Antioxidants are Important for the Brain

From your first moment to your last and for every microsecond in between, there is a war raging in every part of your body.  Literally millions of these battles happen at the same time with oxy-radicals on one side and antioxidants on the other. It’s a war that affects your lifespan, your vulnerability to many different diseases and without question the quality of your life and health as a senior.

A human brain is highly vulnerable to oxyradical damage because although it only accounts for about 2% of your body mass, about 20% of the oxygen you take in is metabolized in your brain.  Free or oxy-radicals – unstable oxygen molecules, are created by many different things, but a major  cause is a natural and unavoidable by-product of metabolizing oxygen. Since twenty percent of your oxygen supply is used by your brain, it’s easy to understand that the cells in your brain will be subjected to a high number of free radicals.

Within your brain is a large concentration of fat molecules known as Lipids. Lipids include sterols, waxes, fats and also include a few fat soluble vitamins like E, A, D and K. Lipids store energy. They are  signaling molecules and they’re structural components of your cell membranes.  Lipid peroxidation is the name given to free radical Lipid damage and a reason for the importance of antioxidant supplements to the health and functioning of your beloved bonce.

Your brain is defended against Lipid peroxidation by antioxidants, and at best from a group called Network Antioxidants or the Antioxidant Network. The network includes Vitamins C, E, CoEnzyme-Q10, glutathione and Lipoic acid.  Network Antioxidants function as a team to clear out free radicals in the brain and are also uniquely able to repair each other. 

Among the Network Antioxidants, the most important is Glutathione also known as The Master Antioxidant. Glutathione is naturally produced in your body and can be found in each and every cell.

Surprisingly, your brain maintains lower levels of the Master Antioxidant, Glutathione than do other organs and with aging, the total supply is further depleted because our ability to produce Glutathione falls by around ten percent with every decade after our twenties.  But your brain must have Glutathione to be healthy. 

There is a powerful correlation between Alzheimer’s and aluminum. In a study conducted in 2009 on laboratory rats, two equal groups were purposely given aluminum toxins, but one group was also supplied with free radical scavengers- antioxidants.  One group recorded a significant increase in lipid peroxidation that results in a condition known as oxidative stress. Reduced Glutathione and other network antioxidants were also noted. For the group that was provided with the toxins and the antioxidants, none of these changes were measured .

Because of it’s vulnerability to the creation of lipid peroxides a plentiful store of antioxidants (in particular Network Antioxidants and most importantly, Glutathione) is key to sustaining a healthy and functioning brain. While oral glutathione supplements are not considered to be effective, you can take a glutathione precursor like Max One.