From the Outside In: How the Lifestyle

Choices are Negatively Affecting the Brain

Selam Wolday
Independent Research
2-28-16
Advisor: Regino Polo-Perez
Dr. Melissa Kiehl

Abstract
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In the United States, there are television commercials for diet plans and weight loss pills
in every channel, because of the ongoing fight against diabetes. The latest iPhones (6S and 6S
Plus), Apple sold 13 million phone in the first three days. The popularity of smartphones and the
constant connection to the world, as well as the rising popularity of fast foods combined with the
decreasing immobility of people because of motor vehicles prompts a big question: what changes
have there been on the brain by this rapid change of environment? This paper will explain that
lack of exercise, consumption of unhealthy food, and too much internet exposure has a negative
effect on the brain for human beings in developed countries. It will verify the effect of the
environment on the brain, and will go into detail about the three lifestyles modify the mind.
All life forms originated from the same cell, most of the human genotype has the same
characteristics, but genetic mutations, and rearrangement cause a variation in the gene pool.
These variations have a big impact on humans because there are more favorable genes that
continue on in the next generations. Genes do make a difference because they can make a person
more susceptible to environmental changes, but for the most part humans are like a blank slate,
where everyone starts on the same level and their surroundings change them (Perez-Polo, 2016).
This is observed in the fetuses that are born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). Some children
are at risk for FAS if they were conceived around the time the parents (either sex) were drinking
alcohol. The same logic pertains to lifestyles where the child can be affected by the internet,
exercise or food inside the womb but also outside of it, during adolescence. The environment is
the biggest contributor to brain function changes.
The brain is an ever changing state, it adapts to its environment in order for people to
continue on in the dynamic world. Because of this fact, outside sources are able to change the
functionality of the brain. The two greatest factors in brain function are the environment and

genetics. This adaptability is called Neuroplasticity in Psychology. It first was discovered in the
late 1990s; before that time, the brain was believed to be set in stone at a young age. The brain is
always making new synaptic connections. Those connections are how human learn new things
but also how the brain adapts to the environment (SciShow, 2012). Maintaining brain plasticity is
key to being able to survive in any habitat, by learning and adjusting to fit. As humans age, they
start losing this ability and that causes diseases like Dementia and Alzheimer's. Researchers
believe that Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) genes are responsible for this
neuroplasticity as they control neuron creation and sustainability (Cotman & Berchtold, 2002).
Researchers are also trying to find new ways to improve BDNF to prevent serious diseases.
Neuroplasticity is also studied on the molecular level.
Changes in the brain can be observed by the change in characteristics of a person as well
as brain scans and other technological advancements. Despite the research of the effects of
obvious stimuli like smoking and alcohol, research on other stimuli affecting brain function have
only been done for the benefits of those with disabilities. An article done during the turn of the
century on Newsweek describes that the hope for neuroplasticity is to, firstly, learn more about
the brain and secondly, to help people with mental disabilities or have had some sort of lesion in
their brain to recover from it and be able to function normally (Rewiring your gray matter, 2000).
In an experiment, the nerves on the hands of monkeys were surgically severed to test what would
happen. They found that the brain rewired itself to recover communication with the hand
Landon-Murray, 2013). Furthermore, plasticity was believed to have the potential to help athletes
push themselves harder than before and to help potentially end racial prejudice (Rewiring your
gray matter, 2000).

The effects of fat on the brain can be studied by the effect it has on the body. As extra
food is consumed, the brain is being notified by the the other parts of the body about the extra
resources. In response, the brain messages the body parts of the body to produce insulin and
other substances to put the extra foods to good use. As mentioned before, because the quality of
food is decreasing, different additives are added in food, to maintain flavour, but these additives
are doing more harm to the brain. Trans fats lessen blood movement to the brain because they
escalates cholesterol. In turn, the cholesterol increases plaque creation, associated with
alzheimers, in the brain (Barnard, 2013). Saturated fat is already known as being bad for heart
health, but it is also known for being unhealthy for the brain in a similar way. Children with high
saturated fat intake had longer reaction times on tests that require the use of switching between
different thoughts, multitasking, based on active memory and not being able to do the tasks that
come afterwards, (Khan et al., 2015). This research is one of the first to show a problem with
children who have a lot of saturated fat in their diet and their abilities to switch tasks in a short
amount of time.
With the commercialization of the of processed foods, the quality of food in the United
States has decreased. The use of high fructose corn syrup and other refined sugars has increased
in all foods. This increase in unhealthy food products also has an impact on the brain. The brain
doesnt expect the amount of sugar in the body. As Regino Perez-Polo (2016) explained, the
energy gained from food highly affects the brain because it takes around 25% of all energy
produced, that increases in children up to 60%. A dip in energy production has big physiological
effects. This can be easily demonstrated when a person does not consume anything of nutritious
value for a short period of time (Perez-Polo, 2016). When the energy starts decreasing, their
productivity reduces. Then they start feeling fatigued, and maybe a bit dizzy. In the worst case

