Getting Smarter
 
By Bonnie Jenkins, Advanced Natural Medicine Bulletin
 
Sam, a good friend of mine, is a nuclear physicist and probably the smartest person I have ever met. He’s a dear man, but if you don’t know him well, his sheer brilliance can be a bit intimidating. In fact, even though I’m no slouch, there are times when I find it difficult to keep up.
 
I’d love it if there was a magic potion to make me smarter – we probably all would. There’s not. But there may be something that comes close. According to new research, the ancient Ayurvedic herb bacopa improves cognition, comprehension, memory and recall. Now, you’ve probably never heard of bacopa. Yet this herb has a centuries old history for treating age-related mental decline and it may just give us the edge we’ve been longing for.

Boosting brainpower

Until recently, studies of bacopa were pretty much confined to India. But, thanks to a growing international interest, other countries have begun to research this remarkable herb. And the results are truly astounding.

In one double-blind trial, Australian researchers gave 46 healthy adults either 300 mg. of bacopa or a placebo. After 12 weeks, the group that took bacopa had a 13 percent improvement in learning and memory rates. Similar studies have found that bacopa increases mental agility and alertness, improves memory, increases the ability to learn new information and skills, improves academic performance, and helps concentration and focus. But here’s the real kicker – bacopa also appears to actually increase intelligence in healthy adults.

But this herb’s benefits don’t stop at improving brain function. It seems that bacopa also increases serotonin levels. Two recent animal studies have found that rats given 20 to 40 mg. of bacopa a day experienced a reduction in depression and anxiety, leading the researchers to confirm the traditional belief that bacopa calms the mind and promotes relaxation.

That’s not news to Indian researchers, who have seen this effect in people. In one study, 35 patients suffering from long-term anxiety were treated with bacopa for four weeks. At the end of the study, each patient was assessed for clinical anxiety levels, mental fatigue and immediate memory span. The participants who took bacopa had a 20 percent reduction in anxiety levels. Plus they all saw a significant improvement in mental fatigue and short-term memory. In other words, bacopa improved memory and productivity by reducing anxiety and related problems.

How does it do that?

According to scientists at the Central Drug Institute in Lucknow, India, a number of compounds have been identified in bacopa, including bacosides A and B, two chemicals that improve the transmission of impulses between nerve cells in the brain. These bacosides regenerate synapses and repair damaged neurons, making it easier to learn and remember new information.

Another study compared the effects of bacopa and deprenyl, a Parkinson's drug that enhances antioxidant enzymes in the brain. While both deprenyl and bacopa boosted the natural antioxidant enzymes that slow brain aging, unlike the drug, bacopa increased antioxidant activity in all parts of the brain, including the hippocampus (the memory-storing region of the brain).

Another study has demonstrated that bacopa inhibits cholin-esterase, the enzyme that prevents the breakdown of acetyl-choline. This is truly a exciting finding since the dementia experienced by Alzheimer’s patients is due to a failure of this important neurotransmitter.
 
One last thing . . .

Even though bacopa shows enormous promise in raising our collective IQ, it isn’t the only thing you can do to improve your mind. It’s also important to exercise your brain on a regular basis: Do crossword puzzles or brainteasers, play chess or bridge, learn how to play a musical instrument or study a foreign language. Engaging in these activities can help keep your mind sharp.

Feeding your brain can also boost your mental function. An intelligent diet based on organic whole foods should include high-quality protein, plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts and grains. Of course, fish is one of the best brain foods around – primarily because it’s such a terrific source of omega-3 fatty acids. But concerns remain about the high levels of mercury in fish like salmon or tuna and many nutritionists advise eating no more than two servings a week. To make sure you’re getting enough of these important essential fatty acids, a smarter move is to supplement with pure marine lipid fish oil.

And don’t forget to drink plenty of water – six to eight glasses a day. Your brain is 85 percent water when fully hydrated. When it’s dehydrated, neurotransmission (which is heavily dependent on water) is impaired, resulting in poor memory, concentration and less than optimal abstract thinking.

While these strategies may not make any of us as gifted as Sam, I for one wouldn’t mind a bit more mental agility. After all, you can never be too rich, too thin or too smart!

This just in . . . 

By now, most women know that calcium, magnesium and vitamin D are critical in the fight against osteoporosis. But could vitamin B-12 also offer protection from bone loss?

New findings by researchers at the University of California-San Francisco show that B-12 does indeed play a role in bone health as a woman ages. After establishing baseline serum B-12 levels and hip bone mineral density in 83 women over the age of 64, the UCSF team followed them for six years.

After examining the participants two and six years after the initial examination, the test results showed that the women with the lowest levels of B-12 experienced significantly more rapid hip bone loss than women with higher levels of B-12.

The study’s authors note that these results indicate that for some elderly women, simply boosting vitamin B-12 levels may slow the rate of bone loss. Along with taking a B-complex that includes at least 50 mg. of B-12, just increasing your dietary intake of foods rich in B-12 – meat, shellfish, milk, cheese and eggs – may be enough to slow the rates of bone loss.

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References:

Bhattacharya SK, et al. “Antioxidant activity of Bacopa monniera in rat frontal cortex, striatum and hippocampus.” Phytotherapy Research. 2000;14:174-179.

Das A, et al. “A comparative study in rodents of standardized extracts of Bacopa monniera and Ginkgo biloba: anticholinesterase and cognitive enhancing activities.” Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior. 2002;73:893-900.

Singh HK, Dhawan BN. “Neuropsychopharmacological effects of the Ayurvedic nootropic Bacopa monniera Linn (Brahmi). Indian Journal of Pharmacology. 1997;29:S359-365.

Stone K, et al. “Low Serum Vitamin B-12 Levels Are Associated with Increased Hip Bone Loss in Older Women: A Prospective Study.” The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. 2004;89:1217-1221.

Stough C, et al. “The chronic effects of an extract of Bacopa monniera (Brahmi) on cognitive function in healthy human subjects.” Psychopharmacology. 2001;156:481-484.