How much fat is in the brain?

There's a truncated debate on how much fat is in the brain over at the comments on the JackNorrisRD.com site. It started when I got a figure of 2/3 at the Franklin Institute's site.

No offense, but you have a fat head! About two-thirds of your brain is composed of fats. But not just any kind.
Franklin Institute

This other person by the name of "Name" said that it's more like 1% according to a sheet of information he or she had and then she/he produced more information. This debate of sorts, went on longer than Jack's mostly infinite patience (I mean that) allowed. I was also sloppy with my writing and a little defensive, such as life.

Many sources indicate 60-80% fat. I think the problem is the term itself "fat" and the term "myelin" which is a type of fat.

Most nerve fibers inside and outside the brain are wrapped with many layers of tissue composed of a fat (lipoprotein) called myelin. These layers form the myelin sheath. Much like the insulation around an electrical wire, the myelin sheath enables electrical impulses to be conducted along the nerve fiber with speed and accuracy. When the myelin sheath is damaged, nerves do not conduct electrical impulses normally. Sometimes the nerve fibers are also damaged.

In adults, the myelin sheath can be destroyed by stroke, inflammation, immune disorders, metabolic disorders, and nutritional deficiencies (such as a lack of vitamin B12).
Merck Manuals

"The brain is the fattest organ of the body. Almost two-third of the weight of the human brain is accounted by phospholipids. DHA is the predominant structural fatty acid in the brain..." Medind.nic.in

We are fortunate to have such a complex system in our own body. Weighing two to four pounds, comprised of nearly 60 percent fat and demanding 25 percent of the blood and nutrients from each heart beat, our brain needs and demands special attention. It is now believed that our brains can be shaped for health, that a brain health lifestyle can be incorporated into our own lives, and that a proactive and lifelong brain health lifestyle can help to delay the onset of neurodegenerative diseases.
Paul D. Nussbaum, Ph.D.

Brain Research Institute UCLA:
So argues a UCLA neurologist, who says that the brain's "miles of myelin are a key evolutionary change that may make us vulnerable to highly prevalent neuropsychiatric disorders."

The brain's myelin sheath is the sheet of fat that coats a neuron's axon -- a long fiber that conducts the neuron's electrical impulses -- and is similar to the wrapping around an electrical wire to foster efficient signaling.

Whether it's 1% fat (which seems strange due to the "miles of myelin" quote from the neurologist) or 60%-80%, all I know is that when I added raw, organic, cold processed coconut oil to my vegan diet, I felt so much better and I continue to notice an improvement in my energy levels. I also added a good 3/6/9 oil.

Did you read about the effects of coconut oil on that man with dementia I posted last week? It's quite a story. He was too out of it to have a placebo effect. Mentioning a placebo effect here reminds me of an NBC news story about glucosamine/chondroitin supplementation that I saw at least 15 years ago. One part of the story was of a woman with arthritis and she noticed a significant improvement in her neck, where the major issues were. The other part was about a dog who also perked up and showed reduced inflammation, noted by his (the dog's) veterinarian. Then they brought in a guy who said it was a placebo effect. Which confirmed what I had always suspected: dogs can read and understand the English language. You might want to send your dog from the room when you're discussing a touchy subject.


Here's some more information on myelin:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/33614.php
http://www.physorg.com/news143470424.html
http://www.devdelay.org/newsletter/articles/html/84-fat-movement-in-mouth.html

Some image mapping of the brain's myelin:
http://brainmaps.org/index.php?action=viewslides&datid=98

Buckwheat Burgers (buckwheat is a fruit seed) Buckwheat Information

A quick copy and paste job:
Buckwheat is one of the best sources of high quality, easily digestible protein in the plant kingdom. It has over 90% of the value of non-fat milk solids and over 80% of whole egg solids (Udesky 1992). The balanced amino acid profile and a high level of essential amino acids allow buckwheat to be used in human diets, especially where shortages of lysine and sulfur containing amino acids appear. Source

While many people think that buckwheat is a cereal grain, it is actually a fruit seed that is related to rhubarb and sorrel making it a suitable substitute for grains for people who are sensitive to wheat or other grains that contain protein glutens. Buckwheat flowers are very fragrant and are attractive to bees that use them to produce a special, strongly flavored, dark honey. Source

According to the Nutritional Data site there's 19 g of protein in a cup of kasha (buckwheat) with an amino acid score of 99%. I think a cup is a lot, since it's nearly 600 calories, so 1/2 cup is more like it (9.5 g of protein). In 1/2 cup there's about 53 net carbs. Pre workout food!

If you use half buckwheat flour with your wheat flour, the buckwheat's amino acids will round out the limiting amino acids in your wheat nicely, giving you a nearly perfect balance of the 8 essential amino acids. This particular balance between half wheat and half buckwheat flour is much more closely aligned to your dietary needs even than lean beef!!! It's also rich in many of the B vitamins as well as the minerals; phosphorus, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper and manganese. In addition to this, it's a good oil source of Linoleic acid, one of the two essential fatty acids we must have to be healthy. Nutritionally speaking, buckwheat is a truly impressive food. Source.

Here's the recipe for buckwheat burgers, replace the eggs or flour (for binder) with 3 tablespoons of ground flax with 1-2 tablespoons of water. Replace the oil in this recipe with fresh olive oil or coconut oil.

Buckwheat Burger Recipe.