scenario, they hallucinate. Lack of energy going to the brain is not the only thing that affects
efficiency, and thinking in general.
In an experiment, siblings were brought to a lab to test their brain function. All of these
children are from lower income families who have asked for financial help to get healthier food,
since they can not afford it. The children are closer in age (two to three years difference), but the
older child had less time on a healthy food regimen as the parents asked for help after the child
was born. With the tests taken, the researcher found that the younger child had a higher IQ, and
he had better scores on activities that are not learned. The same article explained a case of
students in England who had a thiamin (Vitamin B1) deficiency. Thiamine is used in the nervous
system to regulate a few systems in the nervous system. When they took test on thiamin deficient
subjects versus non deficient, they all displayed similar lower test score than those who didnt
lack Vitamin B1. (Connors, 2001)
Another Vitamin (E) acts as a counteracts to metallic minerals in the brain. As the
minerals wear away brain cells, the antioxidant oxygenates to stop the destruction (Barnard,
2013). Vitamin B12 insufficiency affects children who are extremely young zero to six months)
because it is in the neuron to increase the speed of the neural message to the brain; without it,
there is lagging. This is most necessary with young children as they are learning a lot about the
world in a short period of time, though the lagging does not have longterm effects. The most
detrimental shortage is Vitamin D. If D is missing from the daily diet at an early age, the child
could be in danger for mental diseases like Alzheimer's,dementia, and schizophrenia (Connors,
2001). It also has an effect on the hippocampus, as it can affect, protein vital for memory (most
prevalent prenatal).

As expected, sugar additivity is severe in young people. There is a new study that shows
sugar overrides the natural controls in the hypothalamus, similar to how drugs do so. Though this
was tested on rats, it can be applied to people, because humans have the same impulses (Lim,
2012). When this addiction like behavior is created, even imagery of the product create a
craving. The problem is, when they saw a picture of the product, get more of the feel good
neurotransmitter, dopamine, than when they are eating it, but the dopamine release from the sight
of the food, impulses is to eating excessively until that urge is fulfilled. To prevent addictive
behavior, humans must build their willpower to resist that urge. But sugar isnt the only culprit.
Sugar has been in production for centuries, but the refinement of food is relatively new. Thus,
processing of foods must have some of the blame as it takes out some of the characteristics of
food, as the brain and the body knows it. Because it hasnt adapted to the changing world, it
doesnt know how to react.
Fixed exercise (going to the gym) hasnt been a major aspect of life for a long time.
Around a hundred years ago, people got enough activity in from their daily routine, that there
wasnt a need for gyms. In fact, if a person was heavier in appearance, that was a mark of wealth,
it shows that they were well fed to the point of excess. But with todays society, being muscular
or thin is praised in the media. With Americas obesity crisis in wide discussion, the brain is also
in the midst of the conversation, how is the brain changed by the physical exercise of the body?
To answer the question, another question needs to be addressed: what is the link between
the two when they are in completely different systems that do not directly relate to each other at
first glance? According to Mr. Perez-Polo, a lot of the molecules in the body are similar, but they
are used in different body systems. This allows different systems to contact each other to
convey any information needed. Though this intertwining, exercise increases BDNF, increasing

brain functionality (Perez-Polo, 2015). Going with that, exercise affects the products of cells by
going into the molecular level. Exercise synthesizes mRNA in brain cell, and as DNA is
transcribed, it is also translated, and rRNA created the protein called for in the brain (Cotman &
Berchtold, 2002). As long as gray matter is producing protein, which it uses for communication,
brain function is kept at an optimum level.
Because it stimulates the brain as it stimulates muscles, there comes lots of advantages in
exercising in young people. Children who exercised, have an upper hand in school compared to
children who do not. Older elementary school children were more focused in class and cognition
increases when taught (Deardorff, 2015). I was also easier for them to multitask than the other
children. The hour after school activity also improved their mental multitasking. One of the
professionals involved in this explained "We took low-fit kids and made them a little less low
fit, which means it wasnt the childrens health that provided these results but the actual
exercise. But if they were actually fit, they would have even better cognitive abilities as fitness
has been linked to body fitness (Hillman and Gomez-Pimilla, 2013). In addition to that, if the
participants make a habit out of exercise, it prevent Dementia, Alzheimer's, a host of other
diseases, and slow down the unavoidable shrinkage of the brain, especially the hippocampus,
known as the active memory storer, by slowing plaque build up (Deardorff, 2015).
After seeing the benefits gotten from exercise, researchers wondered what type of
exercise is best for the achieving good the best results. Well, in most studies, the subjects are
above 50 years old, but the results are applicable to younger people. The more a person exercises
in their younger days, the better the effects as the results are sustainable. It also acts as a
preventative measure for brain decay. In two articles, there is a case for both aerobic and
anaerobic exercises. Gretchen Reynolds authored 2 articles on the articles in the New York Times

