Brain, memory and concentration

Millions of people around the world are adhering to low-fat, low-cholesterol diets in an effort to reduce the impact of disease-promoting calories. What they don’t realize is they’re also starving their brains of specific nutrients needed for memory and healthy cognitive function.

It is estimated that 85% of the oxygen contained in every breath you take is consumed by the mitochondria within each cell of your body.1 The decay of these energy-producing powerhouses in turn lies at the core of most age-related pathologies.

Every day, our bodies are under continual assault by damaging agents known as free radicals. Generally, both internal and dietary antioxidants do an excellent job of keeping free radicals in check. However, once this balance is disrupted, lethal diseases such as cancer, heart disease, lung disease, diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, and stroke can be initiated.

In 1997, the first scientific paper on resveratrol was published showing that this polyphenol could prevent cancer in experimental models.1 Since then, researchers have documented resveratrol’s ability to favorably modulate multiple processes associated with degenerative disease, from atherosclerosis to obesity.

Every morning, many of us sip our coffee with no real thought given to the beans behind the brew. But coffee beans are extra-ordinarily complex fruits containing over 1,000 compounds - only a handful of which have ever been individually investigated by scientists. Not only is coffee packed with antioxidants, but it is the greatest source of antioxidants in the American diet.

Scientific research on the health benefits of green tea is expanding exponentially, with more than 1,500 articles published in prestigious journals over the last five years alone. While green tea's medicinal properties have been described for more than 1,000 years, one of its most timely benefits may be supporting weight management by increasing metabolism and promoting fat burning.

As medical researchers continue to uncover the health benefits of green tea, one might think that these discoveries are of recent origin. In fact, the Western world’s growing interest in green tea’s disease-preventive effects tends to overshadow what Asian cultures have known for thousands of years: that green tea is one of nature’s most potent agents in protecting the body against a host of illnesses, thus offering real hope to those seeking to live longer, disease-free lives.

Almost ten years ago, Life Extension® published compelling data showing that supplementation with higher-dose carnosine induced a wide range of anti-aging effects, including marked reductions in lethal glycation reactions. We reported on experimental findings in the 1990s demonstrating life span extending effects when carnosine was added to the diet.

Life Extension® introduced SAMe (S-adenosylmethinone) in 1997. Back then it was enormously popular in Europe, but unknown in the United States. The National Institute of Mental Health decided to fund a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial that would evaluate SAMe as an additive therapy in those suffering major depression who were resistant to FDA-approved drugs. Researchers at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital gave patients 800 mg of SAMe twice daily along with a...

A review of the current scientific literature might suggest that ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) is the ultimate natural product—a veritable fountain of youth. Not only can it improve memory and help relieve the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, but recent evidence also suggests that it can improve mental health in healthy older adults and has uses in treating conditions as various as diabetic retinopathy, intermittent claudication, erectile dysfunction, ulcers, and arthritis.

Protecting brain health is vital if the pursuit of a longer life is to have any meaning. According to current wisdom, some degree of cognitive impairment is all but inevitable as we age. That is, unless steps are taken to prevent it. Scientists in Texas recently noted, “As life expectancy increases worldwide, pandemics of cognitive impairment and dementia are emerging as major public health problems.”

While various factors threaten us with “brain drain” as we age, the good news is that modern science has identified nutrients that can slow or even reverse the progression of this once-inevitable decline. These supplements offer a smart option for maintaining brain health throughout life.