Every cell in the human body is under the command of DNA—the blueprint that determines whether you’ll be a righty or a lefty, short or tall, and many other things. And while our genetic makeup is fixed, our epigenes can be influenced to activate or deactivate certain segments of DNA—in essence changing how the “code” is read.
When it comes to the brain, glucose is an important metabolic substance that is needed and solely relied upon to carry out various neural functions and signals. The brain has 100 billion neurons, one quadrillion neural connections are made in the adult brain, and almost three-quarters of the body’s glucose is used by the brain. Is the brain a metabolically active organ or what?
However, the downside of requiring so much energy to execute all of its functions is that the brain is one of the most vulnerable organs in the body when it comes to our diet. Symptoms like confusion, irritability, and forgetfulness are masquerading as acceptable nuances of aging. But, in actuality, these symptoms are telltale signs of a greater underlying problem—an incongruity between the brain’s energy supply and energy demand.