Issue link: http://cp.revolio.com/i/713121
Vitamin D Vitamin D's list of health benefits is amazingly long, including helping your brain combat the damage from free radicals, which helps prevent cogni ve decline. The important factor when it comes to vitamin D is your serum level, which should be between 50-70 ng/ml year-round, and the only way to determine this is with a blood test. Most adults need about 5,000 - 8,000 IUs of vitamin D3 per day to achieve serum levels of above 40 ng/ml. If you take supplemental vitamin D3, you also need to make sure you're ge ng enough vitamin K2, as these two nutrients work in tandem to ensure calcium is distributed into the proper areas in your body. DHA (Docosahexaenoic Acid) DHA is an omega-3 fat that plays a role in keeping your cell membranes healthy, flexible, and resistant to oxida ve stress, which decreases inflamma on. Chronic inflamma on is a key factor in many degenera ve diseases, including demen a. Low DHA has been linked with depression, memory loss, and even elevated hos lity, which reflect its importance to op mal brain func on. The American diet has far too many omega-6 fats and not enough omega-3 fats due to its heavy reliance on processed food. You can boost your DHA by ea ng more fish, such as salmon and sardines, but so much of the fish today is contaminated with mercury and other toxic compounds that a high quality DHA supplement is a good choice. Folate (Vitamin B9) Folate helps prevent depression, seizure disorders, brain atrophy, and other neurological problems. Folate deficiencies correlate with impaired memory, slowed mental processing and overall cogni ve decline, par cularly in the elderly. Your body also needs folate to make red blood cells. Folate deficiency has been thought to lead to elevated homocysteine levels, which can be a major contributor to heart disease and Alzheimer's. However, recent studies may have disproven that idea. People o en confuse folate with folic acid, and it's important to know the difference. Folate is the naturally-occurring form of the vitamin and contains all of the related isomers your body needs for op mal use. Folic acid is the synthe c form of the vitamin that is used in most supplements and in for fied foods. It is always preferable to raise your folate levels by modifying your diet, as opposed to ea ng "enriched" foods or taking a mul vitamin. Foods rich in folate include organic egg yolks, sunflower seeds, asparagus, avocados, broccoli, cauliflower, basil, parsley, and greens such as romaine, turnip, collards, and spinach. If you do think you need a supplement, make sure it lists "folate" on the label, rather than folic acid, as this suggests food sources were used. Magnesium Magnesium plays a role in your body's detoxifica on processes and is therefore important for minimizing damage from environmental chemicals, heavy metals and other toxins. Even glutathione, considered by many to be your body's most powerful an oxidant, requires magnesium in order to be synthesized. But this important mineral also helps your brain. Magnesium acts as a buffer between neuron synapses, par cularly those involved with cogni ve func ons (learning and memory). Magnesium "sits" on the receptor without ac va ng it, in effect protec ng the receptor from over- ac va on by other neurochemicals, especially glutamate. Glutamate is an "excitotoxin," which can harm your brain if it accumulates, and magnesium helps prevent this. That's why you o en see magnesium adver sed as a "calming" nutrient. Good sources of magnesium are whole organic foods, especially dark green leafy vegetables, seaweed, dried pumpkin seeds, unsweetened cocoa, flaxseed, almond bu er. If you choose to add a magnesium supplement, there are many forms so it can be a bit confusing. A newer type called magnesium threonate is par cularly good due to its ability to penetrate cell membranes and cross your blood-brain barrier, which is important for preserving good cogni ve func on as you age. Page 26 | Abby's Magazine - www.AbbysHealthAndNutrition.com