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(dramatic piano music)
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- [Narrator] It's impossible to escape.
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Sweet and fatty foods surround us.
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They're everywhere.
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And for decades,
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the body has not been handling
these new eating habits well.
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But what about the brain?
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Do our mental health, our moods,
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and our brain abilities suffer
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when we eat badly?
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- We know that junk food is making us fat
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but science is telling us now
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that it might also be
shrinking our brains.
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- [Narrator] Mind your manners
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because scientists are
at the dining table.
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- Diets that are high in fat and sugar
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in the long term lead to
changes in part of the brain
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involved in memory.
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- [Narrator] This is a
recent field of research,
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a developing science
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that spotlights a new facet of nutrition.
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- Habitual intake of foods
high in fat and sugar
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result in a reprogramming of the brain.
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- [Narrator] Your brain is affected
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by what you put on your plate.
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(gentle music)
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Everything starts with the first meals,
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even before birth.
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The brain is built during pregnancy.
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Later on, it's functioning depends
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on how it has been nourished
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by the expectant mother's
diet over nine months.
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The consequences of poor
nutrition during gestation
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have been known for a long time.
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But in Australia,
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scientists today are concerned
with the effects of nutrition
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on brain function.
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Felice Jacka, a professor at
the University of Melbourne,
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is one of the best experts
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on the link between
nutrition and the brain.
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She examined the behavior of babies
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after tracking the eating
habits of 23,000 pregnant women.
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- We measured their intake
of junk and processed foods.
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We measured their intake
of the healthful foods,
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foods with lots of fiber
and nutrients, et cetera.
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And then we looked at the emotional health
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of their children
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over the first few years of life,
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from 18 months to five years.
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Of course, taking into account
things such as education,
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income, the mother's mental
health, parenting practices,
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these sorts of things.
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And what we saw very clearly
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was that mothers who ate more
junk and processed foods,
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so sweet drinks and salty snacks
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and cakes, biscuits,
during their pregnancy,
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their children had more of these behaviors
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such as aggression and anger and tantrums.
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- [Narrator] This disquieting correlation
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suggests that the mother
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impacts the mental
development of the baby,
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though the link remains to be demonstrated
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on the biological level.
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In any case, Felice Jacka is convinced.
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- So what we also saw in
this large Norwegian study
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is that the children's diets
seemed to be important as well.
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Independent of what mom ate,
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if children were eating too
much junk and processed foods
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and/or not enough of the healthful foods,
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they had more of these anger
and aggressive type behaviors
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but also sadness, anxiety,
worry, nightmares.
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- [Narrator] Since then,
Professor Jacka's conclusions
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have been confirmed
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by studies in Spain, the
Netherlands and Canada.
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There is a link between dietary quality
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and mood problems in children.
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But what is the nature of this link?
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How does food interfere with
the functioning of neurons?
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Excess fat and sugar
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are now in the sights of
scientists working on the brain,
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both excesses and deficiencies.
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Junk food often lacks nutrients,
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so it leaves the body
and neurons in particular
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in a deficient state.
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In this laboratory at the
University of Bordeaux,
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scientists are studying
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the consequences of dietary deficiencies
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on the brain of mice.
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(mysterious music)
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This experiment is used
to measure anxiety.
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The animal has a choice,
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explore the lighted area
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or hide in the shade.
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A normal mouse takes the time
to examine the lighted area.
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But this mouse was deprived
of omega-3 during its growth.
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Omega-3 is a good fat well
known for its benefits
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to the heart and arteries.
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Instead of exploring the environment,
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the mouse takes refuge in a dark corner.
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It's stressed, anxious.
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This experiment has been
reproduced many times
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on dozens of mice.
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For researchers, this strange behavior
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can be simply explained.
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Without omega-3's to build the brain,
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it does not function normally.
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That's because the gray matter is 90% fat,
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so it cannot produce itself.
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The brain is the organ
after adipose tissue
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that's the richest in polyunsaturated
fatty acid or omega-3.
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So omega-3 is indispensable
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because the body cannot make it.
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We have to ingest it.
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It has to come from the diet.
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Oily fish, organ meat, vegetable
oils and seeds and nuts
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like almonds have long been main sources
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of omega-3 for humans.
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But these foods have become scarce
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in the cuisine of
industrialized countries.
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Sophie Laye wanted to go further
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and understand what is wrong in the brain
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of these anxious mice
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that were deprived of omega-3.
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She examined their neurons very closely
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and under the microscope
anomalies clearly appear.
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- [Translator] Here the neurons
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bloom with all these extensions.
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But there's a reduction of the extensions
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when there's a dietary
deficiency of omega-3.
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At a more precise level,
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we see the connection between the neurons
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which is represented by
these small protuberances.
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But these synapses are also diminished.
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This shows that there's an
impact on the connectivity
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between the neurons in the brain
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and these omega-3 deficient mice.
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- [Narrator] Without omega-3 available
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in the development stage,
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neurons have trouble
communicating with each other
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because the structure
of the cells is changed.
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- [Translator] The omega-3 that we consume
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will enter the brain
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and embed into the membranes of neurons.
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This will give flexibility to
the membranes of the neurons
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and allow a better
connection between them.
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- [Narrator] The amount of
omega-3 that enters the brain
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is crucial for making
brain cells more efficient
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because when these fatty acids
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are incorporated into the membranes,
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they improve the electrical properties.
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In omega-rich neurons,
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the signal propagates faster.
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The network is more efficient.
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To deprive the brain of omega-3
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is to take the risk that it
will not function as well.
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- [Translator] The general population
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is deficient in omega-3.
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We have insufficient intake of omega-3.
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So it's important to pay attention to it,
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especially in the prenatal,
developmental period.
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During this period, omega-3 embeds itself
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in massive quantities into the brain.
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Also in adolescents, when
there's often a change of food,
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and during aging
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where the incorporation
into the brain of omega-3
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tends to be less effective.
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So we must increase its intake.
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- [Narrator] The first rule
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for a brain to run at full
speed, avoid deficiencies.
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But it is still necessary
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that the good nutrients are accessible
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and that a varied diet is available.
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What happens to neurons
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when meals are poor
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and above all, always the same?
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The great hamster,
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who has thrived for a long time
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here in the planes of the Alsace region,
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reveals his painful situation today.
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- [Translator] Since the 1960's,
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there's been a decline in
the hamster population,
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which is on the verge of extinction today.
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And at the same time,
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we've noticed an increase
in the agriculture area
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where corn is cultivated.
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- [Narrator] Caroline Habold
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wondered whether the
collapse of the population
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was linked to the sudden glut of corn.
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So she did a laboratory experiment
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by feeding the hamster
this cereal exclusively.
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- [Translator] During breeding,
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we observed behavioral
disturbances in females
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which resulted in hyperaggression
and hypersensitivity
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as soon as there was noise in the room.
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(comical music)
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Above all, what we did not expect
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is that these females
would devour their young
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the first day after birth.
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This behavior was observed
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in more than 80% of females.
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- [Narrator] A poor diet
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is enough to throw a hamster
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into a murderous rage.
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This calls into question a simple vitamin.
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- [Translator] A vitamin B3 deficiency
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is at the origin of the abnormal behavior.
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When we supplemented them with vitamin B3
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in addition to their corn-based diet,
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they expressed quite normal behaviors
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and they began to nurse their young,
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to raise them in the same way
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as the females that were
fed a diversified diet.
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- [Narrator] The deadly misadventure
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of the hamster is disturbing.
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Could a deficient, unbalanced diet
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also trigger aggression
and violent reactions?
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(bombs exploding)
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Archives from the last war in Holland
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provide scientists with an opportunity
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to study this question.
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At the time, food deprivation
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had a serious impact on the behavior
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of an entire generation.
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- [Translator] During
the second world war,
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there was a famine in the Netherlands.
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Women who were pregnant
suffered from hunger.
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The children of these women
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showed greater sociability problems
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around 18 to 19 years later.
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They had more of these issues
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than other people at the
same age born in another era.
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- [Narrator] Impulsiveness,
aggressive actions,
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and recurrent violations of the law,
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this generation has been
particularly scarred.
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Since then, many studies
have linked violence
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to the quality of daily food.
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Ap Zaalberg is a doctor of psychology
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and a political advisor
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at the Ministry of Justice.
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His specialty, nutrition and crime.
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He is convinced that enriching
the food with vitamins,
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fatty acids and minerals
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can reduce aggression.
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(speaking in foreign language)
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- [Narrator] It is difficult
to test this hypothesis
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in real life
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because many factors and circumstances
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can influence our
behavior and our impulses.
