The right fats at the right time: how early nutrition can protect the brain from stress
- italianstressnetwo
- Jun 27
- 1 min read
Stress experienced during the earliest stages of life can leave deep and lasting marks on the brain, negatively affecting memory, learning, and emotional regulation. A recent study published in Brain, Behavior and Immunity reveals that a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids, with a low omega-6 to omega-3 ratio, administered during early development, may offer significant neuroprotective effects.
In this animal study, mice exposed to early-life stress later exhibited cognitive impairments and increased expression of inflammation-related genes in adulthood. However, when these mice were given a diet with a low ω6/ω3 ratio starting from the second day of life, both behavioral and molecular alterations were almost entirely prevented.
Focusing on the hippocampus, a brain region essential for memory, researchers found that the low ω6/ω3 diet reactivated molecular pathways involved in synaptic plasticity, such as the CREB signaling cascade, and modulated the expression of specific microRNAs known to regulate inflammation and neuronal function.
When the animals were challenged with an inflammatory stimulus in adulthood, only those that had received the low ω6/ω3 diet early in life showed a balanced brain response, free from the excessive inflammatory activation observed in the other groups.
Although the dietary intervention lasted only a few weeks, its positive effects persisted over time. These findings suggest that targeted nutritional strategies during early development can have long-lasting benefits for brain health and resilience.
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