What have you heard about foods and supplements that are supposed to help with brain health or should I say, cognitive health? I say that because there can be a difference between the two and many researchers and health experts are more concerned about cognitive health.

To help you understand, here is a definition of cognitive:

“Of or relating to the mental processes of perception, memory, judgment, and reasoning, as contrasted with emotional and volitional processes.”

Have you heard about the cognitive benefits of various supplements like ginkgo biloba, resveratrol or Prevagen with the substance found in jellyfish?

Ginkgo biloba comes from a tree found in China, Japan and Korea. It is used as a supplement to help with various memory disorders including Alzheimer’s. Ginkgo biloba helps areas of the body that have a reduced blood flow, including the brain, and therefore has been used for things like vertigo, headaches, ringing in the ears, dizziness, leg pain, Raynaud’s syndrome, and issues with the fingers and toes. Some have used it to help with the effects of chemotherapy, depression and Lyme disease.

Resveratrol is a compound produced in plants usually in response to things like a bacterial or fungi infection. It’s found in the skin of blueberries, grapes, mulberries and raspberries. Due to it being in the skin of grapes, it is often found in red wine and considered by some to be one of the ingredients that help with heart health. It’s also supposed to help memory and brain function but many sources say the scientific evidence to prove the claims have not been made.

The jury is still out on Prevagen as some say there are reports that say it helps and other reports say that it doesn’t really do what it claims to do. We’re not going to say one way or another and let you be your own judge.

Then you hear about foods like coffee, green tea and dark chocolate as being good for brain health. There is evidence that coffee and dark chocolate do give the brain a boost but it’s usually short term.

Rather than relying on supplements to help or improve brain health, experts say that eating the right foods is far more important than taking supplements.

Gene L. Bowman of Oregon Health & Science University commented:

“The notion that these substances will prevent cognitive decline is highly speculative at this point.”

“Food is always a better source of nutrients than a pill.”

If the supplements help, then why the emphasis on diet? Ever hear of inflammation? One of the issues that is associated with a variety of cognitive issues is nerve cell death and, in many cases, it’s caused by some form of inflammation. Consider this:

“Most of us think of inflammation as the protective mechanism triggered by the immune system when we get, say, a bad cut or sore throat. But experts now believe that a more insidious, low-level inflammation can occur throughout the body in response to many factors, among them a poor diet or exposure to mold and toxins.”

“In your blood vessels this chronic inflammation may result in high blood pressure or stroke. In your joints, it may trigger arthritis. And in your brain? Dementia.”

Eating healthy isn’t just about controlling weight or blood sugar or blood pressure but it’s all about reducing the amount of this low-level inflammation which also has a direct impact on your brain or cognitive health.