Although the average human brain only weighs roughly 1,400 g, it is the most important organ in the human body. Along with all basic ways to keep the entire body healthy, the brain also requires specific vitamins and nutrients for survival. There is a long list of vitamins that can play a role in keeping the brain healthy, but there are a few essential vitamins that should be considered to ensure normal and healthy brain functioning.
B-12
B-12 is a water-soluble vitamin readily found bound to the proteins in meat, fish and dairy products. Vitamin B-12 is essential for normal brain functioning. Among its many jobs, B-12 maintains healthy nerve cells and helps produce red blood cells that carry oxygen throughout the body, including the brain. The American Academy of Neurology performed a controlled study on elderly individuals and found, although there is no proof B-12 can undo brain shrinkage, the subjects with the higher levels of B-12 were less likely to experience brain shrinkage than the ones that had lower levels, therefore making them less susceptible to memory loss.
Folate
Found in various sources like fortified breakfast cereals, vegetables and peanuts, folic acid is one of the B-complex vitamins along with B-12. Even before birth, folate is important for brain functioning as it helps to develop the neural tube in a fetus, which turns into the brain and spinal cord. A folate deficiency can increase amino acids in the blood, hymocysteine, which can eventually lead to neurological conditions, or even stroke. Folate also works side by side with B-12 to produce the healthy red blood cells that carry oxygen to the brain.
Vitamin C
Because free radicals are molecules of oxygen and the brain is exposed to such a large amount of oxygen, vitamin C makes the list because it is an effective antioxidant, protecting the brain. According to research from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the brain has the highest concentration of vitamin C than any other organ of the body. This vitamin also plays a critical role in the synthesis of the neurotransmitter norepinephrine. These neurotransmitters do more than affect mood; they help to keep the brain functioning properly as well. Vitamin C is also a water-soluble vitamin, which means the body cannot produce it on its own, so it is important it is consumed through foods like strawberries, potatoes, oranges and broccoli or in supplement form.
