Royane Real
Supplements to Prevent Brain Aging
By Royane Real
Author of “How You Can Be Smarter - Use Your Brain to Learn Faster, Remember Better and Be More Creative”
For many of us, the “golden years” are far from golden. For too many people, the years that should be a reward for a lifetime of hard work are instead a time when little, by little, the brain power of the person affected starts to fade away due to some form of brain wasting disease.
The most common of these brain wasting diseases is Alzheimer’s disease, but there are other brain diseases which also destroy the minds of the elderly. These others include Parkinson’s disease and other forms of dementia.
To what extent can we keep these brain destroying diseases at bay? If we can just slow down their development and progression, we can keep many more seniors happy and active in the remaining years of their lives.
Researchers are discovering that the brain is easily damaged by free radical molecules that are produced when brain cells take in oxygen and produce energy. The cumulative damage by free radical molecules may help set the stage for brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease.
Because the brain is composed of about 60 % fat, the fatty cell membranes in the brain are particularly vulnerable to damage by free radical molecules. Fortunately, our body can produce antioxidant compounds that can repair the damage caused by free radicals. We also take in antioxidants in our food.
Vitamin C is a very useful antioxidant found in very high concentrations in the tissues of the brain. Vitamin C is water soluble, so it cannot be stored for long periods of time in the body and must frequently be replaced in the diet.
Vitamin E is a fat based antioxidant that can penetrate into some of the areas of the brain and help to repair free radical damage. Modern food processing has removed most of the Vitamin E that occurs naturally in our food, so most people turn to Vitamin E supplements to get this antioxidant.
A supplement that has a lot of promis is named Alpha Lipoic acid. Because it is a powerful antioxidant, alpha lipoic acid can help repair some of the damage that is done to body cells by free radical molecules.
One benefit of alpha lipoic acid is that it can help regenerate vitamins C and E in the body, so that they can keep working to neutralize free radical damage longer.
Alpha lipoic acid is generally safe for most people, but it can cause problems for some people, especially for those who are diabetic. Consult your doctor before taking it. Research on the effects and benefits of alpha lipoic acid in the body is still in the early stages.
What about some of the other supplements that are sometimes suggested for preventing brain aging problems?
Bacopa monnieri is a herbal preparation used in traditional Ayurvedic medicine in India. Although some studies of Bacopa have been conducted in the west, most of these studies were quite small and short term, and were not really large clinical trials. These short term studies of bacopa did seem to seem to show some improvements in focus and memory. If you are a follower of Ayurveda, you may not care that Western medicine has not yet endorsed this botanical product.
Folic acid is a supplement that may be useful in slowing down some of the bad effects of brain aging. Folic acid may be beneficial to the brain because of its positive effects on the health of the circulatory system.
If you decide to start taking supplements to keep your brain healthy, be sure to check with your doctor to be sure that the supplements you choose are right for you. In some cases, supplements can interact with other medications you are using.
(The above introductory comments are written by Royane Real. Learn more about how to feed your brain and improve your brainpower in my popular book: “How You Can Be Smarter - Use Your Brain to Learn Faster, Remember Better and Be More Creative” Download it at http://www.lulu.com/real )
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