Are You Eating Yourself Stupid?

A while ago, we embarked on a series of posts entitled Twelve Rules for Life. Our first rule was CUT OUT SUGAR.

After that, we said something about how to show leadership. Then the project fizzled for lack of ten more ideas. However, a new paper by Australian National University Professor Nicolas Cherbuin confirms that we were on the right track, at least about sugar. 

In a recent paper in Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology, Cherbuin and associates reported that brain health can decline much earlier in life than previously thought due, in large part, to a rotten diet based on junk food (i.e., high in an addictive combination of fats and sugar). Thus, as reported at MedicalExpress, Cherbuin et al. have found that:

"People are eating away at their brain with a really bad fast-food diet and little-to-no exercise, ... 30 percent of the world's adult population is either overweight or obese, and more than 10 percent of all adults will suffer from type 2 diabetes by 2030."

What's more, Cherbuin's group report that:

Although, the "link between type 2 diabetes and the rapid deterioration of brain function is already well established," "... our work shows that neurodegeneration, or the loss and function of neurons, sets in much, much earlier [than previously understood]—we've found a clear association between this brain deterioration and unhealthy lifestyle choices."

And here's the punch line:

"People are eating away at their brain with a really bad fast-food diet and little-to-no exercise."

So if we ever get around to it writing about it, our Third Rule for Life will be: Exercise daily.

Related: 
How to Make Children Choose Broccoli over cake