Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan: “Obesity causes brain cells to wear out earlier, increasing the risk of Alzheimer’s.”
At the “4th International Food Chemistry Congress,” held this year in Antalya with the theme “Sustainability in Food Production” in collaboration with Üsküdar Üniversitesi, Yıldız Teknik Üniversitesi, and the Association of Chemists, Üsküdar Üniversitesi Founding Rector and Chairman of the Board of Trustees Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan addressed the topic of “From Food Chemistry to Brain Chemistry: The Brain-Nutrition Relationship.”
Stating that loneliness is one of the reasons for the increase in Alzheimer's disease, Prof. Dr. Tarhan said that nutritional habits also play a critical role in this process and that obesity causes brain cells to wear out.
Stating, “There is more mental obesity than physical obesity,” Tarhan noted that we manage the chemistry laboratory in our brain like a chemist.
Prof. Dr. Tarhan: “There is a tremendous self-sustaining algorithm in our body. The brain manages this algorithm. What we call therapy is actually correcting the algorithms in our brain.”
The “4th International Food Chemistry Congress,” organized this year with the theme “Sustainability in Food Production” in collaboration with Üsküdar Üniversitesi, Yıldız Teknik Üniversitesi, and the Association of Chemists, is being held at the Juju Premier Palace Hotel in Antalya/Kemer between May 8-11, 2025.
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, Founding Rector of Üsküdar Üniversitesi and Chairman of the Board of Trustees, who was the keynote speaker in a special session held within the scope of the congress, gave a speech titled “From Food Chemistry to Brain Chemistry: The Brain-Nutrition Relationship.”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan: “Neuro-nutrition is a global scientific field investigating the relationship between the brain and nutrition”
In the interview moderated by journalist Şaban Özdemir, Üsküdar Üniversitesi Founding Rector and Chairman of the Board of Trustees Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, under the title “From Food Chemistry to Brain Chemistry: The Brain-Nutrition Relationship,” stated that the relationship between food chemistry and the human brain is examined from two main perspectives: the first being the brain-gut axis, and the second being the field of "neuro-nutrition".
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that neuro-nutrition is a global scientific field investigating the relationship between the brain and nutrition, and its association was founded in America in 2014. He pointed to laboratory experiments conducted to demonstrate the effect of nutrition on behavior and the potential for these effects to be passed down through generations, adding that what we eat affects our behavior and personality, and these effects have the potential to be transmitted across generations through epigenetic mechanisms.
Pleasure-oriented living reduces the happiness hormone serotonin in the brain!
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that epigenetics is related to the adaptation of conditions in genes and creates learned genetic codes by silencing some gene regions and activating others, adding that these codes can be transmitted for one or two generations. Prof. Dr. Tarhan also mentioned that eating habits are learned and everyone has a different relationship with food, noting that in regions with rich food culture, this can become a purpose in life.
Drawing attention to the effects of modern life on brain chemistry, Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that a pleasure-oriented lifestyle reduces the happiness hormone serotonin in the brain and increases depression.
We manage the chemistry laboratory in our brain like a chemist!
Referring to the pleasure and meaning hormones in the brain, Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that dopamine and endorphins provide pleasure and enjoyment, adenosine (triggered by tea and coffee) has an energizing property, the happiness hormone produced with meaning, ideas, and ideals is serotonin, and the bonding hormone is oxytocin.
“These hormones are in the chemistry laboratory of our brain, and we manage this laboratory like a chemist. In fact, each of us is a chemist. The chemist of our own brain. Which one will we increase? Will we live dopamine-focused? Will we live serotonin-focused? We will decide this.” said Prof. Dr. Tarhan, adding that dopamine creates a short-term effect, is secreted when eating chocolate or watching an action movie, and addiction is also related to this mechanism.
Prof. Dr. Tarhan emphasized that the brain can be taught to be happy in the medium and long term, and that every individual has the responsibility to manage the chemistry in their own brain.
How do microplastics reach the brain?
Prof. Dr. Tarhan, explaining how chemicals affect the human brain and stating that microplastics were detected in the brain in a recent study, said that this situation is one of the alarming consequences of global pollution.
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that microplastics are detected everywhere, but how they are found in the brain is a matter of curiosity, saying, "They entered the brain through the nose. They are most prevalent there. And with respiration during a flu-like episode, they easily find their way, go, and settle in the brain. Artificial substances like food colorings and preservatives can also accumulate in the body, especially in fatty tissue.”
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that the wear and tear of telomeres in the brain is related to lifespan, and that programmed cell death (apoptosis) and telomere length determine biological age.
Our brain is programmed for survival
Reminding that autophagy (the body's cleaning of its own damaged cells) is a Nobel Prize-winning study, Prof. Dr. Tarhan said that 16 hours of fasting repairs DNA damage in the body. Prof. Dr. Tarhan said, “Because our brain is programmed for survival. That is, our priority in every environment is to survive.”
Emphasizing that nutrition is a critical element in extending the life of telomeres and in cell deaths, Prof. Dr. Tarhan said, "We can say that our body is shaped according to how we eat."
