What is the best vitamin to keep the brain young and healthy, according to an expert

Maintaining a healthy brain may seem difficult, but there is something very simple within our reach that can contribute to it: food.

Of course, it’s not enough just to eat — you have to eat well, with a diet rich in vitamins.

“You have the power at the tip of your fork,” Uma Naidoo, a nutritional psychiatrist at Harvard University School of Medicine in the United States, tells BBC News Mundo, the BBC’s Spanish-language service.

Naidoo is the author of the book This is your brain on fooda guide with foods that help the body and brain function, those you should avoid and the most harmful.

For the expert, there is a key vitamin to keep our brain young and healthy — something she addresses in this interview, among other topics. Check out.

BBC – What is the best vitamin to protect our brain from aging? The best vitamin to cover various aspects related to brain health is vitamin B.

There are several types of this vitamin and each has an important function for the brain.

BBC – What’s so special about the vitamin B? There are 8 types of B vitamins.

Vitamin B-1, called thiamine, helps with basic cell functions and the metabolism of different nutrients to help us get energy. A low level of thiamine can lead to poor cognitive function as well as other problems in the body.

Vitamin B-12, or cobalamin, is essential for the formation of red blood cells and DNA, but it also supports the nervous system, development and brain functions. It does more specific things, like helping to break down homocysteine ​​— a heart-damaging protein that can also lead to some form of dementia.

One of my favorites that I talk about all the time is vitamin B-9, folic acid. It participates in neurotransmitter activity, DNA formation and cellular detoxification.

A low level of folic acid is also associated with a bad mood. So, by eating green leafy vegetables, which are usually rich in natural folic acid, you favor good mood and mental health.

These are just some of the functions of B vitamins.

BBC News – All B vitamins are good for the brain? They have benefits that go beyond the brain, but they all have some contributing element.

Some are more directly related to the brain, such as vitamins B-12, B-9 and B-1. And others help with much-needed bodily functions, such as the formation of blood cells.

BBC News – Where can we find B vitamins? In many different foods.

I like to help people with mnemonic exercises (the joining of the initials or letters of a more complex concept or thought in order to form words or phrases that are easier to remember).

One of them is: BIGYESS (in English, something like “a big yes”). The letter “B” is the initial for beans in English and also includes grains, lentils, pulses… These are rich in vitamin B.

Ignore the next “I”.

“G” is for greens (vegetables). It groups together all different types of green leafy vegetables. The more green the better, as they are rich in folic acid.

“Y” is for yogurt (yogurt) dairy, which contains riboflavin, which is vitamin B-2, and also contains vitamin B-12. Always choose plain yogurt. There are even non-dairy yogurts that contain these vitamins.

“E” is the first letter of eggs in English (eggs). If you consume eggs, I always suggest buying those from cage-free hens. They are very rich in vitamin B-7, which is biotin.

The first “S” is for salmon. Many people know that salmon is rich in B vitamins, which include vitamin B-2 or riboflavin, vitamin B-3 or niacin, vitamin B-6 or pyridoxine, and vitamin B-12 or cobalamin. They all help the brain.

And the other “S” is for sunflower seeds. These are one of the richest sources of vitamin B-5, called pantothenic acid. Twenty percent of the recommended daily value of this vitamin can be obtained with just 28 grams of these seeds.

It’s easy to add them to salads or drinks to get this vitamin.

BBC News – What is the recommended daily amount of vitamin B to support our brain health? When it comes to foods, we’re not always sure of the exact dosages of vitamins they contain. And this is where I like to talk about a healthy, balanced diet.

Try to include several foods in a healthy, balanced diet. Don’t just eat beans, don’t just eat green leafy vegetables because you will miss out on the other seven B vitamins.

On the internet, you can find the different B vitamins that exist and the recommended daily amounts. In the United States, we use the RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowances) as a guide.

BBC News – Are there any downsides to consuming vitamin B? Your body absorbs as much as it needs and the rest will be eliminated in the urine.

When it comes to vitamins, believing that eating or drinking more of them will be more beneficial is often a myth. Use the recommended amount and eat healthy.

Some of the excesses of different vitamins, not just vitamin B, can have side effects. It’s important to be careful.

BBC News – What do you recommend your patients eat? The first step is to understand the signs of a person’s health, what types of foods they like to eat and what they don’t.

A great example is yogurt, which has probiotics and offers great benefits. Blueberries are also good.

But blueberry yogurt may not be the healthiest option, because many fruit-flavored yogurts are very high in added sugars, which is unhealthy for the brain. It’s much healthier to take a bowl of yogurt and add in frozen or fresh blueberries, sweetened with a little cinnamon and a touch of honey.

If you don’t eat shellfish, eggs or dairy, look for alternatives. A great source of vitamin B-12 for vegetarians is nutritional yeast.

BBC News – Any further advice? I would like to say two more things.

The first: eat the orange, don’t buy the orange juice box. Because the orange has the fiber, the nutrients, the vitamins, the minerals you need. Orange juice usually has a lot of sugar added and fiber removed, making it a less healthy version of the fruit.

The second: you have the power at the tip of the fork. It is something that is under your own control and it is very powerful for you to know that.

This text was originally published here