The Best Antioxidant – David Perlmutter, MD

In this report, Markesbery demonstrated that early on as cognitive function begins to decline, markers for free radical mediated damage correlate directly with the degree of mental impairment. He stated, “These studies establish [free radical mediated] damage as an early event in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease that can serve as a therapeutic target to slow the progression or perhaps the onset of the disease.” What a concept – targeting free radicals in an attempt to prevent Alzheimer’s disease! So if in fact our brain tissue is being assaulted by free radicals does it make sense to load up with antioxidants? To answer the question, consider the fact that your brain contains about 10 billion cells, each of which generates thousands of free radicals daily. So one might ask, how effectively would, say, a vitamin E capsule or a glass of some exotic juice perform when confronted by this onslaught of free radicals? Common antioxidants work by sacrificing themselves when confronted by free radicals. Thus, one molecule of vitamin C is destroyed when neutralizing one free radical molecule. This neutralizes the free radical but at the cost of the molecule of vitamin C. Can you imagine how much vitamin C or other oral antioxidant it would take to neutralize the astronomical number of free radicals generated by the body on a daily basis? Fortunately, human physiology has developed its own biochemistry to deal with the free radical fire. Far from being entir...
Source: Renegade Neurologist - A Blog by David Perlmutter, MD, FACN - Category: Neurologists Authors: Tags: Heads Up Source Type: blogs