Vitamins Good for Brain Development in Children

The human brain starts growing at the fetus stage. Human fetus grows rapidly from 6th week and from this stage essential vitamins are required for the healthy development of the body as well as the brain. This is because babies born to mothers who do not follow proper and healthy diet will face problems related to mentally retarded or other behavioral problems.

This is not the only factor, but this may be one of the main factors for the children having behavioral problems or mental problems.

It is necessary to follow healthy diet as the requirement of vitamins will be more in pregnancy time and for the growing children. Brain doesn't work properly if it doesn't receive the sufficient amount of healthy diet. Let us see which are the vitamins helpful for the brain development in children from the early stage.

Vitamin B9: Vitamin B9 plays an important role in the development of the brain and spine in the fetus. So the mother should take sufficient amount of B9 to overcome the problems related to brain and spine. It is crucial for the function of the brain. It helps cells and tissues to grow rapidly, it helps to form red blood cells. Lack of vitamin B9 leads to dangerous birth defects like brain damage, damage to spine and neural tube effects.

Vitamin B6: Vitamin B6 helps develop brain's neurotransmitter functioning properly, it helps develop concentration, alertness, attention and focus which helps the child to listen and learn the subjects. Lack of vitamin B6 causes neural damage.

Vitamin B12: Vitamin B12 also plays an important role in functioning of the brain properly. It helps to improve the memory, helps for proper mental functioning of the brain. Lack of vitamin B12 leads to memory loss and makes slow working of the brain.

Vitamin C: Vitamin C helps develop neural resistance, it helps the immune system which helps for the body and the brain to remain healthy, vitamin C acts as an antioxidant, which helps to protect the brain and body from the harmful effects of free radicals. Free radicals can damage the cells in body and the brain. Vitamin C helps to develop neurotransmitter functioning properly.

Vitamin D: Vitamin D also helps brain development, it improves the memory, it enhances the learning capabilities, it is also important in pregnancy time for the mother so that the fetus can gain vitamin D from the mother, it improves the brain nerve cells development, helps for the normal brain development. Lack of vitamin D leads to abnormal brain development.

Vitamin E: Vitamin E also acts as an antioxidant. It helps the cells preventing from damage caused by free radicals. They can maintain red blood cells active and healthy which carries oxygen to the brain. And thus improves memory and helps the brain to function properly.

Tips To Stay Healthy

Worried about your health? Searching for some simple tips to stay healthy? Fed up with suggestions from doctors and health experts? Feeling difficult to implement experts advice? Just relax, in this article, we will discuss some simple tips that will help you stay healthy.

Physical exercise is important: Some simple exercises like walking, jogging, stretching your arms, warm up exercises, walking on stairs rather than using lift, neck exercises, going by bus to office and other places instead of bike ride, can help you stay healthy. Some mindful exercises like yoga especially pranayama and meditation will relieve mental stress and make you stay mentally healthy.

Maintain a diet chart: Prepare a diet chart that includes vitamins, proteins and carbohydrates in it. Plan for the timings for breakfast, lunch and dinner. By maintaining a diet you will be eating a well-balanced diet and choosing nutritious food.

Have regular master check up: We think that we are healthy, so we need not go for health check up. We may look healthy externally, but internally we may have some problems that cannot be detected. It's better to go for master check up for every 3 months or 6 months.

Proper medication: Even though we take proper care, some health conditions may arouse which are out of your control like diabetes, thyroid problem, high cholesterol, heart attacks, etc. So regular medicine has to be taken, at the same time follow some control steps which can reduce their effect.

Have a trip with family: Busy lifestyle has decreased priority to personal life leading to many personal issues. So plan a trip at least once in 3 months or a weekend picnic with family and friends. Traveling will change your mindset and relieves you from stress.

Avoid things not good for health: Try to inculcate good habits and avoid bad habits. Smoking and drug addiction are the two serious issues faced specially by western countries. They have adverse effects on both physical and mental health. So try to reduce their usage slowly. Other habits like skipping breakfast, going late to bed, etc., should be avoided.

Manage your stress: This is very important for mental wellness. Work on things you like, have pleasant living, avoid communication with people who always create conflicts.

