Two ways antioxidants help reduce brain injury from stroke

A stroke is a scary thing… The blood is cut off to an area of your brain and the cells in that area die. And, because of the unique nature of a stroke and the physical and chemical changes it causes, the damage can continue — killing more brain cells even days after. The larger the area of damage, the worst issues you’ll experience. Large strokes can cause speech problems, paralysis, or even death while small strokes may just result in weakness in an arm or a leg. The only sure way to avoid all of these things is to never have a stroke. A few important stroke prevention tips recommended by Harvard Medical School include: Maintaining healthy blood pressure and blood sugar Losing any extra weight Exercising more Limiting alcohol Quitting smoking Treating any problems with atrial fibrillation (irregular heartbeats) But unfortunately, estimates are that approximately 6000,000 Americans will experience their first stroke this year. That means someone you know, maybe even some of us reading this right now, could be in that number. But, there’s still something you can do that could both increase your odds for less brain damage and help your recovery if it happens… The brain-protecting triple power of antioxidants Ground-breaking research was carried out by a team of scientists from the University of South Florida College of Medicine, James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital and the National Institute on Drug Abuse, that looked into the effects of antioxidants on stroke. Previous research had already proven that diets enriched with blueberries, spinach or spirulina reversed normal age-related declines in memory and learning in old rats. So, they decided to test the antioxidant powerhouses against the damage caused by a stroke. The researchers studied four groups of rats which were fed either one of the three […]

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