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It depends how you view nutrition. I'm personally a big proponent of eating lots of cholesterol and saturated (read: stable) fats. One of cholesterol's most i

It depends how you view nutrition. I'm personally a big proponent of eating lots of cholesterol and saturated (read: stable) fats. One of cholesterol's most important functions is to support learning and memory — the brain is basically made of cholesterol. And statin drugs provably lower cognitive function, for instance. Anyway, it's a real rabbits hole to go down research wise, but I certainly wouldn't advocate a cholesterol-free diet like soylent. And saturated fats have been unfairly demonized for years. http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/07/magazine/what-if-it-s-all-been-a-big-fat-lie.html http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/07/magazine/what-if-it-s-all-...

ceejayoz 9y ago
> One of cholesterol's most important functions is to support learning and memory — the brain is basically made of cholesterol. I'd be interested in the science on this, particularly how much replenishment cholesterol it needs on a regular basis. The brain's mostly fat, but that doesn't mean fat people are smarter.
- Danihan 9y ago
  https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090223221430.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090223221430.h... "If you deprive cholesterol from the brain, then you directly affect the machinery that triggers the release of neurotransmitters," said Shin. "Neurotransmitters affect the data-processing and memory functions. In other words -- how smart you are and how well you remember things." -- More saturated fat, less dementia. https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-optimalist/201310/your-healthy-diet-could-be-quietly-killing-your-brain https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-optimalist/201310/y... "Two forms of fat that are vitally important for brain health are cholesterol and saturated fat. In the Mayo Clinic study mentioned above, it was found that those individuals consuming the most saturated fat experienced a 36% reduction in risk for developing dementia. And this comes on the heels of data now indicating that saturated fat consumption has absolutely no relevance in the area of cardiovascular risk as recently described by Dr. Glen Lawrence in the journal, Advances in Nutrition." -- This study seems to imply that large amounts of dietary cholesterol may not be needed for brain function though... http://europepmc.org/abstract/med/1880610 http://europepmc.org/abstract/med/1880610

ceejayoz 9y ago

> One of cholesterol's most important functions is to support learning and memory — the brain is basically made of cholesterol. I'd be interested in the science on this, particularly how much replenishment cholesterol it needs on a regular basis. The brain's mostly fat, but that doesn't mean fat people are smarter.

Danihan 9y ago
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090223221430.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090223221430.h... "If you deprive cholesterol from the brain, then you directly affect the machinery that triggers the release of neurotransmitters," said Shin. "Neurotransmitters affect the data-processing and memory functions. In other words -- how smart you are and how well you remember things." -- More saturated fat, less dementia. https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-optimalist/201310/your-healthy-diet-could-be-quietly-killing-your-brain https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-optimalist/201310/y... "Two forms of fat that are vitally important for brain health are cholesterol and saturated fat. In the Mayo Clinic study mentioned above, it was found that those individuals consuming the most saturated fat experienced a 36% reduction in risk for developing dementia. And this comes on the heels of data now indicating that saturated fat consumption has absolutely no relevance in the area of cardiovascular risk as recently described by Dr. Glen Lawrence in the journal, Advances in Nutrition." -- This study seems to imply that large amounts of dietary cholesterol may not be needed for brain function though... http://europepmc.org/abstract/med/1880610 http://europepmc.org/abstract/med/1880610