A diet high in vitamins and fish may protect the brain from aging, while junk food has the opposite effect. Researchers analyzed blood samples from 104 elderly adults and found those with higher levels of vitamins B, C, D, and E and omega-3 fatty acids performed better on cognitive tests and had less brain shrinkage. Brain scans also showed those with higher nutrient levels were more likely to have larger brain volumes, while those with more trans fats had smaller brains. Calorie restriction may benefit heart health by reducing oxidative stress and inflammation, and animal studies suggest it protects against atherosclerosis and stiffening of the arteries.

1. Has there ever been a more important comma
than the one in this title?
BBC Horizon: Eat, Fast and Live Longer
• Read the text, do the exercises, which will help
you prepare for the English exam, and then watch
the excellent BBC video to practice your listening.
1 Match the beginnings of the sentences to their endings
2 Read the text, decide whether the statements are true or false and do
the vocabulary exercise
3 Complete the abstract Caloric restriction: powerful protection for the
aging heart and vasculature with the missing grammar words
4 Complete the abstract Meal size and frequency affect neuronal
plasticity and vulnerability to disease: cellular and molecular
mechanisms with the missing vocabulary

2. A diet rich in vitamins and fish may protect rather than relying on questionnaires to
the brain from ageing assess a person's diet.
Elderly people with high blood levels of individuals with high levels of vitamins and
vitamins and omega 3 fatty acids omega 3 in their blood were more likely to
have a large brain volume.
The research looked at nutrients in blood, who had more trans fats in their blood.
US experts analysed blood samples from who had more vitamin B, C, D and E in
104 healthy people with an average age of their blood performed better in tests of
87 memory and thinking skills.
They found those who had few known risk factors for
Alzheimer's.
The poorest scores were found in people had less brain shrinkage and better mental
performance.
On performing brain scans, the while junk food has the opposite
researchers found that effect, research suggests

3. Read the text below about intermittent fasting
• http://hub.jhu.edu/magazine/2012/summer
/dont-feed-your-head

4. Don’t feed your head. True or False
• The brain uses a lot of energy
• Dr Mattson recommends not eating for 2 days a week
• Stressing the body is bad for the brain
• Tests have only been done on rodents so far.
• The results of intermittent fasting on the brain are greater than
those of overall calorie reduction.
• The brain is able to grow new brain cells with protective protein
plaques.
• Overeating can have negative effects on how the brain works.
• Fasting is not appropriate for all age groups.

5. Find words or expressions in the text which
mean:
1. constitutes 2 are in agreement
3 obtain 4 strategies
5 difficulties 6 maintaining
7 prepares 8 encouraged
9 are the basis of 10 fit/attack
11 boost
12 nourished excessively
13 damaging
14 periods

6. J Neurochem. 2003 Feb;84(3):417-31. Mattson MP, Duan W, Guo Z.
Meal size and frequency affect neuronal plasticity and vulnerability
to disease: cellular and molecular mechanisms.
Abstract
• Although all cells in the body require energy to -----1----- and function properly, excessive calorie intake
over long time periods can compromise cell function and promote disorders such as cardiovascular
disease, type-2 diabetes and cancers. Accordingly, dietary restriction (DR; either caloric restriction or
intermittent fasting, with maintained vitamin and mineral-----2-----) can extend lifespan and can increase
disease resistance. Recent studies have shown that DR can have profound effects on brain function
and can protect neurons -----3-----degeneration in animal models of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and
stroke. DR can also stimulate the production of new neurons from stem cells and can -----4----- synaptic
plasticity, which may increase the ability of the brain to resist aging and restore function ------5----- injury.
Interestingly, increasing the time interval between meals can have beneficial effects on the brain and ---
--6 ----- health of mice that are independent of cumulative calorie intake. The -----7-----effects of DR,
particularly those of intermittent fasting, appear to be the result of a cellular stress response that
stimulates the production of proteins that enhance neuronal plasticity and resistance to oxidative and
metabolic insults; they ----8- ----- neurotrophic factors such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF),
protein chaperones such as heat-shock proteins, and mitochondrial uncoupling proteins. Some
beneficial effects of DR can be -----9 ----- by administering hormones that suppress appetite (leptin and
ciliary neurotrophic factor) or by supplementing the diet with 2-deoxy-d-glucose, which may act as a
calorie restriction mimetic. The profound influences of the quantity and -----10 ----- of food intake on
neuronal function and vulnerability to disease have revealed novel molecular and cellular mechanisms
whereby diet affects the nervous system, and are ----11- ----- to novel preventative and therapeutic

7. Insert the following words into the abstract
Meal size and frequency affect neuronal plasticity
and vulnerability to disease: cellular and molecular
mechanisms.
• following survive include
overall enhance achieved
intake leading against
timing beneficial

8. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3197347/ Edward P. Weiss 1,2 and Luigi Fontana2,3
Caloric restriction: powerful protection for the aging heart and vasculature
Calorie restriction has numerous beneficial effects on the aging cardiovascular system, many of -
----1----- appear to be mediated, at least partly, by reductions in oxidative stress and inflammation
in the vasculature and heart. -----2----- vascular benefits, animal studies have demonstrated that
CR attenuates the age-related decline in the antiadhesion and vasodilatory functions of the
endothelium and blunts the increase in arterial stiffness that occurs with advancing age. Future
studies are needed to determine -----3----- CR in humans also has beneficial effects on
endothelial function and arterial stiffness. Evidence from animal studies -----4----- suggests that
CR protects against atherosclerosis;-----5----- , these findings are limited, largely because most
animal species used in CR studies are not prone to atherosclerosis. -----6----- human CR studies
involving direct measures of atherosclerosis are currently not practical or ethical for use in
healthy human subjects, developing technologies -----7----- imaging of atherosclerosis [as
reviewed elsewhere (159)] may make such studies feasible in the future.-----8-----, a large body
of evidence, from both human and animal studies, indicates that CR has profound beneficial
effects on risk factors for atherosclerosis.-----9-----, epidemiologic data from Japanese
Okinawans suggest that CR protects -----10----- coronary heart disease.

