H
ow can we keep our minds sharp
and our thinking clear all our life?
One key is to supplement with
optimal amounts of antioxidants.
Antioxidants quell damage done to tissues
by free radicals, including brain tissue. The
evidence is overwhelming that people who
supplement their diet with the key
antioxidant nutrients will have markedly
reduced cognitive deterioration, and they
tend to live longer, too.
Clinical Evidence
E
lderly men who take vitamins C
and Eat least once a week over
a
number of years appear to be
protected from dementia and experience
improved cognitive function (memory,
creativity, and mental acuity), according to a
new study in the March 2000 Neurology.
The study reviewed use of supplements
among of 3,385 Japanese-American men in
1988. The men were tested again in 1993.
At that time, most of the men did not have
memory problems, although 47 had
Alzheimer’s dementia; 35 had vascular
dementia; 50 had mixed/other types of
dementia; and 254 performed poorly on the
cognitive tests without diagnosed dementia.
The men who took vitamin C or E alone in
1988 scored better on the 1993 memory
tests than men who took no supplements.
Researchers also noted the men who
took both vitamins C and E for years
showed a substantially greater improvement
in cognitive function, suggesting long-term
use is required to improve cognitive
function later in life.
Powerful B Vitamins
Improve Mental Function
W
e also know that folic acidand
other B complex vitamins are
critical to healthy mental
functioning. A recent study in the April
2000 issue of the American Journal
of Clinical
Nutrition
showed that women with
Alzheimer’s disease were also more likely to
have low blood levels of folate (i.e., folic
acid) than women without the disease.
In the study, researchers focused on 30
nuns, half of whom had brain changes
consistent with Alzheimer’s disease when
their brains were analyzed at autopsy. The
women, ages 78 to 101 when they died, lived
in the same convent for most of their lives.
While the study’s authors couldn't
determine whether low levels of folate
caused Alzheimer’s, researchers say it is
possible the women had low blood levels of
the nutrient because they had problems
absorbing or metabolizing it. Researchers
call for more research, noting it’s possible
folic acid plays a role in Alzheimer’s disease
because it’s important in the central nervous
system development and blood vessel
maintenance.
Feeling blue lately? Older women with
vitamin B12deficiencies are at a twofold
increased risk for depression. Most protein
foods are sources of B12, although the
elderly may have trouble absorbing the
vitamin; supplementation could help.
Research from the Cleveland Clinic in
Ohio shows us that supplementary
thiamine(vitamin B1) can help to improve
neurotic-like symptoms, even when there is
no evidence of a thiamine deficiency.
Additional studies show that thiamine can
help to alleviate depression and chronic
hysteria, as well as improve one’s clear-
headedness.
Clearly, these examples demonstrate the
value of a well-designed B complex
supplement.
Sharp Minds Live Longer
I
n a study published in the November
1999 issue of the American Journal
of
Epidemiology, researchers tested the
cognitive function of 2,380 people aged 55-
85 years who took part in the Netherlands’
Longitudinal Aging Study from 1992 to
1993. The idea of the study was to assess
whether a link could be drawn between
intelligence and longevity.
Study participants underwent five types
of mental tests to assess cognitive
functioning. Data on mortality rates was
taken during a follow-up period of over
three years.
The researchers found that various brain
functions such as information processing
speed, fluid intelligence, and proportion
retained were able to predict mortality.
Information processing speed was the most
successful predictor of mortality. In this
study, 16.4 percent of persons with low
scores died compared to only 5.8 persons of
the high scorers.
The researchers conclude that when we
have optimal information processing speed,
fluid intelligence, and memory powers we
will live longer. In other words, as our brain
power declines, this reflects a general
breakdown of physiological function due to
the normal aging process. Stay sharp. Live
longer.
The Doctor’s Recommendation
P
rotecting your brain power requires
optimal nutrition. Supplement with
a multiple vitamin and mineral
formula, Vitamin and Mineral System
™
from Whitewing Labs, and extra amounts of
vitamins C and E and the B Complex.
Vitamin and Mineral System is an
extremely well-rounded multiple vitamin
and mineral formula that should be the
foundation of a daily supplement program.
The optimal amounts of some nutrients
required to support cognitive function,
however, would be too great to put into a
broad-based multiple. Combine Vitamin
and Mineral System
with Vitamin B
Complex, Vitamin Cand
Vitamin Ealso
from Whitewing Labs.
Look no further. Order all four of these
fine supplements by using the order form
located in the middle of this journal and
begin improving your health today!
To Order Call Toll-Free: 1-800-950-3030,
Department 6021 Internet: http://www.whitewing.com/
.
Page 13
Antioxidants
Protect Against Age-relatedSenility
We now have reason to believe
that antioxidants and B vitamins
that support healthy brain
processing will extend your life.
