Supplements and Brain Health-- do they work?

[AARPMaggie]

Get the facts and you might be surprised to learn that focusing on exercise, healthy foods, getting more sleep, and learning new things might be better for you. Learn more about brain health with AARP® Staying Sharp, a benefit for AARP Members.

[turnerasylum]

I have found that chia pudding, made with chia seeds, yogurt, lemon/lime juice and honey has improved my memory, concentration and focus as well as my immune system. Chia has a form of Omega 3 & 6 oils so it passes through the blood/brain barrier and nourishes the brain which is mostly fat!   A supplement called Q96 has helped, it is chelated minerals, easier to absorb and utilize.  It was designed by a Canadian man for his son with bipolar disorder. One from Nature Made called Triple Omega has helped my memory and also lowered my cholesterol 40 points in 3 months with only 1 pill daily. An egg/day can also help with memory. It was discovered a few years ago that dialysis patients who developed frequent MRSA infections had lower albumin levels and that just adding 1 egg/day raised the levels and reduced repeated MRSA infections.  Before my husband started dialysis, he became very anemic. We did an "experiment" for 3 months between his routine appointments of having an iron boosting meal once/day with NO calcium high foods.  Calcium blocks the absorption of iron so we used essentially a Kosher diet. His hematocrit went up 3 points in those 3 months which astonished his doctor. He checked all his labs and it wasn't a fluke because other factors improved. On the strength of the experiment, the doctor was able to prove that diet can help and they were able to hire a full-time nutritionist for all the dialysis centers and some of their anemia only patients were able to get off the weekly shots and have a normal life again. Anemia drains energy and fogs the brain but following the diet, they got it back and their lives!

[LisaB650153]

Thank you for this information. If Chia seeds taste good I will add this to my diet. Salmon gives me a nice dose Omega 3 (fish oils). I don't want people to waste money on things that don't work.

[LisaB650153]

Brain supplements do not increase brain health. These supplements increase economics for stores.

As people age the body changes naturally. People need to eat healthy and exercise to maintain good

brain health. These supplements have no clinical studies to prove they work.

[AARPRachelA]

What a great topic! Check out this supplements and brain health expert event that was hosted in the online community in 2019 for more information as well. You can hear from Sarah Locke, AARP Brain Health Expert, Paul Cotes, Ph.D., and Howard Fillit, MD. They answered questions from community members and provided great insight into supplements and brain health.

Speaking of healthy foods, this is what AARP Brain Health Expert Sarah Locke had to say about fish:

"It’s not impossible to consume a healthy amount of fish that has shown a positive impact on people’s brain health...GCBH experts have also pointed out that you can get the same nutritional value from fresh, frozen, or canned foods. So for more affordable options, look for frozen or canned fish, and ones without lots of added breading, salt, sugar, and fat." Visit this topic thread to learn more!