Feed Your Mind: Diet Tips for a Healthy Brain
We often hear about how healthy diet reduces risk for heart disease, diabetes, and other health conditions. Yet eating right has far-reaching benefits for every system in the body, including the brain. A well-balanced diet not only improves mental functioning, but it can also protect against diseases like dementia.
A Range of Benefits from Vitamin B
Vitamins B6, B12, and folate all improve ability to complete spatial tasks. They also encourage memory, perception, judgement, and reasoning. In some cases, patients who appear to lose their memory due to Alzheimer’s disease may actually have a malfunction in the way their bodies absorb Vitamin B.
Excellent sources of Vitamin B12 and folate include legumes, grain-based foods and leafy green vegetables. Vegetables, fruit, poultry, seafood and beef are great sources of Vitamin B6. The best way to get these vitamins is through proper diet; multivitamins have shown mixed results, because they can be more difficult for the body to absorb.
Antioxidants Optimize Brain Health
Antioxidants, which include Vitamins C, E, and Beta-carotene, have repeatedly been shown to improve brain function and even reverse degenerative brain conditions:
• People with Alzheimer’s who took large doses of Vitamin E regained the ability to feed and groom themselves.
• Beta-carotene may protect against cognitive impairment like dementia.
• Vitamin C has been shown to protect cognitive function in older adults.
Researchers hypothesize that antioxidants reduce the oxidative stress placed on neurons, thereby protecting brain cells from damage. They may also cleanse the brain’s pathways, similar to the way they are thought to clear the arteries.
People can increase their Vitamin C and Beta-carotene levels with fruits and vegetables. Meanwhile nuts and oils contain sufficient Vitamin E for most individuals. Before taking any Vitamin E supplements, it is important to consult a doctor; elevated levels of Vitamin E can be dangerous for people with certain health conditions.
Blood Pressure Impacts Mental Faculties
Hypertension (high blood pressure) actually decreases mental acuity over time. Scientists speculate that the extra pressure increases stress on the blood vessels in the brain, breaking them down over time. Note that blood pressure won’t cause dementia or feeble-mindedness; rather it slows the rate of information processing in the brain.
Blood pressure is closely tied to diet, so it is possible to lower blood pressure through eating habits:
• Losing even ten pounds helps lower blood pressure, even for morbidly obese people who still have significant amounts of weight to lose.
• Limiting alcohol intake to two per day for men, and one per day for women, improves blood pressure.
• Reducing sodium intake to 2,400 milligrams per day contributes to lower blood pressure.
• Potassium-rich foods naturally lower blood pressure, as do fruits and vegetables, which also often contain other brain-friendly nutrients like Vitamin B, folate, and Vitamin C.
Maintaining proper nutrition enhances memory, improves mental acuity and protects the mind from degenerative conditions. Protect your mind the same way you protect the rest of your body, with a balanced diet that includes fruit, vegetables, and protein.
March 8, 2010 | Posted by Northwest Medicl Center
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