March 15th to the 21st was officially brain health awareness week. You may or may not have noticed this but most people I meet know someone, or have a family member suffering from conditions such as Alzheimer’s or dementia. I recently did a ‘nutrition for cognition’ training course with PharmaNord UK and thought I would summarise some key take aways. Some of them may surprise you.
Sleep is very important but too much sleep is not beneficial as it spikes (raises) cortisol.
The gut-brain connection plays a huge role, think diet diversity and the microbiome.
Genes play a role but the environment is key which includes, diet, exercise, stress levels, emotions etc.
Metabolic conditions such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease all have an impact on brain function.
Depending on my clients’ issues and symptoms I tend to focus on the following
Lowering inflammation.
Stabilising blood sugar and addressing any insulin resistance.
Correcting any dietary issues and specifically making sure there is enough protein in the diet, at least 1g per kg of body weight.
Making sure there is healthy fat in the diet and optimising any omega 6:3 ratios (we will test this if there is enough budget).
Correcting micronutrient deficiencies with a personalised and targeted supplement programme.
We may also look at hormone balance; toxicity levels and liver function; the microbiome balance and gut function; as well as levels of fatty acids in the blood.
It all depends on what my client needs at this point in time.
My advice is always personalised and tailored to my client’s life circumstances, budget and personal preferences. We are all so unique. It’s also designed to be practical with many recipes, handouts and hints to simplify the changes they need to make.
You can contact me here or find out more about the process here and here.
Minerals matter for cognition
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.
Magnesium and cognition
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.
