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Caring for your brains health is important for a meaningful and healthy aging brain. Scientific and medical works suggest that some degree of cognitive decline is a part of your aging process. The possibility of you living longer and healthier life is within reach, but your very brain health must be preserved and protected while achieving this goal. For this very personal reason, it’s quite encouraging to learn that scientists may have just discovered that neurological structure and function can be preserved and may even be restored. We can now offer a scientifically substantiated approach to enhancing our cognitive health with brain healthy supplements.

Various factors contribute to this gradual decline of your mental acuity as we all age. Recently studies have suggested that ailments such as inflammation, high blood pressure, elevated insulin levels, obesity, arterial inelasticity and a condition known as metabolic syndrome may all be risk factors and can lead to our decline in brain health. Anxiety and depression may also predispose us to the deterioration of our brain health. A good strategy for preserving our brain health starts with preventing illnesses that are known to contribute to our cognitive decline. The old adage “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” definitely applies here for all of us. Good nutrition and a healthy lifestyle are obviously beneficial to our brain health and it is a fantastic place to start. Our healthy neurological system is also dependent on keeping our blood pressure and body weight in check, avoiding diabetes and its precursor metabolic syndrome, as well as treating any depression and anxiety disorders.

A number of well-known dietary supplement ingredients may help support brain health. Our nerve cells (neurons) have a high energy demand, and hence our free radicals are abundant due to a high level of oxidative metabolism within our neurons. Antioxidants scavenge these free radicals and thus may minimize neuronal damage and support our brain health. Alpha-lipoic acid is quite valuable for our neuronal protection because of its solubility characteristics that allows considerable free radical neutralizing activity within our nerve cell mitochondria. Inflammation is implicated in a wide variety of neurological disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease. Ginkgo biloba leaf extract (GBE) is well-known for its neuroprotective effects mediated through its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant action. Ginkgo biloba leaf extract (GBE) extract has been used extensively for our memory enhancement, as well as in a wide variety of dementia studies. Omega-3 fatty acids, in particular docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), have been used quite frequently to combat neurological damage, inflammation and deteriorating brain health. Phosphatidylserine (PS) and related phospholipids are integral components of our every cell membrane and are particularly abundant in our brains neuronal membranes. In Europe and Japan, Phosphatidylserine (PS) is sold as a prescription drug to remedy memory loss and learning deficits.

For a long time it’s been known that declining levels of the essential neurotransmitter acetylcholine is responsible for a wide range of cognitive deficits (1). By boosting the acetylcholine levels in our brain, cognitive deficits may be reversed. One approach to increasing our brain acetylcholine levels involves the inhibiting acetylcholine esterase, the enzyme responsible for this acetylcholine metabolism or its breakdown. Many of the prescription drugs used to treat Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias act as cholinesterase inhibitors. A naturally occurring cholinesterase inhibitor sold as a nutritional supplement is called huperzine A. This alkaloid is isolated and purified from extracts of the Chinese club moss, Huperzia serrata. Huperzine A has been found to be both potent and effective in elevating our brains level of acetylcholine (2).

Next, progesterone plays an important role in female health. It has been known for quite some time that progesterone is also produced by males but at much lower levels. Recently, it was discovered that progesterone is synthesized in our brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves from our precursor molecule pregnenolone (3). Your brain and your nervous system in general, progesterone offers neuroprotection and is intimately involved with the formation of our myelin sheaths. These findings suggest that your progesterone, now referred to as a neurosteroid, has the potential to preserve our cognitive functions and our overall brain health because of these neuroprotective and promyelinating effects. Very recently, animal studies revealed that progesterone inhibited the inflammatory response and enhanced the recovery from traumatic brain injury and stroke (4). At this point, the conclusion is that progesterone supports brain health and combats neurodegeneration that may occur during our aging process.

Our brain, like any other organ or system in our body, is subject to our aging process. During this process, our physical and biochemical changes in our brain cells can lead to various degrees of cognitive impairment. This loss of our brain function as we age is not inevitable. Scientific research has demonstrated mechanisms that explain cognitive decline as well as nutrients/supplement ingredients that may help slow and may even reverse the progression of age-related brain health degeneration. Brain health supplements containing some of these key ingredients provide a smart option for maintaining our brains health throughout our life.

Created by Dr. William J. Keller

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References:

1. Bartus RT, Dean RL, Beer B, Lippa AS. The cholinergic hypothesis of geriatric memory dysfunction. Science. 1982 Jul 30;217(4558):408-14.
Abstract available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7046051
2. Jellin, JD. Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database. 2010. pp. 926-929.
3. Schumacher M, et al. Local synthesis and dual actions of progesterone in the nervous system: neuroprotection and myelination. Growth Hormone IGF Research. 2004 Jun;14 Suppl A:S18-33.
Abstract available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15135772
4. Wang J, et al. The protective mechanism of progesterone on blood-brain barrier in cerebral ischemia in rats. Brain Research Bulletin. 2009 Aug 14;79(6):426-30.
Abstract available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19477244.