Most people think that a progressive decrease in the overall brain performance is a process of natural aging. This degenerative process makes us lose our abstract reasoning ability and short-term memory. It even may cause difficulties in concentration or learning. A lot of neurological diseases may be directly associated with aging such as Alzheimer’s, dementia, and Parkinson's disease.
Many studies have shown that the progressive degenerative decline of brain functions can be postponed, stopped, or even reversed, by the correct nutrition and/or supplementation. We will discuss below some of the most important supplements for boosting brain health.
-The Omega-3 in fish oil
Cold water fish is at the top list of foods for brain health, that because EPA and DHA, the omega-3 fatty acids which are found in cold water fish, have been connected with enhanced brain functions and memory. The best fish are sardine, mackerel, and anchovy. These fish are so small and live just for a short time which is not enough for the accumulation of harmful mercury.
In the US and Canada, the intake of omega-3 through diet alone is very low because it's usually confined to corn oil, canola oil, and other cooking oils, besides to flaxseed and walnuts oils. These plant-based oil sources provide us wit a form of omega-3 which needs to be converted into DHA inside the body.
In men, the conversion rate to DHA is about 1%, and in women it is less than 7%. There is no need to say, these plant-based sources of omega-3 do not seems to be the best way to supply our brains with lots of DHA, that is required for optimal brain health, heart function, and good eyes. Since cold-water fish oils is already have plenty of DHA, adding it to your diet as a supplement is the best way to supply your body with DHA.
A nine-year study completed in 2006 discovered that there is less DHA in the brains of patients with dementia than patients without dementia at the same age. There is a 47% decrease in the risk for getting dementia if DHA levels in the brain are high.
Free radicals do a lot of harm to the aged brain once there's a deficiency of DHA due to the protective ability of DHA to the brain from oxidative stress. Studies were finding that supplementation with fish-based DHA, and another ingredient of fish oil called EPA, will delay and reduce the impact of age-associated diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.
- Blueberry Extract and Vitamin E
Blueberry extract and Vitamin E act as antioxidants. These two are together in a single supplement due to the synergy between them boosts their advantages. A lot of studies have mentioned that combinations of antioxidant flavonoids, carotenoids and vitamins are more effective than supplementation with each of these nutrients alone.
Vitamin E is claimed to be a really vital ingredient for optimum brain health. It may probably halt or slow the progression of Alzheimer’s due to its relief of oxidative stress to brain cells. The brain has high quantity of lipids ( fatty compounds ) that are liable to oxidative destruction from free radicals. Oxidative stress will extremely harm memory, and the brain cells in general. once the injury has been done, older adults begin showing symptoms of “ age associated memory impairment. ”
Inside the brain, antioxidant molecules like those in blueberries and vitamin E “ wage war against molecules called free radicals, which may damage brain cells and brain performance. ” vitamin E has really been shown to prevent the death of neurons inside the brain. Basically, a good vitamin E supplement will stop or slow the speed of cognitive decline as the brain ages.
Blueberries will alleviate inflammation
inside the brain and spinal cord, according to a study done by Thomas
Kuhn, PhD, of the University of Alaska. two of the foremost damaging
players in brain aging are inflammation and oxidative stress.
We knew that vitamin E helps to alleviate the oxidative
stress and currently we discover that blueberries will help to reduce the
inflammation of the spinal cord and brain tissue. Blueberry also can
strengthen the communication between neural cells and may really REVERSE
injury done to the circuitry within the brain. The neural circuitry in the
brain tends to match a tree or leaf, with branches and sub-branches
feeding off the main stem.
In
brains of memory impaired rats, a number of the branches have withered and
become disconnected. Studies done on older memory impaired rats that were
fed a diet supplemented with blueberries found that blueberry may restore
brain structure back to normal, also stop the breakdown of neural
communication.
Gingko Biloba
Gingko biloba is for cardiovascular health as a result of its properties which include the improvement of the blood flow and also the ability to stop the effects of blood clotting. It has another property for brain health which is the protection against oxidative cell injury from free radicals.
A recent six-month study on the effects of Gingko biloba in the diet of ten patients, with no dementia but mild amnesia, found that when supplementing with at least 120mg two times a day, verbal recall was improved. PET scans showed higher brain function in brain memory centers.
A French study found that long term supplementation of Gingko biloba “ enables cognitive performance to be maintained for extended periods, and indicates that the development of Alzheimer’s will be prevented or at least delayed.”
In a previously published studies on Gingko biloba related to memory functions, a “ small but significant effect ” to short-term memory was found when patients were treated with 120mg to 240mg over three to six months.
-Phosphatidylserine
Phosphatidylserine ( PS ) is a phospholipid which normally found in nearly every cell in of the body. A phospholipid is a type of lipid. Lipids add to cell structure and are a source of energy. In the brain phosphatidylserine operates in part as a communication assistant among nerve cells.
Most Phosphatidylserine research has been conducted with PS obtained from the brain tissue of cows, and shows an actual health benefit in age-related cognitive decline, but as a result of concerns about the possibility of humans contracting infectious diseases such as " mad cow " disease, this form is not available in the United States.
More recent information suggests that the combination of Ginkgo biloba extract (GBE) with soy-derived phospholipids, can enhance the bio-availability of GBE's active components.
Results of a recent study using Ginkgo biloba extract with soy-derived phospholipids showed that " administration of Ginkgo biloba extract complexed with Phosphatidylserine resulted both in improved secondary memory function and remarkably increased speed of memory task performance across all of the post-dose testing sessions."
This study shows that Phosphatidylserine acts
synergistically to boost the cognitive effects associated with a low
dose of GBE.
Further research is required to identify whether this effect is due to the complexation of the extracts, their mere combination, or the separate psychopharmacological actions of the two extracts.
