The substances plants produce to protect them from environmental extremes are the same ones that can help our brain stay sharp as we age. Here's what you need to know about antioxidants.
The brain has its own antioxidant defense system, but its high energy requirements and abundance of lipids make it an easy target for oxygen assault. Under normal conditions, a constant supply of agents is needed to nullify oxidizing free radicals, prompt the removal of damaged biomolecules before they impair cellular operations, and maintain good brain function.
While the need for antioxidants can often be met through a nutrient-rich diet, studies suggest that an array of situations—whether strokes, exposure to environmental pollution, the use of various medications, or being at risk for macular degeneration—up the need for antioxidants. Cardiologists often prescribe antioxidant supplements to those taking statin medications, which lower lipid levels but also deplete the antioxidant coenzyme Q.
Vitamin E, a nutrient that exists in eight forms differently distributed in foods, is considered one of the most important antioxidants in the brain: It blocks the oxidation of lipids, thus protecting cell membranes. All eight forms of the vitamin are free-radical scavengers. Multiple studies have shown that blood levels of the vitamin are lower in Alzheimer’s patients than in control subjects. That would seem to make vitamin E supplementation a perfect treatment for curbing aging of the brain.
Highly reactive oxygen species are produced in the brain’s mitochondria as they generate adenosine triphosphate to power all the electrophysiological activity of nerve cells.