Page 166 - The Memory Program How to Prevent Memory Loss and Enhance Memory Power

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Despite Linus Pauling's exhortation to swallow huge amounts of vitamin C to treat the common
cold and other illnesses, clinical research in people with memory loss has been sparse. But given that
it has antioxidant properties comparable to vitamin E, a promemory effect is more than likely.

Taking High Doses of Vitamin C Has Limitations

Vitamin C is found in most fruits and a few vegetables. I suggest a daily glass or two of orange or
grapefruit juice, but if you want to be more aggressive you can add 1 to 5 grams of vitamin C tablets
daily. Other than a possible increase in stomach acidity, you should not have any side effects. This is
because as soon as the water-soluble vitamin C reaches high blood levels, the kidneys expel the
excess into the urine. Effective therapy requires staying one step ahead of this mechanism, which
means that unless you take high doses continuously, vitamin C therapy won't do you much good
against memory loss. Another limitation is that vitamin C does not enter brain tissue easily. To cross
cell membranes in the brain, fat-soluble forms of vitamin C like ascorbyl palmitate and ester C have
been developed, but these medications have many side effects, and you should not take them on a
daily basis.

Other Antioxidants

Flavonoids, which are components of ginkgo biloba, are strong antioxidants.
A subtype of flavonoids called proanthocynadin is found in grape seeds and pine bark. Grape
seed extract and pine bark extract are marketed as antiaging products, but these substances have
not been systematically studied.
Green tea contains polyphenols that have antioxidant properties, and milk thistle extract contains
the antioxidant silymarin.
Barley and wheat juice contain large amounts of the enzyme superoxide dismutase, which is the
main naturally occurring antioxidant enzyme in the human body.

For all these antioxidants, there isn't sufficient evidence for me to recommend them as part of the
Memory Program.