- Analia Llorente
- BBC News World
image source, Getty Images
How to make our brain healthier?
A good start is to make an analysis of what we eat.
Maintaining a balanced diet by making sure we consume the right vitamins is essential for the body to function properly and to prevent cognitive decline.
It is worth noting that “there are 13 essential vitamins for normal cell function, growth and development,” details the United States National Library of Medicine.
Vitamins are found naturally in food, so it is important what we put in our mouths.
“You have the power at the end of your fork”he tells BBC World Uma Naidooa nutritional psychiatrist at Harvard University School of Medicine.
Dr. Naidoo is the author of This is your brain on food (“What Food Does to Your Brain”), a guide to foods you can eat to help your mental health, the most harmful ones, and the ones you should try to avoid.
For the specialist, there is a key vitamin to keep our brain young and healthy.
Next, we share the interview with the expert.
image source, Kindness Uma Naidoo
Uma Naidoo, a nutritional psychiatrist at Harvard University School of Medicine.
What is the best vitamin to protect our brain from aging?
The best vitamin that covers many aspects related to brain health is vitamin B.
There are several and each one has an important function for the brain.
Why vitamin B? What’s so special regarding it?
There are 8 types of B vitamins.
Vitamin B-1, called thiamin, helps with basic cell functions and the metabolism of different nutrients to help us get energy.
A low level of thiamine can lead to poor cognitive function, as well as other problems in the body.
Vitamin B-12, or cobalamin, is essential for the formation of red blood cells and DNA, but it also supports the nervous system, brain development and function.
It does more specific things like helping break down homocysteine, which is a heart-damaging protein that can also lead to some form of dementia.
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B1(thiamin). Crucial for basic cell function and metabolism of nutrients for energy.
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B2(riboflavin). It produces energy and breaks down fats and foreign materials such as medicines.
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B3(niacin). It works with enzymes to produce cholesterol and fat needed by the body. It is also an antioxidant.
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B5 (pantothenic acid). Helps enzymes build and break down fatty acids for energy.
Source: Uma Naidoo, nutritional psychiatrist at Harvard University School of Medicine. Author of “This is your brain on food”.
One of my favorites, and the one I talk regarding all the time, is vitamin B-9, which is folic acid.
It helps with optimal neurotransmitter function and brain health. Collaborates in the formation of DNA and favors cellular detoxification.
A low level of folic acid is associated with low mood.
So just by eating green leafy vegetables, which are often rich in the natural vitamin B-9 folic acid, you maintain a good mood and emotional health.
These are just the most common factors of some of the B vitamins and are essential elements for our mental and cognitive health.
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Salmon is rich in vitamin B.
Are all B vitamins good for the brain?
They have different benefits beyond the brain, but they all have some element that helps you. That’s why when they ask me, I always answer that the B vitamin is the one I choose and recommend.
Some are more directly related to the brain, such as vitamins B-12, B-9 and B-1. And others help with other much-needed body functions, like the formation of blood cells.
So, directly or indirectly, they are related to brain function.
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Green leafy vegetables, the greener the better, because they are rich in folic acid.
Where can we find B vitamins?
In many different foods.
I like to help people by giving them mnemonic exercises [una oración corta y fácil de recordar que ayuda a relacionar palabras].
This is not the complete list, but it helps. Then it occurred to me: BIGYESS [un gran sí].
The letter B is the initial of beans in English that means grains and that includes beans, lentils, legumes, etc. These are rich in vitamin B.
Ignore the I that follows it.
G is for greens (vegetables). It groups all the different types of green leafy vegetables. The greener the better, because they are rich in folic acid.
image source, Getty Images
And it’s for dairy yogurt, which contains riboflavin, which is vitamin B-2, and it also contains vitamin B-12. Always choose the type of natural yogurt. There is even non-dairy yogurt that has these vitamins. So look it up.
E is the first letter of eggs (eggs). If you consume eggs, I always suggest buying pastured eggs. They are very rich in vitamin B-7, which is biotin.
The first S is for salmon. Many people know that salmon is rich in B vitamins, which includes vitamin B-2 or riboflavin, vitamin B-3 or niacin, vitamin B-6 or pyridoxine, and vitamin B-12 or cobalamin. They all help the brain.
And the other S is for sunflower seeds. These are one of the richest sources of vitamin B-5, which is called pantothenic acid.
20% of the recommended daily value of that vitamin can be obtained from just one ounce (28 grams) of these seeds.
It’s easy to add them to a salad or a drink to get that vitamin and add it as part of your diet.
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B6(pyridoxine). It prevents illnesses. Adequate levels of this vitamin are associated with a lower risk of cancers.
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B7(biotin). Regulates cell signals for fast and efficient communication in the body and brain.
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B9Key to maintaining brain and neurological health, neurotransmitters and balanced psychological health.
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B12(cobalamin). Essential for the formation of red blood cells and DNA. Helps the development and function of the nervous system.
Source: Uma Naidoo, nutritional psychiatrist at Harvard University School of Medicine. Author of “This is your brain on food”.
What is the recommended daily amount of vitamin B to help our brain health?
When it comes to foods, we are not always completely sure of the exact dosages of vitamins that they contain.
And this is where I like to talk regarding a healthy whole food diet that is balanced.
Everyone’s microbiome is completely unique.
Try to include foods in a healthy and balanced diet. Don’t just eat beans, don’t just eat green leafy vegetables, because then you’ll lose the other seven B vitamins by ignoring them.
On the internet you can find the different B vitamins and the recommended daily amounts. In the United States we use the RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowances).
image source, Getty Images
Are there any disadvantages in consuming vitamin B?
It is important to know what should be consumed within the recommended amounts.
Your body absorbs as much as it needs and the rest will pass through the urine.
When it comes to vitamins, believing that eating or drinking something extra will help you more is often a myth.
Use the recommended amount and adopt a healthy diet.
Some of the excesses of different vitamins, not just vitamin B, can have side effects. It is important to be careful.
What would you recommend your patients eat?
The first step is to understand the symptoms the person is experiencing, what kinds of foods they like to eat and what they don’t.
Often in that conversation I end up understanding something regarding them, like certain foods they rely on that may not be as healthy.
A great example is yogurt that has probiotics and offers great benefits. Blueberries are good too.
But a blueberry yogurt isn’t the healthiest option, because many fruit yogurts are extremely high in added sugars, which isn’t healthy for your brain.
It is much healthier to take a bowl of yogurt and add frozen or fresh blueberries, sweetened with a little cinnamon, a touch of honey and eat it that way.
If you don’t eat shellfish, eggs, or dairy, then look for alternatives. A great source of vitamin B-12 for those who are vegetarians is a nutritional yeast.
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In the end, you have the power on your fork.”
I like to say two things:
1. Eat the orange, don’t buy the box of orange juice. Because the orange has the skin, the fiber, the nutrients of the vitamins, the minerals that you need. Orange juice often has a ton of added sugar and the fibers removed, making it a less healthy version.
2. You have the power at the end of your fork. That is something that is under your own control and it is very powerful that you know it.
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