Flavonoides

Say “Science Says Celery Saves Brain Cells” Seven Times

Posted on 21. May, 2008 by Kerry Friesen, M.D. in Inflammation Overload

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[pic]photo credit: Francesca:Nocella

If you thinkthat’s hard, try the original title from the current issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences:
“Luteolin reduces IL-6 production in microglia by inhibiting JNK phosphorylation andactivation of AP-1″

*Division of Nutritional Sciences, Integrative Immunology and Behavior Program, Department of Animal Sciences, and Department of Pathology, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign,1207 West Gregory Drive, Urbana, IL 61801

Regardless of how you say it, foods full of flavonoids (such as the luteolin in celery), fight neuroinflammation faster than aspirin. No, I just made thatup about the aspirin, but the science is still very, very convincing.

In this study, brave mice were given an intraperitoneal (inside the abdomen) injection of lipopolysachharide (LPS) tostimulate the production of brain damaging inflammatory mediators.

Three weeks earlier researchers had replaced the study animals regular water with water “spiked” with luteolin, a protective flavonoidfound in especially high concentrations in celery. At different time intervals they evaluated blood samples to precisely measure the amount of proinflammatory cytokines – chemicals responsible forneuroinflammation.

You’ll remember that neuroinflammation is the hallmark of common neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s and others.

Chronic inflammation anywhere in thebody can contribute to disease and the brain is no exception.

Three weeks worth of luteolin spiked water, dramatically reduced the amount of inflammation present in hippocampus of the studyanimals, confirming the neuroprotective properties of simple celery.

Practically speaking, a human would have to consume 47 servings of celery per day to replicate the concentration of luteolin found...