7 Tactics and 3 Nutrients to Keep Your Mind Razor Sharp As You Age

Researchers say there are seven relatively simple tactics you can start implementing right now that will help keep your mind razor sharp as you age, preventing memory loss and cognitive decline.

And they acknowledge there are three specific brain nutrients that have been demonstrated in numerous clinical studies to help keep an aging mind from losing its youthful mental dexterity.

Let’s take a look at the seven simple tactics to keeping your aging brain in tip-top shape, first. Then we’ll look at the three crucial brain nutrients researchers say are “must have” for anyone over 40 who wants to keep a sharp mind:

Hi, Steve Barwick here, for Targeted Nutrients…

As we age, there’s more to maintaining peak brain health, keeping a sharp mind, and preventing memory loss than you might think.

But thankfully, it’s not in the least bit complex. In fact, a lot of it is just plain common sense. For example, here are seven simple tactics just about anyone can take, at just about any age, to help prevent memory loss and cognitive decline:

7 Simple Tactics for a Sharp Mind and Strong Memory

1.) Socialize – Experts say people who cloister themselves away as they age are at far higher risk for cognitive decline and memory loss problems than those who remain socially active. Why? Because social activity helps stimulate brain activity and sharpens the mind, which in turn prevents brain shrinkage and loss of brain neurons as we age. And the easiest way to keep your brain engaged is through socialization with friends, family, neighbors, fellow club or church members and more.

2.) Mild Physical Exercise – We all know mild daily exercise such as walking, gardening, swimming, gentle bicycling and more is good for us as we age. It keeps your muscle tone from deteriorating. It helps reduce stress. But most importantly, it increases blood flow which in turn helps distribute vital oxygen and crucial nutrients throughout your body and brain. Making just about any kind of mild physical exercise a part of your daily routine helps keep the brain functioning optimally, keeps the mind sharp, and prevents it from faltering prematurely.

3.) Quality Sleep – Clinical research has repeatedly demonstrated that sleep is vital for memory consolidation, which is to say, the forming and storing new memories. Deprivation of sleep reduces the growth of new neurons in the hippocampus and causes problems with memory. Turn that TV off and go to bed at night when you’re tired.

4.) Keep Stress Levels Low – A recent article in Psychology Today explains how and why stress can cause long-term damage to brain structure and connectivity, which in turn damages brain function. When we’re stressed out, the human body produces excessive amounts of the stress hormone, cortisol. This, in turn, reduces the number of neurons in the brain, through which thought and reasoning normally flow – i.e., “connectivity” – leading to early onset memory problems. Reducing your overall stress levels will help keep your mind sharp so you can continue enjoying the things you love as you age.

5.) Brain Gymnastics – My mom is 87 years old, and remains pretty much as sharp as a tack, mentally. Why? One reason is that she enjoys doing crossword puzzles and playing number puzzles such as Sudoku. She also regularly plays card games that force her to think quickly and decisively. Exercising the brain helps keeps it healthy and functioning at peak levels, no matter what your age. Playing games that involve strategy, like cards, chess or bridge, are also highly recommended by experts for keeping the mind sharp as you age.

6.) Learn New Things – We often use the old saying “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks” as an excuse to stop learning altogether. Unfortunately, experts have discovered that when you stop learning your brain starts shrinking. And brain shrinkage causes memory loss and cognitive decline. What can you do? Take free online courses in subjects that might interest you. Or take afternoon or evening classes at your local junior college. Or, consider doing as I do at age 62, and purchase video courses in subjects you never got around to learning, such as those through TheGreatCourses.com. Look for a challenge. The more you can engage in learning, the longer you’ll keep your mind sharp and your brain functioning optimally.

7.) Brain Fuel – Your brain, like every other organ in your body, requires specific nutrients in order to function optimally. Deficiencies of those nutrients can result in mental fatigue…”brain fog”…gradual memory loss…slow thinking…poor retention…slow reaction time and more. Medical science now knows that three key nutrients are needed by the brain each and every day for optimal function – and at least two of these nutrients are needed in prodigious quantities. Indeed, medical science has demonstrated that even mild deficiencies of these specific brain nutrients can lead to memory loss and brain impairment.

