Marshall Melnychuk: Top 5 foods and supplements for your brain

Marshall Melnychuk/Healthy Observations

Part 2 – Supplements

When you stop to think about the part of your body that gives you the ability to think, you will find it quite amazing. Consider this 3 pound mass of flesh, made up of 100 billion brain cells, called neurons, each of which in turn contain thousands of dendrites, (tiny finger-like branches) that reach out towards other brain cells to pass along chemical messages which eventually, and with lightning speed, allow you to analyze and respond to the world around you. It is the only organ in the body that can analyze itself, or anything else.
Our awareness of ourselves and the world occurs in the brain. It is the filter, the funnel for all stimuli to enter and all where all thoughts, perceptions and actions begin. The experience of life resides in our brains. It is not a wonder that the fear of losing one’s memories and mental faculties is greater for most people than the fear of death.
In part one of this article we looked at five important foods to protect and enhance brain function. This week we look at the top five supplements. Supplements are way more fun than food. They hold such promise; the power of the most potent part of a food in a pill. Most supplements really are just food, in a very concentrated form. It’s like having a huge mixed salad with everything you could put in it and then just pulling out the croutons and condensing them down into a capsule. Amino acids are a good example. You take a whole protein such as soybeans and put them into a big pot with some special food-friendly chemicals and reduce it down to its component parts which are then packed together in a much higher concentration than you would find naturally in any food.
The entire spectrum of macro and micro nutrients are needed for good brain health so I am going to assume that everyone is taking a good quality multivitamin and antioxidant each and every day. That is my ‘goes-without-saying’ number one, so if you’re not doing that you won’t have a good foundation for the other supplements to build on. And, if you’re one of the few 1970-mindset holdovers that still believes you can get all the nutrients you need for optimal health from your food then you may want to stop reading here, the rest of this and many future articles will only make you mad.
1. EFA’s, especially Wild Salmon Oil
In part one of this article you will undoubtedly remember, since you were likely following the advice, that the number one food to eat for brain health is cold water fatty fish. So since you can’t realistically eat enough fish to optimize brain health, it is no surprise that you need to supplement with EFA’s or Essential Fatty Acids which are the concentrated oils from those fatty fish and other sources.
I talked with Dr. Don M McLeod, author of several books on antioxidants, hormones and an upcoming book on brain health and he took this to the next step and recommended Wild Pacific Salmon oil. It has been well studied like many sources of omega 3 oils and has the benefit of being low in mercury and other heavy metal toxins and local for us British Columbians so if you find a trusted source it will be fresh. Freshness is important because as with any fish oil the longer it sits after processing the greater the likelihood of it going rancid which not only eliminates the good health benefits but introduces nasty ones.
If in a liquid form, take one teaspoon, twice a day with your meals
2. Phosphatidylserine (PS)
PS is Dr McLeod’s number two recommendation as well and he knows much better than I do. Phosphatidylserine is predominant in brain cells especially in the membranes that are the skin of each neuron. PS is critical for neurotransmitter release and synaptic activity, which is how the brain communicates. Conditions of dementia are all associated with that synaptic communication. Clinical studies strongly suggest PS has the ability to improve brain functions such as mental concentration and memory which typically begin to decline with age. Studies show benefits with as little as 100 mg per day. Best taken with food.
3. Acetyl-L-Carnitine (ALCAR)
Studies involving Acetyl-L-Carnitine or ALCAR show promise in a lot of areas including brain health, athletic performance and weight loss. Acetyl-L-Carnitine is special because it not only protects cell tissue but has been shown to help to regenerate new nerve growth. The long held scientific view that the number of brain cells you are born with is all you get is changing. As it turns out the brain is somewhat ‘plastic’ and can remould and regenerate itself.
ALCAR is an amino acid (molecular shape of a protein) and for any protein to cross the blood-brain-barrier you need to ensure it doesn’t have much competition so ALCAR should be taken on an empty stomach on its own.
Take a minimum of 1000 mg on an empty stomach (at least ½ hour before other food or two hours after) and is best taken early in the day.
4. CoEnzyme Q10 (CoQ10)
CoQ 10 is an enzyme that is found in every cell in the body and aids in metabolizing nutrients, especially in the mitochondria of the cell which is where energy is produced. It acts as a powerful antioxidant and has been shown to significantly increase the potency of other antioxidants. Extensive research has been done on supplementing with CoEnzyme Q10 and how it affects the aging brain. Like ALCAR and ALA (below) it not only prevents brain cell deterioration but can improve brain function.
CoQ 10 is one of the more expensive supplements and the studies show that you need to take a minimum of 200 mg per day to get results but no negative effects have been seen with dosages ten times that amount. Unlike ALCAR, CoQ10 is best taken with food to aid in absorption.
5. Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA)
Alpha-lipoic acid is a unique antioxidant that is made by the body (we don’t get it in our food) and is found in every cell, where it helps turn glucose into energy. Alpha-lipoic acid can pass easily into the brain and it has protective effects on brain and nerve tissue.
Scientists are investigating it as a potential treatment for stroke and other brain disorders involving free radical damage. Animals treated with alpha-lipoic acid, for example, suffered less brain damage and had a four times greater survival rate after a stroke than animals who did not receive this supplement.
Supplementing with ALA has become popular due to the many studies showing promise in elevating age-related decline, that is, it will actually improve brain function as well as protect.
There are at least ten other supplements that are worthy of adding to this list but I’m sold on this top five. There is room for debate and I welcome any and all of it. I do not claim to be the world’s leading nutrition expert but years of reading, discussing and experimenting lead me to feel confident in sharing my thoughts. I do my best to pass on the truth as I see it; I could be wrong, let me know if you think so.
Consistent consumption of the five foods and supplements that will help to keep your mind healthy will go a long way to feeding high priority nutrients to the rest of your body as well. It takes the ‘healthy body, healthy mind’ idea and turns it around – healthy mind, healthy body. Part of maintaining a lifestyle that will serve the greater purpose. Which is, take care of your body, it’s all you truly own.