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Oct 26, 2006

"Whether you are addicted to craving, or aversion, or hatred, or passion, or fear, the addiction is to a particular sensation that has arisen because of a bio-chemical flow. This type of matter results in reaction at the mental level, and the reaction at the mental level again turns into this bio-chemical reaction. When you say that you are addicted, you are actually addicted to the sensation. You are addicted to this flow, the bio-chemical flow." --S. N. Goenka

The Effect of Food on the Brain

Recent studies at the National Institute of Health (USA) are yielding astounding results about the effects of Omega-3 fatty acid supplements on the brain. Another study at Aylesbury Jail (UK) showed that when young men were fed multivitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids, the number of violent offences they committed in the prison fell by 37%. Although no one is suggesting that poor diet alone can account for complex social problems, one hypothesis is that modern industrialized diets may be changing the very architecture and functioning of the brain. So just as vitamin C deficiency causes scurvy, deficiency in the essential fats the brain needs, along with the nutrients needed to metabolize those fats, may play a large role in a host of mental problems from depression to aggression.