How fat may hurt the brain, and how exercise may help

The New York Times Syndicate

The Hindu

Early morning walkers at Visakhapatnam. File photo

Obesity may have harmful effects on the brain, and exercise may counteract many of those negative effects, according to sophisticated new neurological experiments with mice, even when the animals do not lose much weight. While its impossible to know if human brains respond in precisely the same way to fat and physical activity, the findings offer one more reason to get out and exercise. Its been known for some time that obesity can alter cognition in animals. Past experiments with lab rodents, for instance, have shown that obese animals display poor memory and learning skills compared to their normalweight peers. They dont recognize familiar objects or recall the location of the exit in mazes that theyve negotiated multiple times. But scientists hadnt understood how excess weight affects the brain. Fat cells, they knew, manufacture and release substances into the bloodstream that flow to other parts of the body, including the heart and muscles. There,

these substances jump-start biochemical processes that produce severe inflammation and other conditions that can lead to poor health. Many thought the brain, though, should be insulated from those harmful effects. It contains no fat cells and sits behind the protective blood-brain barrier that usually blocks the entry of undesirable molecules. However, recent disquieting studies in animals indicate that obesity weakens that barrier, leaving it leaky and permeable. In obese animals, substances released by fat cells can ooze past the barrier and into the brain. The consequences of that seepage became the subject of new neurological experiments conducted by researchers at Georgia Regents University in Augusta and published last month in The Journal of Neuroscience. For the studies, the scientists gathered mice bred to overeat and grow obese, which, after a few weeks of sitting quietly in their cages and eating at will, the animals had obligingly accomplished. As they grew rotund and accumulated more fat cells, the researchers found, their blood showed increasingly hefty doses of a substance called interleukin 1 that is created by fat cells and known to cause inflammation. In these mice, as interleukin 1 migrated to the head, it passed the bloodbrain barrier and entered areas such as the hippocampus, a part of the brain critical for learning and memory. There, it essentially gummed up the works, the researchers found when they examined tissue from the animals brains, which had high levels of interleukin 1 together with widespread markers of inflammation. While inflammation can represent a healthy response to invading molecules, it hurts cells if it persists. The researchers also noted extremely low levels in these mice brains of a biochemical associated with healthy synapse function. Synapses are the structures that connect one neuron to another and shunt messages between them. Healthy synapses respond to demands on the brain by slowing or speeding messages, keeping the brains nervous-system traffic manageable. But low levels of the marker of synapse health suggested to the researchers that in these obese animals inflamed brains, synapses were no longer functioning properly and messages between neurons likely jerked, hiccuped or stalled. That possibility was borne out by subsequent tests on the memory and thinking of some of the remaining obese mice. They performed miserably. But whether excessive fat cells alone were the underlying cause of the changes in the animals brains was not clear. Other physiological factors

could have been contributing, said Alexis Stranahan, a professor at the Medical College of Georgia at Georgia Regents, who oversaw the study. So, to isolate the impact of the fat, the researchers simply removed most of it, surgically excising the large bands of fat that each mouse bore around its middle. After recovery, these slenderized mice showed almost no interleukin 1 in their bloodstreams and, Algernon-like, soon were acing cognitive tests that had stumped them before surgery. Conversely, when the scientists implanted the preserved fat pads into previously lean mice - and havent we all had nightmares about something like that happening to us in our sleep? - the animals almost immediately grew dimmer, performing far worse than previously on cognitive tests, although nothing else in their lives had changed. The results convincingly implicated fat cells as the primary cause of the mices cognitive decline. But while provocative, the findings had little practical value for people, the scientists realized, since even the most extensive liposuction procedure in humans would remove far less fat than had been excised from the obese mice. So the scientists turned, as a less-invasive alternative, to exercise. Gathering more of the obesity-prone mice, they allowed all of them to grow heavy, but then started half on a daily 45-minute program of treadmill running, with encouragement provided by small puffs of air if they began to flag. The other mice remained sedentary. After 12 weeks, the running mice still weighed about the same as the unexercised animals. But they had lost significant amounts of fat from around their middles, while adding lean muscle. More telling, they did much better on cognitive tests than the sedentary mice and, when the researchers examined tissue from their hippocampi, showed little evidence of inflammation and robust levels of the chemical marker of synaptic health. The results suggested that, as the scientists write in the study, treadmill training normalized hippocampal function, even in animals born to be fat and that remained heavy. Of course, these studies were conducted in mice, not people, whose brains may respond very differently. But the possibility that humans, too, may respond in similar ways is tantalizing, Dr. Stranahan said, and the takeaway from her study worth repeating. Get out and move, she said, even - and

especially - if you carry extra weight. Talk with your doctor about a safe and tolerable exercise program, and then try to stick with that routine so that extra pounds wont weigh too heavily on your mind.

A farmer who has made a difference

M. J. Prabu

The HinduJai

Prakash Singh. Photo: Special Arrangement

Jai Prakash Singh has won many awards for his work to preserve native seeds

A Varanasi farmer, Jai Prakash Singh, is a proud recipient of three awards two from former Presidents in 2002 and 2009, and the Plant Genome award from the government for his outstanding role in preserving hundreds of native seed varieties. The farmer has to his credit about 460 paddy, 120 wheat, 30 pulse and four mustard varieties, many of which have been approved by the government to be used by other growers.

