Deposits of copper and iron in hippocampal mitochondria eventually stop learning-crucial hippocampal cells, and the unchelated metal ions also lead to Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease, and age-related cognitive decline and dementia. This takes place independently of a caloric-restricted diet.
Copper comes primarily from beef (4/3 mg/oz) in the American diet, as does iron (1 mg/oz). Curcumin in curry powder chelates both iron and copper, as does carnosine, which can also chelate toxic heavy metals. R Alpha Lipoic Acid chelates divalent metal ions including iron and copper, and has been shown to reduce iron levels in cortical neurons, while increasing levels of glutathione-related antioxidants. Resveratrol chelates copper only. Quercetin, a relative of resveratrol found in grapes, "neutralizes both iron and copper better than 10 other phytocompounds".
Curcumin from tumeric or curry powder in the diet and the "holy cow" complex for avoiding beef results in reduced rates for Alzheimer's disease in India, and the Japanese preference for raw fish instead of beef has protected their brains from copper and iron, resulting in a lower incidence of dementia in Japanese elderly.
Rat brains have been studied in cross section extensively, and exhibit hippocampal mitochondrial damage as a function of food intake of copper and iron independently of anti-aging restricted-calorie diets. Antioxidant protection for mitochondria may be defeated by unchelated metallic ions. Copper aids the spread of cancer. Copper plus ascorbic acid tends to produce DNA damage and telomere shortening, so that it is particularly useful to chelate copper, say with Asp-Ala-His-Lys (DAHK) or curcumin.
The antioxidant Super Oxide Dismutase (SOD) produced by mitochondrial DNA may be interfered with by lack of metal ion chelation leading to mitochondrial dysfunction. See neurobiological aging, dementia, cognitive decline, and brain deterioration.
Aluminum can cause neural tangles seen in Alzheimer's disease and the best way to defend against it has recently been identified: curcumin is useful in chelating aluminum (Jerry Brainum, Curcumin, Iron Man, Fall 2009, and Sharma, D., et al., (2009), Curcumin counteracts the aluminum-induced aging-related alterations in oxidative stress, Na+, K+, ATPase and Protein Kinase C in adult and old rat brain regions, Biogerontology, 10(4), pp. 489-502).
Detoxification
Detoxification of mercury, antimony, arsenic, and lead takes place via methylation processes that are deteriorated by aging. NAC (N-acetyl-cysteine) can be used to chelate mercury, arsenic, cadmium, and lead. Emergency detoxification is sometimes done with EDTA chelation. EDTA chelation therapy is also applied by anti-aging clinics to improve cell membrane and mitochondrial integrity, salvage heart muscle, to improve LDL cholesterol levels, to remove calcium from atherosclerotic plaque and soft tissues, and to improve bone formation.
Another way to decalcify tissues to oppose arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and the calcification of artheroscleroic plaque is via vitamin K2, also obtainable from vitamin K, which promotes the expression of osteocalcin that guides calcium from the blood back into the bones, where it belongs. Simultaneous application of Vitamin D3 can help by assisting with bone remineralization.
