Iron and Dementia
In the US iron deficiency has been found to be a major problem in people of all ages. Everyone knows the lack of iron causes anemia. Iron is the center of our red blood cells, which allow oxygen to be carried throughout your body and into your brain. Your brain uses over 20% of the oxygen available in the blood. Lack of oxygen has a major impact on your brain’s health and in the formation of dementia.

When a person is deficient in iron, they may have difficulty in keeping a conversation or in keeping a good attention span.

The actual ability to absorb iron into your body is dependent on the amount of acid you have in your stomach. If you have acid reflux or heartburn and are using drugs or antacids to get relief, you are affecting your ability to absorb iron.

To absorb iron, the pH in your stomach has to be normal, 1 – 2 pH. Under these conditions, iron in your stomach chemically reacts with other chemicals and is prepared for absorption in the small intestine.

When you take drugs to reduce the acid in your stomach, the iron does not chemically react and change for proper absorption in the intestine. The result is iron deficiency.

Here are some of the best foods that have iron.
Fried liver, fried kidney, fried chicken liver, wheat bran, ovaltine, coco powder, spinach, parsley, radishes, peas, leeks, carob bar, sesame seeds, pistachio nuts, dried coconut, cashew nuts, muesli, cornflakes, oatmeal, brown rice, total cereal, baked potato. Use 25 to 50 mg of iron supplement daily. If you take iron supplements check with your doctor to see if you really need them. Take excessive iron can result in poisoning. Keep iron supplements away from children.

B-Vitamin
The B-vitamin folic acid and B12 have also been a major problem in the US. B12 has been consistently found deficient in people with Alzheimer’s. Folic acid and B12 have been found to improve mental health in people who were in metal institutions.

Folic acid and B12 work to produce neurotransmitters and replace nerve cells. The lack of neurotransmitters is responsible for loss of a good memory.

To make sure B vitamins work for you in keeping your mental capacities in tack start making sure you are getting them in your diet or taking them as a supplement. If supplementing, use the B50 or B100 complex.

It appears that after a certain age B12 will not help in alleviating mental changes or problems.

Here are some the best foods that have B vitamins.

fish and seafood
whole grains breads, cereals, oats, and barley
chicken, beef, eggs
most leafy green vegetables, avocados
cheese, milk and yogurt
beans and peas
oranges, lemons, grapefruits
various nuts
It is always best to get your minerals and vitamins in food. In food, minerals and vitamins are combined with other chemicals that allow your body to absorb them better than supplements.
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The long chain omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, found in the greatest abundance in fish and fish oil but also in some other foods as well, play a key role as components of cellular membranes. During the regular aging process, cell membranes become much more rigid. This can adversely effect the function of tissues throughout the body, including the brain.

Perhaps the top asset to the brain of them all is DHA, the principal polyunsaturated fat in the central nervous system. DHA is appears to have a very direct effect on brain chemistry, development and functioning. DHA is essential for both kids and adults, but DHA is as vital to a kid’s diet as sitcoms are to prime time television. The top source of omega-3 fatty acids of them all is cold-water fish and fish oils, but omega-3 fatty acids can also be found in varying quantities in other foods such as certain vegetable oils walnuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, peanuts, flaxseed and also eggs.

The bottom line is, Omega-3 fatty acids appear to protect the brain, which is why many physicians recommend taking an omega-3 supplement, usually fish oil because of it’s high concentration of readily absorbed dha and epa (flax and other sources have to be converted in the body instead of being directly assimilated).

Even our President and Governer Shwarzenagger take omega-3 supplements. There have been a considerable amount of clinical research studies conducted related to the benefits of omega-3 dietary supplements (especially fish oil) in certain inflammatory and autoimmune diseases in people, including but not limited to arthritis, ulcerative colitis, lupus erythematosus, multiple sclerosis and heart disease. This research goes back to 1970′s Greenland and beyond. Some if not most of the placebo trials of fish oil in inflammatory conditions show substantial benefits such as for example a lessened disease activity and a lower overall requirement of various anti-inflammatory drugs.

Because omega-3 fatty acids are a very key component of development during the entire course of a person’s life cycle, they should be included in the diets of each individual.

Zinc is one of those minerals that you need to hold off the onset of dementia or Alzheimer’s. Most older people and those with dementia and other mental disorders have been found to be deficient in zinc. In most studies zinc has been shown to improve mental capacity in elders.

To get zinc into your blood stream you need to have a specific acid that is excreted by the pancreas. This acid is called “picolinic acid” When food containing zinc or zinc supplements reache the small intestine, duodenum, the pancreas excretes picolinic acid. This acid binds with zinc and moves it across your intestinal wall and into your blood stream.

Picolinic acid is created in the liver and kidneys from the amino acid tryptoph. This amino acid then moves into the pancreas. If you have diabetes or if your pancreas is overworked or weak, you will not be excreting enough picolinic acid and will not be providing enough zinc to your brain. You will need to supplement your diet with zinc.

The type of zinc you need is one that is bound with picolinic acid. This type is called “zinc picolinate.” There are other type of zinc supplements such as zinc citrate and zinc gluconate, but they are not absorb as good as zinc picolinate. If you cannot get zinc picolinate then the next best is zinc gluconate.

The body has many uses for zinc and this can contribute to a deficiency of zinc in your blood and in your brain.

The body uses zinc to help,

with enzyme chemical reactions
antioxidants prevent arteriosclerosis
DNA prevent dementia or Alzheimer’
with cells activity
kidneys maintain acid base balance
with carbon dioxide removal
make pancreatic enzymes
your liver to detoxify alcohols
and the list goes on and on
Here are some of the foods you should add to your diet to get more zinc.

beef, lamb, cheese, yeasts, oysters, Shrimp, herring, sunflower seeds, Pumpkin Seeds, Sesame Seeds, wheat germ & bran, Mushrooms, Spinach, Squash, Asparagus, Collard Greens, Broccoli ,Chard, Miso, Maple Syrup

Zinc can be toxic in excessive amounts. A safe amount to take is 20 – 25 mg per day. Do not take more than 40 mg per day. Toxic effects are stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, cramps, and diarrhea.

Add these foods and zinc picolinate to your diet in an effort to starve off dementia and Alzheimer’s. There are a more special nutrients that you should include in your diet to prevent degradation of your mental thinking. These Nutrients will be discussed in other other articles.