Vitamin B Can Improve Your Memory

If you're preparing for a big test, you might consider increasing your vitamin B intake, as it has recently been connected to improved memory and attention span. 

An experimental study conducted by the University of Granada in Spain, Simón Bolívar University in Venezuela, and University of York in the U.K. has recently revealed that consuming a vitamin B group called choline can modulate your attention span and memory processes.

To test their hypothesis, researchers from these universities studied the effects of choline dietary supplements in rats in two experiments. Both experiments produced evidence in favor of the researchers' initial claims.

One experiment determined that prenatal choline improves the memory processes of the rats' offspring once they reach adult age. Meanwhile, the second experiment tested choline's affects on adult rats and determined that the rats that had ingested choline maintained better attention than rats who had not given a similar stimulus.

Other studies have also suggested a connection between choline and brain health, claiming that a diet rich in choline could also prevent brain changes associated with dementia and Alzheimers.

So far, however, researchers have only tested their findings in rats. Rhoda Au, a senior researcher at the Boston University School of Medicine, hopes that more studies in humans will occur to back up the current evidence, including studies that follow changes in people's cognitive abilities over time.

Regardless, experts recommend 550 milligrams of choline per day for men and 425 milligrams per day for women. Choline-rich foods include eggs, chicken, beef liver, soy, and wheat germ. For a quick way to improve the choline-content of your next lunch, try making this Grilled Chicken and Egg Potato Salad.