Monthly Archive for October, 2011

This is part of our ongoing The Best Kept Secrets to Healthy Aging spotlight. Each week, we will be posting some of the great information that’s packed into our book, The Best Kept Secrets to Healthy Aging.

Today’s topic:
Essential Brain Nourishment: GPC Supplies Choline to the Brain

The first step in the recycling process is to break down phosphatidylcholine into its individual components, one of which is L-a-glycerophosphocholine (GPC).¹⁸ As research published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry has shown, the choline from GPC can be recovered by the cell and reused to produce fresh phosphatidylcholine where it is needed.¹⁹ In addition, the choline that is released from GPC within the neuron can be used to produce acetylcholine, the neurotransmitter chemical without which much of your brain activity would be impossible.

GPC Works with Choline

If for some reason not enough choline is available to support the need for new acetylcholine, brain cells will “cannibalize” their own membranes, tearing out phosphatidylcholine to get at its choline. The results of a study published recently in Mechanisms of Ageing and Development show that, within brain cells, supplemental GPC is a better source of choline than is dietary choline.²⁰ Adequate GPC availability prevents neuronal self-destruction from occurring.

Next Best Kept Secrets to Healthy Aging topic:
Essential Brain Nourishment: GPC Promotes Mental Processing

References:
18. Zaccheo O, Dinsdale D, Meacock PA, Glynn P. Neuropathy target esterase and its yeast homologue degrade phosphatidylcholine to glycerophosphocholine in living cells. J Biol Chem 2004;279:24024-24033.
19. Fernandez-Murray JP, McMaster CR. Glycerophosphocholine catabolism as a new route for choline formation for phosphatidylcholine synthesis by the Kennedy pathway. J Biol Chem 2005;280:38290-38296.
20. Amenta F, Tayebati SK, Vitali D, Di Tullio MA. Association with the cholinergic precursor choline alphoscerate and the cholinesterase inhibitor rivastigmine: An approach for enhancing cholinergic neurotransmission. Mech Ageing Dev 2006;127:173-179.

This is part of our ongoing The Best Kept Secrets to Healthy Aging spotlight. Each week, we will be posting some of the great information that’s packed into our book, The Best Kept Secrets to Healthy Aging.

Today’s topic:
Essential Brain Nourishment: Glycerophosphocholine (GPC)

Within neurons in the brain, phosphatidylcholine is a vital membrane phospholipid that participates in ensuring effective interneuronal communication. When brain cells interact they sometimes form new connections by “reaching out” to their neighbors with an extension of themselves – a section of new cellular material that must be wrapped properly in membrane material. At other times, peroxidation of a portion of neuronal membrane requires its removal and replacement. Both new construction and remodeling require a plentiful supply of new phosphatidylcholine. Some of this building material is made fresh from nutrients supplied by the blood, but most is produced by recycling the phosphatidylcholine obtained from the existing membrane material.

Next Best Kept Secrets to Healthy Aging topic:
GPC Supplies Choline to the Brain

This is part of our ongoing The Best Kept Secrets to Healthy Aging spotlight. Each week, we will be posting some of the great information that’s packed into our book, The Best Kept Secrets to Healthy Aging.

Today’s topic:
Essential Brain Nourishment: Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract

Extracts of the leaves of Ginkgo biloba, the world’s oldest living tree, contain a range of phytonutrients that stimulate the cholinergic neurotransmitter system. In one randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 30 days of daily dietary supplementation with the extract produced improvements in the speed of information processing by working memory and the accuracy of executive processing in young men and women who were otherwise completely normal in their cognitive abilities.¹³ In an older study, the one-time consumption of 600 mg of Ginkgo biloba leaf extract increased memory performance in healthy young women with “good” memories within one hour.¹⁴ More recent research showed that acute administration of a single dose of Ginkgo biloba to young, healthy individuals led to significant performance enhancements for sustained-attention tasks and pattern recognition tasks 4 hours after dosing.¹⁵ Furthermore, a study performed in elderly individuals consuming 120 mg of a Gingko biloba extract daily for one year found that the extract was able to aid in the maintenance of cognitive function over the study period.¹⁶ The extract was extremely safe and in several cases was shown to enhance cognitive ability in the study group. The results of these studies illustrate the promotion of mental functioning by Ginkgo biloba leaf extract.

Next Best Kept Secrets to Healthy Aging topic:
Essential Brain Nourishment: Choline

References:
13. Stough C, Clarke J, Lloyd J, Nathan PJ. Neuropsychological changes after 30-day Ginkgo biloba administration in healthy participants. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol 2001;4:131-134.
14. Subhan Z, Hindmarch I. The psychopharmacological effects of Ginkgo biloba extract in normal healthy volunteers. Int J Clin Pharmacol Res 1984;4:89-93.
15. Elsabagh S, Hartley DE, Ali O, Williamson EM, File SE. Differential cognitive effects of Ginkgo biloba after acute and chronic treatment in healthy young volunteers. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2005;179(2):437-46.
16. Le Bars PL, Katz MM, Berman N, Itil TM, Freedman AM, Schatzberg AF. A placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized trial of an extract of Ginkgo biloba for dementia. North American EGb Study Group. JAMA 1997;278(16):1327-32.