Which Vitamins Help Prevent Loss of Mental Capacity?
As we age, it is inevitable that we lose a little bit of our cognitive abilities. But have you ever noticed that occasional octegenarian or even centenarian, that seems to be as sharp as a whip even though they are staring an older age in the face that most people never see? I’ve alwyas been fascinated at how differently people age.
What I’ve often found is that the aging of the brain, as well as the body, has a lot to do with lifestyle choices, but it also has a lot to do with your level of happiness. Studies have shown a multitude of connections between things like stress levels, diet and aging of the mind.
A new study has even shown that there is a connection between aging brains and the levels of trans fats one consumes. The higher the level of these dangerous, practically useless processed fats, the lower the mental capacity of elderly persons. However, the people who had high levels of omega 3 fats instead of transfats, actually had a much sharper mind than their counterparts.
There were other interesting dietary correlations as well between a sharp, focused mind and vitamins. People who seemed to age more gracefully when it came to their mind actually had higher levels of not only omega 3 fatty acids in their blood, but also of B vitamins, and vitamins C, D and E as well.
This suggests that foods rich in these vitamins and omega 3 fatty acids, such as walnuts, salmon, whole grains and more, are going to get your brain much further in the game of aging than cheap, processed fats. Wow – no surprise there, right!?
What is somewhat surprising to me when I read studies like this are that elderly people seem to still have an understanding of what is good and bad for them. Many people of the older generation simply lived an unhealthy lifestyle because they didn’t know any better.
The typical American diet of processed, nutrient poor foods was the status quo back in the forties and fifties and beyond. People simply have the right education about these types of foods at their fingertips like they do today.