Best Vitamins for Improving Memory: Supplements and Apps
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You’ve most definitely heard this said before, but the human body is amazing. A single neuron, of which your brain has around 2 billion, each produces as much as 1,000 nerve pulses a second. Meanwhile, the heart stays busy pumping around 5 to 6 liters of blood per minute. All the while, your body works to replace 330 billion cells a day.
The best vitamins for improving memory include those that are found in daily foods. Vitamin B12, E, D, Omega-3, and many others are often found in fruits, grains, and meat and help the body function recover in order to replenish vital memory sources. Apart from vitamin supplements, there are great memory training apps, which enable better memory retention.
Because of these amazing operations, which are constantly happening, people often think of our bodies as self-sufficient. Yet, these functions, and indeed thousands of others, wouldn’t be possible without six kinds of nutrients: carbohydrate, fat, protein, vitamin, mineral, and water.
As even our elementary school children are aware, a lack of nutrients has negative effects on bodily function. However, vitamin deficiency specifically has a close relationship with cognition, including memory.
Can Tablets Really Boost Your Memory?
Through balanced, healthy eating, you should have no problem sourcing everything you need to operate as normal. However, those who are missing key nourishment from their diet, are genetically predisposed to vitamin deficiency, or have health conditions that affect the absorption of nutrients, will begin to see problems in various body departments.
A dependence on nutrients unites all functions, so it’s no surprise that vitamin tablets can positively influence memory. As a result, the effect of vitamins on memory has long been a popular subject for scientific study. Several experiments have shown improvement in memory after taking vitamin tablets.
More generally, many potential solutions for boosting memory include vitamin B12, omega-3 fatty acids, and herbal supplements like ginseng. While there’s lots of anecdotal evidence that these supplements boost memory, further research is needed.
What are the Best Vitamins for Memory?
Nutrition is a deceptively complicated topic. The exact role of each vitamin, how the body uses them, and recommended daily amount are all disputed. However, of all the 13 essential vitamins, it is largely agreed that B12 and E play a vital role in memory.
1. Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 is essential for memory. Scientifically shown to help resist memory loss and dementia, there is a solid reason to believe B12 supplements have positive health benefits for people of all ages.
Found in meat, fish, eggs, and dairy produce, vitamin B12 helps to maintain healthy nerve cells. As a result, it has huge significance for cognitive functions, which includes memory.
UK Chief medical officers warn that “A lack of vitamin B12 can cause neurological problems, which affect your nervous system… [which includes] memory loss.” Seeing as B12 is also used for building DNA, it’s not particularly shocking that it influences memory.
A 2016 study associated low VitB12 levels with poorer memory function. A Research in Finland found that participants with higher levels of B12 showed less risk of weakened cognition. Later research also indicated “very low levels of vitamin B12 could be the cause of permanent, or at least refractory, changes in cognition and memory, which can lead to dementia.”
Due to the fact that the elderly have a weakened ability to absorb vitamins, experts estimate around 20% of seniors have suboptimal levels B12. This increases the risk of memory problems, precisely why taking supplements is so important for older adults. B12 vitamin tablets can be used to resist this age-related memory loss or memory issues caused by deficiency.
2. Vitamin E
There’s enough evidence to support the argument that vitamin E supplements can be used to help keep the mind sharp. Experiments show it has a positive influence on the brain, more specifically supporting cognitive function and slowing the rate of age-related memory loss
Aside from maintaining skin and eye health, vitamin E also strengthens the immune system and cell membranes. It’s sourced from plant oils, nuts, seeds, fruits, and vegetables. As far as memory is concerned, there is some research that suggests vitamin E is a key player.
According to one study, published in The Journal of the American Medical Association, vitamin E may slow the decline of memory-related illnesses, namely Alzheimer’s disease. A 2000 study also found this to be true, concluding that vitamin E and C supplements increased protection against memory disorders in the elderly.
Once again, a 2002 study found that participants with the highest vitamin E intake saw a 36% reduction in the rate of cognitive decline associated with age.
Other Supplements that May Help Memory
There’s no consensus on how many nutrients contribute towards memory, but it’s wise to assume that it’s more than simply vitamins B12 and E. Here are a few other potential treatments:
1. Vitamin D
Vitamin D regulates calcium and phosphates in the body, crucial for developing and continually reinforcing strong bones, teeth, and muscles. You can find it in meat, fish, eggs and some mushrooms, but no other plants produce it, meaning vegetarians and vegans may struggle to get enough of this important nutrient. Meanwhile, serious conditions like celiac disease or chronic pancreatitis can diminish a person’s ability to process vitamin D.
Vitamin D deficiency may be more common than first thought. Research from 2018 found that 36.7% of participants aged 18-74 measured as moderately Vitamin D deficient. A separate study made the danger of this state a year earlier, which showed an association between low vitamin D levels and decline in visual memory.
