'Brain Foods' Anyone?

Are brain foods real? Can they make you intelligent? Promoters think so and one brain food is even being touted as a slimming aid. But the facts say otherwise.

Many people think fish is a brain food. This misconception probably arose when iodized salt wasn't available before and many people who ...Are brain foods real? Can they make you intelligent? Promoters think so and one brain food is even being touted as a slimming aid. But the facts say otherwise.

Many people think fish is a brain food. This misconception probably arose when iodized salt wasn't available before and many people who lived far from the sea suffered from iodine deficiency.

Lack of iodine, as you know, causes goiter and a decrease in the production of thyroxin, the thyroid hormone. Since thyroxin is needed for proper mental functioning, those with goiter appear to move and think more slowly than other people. But as soon as they ate fish and other seafood, they became physically and mentally alert.

Eggs are also thought to be brain foods since they are rich in lecithin which has been falsely promoted as a memory booster and slimming aid.

One of the components of lecithin is choline which is said to be involved in thought processes. Unfortunately, studies of lecithin have not shown it to be beneficial in improving memory. Nor does it burn up fat, according to Kurt Butler and Dr. Lynne Rayner of the University of Hawaii in “The Best Medicine.”

Thus, while lecithin may help those suffering from certain neuropsychiatric disorders, it cannot make you smarter.

In short, there are no brain foods. New single food or vitamin can make you intelligent or improve your mental ability.

Brain growth and function, however, can be developed with proper nutrition during pregnancy and the first few years of life.

Brain cells grow until the child is about five years old. If the child is severely malnourished before that time, brain growth may be stunted and brain cells may be smaller and fewer than normal. This could affect the child's mental capacity.

"It should be made clear, however, that there is no evidence to support the claim that adhering faithfully to a brain food diet while pregnant or placing a child on a brain food regimen will produce a genius. Mental capacity, after all, is determined by more than diet," said Dr. Susan Baker of the Boston Children's Hospital.

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