Some research also indicates that Huperzine A helps to block the process of inflammation that occurs as Alzheimer s disease progresses, Dr. Kozikowski says. The amount of Huperzine A used in the Chinese studies was four 50-microgram tablets a day. The dosage currently being recommended on the product sold in the United States is just half that amount two 50-microgram tablets a day. More research on Huperzine A is currently under way in the United States, says Dr. Kozikowski. There is good reason to believe that antioxidant nutrients, especially vitamin E, can help prevent damage to brain cells, Dr. Khalsa says.
Vitamin E protects signal-sensitive neurons in the brain from free radical damage.
Vitamin E is fat-soluble, so it has a free pass around the brain, which contains a lot of fats. In its travels, vitamin E interacts with cell membranes, traps free radicals, and interrupts the rapid-fire chain reactions that produce even more free radicals. When scientists did animal studies using vitamin E, they found that this important antioxidant reduces the degeneration of cells in the hippocampus, which is precisely the part of the brain that s hit hardest by Alzheimer s. After blood flow was cut off for a time, vitamin E could help the cells recover, and it enhanced the recovery of motor function after spinal cord injury. It can also reduce cell death associated with a protein that causes damage in Alzheimer s disease.