explaining two different studies. Anaerobic exercise, specifically weight training, at least two
times a week, slows down the plunge of white matter, the connection between neurons
(Reynolds, 2015b). The ladies that participated but only did weight lifting once a week didnt
have much of a difference in fixing the lesions (holes) left from aging, so there is a specific
threshold that needs to be reached for it to be effective.
Now with aerobic exercise, there is a lot of information released as for a long time, it has
been known to affect the mind. Reynolds reported about Dr. Burns and his quest on finding the
amount of exercising. He concluded that working on an elliptical or treadmill for 75 minutes,
two and a half hours, and almost four hours (Reynolds, 2015a). He found out that any amount of
that combination creates the same results, it increases white matter in lesions to quicken mental
functionality back to how it was before the wearing of aging. Other aerobic exercise such as
Yoga, Pilates, and Tai Chi, reduce stress levels, in turn lowering chances of mental illnesses,
cardiovascular diseases and headaches (Orr, 2003). This is important for teenages to do as they
are kept in a high stress atmosphere from school and other activities and they need to relax to
prevent having mental breakdowns or other mental problems.
The internet is a fascinating area of research because it is so new, there is no record of
anything similar to it. It gives access to information thousands of miles away. And with its
uniqueness, it also alters the brain in its own different way. Unlike the other lifestyle choices, that
increase or decrease the probability of something, the internet completely overtakes the natural
settings and builds its own way of functioning the brain. In the subject of memory, the internet is
used as an extension to memory. For example, if a person wanted to know a fact before the
internet, the fact would be stored by the hippocampus. But in the case where the person uses the
internet, studies have shown instead of the fact being saved in the brain, the address, where the

fact is found, it is remembered (How the web, 2011). The address could be a website or the exact
area of where the fact is found. Using some method, the brain figured out that the internet is a
constant in life, and it became reliant on technology to remember the information that is not
important in the day to day life.
The number one comment about teenagers of this generation is the short attention span,
that may be because of technological advancements. When scrolling through the internet, one has
access to a lot of information at quick speeds. The multitudes of information on one compact
phone is beckoning back the fight or flight reflexes in the brain, sending the ability to focus back
to caveman days (Tucker, 2010). Those reflexes were used in early human life as a protection
from predators, but they are unnecessary now because there isnt any eminent threat to humans
anymore. Books played a pivotal role in enhancing the brain into what it is now. With books,
visualizing what is read keeps the mind sharp and focused on one subject. Instead of books, these
days, movies and other visual medias are the prefered option of entertainment because they do
not require lots of brain activity. But the visual media is reawakening the reflexes by overloading
the system with lots of data. If a person can not pay attention to one idea, then the consequences
are thinking less (Taylor, 2012). It also stops creativity because there isnt any space for deep
thinking (Landon-Murray, 2013).
Perhaps the most interesting and well learned point of view of all, Nicholas Carr,
authored a book called The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains (2010) explained
what this extremely new technology is doing to change the brain. The brain works on a reward
system. It uses eye catching graphics with the different colors that initially pulls the reader in.
from there it uses the human reward system to tap into the brain. It creates and promotes
distractions, and caused light thinking. This is easily done because the brain is naturally apt to be

alert. The fight or flight reflexes were there to keep us aware of our surrounding and protect
ourselves, but in this case they work against us because they are alert despite there not being a
reason. Those reflexes are triggered by the flashing lights and the rapidity of information coming
through a cell phone or computer. When the mind cannot focus on one thing at a time, it cannot
think about one thing for an extended period of time. On top of that, it commands the mind for a
reward every use, making it addictive to work with. Teens often complain about going on social
media right before going to sleep and staying up for a longer time than planned without realizing
it, this could be a reasonable answer why they experience this phenomenon.
The alteration of the brain is mostly because of neuroplasticity and the environment,
though genetics plays a part at the beginning of life. The types of food consumed by the vast of
Americans is changing for the food production business. These alterations are not affecting brain
function in a good way. The lack of exercise is fueling the changes of the United States while
internet addiction is making people stay stationary for most of their time. Because of the
observations made of the downwards spiral of mental health, there are changes being made to
combat the negative effects of this lifestyle for an executive level. First Lady, Michelle Obamas
Lets Move Foundation calls on all people to exercise more, eat healthier, and enjoy the outdoors.
This initiative is doing people good in both their physical and mental states.

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