The Science Behind Vitamins for Brain Health: What You Need to Know

Eating Well for Brain and Body

Eating well is important for your body and your brain too gets its fuel from the food you consume. Don’t we all desire sharp memory, attention, and concentration? Healthy brain function and, therefore, mental well-being also depend on your diet.

It is commonly known that a good diet, exercise, and sleep are required for physical well-being. The same applies to the best brain performance as well.

A healthy diet with natural, whole foods provides vitamins for brain health. It only requires paying attention to what you eat.

The latest neurodevelopmental and mental functioning studies have revealed a fascinating link between diet and multivitamins to improve brain health. In this article, we will discuss the best power nutrients that your brain requires and how you can include them in your everyday diet that matches your hectic lifestyle.

Vitamins for Brain Health: The Interaction and Connection

Forgetting, decreasing concentration, attention, etc are all very normal in elderly people who suffer from cognitive impairment. Your mother might forget where she kept her car keys many times and it is widely accepted as an age-related feature. But, have you ever entered a room and forgotten the reason for entering it? Do you struggle to concentrate at work?

You might be having what is referred to as brain fog. In simple terms, it refers to the fact that your brain is not working as well as it should. A new study is more concerning since cognitive ability decline may begin early in adulthood.

Diet and nutrition play an important role in age-related cognitive decline. Micronutrients like B vitamins, iron, and polyphenols can be beneficial for brain health. Did you know, Mediterranean, Nordic, MIND, and DASH diets directly correlate with reduced cognitive decline and dementia?

Spotlight on Gut Health-Brain Health Connection

Clearly, what you consume affects your gut health. It adds to a sophisticated ecosystem of bacterial colonization within your gut. This is referred to as the gut microbiome. A whole diet composed of micro and macronutrients and probiotics enhances gut microbiome. This gut microbiome is also identified to have an impact on brain development.

Apart from digestive wellness, the gut microbiota is also essential to brain wellness via the gut-brain axis. There is a two-way relationship between brain wellness and gut wellness. It is fascinating to note that via the gut microbes, there is an intangible communication between the brain and the gut.

So, to look after your brain, look after your gut. Include probiotics in your diet to regulate gut microbes. The nutrient components in your diet can influence endocrine and neural mechanisms. Specifically, regulation of the gut microbiota is crucial at all phases of life – infancy, adolescence, and aging. Digestive enzymes available as supplements could also play a role in proper digestion, enabling proper breakdown and absorption of nutrients.

If you consume micronutrient-dense food and steer clear of adverse lifestyle elements such as lack of sleep, sedentary living, etc, then you may reduce the risk of getting Alzheimer’s and other non-communicable diseases.

At What Age are Multivitamins for Brain Health Important?

Young adulthood and middle age are critical stages for brain well-being since they determine the rate of cognitive well-being in old age. After all, you need to be independent and self-reliant even when you are in your 70s and 80s, isn’t it? So, take good care of your brain in your 40s and 50s to minimize the risk of brain-related problems like dementia. All you need to do is maintain proper vegetable consumption and boost mental activity.

What Are the Best Foods for Brain Health?

The key to foods for the brain is the whole diet approach. Not just specific nutrients, a balanced diet that includes multiple food groups is important here. So, it means, indulge in foods like:

• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Chicken
• Fish
• Eggs
• Cheese
• Yoghurt
• Avocados
• Berries
• Olive oil
• Dark chocolate
• Nuts and seeds
• Whole grains

Plant-Based Vs Animal Food: What Nutrients are Good for Brain Health

Piling up colored foods on your plate and following this whole diet can reduce the risk of cognitive decline. Interestingly, when cognitive function was tested at baseline and after 4 years, people on the mediterranean diet showed cognitive performance improvement. Meta-analyses showed that such a diet may also reduce cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s disease, or dementia.

How to Improve Your Nutrition for Brain Health?

Breakfast with all micro and macro nutrients can improve attention capacity, processing speed, working memory, and immediate and long-term attention recall. So, next time you have an important office presentation, don’t skip breakfast because you don’t have time. Stay sharp with a nutritious breakfast.

Your morning cereal that is fortified with vitamins may sound healthy, but refined cereals and grains aren’t good for cognitive function. Go for unrefined cereals and whole grains for brain-boosting benefits.

Unrefined carbohydrates are your ally with multiple vitamins for brain health. Plant-based diets with lots of olive oil, legumes, walnuts, and green leafy vegetables reduce the risk of cognitive impairment.

For protein options, go for fish instead of red meat if you care for brain health. Particularly, older adults who ate fish instead of red meat showed improved working memory and executive function.

Here are some healthy eating habits for everyone to follow:

• Take at least 400 g of fruits and vegetables. For easier management, consider it as five portions of fruits and vegetables. Potatoes, sweet potatoes and other vegetables rich in starch don’t count here.
• Take less than 25g of sugar when you consume 2000 calories per day. This is 5 teaspoons, including added sugar from other processed foods.
• Your energy intake from fats should be less than 30%. Opt for unsaturated fats in fish, avocado, nuts, canola, sunflower, and olive oils.
• Total saturated fat intake that you get from processed foods, fried foods, biscuits, cookies, margarines, food spreads, etc must be less than 10%
• Use less than 1 teaspoon of salt and take care of added salt in packaged foods and sauces you use daily.

Micronutrient Impact: What Vitamins are Good for Brain Health?

Micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) help your body to produce hormones, enzymes, and other chemicals for growth and development. Vitamin A, iodine, and iron are important for young children. Some of the important vitamins for brain health are:
them are: