Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
Omega-3 fatty acids are in the news once again! This is because they are so critical to our overall existence, but especially for brain and heart health. Generally speaking, our bodies are lacking omega-3s, because of our standard American diets. Here’s why that is so damaging to our health.
Cocoa has been shown in numerous studies in the support of healthy memory function and in its powerful defense against the effects of pollution. Here’s what you need to know.
Invite Health Podcast, Episode hosted by Jerry Hickey. Ph
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Today we will be discussing Cocoa for brain health and memory! Cocoa does a number of wonderful things for your brain.
What constituents in Cocoa are beneficial?
There is a hierarchy of constituents that support brain health that are found in cocoa.
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The Link Between Brain Circulation and Memory
Circulation to your brain is of utmost importance to brain health. Your brain has a huge demand for nutrition, oxygen and energy. Your brain grabs 20% of the calories for brain energy from your meal. With age, circulation to your brain declines. The major arteries that go into the brain stiffen with age and it is harder for the heart to pump blood into the brain. So, with every pump of the heart, the brain is getting less oxygen, fewer calories, less nutrition and brain cells start to die, which impacts your memory and cognitive skills.
Research from Harvard Medical School shows, on average, circulation to your brain declines somewhere between 10-14%. In general, this figure is worse in smokers, diabetics and people with certain diseases. Harvard has also shown that Cocoa is feso-active. When researchers gave people Cocoa, within two weeks circulation was restored to their brain by 10%. Brigham Women’s Hospital actually coined a term called Neuro-vascular Coupling, because in their studies, when you give older people cocoa (even the first serving) it is restoring circulation to the brain. Overtime – and not a very long time at all – cocoa allows the restoration of important structures in the brain, according to Brigham Women’s Hospital.
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In one study from the University of Redding in England published a study in the journal Physiology and Behavior. Researchers studied young, healthy adults and gave them Cocoa. They found that just giving even one serving of Cocoa improved aspects of brain function, memory and vision.
Stay Tuned for Part 2 of Cocoa for Brain Health and Memory!
Thank you for tuning in to the Invite Health Podcast. You can find all of our episodes for free wherever you listen to podcasts or by visiting www.invitehealth.com/podcast. Make sure you subscribe and leave us a review! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at Invite Health today. We’ll see you next time on another episode of the Invite Health Podcast.
Vitamin C is not just essential for healthy immune function. It is also important for brain and heart health, specifically for endothelial function. Here’s what you need to know.
5-HTP easily enters your brain and is quickly converted into serotonin. Serotonin is known as the ‘happiness molecule’ and is a very important neurotransmitter. This is why 5-HTP has been studied for its benefit for mood and overall brain health.
Invite Health Podcast, Episode hosted by Jerry Hickey. Ph
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Choline is a necessary nutrient for your memory and is an essential nutrient for all activities in your brain related to your memory. Here’s the issue; most Americans – about 90% – do not get enough Choline in their food or their diet, according to NHANES. Additionally, older individuals and pregnant women need more Choline than the rest of the population.
Sources of Choline
You need to have Choline every day, as you lose it in your urine. Men need about 550mg and women need about 450mg, according to NHANES. Choline is neither a vitamin nor a mineral, but it is an essential nutrient. It’s loosely related to the B-complex of vitamins and is water soluble so you must have it daily. Without sufficient Choline, all of the other nutrients you consume for your memory or any supplement you take for your memory will not work effectively. It is extremely safe.
Foods that contain this nutrient include:
Choline was first recognized as an essential nutrient by the United States Institute of Medicine in 1998. Your body cannot make enough so you must get it from your food. But you would need large amounts of these foods to get sufficient levels; you would need three or four eggs to get enough Choline for your brain. Eight ounces of steak or fish gives you about 174mg of Choline.
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There are supplements that dependently supply this nutrient. Now, multivitamins generally contain some Choline and it benefits your heart, your muscle function, your nerves and liver. Choline typically used in multivitamins is choline bitartrate or choline citrate, which is good for your body overall. But this type of Choline does not get into your brain effectively. Other forms of Choline work better in the brain.
What does choline do for your brain?
Choline is tagged with a tiny molecule called the acetyl-group, which becomes a very important messenger in your brain called acetyl-choline. Acetyl-choline works throughout your brain and body. In the back part of your brain, the more primitive part that controls your muscles, balance, coordination, heart rhythm and beat, and your lungs ability to breathe, acetyl-choline interacts with a second neurotransmitter, called dopamine, for these functions. In the more advanced part of your brain, it is incredibly important to repair your brain cells, as some medications or prescriptions block the acetyl-choline from the transmission of messages between brain cells.
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Other Key Topics
Thank you for tuning in to the Invite Health Podcast. You can find all of our episodes for free wherever you listen to podcasts or by visiting www.invitehealth.com/podcast. Make sure you subscribe and leave us a review! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at Invite Health today. We’ll see you next time on another episode of the Invite Health Podcast.