How Citrus Peel May Help Improve Your Nervous System
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Our previous two articles explored how some of the active agents in citrus peel have been found to help reduce glycation[1], oxidative stress[2],[3], and inflammation[4],[5],[6],[7],[8],[9],[10] all of which can degrade tissue and eventually lead to some kind of breakdown.
In this article, we’re going to take a look at some of the effects nobiletin (one of the chemicals in citrus peel) has on the nervous system, and why it matters.
Why Protecting Your Nervous System is So ImportantIf you imagine all of your body processes as a massively complex orchestra, your brain is the conductor of that orchestra. If the conductor starts sending bad signals or starts missing beats, the orchestra won’t stay together very well. If your body gets out of sync with itself, you’ve got serious trouble ahead, and it could show up in all sorts of places.
Scientists are just starting to map out all the ways that your body functions as an information system, but the nervous system’s role in central regulation is already well established.
What’s exciting is that nobiletin has been shown to support and protect the nervous system in a number of synergistic ways.
Nerves Need Protection from StressA number of stressors can cause nerve cells to stop coding proteins correctly, which usually leads to the death of the nerve cell. Damage from stress is also common in the energy centers of nerve cells (mitochondria).
Nerve cells need extra protection from because they don’t divide and renew the way other cells do. When they go bad, it’s a worse situation than say, your skin cells.
But there’s some exciting evidence coming in that nobiletin may help reduce this stress response and keeps nerve cells alive, both in and out of the mitochondria [11],[12] In fact, nobiletin seems to provide a broad spectrum of protection to nerves and brain cells when they’re stressed,[13] most likely through its ability to combat inflammation and oxidative stress.[14]
It appears to have particularly strong effects in the area of the brain that manages spatial navigation (the hippocampus), and which helps turn short term memory into long-term memory. [15]
Athletes and martial artists ought to take note here: Long-term memory is where mastery lives, and all athletic activity relies on heavily spatial navigation at its core. Don’t expect to be able to maneuver with effortless precision with a damaged hippocampus.
Triggering New Nerve Growth is a Key to Neurological HealthIn addition to its defense mechanisms, nobiletin may activate a gene signal that triggers new nerve growth, a key in fighting the degeneration that accompanies the diseases of aging. [16]
Again, nerve cells don’t divide the way normal cells do, so you have to trigger new growth in order to keep your brain and the rest of your nervous system in top shape.
It should come as no surprise, then, that nobiletin has been shown in some studies to improve memory and protect against neural degeneration [17],[18],[19], Here’s a few of the interesting ones:
- Several studies have shown that it may help reduce beta-amyloid plaque, which can lead to Alzheimer’s when it builds up. [20],[21]
- One study showed some protection against stroke damage.[22]
- Others noted that it may reduce the motor and cognitive deficits caused by Parkinson’s[23], specifically by protecting and triggering new growth in dopamine neurons. [24]
Again, athletes should take note. Your dopamine neurons are deeply involved with physical activity of all kids, especially those that require intensity, focus, and strong motivation.
Keep in mind: none of these studies claim that nobiletin is a cure for neurological diseases. What they do seem to demonstrate is that a nervous system with some protection puts up a better fight that one without it. Whatever protection is supplied by nobiletin is likely occurring through many of the same pathways it’s been shown to work in other parts of the body: by modulating the stress response, reducing inflammation, fighting oxidative stress, etc.