Enhance your brain function: Part 3

Enhance your brain function: Part 3

Whether you are a student or a senior or somewhere in between, brain health and cognitive function remain an extremely important factor in life. This is the final part of our 3 part series on helping you find and retain optimal memory and learning.

If you have missed the previous articles, click here for dietary ways to enhance brain health. Or here for Lifestyle techniques.

Please note: as discussed in previous articles the ageing brain has 2 main enemies Beta Amyloid plaque and Tau tangles. For more information regarding these toxins please refer back to the previous articles.

Supplements for brain health include:

    • Alpha lipoid acid (ALA) and Acetyl-l-carnitine (ALCAR) ALA is the strongest antioxidant rejuvenator of ageing brain cells. It prevents and reverses brain damage. It is even more powerful when combined with ALCAR. This fuels the brain cells mitochondria which increases mental and physical energy and blocks the formation of Tangles in the brain which contribute towards Alzheimer’s.
    • B vitamins (B3 (Niacin) B6, B9 (folic acid) and B12) B3 Prevents memory failure by preventing and removing tau tangles. It also strengthens cellular scaffolding that carries information and prolongs neuron life. B6 has been found to boost memory. B9 reduces age related damage and increases the brains ability to self repair. It also reduces homocysteine (a blood factor that damages the DNA of brain cells) B12 deficiency shrinks your brain by breaking apart the myelin sheath (a fatty protective layer around the nerves); it increases homocysteine and triggers inflammation. Symptoms can include muddles memory, confusion, personality changes, mood swings, loss of balance etc.
    • Fish oil (especially the DHA component) prevents blood clots, reduced inflammation, builds bigger neurons with stronger connections, slows the aging process by lengthening telomeres, and destroys beta amyloid plaque deposits and tau tangles.
    • Multi-vitamins, habitual multi-vitamin takers were found to have longer telomeres (telomeres indicate how fast a person is ageing biologically) Best to get a high anti-oxidant formula with increased levels of Reservatrol, Vitamin C, E and minerals Selenium and Zinc.
    • Phosphatidylserine feeds the brain and improves cognitive abilities, enhances focus and helps retain information.
    • Herbal medicine: Ginkgo, Brahmi, Rosemary and Gotu kola have all been proven effective as cognitive enhancers.
    • AVOID: Copper and iron supplements (unless proven necessary by blood tests) As excess copper slows the brains ability to remove amyloid plaques and excess iron causes inflammation of the brain and increases neurodegeneration (degeneration of the brain)

Useful tests include:

    • Gene test for Alzheimer’s is APOE4. People with this gene are more likely to get the disease earlier and more severely. But not everyone with this gene develops Alzheimer’s, if you have it, make a conscious effort to make as many of the changes as possible.
    • Blood sugar and insulin levels
    • Coeliac’s disease
    • Blood Pressure
    • Homocysteine(high homocysteine predicts age related memory loss, dementia and Alzheimer’s. It’s also an indication you are not correctly methylating your B vitamins. If homocysteine is high and your B vitamins are low request another test, this time for the gene MTHFR.
    • Thyroid function Hyperthyroid kills neurons, depletes acetylcholine and damages cerebral blood vessels. Hypothyroid increases beta amyloid plaques.
    • Copper
    • Iron
    • B vitamins
    • Vitamin D (low vitamin D increases your chances of dementia by 394%! It works via the immune system by encouraging macrophages to remove beta amyloid plaques)
    • HTMA (hair tissue mineral analysis for heavy metals)
    • Sleep apnea Eye check up
    • Dental check up, tooth and gum disease has been linked with memory issue

I hope you have found this series interesting. I know I have personally made some changes to help improve my memory and reduce my risk of dementia as I age. Feel free to share with family and friends.