It’s no secret that proper vitamin and mineral intake is essential for our bodies and brains to function optimally. If we don’t get enough, we develop deficiencies. If we get too much, some vitamins and minerals can be harmful when taken in excess. In this post and the next, we’re going to look at the vitamins and minerals that are essential for proper brain function. This post will be all about vitamins. Next week’s post will be about minerals. Discover the significance of “Vitamins For Optimal Brain Health” and how they enhance cognitive function and overall mental well-being!
What Are Vitamins?
Vitamins are essential nutrients that people need for their bodies and brains to function optimally. Since they are needed in small quantities, vitamins are considered micronutrients. Nutrients that we need a lot of like protein, fat, and carbohydrates are known as macronutrients.
Vitamins have a number of roles in the body. Some are hormones, some are powerful antioxidants, and some assist in cell growth, to name just a few functions. Since our bodies do not produce most of them on their own, we must get them from foods and supplements.
Most vitamins can be found in fruits and vegetables. Some vitamins, however, can be found in other foods, like meat and eggs. There are 13 essential vitamins that our bodies need. 4 of them are fat soluble and 9 are water soluble.
Water soluble vitamins dissolve in water. These include vitamin C and the B vitamins. When you consume them, your body uses what it needs and your kidneys filter out the rest. Fat soluble vitamins dissolve in fat and are stored in fat in the body. These include vitamins A, D, E, and K.
Vitamins For Optimal Brain Function
Vitamin A
Carrots are a good source of vitamin A.
Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin and a powerful antioxidant. Antioxidants are substances that slow or stop the process of oxidation, which can lead to cellular damage. Vitamin A can be found in a variety of foods including fish, dairy products, and a variety of fruits and vegetables. Some vitamin-A-containing fruits and veggies include carrots, pumpkins, squash, spinach, and other leafy vegetables.
There are a number of bodily processes that vitamin A is involved in. One of the most important of these is vision. That’s why carrots are considered to be good for your eyes. They contain beta-carotene, which is a provitamin A carotenoid. Provitamins are substances that convert to vitamins in the body.
Vision isn’t the only bodily function that vitamin A plays a role in. It’s also involved in immune function, gene transcription, cellular health, bone metabolism, embryonic development, and skin health. It’s deficiency can lead to night blindness, hyperkeratosis (a skin disorder), and keratomalacia (an eye disorder).
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)
Vitamin B1 (also known as thiamine) is a water-soluble vitamin and the first B vitamin to be discovered. It is found in a variety of foods including pork, oatmeal, liver, eggs, brown rice, potatoes, and other vegetables.
Vitamin B1 is involved in several bodily processes including energy production. Your body uses vitamin B1 to transform carbohydrates into energy. Carbs provide energy for the body, brain, and the rest of the nervous system. Vitamin B1 also plays a role in the conduction of nerve signals and in muscle contraction.
Deficiency in Vitamin B1 can result in several disorders and, in severe cases, even death. Disorders that can be caused by Vitamin B1 deficiency include beriberi, optic neuropathy, Leigh’s Malaise, and Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome. The popular nootropic sulbutiamine is a synthetic version of Vitamin B1 that has much better bioavailability.
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)
Also known as riboflavin, vitamin B2 is another water-soluble vitamin. It is found in a variety of foods including milk, eggs, cheese, liver, lean meats, leafy vegetables, legumes, mushrooms, and almonds.
Vitamin B2 contains two coenzymes, flavin mononucleotide (FMN) and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD), that play a role in several important reactions in the body. FAD is required for the body to produce another B vitamin – B6. Moreover, FAD is essential for converting vitamin A to retinoic acid and tryptophan to niacin.
Vitamin B2 deficiency can result in a number of disorders including ariboflavinosis, glossitis (inflammation of the tongue), and angular stomatitis (inflammation of the mouth and lips. When taken in supplement form, there is some evidence to suggest that vitamin B2 is effective at preventing migraine headaches.
Vitamin B3 (Niacin)
Vitamin B3 is abundant in many foods, including meats and mushrooms.
This is another water-soluble B vitamin, also known as niacin or nicotinic acid. Vitamin B3 is present in various foods, including meat, eggs, fish, mushrooms, tree nuts, and certain vegetables.