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In order to study food
in almost ideal context
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without the influence of many parameters,
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he chose to go to prison.
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Ap Zaalberg then launched an experiment
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for which 221 detainees volunteered.
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- [Translator] Here, in the Netherlands,
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we conducted a study of young prisoners
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in eight different prisons.
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For three months, we gave
them vitamins, minerals
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and fatty acid supplements
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and then we looked at the
effect on their behavior.
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We measured it in two different ways.
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First, we asked the detainees
how aggressive they were
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and we asked the supervisors
for their views on the issue.
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Above all, we looked at the incident log,
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the number of times
detainees were punished
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and we saw that solitary confinement
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had fallen dramatically.
267
00:13:53,350 --> 00:13:54,300
- [Narrator] In the group of inmates
268
00:13:54,300 --> 00:13:56,170
whose meals were improved,
269
00:13:56,170 --> 00:13:58,923
the number of incidents
was reduced by one-third.
270
00:14:03,760 --> 00:14:06,820
Similar studies conducted in
British and Australian prisons
271
00:14:06,820 --> 00:14:08,920
come to the same conclusion,
272
00:14:08,920 --> 00:14:11,430
minerals, omega-3's and vitamins
273
00:14:11,430 --> 00:14:13,330
added as dietary supplements
274
00:14:13,330 --> 00:14:15,203
reduce violent behavior.
275
00:14:25,880 --> 00:14:26,713
- [Translator] The next step
276
00:14:26,713 --> 00:14:28,890
is to test whether our
scientific discoveries
277
00:14:28,890 --> 00:14:30,623
can be put into practice.
278
00:14:31,890 --> 00:14:33,070
We have several projects
279
00:14:33,070 --> 00:14:34,970
with the prison system administration.
280
00:14:36,060 --> 00:14:37,939
We will see if a change in diet
281
00:14:37,939 --> 00:14:40,423
can be considered a way
to regulate aggression.
282
00:14:43,540 --> 00:14:46,280
- [Narrator] What we eat has
the power to change our moods,
283
00:14:46,280 --> 00:14:48,313
to stimulate certain impulses.
284
00:14:52,896 --> 00:14:54,610
But could the food on our plate
285
00:14:54,610 --> 00:14:56,773
also influence our decisions,
286
00:14:57,950 --> 00:14:59,480
the ones we believe we make
287
00:14:59,480 --> 00:15:01,303
with the most freedom in the world?
288
00:15:05,497 --> 00:15:07,040
- [Translator] When people are asked
289
00:15:07,040 --> 00:15:09,360
if they think that the food that they eat
290
00:15:09,360 --> 00:15:13,203
has an impact on health, most answer yes.
291
00:15:16,690 --> 00:15:18,100
But when asked if diet
292
00:15:18,100 --> 00:15:21,550
can also influence thoughts and decisions,
293
00:15:21,550 --> 00:15:24,483
very few people are willing
to believe this is the case.
294
00:15:29,384 --> 00:15:32,110
- [Narrator] However, in the very serious
295
00:15:32,110 --> 00:15:33,660
Institute of Psychology
296
00:15:33,660 --> 00:15:36,670
at the University of Lubeck in Germany,
297
00:15:36,670 --> 00:15:40,653
Professor So Young Park has,
for the first time, proven it.
298
00:15:41,780 --> 00:15:42,940
His work reveals
299
00:15:42,940 --> 00:15:46,853
the mechanism by which food
could influence our thoughts.
300
00:15:47,760 --> 00:15:50,060
And for that, the researcher has developed
301
00:15:50,060 --> 00:15:52,183
a rather original experiment.
302
00:15:54,230 --> 00:15:57,373
Imagine that you have to
solve the following dilemma.
303
00:15:58,710 --> 00:15:59,700
The money on the table
304
00:15:59,700 --> 00:16:02,260
is to be divided into two sums
305
00:16:02,260 --> 00:16:05,250
but it's your playing partner, a stranger,
306
00:16:05,250 --> 00:16:07,293
who will decide on the distribution.
307
00:16:08,760 --> 00:16:11,110
- I give you two Euros
and I keep eight for me.
308
00:16:13,645 --> 00:16:15,850
- [Narrator] If you
accept this unfair offer,
309
00:16:15,850 --> 00:16:17,240
you leave with a little money
310
00:16:17,240 --> 00:16:19,143
but much less than him.
311
00:16:20,090 --> 00:16:22,663
If you refuse, nobody wins anything.
312
00:16:23,930 --> 00:16:25,543
So what would you do?
313
00:16:27,130 --> 00:16:29,760
Do you accept the offer and take two Euros
314
00:16:29,760 --> 00:16:31,090
even if you feel cheated
315
00:16:31,090 --> 00:16:33,800
or do you refuse and
leave with empty pockets
316
00:16:33,800 --> 00:16:35,343
but keep your head held high?
317
00:16:39,020 --> 00:16:41,560
Well, it turns out that
taking or not taking the money
318
00:16:41,560 --> 00:16:44,090
depends on a surprising condition,
319
00:16:44,090 --> 00:16:45,753
what you just swallowed.
320
00:16:47,298 --> 00:16:50,631
(mysterious jazz music)
321
00:17:00,480 --> 00:17:03,040
- [Translator] We have prepared breakfast.
322
00:17:03,040 --> 00:17:04,930
The only thing that is required
323
00:17:04,930 --> 00:17:07,030
is to eat everything.
324
00:17:07,030 --> 00:17:09,502
I will return later for
the behavioral part.
325
00:17:10,869 --> 00:17:11,713
Enjoy your meal.
326
00:17:20,823 --> 00:17:23,730
- [Translator] As part of this study,
327
00:17:23,730 --> 00:17:25,290
we followed 24 people
328
00:17:25,290 --> 00:17:27,579
who came into the laboratory twice
329
00:17:27,579 --> 00:17:29,713
to have two different breakfasts.
330
00:17:34,010 --> 00:17:36,310
We found that the same person
331
00:17:36,310 --> 00:17:38,960
made completely different decisions
332
00:17:38,960 --> 00:17:40,973
based on what they ate in the morning.
333
00:17:47,062 --> 00:17:47,895
- [Narrator] To this subject,
334
00:17:47,895 --> 00:17:50,240
these two breakfasts look the same.
335
00:17:50,240 --> 00:17:54,230
In reality, one is far more
protein-rich than the other.
336
00:17:54,230 --> 00:17:56,110
The ratio of protein to sugar
337
00:17:56,110 --> 00:17:59,280
is the only parameter that is changed.
338
00:17:59,280 --> 00:18:01,050
A few hours after the meal,
339
00:18:01,050 --> 00:18:04,223
our subject then takes
several tests on a computer.
340
00:18:05,490 --> 00:18:08,500
Today, he tends to accept the offer.
341
00:18:08,500 --> 00:18:10,700
His interest outweighs his annoyance.
342
00:18:10,700 --> 00:18:13,100
He will leave with a
little money in his pocket.
343
00:18:16,300 --> 00:18:19,190
Last week, he had mostly refused
344
00:18:19,190 --> 00:18:21,293
and had mostly gained nothing.
345
00:18:24,500 --> 00:18:25,530
- [Translator] The subject,
346
00:18:25,530 --> 00:18:28,980
having consumed a high protein
breakfast in the morning,
347
00:18:28,980 --> 00:18:31,203
was tolerant of unfair offers.
348
00:18:36,490 --> 00:18:38,540
Conversely, the subject
349
00:18:38,540 --> 00:18:41,890
who consumed a high carbohydrate breakfast
350
00:18:41,890 --> 00:18:45,103
was less tolerant in the
face of unfair offers.
351
00:18:47,160 --> 00:18:48,640
- [Narrator] On average, the subject,
352
00:18:48,640 --> 00:18:50,520
when we has had little protein,
353
00:18:50,520 --> 00:18:53,730
rejects unfair offers twice as often.
354
00:18:53,730 --> 00:18:56,333
But how to explain this surprising result?
355
00:18:57,370 --> 00:18:59,850
To understand and provide
biological evidence
356
00:18:59,850 --> 00:19:01,180
for this observation,
357
00:19:01,180 --> 00:19:03,783
scientists performed blood tests.
358
00:19:04,650 --> 00:19:05,500
- [Translator] We will send the blood
359
00:19:05,500 --> 00:19:07,540
to the laboratory for analysis.
360
00:19:07,540 --> 00:19:09,110
We will measure the level of hormones
361
00:19:09,110 --> 00:19:11,330
and amino acids in the blood.
