Memory loss can occur at any age. You may simply forget things from time to time. Or, you may suffer memory loss due to age or a medical condition. If you are reading this then you are likely looking for ways to fortify your memory loss with supplements. If so, then amazing. There are many benefits of taking memory supplements, which we will cover today.
Improves concentration
Many people who suffer from memory loss have a difficult time concentrating. It is a common symptom of memory loss. But, it can be improved with a daily memory supplement. Memory supplements work with the area of the brain that provides you with memory. It stimulates the area and keeps it active to boost memory or maintain your current abilities. Improving concentration will allow you to stay focused for longer and control your concentration better.
Aid in prevention of neurological disorders
With Alzeihmer’s disease being so common, many are looking for ways to reduce the risk of developing it. Although there is no proven way to completely stop the onset of Alzeihmer’s, there are natural ways to slow down its progress or prevent it from happening at a young age. Memory supplements can aid in the prevention of neurological disorders. These disorders typically affect brain functions such as memory and thinking. Thus, taking memory supplements can help boost the brain function and prevent the progress of such disorders.
Help fight oxidative stress
Many memory supplements can help fight oxidative stress, which can often cause depression and anxiety. Increased oxidative stress keeps the body active and psyched up. However, an overactive brain can feel chaotic. Thus, it can cause feelings of stress and anxiety. Lowering oxidative stress helps to suppress hormones, which commonly cause a mental health imbalance. This lowers the feeling of being overwhelmed and can further help concentration and memory.
Reduces bad moods, fatigue, and pain
A lack of memory can feel tiring and cause irritation. Seeing as memory supplements can improve memory, these feelings can reduce or fade away. Instead of feeling tired or frustrated due to a loss of memory, supplements can help you gain back your memory and fight these feelings.
Stimulate the flow of blood to the brain
Taking memory boosting supplements will help your body (and mind) attain the nutrients it needs to increase blood flow. An increased blood flow to the brain will boost its functioning, and in turn improve memory, thinking, and fight mental wellbeing imbalances. A lack of blood flow can cause memory and concentration to deteriorate. Whether or not you suffer from constant or short-term memory loss, memory supplements can help regain and regulate the brain by increasing the blood flow. The increase of blood flow due to memory supplements will also encourage the brain to be better protected, which can protect the nerves and cells from damage. Damaged brain nerves and cells can lead to neurological conditions, such as Alzeihmer’s.
Brain Vitamin: Can Vitamin A Boost Memory
Beta carotene (sometimes called carotene or pro-vitamin A) is found almost exclusively in plant foods and is a precursor to vitamin A, which, after it is converted by the body, works as an anti-oxidant (prevents vitamin C from oxidizing). Carotenoids, of which there are over 600, are also found in plant foods, but are not as plentiful or important. Retinol is the form of vitamin A found in animal foods. Vitamin A acetate and vitamin A palmitate are synthetic forms found in fortified foods.
Vitamin A is essential for the skin, hair, nails, and vision; helps the immune system work better; helps fight infections and speeds up healing; shields the skin from the harmful effects of the sun’s UV rays; and protects the membranes of brain cells, which have lots of fat and thus are readily damaged by free radicals. Both beta-carotene and vitamin A each have their own specific antioxidant properties. A recent study by the Salk Institute for Biological Studies indicates vitamin A may be an important factor in memory and learning.
Beta-carotene appears to prevent lung cancer and tumours of the mouth and throat, and recent research has shown that it may protect against memory loss and other forms of cognitive impairment. The carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin, found in spinach and collard greens, may help prevent macular degeneration, one of the main causes of blindness in old people. Other carotenoids could lower the chance of heart attack in men with high blood pressure by 60 to 70%. Astaxanthin, which exists in some plants, yeasts, and marine animals, has 5 to 20 times the antioxidant activity of beta-carotene.