Involve in activities you like most: Activities such as sports, dancing, kick boxing, social welfare activities, or anything that you enjoy the most and feel refreshed should be part of your daily schedule.

Reading books: If you don’t want to involve in other activities, try to inculcate a habit of reading books. They can be magazines, comic books, informative books, etc. Reading books will give you information, inspiration, happiness and positive energy.

Try these tips to have to healthy and peaceful life.

Deficiency Associated with Micronutrients

Are you getting enough micronutrients for your body? If not try to include foods to make them to normal levels, as deficiency of these micronutrients have major effects on your health.

Here is the list of deficiency of each micronutrient and their consequences.

Deficiency of vitamins

• Vitamin A deficiency – Major effect of vitamin A deficiency is seen in case of vision. People with this deficiency face a problem of night blindness that is they cannot see properly in dim light. If deficiency is prolonged , it may lead to complete loss of vision through out life. Some other effects include protruding of eyes, diarrhea etc.

• Vitamin D deficiency – The major effect is seen in bones. This vitamin has vital role in calcium absorption and its deposition on bones to give strength to bones. In children , if deficiency is seen in early stages, it leads to improper and deformed bones, a condition called 'Rickets'. In adults , specially in menopause stage for women and above 50 years in men, it leads to 'osteoporosis'. This condition results due to softening of bones because of loss of calcium from bones.

• Vitamin E deficiency – Deficiency of this vitamin is rare. But still, if deficiency occurs, it leads to infertility in men. It works as anti oxidant, so cells may not be protected from UV damage due to loss of this vitamin.

• Vitamin K deficiency – It has a role in blood clotting. Because of this vitamin deficiency, clotting factors are released slow to the site of injury, as a result there is a delay in blood clotting leading to excessive blood loss.

• Vitamin B deficiency – This complex provides energy to the whole body and involve in various metabolic processes that produce proteins, fats, carbohydrates for our body. Any deficiency lead to imbalance of these processes. They also help in managing stress levels. Folate of this complex is important for pregnant women, deficiency of which leads to spinal defects in new born. It gives skin a scaly appearance.

• Vitamin C – We can say it as anti oxidant vitamin. It protects cells from being damaged by different chemicals released or from exterior. Major deficiency results in 'scurvy', characterized by scaly appearance of skin, rashes on skin, dryness.

Deficiency of minerals

• Iron deficiency – This is more than deficiency of any other nutrients. Iron helps haemoglobin to carry oxygen to all parts of our body. Deficiency of iron results in poor carrying capacity of oxygen. Major impact faced is anemia that is, low red blood cells production as a result oxygen is carried less resulting in shortening of breathing sometimes leading to death.

• Iodine – This is another mineral that has great impact on health. Iodine is important to produce thyroid hormone which has a crucial role in growth and development. In normal people, deficiency of iodine will enlarge thyroid gland(goiter). In case of pregnant women, deficiency of iodine will alter thyroid levels which has effect on growth of baby. It results either in premature baby or baby born with some defects.                                                                                                                            

• Calcium – It helps get healthy bones and teeth. Apart from this, it has a role in acting as signal for many hormones, maintains heart's health, involved in blood clotting process, helps maintain cholesterol levels normal. Deficiency of this mineral will alter all the above processes leading to imbalance in the body.

• Chromium – It maintains normal glucose levels in the body by controlling insulin hormone. Deficiency of this mineral will alter glucose levels in the body sometimes may lead to diabetes.

• Sodium – It  works along with potassium. Both work as electrolytes to maintain water balance in the body for healthy heart and kidneys. In case of deficiency, levels of these electrolytes are altered resulting in dehydration (loss of water), a serious issue which leads to kidney failure too.

• Magnesium – Very important for to maintain calcium and levels in bones. Along with association of vitamin B6, it has the ability to dissolve stones of small size in kidneys.

• Copper – Copper plays a vital role in elderly people, prevents loss of calcium from bones, preventing softening of bones.

• Zinc – It works along with vitamin B complex. It is essential for development of sex organs. Deficiency leads to improper growth of these organs. It also helps in giving energy to the body.