Using Supplements to Boost Your Mental Health:

Omega 3s, Vitamin B12, and Folic Acid

With increasing awareness of the effects of nutrition on mental health, scientists have been interested in the possibility that supplementing with omega-3s could help treat depression and cognitive problems in older people.  A report in the September 2011 issue of Nutritional Neuroscience indicates that these “good fats” are critical to brain health in very early life (supporting brain development) and in counteracting the declining brain function as we age.  The report concludes that omega-3s “are essential for neurodevelopment and cognitive maintenance in older adulthood.”

According to a study published in the 4 January 2012 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, low omega-3 levels in red blood cells are a good predictor of poor memory and cognitive functioning in the elderly.  Specifically, the study found that people with the lowest levels of omega-3s had the worst immediate recall and poor overall cognitive functioning.  These relationships were strongest for elderly who had a history of depression.

We now know that omega-3 supplements can help ward off and even relieve depression.  However, a new meta-analysis published in the 9 August 2011 Journal of Clinical Psychiatry found that only omega-3 preparations made of more than 60% EPA were effective against depression.  So, if you do use an omega-3 supplement, make sure you get one that is mostly EPA.  Finally, make sure your diet does not contain too much omega-6 (e.g., from meats and vegetable oils), as this can undermine your best efforts to boost your omega-3 supply.

Finally, health scientists have long known that vitamin B12 is important for normal brain development and overall functioning.  A new study in the January 2012 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition confirms that vitamin B12 and folic acid can give a boost to brain function in the elderly.  This was a two-year randomized controlled clinical trial of daily oral vitamin B12 (100 micrograms) and folic acid (400 micrograms).  The researchers concluded that the regimen “promotes improvement in cognitive functioning after 24 months, particularly in immediate and delayed memory performance.”

Note:  It is recommended that patients older than 50 years and strict vegetarians should consume foods fortified with vitamin B12 and vitamin B12 supplements, rather than attempting to get the vitamin solely from food.  In some cases, due to digestive problems, periodic B12 injections may be a superior strategy.

Learning Disability Tied to Cadmium

Cadmium—as well as mercury, lead, and arsenic—has been linked to autism, attention deficit disorder, and mental retardation in children.  Cadmium is a neurotoxic (brain-toxic) metal that is found throughout the modern environment.  Most human exposures occur as a result of fossil fuel combustion and phosphate fertilizers, both of which leach cadmium into the food supply.  Within cities, cadmium exposures increase as a result of traffic intensity, according to a January 2012 report published in Environment International.  In addition, research has linked cadmium levels with worse neurodevelopmental outcomes in children and teens.  In a large study of the 2,199 children and teens (ages 6 to 15), those children with the highest levels of urinary cadmium were three times more likely to have a history of learning disabilities, as reported in the January 2012 issue of Environmental Health Perspectives.  At the Carolina Center, we find that chelation treatment can be very effective in chelation can be very effective in lowering cadmium and other toxic metal levels in children with autism and learning disabilities—an effect that may result in improved behavioral outcomes in these children.