The No.1 Duo for BOOSTING Your Brain Health
I can think of plenty of good partnerships.
Peanut butter and jelly.
The Lone Ranger and Silver.
My wife Rhina and I.
What makes any true partnership great is that one makes the other better.
Today, I want to talk about a nutrient partnership that works better together to enhance your cognitive health and reduce the risk of neurodegenerative diseases like dementia.
Just a few weeks ago, I told you that one of the key reasons why B vitamins are so good for you is because they reduce your risk of cancer.
But where B vitamins really shine is in their beneficial impact on brain health.
Past studies have shown that not getting enough of these essential nutrients increases your risk of cognitive decline and dementia.
But if you want to make those B vitamins REALLY work for you, you have to make sure you ALSO have plenty of another important nutrient:
The omega-3 fatty acid, DHA.
A recent study included 191 adults over 65 who were given folic acid, vitamin B12, or a placebo for two years.
At the beginning and end of the study, they took cognitive tests on benchmarks like memory recall, speed reading, and letter fluency.
It turns out that adults taking the supplements who ALSO had high levels of DHA experienced the greatest cognitive benefits from the B vitamins.
This doesn’t mean you should go out and buy B vitamins OR DHA supplements. If you’re eating the right diet, you can save your money.
Instead, boost DHA with foods like salmon, shellfish, sardines, and anchovies. Serve it with a side of B-rich foods like whole grains, leafy greens, and legumes… and you can be sure you’re giving your body everything it needs to take full advantage of ALL of these critical brain-boosting nutrients.
P.S. If you think of food as your medicine cabinet, you’ll be able to intentionally fill your plate with foods that can improve your cognition… instead of hurting it. You can start with one nutrient that has been shown to improve cognitive function in aging brains. Read about it, right here.
SOURCE:
Readman, M. (2022, June 26.) “How Higher Levels of DHA Can Make Your B Vitamins More Effective, According to Research.” mgbHealth. https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/how-higher-levels-of-dha-can-make-your-b-vitamins-more-effective
