Reverse Neuroinflammatory Distress with Resveratrol

Like me, you may have believed that all alcohol-containing drinks are culprits for inflammation and increased risk of disease. I believed this sentiment until I learned of the benefits of resveratrol which is found in red wine. Since then, red wine has become my alcoholic beverage of choice.

Resveratrol, a plant compound, has health-boosting faculties which include protecting brain function and lowering blood pressure. Essentially, resveratrol acts as an antioxidant.

A 2015 review paper concluded that high doses of resveratrol may help reduce the pressure exerted on artery walls when the heartbeats. This does not mean that drinking vast quantities of wine will have this effect, but in fact, may do more harm than good due to the other components of wine. Rather, resveratrol can be found in other foods such as berries and peanuts. However, in comparison to other alcoholic beverages, red wine has the potential to impact health positively,

Additionally, resveratrol may accomplish blood-pressure-lowering by helping to produce more nitric oxide, which causes blood vessels to relax. This nitric oxide is a natural byproduct of your body compared to the nitric oxide that dentists may use to relax their patients before a procedure.

Most importantly, and relevant to this blog, resveratrol can help slow down age-related cognitive decline. By interfering with protein fragments called beta-amyloids, which are the hallmark of Alzheimer's disease, resveratrol is able to protect the brain from neurodegeneration. All-in-all resveratrol performs some very interesting antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities.

Comments

Cognitive Benefits of Tea

We all know about the cognitive benefits of drinking coffee. However, for many, consuming coffee leads to a jittery feeling with the added inconvenience of a diuretic effect. For me, tea was the alternative I sought to boost my cognitive function without these side effects. A recent study led by researchers from the National University of Singapore revealed that regular tea drinkers have better-organized brain regions that are associated with healthy cognitive function. So what does this mean? In order to realize the cognitive effects of tea, it must be consumed regularly. Additionally, the degree to which the organization of brain regions occurs is highly dependent on the individual. To take advantage of these benefits, regular tea drinking has been defined as 4 times per week. In this specific study, green tea, black tea., and oolong tea were the types consumed. These results demonstrate that drinking tea regularly has a protective effect against age-rel...

Enhance your Learning Ability with Blueberries

My high school Advanced Algebra and Trigonometry teacher always joked about eating blueberries before his test days, but I never really understood why. Turns out, he was right. It wasn't until my time at Vanderbilt studying Neuroscience that I learned about the amazing benefits to memory capacity and function that blueberries enhanced. In fact, grabbing a handful of blueberries has been demonstrated to help fight dementia. In addition, blueberries fight off the harmful effects of free radicals, keep blood vessels clear of plaque, and may help lower blood pressure. Because of the interconnectedness of the human body, these benefits enhance brain function. As early as 1999, studies found that giving blueberries to older rats helped them to navigate mazes more efficiently. Since then, over 200 studies have been conducted demonstrating the efficacy of blueberries for slowing the progression of Alzheimer's, boosting memory, and lowering inflammation. One research stu...

The Second Brain: Gut-Brain Axis

As a young adult who has experienced non-celiac gluten sensitivity for nine years, I have understood firsthand the connection between gut symbiosis and cognitive function. However, it wasn't until my undergraduate years that I began to grasp the detrimental effects of a gut-brain axis that is off-kilter. For me, inflammation in my gut which created gut dysbiosis began to wreak havoc on my cognitive capacities. Besides physical manifestations of this inflammation such as migraines, I experienced brain fog, memory impairment, and many other cognitive deficits. The consumption of gluten in my diet was the primary culprit for inflammation in my gut which translated to cognitive deficits, but gut dysbiosis can occur in a myriad of other forms. Abuse of alcohol, prescription drugs, and refined foods can also contribute to a compromised gut-brain axis. So what is the gut-brain axis? Essentially, it is the bidirectional link between the central nervous system and the en...

Nutritional Neuroscience

Search This Blog