362
00:19:11,330 --> 00:19:15,330
For hormones, we are interested
in insulin, cortisol,
363
00:19:15,330 --> 00:19:18,930
adrenaline and
adrenocorticotropic hormone.
364
00:19:18,930 --> 00:19:22,453
And for amino acids,
tryptophan and tyrosine.
365
00:19:23,428 --> 00:19:27,345
(speaking in foreign language)
366
00:19:28,830 --> 00:19:29,890
- [Narrator] On this list,
367
00:19:29,890 --> 00:19:32,430
the most important is tyrosine.
368
00:19:32,430 --> 00:19:33,500
It is an amino acid
369
00:19:33,500 --> 00:19:35,690
that is part of the
composition of a protein
370
00:19:35,690 --> 00:19:38,433
that is key for brain function dopamine.
371
00:19:39,350 --> 00:19:41,950
This molecule insures
communication between neurons
372
00:19:41,950 --> 00:19:44,383
involved in motivation and risk-taking.
373
00:19:49,630 --> 00:19:51,040
The results of the analysis
374
00:19:51,040 --> 00:19:52,440
show that subjects
375
00:19:52,440 --> 00:19:55,530
who have a higher level
of tyrosine in the blood,
376
00:19:55,530 --> 00:19:58,803
are those who more easily
accept the unfair offer.
377
00:20:01,260 --> 00:20:02,580
- [Translator] We therefore assume
378
00:20:02,580 --> 00:20:05,319
that increasing tyrosine in the blood
379
00:20:05,319 --> 00:20:08,790
increases the amount of
dopamine in the brain,
380
00:20:08,790 --> 00:20:11,203
which in turn changes the behavior.
381
00:20:12,860 --> 00:20:15,130
- [Narrator] In other
words, after a few hours,
382
00:20:15,130 --> 00:20:18,700
what we eat subtly alters
the chemistry of the brain
383
00:20:18,700 --> 00:20:22,150
and thus, the communication
between neurons,
384
00:20:22,150 --> 00:20:24,353
enough to guide some of our decisions.
385
00:20:26,580 --> 00:20:28,910
At the Institute of Psychology in Lubeck,
386
00:20:28,910 --> 00:20:32,700
experiments are continuing
to confirm this result
387
00:20:32,700 --> 00:20:34,360
because it is a first
388
00:20:34,360 --> 00:20:36,363
and the implications are numerous.
389
00:20:39,233 --> 00:20:43,360
- [Translator] Since we eat
three times a day every day,
390
00:20:43,360 --> 00:20:46,210
we realize that food has immense power,
391
00:20:46,210 --> 00:20:48,983
that of modifying and shaping mankind.
392
00:20:50,620 --> 00:20:54,620
So it's essential to think
about how we can use food
393
00:20:54,620 --> 00:20:58,443
to promote our wellbeing and
optimize our mental state.
394
00:21:02,620 --> 00:21:04,300
- [Narrator] Between dietary deficiencies
395
00:21:04,300 --> 00:21:05,690
that soften the brain,
396
00:21:05,690 --> 00:21:07,520
that disrupt moods,
397
00:21:07,520 --> 00:21:11,360
and the diet that interferes
with everyday decisions,
398
00:21:11,360 --> 00:21:12,980
it's becoming increasingly clear
399
00:21:12,980 --> 00:21:16,173
that food plays a preponderant
role in our psychic life.
400
00:21:22,481 --> 00:21:24,898
(sexy music)
401
00:21:28,600 --> 00:21:30,280
But what about junk food
402
00:21:30,280 --> 00:21:32,503
dripping with sugar and bad fat?
403
00:21:34,580 --> 00:21:36,773
What would happen if we ate more of it?
404
00:21:48,470 --> 00:21:51,060
This is the focus of
research here in Australia
405
00:21:51,060 --> 00:21:52,923
at the University of Sydney.
406
00:21:53,776 --> 00:21:56,693
(mysterious music)
407
00:22:03,380 --> 00:22:06,410
Margaret Morris runs the
only laboratory in the world
408
00:22:06,410 --> 00:22:08,423
where rats are fed junk food,
409
00:22:10,490 --> 00:22:12,620
the stuff you find in supermarkets
410
00:22:12,620 --> 00:22:15,513
and are served in cheap
fast food restaurants.
411
00:22:26,020 --> 00:22:28,530
- Our experiments use a
range of Western foods,
412
00:22:28,530 --> 00:22:30,400
the type eaten by all of us.
413
00:22:30,400 --> 00:22:35,400
So we feed our rats meat pies,
chips, cakes and biscuits,
414
00:22:36,440 --> 00:22:39,910
the sorts of foods that are
readily available and cheap.
415
00:22:39,910 --> 00:22:42,323
So we are modeling the Western world.
416
00:22:45,900 --> 00:22:47,610
- [Narrator] First consequence,
417
00:22:47,610 --> 00:22:50,550
the rat doubles his food rations.
418
00:22:50,550 --> 00:22:53,383
The animal is never satiated.
419
00:22:54,440 --> 00:22:56,953
But this is not the
most surprising outcome.
420
00:23:03,840 --> 00:23:05,260
- One of our chief interests
421
00:23:05,260 --> 00:23:08,650
is the impact of this diet
on the animal's memory.
422
00:23:08,650 --> 00:23:10,940
And we can measure this easily in the rat
423
00:23:10,940 --> 00:23:13,610
using a task known as the novel object
424
00:23:13,610 --> 00:23:15,453
and novel place task.
425
00:23:17,570 --> 00:23:18,440
- [Narrator] For this test,
426
00:23:18,440 --> 00:23:20,010
the researcher places objects
427
00:23:20,010 --> 00:23:21,603
in the environment of a rat.
428
00:23:23,490 --> 00:23:25,830
This one comes immediately to examine them
429
00:23:25,830 --> 00:23:28,433
because rodents are
very curious by nature.
430
00:23:30,230 --> 00:23:32,430
Once the animal has
completed its exploration
431
00:23:32,430 --> 00:23:34,450
and memorized its environment,
432
00:23:34,450 --> 00:23:36,503
it is temporarily set aside.
433
00:23:39,890 --> 00:23:42,780
- We then place the animal in the arena
434
00:23:42,780 --> 00:23:44,953
with one object that's been shifted.
435
00:23:45,992 --> 00:23:48,909
(mysterious music)
436
00:23:54,000 --> 00:23:55,000
- [Narrator] When he returns,
437
00:23:55,000 --> 00:23:57,800
the rat spends more time
examining the object
438
00:23:57,800 --> 00:23:59,520
that has changed places
439
00:23:59,520 --> 00:24:02,490
because the rat already
knows the other objects.
440
00:24:02,490 --> 00:24:04,203
They are engraved in his memory.
441
00:24:08,030 --> 00:24:12,233
The rat's supercharged on
bad foods behave differently.
442
00:24:15,810 --> 00:24:16,800
- What we observed
443
00:24:16,800 --> 00:24:19,150
is the animals eating a high fat diet
444
00:24:19,150 --> 00:24:20,610
or a high sugar diet
445
00:24:20,610 --> 00:24:24,180
or the combined high
fat, high sugar foods,
446
00:24:24,180 --> 00:24:27,630
were less able to recognize, to remember,
447
00:24:27,630 --> 00:24:29,610
that that object had moved.
448
00:24:29,610 --> 00:24:32,570
They explored the two
objects about the same.
449
00:24:32,570 --> 00:24:36,053
That shows an impairment
of their spatial memory.
450
00:24:39,258 --> 00:24:41,540
- [Narrator] Not only do supercharged rats
451
00:24:41,540 --> 00:24:43,530
have damaged spatial memory
452
00:24:43,530 --> 00:24:45,510
but also other malfunctions
453
00:24:45,510 --> 00:24:48,083
that are warning signals for scientists.
454
00:24:51,840 --> 00:24:53,853
This tampers with the hippocampus,
455
00:24:54,690 --> 00:24:57,423
a small region nestled in
the heart of the brain,
456
00:24:58,370 --> 00:24:59,920
essential for learning
457
00:24:59,920 --> 00:25:01,963
and the consolidation of memories.
458
00:25:04,680 --> 00:25:06,470
The latest studies show that in humans,
459
00:25:06,470 --> 00:25:08,270
a diet that is too rich
460
00:25:08,270 --> 00:25:10,120
also interferes with the hippocampus.
