Healthy Brain

‘Want a Healthy Brain?’ – http://www.laurelonhealthfood.com, 09/09/08

The University of Oxford concluded that consuming more vitamin B12 in our diets may prevent brain shrinkage and memory loss later in life.  In a study of 107 people who were 61-87 year olds, those with the highest B12 levels in their blood were six times less likely to have brain shrinkage than those with lower levels of B12.

‘Study author Anna Vogiatzoglou, M.Sc. said, “this study suggests that simply adjusting our diets to get more vitamin B12 through eating meat, fish, fortified cereals, or milk may be something we can easily accomplish to prevent brain shrinkage and so perhaps save our memory.” The Oxford study did not measure whether B12 in supplement form would make any difference in brain shrinkage.’

Unlike the vitamin B6 post earlier, the study source is from the U.K, and advises we can obtain the vitamin through our food, not vitamin supplements. Perhaps the researchers were aware of the vitamin supplement debate earlier in the year, so did not mention vitamin tablets as a source of B12.

Vitamin B6

’25% of Americans Lacking B6′- http://www.laurelonhealthfood.com, 04/09/08

 

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition recently published a study that found 25% of Americans are not getting enough vitamin B6. That’s one in four people..which is quite a lot.

Laurel on health food explains that B6 is important for

-forming new cells

-processing carbohydrates

-supporting the nervous, cardiovascular, and immune systems

 

Food rich in B6 includes spinach, garlic, cauliflower, bell peppers, yellowfin tuna, salmon, cod, turnip greens, celery, broccoli, banana, asparagus and avocado.

‘To help ensure you’re getting all the basic nutrients, most reputable sources recommend taking a daily vitamin’. I remember earlier this year, there was a debate on the news that vitamin supplements do not really work.

 

I’m no health expert but I think the odd vitamin tablet is okay to have when you feel you need them, but would be worried if you relied on them heavily. Today, many people may feel they are too busy to eat properly and rely on ready-made meals or eat outside, and may take vitamin supplements to substitute what they may lack. Because it’s convenient, because it’s the easy solution. If people ate a balanced diet, they shouldn’t have the need to take vitamin supplements. I also think it feels a lot more satisfactory to know you are taking in fresh vitamins and nutrients from freshly made food.

 

This blog entry is interesting as it talks less about the facts and is more from the blogger’s own ‘voice’, and is probably why I had made more comment. Laurel says she also takes vitamin supplements, and calls over readers asking them if they take vitamin supplements too, prompting reactions from readers. The headline ’25% of Americans Lacking B6′ is a hard-hitting line and the colourful picture at the bottom of the post draws readers to read the entry. The entry was at a length that would not take too long to read either.

My first impression on the topic is surprise at the high figure of Americans lacking B6. At first I do not think much of the figure, but as soon as Laurel comments ‘that’s a big scary number’, I am prompted to reconsider the figure and realise the reason for concern. When Laurel states she ‘used to be anti-vitamins’, it raised my next concern – about the intake and benefits of vitamin supplements (a debate discussed in the news earlier in the year not relating to the blog), although this was not highlighted in the entry. The blog seemed oblivious of this debate and the overall message of the entry seemed to be:

problem: deficiency of vitamin

solution: take vitamin supplements