Good Fat Bad Fat

I will like to thank everybody for overwhelming response to my last post “Speechless Teens” about increasing suicidal tendency in teenagers.  I have decided to move ahead with the same topic. Today will discuss a different aspect of the same topic. In last post we discussed about the virtual reality of internet & social media as a culprit for suicidal tendency in teenagers. It is said that “we are what we eat”. There has been a drastic change in our food habits especially in last 50 years. I will like to draw your attention towards the cause effect & analysis of this change on our behavioral pattern. Before that I will like to introduce you to our very own brain.      

The Supercomputer

The average weight of an adult brain is 1400 gm.  Brain has around 100 billion brain cells e.g. Neurons. If we start to count these neurons at the rate of one neuron per second it will take 3171 years to count all neurons in a single brain.  To add to complexity each neuron is attached to roughly 10,000 neurons. Now one can understand why it is known as super computer. Brain account for just 2.5 % of our body weight but 15 -20 % fresh blood that comes out from heart is supplied to it. That’s shows its importance. Brain is made up of 77 % water, 12 % fat, 8 % protein and 1 % carbohydrate. So we can conclude that ‘fat’ is an integral part of the brain architecture.    

Z +  security

Brain is one of the most important organs in the body. There is a threat that a toxic substance can enter in brain through blood circulation and might result in severe damage to the brain. So it has given special security. The thinnest blood vessels i.e. capillary in the brain allow only selected molecules to enter inside brain. So it acts like a wall between blood and the brain. It is known as “Blood Brain Barrier”.  This barrier is made up of lipid like substance. You get the following reference in “Essentials of Medical Pharmacology” written by DR K.D. Tripathi which is a renowned book in medical fraternity. ‘Only lipid soluble drugs, therefore are able to penetrate and have action on central nervous system’ that means fat plays a crucial role in facilitating entry of any molecule in to brain.    

Ghee?  NO Please

Before 50 years ago it was impossible to find house in India that doesn’t have ghee. As we become westernized the picture started to change. Our minds were programmed in such a way that we started thinking Ghee means cholesterol; cholesterol means Heart attack and heart attack means death. So ghee is nothing but gateway to death. Unfortunately ghee was banned from Indian kitchens. If you will ask somebody “Do you eat ghee?”; instantaneous reaction is “NO not at all. We are very diet conscious; Who will eat such ‘High cal’ stuff ? It’s strange that these people enjoy eating bakery products prepared in hydrogenated vegetable oils, margarine, extra cheese pizza, frozen desserts outside. All these food items contain high percentage of ‘Trans fats’. Studies have shown that these Trans fats have serious consequences on your brain. There is a relationship between Trans fat consumption and mental illness like depression, Alzhimer’s disease. But they are not bothered about its effect on health. Still people are OK with it.  On this note let’s learn few facts about Ghee.

DHA rich food

DHA is one a types of Omega 3 fatty essential for development and nutrition of brain and eyes. Ghee is prepared by two methods traditional method in Indian households and direct cream method at commercial level. As per latest research; if we prepare ghee as per traditional method prescribed in Ayurved; then it has significantly high percentage of DHA. At the same time DHA percentage is less in commercially prepared Ghee. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4061595/) This means Ghee prepared by Ayurvedic method easily crosses the Blood Brain Barrier (BBB) & nourishes your brain.  Surprisingly great Aacharya of Ayurved like Charaka, Sushruta have described the beneficial effects of Ghee on memory and intelligence 2500 years back. But the irony is we Indians don’t have faith in them because they didn’t have a laboratory report to show.

Most of the teenagers today just hate Ghee; they have hardly tasted it. So their brain is deprived of nutrition hence they didn’t get stability and peace of mind. So we can say that when Indians were eating ghee regularly the suicides were under control. Once we banned it from our kitchens the suicide rate increased. Boycotting the ghee is one of the most important causes for increasing suicides in teenagers. In nut shell you have to eat two teaspoons of Ghee daily to keep your brain healthy.

Scientific Ayurved

Ayurveda advocates use of medicated ghee i.e. Siddha Ghruta prosessed with herbs like Brahmi, Vacha and Shankhpushpi for neurological & psychological disorders. Kalyanka Ghruta, Sarswat Ghruta, Panchgavya Ghruta are few examples amongst them. Now the question is How did they decided to use ghee for these diseases? Did they knew concept of Blood Brain Barrier (BBB) ?

The answer is NO. The answer lies in experimental wisdom of Ayurved. The Aacharyas must have used different formulations like powder, decoction i.e. Kadha, juice, medicated ghee of these drugs over a period of time on a number of patients. Then they have come to the conclusion that the medicated ghee was the most effective amongst them. That means it is not a serendipity but AYURVEDA IS A SCIENCE BASED ON EXPERIMENTAL WISDOM OF OUR ANCESTORS. So it a time that we start recognizing its strength. Let us proudly share this science of life on international platform.

© Dr Pushkar Puruhottam Wagh

MD (Ayurved)

Ayush Ayueved Clinic,

A - 5, Palm View, RX -37,

MIDC, Dombivli (East)

9224349827

drpushkarwagh@gmail.com     

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