“Magic mineral” protects your aging brain?!

It’s funny to me how so many nutritional supplements come in and out of “fashion”. As a result, some of us struggle to find an effective, ongoing regimen.

Well, if you’re rethinking your supplement list, listen closely.

According to a new study, you should start taking THIS“magic mineral” immediately—as it could offer significant protection to your aging brain.

Here’s everything you need to know…

Selenium may reverse memory loss  

For the last two decades, we’ve known that exercise can create new neurons in the brain. But many older adults find it difficult to achieve the daily exercise targets that are so crucial to overall health.

So, researchers from the University of Queensland in Australia set out to explore whether daily selenium supplementation—our “magic mineral”—could replicate the positive effects of exercise on the aging brain.

Now, this was only an animal study, but the results are convincing…

Just like in humans, as mice age, the level of new neurons that they make decreases rapidly. But with dietary selenium supplementation, researchers observed an increase in neuron generation and improved cognitive function in elderly mice.

(Of course, previous research found that levels of a protein that’s key to transporting selenium in the blood were elevated by physical activity. So, this isn’t an excuse to trade exercise for selenium supplementation. You should always strive to move regularly. But it IS all the more reason to also increase your selenium intake—either through food or supplementation. More on that in a moment.)

Plus, this new research tested whether selenium would have an impact on the cognitive decline sometimes experienced following a stroke. (This often impacts memory and the ability to learn.)

The study author noted how young mice are great at learning and performing memory tasks. But after a stroke, they lose that ability—like humans. Notably, these deficits returned to normal when the mice were given selenium supplements.

Selenium offers multiple health benefits

This isn’t the first time I’ve written about the health benefits of selenium. There’s also impressive research supporting its role in cancer and diabetes prevention, to name a few.

In fact, another team of researchers analyzed data on nearly 8,000 men and women—none of whom had diabetes in the mid-1980s, when the study started.

When researchers checked in with them in 2008, 780 of the volunteers had developed type 2 diabetes. And those with highest levels of selenium had a 24 percent lower risk of developing diabetes.

At the end of the day, selenium is a trace mineral (absorbed through the soil and water) that you don’t hear much about, but it’s absolutely essential to your health.

As a dietary supplement, I recommend 200 mcg daily. But you can also get selenium from food sources, including:

• Beef (grass-fed or finished)
• Brazil nuts
• Eggs (cage-free)
• Garlic
• Lamb (grass-fed or finished)
• Seafood (shrimp or wild-caught tuna, salmon, cod, or halibut)
• Turkey (preferably organic)
• White button mushrooms (preferably organic)

Lastly, for additional science-backed ways to help protect your aging brain against cognitive decline, I encourage you to check out my Alzheimer’s Prevention and Treatment Plan. To learn more about this online learning tool, or to enroll today, click here now!

Until next time,

Dr. Fred

Source:

“Natural mineral may reverse memory loss.” The University of Queensland News, 02/08/2022. (uq.edu.au/news/article/2022/02/natural-mineral-may-reverse-memory-loss)