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Here Are 5 Folate-rich Foods to Boost Your Mood and Memory
Did you know there are 13 vitamins that are essential to your survival? Among them is the lineup of B vitamins such as thiamin (vitamin B1), riboflavin (vitamin B2), and niacin (vitamin B3). Another essential vitamin is folate. What’s Folate? Folate is commonly known for its critical role in the proper development of the baby’s nervous system. However, this vitamin is incredibly important for our health no matter our stage of life. Folate is the body’s main nutrient for methyl groups, which consist of one carbon atom and three hydrogens (CH3). These aren’t chemically complicated substances but are essential for everything from making our DNA to producing key brain neurotransmitters. Folate is also necessary for recycling homocysteine, which is a potentially lethal toxin naturally made in the body. Folate is removed from the body by alcohol, smoking, and various medications. The body needs folate but can’t make it from scratch; it must get folate from foods or dietary supplements. The folate vitamin is most active when converted into methylfolate (MeF). What’s Methylfolate? Methylfolate (technically methyltetrahydrofolate) is the pre-activated and most readily utilized form of the folate vitamin. The body has enzymes that rely on MeF specifically for its methyl groups, which are crucial for a broad range of brain functions. The methyl chemical groups that come from folate are fundamental to practically all our life processes. It is essential for all our cells, tissues, and organs to survive, grow, function, and maintain their structural integrity. The brain needs folate to sustain mood, memory and other cognition, behavior, and overall brain and body health. MeF also supports the entire array of functions in the bone marrow, liver, and all the other organs. All our cells need methylfolate to make their DNA, package it into genes, repair it when damage occurs, and regulate their overall gene activity (epigenetics). The brain’s nerve cells also need it to make their electrical insulation (myelin), to make the serotonin and dopamine neurotransmitters, and even to make the sleep hormone melatonin. MeF also works with vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 in the detoxication of homocysteine. Folate vs Folic Acid In comparing folate with folic acid, it’s important to know that folate is the vitamin we need, whereas folic acid is a man-made chemical that isn’t useful until it goes through a 3-step enzyme conversion to methylfolate. MeF is better absorbed and utilized than folic acid or food folates. Most multiples provide folate as folic acid. But folic acid is so chemically different from natural folates it can be converted only on a limited basis and “gunks up” our folate enzymes to impair our utilization of the natural folates from foods. Studies indicate that growing numbers of Americans have high levels of unconverted folic acid in their blood that has no useful function and is likely detrimental to their health. To make matters worse, a high proportion of individuals have gene mutations that impair their utilization of folic acid. As many as 1 in 4 people have the C677T mutation in the enzyme MTHFR, and this makes it hard for them to convert folic acid to methylfolate. Kids and Folate Due to the standard American diet (SAD), many Americans aren’t getting sufficient amounts of vitamins and minerals they need on a daily basis. This also applies to children. Sadly, many children’s supplements don’t provide adequate amounts of vitamins, including the B vitamins. B vitamins are important to the nervous system, and vitamin B6 and B12 play a role in the synthesis of neurotransmitters. One study on children showed a statistically significant association with cobalamin (vitamin B12) and folate supplementation and improved cognitive performance.¹ In addition to taking a multivitamin with folate or a stand-alone methylfolate supplement, it’s important for you and your kids to get folate from your diet. Here are some nutritious and delicious foods high in folate… 5 Folate-rich Foods to Boost Mood & Memory in Adults and Kids 1. Cruciferous Vegetables Cruciferous vegetables, especially broccoli and Brussels sprouts, are rich in folate. They also contain sulforaphane, which our friendly gut bacteria can convert into substances that help the body detoxify various potential toxins. They’re also high in carotenoids which are powerful antioxidants and assist with our vision as well as our brain functions. 2. Avocados This incredibly underrated fruit is full of healthy fats that help to sustain brain blood flow and maintain blood pressure already within a normal range. Avocados are rich in many vitamins, including folate. 3. Spinach This nutrient-dense vegetable is a good source of fiber and is rich in magnesium, potassium, and vitamins A and K. Spinach also contains a high level of folate, which may help relieve mood issues. In fact, researchers at Harvard Medical School² found that boosting the folate levels of depressed patients helped improve their mood. 4. Asparagus Asparagus generates energy for your brain and body and is an incredible source of fiber and folate. It’s also an excellent source of vitamins A, E, and K. Asparagus is loaded with polyphenols and provides generous amounts of phosphorus, iron, and chromium. 5. Leafy Green Vegetables Leafy green vegetables have tremendous health benefits. They provide an enormous array of vitamins, essential minerals, carotenoids, and free-radical blocking antioxidants to help protect the brain and body against toxins. One of the vitamins abundant in these nutrient-dense vegetables is folate. Certain processed foods are “fortified” with synthetic folic acid. Rather than eating these nutrient-depleted foods, it’s much better for your family’s health to obtain folate, and many other nutrients, from these 5 foods. Make sure you and your kids are getting enough usable vitamins, including natural folate, in your diet every day. At BrainMD, we’re dedicated to providing the highest quality supplements to improve your physical health and overall well-being. For more information about our full list of brain healthy supplements, please visit us at BrainMD. *These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This content is for informational purposes only. It is not meant to substitute for medical or healthcare advice from a physician, nor is it intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Consult your healthcare provider before beginning a new health regimen. References: 1. Boumenna, T., Scott, T. M., Lee, J.-S., Palacios, N., & Tucker, K. L. (2021). Folate, vitamin B-12, and cognitive function in the Boston Puerto Rican Health Study. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 113(1), 179–186. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/nqaa293 2. Harvard Health Publishing. (2019, December 1). Can a dietary supplement help ease your depression? Harvard Health Publishing
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Here Are Some of the Best Benefits of Vitamin B12?
