Luteolin: Memory Protecting Vitamin

Remember to eat your green bell and hot chile peppers. Research shows that they’ll help you to remember in return.

A 2010 University of Illinois study funded by the National Institutes of Health found that luteolin, a super-nutrient that had already been documented as having anti-inflammatory effects in the body, can also reduce brain inflammation and reverse age-related memory deficits by directly blocking the release of inflammatory molecules in the brain.

It’s common knowledge that antioxidants reduce inflammation in the body and that inflammation is the cause behind much illness, including many auto-immune diseases. Inflammation in the brain seems to play a major role in age-related memory loss. The University of Illinois study suggests that luteolin acts directly on the immune cells in the brain and spinal cord (known as microglial cells), reducing their production of inflammatory cytokines in the brain, small proteins that affect communication between and behavior of cells. Luteolin’s effect in decreasing the release of these proteins helps protect and, according to lead researcher Rodney Johnson, “allows working memory to be restored to what it was at an earlier stage.” (Journal of Nutrition,October 2010.)

Here is a list of luteolin food sources:

- green bell peppers
- artichokes
- blueberries
- hot green chile peppers
- celery hearts
- thyme
- chamomile tea
- carrots
- olive oil
- peppermint
- rosemary
- parsley
- basil

All in all, aren’t we getting the picture that the powerful role nutrition plays in our health can’t be overstated, and that it’s hard to go wrong with ample daily servings of well-prepared, pesticide-free, fresh produce?