Telomeres shorten prematurely in people living with excessive stress and pace
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that telomeres shorten prematurely in individuals living with excessive stress and a fast pace, and that endorphins secreted during exercise have pain-relieving and pleasure-inducing properties.
“The chemistry in the brain… Our brain manages the body with chemical messages. There are chemicals called the five horsemen of darkness, related to these emotions: resentment, anger, hatred, jealousy, hostility. Each emotion has a different chemical mixture,” said Prof. Dr. Tarhan, explaining that chronic stress is one of the causes of premature aging, and factors like poor nutrition, chronic stress, diabetes, cholesterol, and obesity accelerate this process.
Autism and nutrition relationship…
Drawing attention to the role of nutrition and especially the gut microbiota in autism, Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that autism is an important field and that the microbiota and eating habits should be examined, especially in children, adding, "Children do not get autism because they are fed, but there are antibodies produced by the gut microbiota. These antibodies view the brain as foreign tissue and send antibodies to the brain's network, disrupting it."
Referring to the importance of the autism predisposition panel, Prof. Dr. Tarhan said, "If there is an autism predisposition panel, it's a genetic panel. 8-10 genes are examined. If some of those genes are present, nutritional advice can be given to that person according to the type of gene."
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that autism cases are increasing alarmingly worldwide, dropping from one in a thousand to one in 36 births, adding that in addition to the increase in diagnosis, there is also a serious increase in clinical cases.
“There is a tremendous algorithm in our body. The brain manages this algorithm”
Prof. Dr. Tarhan noted that an excessive sense of control can lead to health problems, stating, "We are now approaching with a medical understanding respectful of tissues. We will treat our body and tissues with respect. We will not be aggressive. If we treat it with respect, our body finds its own solution. It's better if we don't interfere, or even mix things up, there. There is a tremendous self-sustaining algorithm in our body. The brain manages this algorithm. What we call therapy is actually correcting the algorithms in our brain."
Our brain works like artificial intelligence
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that the brain works like artificial intelligence and that one of the recipients of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics is a cognitive psychologist, adding that cognitive psychology is a branch of science that views the brain like a computer. Prof. Dr. Tarhan also stated that the other award recipient is a geneticist working on artificial neural networks and genetic algorithms, saying, "So, it means that both of these are actually our brain's operating system. Neural network and genetic algorithm. Genetic algorithms are also innate. We also have algorithms that we have taught our brain since childhood. Epigenetic and social algorithms. With these, we actually become who we are. Our personality emerges."
Obesity is frequently seen in Alzheimer's patients
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that loneliness is one of the reasons for the increase in Alzheimer's disease, emphasizing that nutritional habits also play a critical role in this process.
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, “Especially in the formation of Alzheimer's disease, one of the reasons for its increase is individuals' nutritional habits. The frequent occurrence of obesity in Alzheimer's patients today is noteworthy. Obesity causes brain cells to wear out earlier, and this increases the risk of Alzheimer's. Therefore, obesity is an extremely important risk factor not only for physical health but also for brain health. The effect of obesity is significant in cell aging and death processes. This situation is directly related to poor nutrition. Especially carbohydrate-heavy nutrition carries a great risk in this context. Placing a carbohydrate-focused eating style at the center of life is almost like a conscious suicide.”
There is more mental obesity than physical obesity!
“When you see an obese person, you need to investigate why they eat. The person is emotional; in fact, there is more mental obesity than physical obesity. Their mind is not satisfied,” said Prof. Dr. Tarhan, adding that refined foods, which create short-term pleasure in the brain and quickly mix with the blood, suddenly raise blood sugar, providing pleasure, but then lead to reactive hypoglycemia. This causes the person to feel intense hunger again 2-3 hours later.
Emphasizing that emotional eating leads to obesity, Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that in physical hunger, a person feels full after eating when hungry, but in emotional hunger, the person feels unsatisfied despite eating and constantly wants to eat.
Prof. Dr. Tarhan reminded that obesity is a global problem and Turkey ranks third in the world in obesity prevalence.
The future is in neurochemistry…
Prof. Dr. Tarhan noted that habits in youth can lead to health problems in old age, stating that rising triglycerides result not from fats, but from excess carbohydrates converting into fat.
Drawing attention to the close relationship between nutrition and chemistry, Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that the future lies in neurochemistry and that new drugs affecting hunger and satiety will be discovered from this field.
The way to make people happy is not through pleasure, but through a meaning-oriented life philosophy
Prof. Dr. Tarhan concluded his words by saying, “One of the most important things brain sciences show us today is that the way to make people happy is not through pleasure, but through a meaning-oriented life philosophy. Its scientific name is Positive Psychology, and today, with an approach called Positive Psychology 2.0, meaning and purpose-oriented therapeutic techniques are coming to the forefront. These techniques are methods that an individual can learn and develop during the dopamine detox process. Sometimes, without needing an expert, an individual can learn and apply these techniques if they wish.”
