Any decrease in blood circulation to the brain, through illness or accident, rapidly causes serious problems. Deprived of oxygen for more than 3 minutes, a cell dies. And since nerve cells are not reproduced, the damage quickly becomes significant. And yet there is no reason to be worried about this situation. Nature has made sure of maximum conditions to provide blood circulation throughout life. Two tons of blood flow through our brains every 24 hours, constantly renewed by the heart, which sends 7 tons of blood through our body every day. This is good news !

So it is up to us to make sure the brain receives its oxygen: all physical activity, walking, cycling, running, sport, all speed up the process of oxygenation and hence the cerebral ventilation required for top brain performance. This is true at all ages, even though the ways of maintaining ventilation change with age.

With advancing age, we need to have a daily walk.

It is not for nothing that the Chinese say “If you want to live to 100, do not forget to take 10 000 steps every day.” 10 000 steps corresponds to 1 or 1½ hours’ walk each day.

	« All activity mobilises our brain »

Its needs are both extraordinarily complex and at the same time quite ordinary. While poor nourishment can cause slow growth of the body and the intellect, it is not enough to be well fed to be intelligent.

In fact there is no specific food for the brain. What is generally good for the body is also good for the brain. If we start wanting to give the brain its daily dose of iron, copper, manganese, etc., we will surely fail.

There is nothing original here either. Our blood carries wastes in the blood from the brain to the lungs to be burned. So we should be careful of two things: