Antioxidants and Brain Health

Brain Health

Antioxidants and Brain HealthDiet: Brain SaversDid Our Hunter-Gatherer Ancestors Have Less oxidative stress because of their diet? No Alzheimer's Disease allowed when the saber tooth is about topounce.Certainly our ancient ancestors did not have deadlines to worry about, orprofit and loss reports, for example, but how do we know that just becauseof their diet, berry's right off the vine, for example, that they did notdevelop plaque?Today's research might supply some answers to that question. Please readon."Some foods do more than supply basic nutrients. They maintain your bodyand mind in optimal condition and they fight disease, staving off commondisorders of aging like memory loss and cardiovascular disease. Call themfunctional foods.They are the hottest things in the food biz -- foods with the power of drugs.According to a report by the Institute of Food Technologists, functionalfoods so powerfully blur the traditional line between food and medicine thatit's not even possible to accurately state the health claims without runningafoul of drug regulations.Nevertheless, scientists are almost daily identifying "bioactive foodcomponents that can reduce the risk of chronic disease, improve quality of life, and promote growth and development," according to an Expert Reportreleased by IFT. "Science has clearly demonstrated additional dietary rolesin reducing disease risk," and "food has a greater impact on health thanpreviously known."From Psychology Today."Some foods seem to have more functional power than others. Here's a listof foods that, ounce for ounce, are the new divas of the emerging science

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of functional foods.Spinach. It provides antioxidant vitamins that fight off cell-damagingeffects that accumulate with age. It also lowers levels of homocysteine, anamino acid that is a normal component of proteins but that in excessamounts is thought to increase the risk of heart disease by damaging bloodvessels and predisposing to blood clots.Green tea. It's loaded with antioxidants that stave off disease. It fightsinflammation, which is thought to be a factor in heart disease. And it helpscells communicate with each other. The most recent evidence shows that itcan reduce levels of sugar in the blood, preventing diabetes and one of itscommon complications, cataracts.Curry. The real brain-saver is the spice that's commonly used in curry --turmeric. It's a powerful antioxidant and it also has anti-inflammatorypowers. A turmeric-rich diet is believed to be the reason why Alzheimer'sdisease and other forms of dementia occur far less frequently in India thanin the Western world.Blueberries. A rich source of particularly potent antioxidants known asanthocyanins. Studies show that a blueberry-rich diet preserves memoryand motor functions and reverses age-related declines in balance andcoordination. What's more, by affecting cell membranes, it generallyimproves the functioning of nerve cells.Grapes. The antioxidant known as resveratrol is present in red or blackgrapes and is believed to be the explanation for the French Paradox -- thereason the French can eat cheese and other fatty foods and still have a lowincidence of heart disease and stroke.Oatmeal and barley. These fiber rich foods help the body maintain a steadysupply of glucose, the sugar that is the brain's main fuel. They help youmaintain mental energy. What's more, they actively combat cholesterol,supporting blood supply to your brain. And they may boost the productionof one of the main brain chemicals involved in memory.Salmon. Like other cold-water fish, salmon is rich in a type of fat (omega-3fatty acid) that is believed to have multiple beneficial effects on the body. Itlowers the risk of heart disease. And it is incorporated into the membraneof all nerve cells, keeping them supple and facilitating the transmission of all information.Tomatoes. It's those antioxidants again, besides all that Vitamin C. Plustomatoes contain lycopene, an antioxidant that may reduce the risk of prostate and other cancers. Cooking tomatoes may help release morelyocopene. And then there's ferulic acid, another antioxidant, which seemsto boost the power of other antioxidants in reducing the effects of aging."I have not been a great fan of tomatoes over my life, but I am going tostart eating more of them since I want to preserve my prostate forposterity. The side effects of removing it are not pleasant.And I can eat lots of oatmeal. No problem there, since Mom made me a fanof oatmeal as a little one. So it appears that brain health can be made saferby eating brainy foods, and maybe I should combine that with sometechnology reflecting recent research. Please see below.

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