Free radicals are unstable molecules that come from environmental toxins and radiation and are produced by your body when digesting food. Free radicals can damage brain cells, stimulate aging and increase risk for heart disease and cancer. Research by Hung Fai Poon, Ph.D., published in the journal "Clinics in Geriatric Medicine" in 2004, reports that free radicals cause cell damage in the brain. Consult your doctor before taking vitamin supplements that may reduce free radicals in your brain.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is a fat soluble nutrient found in cod liver oil, sweet potato, kale and other vegetables and fruits that plays a role in vision, reproduction, immune function, skin care and bone growth. Vitamin A maintains the cognitive functioning of nerve cells, according to research by Christopher Olson, Ph.D., published in the journal "Molecular Nutrition and Food Research" in 2010. Vitamin A is also an antioxidant, a substance that may protect the cells in your body and brain from the effects of free radicals.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C, also called ascorbic acid, is an antioxidant -- found in oranges, strawberries, broccoli and other fruits and vegetables -- that may reduce the effects of free radicals in the brain. Vitamin C is required for the synthesis of collagen, a structural component of blood vessels and capillaries in your brain. Vitamin C also is required in the synthesis of norepinephrine, a chemical messenger in your brain that affects mood. As an antioxidant, vitamin C protects proteins, fats and nucleic acids such as DNA and RNA from damage by free radicals. Research by Fiona Harrison, Ph.D., published in the journal "Free Radical Biology and Medicine" in 2009, finds that the highest concentrations of vitamin C in the body are in the brain and that this antioxidant has a therapeutic role in preventing free radical-associated degenerative conditions such as ischemic stroke and Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E, found in olive oil, almonds and avocados, protects cell membranes, including those of brain cells, from free radical damage. The brain has a high fat content and brain cells are susceptible to free radical damage. Vitamin E has neuroprotective properties in brain cells and tissue that are rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, according to research by Chandan Sen, Ph.D., published in the "Journal of the American College of Nutrition" in 2010. Research by Sambe Asha Devi, published in "Scientific World Journal" in 2009, reports that the aging brain loses brain cells and that vitamin E and exercise may act together to overcome free radical injury in the aging brain.
