by Amanda Smith, Associate EditorAlzheimer's. Parkinson's. Huntington's.
An unavoidable process, aging exposes the human body to a host of disease conditions. When consumed at recommended levels, dairy may have a protective effect against the neurodegenerative conditions common in elderly populations.
Research conducted at the University of Kansas Medical Center, and shared in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, had found a link between milk consumption and the levels of a naturally occurring and powerful antioxidant – glutathione – in the brain of older, healthy adults.
The study found that participants who had consumed milk recently had higher levels of glutathione in their brains. As the brain undergoes normal metabolic processes, reactive chemical compounds are produced. The antioxidant could help stave off oxidative stress, which is associated with a number of diseases and conditions, and the resultant damage caused by reactive chemical compounds in the brain.
Antioxidants are a built-in defense system for our body to fight against this damage.
The damage is akin to the buildup of rust on a car, noted Debra Sullivan, professor and chair of dietetics and nutrition. "If left alone for a long time, the buildup increases and it can cause damaging effects."
Sixty adults, between the ages of 60 and 85, were enrolled in the study and split into three groups based on their reported daily intake of dairy (low, moderate or recommended). The recommended category (those consuming three servings of dairy each day) was the most difficult to fill, noted In-Young Choi, associate professor of neurology.
Brain scans revealed that servings of dairy and milk were positively related to glutathione concentrations in three brain areas. Daily calcium intake was positively correlated with glutathione levels in two of the three scanned areas.
Few Americans reach the recommended daily intake of three servings per day. The study highlights a proactive new benefit of milk consumption; the closer older adults came to those servings, the higher their levels of glutathione were.
(c) Hoard's Dairyman Intel 2015
April 13, 2015
