From: unk...@googlegroups.com   
      
   The top 5 vitamins and minerals to boost your brainpower   
      
   By Denise Mann    
   WebMD Weight Loss Clinic - Feature   
      
   Reviewed By Brunilda Nazario, MD   
      
   Sept. 22, 2004 -- We all know by now that eating a healthful diet rich in   
   whole grains, fruits, and vegetables can help us stay slim and lower our risk   
   for heart disease, but did you know that a growing body of research shows that   
   this type of diet also    
   preserves memory, boosts alertness, and may even stave off the blues and   
   prevent Alzheimer's disease!   
      
   It's true! "Nutrition plays a significant and crucial role over the long run   
   and the short run in brain health," says Ray Sahelian, MD, a Marina Del Ray,   
   Calif.-based physician and author of Mind Boosters. "We can maintain a healthy   
   and active mind well    
   into our 80s and 90s by eating properly," he tells WebMD.   
      
   Why tax your brain doing all the research for what it needs to thrive? WebMD   
   did it for you by putting together a list of the top five brain-friendly   
   nutrients you need to stay smart, starting with:   
      
   Eating More E   
      
   "For a long time, people believed that a common component of vitamin E called   
   alpha tocopherol was most important, but another form called gamma tocopherol   
   is definitely a protective antioxidant in brain disorders," says Aimee   
   Shunney, ND, the    
   coordinator of the educational and wellness program at Long Island College   
   Hospital in Brooklyn, N.Y.   
      
   When you consume food rich in vitamin E, including almonds, green leafy   
   vegetables, corn oil, sunflower oil, hazelnuts, and whole-grain flour, you get   
   both alpha tocopherols and gamma tocopherols, she says. If you are choosing   
   supplements, look for    
   vitamin E with "mixed tocopherols" and take 400 IU a day, she says. Vitamin   
   functions as an antioxidant and the brain is particularly susceptible to free   
   radicals (damaging, unstable molecules). Some research indicates that vitamin   
   E can delay    
   progression of Alzheimer's disease and/or prevent it from occurring in the   
   first place by reducing the free radicals damage!   
      
   B Good to Yourself   
      
   "B vitamins are involved in helping the formation of brain chemicals such as   
   dopamine, epinephrine, and serotonin," Sahelian says. In fact, each B vitamin   
   plays its own role in preserving brain function and mental acuity. Starting   
   from folic acid (a B    
   complex), which helps in the early brain development, these vitamins help in   
   many aspects of metabolism. A few recent studies have shown a link between   
   declines in memory and Alzheimer's disease in the elderly and inadequate   
   levels of folic acid, vitamin    
   B12, and vitamin B6. Reduced levels of folate are associated with high levels   
   of homocysteine -- a marker of heart disease and stroke.   
      
   Boosting B12   
      
   "Vitamin B12 has a number of roles including helping in the formation of   
   myelin," Sahelian says. Myelin forms layers or a sheath around the nerve   
   fibers and acts as insulation. Sahelian points out that B12 is mainly found in   
   meats (beef, pork, lamb, veal,   
    fish, and poultry), and an as result, vegetarians may be deficient. This   
   deficiency could lead to nerve damage, memory loss, low moods, and mental   
   slowness. His advice? Shoot for between 3 and 100 micrograms a day.   
      
   It worked for nutritionist Molly Kimball's grandmother. "Sometimes as people   
   age, they have impaired absorption of B12," says Kimball, a nutritionist at   
   the Ochsner Clinic's Elmwood Fitness Center in New Orleans. In fact, B12   
   deficiency can present as    
   similar to Alzheimer's disease, she says. "My grandmother couldn't make sense   
   until her doctor supplemented her B12," she tells WebMD.   
      
   Filling Up on Folate   
      
   Folic acid or folate is another important B vitamin for the brain, says   
   Sahelian. "Getting adequate folate can make one a little more alert, and   
   improve memory and focus." It helps lower blood levels of the amino acid   
   homocysteine that is known to damage    
   brain cells, he explains. It's found in abundant supply in many foods   
   including beans, fruits, green leafy vegetables, lentils, and whole-wheat   
   cereals. Shoot for 400 micrograms a day, he says.   
      
   Stirring Up Serotonin With B6   
      
   Vitamin B6 helps convert 5-hydroxy-tryptophan (5HTP) in into the mood chemical   
   serotonin and it also helps in making dopamine. "These are big mood and   
   alertness chemicals," he says. Aim for roughly 2 to 10 milligrams a day if you   
   supplement. B6-rich    
   foods include bell peppers, cranberries, turnip greens, cauliflower, garlic,   
   tuna, mustard greens, and kale.   
      
   Maximizing Magnesium   
      
   "Magnesium is an important brain nutrient because it protects the brain from   
   neurotoxins," says City Island, N.Y.-based Carolyn Dean, ND, MD, author of The   
   Miracle of Magnesium. "Some enlightened surgeons give extra magnesium to their   
   patients before and    
   during surgery, especially brain surgery, for this reason," she tells WebMD.   
   The dosage for protecting the brain in general is 300 milligrams one to three   
   times a day. According to Dean, nuts, seeds, dark leafy greens, and whole   
   grains have magnesium,    
   but most other foods have little, she says. "Cooked and processed foods also   
   lose a lot of magnesium making it a very deficient mineral."   
      
   Seeing to More C   
      
   "Vitamin C is an important antioxidant that can intercept free radicals before   
   they affect the brain," says Dean, also the health advisor to ye   
   stconnection.com. It's found in foods such as broccoli, legumes, oranges,   
   potatoes, and strawberries. If you    
   are taking supplements, aim for 500 micrograms once or twice a day, she says.   
   Researchers from Johns Hopkins University found that people taking vitamins C   
   and E were 78% less likely to have had a diagnosis of Alzheimer's at the   
   study's start and 64%    
   less likely to have developed the disease four years after the study began.   
      
   Of course, before taking any supplements talk to your doctor first, many may   
   interfere with the absorption of medications you may be taking or may cause   
   bothersome side effects.   
      
   Published Sept. 22, 2004.   
      
   SOURCES: Aimee Shunney, ND, coordinator of educational and wellness program,   
   Long Island College Hospital in Brooklyn, New York. Ray Sahelian, MD, author,   
   Mind Boosters. Carolyn Dean, ND, MD, author, The Miracle of Magnesium. Molly   
   Kimball, RD,    
   nutritionist, Ochsner Clinic's Elmwood Fitness Center, New Orleans.   
      
      
   Last Editorial Review: 10/4/2004 10:21:19 PM   
      
      
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