Chromium
Chromium is essential in the manufacture of trypsin, an important digestive enzyme in the intestines. Chromium is also present in red blood cells and helps to metabolize cholesterol, thereby reducing the risk of atherosclerosis. Most diets are sufficient in chromium, except for elderly people with poor diets. Supplements are available as chromium picolinate, but should not be taken in excess because of the risk of toxicity. Although on a theoretical basis chromium may have promemory properties, there are no worthwhile research data on this issue.
Boron
Boron is another metallic element that acts in the brain. It improves electrical activity in nerve cells and seems to speed up reaction time and general alertness. It is also necessary for the body to properly process calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus. Fruits and nuts have a high boron content. Since only a minuscule dietary intake is necessary, deficiency of this element is extremely rare. There are no clinical studies showing an effect against memory loss.
Zinc
Antiaging Properties of Zinc
Helps to heal wounds and repair skin damage.
Facilitates the action of antioxidants like vitamin E.
Increases the efficiency of the immune system.
Present in high concentrations in the hippocampus.
Involved either as a catalyst or in the chemical structure of over three hundred enzymes.
Levels decline with age, and some practitioners recommend zinc supplements as part of an antiaging program.
Zinc’s utility against memory loss remains to be tested clinically. In an elegant series of laboratory experiments in animals, Dennis Choi, chairman of the department of neurology at Washington University in St. Louis, showed that zinc in low concentrations protects against some types of hippocampal neuronal injury, but that at higher concentrations it kills nerve cells. So zinc therapy may be a double-edged sword: at low doses it is good, at high doses it is bad. This twist has led to a reversal in therapeutic strategies for memory loss; zinc therapy is now being replaced by substances that actually decrease zinc’s availability in the brain. Zinc is present in concentrations that are sometimes too low to detect, but new technology has opened up opportunities that should eventually tell us a great deal about the functions of zinc and all the other metallic trace elements in the brain.
The FDA recommended daily requirement for zinc is 15 mg for men and 12 mg for women, and this is easily obtained through a wide range of foods. Rarely, elderly people who suffer from general mal-nutrition can develop zinc deficiency, for which the main symptom is lack of taste and poor appetite. In high doses, zinc can cause stomach irritation, so if you plan to use zinc supplements, do so in moderation.
Taken From: The Memory Program How to Prevent Memory Loss
and Enhance Memory Power
