![The Mighty Vegetable that Rejuvenates Your Brain about undefined](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdxp-dh-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2F64b009b68bf37f6265aa0ae4%2Fassets%2F65f8b8dd7ff3cc00131110f6%2Fthemightyvegetablethatrejuvenatesyourbrainimage.jpeg&w=1920&q=70)
A Food to Counter Rogue Beta-Amyloid
What happens, say the Florida researchers, is that during Alzheimer’s disease, a protein in the brain called beta-amyloid links up with copper or another available mineral like iron. Attachment to these metals causes the beta-amyloid to fold incorrectly and form misshapen clumps that lead to inflammation and oxidation. And eventually to those amyloid beta plaques so often seen in dementia patients. But if betanin is available, it keeps the metallic minerals away from beta-amyloid.1 "We can't say that betanin stops the misfolding completely, but we can say that it reduces oxidation," comments researcher Darrell Cole Cerrato. "Less oxidation could prevent misfolding to a certain degree, perhaps even to the point that it slows the aggregation of beta-amyloid peptides, which is believed to be the ultimate cause of Alzheimer's." Not everyone believes that the build-up of beta-amyloid in the brain is the “ultimate cause” of Alzheimer’s. But the fact that the betanin in beets slows inflammation and oxidation among brain cells makes it important for improving brain health.Rejuvenate Your Brain
Along with that study of how betanin helps the brain, another analysis by researchers at Wake Forest University shows that consuming beet juice right before exercising can help you have a “younger” brain. In this study, the researchers scanned the brains of people over the age of 55 who took a drink of concentrated beet juice before going for 50-minute walks. Over the course of six weeks, walking three times a week, the scientists found that drinking the beet juice supercharged the formation of neuronal networks in these folks’ brains.2 The jazzed up nerve networks made their brains function like younger, more nimble brains. It enhanced what is called neuroplasticity – the neurons’ ability to reorganize themselves and help the brain learn new information and operate at a higher level. Now, along with being a fountain of youth for your brain, other beet benefits include:- Helping people with heart failure: Beet juice can improve the ability to exercise and control blood pressure in people suffering heart failure.3
- Supports muscle recovery: A study in England shows that drinking beet juice after a workout reduces muscle soreness and helps muscles recover faster.4
- Sends more blood to the brain: Eating beets can improve blood flow to the brain, potentially lowering the risk of dementia and other memory problems.5
- https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/pressroom/newsreleases/2018/march/vegetable-compound-could-have-a-key-role-in-beeting-alzheimers-disease.html
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5861951/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26874390
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4997419/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3018552/