Improve Memory and Prevent Memory Loss With a Healthy Diet

Memory loss is a worrying or even frightening situation, but it doesn't necessarily mean that a person is suffering from dementia or Alzheimer's disease. There are many dietary causes of memory loss, including eating foods that are harmful to memory and following a diet that lacks essential nutrients.

A vitamin B12 deficiency can interfere with nerve function and cause confusion and memory loss that resemble Alzheimer’s disease. A person with serious memory loss should be under the care of a doctor, but the doctor may discover that the solution to the patient’s problem is to take vitamin B12 supplements.

Older people (those over sixty years of age) are most like to develop a low vitamin B12 level in their bodies. In order to be absorbed through the lining of the small intestine, vitamin B12 must first be separated from food. The stomach must be sufficiently acidic for this separation to happen. Older people may have low stomach acid, which hinders the extraction of Vitamin B12 from food. Once the vitamin is removed from food, it must bind with intrinsic factor, a substance made by the stomach lining, in order to be absorbed. Older people may not make enough intrinsic factor.

In supplements, vitamin B12 is not attached to food and is therefore unaffected by insufficient stomach acid. If a large enough dose of vitamin B12 is taken, some can be absorbed even without intrinsic factor. Don’t take massive doses of Vitamin B12 without a doctor’s advice, however. A doctor may choose to give vitamin B12 shots, or the doctor may prescribe sublingual vitamin B12 tablets. These tablets are placed under the tongue. As the tablet dissolves, some of the vitamin can be absorbed through the lining of the mouth, bypassing the digestive tract.

If a person's diet contains insufficient amounts of vitamin B6, folic acid and vitamin B12, a substance called homocysteine may build up in the body. Homocysteine has been shown to impair memory, and also raises the risk of a heart attack or stroke.

Vitamin D is very important for cognitive functions, such as thinking, reasoning and remembering. Vitamin D is made by our skin when ultraviolet light strikes the skin. However, due to the valid concern about getting cancer from the sun’s rays, many people are wearing sunscreen on sunny days and are therefore making an inadequate amount of vitamin D. At higher latitudes the sunlight is not intense enough in winter to stimulate much vitamin D formation. In addition, older people and people who cover their skin due to religious beliefs often make an insufficient amount of vitamin D. Health experts are increasingly recommending that we take vitamin D supplements, since the vitamin seems to be very important in many body processes in addition to memory, and is not present in many foods or in high levels in food.

A high-fat diet and weight gain have been shown to impair memory, especially in post-menopausal women. High blood cholesterol and high blood pressure also damage memory and often accompany weight gain, but scientists have found that even without these problems, weight gain is detrimental to memory.

Excessive alcohol use also impairs memory. Alcohol kills brain cells. It interferes with short-term memories and prevents them from being converted into long-term memories.

There is a lot of evidence supporting the use of blueberries to boost memory, so they should definitely be added to the diet. Another valuable nutrient is curcumin, which is a chemical present in turmeric. This yellow spice, which is used in curry, deserves a regular place in your diet. The brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease contain deposits called plaques. These plaques are made of a protein called beta-amyloid. Curcumin has been found to reduce the level of beta-amyloid in the brain and also to reduce inflammation. Curcumin is even more effective at reducing inflammation when used with vitamin D.

Research has shown that people who regularly eat cruciferous vegetables (such as broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts and cauliflower) and green leafy vegetables (such as kale and spinach) maintain their memory better as they age. Foods containing pigments called anthocyanins, such as berries, cherries, dark colored grapes, plums, red apples with skin, red cabbage, beets and red onion, are thought to pay a role in improving memory, as are foods containing quercetin, which include onions, apples, black currants, many berries, apples, broccoli, cherries and dark grapes. Anthocyanins and quercetin are members of the flavonoid family of plant chemicals, which seem to have many beneficial effects for humans.

A high fat diet needs to be avoided, but the fat that is eaten should include monounsaturated oils, such as extra virgin olive oil (unheated), and a type of polyunsaturated fat known as omega-3. The specific omega-3 fat that has been shown to improve memory is called docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA. It’s found in oily fish such as sardines, salmon and mackerel. DHA reduces inflammation in the body.

There are two additional factors that improve memory, even though they are not part of the diet. One is obtaining regular exercise, which has been show to significantly reduce the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. The other factor is to avoid smoking, since smoking decreases blood flow and oxygen supply to the brain.

Memory is a complex phenomenon and is not completely understood. There are probably many undiscovered dietary factors that affect our ability to remember things. The best steps that we can take to improve or preserve memory are to eat a nutritious diet that includes a wide variety of foods, to take specific supplements proven to be beneficial for brain health, such as Vitamin B12 and Vitamin D, to exercise regularly and to avoid foods and habits known to cause memory loss.