Brain Food...Brain Health

Brain health is so important.  According to the Alzheimer's Association, 1 in 3 seniors dies with Alzheimer's or some kind of dementia and an estimated 450,000 people will die of Alzheimer's in 2013 alone.  With those kind of statistics, it makes you ask the question, "What can I do to prevent this from happening to me or a family member?"  There is a new screening test to determine one's genetic risk for Alzheimer's, it is a simple blood test.  The test is for the apolipoprotein E4 gene.  Carrying the gene does confer an increased risk of the disease.

I don't have any easy answers, but I do believe we can do things to help.  Here is a list that I compiled that may help you or your loved one gain better brain health.  Research is still being conducted on some of these.

1. Coconut Oil - these ketones provide an alternative source of energy to brain cells that have lost their ability to use glucose.
2. Acetyl L-Carnitine - an antioxidant and amino acid that is said to "wake up" the brain cells and boost cellular energy.
3. Bacopa - studies suggest this plant increases reasoning skills, memorization and learning.
4. Phosphatidyl Serine PS is said to increase memory, speech ability and word association.
   
5. Vinpocetine is said to help increase blood flow to vessels and capillaries in the brain.
6. Alpha-Glyceryl Phosphorycholine (Alpha-GPC) - may increase levels of GABA that helps stop brain neurons from misfiring and also helps reduce anxiety.
7. Ginkgo Biloba - said to increase flow of blood and nutrients to the brain.
8. Blueberries - an antioxidant that is packed with flavonoids and is said to contain 4x the free-radical fighting power of vitamin C.
9. Exercise!

Brain chemicals are also very important in overall health.  There are 4 chemicals that should be check for deficiencies.  Dr. Eric Braverman of Path Medical in New York has a great chart of these deficiencies and a natural approach to balancing them.

There is also a written brain quiz developed by Dr. Braverman to determine possible deficiencies.  See the Brain Quiz here.  Please also see my post on coconut oil.

I hope this post is beneficial to someone.  As I find more research or information, I will try to update it.  Here's to great brain health!