Articles
Nutritional Lithium and Brain Health
by Hope B. DirectorLithium is one of the most abundant elements found in nature.
An element is defined as a substance composed of atoms having an identical number of protons in each nucleus. An element cannot be reduced to simpler substances by normal chemical means. There are various dietary sources of lithium, including nutritional yeast, grains, leafy vegetables, seafood, beef, and legumes.
Total body stores of lithium are low compared with other elements such as calcium, magnesium, and potassium, but lithium has profound influence on brain and organ function. Much of the lithium in our bodies is stored in the thyroid, ovaries, pituitary and adrenal glands, which indicates that it affects the hormonal system as well as the brain. Lithium as a supplement is most commonly used for stabilizing mood swings, mania, and depression. The medication lithium carbonate has been used for years to treat bipolar disorder, but the potential for toxicity is very high; close monitoring of blood lithium levels is crucial. However, another form of lithium – lithium orotate – is 20 times more bio-active than other lithium salts and allows for a smaller dose, reducing the likelihood and severity of potential side effects.
Evidence suggests that people with mania or depression may lose brain cells over time, but lithium can help prevent this. Lithium seems to thwart premature brain-cell death. Lithium actually protects brain cells from being over-stimulated by glutamate. Glutamate is an abundant amino acid in the brain and acts as one of many chemicals that transmit messages throughout the nervous system. Research shows that lithium may calm overstimulated areas of the brain and preserve the life of brain cells.
One of the major actions of lithium in the brain is stabilizing a particular receptor associated with the electrical or excitatory activity within the brain. Glutamate stimulates this receptor, which activates a cascade of chemical events in corresponding brain cells. Too much chemical interaction is deleterious to brain cells, and lithium helps stabilize that receptor so it is not so easily stimulated. This is critical because in a number of neurological disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease and autism, over-excitability of certain receptors can lead to premature cellular death. This new understanding of one of lithium’s protective actions against neurotoxicity opens the door for increased use of lithium orotate therapy via nutritional supplementation.
Research into lithium orotate use in Alzheimer’s disease has also shown that lithium orotate increases levels of N-acetylaspartate (a marker of brain cell viability and function). Lithium orotate increases its concentration in the brain’s gray matter, with the largest increases occurring in the hippocampus. The hippocampus is the area of the brain critical for moving short-term memories into long-term storage. It’s the first and most severely affected area of the brain in people with Alzheimer’s disease.
In addition to its role in preserving brain cell function and health, lithium orotate also helps in states of aggressive and violent behavior. Lithium orotate seems to help with mood stabilization by working in various regions of the brain. Evidence indicates that communities where lithium levels are lowest in the water or food supply tend to have higher rates of crime. Lithium levels are highly variable depending upon soil and water concentrations. On average, lithium intake is about 10 to 25µg/ml – low enough to lead to problems long-term. The average intake in the United States is approximately 100µg/ml. However, this depends on geography. People may be taking in less lithium by natural exposure. Therefore, supplementation becomes a potential therapeutic advantage for those looking to meet the challenge of various neurological conditions, as well as preserving brain health into advancing years.
Lithium orotate has been shown to benefit the following conditions:
Chemical dependency – helpful for those with various addictions
Depression and bipolar disorder
Mania
Fibromyalgia
Gout (a form of inflammatory joints from the accumulation of uric acid)
Cluster headaches
Autism-spectrum disorders
The amount of nutritional lithium that’s beneficial varies among individuals. However, a dose ranging from 1 to 20 mg daily, with an average of 5 to 10 mg per day, seems quite helpful. Tablets with higher doses may be available, but on average the lithium content is 4.8 to 5.8 mg of lithium orotate. Be careful taking lithium supplements if you’re also taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, diuretics, calcium-channel blockers, and angiotensin-converting enzyme medications. Lithium should not be used by people with significant renal or cardiovascular diseases, severe debilitation, dehydration or sodium depletion. Lithium should also not be used by women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.
Most people only know of lithium as a potent medication with serious side effects. But lithium is an important trace mineral. When food is overly processed or grown in deficient soil, trace minerals are the first nutrients to go. We should never underestimate the importance of trace minerals and their contribution to our health and well-being.
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About Hope B. 
Director
0 connections, 0 recommendations, 12 honor points.Joined APSense since, August 25th, 2018, From Temecula, United States.
Created on Sep 16th 2018 17:49. Viewed 523 times.