3 Vital Brain Nutrients for a Sharp Mind and Strong Brain

If you’re anything like me, you probably take a good, daily multi-vitamin/mineral supplement to help make up for some of the nutrient deficiencies in the foods you eat. And that’s great. It’s wise. It’s prudent. And it’s beneficial, as long as you’re not taking cheap, synthetic vitamins like those being sold in Walmart and other Big Box stores. But don’t forget to “feed your head” as well as the rest of your body.

After all, your brain is extremely sensitive to nutritional deficiencies. In fact, it has some very specific and unique nutrient requirements that, when met, allow it to function at optimal levels. Neurons fire faster and smoother. Thinking becomes easier. Memory is no longer a struggle. The mind becomes razor sharp. Brain chemicals that promote feelings of happiness and well-being are also triggered in the presence of these specific nutrients.

But what are they? That’s where this astonishingly powerful brain health supplement from Targeted Nutrients called AMG comes in. The letters “AMG” stand for the product’s three main nutrients:

• Adenosine triphosphate

• Methylcobalamin

• Glucoronolactone

That’s “AMG” for short. But let’s take a quick look at each one of these vital brain nutrients, and see exactly why they’re so important to optimal brain function and a sharp mind as we age:

#1 Must-Have Brain Nutrient: Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) – The human brain uses more energy than any other organ. After all, it’s the master control organ for the entire body. And the primary source of cellular energy in the brain is a nutrient known as adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, which the brain requires in prodigious quantities every single minute of every single day.

ATP, or adenosine triphosphate, is critical to brain function and a sharp mind. Indeed, it’s the second-most important molecule involved in brain function, next to oxygen. According to Dr. Richard Passwater, Ph.D., “ATP enhances the delivery of nutrients and oxygen to the brain, and stimulates the removal of waste products.” But that’s not all it does – not by a long shot.

For example, when researchers at the University of Minnesota Medical School conducted a study to determine to what extent ATP levels were linked to improved brain function and sharper mind, they were stunned to find that consistently high ATP levels were needed not only for the efficient firing of neurons in the brain, but also for the brain’s little-understood “housekeeping” activities – i.e., it’s ability to self-repair any damage to brain cells and tissues, and to help keep brain tissue alive and functioning at optimal levels.

Later, another clinical study conducted under the auspices of the National Academy of Sciences demonstrated that higher functioning brains contain up to 50% more ATP than normal brains. In other words, the more ATP you have in your brain, the better your brain works. It’s a plain and simple correlation: With more ATP, you’ll enjoy sharper memories…greater clarity of thought…greater ability to “think on one’s feet”…and far less “brain drain” throughout the course of a day.

Today, there’s no argument that peak brain health and function is largely dependent upon ATP. According to Dr. Barry Sears, M.D., “Without adequate levels of ATP, your brain has an energy drain and its function decreases…Below a critical level of ATP production, brain cells can begin to die.” In other words, ATP is foundational to optimal brain health, well-being and function.

Researchers have only recently discovered that ATP also works as a neurotransmitter in the brain – it helps brain cells to communicate and control each other. In fact, according to Dr. Sarah Myhill, M.D., “Other brain neurotransmitters won’t work unless they’re accompanied by a molecule of ATP.” According to physician’s assistant David Overton, this means the brain’s main energy source also serves as the language between brain cells.

What’s more, according to board-certified nutritionist Byron J. Richards, ATP levels in the brain largely determine how effectively you communicate with others, as well as the quality of your mental and emotional state:

“The brain’s glial cells use ATP to communicate. And glial cells are the primary regulators of neurons; they must have ATP to tell neurons what to do.

