While lifestyle and diet choices may help you achieve cognitive performance and brain health, supplementation with vitamins and minerals is another great way to help you reach your brain health and wellness goals. Learn how B complex, B12, and magnesium can help unlock your full potential for brain health.
What is Brain Health?
Brain health refers to how well your brain works across 5 different categories including:
cognitive
sensory
emotional
behavioral
motor domains
In other words, your brain health determines how well you think, feel, socialize, behave and move.
What is Cognitive Health?
Cognitive functioning typically refers to attention, memory, language, reasoning, and perception which is how well you process information, think, learn, remember, plan, comprehend, and solve problems.
Vitamins and Minerals
Several vitamins and naturally occurring amino acids may help boost brain power and cognitive functioning, such as:
B Complex: B1, B2, B3, B5, B6
Let’s explore how each of these may affect brain and cognitive health.
Unlocking Brain Potential with B Vitamins
B vitamins are water-soluble vitamins with specific functions:
B1: Thiamine helps your organs, including the brain and heart, function healthily and grow.
B2: Riboflavin assists the body with the breakdown of drugs and fats.
B3: Niacin helps the body with skin, nerve, and digestion health.
B5: Pantothenic acid may help the brain and nervous system stay healthy.
B6: Pyridoxine is essential for new red blood cell production and immune system functioning.
B12: Cobalamin aids nerve and blood cell health and helps prevent anemia.
B7: Biotin helps assist with hair, nail, and nerve function.
B9: Folic acid or folate aids in creating genetic material.
B12 May Help You Think
B12, also known as Cobalamin, is a water-soluble vitamin that plays a key role in the brain and nervous system. It’s commonly found in meat, eggs, dairy, poultr,y and fish.
According to the National Library of Medicine, low B12 levels can lead to various symptoms, including anemia, depression, fatigue, and cognitive impairment. A study on adults age 60 and up “found that low B12 combined with high folic acid was associated with an almost two to three times higher risk of cognitive impairment.”
The benefits of B12 may include improving bodily processes such as normal functioning of the brain and nervous system, cognitive function (ability to think), and energy production.
B Complex and Cognitive Decline
Research suggests that the dietary administration of B vitamins may prevent cognitive decline and brain shrinkage. In a recent study, researchers found that homocysteine-lowering B vitamins caused the accelerated rate of brain atrophy in elderly participants with mild cognitive impairment to slow down.
B Vitamins and Brain Health
The National Library of Medicine states that “the brain is by far the most metabolically active organ in the body” and “B vitamins represent a group of eight essential dietary micronutrients that work closely in concert at a cellular level and which are essential for every aspect of brain function.”
Leveraging the Benefits of Magnesium
Magnesium is an important mineral for maintaining healthy bodily functioning and is involved in over 600 enzymatic reactions in the body. Magnesium can be found in leafy greens, seeds, beans, nuts and dark chocolate.
In addition to helping the body function properly, studies suggest that magnesium is associated with better cognitive function, and although more research is needed, a higher magnesium intake is also linked to lower dementia risk.
Taking more magnesium may also help anxiety, depression, and attention deficit disorder and improve overall mental health.
Enhance Your Brain and Cognitive Well-being
Consider incorporating the foods mentioned above into your daily diet to harness the power of your brain-boosting abilities.