461
00:25:18,330 --> 00:25:21,820
- We see, for example, that
the quality of people's diets
462
00:25:21,820 --> 00:25:24,600
is related to the size
of their hippocampus,
463
00:25:24,600 --> 00:25:27,540
to the size of their gray
and white matter volume,
464
00:25:27,540 --> 00:25:29,890
and there's starting to
be intervention studies.
465
00:25:29,890 --> 00:25:33,270
So for example, we see that only four days
466
00:25:33,270 --> 00:25:34,730
on junk food type diet
467
00:25:34,730 --> 00:25:37,890
will have an impact on cognitive functions
468
00:25:37,890 --> 00:25:40,010
that are related to the hippocampus.
469
00:25:40,010 --> 00:25:40,870
- You order a coke?
470
00:25:40,870 --> 00:25:41,930
- It tastes good.
471
00:25:41,930 --> 00:25:43,380
- You didn't care if it
was a Coke, you just--
472
00:25:43,380 --> 00:25:45,720
- No, I wanted a Coke.
473
00:25:45,720 --> 00:25:47,047
I like the taste.
474
00:25:47,047 --> 00:25:48,280
- Ooh!
475
00:25:48,280 --> 00:25:49,930
- Can I get some fries with that?
476
00:25:52,392 --> 00:25:54,320
- [Narrator] Is our memory,
477
00:25:54,320 --> 00:25:56,290
and even our intellectual abilities
478
00:25:56,290 --> 00:25:59,203
really threatened by
this new way of eating?
479
00:26:00,530 --> 00:26:03,183
It is still too early to
be definitive about that.
480
00:26:05,840 --> 00:26:09,363
But clues are piling up
and worry scientists.
481
00:26:11,520 --> 00:26:13,560
Margaret Morris now seeks to understand
482
00:26:13,560 --> 00:26:15,600
how sugary and fatty foods
483
00:26:15,600 --> 00:26:17,110
disrupt the brains of rats
484
00:26:17,110 --> 00:26:20,283
to the point of affecting
their effectiveness.
485
00:26:24,490 --> 00:26:26,543
A hypothesis is in progress.
486
00:26:27,820 --> 00:26:30,270
Eating too much fat and too much sugar
487
00:26:30,270 --> 00:26:32,910
triggers an inflammatory reaction
488
00:26:32,910 --> 00:26:34,853
that spreads to the neurons.
489
00:26:39,100 --> 00:26:41,420
- So in response to these foods,
490
00:26:41,420 --> 00:26:43,160
there's a general inflammatory response
491
00:26:43,160 --> 00:26:44,170
all around the body.
492
00:26:44,170 --> 00:26:46,690
This has been well described in obesity.
493
00:26:46,690 --> 00:26:50,110
But it now appears to be quite
an acute response as well.
494
00:26:50,110 --> 00:26:52,940
And what we find is that
inflammatory molecules,
495
00:26:52,940 --> 00:26:54,070
such as cytokines,
496
00:26:54,070 --> 00:26:56,969
are increased in response to the diet.
497
00:26:56,969 --> 00:26:59,890
(mysterious music)
498
00:26:59,890 --> 00:27:03,113
- [Narrator] An overly rich
diet confuses the immune system.
499
00:27:07,160 --> 00:27:10,850
It panics and triggers
an inflammatory reaction,
500
00:27:10,850 --> 00:27:12,933
especially in fatty tissues.
501
00:27:16,290 --> 00:27:18,500
Our fat masses release molecules
502
00:27:18,500 --> 00:27:21,553
that then propagate this
inflammation throughout the body.
503
00:27:23,970 --> 00:27:26,070
Neurons spared by the phenomenon
504
00:27:26,070 --> 00:27:29,800
were thought to be safe behind
the blood brain barrier,
505
00:27:29,800 --> 00:27:32,280
the membrane that
surrounds the blood vessels
506
00:27:32,280 --> 00:27:34,173
and normally protects the brain.
507
00:27:39,010 --> 00:27:43,240
- So there's increased inflammation
in the whole of the body
508
00:27:43,240 --> 00:27:46,124
and we think that this
may spread to the brain.
509
00:27:46,124 --> 00:27:48,900
That's because the blood brain barrier
510
00:27:48,900 --> 00:27:50,670
which normally protects the brain
511
00:27:50,670 --> 00:27:52,880
from inflammatory molecules
512
00:27:52,880 --> 00:27:55,570
may be impaired, in fact, by the diet
513
00:27:55,570 --> 00:27:57,340
and become leaky,
514
00:27:57,340 --> 00:28:00,003
allowing traffic of
molecules into the brain.
515
00:28:02,570 --> 00:28:05,500
Importantly, we've seen changes
in inflammatory molecules
516
00:28:05,500 --> 00:28:08,850
within the brain of our
animals in response to the diet
517
00:28:08,850 --> 00:28:11,173
and these correlate with the memory loss.
518
00:28:13,570 --> 00:28:16,530
- [Narrator] The inflammation
that infiltrates the meninges,
519
00:28:16,530 --> 00:28:19,683
then trigger a particularly
surprising phenomenon.
520
00:28:21,090 --> 00:28:23,700
In her laboratory, Sophie Laye
521
00:28:23,700 --> 00:28:25,980
has shown in supercharged mice
522
00:28:25,980 --> 00:28:28,600
that certain immune cells of the brain,
523
00:28:28,600 --> 00:28:30,120
the microglial cells
524
00:28:30,120 --> 00:28:32,343
begin to devour the neurons.
525
00:28:38,130 --> 00:28:39,780
- [Translator] These microglial cells
526
00:28:39,780 --> 00:28:41,500
within the brain are important
527
00:28:41,500 --> 00:28:43,200
because they can eat dead neurons.
528
00:28:44,869 --> 00:28:45,950
But when they're deregulated,
529
00:28:45,950 --> 00:28:49,140
especially in a situation
of unbalanced nutrition,
530
00:28:49,140 --> 00:28:51,980
they start to eat neurons that are alive.
531
00:28:51,980 --> 00:28:55,210
Therefore, by consuming these
neurons in excessive numbers,
532
00:28:55,210 --> 00:28:56,800
eventually, they will destroy
533
00:28:56,800 --> 00:29:00,580
or participate in the
destruction of neural networks.
534
00:29:00,580 --> 00:29:02,510
That includes neurons that are alive
535
00:29:02,510 --> 00:29:04,010
and that should be functional.
536
00:29:07,090 --> 00:29:09,140
- [Narrator] The reaction
of the microglial cells
537
00:29:09,140 --> 00:29:10,643
was filmed in vitro.
538
00:29:11,550 --> 00:29:14,550
These are the ones we see
moving in these images.
539
00:29:14,550 --> 00:29:18,553
In red, appears the fragments
of neurons that they ingest.
540
00:29:19,490 --> 00:29:20,630
In an obese mouse,
541
00:29:20,630 --> 00:29:23,220
the activity becomes frenetic.
542
00:29:23,220 --> 00:29:25,090
This phenomenon at the heart of neurons
543
00:29:25,090 --> 00:29:28,760
is now suspected to significantly
affect the functioning
544
00:29:28,760 --> 00:29:29,883
of the brain.
545
00:29:39,479 --> 00:29:42,280
- We've been saying to people for 30 years
546
00:29:42,280 --> 00:29:43,510
don't eat these foods,
547
00:29:43,510 --> 00:29:44,730
you might have a heart attack,
548
00:29:44,730 --> 00:29:47,040
you might get cancer and diabetes.
549
00:29:47,040 --> 00:29:50,160
It hasn't worked to
change people's behavior.
550
00:29:50,160 --> 00:29:52,580
We hope that if people understand
551
00:29:52,580 --> 00:29:54,440
that what they put in their mouth
552
00:29:54,440 --> 00:29:56,060
is actually really essential
553
00:29:56,060 --> 00:29:57,560
to the health of their brain
554
00:29:57,560 --> 00:29:59,100
and that of their children,
555
00:29:59,100 --> 00:30:01,690
that might have a more profound impact
556
00:30:01,690 --> 00:30:03,763
on people's dietary choices.
557
00:30:10,050 --> 00:30:11,960
- [Narrator] Awareness
that certain eating habits
558
00:30:11,960 --> 00:30:14,303
are harmful to the brain is one thing.
559
00:30:15,230 --> 00:30:18,170
But how to resist temptations.
560
00:30:18,170 --> 00:30:20,960
Desires are often stronger than willpower.
561
00:30:20,960 --> 00:30:23,880
Junk food, especially
sugar, which is glucose,
562
00:30:23,880 --> 00:30:27,230
constantly tempt us to make bad choices.
