Without enough vitamin D, we are unable to synthesize serotonin.

Serotonin regulates our mood, whether we have positive or negative thoughts, inner rest and confidence, appetite, sleep, cognitive functions like memory and learning!

Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that’s vital for many brain functions including regulating dopamine levels. Dopamine plays an important role in reward-mediated behavior.

Why do we need Vitamin D to make serotonin?

Vitamin D is needed to support the conversion of tryptophan into serotonin. Being outdoors in the sunshine allows our bodies to make our own vitamin D.

Sunlight (via the retina of the eye) also affects our pineal gland’s ability to produce serotonin. When it gets dark outside, we use a certain amount of serotonin to make melatonin, a compound very important for healthy sleep cycle and circadian rhythms.

Serotonin is not just found in humans; serotonin is found in other animals and even insects. Plants also have their own version of serotonin.

Most of us are familiar with serotonin being a neurotransmitter associated with elevated mood.

Did you know that serotonin mediates how you perceive resources — abundance or scarcity? In other words, do you perceive things as “the glass half full or the glass half empty?”

Even when the days are short and the temperature is cold, it’s important to get outside and get some sun. If your Vitamin D blood levels are low, you might consider taking a Vitamin D3 supplement.

Other nutrients like Omega-3-fatty acids are also important in serotonin synthesis.

Want more information? Read: “Vitamin D and omega-3 improve mental health by regulating the synthesis of serotonin”

“Fantastic Fungi” is an absolutely engaging movie (with beautiful cinematography) about the amazing benefits of mushrooms. Did you know that mushrooms can do so many things — from helping to clean our environment to empowering our immune systems to saving our declining bee populations!

I’ve studied the health benefits of medicinal mushrooms and used them with clients, especially those with family history of cancer or those going through cancer treatment. It was very validating when the movie told the story of how Turkey Tail mushrooms helped mycologist Paul Stamets’ mother beat Stage 4 breast cancer (in conjunction with chemotherapies).

There’s so much more to learn about mushrooms. Top of my list is to delve into the research about the memory and nerve support benefits of Lions Mane mushrooms!

“Fantastic Fungi,” I highly recommend it! You can view the film trailer.

A B12 deficiency often goes undiagnosed.

That’s because the symptoms of Vitamin B12 deficiency can look like a variety of neurological conditions like depression, neuropathy, numbness/tingling, developmental disabilities, balance problems, multiple sclerosis, fatigue, and even early Parkinson’s disease and dementia!

Could It Be B12? by Sally Pacholok, RN, BSN and Jeffrey Stuart, DO, explains how a B12 deficiency can be the underlying cause of such a wide range of  neurological symptoms.

In an easy to understand way, they detail how it can be easily tested for (which tests to have done and acceptable reference ranges) and how it can be cured with a vitamin treatment, especially when caught early.

There are Many Possible Causes of a B12 Deficiency

• Inadequate dietary Vitamin B12.
  The main source of B12 in the diet is animal products; vegetarian and vegan diets are low in vitamin B12.

• Poor ability to absorb Vitamin B12.
  This can be due to a poor digestive process (such as low stomach hydrochloric acid, lack of intrinsic factor, poorly functioning small intestine).

• Medications that interfere with Vitamin B12 absorption.
  Examples include metformin, oral contraceptives and those that decrease stomach acid.

• Specific genetic SNPs in the methylation pathway can potentially decrease your ability to activate or recycle the Vitamin B12 in your body as well as transport it from your blood to your tissues.
  A nutrigenomics analysis can identify these SNPs.

A Holistic Approach to Assessing Vitamin B12 Status

As as Functional Nutritionist, I use many clues — including diet, symptoms, lab tests (with optimal reference ranges), and genomics — to determine and address your condition at its root problem. This is a very different health care model from symptom management.

Neuroscientists at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and researchers at the National Institute on Aging recently showed that supplementation with nicotinamide riboside (a NAD+ precursor) improved cognitive function in a mouse model closely resembling Alzheimer’s.

They attributed the results to the restoration of brain plasticity, a key aspect of neuronal learning and memory storage.

In addition, the NAD+ was found to protect the brain structure and some of the unfortunate changes in the brain that occur in Alzheimer’s disease.

“Our findings suggest a pivotal role for cellular NAD⁺ depletion upstream of neuroinflammation, pTau, DNA damage, synaptic dysfunction, and neuronal degeneration in AD.

Interventions that bolster neuronal NAD⁺ levels therefore have therapeutic potential for AD [Alzheimer’s Disease].”

– Hou Y, Lautrup S, Cordonnier S, et al. NAD(+) supplementation normalizes key Alzheimer’s features and DNA damage responses in a new AD mouse model with introduced DNA repair deficiency. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2018;115(8):E1876-e85.

The study suggests potential brain health benefits of oral supplementation of nicotinamide riboside to increase NAD+ levels.

Nicotinamide riboside is the active ingredient in TruNiagen Pro 1000 mg.