Nutrition for Brain Health and Cognitive Performance

Public awareness of the role diet plays in brain function has been steadily increasing. This has led to significant development of new products, dietary supplements, functional foods, nutraceuticals and public health recommendations for maintaining brain function. Nutrition for Brain Health and Cognitive Performance presents a detailed and innovative scientific summary of nutrition–cognition research to provide valuable information regarding nutrition and lifestyle choices for cognitive health. Internationally recognised scholars along with the next generation of researchers have contributed chapters that present a valuable resource for health professionals, teachers, researchers and the general public.

The book critically reviews the evidence surrounding the impact of dietary patterns and nutrition on brain function and cognitive performance. It covers diverse topics such as:

• Innovative new technologies that assess brain function
• Tools for measuring mood and its relation to nutrition
• How a diet rich in fruits and vegetables coupled with low consumption of meats can prevent cognitive decline in ageing adults
• Effects of glucose, omega 3s, vitamins and minerals, nutraceuticals and flavonoids on cognitive performance
• Cognitive benefits of herbal extracts such as ginseng, ginkgo biloba and green tea
• Use of technology such as neuroimaging and noninvasive brain stimulation (NBS) to capture nutrition effects on cognition and brain function

Presenting state-of-the-art scientific evidence, challenges, and potential applications within this exciting field, the book promotes and extends the research, teaches the process of research in this area, and promotes a collaborative understanding of the field between industry and academia. It gives you a balance of rigorous scientific information and analysis on the impact of dietary patterns, nutritional components and research processes to support brain health and performance claims and knowledge.

Talitha Best is a researcher, practicing psychologist, and lecturer with a passion for solution-oriented thinking and process innovation. Dr. Best addresses critical innovation related to translation of research into workable solutions for researchers, practitioners and industry in the areas of nutrition, food systems and products, brain function and cognitive performance. Dr. Best received her PhD in clinical psychology and nutrition–cognition research from Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, and completed a joint postdoctoral position at the Nutritional Physiology Research Centre at University of South Australia (UniSA), Adelaide, and the Centre for Human Psychopharmacology, Swinburne University, Melbourne. Her research and clinical interests focus on the effects of nutrition to improve mood and neurocognitive function.

Louise Dye is Professor of Nutrition and Behaviour in the Human Appetite Research Unit in the School of Psychology, University of Leeds, United Kingdom. She received her BSc in Human Psychology from the University of Aston in Birmingham and her PhD in Psychopharmacology from the University of Leeds. She has held Medical Research Council and Royal Society post-doctoral fellowships in the United Kingdom and Europe, including a Marie Curie Professorial Fellowship in Jena, Germany. Professor Dye is a Chartered Health Psychologist and member of the British Psychological Society. She is Associate Editor of Nutritional Neuroscience and the European Journal of Nutrition and a member of the editorial board of Human Psychopharmacology.