563
00:30:27,230 --> 00:30:29,540
The masterful manipulator, sugar,
564
00:30:29,540 --> 00:30:31,503
leads our neurons by the nose.
565
00:30:33,293 --> 00:30:35,793
(goofy music)
566
00:30:41,310 --> 00:30:45,750
Microscope, mini manipulator
and ultrasensitive recorder,
567
00:30:45,750 --> 00:30:48,090
Xavier Fioramonti is at the helm
568
00:30:48,090 --> 00:30:50,110
of a machine capable of recording
569
00:30:50,110 --> 00:30:53,103
the electrical activity
of a single neuron.
570
00:30:59,294 --> 00:31:00,520
The principle is simple,
571
00:31:00,520 --> 00:31:03,610
a slice of mouse brain
is washed in a liquid
572
00:31:03,610 --> 00:31:04,953
that keeps it alive.
573
00:31:10,520 --> 00:31:13,490
Meticulously, the researcher approaches it
574
00:31:13,490 --> 00:31:15,060
with an electrode.
575
00:31:15,060 --> 00:31:17,513
The operation is particularly delicate.
576
00:31:20,430 --> 00:31:21,800
- [Translator] Here, I go down the pipette
577
00:31:21,800 --> 00:31:23,073
in the slice of brain.
578
00:31:24,150 --> 00:31:26,650
And now we will approach
this recording pipette
579
00:31:26,650 --> 00:31:28,373
near the neuron to make contact.
580
00:31:30,680 --> 00:31:32,940
That's it, we made contact.
581
00:31:32,940 --> 00:31:34,800
And now we will be able to measure
582
00:31:34,800 --> 00:31:36,823
the electrical activity of the neuron.
583
00:31:39,414 --> 00:31:42,247
(machine beeping)
584
00:31:43,523 --> 00:31:44,770
The upward peaks that we see
585
00:31:44,770 --> 00:31:46,573
are potential areas for action.
586
00:31:48,070 --> 00:31:50,123
This is how neurons encode information.
587
00:31:51,820 --> 00:31:53,050
- [Narrator] The time that elapses
588
00:31:53,050 --> 00:31:57,233
between each peak forms the
message sent by the neuron.
589
00:31:59,620 --> 00:32:00,453
- [Translator] Now, we will increase
590
00:32:00,453 --> 00:32:02,860
the glucose concentration in the both
591
00:32:02,860 --> 00:32:04,060
and we will see if this cell
592
00:32:04,060 --> 00:32:07,453
responds to this increase
in concentration of glucose.
593
00:32:08,960 --> 00:32:10,410
As it can be seen here,
594
00:32:10,410 --> 00:32:12,540
this cell responds to the increase
595
00:32:12,540 --> 00:32:14,410
with more electrical activity.
596
00:32:14,410 --> 00:32:16,310
There is more potential for action
597
00:32:16,310 --> 00:32:17,740
than what could be seen here
598
00:32:17,740 --> 00:32:20,113
before the increase in
glucose concentration.
599
00:32:21,610 --> 00:32:22,970
- [Narrator] Here is the signal
600
00:32:22,970 --> 00:32:24,403
of that single cell.
601
00:32:25,250 --> 00:32:28,823
In the brain, neurons are
all connected to each other.
602
00:32:30,600 --> 00:32:32,300
Scientists suspect that glucose
603
00:32:32,300 --> 00:32:34,850
has the ability to modify the activity
604
00:32:34,850 --> 00:32:37,030
of entire brain areas,
605
00:32:37,030 --> 00:32:39,333
those that control emotions and pleasure.
606
00:32:45,470 --> 00:32:48,303
Is this how sugar ensures
its grip on our will?
607
00:32:49,350 --> 00:32:51,783
This is for the moment, only a hypothesis.
608
00:32:52,680 --> 00:32:55,180
But today, sugar addiction is the subject
609
00:32:55,180 --> 00:32:57,543
of intense research in laboratories.
610
00:33:00,260 --> 00:33:02,680
And what appears more and more obvious
611
00:33:02,680 --> 00:33:04,400
is that the power of sugar
612
00:33:04,400 --> 00:33:06,093
is similar to that of a drug.
613
00:33:19,664 --> 00:33:21,290
Serge Ahmed was one of
the first to bring proof
614
00:33:21,290 --> 00:33:23,323
with a very simple experiment.
615
00:33:26,820 --> 00:33:29,040
Step one, he raised rats
616
00:33:29,040 --> 00:33:31,653
by giving them cocaine and sugar.
617
00:33:34,650 --> 00:33:36,560
Then after weeks of this diet,
618
00:33:36,560 --> 00:33:38,893
he presented the animals with a choice.
619
00:33:42,992 --> 00:33:45,120
(speaking in foreign language)
620
00:33:45,120 --> 00:33:46,140
- [Translator] We have a situation
621
00:33:46,140 --> 00:33:47,660
in which the animal has the choice
622
00:33:47,660 --> 00:33:49,920
between a lever that is
connected to a syringe
623
00:33:49,920 --> 00:33:52,170
that contains drug solution,
624
00:33:52,170 --> 00:33:53,580
and the drug in question is a hard drug
625
00:33:53,580 --> 00:33:55,400
like cocaine and heroine,
626
00:33:55,400 --> 00:33:58,260
and on the left, a lever
allows him to control a syringe
627
00:33:58,260 --> 00:34:00,120
that contains a sweet drink.
628
00:34:00,120 --> 00:34:01,210
And there we see
629
00:34:01,210 --> 00:34:03,923
the animal chooses to
take the sweet drink.
630
00:34:07,470 --> 00:34:09,070
- [Narrator] Rats selected the sugar water
631
00:34:09,070 --> 00:34:11,603
four times more often that the drugs.
632
00:34:15,260 --> 00:34:17,520
It's not a glucose overdose,
633
00:34:17,520 --> 00:34:19,973
but the irrepressible desire is there.
634
00:34:23,853 --> 00:34:26,090
- [Translator] So this
experiment simply shows
635
00:34:26,090 --> 00:34:29,400
that sugar has more addictive potential
636
00:34:29,400 --> 00:34:31,040
than we had imagined
637
00:34:31,040 --> 00:34:33,520
and it is perhaps even stronger
638
00:34:33,520 --> 00:34:35,590
than the pull of hard drugs,
639
00:34:35,590 --> 00:34:36,989
such as cocaine and heroine.
640
00:34:38,193 --> 00:34:40,943
(dramatic music)
641
00:34:49,250 --> 00:34:52,813
Today, we live in a food
environment that's a little crazy.
642
00:34:53,790 --> 00:34:55,880
We find sugar in a lot of foods,
643
00:34:55,880 --> 00:34:58,403
as we would expect, in sugary drinks.
644
00:34:59,540 --> 00:35:01,210
But we also find sugar in foods
645
00:35:01,210 --> 00:35:03,480
that are not meant to be sweet,
646
00:35:03,480 --> 00:35:06,630
such as ham or soup.
647
00:35:06,630 --> 00:35:07,950
We could cite other examples
648
00:35:07,950 --> 00:35:10,300
but it's adding sugar to these foods
649
00:35:10,300 --> 00:35:12,260
that contributes to the fact
650
00:35:12,260 --> 00:35:14,430
that we make people addicted to it
651
00:35:14,430 --> 00:35:15,630
without them knowing it.
652
00:35:16,706 --> 00:35:19,456
(dramatic music)
653
00:35:25,200 --> 00:35:28,240
- [Narrator] So are we
actually addicted to candy bars
654
00:35:28,240 --> 00:35:31,053
and the sugar hidden in
most supermarket products?
655
00:35:33,010 --> 00:35:34,300
Does the addictive power
656
00:35:34,300 --> 00:35:37,563
that draws in rats also trap humans?
657
00:35:39,544 --> 00:35:42,211
(ominous music)
658
00:35:45,330 --> 00:35:47,930
The influence of sweet
food on the human brain
659
00:35:47,930 --> 00:35:51,363
is being studied here at the
Oregon Research Institute.
660
00:35:58,000 --> 00:36:00,240
- [Eric] What this program
of research has revealed
661
00:36:00,240 --> 00:36:03,570
is that habitual consumption
of energy-dense food
662
00:36:03,570 --> 00:36:05,420
alters your neural circuitry
663
00:36:05,420 --> 00:36:08,763
in exactly the same way of
consumption of drugs of abuse.
664
00:36:12,310 --> 00:36:13,143
- [Narrator] Eric Stiche recruited
665
00:36:13,143 --> 00:36:14,890
about 100 students,
666
00:36:14,890 --> 00:36:16,070
half of which are used
667
00:36:16,070 --> 00:36:18,000
to stuffing themselves with ice cream,
668
00:36:18,000 --> 00:36:19,903
while the others never eat it.
