Brain Nutrients Are A 'Smart' Choice(Part 2 of 4)

A sharp, clear mind is too valuable to let slip away, yet experts believe that over time as much as half of a person's brain power is lost. And while older individuals are more likely to suffer from significant cognitive decline, even people in their 20's sometimes notice symptoms of fuzzy thinking or waning memory. Thankfully, there are ways to defend against this disappearing gray matter: optimal intake of vitamins, minerals, and herbs tops the list of these cognitive countermeasures.

Free Radicals Strike Again

Free radicals, the unstable molecules implicated in so many degenerative diseases, also play a role in compromised mental clarity. Just as free radical damage to the heart and blood vessels contributes to a heart attack, free radical attacks to the cells in the brain can, over time, impair mental acuity. In fact, the brain may bear the brunt of free radical attacks since it is rich in fatty acids (a favorite free radical target) and it uses large quantities of oxygen (a potential source of free radicals). Antioxidant nutrients, such as vitamin C, vitamin E, and the carotenoids, disarm dangerous free radicals before they have a chance to damage brain cells and muddle the mind. (7)

The antioxidants have been put to in several animal studies. For example, when vitamins E and C are added to the diets of rats, their memory improves significantly, leading researchers to state that "chronic antioxidant treatment can improve cognitive function during aging." (8)

Vitamin C, aside from disarming dangerous free radicals' protects the brain in other ways. Inadequate vitamin C intake is associated with depression while increasing intake of this vitamin benefits mood, cognitive function, and anxiety. Preliminary evidence even suggests that supplements of vitamin C are a valuable adjunctive therapy for schizophrenia. (10-11)

There are a wide range of antioxidant vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and herbs that protect the brain through similar free radical-fighting mechanisms. One antioxidant, however, deserves special mention as a brain tonic. Alpha-lipoic acid is a unique antioxidant that fights free radicals in both the watery and fatty areas of the body. Animal-based lipoic acid protects brain cell membranes from free radical damage and improves long-term memory in aging animals. (9)

Coenzyme Q10, another antioxidant nutrient, supports the brain by fighting free radical attacks to nerve cell membranes and the mitochondria, which are power centers of cells.

Mindful Minerals

Several minerals are absolutely essential for clear, uncluttered thinking. For example, a deficiency of iron starves the brain of oxygen and interferes with cognition, long before clinical anemia develops. Iron supplements, in addition to alleviating many of the physical complications of iron deficiency, may even improve some basic cognitive functions, such as memory and ability to learn.

Iron deficiency is a common problem in some sub-sets of the population, especially young women. Experts from Johns Hopkins University estimate that as many as 25% of teenage girls are iron deficient.

These same researchers have discovered that iron supplements taken by iron-deficient teens boost learning ability and memory. Other researchers have reported memory improvement, increased attention span, higher energy levels, and an overall improvement in mood in anemic individuals taking iron supplements. (12)

Another study of young women found that college students diagnosed with iron-deficiency anemia improve their test scores by as much as 20% after taking iron supplements for several months. However, the researchers caution that individuals should not take iron supplements unless they have been diagnosed with iron-deficiency anemia by a physician. (13)

Selenium also influences the mind. When researchers confined a group of men to a research laboratory for four months and fed them high or low selenium diets, they discovered that low selenium levels led to depressed moods and other mind-altering effects. Other studies support the theory that selenium affects mood, anxiety, and tiredness levels. (14)

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Don't miss Part Three in this Four Part Series - Herbal Hope For Mind Preservation & Protein Power