Vitamin B3 participates in numerous bodily functions. It plays a role in digestion, skin health, and maintaining the nervous system. Vitamin B3 also plays an important role in converting carbohydrates into energy for the body and brain to use.
Deficiency in vitamin B3 can cause pellagra, a disease characterized by six D’s: dermatitis, dementia, diarrhea, depression, delirium, and potentially death if untreated. Sometimes, doctors prescribe high doses of vitamin B3 for its ability to lower cholesterol levels.
Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid)
Like the other B vitamins, B5 is water soluble. Shiitake mushrooms, liver, sunflower seeds, egg yolks, fortified cereals, and infant formulas contain vitamin B5, also known as pantothenic acid.
One of the most important roles of Vitamin B5 is that the body uses it to synthesize coenzyme-A (CoA). Producing the neurotransmitters serotonin, dopamine, and acetylcholine requires Coenzyme-A. Vitamin B5 also helps our bodies to properly use carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. It helps to convert carbs to energy for our bodies and brain. Vitamin B5 also plays a role in skin health.
Vitamin B5 deficiency is very rare. A deficiency in vitamin B5 can reduce neurotransmitter levels due to its role in synthesizing coenzyme-A. This can result in fatigue, apathy, and irritability.
Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine)
Vitamin B6 is another water-soluble vitamin. Also known as pyridoxine, pyridoxal, or pyridoxamine, it is present in some meats, vegetables, tree nuts, and bananas.
This B vitamin, like most of the others, has a number of roles in the body and brain. Vitamin B6 helps the body make antibodies, which fight off disease. It sustains normal nervous system function, produces hemoglobin, degrades proteins, and regulates glucose levels within normal ranges.
Vitamin B6 deficiency can cause a whole variety of symptoms. Some of these symptoms include skin problems, glossitis and other types of mouth inflammation, conjunctivitis (eye inflammation), and neurological problems.
Vitamin B7 (Biotin)
It’s deficiency can cause alopecia, aka hair loss.
Vitamin B7, another water-soluble vitamin, participates in a wide array of biological processes. Also known as biotin, Vitamin B7 helps the body to turn carbohydrates, fats, and amino acids into energy. This B vitamin is present in egg yolks, liver, leafy green vegetables, and peanuts.
Vitamin B7 affects the way the body uses and makes branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs). These BCAAs contribute to the synthesis of tryptophan, serotonin, tyrosine, and phenylalanine. All of these compounds play a crucial role in brain health.
Deficiencies of vitamin B7 are rare. In fact, adults with a normal diet have never reported severe vitamin B7 deficiency due to its rarity. Symptoms of vitamin B7 deficiency include alopecia (hair loss), brittle fingernails, conjunctivitis, dermatitis, and neurological problems. These include lethargy, depression, and even hallucinations.
Vitamin B9 (Folic Acid)
Vitamin B9 is yet another water-soluble vitamin. Also referred to as folate or folic acid, vitamin B9 plays essential roles in numerous biological processes. It’s necessary for the production of new cells, for both DNA and RNA synthesis, and for protecting DNA. Vitamin B9 is also crucial to brain health.
Low levels of vitamin B9 have been associated with clinical depression, underscoring its crucial role in brain health. Researchers have been studying the link between low vitamin B9 levels and depression for years. Some people find that taking vitamin B9 reduces or even eliminates the symptoms of their depression.
Foods like pasta, bread, leafy vegetables, liver, and various cereals contain Vitamin B9 in abundance. Aside from depression, symptoms of vitamin B9 deficiency include weakness, fatigue, irritability, difficulty concentrating, heart palpitations, headache, and shortness of breath.
Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin)
Myelin protects nerve cells like the one above.
Here we have yet another water-soluble B vitamin. Also known as cobalamin, vitamin B12 plays a role in the metabolism of every single cell in the human body. It participates in DNA synthesis and metabolizes both fatty and amino acids.
Apart from its functions in metabolism and DNA synthesis, Vitamin B12 indirectly contributes to neurotransmitter production, including serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. And vitamin B12 also helps to preserve myelin. This substance protects and insulates neurons (nerve cells) in the brain and throughout the rest of the nervous system.