669
00:36:21,080 --> 00:36:23,020
They all came to his laboratory
670
00:36:23,020 --> 00:36:26,180
to sip a milkshake inside an MRI machine
671
00:36:26,180 --> 00:36:28,803
and deliver the secret
of their brain activity.
672
00:36:31,660 --> 00:36:32,493
- Great Casey.
673
00:36:32,493 --> 00:36:34,080
So what we're going to do today
674
00:36:34,080 --> 00:36:36,180
is give you chocolate milkshake
675
00:36:36,180 --> 00:36:40,880
and record the brain
activity in your entire brain
676
00:36:40,880 --> 00:36:44,200
as you receive and anticipate
receiving chocolate milkshake
677
00:36:44,200 --> 00:36:45,820
to look at the neural basis
678
00:36:45,820 --> 00:36:48,433
of consuming energy-dense foods.
679
00:36:54,104 --> 00:36:54,937
- [Female] Doing okay there?
680
00:36:54,937 --> 00:36:55,770
- [Casey] Mmhmm.
681
00:36:55,770 --> 00:36:56,603
- [Female] All right, I'm gonna move
682
00:36:56,603 --> 00:36:57,436
to the other room again.
683
00:36:57,436 --> 00:36:58,830
- [Casey] Okay.
684
00:36:58,830 --> 00:36:59,910
- This is very simple.
685
00:36:59,910 --> 00:37:01,220
We're going to basically
686
00:37:01,220 --> 00:37:03,170
give you several tastes
of chocolate milkshake
687
00:37:03,170 --> 00:37:05,260
and all you have to do is stay very still
688
00:37:05,260 --> 00:37:08,480
and after the milkshake's
delivered into your mouth,
689
00:37:08,480 --> 00:37:10,520
wait five seconds and then swallow
690
00:37:10,520 --> 00:37:13,803
and we'll repeat that
sequence several times.
691
00:37:16,200 --> 00:37:17,813
- [Narrator] Using a simple tube,
692
00:37:17,813 --> 00:37:21,443
the subject sips the milkshake
without moving his head.
693
00:37:22,640 --> 00:37:23,940
- What we found out
694
00:37:23,940 --> 00:37:26,330
is that the people who
never eat ice cream,
695
00:37:26,330 --> 00:37:28,250
you could trace the reward circuitry,
696
00:37:28,250 --> 00:37:29,780
everything lit up just beautifully
697
00:37:29,780 --> 00:37:32,780
and it activated things very strongly
698
00:37:32,780 --> 00:37:35,860
but in contrast, the people
who ate ice cream every day,
699
00:37:35,860 --> 00:37:37,640
showed a very diminished response,
700
00:37:37,640 --> 00:37:39,853
there was hardly any
activation whatsoever,
701
00:37:39,853 --> 00:37:42,820
illustrating that regular
intake of energy-dense foods
702
00:37:42,820 --> 00:37:44,940
really reduces the pleasure you experience
703
00:37:44,940 --> 00:37:46,390
when you consume those foods.
704
00:37:48,796 --> 00:37:50,270
- [Narrator] The reward
circuit is a brain region
705
00:37:50,270 --> 00:37:53,090
that controls the feeling of pleasure.
706
00:37:53,090 --> 00:37:56,330
It is particularly responsive
to sugar consumption
707
00:37:56,330 --> 00:37:57,830
but eating too much
708
00:37:57,830 --> 00:38:00,470
ends up weakening its responsiveness.
709
00:38:00,470 --> 00:38:04,173
At equal doses, the pleasure
sensations are reduced.
710
00:38:05,330 --> 00:38:07,840
- What's very interesting
about these findings
711
00:38:07,840 --> 00:38:11,000
is that people who do cocaine
or other drugs of abuse
712
00:38:11,000 --> 00:38:12,550
on a very regular basis
713
00:38:12,550 --> 00:38:13,790
show a very similar pattern
714
00:38:13,790 --> 00:38:15,530
that they have to
escalate how much cocaine
715
00:38:15,530 --> 00:38:17,160
they do on a regular basis
716
00:38:17,160 --> 00:38:19,870
to experience the same hedonic pleasure
717
00:38:19,870 --> 00:38:22,260
and that's because of
this decreased response
718
00:38:22,260 --> 00:38:23,560
of reward circuitry
719
00:38:23,560 --> 00:38:24,500
when you do something
720
00:38:24,500 --> 00:38:26,913
that's hedonically pleasurable too much.
721
00:38:28,130 --> 00:38:29,110
- [Narrator] In other words,
722
00:38:29,110 --> 00:38:32,363
it takes more and more to be satisfied.
723
00:38:33,980 --> 00:38:37,283
As in rats, sugar acts
on our brain like a drug.
724
00:38:38,816 --> 00:38:40,740
But is its addictive power
725
00:38:40,740 --> 00:38:43,070
as powerful in humans?
726
00:38:43,070 --> 00:38:45,763
The question still divides
the scientific community.
727
00:38:50,130 --> 00:38:51,930
But Eric Stiche's experiment
728
00:38:51,930 --> 00:38:54,283
reveals another more subtle,
729
00:38:54,283 --> 00:38:57,770
and maybe even more pernicious effect,
730
00:38:57,770 --> 00:39:01,020
the brain after a diet too rich in sugar,
731
00:39:01,020 --> 00:39:04,653
becomes hypersensitive to images of food.
732
00:39:08,100 --> 00:39:10,070
- The more and more you eat ice cream,
733
00:39:10,070 --> 00:39:12,890
the less and less the reward
circuitry is recruited
734
00:39:12,890 --> 00:39:14,580
when you consume ice cream
735
00:39:14,580 --> 00:39:17,900
but the more your reward
circuitry is activated
736
00:39:17,900 --> 00:39:20,990
when you see cues that say
you might get ice cream.
737
00:39:20,990 --> 00:39:23,160
So your reward circuitry fires up
738
00:39:23,160 --> 00:39:25,320
when you see an ice cream store
739
00:39:25,320 --> 00:39:26,570
as you're driving down the street
740
00:39:26,570 --> 00:39:29,173
or you see a commercial for
ice cream on the television.
741
00:39:29,173 --> 00:39:31,910
The reward circuity activities much more
742
00:39:31,910 --> 00:39:33,560
for people who eat ice cream all the time
743
00:39:33,560 --> 00:39:35,480
than it does for people who don't.
744
00:39:35,480 --> 00:39:37,920
And that prompts eating
in the absence of hunger
745
00:39:37,920 --> 00:39:40,083
that drives obesity and weight gain.
746
00:39:42,850 --> 00:39:44,090
- [Narrator] The direct influence
747
00:39:44,090 --> 00:39:45,950
of food on our brain
748
00:39:45,950 --> 00:39:49,073
plays a crucial role in what
we choose to eat each day.
749
00:39:52,850 --> 00:39:55,020
Feeding behavior turns out to be
750
00:39:55,020 --> 00:39:57,373
an extremely complex phenomenon.
751
00:39:59,570 --> 00:40:01,500
Public health issues push scientists
752
00:40:01,500 --> 00:40:02,840
to study all aspects
753
00:40:02,840 --> 00:40:05,523
that govern the choices
we make on a daily basis.
754
00:40:12,879 --> 00:40:15,413
(crying)
755
00:40:15,413 --> 00:40:17,663
(slapping)
756
00:40:19,600 --> 00:40:21,700
What is really going on in the brain
757
00:40:21,700 --> 00:40:25,020
when choosing a dessert
rather than a starter,
758
00:40:25,020 --> 00:40:27,340
fish rather than red meat?
759
00:40:27,340 --> 00:40:29,433
Who is really pulling the strings?
760
00:40:35,870 --> 00:40:37,850
Carlos Ribeiro's laboratory
761
00:40:37,850 --> 00:40:40,253
leads research on food choices.
762
00:40:43,710 --> 00:40:44,590
- What we really want
763
00:40:44,590 --> 00:40:46,330
is to find all the components,
764
00:40:46,330 --> 00:40:50,116
all the genes, the molecules, the neurons,
765
00:40:50,116 --> 00:40:51,700
which direct feeding decisions.
766
00:40:51,700 --> 00:40:53,500
And for that we have to be able
767
00:40:53,500 --> 00:40:56,833
to look at very fine and small effect.
