By Dr. Joseph Mercola | mercola.com
When your diet is lacking in essential brain-boosting nutrients, everything from your focus and memory to your creativity, alertness, thinking and even your mood suffers. Contrary to popular belief, your brain doesn’t have to slow down with age. There are steps you can take to help preserve your brain health, and adding these nine brain-boosting supplements to your diet is one of them.
1. Marine-based omega-3 fat: DHA
Research shows that DHA can help improve a variety of psychiatric illnesses and degenerative brain disorders. As an essential structural component of the brain, DHA is found in high levels in your neurons. When your omega-3 intake is inadequate, your nerve cells become stiff and more prone to inflammation. Low DHA levels have been linked to memory loss as well as Alzheimer’s.
2. Marine-based omega-3 fat: EPA
Studies have shown EPA to be particularly beneficial in treating depression. It helps lower levels of immune chemicals that tend to be elevated in those with depression, and may also help treat neuroinflammatory diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
3. Choline
Choline is a precursor to acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter required for proper brain and nervous system function. It plays a role in fetal brain development, memory, muscle control, mood, and gene expression. Research shows choline plays an important role in brain health and the prevention of neurodegenerative diseases.
4. Phosphatidylserine
Phosphatidylserine is an amino acid derivative highly prevalent in neural tissue. It plays a key role in the cellular function in the brain, and studies show it can help improve cognitive function and protect against Alzheimer’s disease.
5. Acetyl-L-Carnitine
ALCAR has been shown to have numerous positive effects on the brain. It benefits brain metabolism, protects against neurotoxic insults and can also help fight depression.
6. Vitamin D
When vitamin D receptors are activated, they increase nerve growth in the brain. Researchers have also located metabolic pathways for vitamin D in areas in the brain involved in planning, information processing, and memory formation.
7. Vitamin B12
Studies show people with high levels of markers for vitamin B12 deficiency are more likely to score lower on cognitive tests and have a smaller total brain volume, suggesting that a lack of B12 may contribute to brain shrinkage. Mental fogginess and problems with memory are two of the top warning signs of a B12 deficiency.
8. MCT oil
When your body converts fat into energy, as opposed to glucose, it produces ketones. MCT oil is a concentrated source of ketones, which have been shown to be neurotherapeutic and neuroprotective. In one study, MCT supplementation was able to boost cognition in people with cognitive impairment and mild forms of Alzheimer’s disease, after a single dose.
9. Probiotics
Often referred to as your “second brain,” the state of your gut plays a major role in your neurological and psychological health. Probiotics have been shown to reduce symptoms of depression and decrease pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease, including amyloid plaques.