This means that your brain uses energy to communicate. If you run low on energy your brain does not communicate and your neurotransmitters do not flow in an optimal way.

In short, your overall supply of energy in the form of ATP is the single-most important factor determining the health of your mind and mood.

… If you don’t have enough ATP on hand you will feel irritable, tired, have a poor mind, and it will seem like the burden of stress is causing wear and tear.”

In a study titled “ATP and the Brain,” conducted at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, the researchers discovered that adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is the most important of all energy molecules for the brain. They point out that the brain harbors and utilizes even more adenosine triphosphate (ATP) than the heart, which depends upon ATP to supply the energy needed for each and every heartbeat. Therefore, the brain’s constant and massive need for high levels of ATP reflects its function as the master control system for the entire body.

Indeed, according to the University of Pennsylvania researchers, the central nervous system – which is comprised of both the brain and the spinal cord – “requires a constant input of ATP” for energy. And according to Scientific American, “It’s well established that the brain uses more energy than any other human organ” and that “the primary source of that energy is ATP.”

The researchers also pointed out that “the metabolic rate of the brain” (i.e., the rate that energy is produced and utilized in the brain) is “closely correlated with physiological function.” In other words, if you want improved brain function and a mind as sharp as a tack, you must increase your brain’s levels ATP.

What’s more, without ATP there can be no neurogenesis taking place in the brain, meaning no formation of new brain cells. And there can be no brain repair, either. As pointed out by Dr. Sarah Myhill, M.D., “The brain creates a million new connections every second. This means there is huge potential for healing and repair; it is simply a case of moving things in the right direction. But the brain has to have the optimum energy supply to allow this process to happen! And ATP is the energy supply it depends upon.”

Dr. Myhill concludes by saying “Improve ATP levels in your brain, and you’ll improve all aspects of brain function. Indeed, improving ATP delivery is the best treatment for low mood and depression.”

The bottom line is that in order for your brain to work at peak efficiency and effectiveness, it needs ATP – and lots of it. Without ATP, brain energy and related brain function gradually grind to a halt, just like a car sputtering out of gas on the freeway.

#2 Must-Have Brain Nutrient: Methylcobalamin – Long known as the body’s “brain and energy vitamin,” this special co-enzyme form of vitamin B-12 is the most biologically active form of B-12 available. It’s also the most cerebrally invigorating, because it’s the only form of B-12 that can quickly and easily cross the blood-brain barrier to nourish a nutrient-starved brain.

According to Dr. Jeffrey J. Stuart, D.O., author of Could it Be B-12: An Epidemic of Misdiagnosis, not only can low vitamin B-12 levels in the brain make your memory fuzzy, cause cognitive difficulties and even mimic Alzheimer’s disease, but the deficiency can also directly impair the function of the vital nerve cells in your brain that control how you feel, think and behave.

In fact, vitamin B-12 is so important to good mental health and optimal brain function, a long-term deficiency “can cause severe mental illness including depression, paranoia and symptoms resembling schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.”
What’s more, according to Dr. Stuart, “…anyone, at any age, can be a victim of a B-12 deficiency.”

In people over 40, low levels of vitamin B-12 have been tied directly to declining brain function (see August 2012 Journal of the American Geriatrics Society). In fact, in recent studies, researchers from the USDA and Tufts University have demonstrated that even a mild deficiency of vitamin B-12 can indicate ongoing cognitive decline.

Other recent clinical studies have shown that older adults who are deficient in vitamin B-12 face a 50% greater propensity toward brain shrinkage and related cognitive deficiency than those who are not deficient in the vitamin – another crucial reason to maintain as reasonably high levels of B-12 as possible in the body and brain as we age.

According to Dr. Joseph Mercola, D.O., declining vitamin B-12 levels will inevitably have a profoundly negative effect on mood and mental health. He writes:

“As your vitamin B12 levels falter, some of the initial signs will often include mood changes, such as lack of motivation or feelings of apathy. Low B12 levels can also lead to acute mental fogginess, memory troubles, muscle weakness, and fatigue. Chronic health problems of vitamin B12 deficiency include nerve damage, psychiatric problems (which may also mimic more serious mental illness), and dementia.”

