Are there foods that will help you attain that A*?

It’s that time of year everyone despises, exam season. In which many adolescents are stressing about the copious amounts of revision they have to do for their exams, whether this is GCSE’s, A-levels or general end of term tests. Anything that can remotely help you gain them aspirational grades is seemingly worth a shot right?

Many studies have been conducted on foods that can help increase brainpower, but do they actually work. Certain foods supposedly have compounds that can help increase memory and improve your concentration, these include:

  • v  Rosemary- it is associated with improving your memory. Copious amounts of research has been carried out on the matter. Results showed that smelling rosemary can increase memory. A compound called 1,8-cineole is supposedly the reason for memory performance. In which it causes an increase in a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine and assists in preventing the breakdown of the neurotransmitter by an enzyme.
  • v  Oily fish and fish oils- linked with boosting concentration. This supposedly works as omega 3 in them helps to build up the myelin sheath- a fatty substance that insulates nerve fibres. Nerve fibres send messages between brain cells, them being insulated by the myelin sheath helps messages not being lost and allows impulses to travel faster.
  • v  Goji berries- containing vitamin C, vitamin B2, vitamin A, iron, selenium and other antioxidants. The compounds in them is related to improving brain activity, as many produce vitamin A which is known to help maintain neuronal plasticity (the brains ability to produce neural connections) and cognitive function.
  • v  Pumpkin seeds- known to enhance memory, thinking skills and even tackle nervousness. They contain zinc, which is vital for the brain as it plays an important role in axonal and synaptic transmission necessary for many functions need by the body- including phosphorylation. They also contain the amino acid glutamate, which is needed for the synthesis of y-amino butyric acid, otherwise known as GABA. GABA is a neuronetransmitter which blocks impulses between nerves and cells in the brain, which helps prevent nervousness and anxiety.

There is a plethora of other foods that have also been associated with increasing brainpower, so why not give one a try?

Hope you found this insightful. Thanks for reading.
Written by Aarti Chopra
Universal Medicine

Sources:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-33519453
http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/z3xdq6f
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/10-foods-boost-your-brainpower
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/eating-exams

http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/superfoods/Pages/are-goji-berries-a-superfood.aspx

Comments

  1. Unknown4 June 2017 at 14:19

    This is very interesting, diet is an important factor in people's daily lives that is often neglected, and the careful care of which can help them achieve their goals. I would like to add that in addition to dietary regimes, meditating can help because it allows you to destress which in turn helps your body to absorb all the nutrients presented by the foods that you have mentioned. Everything works together and it's a good idea to let the body work at its maximum efficiency.

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