Drinking Milk Increases Levels of Glutathione, a Powerful Antioxidant in the Brain

We all know that milk is good for health, especially for our bones and muscles. Now a new study has suggested that it could be important for one's brain health as well. Researchers at University of Kansas (KU) Medical Center have found a possible correlation between milk consumption and the levels of a naturally-occurring antioxidant called glutathione in the brain in older, healthy adults.During the study, researchers asked the 60 participants about their diets in the days leading up to high-tech brain scans, which they used to monitor levels of glutathione which is a powerful antioxidant in the brain. They found that participants who had indicated they had drunk milk recently had higher levels of glutathione in their brains.

Researchers said, "This is important because glutathione could help stave off oxidative stress and the resulting damage caused by reactive chemical compounds produced during the normal metabolic process in the brain. Oxidative stress is known to be associated with a number of different diseases and conditions, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and many other conditions."

In-Young Choi said, "Antioxidants were a built-in defense system for body to fight against this damage and the levels of antioxidants in brain could be regulated by various factors such as diseases and lifestyle choices. Our equipment enabled us to understand complex processes occurring that were related to health and disease and the advanced magnetic resonance technology allowed us to be in a unique position to get the best pictures of what was going on in the brain."

The study appears in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.