A recent study examined the data from the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey (2019-2023) and found that average intakes of 7 minerals were below the recommended nutrient intake (RNI). They included iron, selenium and magnesium, three important cognition minerals.
Iron is important for cognition because iron rich haem groups in the red blood cells carry oxygen to the brain. In 2023-24 there were 191,927 hospital admissions where the main reason was a lack of iron. This is almost 10 times the admissions in 1998-99.
I prefer to check ferritin levels (of iron storage) before supplementing however as too much iron is toxic to the cells.
Average magnesium intakes fell below the RNI benchmark. Over one in 10 adults aged 20-59 had magnesium intakes below the lower reference nutrient intake (LRNI). Most people require the RNI, the LRNI only applying to 2.5% of the population the majority require the RNI. This deficiency was split 15% males and 12% females but for adults in their 20’s this figure rose to 1 in 5 (19%).
Magnesium levels below 0.75 mmol/L are associated with an increased risk of cognitive decline whilst those in the upper-normal range were protective.
Research shows that in cases of selensium (Se) deficiency, the organ which remains Se replete for the longest is the brain. This suggests that Se plays an important role in brain function. After supplementation of Se plus other nutrients, improvement in cognitive tests was observed in both Alzheimer’s and mild cognitive impairment patients. The window for over prescribing is however very small. I like to utilise food source to avoid any risk of toxicity.
Are you concerned about your cognitive function? Perhaps you forget things here and there or experience brain fog. The good news is there is so much that can be done. You can get in touch here for more information or to see if I can help you. There is more information here on nutritional therapy in general.
