You need the purple crusaders to save your brain cells!

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As if your life doesn’t have enough slings and arrows already, now to find out your brain cells are under attack. … Geese … you got enough on your mind, and now there’s some invaders running around causing havoc!

Actually, your brain has been quite crafty in fashioning its own protective barrier (blood-brain barrier) of densely packed capillaries that separates itself from the rest of your body’s circulating blood. These protective capillaries act as gate keepers. The keep out chemical molecules that are too large and bacterial infections, but smaller molecules like – glucose, caffeine, iron, manganese and aluminum easily pass through.

But, when these cells begin to experience inflammation from free radical damage then their protective ability decreases and infections and toxic conditions increase. Scientists suspect that such toxicity is related to the debilitating illnesses of Alzheimer’s, Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s.

One brain toxin comes from excess iron. Iron is naturally needed for cell growth and in red blood cells to carry oxygen, but excessive amounts can lead to toxicity unless neutralized. Most of the iron going to your brain is coming from meat, poultry and fish in an “unbound” form that is easily digestible, freely circulates in the blood but becomes toxic in excess once it crosses the blood-brain barrier.

Purple SuperheroHowever, Mother Nature has a plan to handle this. It comes in the form of the Purple Crusaders. That’s right – your toxic defenders are purple fruits and vegetables like —

  • blueberries
  • acai berries
  • blackberries
  • grapes
  • eggplant
  • plums
  • purple cauliflower
  • cranberries
  • beets
  • and a bonus from green tea 

Their phytochemical (health beneficial) structure “binds-up” the excess iron and neutralizes its effects. Interestingly, the iron content in green leafy vegetables and spinach is already bound and does not present an iron problem. Isn’t Mother Nature clever?

Does this mean you have to turn into a vegetarian to save your brain cells?

No, but you may just want to re-think how many purple fruits and vegetables you include in your healthy diet and the long-term healthy brain benefits they bring.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/12/101208083541.htm