Top 9 Nutrients for Better Brain Health

Vitamin D has been shown to improve a number of brain disorders, including dementia and Alzheimer’s disease Ekaterina_Minaeva/Shutterstock

Imagine having a bodyguard that fiercely protects you from an Alzheimer’s attack. This does the equivalent, and if you optimize this as well - it will significantly slash your risk.

STORY AT-A-GLANCE

• Nine nutrients that are vital for brain health and cognition are the marine-based omega-3 fats DHA and EPA, choline, phosphatidylserine, acetyl-L-carnitine, vitamins D and B12, MCT oil and probiotics
• By using a lysophospholipid form of EPA (LPC-EPA), researchers were able to increase the EPA level in the brain of mice 100-fold. LPC-EPA also doubled the DHA level in the brain, whereas free EPA had no effect on DHA levels
• Choline helps protect against Alzheimer’s by reducing your homocysteine level, an amino acid associated with neurodegeneration and formation of amyloid plaques, and inhibiting microglia activation, which inhibits brain inflammation
• Supplementing with 400 mg of phosphatidylserine increased the speed of calculations done in short-term memory by 20% in one study. In another, 300 mg/day improved cognitive function of geriatric patients
• Low vitamin D is associated with poorer brain function, and increasing levels may help keep older adults mentally fit. Vitamin D has also been shown to improve a number of brain disorders, including dementia and Alzheimer’s disease

Like autism among children, Alzheimer’s among seniors has reached epidemic proportions, with no slowdown in sight. On the contrary, evidence suggests the trend is worsening. In 2022, Alzheimer’s affects about 6.5 million Americans age 65 and older; of this number, 73% are over age 75. Alzheimer’s is the fifth leading cause of death in the U.S.[1] The World Health Organization predicts that by 2050, 139 million adults worldwide will be living with dementia.[2]