Berries Protect Your Brain

Strawberries are good for your brain, according to breaking news out of the 2009 Berry Health Symposium. Several of the latest studies, conducted by world-renowned researchers, consistently showed that strawberry consumption is a simple way to improve cognitive function.

For example, one study presented by researchers from the Chicago Healthy Aging Project (CHAP) showed that older adults who consume strawberries at least once per month have less cognitive decline. More specifically, women who consumed more than one serving of strawberries per month had a 16.2% slower rate of cognitive decline versus those who consumed less.

With increasing age, brain function diminishes. This has been conclusively shown in laboratory studies, by Drs. James Joseph and Barbara Shukitt-Hale of USDA Agricultural Research Service at Tufts University. Their latest research at the conference demonstrated that aging results in deficits in learning, memory and motor function, such as balance and walking speed - and concluded that strawberries and other berries improved both memory and motor function.

Berries Can Preserve Brain Function

So what is it about berries that seem to protect the brain?

Researchers from the 2009 Berry Health Symposium took a stab at answering that very question. Most disease processes in the body are believed to begin through inflammation and oxidation, two of the very processes I focus on in my forthcoming book "The Most Effective Ways to Live Longer". Both inflammation and oxidation damage cells. Healthy nerve cell membranes promote optimal communication within the brain and nervous system so preventing membrane damage from inflammation and oxidation is essential.

Since berries- and other fruits and vegetables- contain a ton of antioxidants and anti-inflammatories, it's easy to connect the dots and see why they might preserve brain function.

Prevention of Dementia in an Aging Population

Dementia is the loss of cognitive function of sufficient severity to interfere with everyday tasks. Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia. It is estimated that one in eight persons, aged 65 and older have Alzheimer's. There is no cure for the disease and treatments are ineffective.

According to recently released census estimates, the world's 65-and-older population will triple by 2050 to make up 1 in 6 people. The number of senior citizens has already increased 23 percent since 2000 to 516 million, more than double the growth rate for the general population. As a result, the incidence of dementia is likely to rise.

The frequent consumption of berries is emerging as a potential simple dietary factor for prevention.

California strawberries are grown and available year-round in supermarkets across the country. Do remember- the Environmental Working Group lists strawberries as one of their "Dirty Dozen" (i.e. most contaminated crops). So when you do buy strawberries from the supermarket, be sure to get organic!

More information and the research abstracts from the 2009 Health Benefits Symposium can be found at www.berryhealth.org.

Vegetables and Fruits Stave Off Alzheimer's?

Chemicals in fruit and vegetables, as well as tea and red wine, could help to protect the brain against Alzheimer's disease, according to information to be presented at the British Pharmacological Society's summer meeting in Edinburgh.

The chemicals in question are plant compounds known as flavonoids, which have long been studied for their beneficial effects on people's health. There is mounting evidence that certain flavonoids might help Alzheimer's patients.

Dr Robert Williams, a biochemist at King's College London, said: "There have been some intriguing epidemiological studies that the consumption of flavonoid-rich vegetables, fruit juices and red wine delays the onset of [Alzheimer's]."

"These reports, while not as powerful as controlled, randomized, clinical trials, have encouraged a number of research groups, including our own, to investigate the biology of flavonoids in more detail."

Flavonoids are powerful antioxidants - compounds capable of protecting body cells from damage - known to benefit the heart and possibly reduce the risk of cancer. But there is a question mark over their influence on the brain. Dr Williams said the lack of research and clinical trial results meant research into flavonoids had suffered from a lack of scientific credibility.

He said there was also skepticism because flavonoids were known antioxidants, yet clinical trials with other antioxidants, such as vitamin E, showed no benefit on symptoms or disease progression in dementia.

However, Dr Williams said an idea was emerging that flavonoids did not act simply as antioxidants, they exerted their biological effects through other mechanisms.

Recent studies have found green tea flavonoids or grape flavonoids could help the brain and improve mental skills. Dr Williams and colleagues have focused on the flavonoid epicatechin, which is abundant in foods, including cocoa.

He said: "We have found that epicatechin protects brain cells from damage, but through a mechanism unrelated to its antioxidant activity, and have shown in laboratory tests that it can also reduce some aspects of Alzheimer's disease pathology.

"This is interesting because epicatechin and its breakdown products are measurable in the bloodstream of humans for a number of hours after ingestion, and it is one of the few flavonoids known to access the brain, suggesting it has the potential to be bioactive in humans."

Alzheimer's development is linked to beta-amyloid peptide - a substance that is normally produced in the brain, but in Alzheimer's is deposited abnormally as amyloid plaques, leading to dementia.

Dr Williams has shown that flavonoids can protect brain cells against the toxic actions of beta-amyloid.

Though this has not been investigated yet, one mechanism by which flavonoids and other plant chemicals might have a role in the prevention or delay of Alzheimer's is through their anti-inflammatory activities. Inflammation is a major component of every degenerative disease, from dementia and Alzheimer's to diabetes and obesity. In my judgment, inflammation is way more important than cholesterol, and eating a diet high in anti-inflammatory compounds could be one of the best overall disease-prevention strategies on the planet.

Fish oil is one of the most anti-inflammatory substances on the planet, one of the countless reasons it's so important for human health. Quercetin, a flavonoid found in apples and onions, is also highly anti-inflammatory and seems to have some anti-cancer activity as well.