In our fast-paced society, where convenience has driven many to eat on the go, skip meals, munch on sugary snacks, purchase processed foods that are low in vitamins and other essential nutrients, and consume foods that have been chemically treated, it’s becoming more and more difficult to maintain a balanced and healthy diet. Due to this gap in nutrition, most people could use a little help from dietary supplements to ensure they’re getting all the nutrients needed for optimal health. This is especially true of the B vitamin family, which is made up of 8 vitamins. All our cells need the 8 B vitamins to function at their best. Although they’re commonly recognized as a group, each of the B vitamins is required by a unique set of the body’s enzymes to perform unique and important functions. Deficiencies in any of these can lead to serious health problems. Let’s take a closer look at vitamin B12… Vitamin B12 Essentials This B vitamin, also known as cobalamin, is a team player. It works with a set of enzymes that use folate to generate and utilize methyl groups that have a huge impact on our health. Though a small chemical group (one carbon atom with three hydrogens attached), methyl is needed by all our cells to make their DNA, repair DNA that becomes damaged, make and regulate DNA and the RNA involved in protein production and regulation, and facilitate the growth and proliferation of all our approximately 30 trillion cells. The methyl form of vitamin B12 is used as a backup for the methyl groups provided by methylfolate. Substantial dietary intakes of B12 are required for the bone marrow to make red blood cells, which carry oxygen, and the variety of white blood cells that are crucial to our immune defenses. Growing children, pregnant women, and the elderly all tend to have an increased nutritional need for B12. There’s a consensus among experts that for these populations, supplementing with vitamin B12 is a good idea. Most of the multiples and other dietary supplements that provide B12 offer it in a form that is potentially harmful and requires more of our energy to process. The most commonly used B12 dietary ingredient is cyano-cobalamin, B12 with a cyanide group attached. The body has to expend precious energy to remove the cyanide group, then convert the B12 to methyl-B12 or other forms before they can use it. Smokers and women who use certain birth control hormone mixes are especially at risk of damage from cyano-B12. BrainMD provides B12 as methyl B12 because it’s safe to take, needs less energy to utilize, and is the most effective B12 ingredient available. In our products, we also team methyl-B1 with folate as methyl-folate, which works better than the artificial substance known as folic acid. Vitamin B12 is crucial for the brain and all the body’s other nervous tissues. Beyond needing B12 for their usual housekeeping functions, our nerve cells need it to assist in producing such key neurotransmitters as dopamine, epinephrine (adrenaline) and norepinephrine (noradrenaline). The brain also needs B12 to make melatonin, the main hormone that ensures we can get to sleep and stay asleep. Vitamin B12 is essential for the structural integrity of the brain and spinal cord. Higher levels of B12 are linked to better memory, mood, behavior, personality and mental clarity. Vitamin B12 for Memory and Mood The availability of methyl groups is fundamental to every aspect of the brain’s functioning, from its management of our basic physiological functions, such as sleep, to its higher responsibilities of managing memory, mood, judgment, behavior, and personality. The brain must have ample supplies of methyl-B12 along with ample methylfolate, to ensure it can generate sufficient energy, maintain healthy neurotransmitter balance, and carry out hundreds of other enzyme reactions. B12 deficiency can mimic severe memory impairment. Vitamin B12 in Foods Vitamin B12 is predominantly found in various meats, such as chicken, beef, fish, pork, and clams. Since it doesn’t naturally occur in plant foods, vegans and vegetarians may have low levels of vitamin B12. Those who don’t get enough in their diet may need to take a B12 supplement. However, the absorption of B12 is complicated and requires a very healthy gastrointestinal (GI) tract, and even meat-eaters can be deficient in B12. Vitamin B12 Deficiency The array of proteins along the GI tract that enable the absorption of vitamin B12 can be damaged by over-the-counter “digestive aids” such as antacids, histamine type 2 receptor blockers, and proton pump inhibitors. Certain antibiotics, anticonvulsants, and metformin also can deplete B12. Growing children, vegans, vegetarians, pregnant women, the elderly, smokers, and others taking various medications, all are at risk of vitamin B12 deficiency. Quality Vitamin B12 BrainMD closely follows clinical and scientific research on vitamins and other nutrients. With vitamin B12, the research clearly proves that methyl-vitamin B12 is the best ingredient to use in supplements.* We spare no expense in providing a sufficient allowance of methyl-B12 in our supplements to enable its efficient absorption by mouth.* By teaming it with methylfolate, we ensure our customers have access to adequate supplies of methyl, that small chemical group so incredibly important for the health of our brain and entire body.* At BrainMD, we’re dedicated to providing the highest quality supplements to improve your physical health and overall well-being. For more information about our full list of brain healthy supplements, please visit us at BrainMD. *These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This content is for informational purposes only. It is not meant to substitute for medical or healthcare advice from a physician, nor is it intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Consult your healthcare provider before beginning a new health regimen.
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