Can Nutrition Positively Affect Mental Sharpness?
Losing Your Mental Sharpness? I hope not but for many Americans that is a real concern. Did you know that, according to a recent independent survey, the number one health concern among Americans 40 years of age and older-above even cancer and heart disease-is retaining mental sharpness.
I don’t know about you but I was surprised…I thought it would be cancer or heart disease. True both of cancer and heart disease are serious but I guess when you lose your ability to make decisions you lose your right to decide anything.
Can you do anything to prevent mental decline? Are there nutritional substances that can help prevent degeneration of our minds?
Many of us either have a loved one or know someone that has experienced neurodegenerative disease. If you have aging parents or you yourself have gotten older the mental sharpness may not be what it once was.
If you have an aging family member they may be able to recall things in the past but if you tell them something within a few minutes or so they may have forgotten what you said. This is often called dementia.
What are Neurodegenerative Diseases?
They include a spectrum of disorders that attack the brain and nervous tissue, interfere with coordinated muscle control and or the ability to learn, think clearly, or access our memories. They can include demyelinating disorders like MS, movement and cerebellar disorders like Huntington’s and Parkinson’s diseases, and dementias that include Alzheimer’s.
Dementia is a progressive decline in mental function. It disrupts memory, behavioral self- control, attention span, language skills and problem solving.
To learn more on the subject check out Shaklee’s Medical Website:
http://content.nhiondemand.com/SHK/HC1.asp?objID=100613&ctype=hc
Do Drugs help with degenerating diseases of the Brain?
So far the results have been less than satisfactory One common form of dementia is Alzheimer’s. Pharmaceutical companies have sold various drugs such as Aricept. However the five drugs that are currently approved by the FDA to treat dementia all failed to show “clinically important improvements” for the patients who took them”
The publication MedPage Today cited another drug study by Pfizer for a new drug for mild to moderate Alzheimer’s was recently halted In the wake of another negative trial with the anti-amyloid biologic drug bapineuzumab .
What Causes the Brain to Degenerate?
The answer may lie in the failure of this little organelle?
The common thread connecting Mental Degenerative Disease is the Mitochondria within the Brain Tissue
Mitochondria are the furnaces that produce energy in every cell in our body. When mitochondria are damaged it permits leakage of reactive free radicals, which cause damage to the brain tissue. This progressive degeneration of nervous tissue follows Known as the “power plant of the cell,” mitochondria are central to the conversion of fatty acids and glucose to usable energy in the form of ATP (adenosine triphosphate).
Which Neurodengenitive Disease Responds to Nutritional Support?
The most common mental degenerative diseases that respond to nutritional supplementation are
- Alzheimers,
- Parkinson’s Disease
- Multiple Sclerosis.
Because pharmaceuticals have proven ineffective the emerging focus has been on alternative intervention in Brain Energetics since most of these diseases involve mitochondrial disruption. Knowing that these mental degenerative diseases are caused from mitochondria degeneration, supplements that provide mitochondria multiplication or mitochondria biogenesis have shown promising results for those afflicted with these degenerative diseases.
Nutrients that have a positive Effect on Mitochondria
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Polyphenols
One of the most popular of polyphenols that you hear in the media is resveratrol. However, Shaklee Corporation found through confirmed studies that a polyphenol product should contain more than just resveratrol alone to be the most effective in generating mitochondria. Shaklee created a product called Vivix a liquid polyphenol blend that is proven to create a multiplication of mitochondria greater than resveratrol alone.
This independent study was completed by Dr. Zimmet at the University of Tennessee. Here are the slides that study
Polyphenols also have shown to be supportive in prevention of other diseases as well
- cardiovascular diseases,
- cancers
- osteoporosis
- neurodegenerative diseases
- diabetes mellitus.
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2. Polyphenol’s Partner that makes gears up the energy in the Mitochondria
Studies that correlated damage to the mitochondria also revealed that the damaged cells have depressed levels of antioxidants and Co-enzyme 10.
Co-Q is a “helper enzyme” associated with energy production within the mitochondria. Mitochondria by the way are found in the highest concentrations without the heart, muscles and nervous tissue.
Unfortunately cellular C0Q10 levels decreases in our late 20’s. By age 50 you have 50% less coQ10 and by 60 you are deficient. And don’t forget drugs such as statins deplete CoQ10 as well.
Adding a mixed polyphenol that multiplies the mitochondria plus a CoQ10 to help the energy production gives you a great duo.
Shaklee makes a very active form of CoQ10 called CoQHeart it contains a proprietary blend of CoQ10 and resveratrol, ingredients that help produce energy to power your heart
Other Nutrients that are helpful:
Vitamin B
Two researchers (Shoffner and Wallace) report that mitochondrial insuffieciency syndromes respond very well to HIGH doses of B-Vitamins. B vitamins are cofactors driving many processes of energy production in our cells. And they showed that COQ10 helped correct that mitochondrial insufficiency when associated with neurodegenerative diseases.
Shaklee Corporation makes a B Complex ( that has a unique patented delivery system to improve the absorption of folic acid. It is the most balanced B supplement. Most other brands provide insufficient
levels of B vitamins.
Alpha Limpoic Acid or ALA
This is a highly effective antioxidant. It crosses the brain barrier, protecting brain cells from free radical damage. It also help regenerate cellular enzymes that speed metabolism and is also an essential cofactor for cellular energy production.
ALA demonstrates benefits for those suffering with MS.
Shaklee’s product called Glucose Regulation Complex that contains ALA.
OmegaGuard is a triple distilled fish oil so it is free from toxins like mercury and lead found in many fish oils on the market. Fish oil has been found to be effective for fighting inflammation. Many of these mental diseases do involve inflammation which is developed from fibrous adhesions found in nerve tissues.
Shaklee Omegaguard is unique because it contains a full spectrum of all 7 naturally occurring omega-3 fatty acids in a significant dose.
Summary
Pharmaceutical companies continue to investigate new drugs for treatment or slowing down neurodegenerative diseases. So far as seen in the latest study they have been unsuccessful.
In the meantime it seems that the benefits of nutrition outweigh the drug route. Shaklee products have research and clinical test that have proven the effectiveness of their products for over 56 years.
Be on the look out for the Newest Product from Shaklee coming shortly…this new cognition product is based on the latest scientific research.
