This is the second in series of articles with simple tips
for rectifying faulty fuelling. In the first one I dealt with the foundation
for fuelling – digestion. In this one I will be exploring essential nutrients
for a healthy brain: enhancing its function, protecting it from damage and make
it more adaptable to change. Poor input of nutrients can be a significant
problem for the older brain and often simple changes in brain fuel can make an
instant change in your life; I end this article with a story that shows this.
Tip Two: Brain fuel
Once digestion has delivered the various ‘goodies’ that your
food contains your brain then uses them to repair itself, and build new cells
and wiring (neural connections). Ensuring your brain has access to essential
nutrients makes it more resistant to dementia and more resilient after brain
injury.
A drop in memory or reasoning can be related to nutritional
deficiencies, which are often avoidable and frequently reversible. Take vitamin
B12 for example, deficiency can damage brain cells causing symptoms of mild
memory loss and disorientation that mimic dementia. This damage is reversible
if caught promptly but can become permanent if left unchecked undetected. B12 deficiency symptoms can include anaemia,
difficulty walking, depression and numbness in fingers and toes. Your GP can run two blood tests to check for
deficiency: blood levels of B12 and
methylmalonic acid (MMA).
Here are my five key recommendations
for fuelling your brain:
1. Eat up your antioxidants – these protect
your brain cells from damage caused by tiny chemical vandals called free
radicals. Our busy brains create more of these free radicals than any other
organ in the body. One particularly important antioxidant, glutathione, we
luckily make ourselves, but its creation is dependent on the presence of other
nutrients, such as the amino acid Cysteine. Great news is that high levels of
glutathione in your blood can improve recovery from brain injury and slow brain
aging.
Boost your levels of glutathione by
eating cysteine containing foods: asparagus, broccoli, avocado, garlic, onion,
cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, watercress) and
unprocessed fresh meats. Other antioxidants, such as vitamin C and E enhance
glutathione’s functions: vitamin E can be found in wheat germ oil, raw nuts and
seeds; and vitamin C in broccoli, red capsicum and citrus fruits.
2. Enjoy your fish – the brain is
approximately 60% fat, and much of it is made up of the omega-3 fatty acids
(omega-3). New discoveries point to high blood levels of omega-3 preventing
brain shrinkage and protecting us from dementia.
Food sources with the highest amounts
of omega-3 are oily, cold-water fish, such as salmon, sardine, herring, and mackerel.
Other varieties of fish, walnuts and olive oil also contain good amounts.
3. Arm yourself with minerals – our brains are
oxygen hungry, and you need a good supply of iron rich red blood cells to
transport oxygen to your brain. Iron, magnesium, selenium, calcium, iodine and
zinc are all essential for great brain health. Good blood levels of magnesium
may also have a protective effect against brain injury.
Great food sources are raw nuts and
seeds, meat, fish and dark leafy greens.
4. Increase your vitamin B’s – all the B’s are important, but
Choline, B6, B9 and B12 are particularly good for enhancing brain function and
protecting it from damage. Choline is essential for making the neurotransmitter
acetylcholine that your brain uses to form memories.
Get your B’s from eggs, meat, fish,
poultry, dairy, whole grains, and dark leafy greens. B12 is found in animal
proteins and because of this, vegans and vegetarians are susceptible to
deficiency. Those who are who are low in stomach acid and intrinsic factor
(needed for B12 absorption) may also be deficient.
5. Go out in the sun - vitamin D protects the
memory forming area of our brains (hippocampus). Unfortunately we have become
so good at protecting ourselves from the harmful effects of the sun’s UV rays
that we are starting to prevent the beneficial effects too! Fascinating research has also revealed that
vitamin D can work with omega-3 to protect you from Alzheimer’s. Clumps of
protein, called beta-amyloid, interrupt messages between brain cells and can
also kill them. Vitamin D and omega-3 enhance the activities of special cells
called macrophages that “eat” the beta-amyloid and clear it from between brain
cells.
Vitamin D is formed when the sun’s
energy acts upon cholesterol in your skin, we can also get small amounts from
food, such as fish, beef, liver and eggs. To make vitamin D you will need to
expose your skin to the sun without sunscreen; the safest time for sun exposure, with reduced risk from the damaging effects of UV, is before 10am and after 4pm.
Putting all these ideas together, a perfect “brain meal”
would be a fillet of oven baked salmon and steamed broccoli with an olive oil
and lemon vinaigrette, sprinkled with chopped raw almonds – served al fresco!
There is no question that great nutrition enhances brain
health. Take the tips that we discussed earlier in “Revving up your digestion”,
which should be good habits by now, and add this next layer of knowledge. If
you still have any doubt about the effect of improving essential nutrients I
have a story to share from my experience in practice. A woman in her 40’s had
developed difficulties recalling names of objects and people; this caused her
to speak haltingly and she was frequently unable to find appropriate words to
express herself. She was concerned that her memory was failing at such a young
age. We decided to try her on a regimen of omega-3, vitamin D and a form of
choline called Citicoline. After a month with these nutrients in her diet she
was astonished to find that her recall had improved significantly and she was
able to speak articulately.
Naturally solutions can be different in each case of memory
loss and there are other reasons for failing memory. My point is that you
should check your nutrition before other, more drastic avenues are taken. In
short, those who are short of vitamin D and omega-3 are more likely to suffer
from memory deficiency; not everyone with memory deficiency is short of these
nutrients. Try better nutrition first!
Upcoming topics include: what not to eat for a healthy
brain; food sensitivities and your brain chemistry; and medications that can
reduce your brainpower.
Shona Wilkinson is a registered Clinical Nutritionist with a
focus on nutrition for great brain health. She also has a background in food
technology which adds an extra dimension to her understanding of food and its
impact on our health. Shona is an active Wiring Warrior, and the current
Secretary for the Clinical Nutrition Association. Contact Shona at Nutrition
Workshop by emailing [email protected], or calling 09 846 1160.
