What Vitamins And Minerals Are Good For the Brain?

16 Comments / By /

The brain is a complex organ. It requires several different nutrients to work correctly. Nutritional insufficiencies have contributed to the development of psychiatric disorders, age-related cognitive decline, and developmental disorders.

On the other hand, human studies show that increased intake of brain-supporting nutrients improves cognitive functioning aspects such as learning and memory. list of six essential vitamins and minerals for a healthy brain

  • Thiamine
  • folic acid (B9)
  • Ascorbic Acid 
  • Calcium
  • Magnesium
  • Zinc

In the above information, we saw that which is more beneficial for the brain, and now we see all about vitamins and minerals.

Vitamins and Minerals
Design by Freepik

Table of Contents

Say hi to attention, retention, and concentration. Here we recommend a Premium Nootropic brain booster enriched with the goodness of herbal ingredients that help improve brain functions. Buy the product right now to get impressive benefits.

ONNIT Alpha Brain

Premium Nootropic Brain Supplement

  • Designed to help reduce brain fog and boost focus
  • Help you realize your limitless potential

Best Price

BUY NOW AT AMAZON

Thiamine

Thiamine is one type of vitamin and also called Vitamin B1. Vitamin B1 is found in many foods like yeast, grains, beans, nuts, and meat. It is often found in B vitamins and vitamin B complex.

Thiamine is also used for boosting your immune power, digestive problems, diabetic pain, cervical cancer, and other conditions.

Some other people also use thiamine to maintain a positive mental attitude, enhance learning abilities, fight stress, increase energy, and prevent memory loss, including Alzheimer’s.

Dosages of Thiamine

Adults and Pediatric Dosages

Tablets of thiamine

50 mg, 100 mg, 250 mg

Capsule of thiamine

50 mg

Capsule of thiamine

100 mg/ml

Recommended Daily Average in adults and pediatric:

  • In male 1.2mg/day
  • In female 1.1mg/day
  • Pregnancy 1.4mg/day
  • 0-6 months: 0.2mg/day
  • 6-12 months: 0.3 mg/day
  • 1-3 year old: 0.5 mg/day
  • 3-8 year old: 0.6 mg/day

Function

Thiamin helps your body’s cells change carbohydrates into energy. The leading role of carbohydrates is to provide energy for your body. It also plays a role in muscle contraction.

Thiamin is most important for the metabolism of pyruvate.

Folic acid

Folic acid is a manufactured form of a B vitamin called folate, which plays a vital role in forming red blood cells. It helps in the development of neural tubes in the baby’s brain and spinal cord.

If you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, then take folic acid till 12 weeks pregnant.

Recommended intake

Category
Recommended Dietary Allowance

0-6 moths

                       65 mg/

7-12 months

80 mg/day

1-3 years old

150 mg/day

4-8 years old

200 mg /day

14 years and up people

400 mg/day

Pregnant women

600 mg/day

Breastfeeding women

500 mg/day

Like other medicines, folic acid also has some side effects in some people.

  • Nausea
  • Feeling sick
  • Loss of appetite
  • Bloating or wind

What Does Vitamin B Complex Do? | All About Vitamin B Complex

I also wrote on What Does Vitamin B Complex Do? | All About Vitamin B Complex that you can follow.

Ascorbic Acid

Ascorbic acid is a prescription drug used to treat symptoms of ascorbic acid deficiency and nutritional supplementation.

You can take this vitamin by mouth with or without food, usually 1 to 2 times in your daily life.

Side effects

There are some common side effects of Ascorbic Acid which are as follows:

  • Diarrhea
  • Vomiting
  • Nausea
  • Abdominal cramp
  • Headache
  • Before taking ascorbic acid medicine, discuss with your doctor or pharmacist if you have any allergies.

Calcium

Calcium is a chemical element, which is very much needed by the human body. Calcium is one of the essential elements for our good health. Calcium is essential for the bones, cells, nerves, blood, muscles, and heart of the body. Every day, we lose calcium through our skin, hair, nails, sweat, urine, and feces.

How much calcium do you need?

Women

Age 50 and younger

1,000 mg*/day

Age 51 and older

1,200 mg*/day

Men

Age 70 and younger

1,000 mg*/day

Age 71 and older

1,200 mg*/day

Source of food

  • Sunlight
  • Supplements
  • Food like dairy product, yogurt, cheese
  • Green vegetables

Deficiency

  • People with dark skin
  • Obese or overweight people
  • Certain medical condition

Also see: Calcium Rich Diet During Pregnancy

Magnesium

Magnesium is vital for the body. A human body needs to have enough amount of magnesium for its proper functioning.

Source of magnesium

Spinach, Almonds, and cashew nuts are some of the foods highest amount of magnesium.

  • Avocado
  • Peanut
  • Soy Milk
  • Brown rice
  • Salmon Fish 
  • Chicken 
  • Beef

Deficiency

  • Muscle cramps
  • Loss of appetite
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Fatiuge

To learn more: Can Stress Cause Nausea?: All About Stress And Adaptation

Zinc

Zinc is one type of nutrient that plays an essential role in the human body. The human body doesn’t naturally produce zinc; you have to get it from food or supplements.

Zinc benefits

  • Decreases Inflammation
  • Boosts Your Immune System
  • Accelerates Wound Healing
  • Treating diarrhea

Sources

  • Meats
  • Beans
  • Nuts
  • Fish
  • Dairy product
  • Seafood

Recommended intake

Age

Male

Female

0-6 months

2 mg/day

2 mg/day

7-12 moths

3 mg/day

3 mg/day

1-3 years

3 mg/day

3 mg/day

14-18 years

11 mg/day

9 mg/day

19 years and up

11 mg/day

8 mg/day

   

Deficiency

  • Diarrhea
  • Eye and skin lesions
  • Changes in taste
  • Delayed growth in children
  • Fertility problem

Conclusion

The brain of the human body is an organ whose complex functioning largely depends on micronutrients. Vitamin C and minerals are essential for the normal functioning of our brain. Deficiency of any of the above vitamins can lead to developmental problems and mental illnesses in children.

If you want to maintain your health and mental agility, add these micronutrients to your daily diet.

Check out:

Are you using one of these minerals and vitamins from the above list for good mental health? If yes, then tell us how has your experience been so far? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Did you find this guide useful? Share it with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn!

Sharing is caring ❤

Scroll to Top