Getting a buzz now and then might be
good for your brain. . . Researchers at the Texas A&M Health Science Center
College of Medicine say that you can actually drink to improve your memory.
That's right. According to their
research, drinking the right amount of the right alcoholic beverage can both
improve your memory and protect your brain as you age.
The secret ingredient, they say, is
resveratrol, the substance in red wine that other scientists say can improve
your heart health. Now additional research suggests resveratrol is a good
cancer-fighter, too. Long story short, it’s a powerful antioxidant.
The right amount to consume is no
more than a glass or two of wine a day. Enough to give most of us a buzz.
Brain Booster
According to the studies in Texas,
resveratrol promotes the health of the brain's hippocampus, the area where much
of your learning and remembering takes place. The scientists performing these
studies believe resveratrol may be useful for people whose neurons are
degenerating as they get older. It might even be good for fighting Alzheimer's
disease.i
In lab tests, research animals that
were approaching the end of their lifespans were fed resveratrol while a
control group was not. In the brains of those that consumed resveratrol, the
growth of new neurons (a process called neurogenesis) was twice as prevalent as
in those animals that didn't receive the nutrient. Resveratrol also increased
the development of microvasculature (small blood vessels) that supply the brain
with beneficial blood flow.
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