Key Takeaways:
- Supplements such as choline, taurine, certain B-vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, and Full Spectrum Curcumin Brain Works Licaps™ can help support cognitive function.*
- Physical exercise, mental stimulation, and adequate sleep are other important ways to help promote brain health.
Your brain is the control center of the body: it controls what you think, feel, and learn, but it also controls things that you probably don’t think about, like your lungs or digestive system.
If the brain is the boss, the nervous system is a network of its minions that relays messages back and forth between the brain and the rest of the body. If you touch something hot, the nerves will send a feeling of pain to your brain, and your brain will tell your hand to pull away.
Supporting both a healthy brain and nervous system is essential. And while there’s no quick fix to brain health — we won’t promise that a supplement will help you ace your final — the right supplements can support short and long term brain health and nervous system health.
1. Choline
Never heard of choline? Don’t worry; as far as nutrients go, choline is relatively young. The Institute of Medicine only acknowledged choline as a required nutrient in 1998.
Choline is an organic, water-soluble compound, and an essential component of cell membranes. Technically, it is neither a vitamin or a mineral. However, it is often grouped with the B-vitamin complex due to its similarities.
Choline is a component of nerve cells supporting nervous system health. First, this nutrient is required to make acetylcholine, an important neurotransmitter in the brain.1
Like the B-vitamins, choline also plays a role with optimal functioning of cells, helps with normal fat metabolism, and can support liver and cardiovascular health.*
Choline supplements for brain health
Solgar® Choline Vegetable Capsules support healthy nerve and cellular function, and are vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, and kosher!*
2. Taurine
Taurine is a sulfur-containing amino acid and one of the most abundant free amino acids in the brain and nervous system, as well as cardiac and skeletal muscle.
Scientists have recognized taurine’s role in normal metabolism for over a decade, but it is now known to be involved in modulation of calcium flux, neuronal excitability, and membrane stabilization.
Taurine supplements for brain health
Solgar® Taurine Vegetable Capsules offer free-form taurine to promote optimal absorption and assimilation.* And, they’re vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, kosher, and halal!
3. B-vitamins
There are eight B-vitamins in total, but three in particular are often linked with nervous system health: B6, B9 (folate), and B12.*
Vitamin B6 plays an important role in energy metabolism, and can help promote healthy homocysteine levels.* Homocysteine is an amino acid found in the blood. Some research indicates that a lower level of homocysteine is associated with positive cognitive health.*
Vitamin B9, more commonly known as folate, also plays a role in promoting nervous system health.* It also helps support energy metabolism and helps with maintaining healthy levels of homocysteine in the bloodstream.* It’s also important for women, especially around the time of pregnancy to get enough folate. Adequate folate in a healthful diet may reduce a woman’s risk of having a child with a brain or spinal cord defect.2
Similarly, vitamin B12 is an essential vitamin that contributes to the health of the nervous system. It is required for the maintenance of the sheaths that cover and protect the nerves of the central and the peripheral nervous system, ensuring fast and effective nerve-impulse transmission.3 Vitamin B12 also helps support healthy homocysteine metabolism. A few scientific studies have shown that maintaining a healthy level of homocysteine is associated with cognitive health.*
If you eat a balanced diet, you probably get enough B-vitamins through food alone. However, if you have a deficiency or struggle to get enough through your diet, you may benefit from B-vitamin supplements.
B-vitamin supplements
Solgar® Vitamin B6 helps maintain a healthy nervous system.* It is also non-GMO, vegan, gluten & dairy-free, and kosher.
Solgar® Folate 1,333 MCG DFE uses Metafolin®, an active, body-ready form of folate. It is also non-GMO, vegan, gluten & dairy-free, and kosher.
Solgar® Megasorb Vitamin B12 5000 MCG Nuggets supports energy metabolism and promotes a healthy nervous system.* This formulation provides high potency vitamin B12 in a convenient nugget form that is also suitable for vegans.*
Solgar® Methylcobalamin (Vitamin B12) 1000 Mcg:
Methylcobalamin is the active, coenzyme form of vitamin B12. While the body can readily absorb Vitamin B12 as cobalamin, it must further convert it to a coenzyme form, methylcobalamin, to become metabolically active. In this form, it is bioidentical to one of the two active forms found in the body. This body-ready vitamin B12 is suitable for vegans and comes in a convenient nugget-form.