Taking vitamin D supplements may be a viable treatment for combating memory-related illness. A recent experiment found that participants who took vitamin D supplements (500mg/day) had improved memory and learning performance but slower reaction times. However, as the dose increased (1000mg/day), the benefits to memory faded.
2. Omega-3
The relationship between omega-3 and memory has long been recognized, particularly regarding Alzheimer’s patients, so taking supplements of this kind is a sensible place to look for a memory boost.
A 2016 study found that participants taking omega-3 supplements performed significantly better in mental tests than the placebo group, summarizing that omega-3 had “positive effects on memory functions in healthy older adults.”
Another experiment in which older adults suffering from loneliness took omega-3 supplements concluded that the decline of certain memory functions was slowed when supplements were taken, but it’s difficult to say whether omega-3 generally benefits memory definitively.
3. Unrecognized or Unknown
There is the possibility that certain nutrients remain unknown. For instance, it was not until 1998 that choline was officially recognized as an essential nutrient by the Institute of Medicine (IOM).
As we learn more about the relationship between nutrition and health, it may be the case that other nutrients may be added to the list of essentials, or overlooked sources such as Phytonutrients (natural plant compounds) play a larger role.
Best Ways to Help your Memory
If you’re looking to enhance your memory, there are other avenues to go down as well as supplements. Lifestyle choices are equally as impactful on thinking and memory skills.
1. Exercise
It’s widely accepted that exercise boosts memory; it triggers a range of physiological responses, one being the production of new blood vessels in the brain.
Researchers at the University of British Columbia found that regular aerobic exercises, such as running, dancing, or swimming, seem to boost the size of the hippocampus, an area closely connected to verbal memory.
2. Puzzles & Mental Activities
Mental puzzles stimulate both hemispheres of the brain, the analytical left side, and the creative right side. This is one of the reasons why crosswords, Sudoku, and Jigsaw puzzles have earned the reputation of mind-sharpeners, as they require considerable effort.
“We’ve found that the more regularly people engage with puzzles such as crosswords and Sudoku, the sharper their performance is across a range of tasks assessing memory, attention, and reasoning,” says Dr. Anne Corbett, leader of recent University of Exeter Medical School research.
There is a large collection of studies that corroborate the power of regularly doing puzzles or comparable mental activities that give your brain a workout.
3. The memoryOS App
A large proportion of us expects our memory to be perfect without ever having trained this remarkable ability. Memorization skills can be learned and developed with the memoryOS app, a tool specifically designed to improve memory through enjoyable means that don’t trigger resistance from old, unhelpful habits.
Built on the premise that learning should be fun, the memoryOS merges the latest advances in e-learning with immersive 3D gaming. Research has already shown that 3D games are more effective for training memory than 2D equivalents. Don’t worry, though, no prior gaming experience is required to take advantage of the memoryOS app.
There are many other apps out there designed to help memory, but most are poorly constructed and focus principally on repetitive matching and sequence activities. MemoryOS features the innovative Mind Palace Virtual Implant (MPVI), which allows an individual to gain control over the process of memory as means to greatly increase mental capacity.
Learn more about the technology that enables memoryOS to empower your mind here
Lifestyle Choices Harmful to Memory
Lack of Exercise: the memory boost you can get from exercise works both ways; too sedentary a lifestyle will weaken your cognitive abilities, including memory.
Poor Diet: if you aren’t sourcing the vitamins you need from a healthy, balanced diet, you will begin to see negative effects quite quickly. Certain diets are prone to lacking particular nutrients, so it may be advantageous to supplement the necessary vitamins and fatty acids.
Substance Abuse: Drinking too much alcohol, smoking, and taking other harmful substances dramatically affects long-term brain function and thus memory. In severe cases, the damage is irreparable.
It is Important to Remember!
Despite massive interest in the topic, memory remains mysterious. There is a considerable amount of research to indicate that vitamin supplements can help maintain normal memory function. The benefits of using vitamins for memory health seem to be far greater for older adults and the elderly.
However, many of the ideas on vitamin supplements for boosting memory are speculative and lack research. Additionally, the exact nutritional requirements of every individual is not uniform. Diet has a huge impact on healthy brain function, so those looking to boost memory should ensure they’re eating well before assessing the need for tablet supplements.
FAQ
Can vitamins improve memory? As memory is such an intangible concept, it can be difficult to determine the cause of memory loss. Having trouble remembering can be symptomatic of various conditions. However, there is evidence to believe that vitamins help improve memory, especially in those who are nutrient-deficient or suffer from conditions that affect memory.
What is the best vitamin for memory? There isn’t one true answer on the best vitamin for memory support, but substantial research has been done with B12, D, and E. However, there may be other vitamins that impact memory, currently unsupported by experimental proof.
What apps help improve memory? Various apps can help you to stimulate the three areas of the brain responsible for memory. Digital versions of classic puzzles like crosswords or Sudoku, brain games containing a number and word activities, and coaching/therapy apps can all help with memory. The memoryOS app concentrates on developing core memorization skills for gradual and sustained memory improvement.