The brain is an essential organ of the human being. It is a machine whose complex structure allows it to fulfill a large number of functions, so it is essential to keep it healthy and manage it optimally. To achieve this, it is necessary to feed it with different raw materials: a good supply of vitamins helps to develop it and improve its activity.
The brain occupies approximately 2% of the total body weight, but requires 20% of energy to correctly fulfill all the functions it is able to execute. To stimulate it, it is important to get vitamins and other minerals. To discover the best vitamins to strengthen the brain and memory, at. we recommend that you continue reading this article.
Vitamin B
B vitamins are key to extracting the full potential of the brain. They are a significant daily support, favoring brain health throughout life. B vitamins especially improve attention, energy and mental acuity.
Frequent consumption of vitamin B serves to improve all brain functions. Specifically, vitamins B1 and B12 help the proper functioning of the nervous system and vitamins B6 contribute to reducing fatigue, maintaining adequate mental and physical well-being.
Homocysteine plays an important role in metabolism. It is found in the blood and, if the levels are excessively high, it becomes toxic damaging the blood vessels of the brain. High levels of homocysteine can lead to brain injuries and impaired memory and cognitive performance. In this sense, vitamins B6, B9 and B12 contribute to metabolize homocysteine and reduce its concentration in the blood, thus helping to prevent long lesions in the brain.
Vitamin B is found in different foods such as fish, legumes, meat, dairy, eggs and green leafy vegetables. It is important that you eat a sufficient amount of these foods so that you do not suffer from vitamin B deficiencies. Find out more about Foods rich in vitamin B by reading this other article.
Vitamin C
It is a vitamin that is involved in the generation of some neurotransmitters. One of them is responsible for controlling attention and various response actions. Therefore, vitamin C contributes to the proper functioning of the brain: its detoxifying properties help in the fight against oxidative stress and possible contaminants.
Foods you can eat with a good amount of vitamin C are oranges, red and green peppers, broccoli, kiwis and strawberries. Here you can learn more about Foods rich in Vitamin C.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E helps protect cells from oxidative stress. It works as an antioxidant, so it is essential for the brain as it is very sensitive to the attack of free radicals. Vitamin E improves memory and cognitive functions, a benefit that is especially noticeable in older people.
Foods high in vitamin E are nuts, sunflower seeds, kiwi and spinach. Learn more about Vitamin E-Rich Food options here.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D contributes to the prevention of common colds and flus, as well as helping to fight them. It is essential for health, especially when it comes to nerve functions. A direct sun exposure for 30 minutes a day is enough to synthesize and thus achieve the recommended daily amount of vitamin D.
However, it is very difficult to get the necessary amount of vitamin D in winter in this way. Therefore, you can also achieve it by eating foods with a high content of this vitamin such as oily fish (tuna, salmon and mackerel). To a lesser extent, beef cheese and liver also contain vitamin D.
Zinc
Apart from vitamins to strengthen the brain and memory, there are more essential elements for it. One of them is zinc. It is a very abundant mineral in the brain. It is essential for the cognitive functions that this organ executes. Foods with a high zinc content are crab, oysters, pumpkin seeds, meat, chickpeas and cashews.
Learn more Foods rich in zinc in this other post.
Calcium and magnesium
Calcium is a fundamental mineral for the proper functioning of the brain. It has an essential role as a messenger of nerve cells. Another function of calcium is the control of nerve excitability and the regulation of neurotransmission. Foods you should consume with a high calcium content are milk, cheese, yogurt and spinach. In this link you will see more foods rich in calcium.
Magnesium is a key mineral for converting B vitamins into their active form and helping to strengthen the brain. These are foods rich in magnesium.
Omega 3
Omega fatty acids are great for improving brain health and memory. Omega 3 improves memory and cognitive function. In addition, it helps increase the creation of neurotrophic factor in the brain, which contributes to the development of new nerve cells.
Omega 3 can be obtained from fatty fish and from natural fish oil. In this post we talk more about Foods rich in omega 3.
Acetyl L-Carnitine
It is one of the best supplements to treat brain injuries. It is a naturally produced amino acid and a powerful antioxidant, but it is especially effective in brain injuries for its role in creating the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, fundamental in perception, memory and other cognitive functions.
After knowing these vitamins to strengthen the brain and memory, and other essential elements, we encourage you to discover these 10 games to improve memory.
