- The brain weighs about 3 lbs, which is ~ 2% of total body weight. Einstein’s brain weighed about 2.7 lbs. But as we get older, the brain loses about 1 gram per year
- The brain consists of 86 billion nerve cells (neurons). Neurons continue to grow throughout life, but those cells that serve a function that is no longer being used die (a process called pruning), hence the saying “if you don’t use it, you lose it”.
- The brain can be divided into 4 main sections called lobes (the name of each lobe indicates where it is located): Frontal lobe (front of the brain), Parietal lobe (middle of the brain ), temporal lobe (side of the brain), occipital lobe (back of the brain).
- The brain is 60% fat (fatty acids). Essential fatty acids are crucial to maintain brain health; however since the body cannot synthesize them, they must be obtained from dietary sources.
- There are no pain receptors inside the brain, so the brain itself cannot feel pain it can only process pain from the body.
- The brain is a high consumer of energy, it uses 20 % of our body’s total energy (oxygen and caloric intake), and so it must always be nourished appropriately to function adequately.
