5 nutrients to improve concentration and prevent brain deterioration

2023-05-15T21:08:22.060Z

Highlights: Some foods are effective in improving memory, concentration and protecting the brain. Dr. Uma Naidoo, a nutritional psychiatrist at Harvard Medical School, selected some foods that help protect us from cognitive decline. These are foods that have nutrients that, in case of deficit, "would condition normal brain function and memory," explains Francisco Pita, member of the Nutrition Area of the Spanish Society of Endocrinology and Nutrition.Dark chocolate, red fruits and turmeric are good for the brain, according to Pita.

Food is essential for mental and physical health. What a Harvard expert says.

Food is key to provide the body with the nutrients it needs to perform tasks and activities, but also to enjoy good health and avoid diseases. Along those lines, some are effective in improving memory, concentration and protecting the brain.

In order to review how much it affects what we eat, Dr. Uma Naidoo, a nutritional psychiatrist at Harvard Medical School, selected some foods that help protect us from cognitive decline.

The specialist is the author of This is your brain on food, a guide to foods that help mental health, the most harmful and those you should try to avoid.

Uma Naidoo, a nutritional psychiatrist at Harvard Medical School.

These are foods that have nutrients that, in case of deficit, "would condition normal brain function and memory," explains Francisco Pita, member of the Nutrition Area of the Spanish Society of Endocrinology and Nutrition (SEEN).

Thus, when enumerating, they mention the following:

Dark chocolate

Red fruits

Turmeric

In what foods do I find vitamins for the brain? Photo: Pixabay

Black pepper

Green shoots

Fermented foods

Among the essential nutrients to protect the brain and improve concentration, the following is indicated by experts.

Polyunsaturated fatty acids

Alpha-linolenic acid and linoleic acid (a type of omega-3 and 6 fatty acid, respectively) are essential fatty acids.

Alpha-linolenic acid and linoleic acid are essential fatty acids. They are found in oily fish.

They are found in nuts, vegetable oils and also in oily fish.

Collaborate in the formation of cell membranes, as well as in the regulation of specific cell functions.

Glucosinolates

Foods rich in glucosinolates are watercress, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower.

Cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage are rich in glucosinolates.

When metabolized, they produce isothiocyanates, substances that reduce oxidative stress and reduce the risk of neurodegenerative diseases, says nutritional psychiatrist Naidoo and reproduces 20Minutos.

Vitamins A, C and E

Pita, on the other hand, indicates that we can find vitamin A in foods such as carrots and pumpkin.

Vitamin C is found in citrus fruits such as orange, grapefruit or lemon.

While vitamin E in olive oil, nuts, avocado and oily fish.

Regarding vitamin C, kiwi, orange, tangerine, grapefruit or lemon, among some citrus fruits.

Zinc

Zincis a nutrient present in cells throughout the body, and it helps the immune system fight off bacteria and viruses that attack it, explains the site of the National Institutes of Health of the United States (NIH).

Pumpkin seeds are a very rich source of zinc.

Oysters, mussels, sesame, oats, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, lentils, whole wheat flours, chickpeas and almonds, are some foods that contain it.

A zinc deficiency suggests degeneration and cognitive decline, due to increased neuronal death and decreased learning and memory.

Carbohydrates

Despite the bad reputation, carbohydrates are essential.

Flours, carbohydrates. Photo Shutterstock.

Doctor Pita specified that if we do not ingest at least 50 grams of carbohydrates a day (ideally between 100 and 130 grams), "the body synthesizes ketone bodies to supply energy to the cells."

If this situation occurs over time (ketosis), mood swings, irritability and difficulties in concentration arrive.