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Vitamins for the brain
Medical expert of the article
Last reviewed: 06.07.2025
The brain, like any other organ, also requires vitamins. Maybe even more, because the brain tends to get tired and overstrained. Especially during intellectual work. What vitamins does the brain need for health and efficient work?
The most popular vitamins for the brain
These vitamins include:
- Vitamin C (both folic and ascorbic acid)
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin E
- B vitamins
Scientists distinguish 13 types of vitamins that are beneficial for brain function.
Vitamin A in combination with beta-carotene
Together, these two vitamins combat the effects of free radicals – substances that trigger the aging process in our body. These two vitamins also help improve oxygen metabolism in the body. This improves blood flow, the blood is better saturated with nutrients and carries a richer cocktail of them to the brain.
Vitamin A combined with beta-carotene helps keep nerve cells and nerve bundles healthy.
Most of these vitamins can be found in food. Vitamin A is found in large quantities in fish (especially ocean fish, fatty varieties), as well as in liver. Beta-carotene, of course, is good to get from carrots, cabbage, pumpkin, beets.
If you include these products in your diet, your brain will be less tired and depleted, and will work better.
B vitamins for better brain function
Vitamin B1, or thiamine, has a very good effect on the cortex of the cerebrum. It helps the brain fight aging by destroying free radicals and stay in good shape.
If a person has overdone it with alcohol, thiamine will also help to cope by neutralizing the effects of harmful alcohol components. And then the brain cells will be able to better cope with the stress of an alcohol overdose.
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Vitamin B3 or niacin
It is irreplaceable if a person has to do a lot of intellectual work. For example, journalists, doctors, creative people should know as well as twice two that vitamin B3 can cope with brain overload.
Thiamine helps cope with stressful situations very well, concentrate attention, and memory becomes better. Oxygen also penetrates into the blood better thanks to thiamine, the blood flow more actively saturates the internal organs with useful substances, including the brain.
Due to the large amount of oxygen that fills the blood, the level of hemoglobin in the blood also increases. The person feels more cheerful and ready to work again.
Vitamin B6 or Pyridoxine for Good Brain Function
This vitamin helps increase the production of happiness hormones endorphin, serotonin, as well as norepinephrine and dopamine. In order for a person to be able to react normally to stress and have a stronger psyche, B6 is needed.
Vitamin B12 or cyanocobalamin
This vitamin is very often prescribed by doctors when it is necessary to combat such complex diseases as dementia, poor concentration, memory problems and other psychological processes.
Vitamin C or ascorbic acid
In order for the brain to work very quickly and not refuse you in difficult situations that require immediate decisions, you need the so-called ascorbic acid. That is, vitamin C.
This vitamin improves the condition of neurons in the brain and nerve cells. It will be very difficult to work intellectually with a lack of vitamin C, so take care of sufficient doses of this vitamin.
Vitamin E or tocopherol
Your brain will be very grateful to you for providing it with vitamin E. To keep your brain cells very active and cell membranes healthy and not destroyed, drink vitamin E.
To make the treatment more effective, you need to use vitamin E together with another vitamin – C, which we just talked about. The source of this vitamin is sunflower seeds, eggs, nuts (walnuts).
In order for the brain to work like a clock, it is important to remember that an overdose of vitamins is as unacceptable as their deficiency. Therefore, consult a doctor to calculate the optimal doses for you.