If you remove white bread from your diet and fill it with rye bread rich in fiber and whole grains, your brain can begin to work better, which is especially important in old age. Such conclusions can be drawn by mentioning a small experiment conducted by Swedish researchers from Lund University on half a dozen subjects.
Research on the benefits of rye bread for the nervous system
The researchers gave 19 healthy, non-smoking subjects aged 20-33 a meal with rye bread every night for 3 days. This rye bread consisted of 85% whole grains of rye and 15% white flour. Another time the subjects were given a dinner with white bread for 3 days. With each of the two meals, the subjects received 50 grams of starch from the bread. In the morning after the evening rest, the researchers determined the concentration of BDNF in the blood of the subjects. BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) is a brain neurotrophic factor that keeps brain cells young and viable while stimulating them to form new compounds. From the first day after the first evening meal with rye bread, the researchers saw more BDNF in the subjects ‘ blood in the morning than the day after the evening meal with white bread.
This situation remained changed throughout the experiment, which lasted 3 days.
Mechanism of influence of rye bread substances on neurotrophic factors
“It has been suggested that one of the underlying mechanisms of promoting the health benefits of glucose tolerance and appetite regulation, rye wholemeal bread, is related to intestinal fermentation of dietary fiber and the manufacture of intestinal fatty acids”, write the researchers. “Thus, a 30% increase in plasma butyrate content and a 10% increase in plasma acetate and plasma propionate content were observed on an empty stomach after taking whole-grain rye bread the day before in the evening, compared with evening meals of white bread.(*)
Plasma butyrate, acetate and propionate are products of bacterial fermentation of dietary fiber, which are short-chain fatty acids. They are of great importance for intestinal and maternal health, incl.regulate the level of BDNF.
“…it has been shown that the administration of sodium butyrate can regulate BDNF levels in the frontal cortex of the brain ” (**)
With respect to the intestinal microbiota, previous observations showed that BDNF concentrations were lower in whole-grain-free mice than in controls, and it was concluded that the intestinal microbiota plays a role in increasing BDNF levels in the brain. In addition, another study in animals showed that probiotic Nutrition (FructoOligoSaccharides and galactooligosaccharides) increased BDNF expression […], indicating the involvement of the intestinal microbiota [… in the rat . However, corrections between short-chain fatty acids and BDNF can be confirmed in this study.”
Imprisonment
“In the present study, the results indicate a potential impact (10.5 h) of the whole grain segment on the neuronal integrity marker BDNF. However, further research is needed to confirm this Conclusion.”
Fitness and health 