Various foods like meat, chicken, fish, eggs, and milk are rich sources of Vitamin B12. Deficiency can cause a number of symptoms, some of which are potentially serious and irreversible. These include fatigue, depression, difficulty walking, lethargy, headaches, breathlessness, pale skin, and memory problems.
Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid)
This is the last water-soluble vitamin on our list of vitamins for optimal brain function. Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, aids in neurotransmitter production and facilitates tissue repair in the body. It participates in immune function and acts as an antioxidant as well.
A variety of fruits and vegetables, such as oranges, lemons, plums, papaya, and strawberries, contain Vitamin C abundantly. It also holds the title for the most widely consumed nutritional supplement.Many people insist that taking high doses (between 5-50 grams) of vitamin C can reduce the duration of colds. However, conducted studies indicate its ineffectiveness.
Deficiency in vitamin C results in scurvy, a potentially fatal disease if left untreated. Symptoms of scurvy include soft gums, brown spots on the skin, bleeding from mucous membranes, tooth loss, depression, personality changes, and eventually death.
Vitamin D
This is quite possibly the most interesting vitamin on our list. For starters, vitamin D isn’t just one thing. It’s a group of fat-soluble substances that the body uses for a number of different processes. The most important of these substances are cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) and ergocalciferol (vitamin D2).
Our bodies use sunlight to make vitamin D.
Another thing that makes vitamin D interesting is the way it’s classified. We usually think of it as a vitamin, but it’s not a vitamin at all: it’s a hormone. Since our bodies are able to naturally make vitamin D from sunlight and because of the way it works in the body, vitamin D is technically a hormone and not a vitamin.
Though our bodies can make vitamin D from sunlight, we can also get it from several different foods. These include egg yolks, many types of fish, and several different types of mushrooms. Vitamin D helps our bodies to absorb several other vitamins and minerals that are essential for proper brain function including calcium, magnesium, and phosphate.
Vitamin D deficiency can cause rickets, problems with bone health, skin problems, depression, and a variety of other disorders. On the other end of the spectrum, too much vitamin D can lead to a condition known as Hypervitaminosis D. Symptoms include dehydration, diarrhea, vomiting, irritability, fatigue, constipation, anorexia, and muscle weakness.
Vitamin E
Like vitamin D, vitamin E isn’t a single substance – it’s a group of eight fat-soluble compounds that include four tocopherols and four tocotrienols. These substances play a vital role in nerve (brain) function, have antioxidant activity, and help to maintain healthy cells throughout the body.
Vitamin E plays several roles in the body. Vitamin E, a potent antioxidant, influences gene expression and plays a crucial role in brain health. Studies show that people with the highest levels of vitamin E had the lowest levels of cognitive impairment.
Vitamin E is present in many different fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, and in some oils. Deficiency is rare but can result in neurological problems, hemolytic anemia, eye problems, and immune dysfunction.
Vitamin K
Vitamin K is abundant in leafy green veggies.
The last on our list of vitamins for brain health is vitamin K. It is fat soluble and comes in two forms: phytomenadione (K1) and menaquinone (K2). Vitamin K plays a role in protein synthesis, healthy blood cells, and brain cell health.
Vitamin K contributes to myelin formation by producing specific lipids essential for the process. If you recall from reading about vitamin B12 above, myelin is a substance that protects cells in the brain and throughout the rest of the nervous system. In addition to helping to form myelin, vitamin K helps nerve cells to communicate with each other.
You can find vitamin K in several foods including leafy green vegetables like spinach and broccoli, egg yolks, and liver. Vitamin K deficiency is rare but can potentially lead to osteoporosis and coronary heart disease.
Conclusion
This brief overview covers the 13 essential vitamins required for achieving optimal brain health. As you can see, each of these vitamins have several roles in healthy functioning of both the body and the brain. Deficiencies, though rare in today’s world, can lead to all sorts of problems.
One easy way to avoid vitamin deficiency is to take a multivitamin every day. I’ve been taking one for years and will continue to do so for years to come. Despite having a balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables, I ensure healthy levels by taking a daily multivitamin.
Also read our blog on How (and Why) to Survive a 3 Day Water-Only Fast
