A Janitor's Advice On How To Clean Your Brain

By Kevin DiDonato MS, CSCS, CES

If you followed the groundhog this weekend, then you know that he predicted that spring is right around the corner.

And you know what that means?

Spring cleaning!

There is no better way than starting your spring off fresh and clean.

Now, let’s relate this to things that are happening inside your body…

Actually, more like what’s going on inside your brain.

You see, your body does a great job of “cleaning” itself out of harmful toxins, bacteria, and other things that may cause you to get sick.

And inside your brain is no different.

It has its own type of janitor…

Your Brain Janitor and Aging

Normally, when you think of a janitor, you think of someone who keeps buildings, schools, malls, and office spaces clean and fresh.

They empty out trash cans, clean windows, vacuum, and perform other tasks that keep your space clean and smelling fresh.

Now, think of what job a janitor may have in your brain.

Just like in real life, the brain “janitors” – otherwise known as microglia - clean out trash and harmful waste that accumulate daily inside your brain.

And, if your brain is not cleaned out of toxins and built-up waste, you may start see a decline in cognitive function, memory, and other brain-related tasks.

Now, when you age, your memory and cognitive function are not the only things that start to decline!

The microglia (remember they are the important janitors in your brain) may start to lose function as you age, therefore leading to a failure to do their job – cleaning out your brain cells!

And this may lead to a build-up of harmful toxins, which may cause all the terrible things above.

Also, aging may further complicate the microglia by over-stimulating them, therefore making them cause damage to your brain cells.

Not good, if you want to protect your most precious asset!

Now, you are probably sitting there asking yourself, what you can do to protect your brain cells – especially since you’re not getting any younger…

The answer lies in strawberries, blueberries, acai berries, and possibly walnuts!

It’s called polyphenolics – which are mostly found in berries – which may have a protective - or rescuing effect - to the microglia in your brain.

And this may restore your microglia to normal function, therefore keeping the riff-raff, toxins, and harmful debris out of your brain cells!

Now, you may be asking how this is…

In their research, they discovered that berry extract – rich in polyphenolics – were able to inhibit the action of specific proteins which shut down the housekeeping duties in your brain.

The housekeeping duties – commonly referred to as autophagy – is when the microglia, remove and recycle biochemical debris from inside your brain cells.

Now the question for you is: what ARE you going to do?

The Right Steps for Your Brain

Now, there is not a lot you can do about halting the aging process.

In fact, the moment you are born, you slowly start to age.

Although there is very little you can do to STOP the aging process, there are steps you can take – and foods that you can eat – that may SLOW aging down, therefore preserving longevity.

And according to this study, eating berries – especially strawberries,blueberries , and acai berries, plus walnuts – may reduce a buildup of toxins and debris in your brain that may speed up the aging of your brain.

Now, besides berries and walnuts, you may also be able to find polyphenolics in other fruits and vegetables, which could “cleanse” your brain from excess, sometimes harmful, biochemical debris.

Fruits and vegetables that have DEEP red, green, yellows, and purples may contain the highest polyphenolic compounds as well as anthocyanins  (another powerful antioxidant) that could also lead to better overall health – and more importantly  - better brain health.

Most people, however, find preparing and serving fruits and vegetables to be a time consuming and often grueling process.

If there was a way to get a day’s worth of berries and vegetables, would you be interested?

Well if so, then you need to take a look at this…
Zambroza is a unique and powerful blend of juices that are naturally rich in vitamin C - a powerful antioxidant.
RICH IN POLYPHENOLS AND FLAVONOIDS

• Nature’s Sunshine has harvested the most healthful fruits and natural extracts from around the world and combined them into this unique delicious, nutritious juice that has been specially formulated to neutralise excess free radicals. 
• This unique juice blend not only tastes great but gives your body what it needs to enjoy maximum health and long lasting vitality - not only will you feel revitalised but these antioxidants have a powerful effect on the health of the skin helping you to look great too.
• Potency of antioxidants is measured by their ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorption Capacity), which indicates their ability to neutralise and scavenge free radicals.  When tested by Brunswick Laboratories the results were astounding with Zambroza’s scoring more than twice that of the nearest competitor, demonstrating its superior protective properties.
• Rich in Polyphenols and Flavonoids Zambroza is proven to give unparalleled antioxidant protection.

References:

Research presented at a meeting of the American Chemical Society.   August 23, 2010.