Concerns about memory loss abound. As our population ages, we see people all around us suffering from various forms of cognitive decline. Those of us who are not yet in the age group typical for Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia are still concerned because we want to know how to prevent memory loss. As physicians, one of the most common questions we hear is, “What vitamins can I take for memory and concentration?”
Firstly, let us touch on the relationship between memory and concentration (or attention). They are clearly very different issues—memory concerns recalling information and facts, while concentration refers to the ability to focus on something. While memory and concentration are distinct measures, they are forever intertwined because without the ability to concentrate and attend to something, you cannot focus enough to remember facts. Both abilities are related to brain and neurological function. Not surprisingly then, many of the vitamins involved address both of these issues simultaneously. It seems that everyone either suffers from problems with memory or is concerned about developing them. And they should be. Recent data shows that nearly one third of Americans over the age of seventy have some form of memory problem. As people are living to older ages due to great treatment breakthroughs in heart disease and cancer, they are sticking around longer in body, but their minds often decline.
Yet we hear complaints about memory trouble from people even in their thirties and forties. It is our experience that these people suffer more from a concentration issue than a memory issue. They tend to multitask to the nth degree, and this interferes with their ability to remember things. If you are doing too many things at once, it is very hard to either retain new information or recall old information. This problem seems to be on the upswing as mobile devices further infiltrate so many aspects of our lives. We are rarely focusing on any one thing enough to really have full recall or to create solid memories.
While memory trouble and attention issues are similar in many ways and can in fact be related, they are by no means the same problem. Thus we will delve into the issue that seems to plague more of us in our younger years first, attention, and then move into one of our country’s greatest issues as our population ages, memory. Oh wait. . . did we say that already?
There are vitamins that can support memory, but consumers are not likely to find them by experimenting in the confusing vitamin aisles. However, a navigated process organized through a personalized vitamin company is a good way to discover the appropriate vitamins in the right doses for your profile. It is time to stop the “do-it-yourself” approach to vitamins and lean on an expert-led model of personalization to deliver optimal results. Find a personalized vitamin brand that asks questions about memory and other forms of brain health on their assessment and discover the vitamins that can help your specific profile.
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