Mothers have long chided finicky children at the dinner table by telling them that the fish on their plates was good for your brain. Actually, the fatty acids found in fish join vitamins as the most effective nutrients to promote brain health. Of the 13 elements identified as vitamins, four have been identified by scientists as good for brain health.
Vitamin B12
The Mayo Clinic reports that seniors are at the greatest risk for a vitamin B-12 deficiency, a nutrient most commonly found in fish, shellfish and meats. A team of researchers led by Dr. Anna Vogiatzoglou at the University of Oxford conducted a study of the vitamin and the loss of brain mass in elderly adults who live in a care facility. Blood was collected from 107 individuals who did not report a cognitive impairment when they enrolled. The results of the study, published in a 2008 edition of Neurology, showed that "the decrease in brain volume was greater among those with lower vitamin B-12" levels.
Vitamin D
Found in eggs, milk and fish oil, vitamin D is one of the most important vitamins in the human diet. The Dana Foundation published a review online in 2009 analyzing vitamin D and brain health. The review cites two studies showing that low levels of vitamin D leave people susceptible for stroke, multiple sclerosis and forms of dementia. Results from a trial published in a 2008 edition of the journal Circulation showed that insufficient vitamin D intake was related to cardiovascular emergencies. The study's results showed that for every one person who met the recommended daily intake of vitamin D and did not have a cardiac emergency, there were 1.62 people who were deficient in the vitamin and experienced a cardiac episode. Vitamin deficiency also doubled the risk of hypertension.
A European study led by the University of Heidelberg in Germany measured vitamin D metabolism and the likelihood of stroke. Scientists measured two enzymes produced when vitamin D is absorbed by the body. For those with low levels of the enzyme, the risk of stroke was 58-62 percent. The results of the study appeared in a 2008 issue of the journal "Stroke."
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is one of the most powerful antioxidant vitamins. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals, or oxygen molecules which go unabsorbed by cells and attack healthy cells, tissue and organs. Research conducted at the University of Sydney in Australia showed a connection between vitamin C intake and cognitive functions. The study, published in the "American Journal of Epidemiology" in 1998, included 117 participants divided among low and high dietary intake of the vitamin and a group taking a vitamin supplement. The results showed those who took high levels of vitamin C or received the supplement offering the daily recommended allowance scored better on memory tests and exhibited little to no cognitive decline, compared to the vitamin deficient group.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E is the other extremely powerful antioxidant in the human diet. The Rush Institute for Healthy Aging conducted a study examining the connection between antioxidants and cognitive decline. The seven-year study, published in the July 2002 edition of the Archives of Neurology, measured cognition on four different scales and a survey to calculate vitamin intake. While all individuals in the scale experienced age-related cognitive decline, there was a 36 percent reduction in the speed of this decline among those in the upper 20 percent of vitamin E consumers.
References
- Mayo Clinic: Vitamin B12
- "Neurology": Vitamin B12 status and rate of brain volume loss in community-dwelling elderly
- The Dana Foundation: Vitamin D and the Brain: More Good News
- "Circulation": Vitamin D Deficiency and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease
- "Stroke": Low Vitamin D Levels Predict Stroke in Patients Referred to Coronary Angiography
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