Is Your Brain Starving?
By Al Sears, MD
Do you find yourself forgetting where you left your car keys… or just feel like your brain is in a fog sometimes?
If your mental spark plugs aren't firing like they used to, don't worry. I'll show you how to get your brain's engine back to running as smooth as a Rolls Royce. You just need to know what's missing and how to get it.
One important neurotransmitter is acetylcholine (ACh). Your body uses ACh to help regulate your heart, breathing, and sleep. Your body even uses it to control your muscles and keep you fired up for the bedroom.
Here's the thing… your brain needs you to supply certain nutrients to make neurotransmitters.
But there's a key nutrient it uses to make ACh that is probably missing from your diet. It's called choline, and if you don't get enough, you're headed for trouble. Choline is a necessary nutrient for overall brain health and functioning and it is important to avoid nutritional deficiencies to keep your brain sharp and healthy.1
When you don't give the body enough choline, the brain is forced to get it from other parts of your brain. It starts eating itself alive to get what it needs for vital functions like heart and lung regulation.
I'll show you ways to get the choline your brain needs in a second, but first let me introduce you to choline's partner — DMAE.
DMAE (Dimethylaminoethanol) works with choline to create ACh. In fact, it does such a good job, the FDA almost approved it as a drug. The only reason it didn't happen is that the manufacturer didn't want to pay the expenses to get it classified as one.
But it is the main ingredient in a commonly prescribed drug in Europe. Called Centrophenoxine, it has been shown to boost cognitive functions.2
Unlike Ritalin® and other brain-stimulating substances, proper doses of DMAE are a safe and side-effect-free solution to support brain health and reduce age-related mental decline and mood/behavioral problems.3
Choline – You need at least 425 mg a day as a woman, 550 mg if you're a man. The richest food sources of choline are (in mg per 100 g of food):
· Whole cooked eggs – 272. Make sure you get free-range eggs without antibiotics or hormones. They'll help fuel your muscles as well as give you much-needed choline.
· Raw egg yolks – 682. Go ahead and crack open a couple eggs into your protein shake. It's only an urban legend that there's danger in eating them raw.
· Chicken liver – 290. Though some people get turned off by organ meats, they're a potent source of high-powered nutrition. And it's an old wives tale that they store toxins – they don't.
· Turkey liver – 220. Another great source of nutrition. Just like any liver, it also provides vitamin A, CoQ10 and iron.
·
Pork – 130. Just like beef, you want to eat only organic, grass-fed animals for the proper balance of fats and zero hormones and antibiotics.
If you're older, you may need more choline — as much as 1500 mg a day. That may require supplementation. If you take a supplement, be sure it's in the form of choline citrate.
DMAE – You need at least 35 mg of DMAE a day. Fish is a good food source, especially sardines and anchovies.
So stop starving your brain of these critical nutrients. They're easy to replace and will help to promote a healthy mind into your golden years.
References
- Ferris SH, et al. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1977; 25:241-4.
- Mosharrof, A.H., et al., Acta Physiol Pharmacol Bulg, 1986. 12(3): p. 7-14.
- Caille E.-J, Psychol Med.1986;18:2069-2086
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