Ralf
Study: ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE – DEMENTIA, VITMIN C, ASCORBIC ACID, DEHYDROASCORBATE, FREE RADICALS
“Ascorbic Acid in Cerebrospinal Fluid – A Possible Protection Against Free Radicals in the Brain”
Barabas, Judit, et al, Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 1995;21:43-48.
Ascorbic acid and dehydroascorbate levels in the plasma and CSF of 12 patients with senile dementia of moderate grade Alzheimer’s type were found to be significantly lower than 15 young, healthy volunteers. An intravenous infusion of 2 gm of ascorbic acid in 5 of these patients showed an active transport process for vitamin C from the plasma through the blood-CSF barrier. The study confirmed the free radical scavenging function of ascorbic acid in the central nervous system. Monitoring ascorbic acid levels in the plasma of demented patients is recommended because of its protective role in the free radical process that occurs in dementia. The amyloid precursor proteins aggregate only in the presence of free radicals. Vitamin C may reduce the harmful effects of free radicals in the brain.
