Healthy Brain Fitness Tip # 2
Maintaine Your Level Of Homocystiene
Many Americans are basicially vitamin deficient. We are
the most overfed and undernourished country in the world.
The excessive meat, sugar, alcohol, coffee and cigarettes we consume
depletes us of critical B vitamins that are needed to keep us healthy.
Without adequate amounts of folate, B6 and B12 we are at increased risk
for Alzheimer’s, dementia, Parkinson’s, and depression, not
to mention heart attacks, strokes, breast, colon, cervical, lung and
prostate cancer.
(Who wants any of those?)
If that isn’t enough, women deficient in folate before or during
pregnancy are more likely to give birth to children with spinal spinal
cord defects and Down’s syndrome. One recent study found those
with the highest homocysteine had twice the risk of getting dementia
and Alzheimer’s. Thankfully, you can easily fix this.
First, don't be afraid to ask your doctor to check your blood level
of homocysteine. The ideal level is less than 9. Most people do well
with about 1000 mcg of folic acid (the minimum RDA level is 400 micrograms),
25-50 mg of B6 and 500-1000 mcg of B12. But be sure to recheck your
blood level of homocysteine on a scheduled basis, and make sure it is
in range.
Also cut down on the amount of meat, alcohol, caffeine and sugar you
consume and increase your intake of beans and dark green leafy vegetables
(collards, kale, broccoli, etc.)