| Your brain is your greatest asset but it is | | | | Benefits of Dietary Antioxidants |
| also your body's most vulnerable organ. It | | | | |
| requires constant support from other major | | | | What safeguards can healthy people take to |
| organs and is your most susceptible organ to | | | | reduce risk of diseases and especially to |
| oxidative stress during aging. | | | | protect their brains from oxidative stress |
| | | | over a lifetime? |
| Here are some brain facts: | | | | |
| | | | The simplest answer is to follow a diet that |
| 1. Your brain makes up only 2% of your total | | | | includes abundant sources of antioxidant |
| body weight but requires 20% of your heart's | | | | chemicals derived from plant foods. Evidence |
| output of blood to sustain the amount of | | | | for the benefits of such a dietary regimen |
| oxygen that it needs. | | | | has only been demonstrated in experiments |
| | | | with animals up until now, but the results |
| 2. Your brain is the most oxygen-demanding | | | | are convincing. Over the past eight years, |
| organ in your body. | | | | the research activities of Dr. Jim Joseph of |
| | | | the US Department of Agriculture, Boston, |
| 3. Your brain uses chemicals | | | | have focused on how to protect the brain from |
| (neurotransmitters) to relay important | | | | oxidative stress with dietary use of |
| messages to other parts of your body. These | | | | antioxidant-rich plants such as strawberries, |
| same chemicals are also involved in chemical | | | | cranberries, elderberries, blueberries and |
| reactions that produce damaging free | | | | spinach. |
| radicals. | | | | |
| | | | Dr. Joseph's research findings-a message |
| 4. If your brain cells become weak or die | | | | closely pertinent to this essay-can best be |
| they cannot repair themselves. Their | | | | represented by a quote from one of his |
| functions then can be permanently lost if | | | | research reports in 1998: "increased |
| cell death or damage occurs. | | | | antioxidant protection through diets |
| | | | comprised of fruits and vegetables identified |
| Given these susceptibilities, your brain is | | | | as being high in total antioxidant activity |
| especially vulnerable to conditions that | | | | might prevent or reverse the deleterious |
| threaten oxygen supply, such as in head | | | | effects of oxidative stress on neurons." |
| injury, stroke, lung diseases and heart | | | | |
| failure. Under these conditions, brain | | | | Summary: Oxidative stress is a major factor |
| activity will continue even without enough | | | | in brain aging. This stress can be combated |
| oxygen. This can cause problems that lead to | | | | or balanced by including dietary antioxidants |
| extreme levels of oxidative stress and the | | | | into your daily life. The best way to do this |
| over-production of damaging free radicals. | | | | is by eating lots of colorful fruits and |
| | | | vegetables each day. |
| In diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, | | | | |
| other damaging factors are at work. In | | | | Reading |
| Alzheimer's disease, a toxic protein called | | | | |
| beta-amyloid, forms in your brain tissue. | | | | * Lau FC, Shukitt-Hale B, Joseph JA. The |
| This protein acts as an irritant and causes | | | | beneficial effects of fruit polyphenols on |
| inflammation in your brain. This inflammation | | | | brain aging. Neurobiol Aging. 2005 Dec;26 |
| then causes the production of free radicals | | | | Suppl 1:128-32. |
| that can destroy any membranes and cells in | | | | |
| their path. | | | | * Joseph JA, Shukitt-Hale B, Denisova NA, |
| | | | Prior RL, Cao G, Martin A, Taglialatela G, |
| Parkinson's disease results from unregulated | | | | Bickford PC. Long-term dietary strawberry, |
| production of the brain chemical dopamine | | | | spinach, or vitamin E supplementation retards |
| which, with the help of free radicals, | | | | the onset of age-related neuronal |
| becomes toxic to the brain cells that control | | | | signal-transduction and cognitive behavioral |
| your motor functions. | | | | deficits. |
| | | | |
| Even in a healthy brain, oxygen radicals are | | | | J Neurosci. 1998 Oct 1;18(19):8047-55. |
| produced every moment during normal | | | | |
| high-oxygen demand of neuronal activity. In a | | | | * Joseph JA, Nadeau DA, Underwood A. The |
| healthy brain, enzymes and nutritional | | | | Color Code. Hyperion, New York, 2002. |
| antioxidants neutralize these radicals. | | | | |
| | | | Copyright 2006 Berry Health Inc. |