According to WebMD.com, “Since your body doesn’t make vitamin B12, you’ll need to get it from animal-based foods or from supplements, and it needs to be consumed on a regular basis in order to avoid deficiency problems.”

Researchers at the National Institute on Aging have found that a B-12 deficiency can double the risk of depression in older women. Not only that, but according to Dr. Stuart, “One telling fact is that around 90% of the patients we identify with vitamin B-12 deficiency in the ER are on antidepressants, which reveals that their primary care doctors and other specialists failed to screen them for B-12 deficiency as a reason for their depression.”

Unfortunately, additional clinical studies have demonstrated that most older Americans are already vitamin B-12 deficient. The culprit, according to Dr. Joseph Mercola, is two-fold: poor digestion and taking the wrong form of vitamin B-12.

✓ One, as our body ages, it begins to have more difficulty extracting B-12 from the foods we eat – even from foods known to be rich in the vitamin, such as red meat, fish and dairy. According to Dr. Mercola, “When you get older, the lining of your stomach gradually loses its ability to produce hydrochloric acid, which releases vitamin B12 from your food in the form your body can efficiently absorb and utilize. If you’re over 40, it’s safe to assume you’re not absorbing vitamin B12 at an optimal level.”

✓ And two, even your vitamin supplements and vitamin “fortified” foods probably aren’t helping much when it comes to sustaining optimal vitamin B-12 levels. That’s because most vitamin manufacturers and food processors have taken to using a cheap and completely synthetic form of B-12 called cyanocobalamin, which the body has to convert through a complex metabolic process into the active natural form before it can be utilized. It’s estimated that only about 12% of a dose of cyanocobalamin is ever converted to the active form of B-12 and utilized in the body.

What’s more, cyanocobalamin is bound to a potentially toxic cyanidemolecule (hence the name “cyano-cobalamin”) that must be separated from B-12 in the liver and removed from your body through an elaborate detoxifying process. This process further reduces the amount of active B-12 that can be derived from cyanocobalamin and used for the health of both body and brain.

For these two reasons, most adults in the 40-plus age range are now known to be deficient in vitamin B-12 – either clinically, or sub-clinically – and are therefore at growing risk of cognitive decline and brain malfunction. Forgetfulness…”brain fog” and other signs of slowing mental function…low mental energy…sluggish brain self-repair…poor mood and morale – all of these are symptoms of low B-12 levels in the brain.

But here’s the secret: According to natural health experts, the solution to keeping your brain’s levels of B-12 at therapeutic levels is to always use the much rarer but far more bio-active co-enzyme form of B-12 known as methylcobalamin. According to a study published in the Journal of Pharmacological Therapeutics:

“…methylcobalamin is the only form of vitamin B-12 that can cross the blood brain barrier without biotransformation. Its methyl group stimulates serotonin creation, a neurotransmitter which is responsible for mood enhancement and protects the brain from damage against excitotoxins.”

In other words, the correct form of B-12 – the active co-enzyme methylcobalamin form – goes directly to work in the brain triggering neurotransmitters that are responsible for elevated mood, quick-thinking and protection against brain damage from toxins.

Thankfully, because the methylcobalamin form of vitamin B-12 is so powerful, most people notice improved brain function and a sharper mind within the very first few days of taking it. It not only boosts mood and mental clarity, and improves brain function, but it also protects the aging brain against the otherwise devastating effects of exitotoxins that can kill brain cells.

#3 Must-Have Brain Nutrient: Glucoronolactone – While little-known to the general public, this all-natural metabolite of glucose has actually been around in supplement form since the 1960’s when it was given to U.S. troops during the dark days of the Vietnam war as a natural means of uplifting mood and morale while relieving mental stress and depression. Known as nature’s “nirvana compound,” glucoronolactone promotes brain energy, enhanced mental clarity and mild euphoria.