9. Insert the following words into the abstract
Caloric restriction: powerful protection for the aging
heart and vasculature
however which whether
for with respect to
meanwhile while also
against furthermore

10. Now watch the BBC Horizon programme for
some listening practice.
The red Ferrari in the opening scene is driven
by Prof. Valter Longo,one of the two Italian
researchers featured in the programme…….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9_vGtbjHPQ

11. A diet rich in vitamins and fish may protect the brain from ageing while junk food has the opposite effect, research
suggests.
Elderly people with high blood levels of vitamins and omega 3 fatty acids had less brain shrinkage and better mental
performance
The research looked at nutrients in blood, rather than relying on questionnaires to assess a person's diet.
US experts analysed blood samples from 104 healthy people with an average age of 87 who had few known risk factors
for Alzheimer's.
They found those who had more vitamin B, C, D and E in their blood performed better in tests of memory and thinking
skills.
The poorest scores were found in people who had more trans fats in their blood.
On performing brain scans, the researchers found individuals with high levels of vitamins and omega 3 in their blood
were more likely to have a large brain volume; while those with high levels of trans fat had a smaller total brain volume.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-16344228

12. True or False
• The brain uses a lot of energy T
• Dr Mattson recommends not eating for 2 days a week T
• Stressing the body is bad for the brain F
• Tests have only been done on rodents so far. F
• The results of intermittent fasting on the brain are greater
than those of overall calorie reduction. T
• The brain is able to grow new brain cells with protective
protein plaques. F
• Overeating can have negative effects on how the brain
works. T
• Fasting is not appropriate for all age groups. T

13. Find words or expressions in the text
which mean:
• Makes up constitutes
• Resonate are in agreement
• Achieve obtain
• Measures strategies
• Challenges difficulties
• Sticking to maintaining
• Primes prepares
• Coaxed encouraged
• Underlie are the basis of
• Seizure fit/attack
• Kick-start boost
• Overfed nourished excessively
• Impairing damaging
• Stretches periods

14. J Neurochem. 2003 Feb;84(3):417-31.
Meal size and frequency affect neuronal plasticity and vulnerability to disease: cellular and
molecular mechanisms.
Mattson MP, Duan W , Guo Z.
Source
Laboratory of Neurosciences, National Institute on Aging, Gerontology Research Center, Baltimore, Maryland 21224, USA.
Abstract
Although all cells in the body require energy to survive and function properly, excessive calorie intake over
long time periods can compromise cell function and promote disorders such as cardiovascular disease,
type-2 diabetes and cancers. Accordingly, dietary restriction (DR; either caloric restriction or intermittent
fasting, with maintained vitamin and mineral intake) can extend lifespan and can increase disease
resistance. Recent studies have shown that DR can have profound effects on brain function and
vulnerability to injury and disease. DR can protect neurons against degeneration in animal models of
Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases and stroke. Moreover, DR can stimulate the production
of new neurons from stem cells (neurogenesis) and can enhance synaptic plasticity, which may increase
the ability of the brain to resist aging and restore function following injury. Interestingly, increasing the time
interval between meals can have beneficial effects on the brain and overall health of mice that are
independent of cumulative calorie intake. The beneficial effects of DR, particularly those of intermittent
fasting, appear to be the result of a cellular stress response that stimulates the production of proteins that
enhance neuronal plasticity and resistance to oxidative and metabolic insults; they include neurotrophic
factors such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), protein chaperones such as heat-shock proteins,
and mitochondrial uncoupling proteins. Some beneficial effects of DR can be achieved by administering
hormones that suppress appetite (leptin and ciliary neurotrophic factor) or by supplementing the diet with 2-
deoxy-d-glucose, which may act as a calorie restriction mimetic. The profound influences of the quantity
and timing of food intake on neuronal function and vulnerability to disease have revealed novel molecular
and cellular mechanisms whereby diet affects the nervous system, and are leading to novel preventative
and therapeutic approaches for neurodegenerative disorders.

15. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3197347/ Edward P. Weiss 1,2 and Luigi Fontana2,3
Caloric restriction: powerful protection for the aging heart and
vasculature
Calorie restriction has numerous beneficial effects on the aging cardiovascular
system, many of which appear to be mediated, at least partly, by reductions in
oxidative stress and inflammation in the vasculature and heart. With respect to
vascular benefits, animal studies have demonstrated that CR attenuates the
age-related decline in the antiadhesion and vasodilatory functions of the
endothelium and blunts the increase in arterial stiffness that occurs with
advancing age. Future studies are needed to determine whether CR in humans
also has beneficial effects on endothelial function and arterial stiffness.
Evidence from animal studies also suggests that CR protects against
atherosclerosis; however, these findings are limited, largely because most
animal species used in CR studies are not prone to atherosclerosis. While
human CR studies involving direct measures of atherosclerosis are currently
not practical or ethical for use in healthy human subjects, developing
technologies for imaging of atherosclerosis [as reviewed elsewhere (159)] may
make such studies feasible in the future. Meanwhile, a large body of evidence,
from both human and animal studies, indicates that CR has profound beneficial
effects on risk factors for atherosclerosis. Furthermore, epidemiologic data
from Japanese Okinawans suggest that CR protects against coronary heart