Fast Food Diet May Raise Alzheimer's Risk

Guest article by Craig Weatherby

An estimated 5.2 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer's disease, and the toll it takes on their families may well exceed the patients' own suffering.

The results of a study from Sweden heighten suspicions that diets dominated by junky fast food meals damages brains, in addition to harming heart and overall health.

By "fast food meals" we mean ones high in sugars, starches, and bad fat but low in colorful, fiber- and antioxidant-rich plant foods. Sugary, starchy foods tend to promote generation of pro-oxidant, pro-inflammatory free radicals, as do fried and browned foods. The damage done to brain (and other) cells by free radicals and the inflammation they induce raise the risk of Alzheimer's.

Population studies link diets rich in antioxidants (and omega-3s) to reduced rates of Alzheimer's, and studies in dogs with Alzheimer's-like disease show clear improvements after increasing their intake of dietary antioxidants.

There's a genetic component to Alzheimer's though it's far from the whole story.

About one in five Americans possesses a gene that raises their risk of developing Alzheimer's disease ... which is by far the most common form of dementia. The risky gene, called apoE4, is a variant of the gene that governs the production of a cholesterol-transport protein called apolipoprotein E. People who carry the apoE4 gene are more likely to develop the brain abnormalities characteristic of Alzheimer's disease, and to later show symptoms of Alzheimer's.

But once again, genes "load the gun" but environment pulls the trigger.

A doctoral student at Stockholm's famed Karolinska Institute tested the effects of fast-food-like diets in mice genetically at risk for Alzheimer's- these mice had been specifically bred to carry the risky apoE4 variant of the apolipoprotein E gene. Researcher Susanne Akterin fed the Alzheimer's-prone mice a simulated fast-food diet for nine months.The mice developed brain abnormalities like those seen in Alzheimer's patients.

The moral of the story: You can't do much about your genes, but you can sure increase the odds of keeping your brain healthy by staying away from fast food and making sure you stock up on antioxidants.

B12: The New Star in the Vitamin Universe

Recently we've been hearing (and I've been writing) a whole lot of amazing things about vitamin D, which is turning out to be one of the most "underrated" vitamins on the planet. Now get ready to hear a lot about another vitamin that's about to be "discovered" by the media: Vitamin B12.

Look, these vitamins have been around since vitamins have been discovered. They're not new. But what happens is that the research mounts, people begin to pay attention, and slowly but surely a critical mass of intelligent folks in the health business realizes that this stuff is really important and amazing- and we're not getting enough of it.

Which is what's happening now with vitamin B12.

Many epidemiological studies have indicated that low levels of vitamin B12 are commonly associated with several ailments (many of which affect older people) like Alzheimer's, dementia, frailty, depression, osteoporosis, heart disease, stroke and even some cancers. For example, the famous Framingham study of 2,576 adults living in Massachusetts linked low blood levels of vitamin B12 to bone loss (in both men and women). And a study published this year of 107 people over 60 who were followed for five years linked low levels of B12 to shrinkage of the brain.

Here's the thing- in many studies, symptoms were seen with B12 levels just slightly below normal, or in some cases well above the level that causes anemia, the most famous B12 deficiency disease.

Once again, it's turning out that minimal levels of a vitamin- the levels known to prevent a specific deficiency disease- are very far from the optimal levels.

Vitamin B12 is needed in every cell in the body. It's water soluble, so you can't take "too much". And we absorb it poorly and probably don't get enough of it. Read on to see why.

Vitamin B12 is primarily found in animal foods (sorry, my vegan friends but it's the truth). To be assimilated it has to first be separated from the protein that contains it (like meat or fish) by stomach acid. It then binds to a compound called "intrinsic factor". The problems are threefold:

1. many people (especially vegetarians) are not eating animal protein;
2. many people do not make enough stomach acid, or they use antacids
3. many people don't make enough (or any) intrinsic factor. This is especially true once we hit forty.

Often, vitamin B12 deficiency doesn't show up for years. And it can influence depression, energy and performance, not to mention a whole host of degenerative diseases. Vegetarians (and vegans) especially must take supplements, and in my opinion, most everyone else would benefit as well.

Because of the limiting factor of stomach acid and intrinsic factor, many people prefer to get B12 in injections or take B12 as a liquid sublingually, so it bypasses the "gut". You can also take B12 in a small capsule. It's inexpensive and great insurance. I recommend you take it with folic acid, because the combination has been shown to lower levels of a nasty toxic inflammatory compound in your body called homocysteine.

Vitamin B12 is also known as cobalamin. But it's been shown that the more "potent" and effective form to use in supplements is a kind of "turbo" vitamin B12 called methylcobalamin. Make sure to always use supplements of methylcobalamin. And remember also that to make any kind of difference you need to take a dose of at least 1000 mcg. (And It's perfectly OK if you skip a day from time to time).

How to Get a Free Bottle of B12 in November For the month of November 2008 I will include 1 free bottle of vitamin B12 ($11.40 value) with any vitamin store order over $99. You don't need to add the product to your cart, I will simply toss it in your box as it goes out the door. (Unless you specify "b12 capsules" during order I will include the liquid form.)