According to Brian D. Evans, author of How to Become Super Smart and Get Limitless Memory, glucuronolactone is a little-known “smart nutrient” that “works to fight fatigue and provide an overall sense of well-being.”

Jonathan Samson, M.D., Ph.D., says, “What’s known about glucuronolactone is that it allows an amazing natural energy increase, heightening both mood and mental clarity simultaneously.”

In other words, glucoronolactone is both ergogenic (i.e., performance, energy and stamina-enhancing) andeuphoragenic (i.e., pleasure-inducing). It boosts brain energy and function and helps induce feelings of well-being or even mild euphoria by triggering your body’s “happy” brain chemicals.

The brain-boosting and mood-boosting benefits of glucoronolactone are so impressive, ex-Google employee Michael Brandt and Glassmap founder Geoffrey Woo, both Stanford graduates, admit to using it as part of their regular morning “nootropic brain stack” for achieving optimal brain function. And glucoronolactone was even featured for its brain-boosting and mood-enhancing benefits on ABC TVs Shark Tank.

According to Health Monthly, “Glucuronolactone delivers a valuable energy boost for the brain…giving you an extra edge to enhance your focus and concentration.” And according to Nootriment.com, “Glucoronolactone reduces sleepiness, increases focus, lightens the mood and quickens reaction times.”

Finally, according to NutriScience, “Studies suggest that glucuronolactone…promotes mental performance and positive mood as well. When given glucuronolactone in a clinical study, subjects showed significant improvements in reaction time, concentration, and memory.”

As a bonus to the mood-boosting and energy-enhancing benefits of glucoronolactone, it’s also known to be one of the human body’s most important metabolites, being intimately involved in fatty acid synthesis, nucleotide synthesis, and amino acid synthesis – which could help explain some of its profoundly uplifting qualities on both mental and physical performance.

In other words, virtually all of your body’s metabolic building blocks are directly or indirectly aided by the presence of glucoronolactone, which means it’s needed for the very process of life, itself. What’s more, it’s completely natural. Glucoronolactone is made in the liver, out of glucose. And it can also be found in a variety of plant gums and other natural sources – it’s even in wine, in small amounts.

Plus, it’s one of the body’s most important natural detoxifiers, being demonstrated in clinical trials to convert toxic substances – including drugs like morphine and codeine, or harmful chemical substances such as xenoestrogens, pollutants, toxins, and carcinogens – into harmless water-soluble substances which can then be easily excreted through the kidneys rather than building up in the body.

In a nutshell, glucoronolactone is a powerful nutritional metabolite of glucose that boosts brain function, provides a profound sense of physical and mental well-being, increases stamina, improves metabolism, and detoxifies the liver – all at the same time.

The Bottom Line

AMG from Targeted Nutrients contains an exclusive combination of powerful, bio-active brain nutrients scientifically proven to support brain health, sharpen the mind, and boost brain function, while helping the brain and body detoxify itself at the same time. In a nutshell, you get:

• Adenosine triphosphate for maximum brain energy and quick-thinking (increases firing of neurons in the brain; gives the brain the energy it needs for self-repair)

• Methylcobalamin for increased motivation and mood, and enhanced brain and nervous system function and protection

• and Glucoronolactone for sustained mental pleasure, relaxation and mild euphoria.

When these three powerful all-natural nutrients are combined into a single supplement, you have one of the most cerebrally invigorating and uplifting nutritional formulas on the face of the earth.

AMG is non-addicting. Yet when used regularly it gives you lightning-fast brainpower…sharpens the mind…keeps your brain performing at optimal levels…and makes you feel like a million bucks again, to boot.

And now you can learn how to try Targeted Nutrients high-quality AMG at a special get-acquainted discount price, by clicking here…

Yours for peak brain function and a sharp mind, the safe, natural way…

Steve Barwick, President
Targeted Nutrients