Nearly everyone is looking for ways to improve brain function and mental focus these days. Often times, we zero in on specific behaviors and actions that can provide optimum results — but rarely do we ever focus on what is happening at the most basic level of our brain’s formation.
What if you could put all those brain booster books aside? What if you didn’t need to do those tedious memory enhancing exercises? What if all you had to do was pop a pill? Well…as it turns out, that just might be the case.
Vitamins and Minerals – Very Important!
We all know about the existence of essential vitamins and minerals. Some of us even take multi-vitamins in some form or the other to supplement the nutrients in our daily diet.
However, we rarely think about these vitamins on an individual level. Did you know each vitamin has a very important – yet vastly different – role in the body? If just one nutrient is out of balance, our bodies can suffer drastically.
Today, we will consider the various roles that B vitamins play in our mental health.
Understanding the B Vitamins
The B vitamin complex consists of eight chemically different vitamins. Take a look below to see how they affect our mental health and development:
- Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) – Involved in nerve function and RNA/DNA production
- Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) – Responsible for the energy production needed for the electron transport chain
- Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic acid) – Involved in the synthesis of neurotransmitters
- Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) – Involved in the synthesis of neurotransmitters
- Vitamin B9 (Folic Acid) – Essential for normal red blood cell production and cell division
- Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin) – Essential in the production of blood cells in the nerve sheaths
Three Specific B Vitamins
While all vitamins are important, special attention has been given to three specific B vitamins in recent studies: vitamin B12, vitamin B6 and Vitamin B9.
Vitamin B12 has been at the forefront of the health industry for a while now as many people claim the vitamin supplement aids weight loss. While there are both proponents and opponents to this claim (as is usually the case with any weight loss product), the medical community is in agreement about the effect vitamin B12 has on brain development and mental focus.
Vitamin B12 has three primary roles: facilitating the formation of healthy red blood cells, keeping the nervous system functioning at an optimum level and converting the foods we eat into necessary energy.
All three of these factors are essential for optimum brain function. Without healthy blood cells, our brain would not receive the nutrients and oxygen it so desperately needs. Without healthy nerve cells being actively utilized, our brain would atrophy. And if we are not producing enough energy in the form of ATP then we won’t feel like doing anything – no matter how healthy our brain is!
While people have been discussing the merits of vitamin B12 for weight loss, a new topic has crept onto the horizon: using vitamin B12 in combination with B6 and B9 to fight dementia and mental decline.
A recent study found that high doses of a B vitamin cocktail (consisting of B6, B9, and B12) can help reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Additionally, patients who used these vitamin supplements saw much less brain atrophy than the general population.
It’s Never Too Early
The risk of Alzheimer’s disease might seem quite distant. However, it is never too early to start thinking about your mental health.
Irrespective of what your age is right now, taking a vitamin B12 supplement can greatly enhance your mental function. To experience optimum results, try vitamin B12 injections. Injections ensure a much higher percentage of the supplement is actually absorbed by the body. Oral pills, drops and sublingual tablets aren’t nearly as effective.
If you think the mental decline of old age is in your near future, talk to your doctor about the vitamin B12, B6, and B9 combo.
Our mental health is one of the most precious gifts we own. Shouldn’t we do everything we can to maintain optimal brain function and build a solid foundation of health at the basic, cellular level?
Featured images:
- License: Royalty Free or iStock source: http://farm1.staticflickr.com/28/101290989_c9c2e22bf5.jpg
Guest author Lindsey Dahlberg is a health and fitness writer. She loves researching new and controversial health topics. The latest subject to snag her attention is the use of vitamin B12 injections to boost mental health. She decided to conduct an experiment and purchased some B12 injections from Trim Nutrition. So far, she is very happy with the results!