Deficiency is rare, as the liver can store enough for months or even years before it is depleted, even if none is consumed in the diet. A deficiency can result in dry skin, eyes, and mucous membranes; loss of vitamin C; impaired night vision; degeneration of tooth enamel and gums; problems with bone growth; sinus trouble; loss of smell; and increased susceptibility to infections.
Precautions of Vitamin A
Daily doses of vitamin A higher than 25,000 lU taken over an extended period of time can result in abdominal pain, loss of appetite, blurred vision, bone pain, confusion, diarrhoea, dizziness, drowsiness, fatigue, hair loss, headaches, irritability, joint swelling, dry cracked lips, sensitivity to light, liver enlargement, irregular menses, muscle pains, nausea, rashes, restlessness, dry rough or scaly skin, swelling over the long bones, vomiting, weight loss, and liver and eye damage (the main storage sites in the body for vitamin A). These disappear when the dosage is reduced. There are some reports that large doses of vitamin C can prevent these problems. Those with kidney disorders should consult a physician before increasing intake of vitamin C.
Individual needs vary widely, and what might be a low dose for one person could be toxic to another. Beta-carotene, on the other hand, is non-toxic, as the body only converts it into vitamin A when it is needed; excessive amounts may cause a yellowing of the skin (carotenosis), which is harmless and disappears when the dosage is reduced.
There are other common precautions that should be kept in mind: polyunsaturated fatty acids with carotene can work against vitamin A if antioxidants are not present; women on oral contraceptives have a decreased need for vitamin A; at least 10,000 international units (lU) of A are needed if more than 400 lU/day of vitamin E are taken; and vitamin A can interfere with the effectiveness of phenytoin. If more than 10,000 lU/day are taken, it will increase the effect of anticoagulants.
Antacids, aspirin, barbituates, pollution, stress, and various prescription drugs can all take their toll on the body’s supply of vitamin A. The absorption of vitamin A can be inhibited by alcohol, coffee, mineral oil, an excess of iron, a deficiency of vitamin D, calcium supplements, and the drugs cholestyramine, colestipol, and neomycin. The cholesterol-reducing drug Questran (cholestyramine) may interfere with the absorption of vitamin A to such an extent that supplementation may be needed. If taking a broad-spectrum antibiotic, do not take high doses of vitamin A. And vitamin A should not be taken with the acne drug Accutane (isotretinoin). The fat substitute Olestra can interfere with the absorption of carotenoids, a situation which alarms some because the average American diet is already deficient in this important class of nutrients.
Paradoxically, beta-carotene has been found to increase the death rate of smokers due to lung cancer if their levels of vitamin C are low, resulting in an increase of free radicals rather than a reduction.
Dosage of Vitamin A
The RDA for vitamin A is 5000 lU/day; the majority of health professionals recommend 10,000 to 35,000 lU daily for maximum health. Nutritionists recommend taking more beta-carotene than vitamin A, though Dr. Stuart Berger recommends a maximum daily dosage of 17,500 lU/day. About 20 to 25 mg of zinc may be needed to help utilize vitamin A that is stored in the liver, along with adequate supplies of the B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, calcium, choline, and phosphorus. Both vitamin A and beta-carotene are absorbed more readily if consumed with foods containing fat and any hard physical activity is avoided for four hours afterwards. Carotenoids are more effective if taken in combination for instance, alpha and beta carotenes from Carrots, Spirulina (an algae), Dimallela Salina (a marine plant), Lycopene from Tomatoes, and Lutein from Spinach.
Those with poor health habits such as smokers and those with specific problems that inhibit absorption of vitamin A and beta-carotene such as those with gastrointestinal or liver diseases, gall bladder problems, or diabetes may require a higher dosage; in the latter case, higher dosages should only be taken under the careful eye of a qualified professional.
Mycelized vitamin A can be at least five times as powerful as oil-based supplements, due to its higher degree of absorption. Retin A, or vitamin A acid, is commonly used in prescription doses of 10,000 to 25,000 lU/day.
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