768
00:41:01,796 --> 00:41:03,970
- [Narrator] The simplicity
of this model, the fly,
769
00:41:03,970 --> 00:41:08,163
makes it possibly to explore
new avenues, new hypotheses.
770
00:41:10,533 --> 00:41:14,029
To understand the feeding
behavior of the fly,
771
00:41:14,029 --> 00:41:17,440
Carlos Ribeiro has just
developed a machine
772
00:41:17,440 --> 00:41:19,120
that follows in detail
773
00:41:19,120 --> 00:41:20,890
the choices made by the insect
774
00:41:20,890 --> 00:41:22,190
when it goes to the table.
775
00:41:23,910 --> 00:41:25,930
- When it's touching the food,
776
00:41:25,930 --> 00:41:27,160
which is in the other electrode,
777
00:41:27,160 --> 00:41:29,210
with its tongue, the proboscis,
778
00:41:29,210 --> 00:41:31,670
then we can measure that
with the sensor here
779
00:41:31,670 --> 00:41:33,310
which is the same sensor
780
00:41:33,310 --> 00:41:35,540
which you use on you iPad and your iPhone
781
00:41:35,540 --> 00:41:37,010
to detect touch on the screen.
782
00:41:37,010 --> 00:41:39,167
Just that here, we don't
detect the touch on the screen
783
00:41:39,167 --> 00:41:40,740
but the touch of the food.
784
00:41:40,740 --> 00:41:44,040
And so we can really
now dissect and analyze
785
00:41:44,040 --> 00:41:45,020
the choice of the fly,
786
00:41:45,020 --> 00:41:46,070
if she eats protein or sugar,
787
00:41:46,070 --> 00:41:48,660
but also when she's eating
from the different foods
788
00:41:48,660 --> 00:41:50,330
how it eats, how much it eats,
789
00:41:50,330 --> 00:41:52,400
how fast it eats, how often it eats,
790
00:41:52,400 --> 00:41:55,330
and really dissect all the
details of the decisions
791
00:41:55,330 --> 00:41:57,030
which are controlled by the brain.
792
00:41:58,430 --> 00:41:59,570
- [Narrator] Thanks to this technique,
793
00:41:59,570 --> 00:42:02,970
Carlos has proven that the
main reason for choosing food
794
00:42:02,970 --> 00:42:06,730
is first and foremost deficiencies.
795
00:42:06,730 --> 00:42:09,460
Naturally, protein-lacking flies
796
00:42:09,460 --> 00:42:11,523
prefer protein-rich food.
797
00:42:13,120 --> 00:42:15,160
But as Ribeiro looked more closely,
798
00:42:15,160 --> 00:42:18,323
he observed that that
is not always the case.
799
00:42:21,690 --> 00:42:23,840
- Sometimes actually we had some flies
800
00:42:23,840 --> 00:42:26,680
which didn't have this
strong urge to eat protein.
801
00:42:26,680 --> 00:42:29,590
And then we were wondering
why that was the case, right,
802
00:42:29,590 --> 00:42:31,100
and so when we looked at it,
803
00:42:31,100 --> 00:42:33,260
it turned out that the flies
804
00:42:33,260 --> 00:42:35,820
which had no craving for protein
805
00:42:35,820 --> 00:42:38,400
had gut microbes.
806
00:42:38,400 --> 00:42:40,710
And so following up on many experiments,
807
00:42:40,710 --> 00:42:44,030
we could show that there are
two specific gut microbes
808
00:42:44,030 --> 00:42:45,750
which when they are in the fly,
809
00:42:45,750 --> 00:42:49,420
they suppress protein appetite
810
00:42:49,420 --> 00:42:50,880
and therefore these two microbes
811
00:42:50,880 --> 00:42:52,860
have a very important influence
812
00:42:52,860 --> 00:42:54,603
on protein cravings in flies.
813
00:42:57,600 --> 00:42:59,730
- [Narrator] Flies, when
choosing their diet,
814
00:42:59,730 --> 00:43:02,923
are influenced by the
bacteria in their gut.
815
00:43:05,750 --> 00:43:07,320
This unexpected discovery
816
00:43:07,320 --> 00:43:09,763
obviously raises an important question,
817
00:43:11,230 --> 00:43:14,390
does the bacteria in our
own intestinal flora,
818
00:43:14,390 --> 00:43:16,640
that which scientists call microbiota,
819
00:43:16,640 --> 00:43:18,813
also work on our brains?
820
00:43:20,350 --> 00:43:23,053
Do they play a role in
our food preferences?
821
00:43:28,223 --> 00:43:31,520
At Cork University in Ireland,
822
00:43:31,520 --> 00:43:34,683
John Cryan pioneers microbiota research.
823
00:43:39,080 --> 00:43:40,960
He has managed to prove that in mammals
824
00:43:40,960 --> 00:43:42,450
the bacteria of the gut
825
00:43:42,450 --> 00:43:44,693
intervene in certain behaviors.
826
00:43:49,020 --> 00:43:54,020
- When you take microbes
from highly anxious mice,
827
00:43:54,170 --> 00:43:57,940
and transplant them to
normal anxious mice,
828
00:43:57,940 --> 00:44:02,620
they become much more
anxious and vice versa,
829
00:44:02,620 --> 00:44:05,510
that even when you take them from normal,
830
00:44:05,510 --> 00:44:09,073
you can normalize the stress
response and the anxiety.
831
00:44:11,693 --> 00:44:14,150
- [Narrator] Scientists are
even beginning to understand
832
00:44:14,150 --> 00:44:16,913
how these bacteria interact with neurons.
833
00:44:18,924 --> 00:44:20,007
- Here we go.
834
00:44:23,598 --> 00:44:26,820
Okay, so we take out the organs.
835
00:44:26,820 --> 00:44:29,170
This uncovers the Vagus nerve.
836
00:44:29,170 --> 00:44:30,460
See here in yellow,
837
00:44:30,460 --> 00:44:33,298
this is the long wandering nerve
838
00:44:33,298 --> 00:44:37,400
that communicates with all of the organs,
839
00:44:37,400 --> 00:44:40,020
all the way down into our intestine.
840
00:44:40,020 --> 00:44:44,470
And this is really one of the key pathways
841
00:44:44,470 --> 00:44:48,690
for communication between
our gut and our brain.
842
00:44:48,690 --> 00:44:52,380
And what we've shown some years ago
843
00:44:52,380 --> 00:44:55,690
with our colleagues in
Canada in a mouse model
844
00:44:55,690 --> 00:44:59,320
that when we cut the Vagus nerve,
845
00:44:59,320 --> 00:45:00,450
all of the effects
846
00:45:00,450 --> 00:45:03,620
that we've seen with a
certain microbe were gone.
847
00:45:03,620 --> 00:45:07,090
So this tells us that the Vagus
848
00:45:07,090 --> 00:45:10,920
is one of the key
pathways of communicating
849
00:45:10,920 --> 00:45:15,010
from our gut all the way to our brain.
850
00:45:15,010 --> 00:45:16,340
We still need to figure out
851
00:45:16,340 --> 00:45:18,820
well what happens when
it gets to the brain
852
00:45:18,820 --> 00:45:22,280
and comes to a region in
deep in the brain stem
853
00:45:22,280 --> 00:45:26,410
and then from there the
signals get to the key circuits
854
00:45:26,410 --> 00:45:30,917
that underpin complex
behavior like food intake
855
00:45:30,917 --> 00:45:33,563
and that's something we're
working on right now.
856
00:45:34,710 --> 00:45:36,160
- [Narrator] The influence of bacteria
857
00:45:36,160 --> 00:45:37,740
on our food preferences
858
00:45:37,740 --> 00:45:40,090
remains to be demonstrated.
859
00:45:40,090 --> 00:45:42,400
On the other hand, it is established
860
00:45:42,400 --> 00:45:45,330
that these preferences
act on mood and anxiety.
861
00:45:45,330 --> 00:45:48,470
Scientists now even
consider the microbiota
862
00:45:48,470 --> 00:45:50,780
to be a kind of intermediary,
863
00:45:50,780 --> 00:45:53,223
a link between food and our brain.
864
00:45:59,500 --> 00:46:02,390
- The main factor that influences
865
00:46:02,390 --> 00:46:04,950
the composition of these microbes
866
00:46:04,950 --> 00:46:06,960
is the food we take.
867
00:46:06,960 --> 00:46:09,640
Diet and the diversity of the diet
868
00:46:09,640 --> 00:46:11,370
is really important
869
00:46:11,370 --> 00:46:15,380
from the moment we're born until we die
870
00:46:15,380 --> 00:46:19,160
in shaping the composition
of the microbes.
