Nutritional Support for the Aging Brain

It is now considered normal to lose cognitive function as you age -- to experience diminished memory, reasoning and speed in processing information. This "normal" age-related cognitive decline is contrasted to dementias, like Alzheimer's, which are much more debilitating and include severe nerve cell damage and death of nerve cells. In fact, age-related cognitive decline and dementia are the same thing. What you call it is a matter of degree, and it is primarily a product of our unhealthy diets and lifestyles.

Maintaining a youthful brain does, however, require superior nutrition from both diet and high-quality supplements. A brain support program would include the B vitamins and the antioxidant vitamins A, C, D and E. Fish or flax oil is a must, and the need for it increases with age.

By middle age, it's best to be supplementing with CoQ10, acetyl-L-carnitine, and multiple B vitamins. (Deficiencies in vitamin B12 are common and often misdiagnosed as dementias or neurodegenerative disease. However symptoms disappear when adequate B12 is provided.) Coconut oil, white and green tea, gingko biloba, and PhosSerine are additional "neuronutrients" that feed the brain and support brain health.

To learn more on these vitamins and brain maintenance, please go to the powerful search bar to the top and type in any keyword or topic for more information. Have a healthy day!