4.3. Associations between nutrition factor scores and longitudinal QSM
Our results offer evidence that dietary factors may play a role in moderating the accumulation of brain iron. We observed that nutrients typically found in fruits and vegetables (factor 1) may help reduce iron accumulation in the basal ganglia, especially within the pallidum. This contrasts with nutrients categorized under factors 2 and 3—primarily antioxidants, iron chelators, and polyunsaturated fatty acids—which demonstrated a more pronounced effect in cortical areas, including frontal cortex, and the hippocampus.
Interestingly, factor 2 nutrients exhibited the most widespread associations, with lower iron accumulation in seven cortical regions. Factor 1, while showing the strongest negative association with iron accumulation, had its impact confined mostly to the right pallidum. Factor 3 nutrients, had a more limited and weaker association with brain iron levels, affecting only two cortical regions and with substantially lesser effect sizes compared to factors 1 and 2.
Our finding that higher dietary intake of antioxidants, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and iron chelators moderates age-related brain iron accumulation, align with the background literature on the importance of exogenous antioxidants in aging. This literature indicates that oxidative stress caused by excess non-heme iron impairs mitochondrial function, which prompts the additional release of iron from ferritin as the cells attempt to restore normal mitochondrial operation and maintain iron balance (Ward et al., 2014). This vicious cycle is particularly important in aging where endogenous defense mechanisms, specifically ones that depend on nonenzymatic antioxidants (e.g., glutathione, melatonin, vitamins A, C and E and flavonoids; Jovanovic, 2014), become less effective (Harman, 1998; Jovanovic, 2014; Molinari et al., 2019). Therefore, increased intake of exogenous antioxidants (such as vitamin E and lysine) could become more important at reducing brain iron accumulation with increasing age. PUFAs such as omega-3 fatty acids also have antioxidant properties and are also linked to the prevention of age-related ferroptosis, a cell death mechanism triggered by iron-induced oxidative stress (Ogłuszka et al., 2020). Lastly, iron chelators can enter cells, bind with free iron and effectively reduce its concentration (Entezari et al., 2022).
I take the following anti-oxidants daily:
Quercetin
C
EGCG
NAC (leads to glutathione)
Turmeric
Grape Seed Extract
Berberine
Spirulina
Since I started a year ago, I don’t have a constant incipient headache, light mental stress, or nagging worries. My brain feels like someone cleaned it out with a mop. I’m so damned energized I feel like I must be on cocaine (or so I hear!)
I have also been exercising 2 hours a day for 2 years. The first year was exercise without the anti-oxidants, and I didn’t get these effects. Adding them did.
YMMV.
Eat an apple a day and keep the doctor away.