How to protect your brain with the right antioxidants

Free radicals are the enemy. Get ready for battle

If you think that life in this world is a constant struggle between good and evil, you should see what’s going on in every cell of your body. As above, so below.

The body always strives for healing. You cut yourself and immediately blood clotting and wound healing agents are mobilised. You catch a cold or flu and your immune system rapidly prepares to fight off the enemy.

But sometimes the threat comes from within. That threat takes the form of reactive oxygen species (ROS), also known as free radicals, which are the end product of oxidation. Oxidation occurs when a substance reacts and combines with oxygen, for example during combustion. Free radicals are also generated by pollution, stress, smoking and certain cooking methods that involve burning food, such as barbecuing.

Free radicals create risk. They have the potential to cause damage to all cell structures, and play a major role in the development of serious chronic diseases, including heart disease, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases, not to mention premature ageing.

But that’s OK, because the body is equipped with an army of antioxidants that respond by neutralising those free radicals and rendering them harmless before they can do their damage. Phew.

At least, that’s what happens when everything is working properly, and you have more than enough antioxidants to deal with the level of ROS being produced.

‘Oxidative stress is caused by an imbalance in the redox system. It can be caused by excessive production of ROS or dysfunction of the antioxidant defense system.’

This protective mechanism is especially active in the brain, which is highly vulnerable to the action of free radicals. That’s because it has a high oxygen demand and a high polyunsaturated fat content. Free radicals are especially active in this type of fat.

This vulnerability means that you’ve got to stay ahead of the game and keep your army of antioxidants well stocked. If you don’t, signs that you are losing the battle in the brain take the form of diseases of the central nervous system, that include Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.