Milk could be good for brain health

New research conducted at the University of Kansas Medical Center has found a correlation between milk consumption and the levels of glutathione, a naturally-occurring antioxidant, in the brain in older, healthy adults.

Dr. In-Young Choi, an associate professor of neurology, and Dr. Debra Sullivan, professor and chair of dietetics and nutrition, worked together on the project. Their research, which was published in the Feb. 3 edition of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, suggests a new way that drinking milk could benefit the body.

"We have long thought of milk as being very important for your bones and very important for your muscles," Sullivan said. "This study suggests that it could be important for your brain as well."

Choi's team asked the 60 participants in the study about their diets in the days leading up to brain scans, which they used to monitor levels of glutathione in the brain.

The researchers found that participants who had indicated they had drunk milk recently had higher levels of glutathione in their brains. This is important, the researchers said, 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, Choi said.

Follow NEWS.am Medicine on Facebook and Twitter