4. FULL SPECTRUM CURCUMIN BRAIN WORKS™
One of the easiest ways to support your brain is by taking a supplement specifically formulated for cognitive health.*
Solgar® Full Spectrum Curcumin Brain Works™ brings together the power of traditional herbs and contemporary science to support cognitive health and function.*
Each serving offers…
- Curcumin: Curcumin functions as an antioxidant to help fight free radicals.* Oxidative stress from excess free radicals has been associated with cognitive decline.
- Bacopa: Bacopa helps with short-term memory and is traditionally used in eastern Ayurvedic practices for supporting memory and focus, especially mild memory and focus problems associated with aging.†*
- Choline: As mentioned above, choline is an essential component of brain cell membranes and a precursor to brain cell neurotransmitter acetylcholine.*
- Vitamin B12: Body-ready B12 helps support healthy homocysteine metabolism.* Some research indicates a correlation of low homocysteine levels and positive cognitive health.*
5. Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Fish oil and omega-3 fatty acids are important for many aspects of health. Omega-3s, primarily as DHA, are also found naturally in the brain as part of brain cell membranes.
The effects of omega-3’s on brain health starts in the womb. DHA is important for pregnant and nursing women because it supports an infant’s brain and eye development.* For this reason, it is important for expecting mothers to get enough omega-3s, particularly DHA, before, during, and after pregnancy.
Overall, omega-3 fatty acids are also helpful for supporting healthy circulation and heart health throughout life.*
Omega-3 supplement
Solgar® Triple Strength Omega-3 is our highest concentration of naturally-sourced omega-3s. One serving of these softgels provides 950 mg of EPA, DHA and other Omega-3 Fatty Acids.^
Solgar Wild Alaskan Full Spectrum™ Omega: Wild Alaskan sockeye salmon’s natural oil is one of the richest sources EPA and DHA. These softgels offer 100% pure, wild Alaskan salmon oil from sustainably sourced sockeye salmon, as well as vitamin D3.
Can taking care of your brain health help support mental health?
What is the connection between brain health and mental health?
Experts struggle to settle on an exact definition of brain health; however, according to the National Institute on Aging, the term usually includes the following aspects:
- Cognitive health: how well you think, learn, and remember
- Motor function: how well you make and control movements, including balance
- Tactile function: how well you feel and respond to sensations of touch — including pressure, pain, and temperature
- Emotional function: how well you interpret and respond to emotions (both pleasant and unpleasant)4
Mental health is one aspect of brain health. Brain health and mental health go hand in hand; the health of your brain can affect your mood or mental health, and in turn, the state of your mental health can also affect your brain health.
Other ways to improve brain health
Stay physically active
Have you ever experienced a rush of mental energy after finishing a great workout? It’s a great feeling, and the good news is that these effects on your brain aren’t only short-term – exercise also aids in long-term brain health.
According to Harvard Health, the hippocampus, the part of the brain involved in memory, emotions, and learning, receives a boost during aerobic exercise.5
Keep your mind active
In the same way that physical exercises help keep your body strong, mental exercises can do the same thing. Mental stimulation such as reading, doing a puzzle, or following intricate instructions for a task can help support a healthy brain.
Get adequate sleep
A good night’s sleep helps you feel more rested, energetic, and focused, while a poor night’s sleep may contribute to feeling fatigued, irritable, and unable to concentrate. Studies indicate that sleep benefits memory, learning, and cognitive performance.6
Staying sharp
It’s never too early to start thinking about your brain health. Taking the right supplements and leading a brain-healthy lifestyle can help set you on the right track.
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*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
**The information provided on this site is intended for your general knowledge only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. The information on this website is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Never disregard medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on the Solgar® site
^See nutrition information for total fat and cholesterol content.