They include a wheat variety that yields more than seven tonnes from a hectare and a long-duration paddy variety that can be harvested in 130 days (long-duration paddy generally takes about 150 to 160 days to harvest). Many agriculture and research institutions across the country have conducted research on his findings. The farmer distributes his seeds and gets a signed document from buyers saying they will sell the seeds at the same price to others. This is an endeavour on my part to ensure that seeds are available at an affordable price to many small and poor farmers, he says. More needs to be done Mr. Prakash, however, is not happy with the governments attitude towards native seed preservation. The government must realise that preserving and using native seeds are the hope of our countrys future if it is serious about overcoming food shortage. The importance given to GM seeds and the cost of their cultivation make me wonder if all my work in the last 25 years was worth it. Mr. Prakash recently participated in a National Seed Saviours exhibition in New Delhi where hundreds of native seeds from different parts of the country were exhibited. Management of red hairy caterpillar in groundnut
J. Ramkumar R. Durai Singh
Collect and destroy the egg masses

During active growth stage, groundnut crop is infested with sucking pests and defoliators. Among the defoliators, groundnut red hairy caterpillars, cause devastating effect on the crop by devouring the leaves. Adult moths emerge from the soil with the onset of the monsoon.

A female moth lays about 600-700 cream coloured eggs in groups mostly on the under surface of the leaves and occasionally on other vegetation. Incubation period ranges from 2-3 days. Larval period Grown up caterpillar is reddish brown with a black band on either end having long reddish brown hair all over the body. It is the destructive stage of the pest. Larval period lasts for 40-50 days. Pupation takes place along field bunds or in moist soil at a depth of 10-20 cm where they undergo pupal diapause for about 10-12 months. Adults are medium sized moths having white wings with brownish streaks. Early instar larvae feed voraciously by scraping the under surface of the tender leaves. Grown up larvae feed voraciously on entire foliage, flowers and growing points. They often migrate from field to field in search of food after devastating the foliage in the field where they have hatched. Severely damaged crop gives the appearance of having been grazed by cattle. Control measures Collect and destroy the egg masses and voracious early instar larvae. The pupae may be collected at the time of summer ploughing and destroyed. Set up bonefires or light trap up to 11.00 P.M. after receipt of summer showers to attract and kill the moths. Dig the trench around the field at 30 cm depth and 25 cm width to check the movement of migrating larvae. To check early instar larvae spray phosalone 35 EC at 300 ml/ac. For grown up caterpillar spray fenitrothion or chlorpyriphos at 600 ml/ac in 300 lt of water.

Uttarakhand farmers seed saving movement holds promise

M. J. Prabu

Vijay Jardari . Photo: Special Arrangement

Jardhar village comprises of nearly 26 small hamlets in Uttarakhand. Like hundreds of villages in the country agriculture is a major occupation here. But the village is known for more than just agriculture. It houses some of the countrys best and lost ancient seed varieties. This is thanks to Mr. Vijay Jardhari, a small farmer and founder of seed saving movement called Beej Bachao Andolan (seed savers movement), who has managed to save some hundreds of ancient seeds from different crops till date. Collection Presently, in his collection are about 350 varieties of paddy, eight varieties of wheat, four of barley, 220 varieties of kidney beans (rajma), eight of cowpea and 12 varieties of navrangi dhal. His unique seed saving movement is a big hit in the region. The farmer is also credited with discovering an old tradition in Uttarakhand called Barahnaja (also called Bara anaaj in some places) meaning 12 grains/seeds. Some of these are resistant to droughts, floods and pests, thus ensuring some output even at times of major distress or natural calamity.

As a practice, after these 12 Barahnaja is harvested, the fields are left fallow for sometime and then rice or barnyard millet is grown. After this wheat is sown and the same procedure is repeated Thus a proper crop rotation is ensured, says Mr. Jardhari. But how did he get interested in this seed saving protection issues? Initial trial I was into chemical farming initially and the yield did increase. But I was able to notice that the soil fertility was decreasing in the second year itself. This high intensive farming and the input costs can only go up gradually and not scale down. During the third year I found that the seeds planted from the previous harvest did not yield well and I harvested only a small quantity for seed requirement. These were hybrid seeds designed to break the chain of cultivation that has come through to us for hundreds of years, he says. Instinct So instinctively he stopped chemical farming and started using hybrid seeds. The village elders and his father seem to have admonished him for using new hybrid seeds because there were so many varieties of paddy and other crops once, where as now it is the same hybrid rice or wheat. This opened my eyes, he says and he started going around the whole region in search of finding and collecting traditional seeds. He met several people in various villages trying to find out more about local seeds as well as older practices. Intentions The modern agricultural cartel, in their intention to corporatise agriculture pushed for mono crops, mostly non food crop that were totally alien to this part. That is how, in these parts they pushed for Soya. So we had to jump in again to the rescue of farmers. We asked the government as to who will process the bean into oil or milk? And for whom was the rich protein and cash they were drumming about. The farmers after selling these to the rich far-away markets had to buy either low quality ones from the open market which were not cheap.

So our save our seed campaign caught up with and farmers and farming was saved and old traditional seeds and practices returned including this Barahnaja, says Mr. Vijay, with a smile of pride. Change in mindset Today Mr. Vijay has not only been able to change the mindset of people in Uttarakhand but also of the Government. The agri dept professes about his Barahnaja system which is being popularised all over the region. Persons like Mr. Vijay Jardhari hold much promise for better agricultural practices in today's fast eroding farming sector.