871
00:46:19,160 --> 00:46:22,490
And so we're beginning
to realize the importance
872
00:46:22,490 --> 00:46:27,420
that what we eat has on
what's in our microbes
873
00:46:27,420 --> 00:46:30,220
and how that's influencing
what's going on in our brain.
874
00:46:32,500 --> 00:46:33,920
- [Narrator] One way or another,
875
00:46:33,920 --> 00:46:36,783
our wellbeing depends on our microbiota.
876
00:46:39,210 --> 00:46:40,840
A good diet for our mood
877
00:46:40,840 --> 00:46:42,990
is a diet that is suitable for bacteria
878
00:46:42,990 --> 00:46:44,793
in our intestines first.
879
00:46:46,740 --> 00:46:47,970
This has led to the idea
880
00:46:47,970 --> 00:46:50,610
of using food to pamper one's brain
881
00:46:50,610 --> 00:46:52,803
and maintain one's mental health.
882
00:46:55,628 --> 00:46:58,590
And for this, it is the
famous Mediterranean diet
883
00:46:58,590 --> 00:47:00,543
that seduces scientists.
884
00:47:02,410 --> 00:47:04,400
- The traditional Mediterranean diet
885
00:47:04,400 --> 00:47:07,930
is really high in a diverse
range of plant foods.
886
00:47:07,930 --> 00:47:10,040
So lots of different leafy greens
887
00:47:10,040 --> 00:47:12,060
and different colored vegetables
888
00:47:12,060 --> 00:47:13,510
but also fruits,
889
00:47:13,510 --> 00:47:15,230
very importantly legumes,
890
00:47:15,230 --> 00:47:18,660
so this is your beans and
lentils and chickpeas,
891
00:47:18,660 --> 00:47:21,870
nuts, nuts and seeds, fish
892
00:47:21,870 --> 00:47:23,070
and of course olive oil.
893
00:47:23,070 --> 00:47:25,070
Olive oil is a very important component
894
00:47:25,070 --> 00:47:27,540
of the Mediterranean diet.
895
00:47:27,540 --> 00:47:30,760
And we think that that diversity
896
00:47:30,760 --> 00:47:34,450
leads to more diversity
in the gut microbiota,
897
00:47:34,450 --> 00:47:36,620
the microbiota that live in our gut.
898
00:47:36,620 --> 00:47:38,700
And that diversity in the gut
899
00:47:38,700 --> 00:47:41,493
has been linked to good health outcomes.
900
00:47:46,130 --> 00:47:48,460
We ran the first study last year
901
00:47:48,460 --> 00:47:52,150
where we recruited 67 people
with major depression,
902
00:47:52,150 --> 00:47:55,120
they received dietary support
with a clinical dietician.
903
00:47:55,120 --> 00:47:57,850
Now over a three month
period this trial took place,
904
00:47:57,850 --> 00:47:59,040
and at the end of that
905
00:47:59,040 --> 00:48:01,200
when we measured their depression again,
906
00:48:01,200 --> 00:48:03,710
we saw that the degree
of change in their diet
907
00:48:03,710 --> 00:48:06,100
correlated with the degree of
change in their depression.
908
00:48:06,100 --> 00:48:09,493
So the more they moved
towards a Mediterranean diet,
909
00:48:09,493 --> 00:48:11,843
the more their depression improved.
910
00:48:23,290 --> 00:48:24,210
- [Narrator] Placing the kitchen
911
00:48:24,210 --> 00:48:25,560
at the surface of your brain
912
00:48:25,560 --> 00:48:27,363
is an idea that's catching on.
913
00:48:31,996 --> 00:48:34,246
Scientists are now
exploring ways to do that.
914
00:48:36,920 --> 00:48:38,560
Spices praised for centuries
915
00:48:38,560 --> 00:48:40,975
by traditional Indian medicine
916
00:48:40,975 --> 00:48:42,880
are now studied in laboratories
917
00:48:42,880 --> 00:48:45,723
for their virtues related to the mind.
918
00:48:57,660 --> 00:48:59,070
Red fruit and berries
919
00:48:59,070 --> 00:49:01,470
also have high expectations.
920
00:49:01,470 --> 00:49:03,100
The polyphenols they contain
921
00:49:03,100 --> 00:49:06,243
have the ability to reinvigorate
neurons on the decline.
922
00:49:11,850 --> 00:49:13,270
- [Translator] These polyphenols,
923
00:49:13,270 --> 00:49:15,390
especially those from red fruits,
924
00:49:15,390 --> 00:49:17,360
are found to reverse the cognitive decline
925
00:49:17,360 --> 00:49:19,220
in aging mice.
926
00:49:19,220 --> 00:49:20,060
That is to say,
927
00:49:20,060 --> 00:49:21,440
these animals are protected
928
00:49:21,440 --> 00:49:23,473
with any memory problems they may have.
929
00:49:24,881 --> 00:49:26,853
And this leads us to human trials.
930
00:49:27,890 --> 00:49:28,950
In this case,
931
00:49:28,950 --> 00:49:30,950
a very recent study was conducted
932
00:49:30,950 --> 00:49:34,823
on more than 200
subjects, age 65 and over.
933
00:49:36,280 --> 00:49:38,070
In the group, some were healthy
934
00:49:38,070 --> 00:49:40,253
but facing normal decline due to age.
935
00:49:41,500 --> 00:49:42,333
To rebound their health,
936
00:49:42,333 --> 00:49:44,323
they consumed large doses of polyphenols.
937
00:49:51,760 --> 00:49:54,010
- [Narrator] Are red
fruits, berries and spices,
938
00:49:54,010 --> 00:49:57,133
the miracle ingredients for
eternally young neurons?
939
00:49:58,240 --> 00:50:00,143
It is still premature to proclaim it.
940
00:50:01,120 --> 00:50:02,330
Science is just beginning
941
00:50:02,330 --> 00:50:05,670
to uncover the secrets of
this unexpected relationship
942
00:50:05,670 --> 00:50:07,613
between diet and the brain.
943
00:50:11,110 --> 00:50:13,420
The ideal menu for strengthening the brain
944
00:50:13,420 --> 00:50:15,633
remains largely a mystery today.
945
00:50:17,380 --> 00:50:20,900
But it seems that a
diversified, balanced diet,
946
00:50:20,900 --> 00:50:23,440
low in processed food and sugar
947
00:50:23,440 --> 00:50:25,730
and favoring fruits and vegetables,
948
00:50:25,730 --> 00:50:29,023
is the best way to preserve
one's mental faculties.
949
00:50:32,640 --> 00:50:37,640
- My grandmother said you
are what you eat so eat well.
950
00:50:39,370 --> 00:50:40,740
And what we're realizing now
951
00:50:40,740 --> 00:50:43,680
is that science is beginning to understand
952
00:50:43,680 --> 00:50:45,070
how true she was.
953
00:50:45,070 --> 00:50:46,620
- And I think in the next few years,
954
00:50:46,620 --> 00:50:48,720
we'll start to really get to a point
955
00:50:48,720 --> 00:50:51,870
where we can understand
maybe personalized nutrition,
956
00:50:51,870 --> 00:50:53,570
personalized medicine,
957
00:50:53,570 --> 00:50:56,730
and a very clear understanding of how
958
00:50:56,730 --> 00:50:58,863
food interacts with the brain.
959
00:51:00,990 --> 00:51:03,160
- [Translator] If we
limited the deficiencies,
960
00:51:03,160 --> 00:51:04,563
would that reduce crime?
961
00:51:05,410 --> 00:51:06,850
Too early to say.
962
00:51:06,850 --> 00:51:10,150
What we do know is that when
you bet on healthy eating,
963
00:51:10,150 --> 00:51:11,763
it has effects on behavior.
964
00:51:12,790 --> 00:51:14,870
- The more we overeat Snickers bars,
965
00:51:14,870 --> 00:51:17,650
we become hypervigilant to Snicker cues
966
00:51:17,650 --> 00:51:19,350
and then we eat a lot of Snickers.
967
00:51:19,350 --> 00:51:21,050
And we create that monster in ourselves.
968
00:51:21,050 --> 00:51:23,170
So the best thing to do if you have kids
969
00:51:23,170 --> 00:51:25,130
is feed 'em healthy foods
970
00:51:25,130 --> 00:51:28,110
and not get 'em used to
eating this kind of crap.
971
00:51:28,110 --> 00:51:30,110
I can't believe I just said crap, sorry.
972
00:51:31,712 --> 00:51:34,712
(mysterious music)
70284
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