brain areas is essential for optimal learning, memory and mood.
In studies, curcumin enhanced neurogenesis by increasing the level of brain derived neurotropic factor (BDNF), a molecule at the forefront brain health today (and we’d argue food choices). BDNF not only encourages the birth of new brain cells, it also promotes connections to other brain cells and protects them from damage.
Low BDNF is linked to serious brain illnesses such as major depression, OCD, schizophrenia, and dementia.
Secondly, curcumin is theorized to help fight illnesses like depression because it boosts the feel good neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine. These neurotransmitters are fundamental for good moods, clear thinking, a healthy sex drive, and sharp focus.
Curcumin blocks the monoamine oxidase enzymes that naturally break down these neurotransmitters. Thus, it functions much like a class of antidepressant medications called MAO inhibitors(link is external), which are used to treat both clinical depression and Alzheimer’s disease. In animal models of depression, curcumin actually enhanced the antidepressant effect of medications like Prozac and Effexor.
Lastly, curcumin is a potent antioxidant and so it helps protect the brain by quelling inflammation. A buzzword in medicine these days, chronic excess inflammation is linked to medical issues such as heart disease and diabetes as well as brain disorders like depression and dementia. Recently, a large study of 73,131 people(link is external) found levels of C-reactive protein, a marker of systemic inflammation, were significantly associated with depression and psychological stress.
Curcumin has also been shown to reduce the formation of the plaques that are typical of Alzheimer's disease.
Since this blog focuses on brain health, we haven't even mentioned the many other potential health benefits of curcumin being investigated but they include fighting many types of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, obesity, skin disorders, and enhancing liver function just to name a few. To say it simply, this golden spice is powerful medicine.
The only concern with curcumin has been is low "bioavailability" meaning the body does not absorb it well and excretes it quickly. Few things illustrate the power of real food as medicine like food synergies and it turns out that consuming curcumin with black pepper enhances the absorption and bioavailability by 2000 percent!
Turmeric Root is a member of the ginger family.
Closely resembling ginger root in its unprocessed form, turmeric is a member of the ginger family. It is readily available at local supermarkets as a fine yellow powder in the spice isle. Your local grocer should carry the spice for about $7 to $9 for an ounce or two, which is perfect for those beginning to experiment. You can also go all out and snag a pound for around $5 at local South Asian markets, an incredible deal for a brain booster. Another option is to use fresh turmeric. You can add thin slices to rice dishes or grate it, a nice addition to everthing from roasted vegetables to salad dressings.
While turmeric is largely known as a common component in curried dishes, cooking curry can be a daunting task. But you don’t have to spend hours by the stove to enjoy this spice at home. Turmeric is a surprisingly versatile spice and can be incorporated into many dishes. There are countless recipes to sample, but we’ve listed one of Mala's favorites below to get you started. We hope this very tasty introduction will get you cooking and experimenting with this amazing spice.
Until next time, Eat to Build a Better Brain....with turmeric!
news.livedoor.com/article/detail/8404934/
驚くべきことが判明した。『幸せホルモン』と呼ばれる『セロトニン』の95％は、なんと『脳』ではなく『腸』から出ていることが研究で判明したのだ!!
・『セロトニン』は腸内環境で左右される
便秘や暴飲暴食による腸の疲労状態を改善することが、幸せかどうかを感じることに大きく関係しているのだ。腸の状態が良いと腸から「セロトニンを出してくれ（笑）」と脳に指令を送るので、人間は「腸で物事を判断している」ともいえるのだ。
・腸が冷え切っていると『幸せ』を感じられない
腸は熱を持つと「セロトニンを出してくれ」と脳に伝達する仕組みが体内に備わっている。
逆に腸が冷えた状態であると「幸せじゃねえ」となってセロトニンが分泌されなくなる。
普段から温かい飲み物を飲む、身体を温める食事をすることは風邪予防など、体のコンディションを保つだけでなく精神バランスを保つためにも効果的であるのだ。
・同じものばかり食べる『偏食』はセロトニン分泌を妨げる
また、同じものばかり食べることはセロトニン分泌を妨げることもわかった。
食事が単調になってしまうと『体温調整』がスムーズに行えないため
「同じもんばっか食っても幸せじゃねえよ」
という状態になり、腸が脳にセロトニン分泌指令を出さないため、精神バランスが崩れ、ストレスから暴飲暴食やウツの原因となることも判明。
・『単食ダイエット』のリバウンド
同じものだけをひたすら食べ続ける『単食ダイエット』がリバウンドをおこしてしまうのも、こういったメカニズムによるものである。
・腸はカレーが大好き！ 腸「カレー食ったし幸せだわ」
なお、腸からセロトニン分泌指令を出すのに最適な食品は『カレー』であることも判明した。
スパイスが多く含まれ、たんぱく質、脂質、炭水化物がバランスよく摂取できるカレーは、腸を温める効果がバツグンなので
「カレー食ったし幸せだわ」
「セロトニン分泌しよっと」
という状態となり、腸がセロトニンをドバドバ出すよう脳に指令を送るのだ。
・市販のルーから作ったカレーはNG？『インドカレー』がGOOD!!
カレーは小麦粉がふんだんに使用されている市販のカレールーを使ったものではなく、スパイスを混ぜ合わせた『インドカレー』など本格的なカレーが効果的。
『薬膳カレー』と呼ばれるカレーは身体に良いだけではなく精神面にも効く万能食だったのだ。もちろん、小麦粉がメインではなくスパイスが豊富なものならば市販カレーでもOK!!
・セロトニン
『医食同源』とは「本格的なカレーを食べて、腸を接待してセロトニンをドバドバ出してもらう行為」だといっても間違いではないので覚えておこう。カレーは脳の活性化にもいいので、受験の日は朝カレーを食べて、試験に臨むことをおすすめする。
参照元: 長生きしたけりゃ腸は冷やすな（著 松生恒夫）