How Multivitamin Supplements Support Healthy Cognitive Aging
There is an increasing amount of evidence to suggest that multivitamin or micronutrient intake is essential in supporting healthy cognitive aging. The global population is aging while the rate of cognitive decline is also increasing.
Current suggestions indicate that the number of people aged 60 years and above may double from one to two billion in 2050. There are currently more adults than children globally which is a first in recorded human history.
Current research indicates that cognitive declines in our aging global population are being driven by the struggle to meet nutritional requirements. A lack of adequate nutrition increases the risks that a person could develop cognitive issues later in life.
Accumulating evidence shows that the elderly may be lacking in crucial micronutrients such as vitamin C or selenium which could be crucial in supporting their cognitive abilities.
The evidence that multivitamin supplements and nutrient intake promote healthy cognitive aging will be considered here to show why you should ensure that you are on top of your nutrient intake.
Cognitive Aging
Optimal cognitive health is recognised as being very important in maintaining self reliance, quality of life and functional capacity in older adults. Cognitive aging is the process by which our brain structures and brain functions gradually deteriorate over time. While the brain is spectacular this organ is also prone to degradation over time.
The sorts of structural changes which occur include reductions in grey brain matter, a reduced neuroplasticity or a reduced flexibility in function and abnormal neurone synapse activities.
These are thought to be the core internal changes that drive a significant portion of cognitive aging. Important aspects of cognitive aging include a progressive decline in memory, brain processing time and executive functions as we age.
Supporting these aspects of brain functioning and the prevention of their could be considered to be very important in the prevention of cognitive declines as we age. A growing amount of evidence is showing that nutrition plays a vital role in the prevention of early cognitive decline.
Amounts of minerals and important vitamins required to support our ongoing bodily processes may play one of the most vital roles. Levels of antioxidant vitamins and minerals in particular are heavily linked to the early progression of cognitive declines. This is through accumulated oxidative stress and inflammation that may occur with a lack of antioxidants.
Multivitamin Supplements And Early Cognitive Decline
Research is beginning to support the use of multivitamin and mineral supplements as a means to support or prevent early cognitive decline in the elderly.
Multivitamin and mineral supplements present themselves an effective means of tackling cognitive decline because of a lack of nutrients. These sorts of supplements offer a broad scale means to bridging or reducing any core nutritional deficits. There is an accumulation of evidence showing that the elderly may be at risk of lacking crucial micronutrients which could be vital to supporting their cognitive abilities.
One large scale clinical trial showed that a multivitamin supplement supported healthy cognition and memory in older adults. There were significant reductions in cognitive aging over the two year study. This is one very important example of evidence based conclusions that multivitamin supplements could influence healthy cognitive aging in the elderly. Deficiencies in important micronutrients are thought to drive or compromise nerve cell functioning and cognitive ability.
Another study showed that eating a diet rich in nutrient dense foods is linked to a reduced risk of cognitive decline. Such a diet included nuts, fish and berries which are rich in nutrients which may be considered to be neuroprotective. The foods were thought to be particularly rich in nutrients supportive of a healthy antioxidant status. This could reduce the rate of cognitive aging.
Neuronutrients Which May Support Healthy Cognitive Aging
Neuronutrients are important micronutrients which you find in multivitamin and mineral supplements that may support optimal cognitive performance and brain health.
Clinical studies confirm that vitamins C, D, E and B complex vitamins may all directly impact core nerve cell processes. This includes things like neurotransmitter production and inflammatory responses. Minerals such as selenium, zinc and magnesium also play a role in these processes.
Importance Of B Complex Vitamins And Vitamin D In Cognition
Research shows that B complex vitamins such as vitamin B6, B9 and B12 could all impact cognitive declines in the elderly. These are usually included in a standard multivitamin supplement but possibly in varied quantities. Deficiencies in these vitamins are linked to reductions in brain organ size. This would then be a risk factor in the development of cognitive decline. All of these vitamins play an important role in supporting homocysteine metabolism and this is why they are linked to reductions in brain size.
Another important vitamin found in many multivitamin supplements is vitamin D. This vitamin is considered to be able to positively affect brain derived neurotrophic factor. This is able to support the healthy development of new neural connections. Low levels of this factor are heavily linked with risk of developing dementia. BDNF has significant neuroprotective effects at the right concentration as shown by various studies.
Essential Energy Production Nutrients May Support Healthy Cognitive Decline
Levels of the mineral magnesium have been shown in various studies to be supportive of learning and memory. Magnesium plays an important role in the support of energy production. Our brains use a tremendous amount of energy every day and this is why this mineral may help to support healthy cognitive functioning.
Another mineral supportive of healthy cognitive functioning through supporting healthy energy levels may be chromium. This mineral enhances the use of glucose within the body thorough protecting insulin sensitivity.
Nutrients Supportive Of Nerve Myelination And Health Cognitive Functioning
The two most important minerals which support healthy nerve myelination are copper and iron. Nerve myelination is essential in supporting healthy nerve electrical signals between nerve cells within our brain.
Copper is a nutrient which is implicated in healthy myelination. Deficiencies could lead to nerve tangling which is linked with the development of Alzheimer’s disease. Iron is also implicated in nerve myelination. Deficiencies in iron in early life are linked to lifetime cognitive deficits.
Important Antioxidants Supportive Of Healthy Cognitive Decline
Various antioxidants which are found in multivitamin supplements are also very important in maintaining cognitive health especially as we age.
Vitamin C is a strong antioxidant required in large amounts by our bodies each day. This vitamin is thought to be able to reduce oxidative stress and inflammation within the brain which may be supportive of cognitive health. As an antioxidant the mineral zinc may also play a similar role. Zinc is found in high concentrations within the brain. Zinc is important in synaptic transmission and hippocampal functioning.
Selenium is another mineral which may support antioxidant status within the brain. This mineral supports elevated quantities of glutathione peroxidase which helps to makes the glutathione antioxidant complex. Research has shown that levels of this mineral directly correlate with cognitive declines.
Another important nutrient in supporting healthy cognitive decline because of an antioxidant influence is vitamin E. This antioxidant vitamin is able to stabilise nerve cell membranes and prevent their damage or oxidation. As you can imagine this effect may be very preventative of cognitive decline and is implicated in the progression of Alzheimer’s.
Overall the research shows that multivitamin supplements could have preventive effects on cognitive decline as we age and may support healthy cognition in the elderly.
Summary
An increasing amount of evidence suggests that multivitamin intake is essential in supporting healthy cognitive aging.
Research indicates that an important driver of cognitive decline in our ageing population is nutrient intake. The elderly are particularly vulnerable to micronutrient deficiencies which could contribute to declines in cognitive functioning.
Cognitive aging is the process by which our brain structures and brain functions gradually deteriorate. While the brain is a spectacular organ this organ is also vulnerable to decline over time. Important aspects of cognitive aging include a progressive decline in memory, attention, processing speed and executive functions.
Research is beginning to support the use of multivitamin and mineral supplements as a means to support or prevent early cognitive decline in the elderly. They present themselves an effective means of tackling cognitive decline because of a lack of nutrients.
Recent research has shown that both multivitamin supplements and nutrient dense diets could support healthy cognitive decline. Some important nutrients may include vitamins C and B complex vitamins. Minerals such as selenium and copper may also have an important role in supporting the health of our brain.
Overall the research so far has been conclusive in supporting the use of multivitamin supplements to reduce the risk of cognitive decline as we age.
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