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 cooperation with Üsküdar Üniversitesi, Yıldız Technical University, and the Association of Chemists, Üsküdar Üniversitesi Founding Rector and Chairman of the Board of Trustees Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan discussed the topic “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 cooperation with Üsküdar Üniversitesi, Yıldız Technical University, and the Association of Chemists, is being held between May 8-11, 2025, at the Juju Premier Palace Hotel in Kemer, Antalya.
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, Founding Rector of Üsküdar Üniversitesi and Chairman of the Board of Trustees, who participated as the keynote speaker in a special session 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 transmitted across generations, saying that what we eat affects our behavior and personality, and these effects have the potential to be transmitted across generations through epigenetic mechanisms.
Pleasure-focused living reduces serotonin, the happiness hormone in the brain!
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that epigenetics is related to the harmony 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 noted that eating habits are learned, and everyone has a different relationship with food, and 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 serotonin, the happiness hormone 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 endorphin are responsible for pleasure and enjoyment, adenosine (triggered by tea and coffee) has an energizing property, the happiness hormone produced by 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, stating 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 have been detected in the brain in a recent study, said that this situation is one of the alarming consequences of global pollution.
Prof. Dr. Tarhan, stating that microplastics are detected everywhere but how they are found in the brain is a matter of curiosity, said, “They entered the brain through the nose. They are most abundant there. And during a flu-like illness, they can easily find their way through respiration, 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
Prof. Dr. Tarhan reminded that autophagy (the body's self-cleaning of its damaged cells) is a Nobel Prize-winning study and stated 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 lifespan of telomeres and in cell death, Prof. Dr. Tarhan said, “We can say that our body is shaped according to how we eat.”
Telomeres shorten early in people living highly stressed and fast-paced lives
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that telomeres shorten early in people living highly stressed and fast-paced lives, and that endorphin secreted during exercise has pain-relieving and mood-enhancing properties.
“The chemistry in the brain… Our brain manages the body with chemical messages. There are chemicals called the 5 horsemen of darkness, related to these emotions: hatred, anger, envy, jealousy, hostility. Each emotion has a different chemical mixture,” said Prof. Dr. Tarhan, explaining that chronic stress is one of the causes of early aging, and factors such as poor nutrition, chronic stress, diabetes, cholesterol, and obesity accelerate this process.
Autism and nutrition relationship…
Prof. Dr. Tarhan, drawing attention to the role of nutrition and especially gut microbiota in autism, stated that autism is an important area and that microbiota and eating habits should be examined, especially in children, saying, "A child does not develop autism because of what they eat, but there are antibodies produced by the gut microbiota. These antibodies see the brain as foreign tissue and send antibodies to the brain's network, disrupting it."
Prof. Dr. Tarhan, emphasizing the importance of the autism susceptibility panel, stated, "If there is an autism susceptibility panel, it's a genetic panel. 8-10 genes are looked at. If some of those genes are present, advice can be given on eating habits according to the type of gene in that person."
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that autism cases worldwide are increasing at an alarming rate, falling from one in a thousand to one in 36 births, adding that there is a significant increase in clinical cases as well as an increase in diagnosis.
“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, saying, "We are now approaching with a medical understanding that respects tissues. We will treat our body and tissues respectfully. We will not be aggressive. If we treat it respectfully, our body finds its own solution. It's even better if we don't interfere or meddle. 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, saying 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 the working system of our brain: neural network and genetic algorithm. Genetic algorithms are innate. We also have algorithms that we have taught our brain since childhood: epigenetic and social algorithms. With these, we actually become ourselves. Our personality emerges."
Obesity is frequently observed in Alzheimer's patients
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that loneliness is one of the reasons for the increase in Alzheimer's disease and emphasized that nutritional habits also play a critical role in this process.
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, “Especially in the development of Alzheimer's disease, one of the reasons for its increase is individuals' nutritional habits. Today, the frequent occurrence of obesity in Alzheimer's patients is striking. Obesity causes brain cells to wear out earlier, and this situation increases the risk of Alzheimer's. Therefore, obesity is an extremely important risk factor not only for physical health but also for brain health. Obesity has a great impact on cell aging and death processes. This situation is directly related to poor nutrition. Especially carbohydrate-heavy nutrition carries a great risk in this context. Putting a carbohydrate-focused diet at the center of life is almost like 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, stating that refined foods that create short-term pleasure in the brain and mix quickly into the blood suddenly raise blood sugar, providing pleasure, but later lead to reactive hypoglycemia, which causes the person to feel severe hunger again 2-3 hours later.
Emphasizing that emotional eating leads to obesity, Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that with physical hunger, a person feels full after eating when hungry, but with emotional hunger, a person does not feel full despite eating and constantly wants to eat.
Prof. Dr. Tarhan reminded that obesity is a global problem and that Turkey ranks third in the world for 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 elevated triglycerides do not come from fats but from excess carbohydrates being converted 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 there.
The way to make people happy is not through pleasure, but through a meaning-focused philosophy of life
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-focused philosophy of life. 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 a person can learn and develop during the dopamine detox process. Sometimes, without needing an expert, a person can learn and apply these techniques if they wish.”
