What vitamins are good for the brain and nervous system?

What vitamins are good for the brain and nervous system?

Les Weiner (Former Chair of the Department of Neurology, University of Southern California) gives expert video advice on: How do neurologists repair nerve damage of the brain?; Why are some spinal cord injuries more serious than others?; Is there anything I can do to prevent or decrease my chances of developing a neurological disorder? and more...

We usually recommend that they have a vitamin, one vitamin a day. But if they have MS, we ask them to take a little extra Vitamin D3. If we think they are having bony issues, we might ask them to take extra calcium. So the supplements really depend. Clearly if they have pernicious anemia or they have peripheral nerve problems we will give them a little extra folic acid and B12. We certainly will recommend the B vitamins if the patient has a peripheral nerve problem because a number of them are related to the B vitamins. I don't think it is necessary to give patients mega vitamins because there is very little hard evidence that mega vitamins do anything but give you very enriched urine. The sterol-based vitamins actually are toxic if you give too much. So if you have too much Vitamin A, Vitamin A is good or your vision. It's good for your skin but if you have too much of it, it will give you trouble. Too much Vitamin D will give you trouble and too much Vitamin E will give you a central nervous system issue. So you have to use these things in moderation. There is evidence that getting your vitamin supplements from natural foods is particularly useful.