Nutrients for Brain

Brain Nutrients for a Healthy Life

What are the best nutrients for brain?

First, we will discuss brain nutrients that you can get from food...but we will also take a look at the vitamins, minerals, and other brain natural nutrients that you might want to include as part of your dietary supplement regimen.

As sad as it is, rates of Alzheimers and similar cognitive disorders are skyrocketing in the Western world.

Unfortunately, however, there is no guaranteed fix.

This is why it's so important to take preventative measures and do what you can by taking in enough and the right kinds of nutrients for brain.

Nutrients Brain

Brain Natural Nutrients

Ok, first the best foods to eat that are loaded with brain nutrients.

The brain needs lots of fatty material...these fats help facilitate signals and messanges in nerves are are constantly being sent from one part of the brain to another and from the brain to parts of the body.

However, the fats should be a certain kind. We will list the foods and then offer a brief explanation on what brain nutrients are in them that make them so good.

Eggs and red meat: these are high in choline. Choline is a building block for acetylcholine, which is a crucial neurotransmitter that is responsible for healthy mental functioning. The part of the egg that is highest in choline is the yolk -- exactly the part that most people have been taught to throw away due to its high cholesterol content.

It is true that you might not want to eat too much red meat and egg yolks....that is why we believe that supplementation with choline should be a strong consideration. This way you can avoid a lot of the extra cholesterol.

There is an excellent (but rather long) article at Sciencenews.org that discusses nutrients for brain. To sum up, the article details how...."A few scientists are, for example, investigating hints that extra choline in the adult diet boosts brainpower." [Emphasis ours]

On to other nutrients for brain...

Fish, nuts, and seeds are excellent brain nutrients! But not all fish, nuts, and seeds are equal.

For example, not all fish is fatty. Salmon, as the best example, is a fish very high in the right kinds of omega 3 fats. It is also high in a nutrient called DMAE.

DMAE can elevate one's mood, counter depression, and boost cognitive functions, and even increase intelligence. These benefits stem from this brain nutrients role in manufacturing the crucial neurotransmitter acetylcholine.

Acetylcholine's main role is in acting as the messenger for memory, and has been shown to be severely depleted in those afflicted with Alzheimers.

In short, DMAE is one of several potentially very promising brain natural nutrients that most people have never heard of.

With regard to eating the right kind of nuts, again, the key is to finding the ones with a high omega 3 content, such as almonds. The same is true for seeds.

So, there you have it...brain nutrients...try to include more eggs, red meat, fish, nuts, and seeds in your diet. For vegans and vegetarians this will be more difficult and using dietary supplements should be even more of a paramount consideration.

Let's now address some herbs and supplements that are brain natural nutrients.

Nutrients for Brain

Gingko Biloba: long believed to be one of the best brain nutrients / supplements. Gingko a well known herb that has been double-blind tested many times for its ability to increase the oxygen content to the brain (and other bodily tissues). Because of this, Gingko is often taken to enhance memory, and increase mental focusand clarity.

Recently, researchers from University of California, Los Angeles Neuropsychiatric Institute showed that "the herbal supplement ginkgo biloba has demonstrated in brain scans to improve verbal recall among people with age-related memory impairment."

"Additionally, the researchers say, differing results could have much to do with the quality of ginkgo biloba used and the duration of studies." [Emphasis ours]

We will discuss below the basic requirements for buying only the highest quality gingko (and other herbs, vitamins, and nutrients for brain).

Gotu Kola:

The leaves of the Gotu Kola are a favorite food among elephants. Perhaps this is why thereis an age-old adage that says "having a memory like an elephant."

Goto kola is showing promise as one of the best supplements -- nutrients for brain. It has been attributed a broad range of benefits that include enhancing mental acuity, staving offmemory deterioration, and improving blood flow by strengthening blood vessels.

Indeed, in the book published by Reader's Digest called "The Healing Power of Vitamins, Minerals, and Herbs" it states: "In one study, 30 developmentally disabled children were found to have significantly better concentration and attention after taking gotu kola for 12 weeks..."

Precautions about these Supplements/ Nutrients for brain

Because ginkgo is a blood thinning agent, people who are already on other blood thinners-- such as aspirin -- should consult a qualified health practitioner or their physician first.

Gotu kola can cause sensitivity to sunlight in some individuals. If you are the kind of person who burns easily in the sun, take extra precautions.

There are no known side effects with DMAE.

As always, pregnant women or women who are nursing should refrain from taking herbal remedies -- even these nutrients for brain -- before talking to their doctor about it.

This list of precautions is not exhaustive. It only represents some of the more well known possible side effects of these nutrients for brain.

Nutritional-Supplement-Info's Tips on Choosing Brain Nutrients -- Supplements

2. Acetylcholine cannot be produced by DMAE alone; the presence of some B vitamins -- likeVitamin B5, Biotin, and Folic Acid aids in the production of DMAE.

3. Always purchase herbal nutrients for brain made from standardized herbal extracts. These are produced with the highest quality and potency. Most supplement manufacturers do not use standardized herbal extracts because they cost more.

As the researchersfrom the University of California, Los Angeles Neuropsychiatric stated, results can be dependent upon the quality of the ingredients used.

Why not buy the best? Your health depends on it.

One company that produces a product that meets the above requirements -- and much more --is Xtend-Life Natural Products from New Zealand, which has one of the strictest regulatory environments in the world for the manufacture of dietary supplements, far exceeding U.S. FDA standards.

Their Neuro Natural contains standardized extracts of gingko biloba, gotu kola, choline, the nutrient DMAE, B vitamins, along with many other potent nutrients for brain, herbs, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, etc., many of which are documented in this site.

We here at Nutritional-Supplement-Info personally have taken Xtend-Life's products for over 2 years.

Their Neuro Natural is brand new, having just been released in June 2004, and we look forward to including it as part of our health regimen -- due to the broad spectrum of powerful brain supplements and supplements that support brain repair and health it contains.

After using Xtend-Life products for a few months, we have noticed in increase in energy, mental focus and acuity, and general feeling of well being.