Can Polyphenol and Antioxidant-Rich Foods & Supplements Help Manage MS Symptoms?

What are polyphenols and antioxidants, and how can they help reduce inflammation for people with MS? In this article, you’ll learn about the power of polyphenols and antioxidants, how to get more of them into your diet, and the targeted supplements I recommend for my patients.

How polyphenols and antioxidants work to improve your health

Polyphenols are metabolized by the gut bacteria into compounds that calm excessive inflammation, reduce oxidative stress, turn off disease-promoting genes, and turn on health-promoting genes.^1-3

Antioxidants quench the oxidative stress that occurs as a byproduct of making adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in the mitochondria. Without antioxidants, those oxidative stress molecules will damage the mitochondria and other parts of the cells.⁴

How polyphenols and antioxidants get removed from your diet

When foods are processed to make them more shelf-stable and resistant to spoilage, the polyphenol and antioxidant content is sharply reduced. Vitamin C, for example, is destroyed by heat. That’s why cooked foods contain very little vitamin C.

Ultra-processed foods like sugar-sweetened beverages and flour-based breads, cereals, and pastas now account for 60% of the average American’s calories.⁵ Children and young adults get more than 70% of their calories from ultra-processed foods.⁵ As a result, most adults and children have very few polyphenols and antioxidants in their diets and are at higher risk for developing chronic diseases and/or issues like adverse pregnancy outcomes,^6,7 obesity,⁸ insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes,^9,10 hypertension and cardiovascular disease,^11,12 poor mental health,¹³, dementia, brain diseases, and poorer cognition,^14-16 breast cancer, colorectal cancer and other cancers,^17-19 and all-cause mortality.¹²

The best food sources for polyphenols and antioxidants

Many of the food sources for polyphenols, like vegetables, nuts, seeds, and spices,^1-3,20 will also include antioxidants.⁴ Here are some things you can do to increase the polyphenols and antioxidants in your every diet:

• Replace sugar-sweetened beverages with water and tea.
• Try increasing your intake of fresh vegetables, berries, nuts, and seeds.
• Eat more salads and raw fruits to increase your vitamin C intake.
• Green leafy vegetables provide more magnesium and calcium, as well as more polyphenols, carotenoids*, lutein, zeaxanthin, mezzo-zeaxanthins and other carotenoids that support brain and retinal health.²⁰
• Liver sourced from animals that eat grass or algae contains more vitamin A (retinol), folate (vitamin B9), cobalamin (vitamin B12). These minerals are also more easily absorbed. Raw meat is a good source of vitamin C as well, due to public health concerns I do not recommend it as a primary source for vitamin C.
• *Carotenoids are not the same thing as vitamin A—which is key for retinal health, brain health, immune health and proper cell division (reducing the risk of cancer and pre-cancer cells). When you consume carotenoids, your intestinal cells metabolize it to make retinol, which is vitamin A.

Targeted polyphenol and antioxidant supplements

Glutathione is the cell’s master antioxidant, made from the amino acids cysteine, glutamine, and glycine. Without enough cysteine on hand, the amount of available glutathione your body can make becomes limited. But you can’t simply take glutathione by mouth, because it will be digested. Instead, I have my patients take N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), which the cells can then use to make glutathione. Taking supplemental NAC has been a helpful adjunct to improve the quality of life for people with neurological and psychiatric disease states.^21,22

Vitamins C and E are also potent antioxidants,⁴ but vitamins require mineral cofactors in order to function optimally in our cells. Vitamin C requires selenium, zinc, copper, and iron; vitamin E requires selenium, zinc, and manganese.^23,24 I have my patients take a daily multivitamin / multimineral throughout the year to make sure they have sufficient vitamins C and E.

Additional polyphenols and antioxidants that support mitochondrial efficiency, support healthy aging, and protect cell membranes from damage caused by oxidative stress molecules include: coenzyme Q,²⁵ lipoic acid,²⁶ L-carnitine,²⁷ green tea,²⁸ huperzine A,²⁹ resveratrol,³ bacopa monnieri,³⁰ sulforaphane, ³¹ milk thistle, ³² and phosphatidylserine.³³

Below is a high-level look at how these different polyphenols and antioxidants work to support health and longevity in people with MS and other chronic conditions.

Supplemental coenzyme Q improves mitochondrial efficiency and has been a useful adjunct to standard therapy in patients with cognitive impairment.²⁵

Lipoic acid reduces inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress molecules in people with MS.³⁴ Lipoic acid and carnitine have been used together as a supplemental treatment for multiple neurological and psychiatric diseases.³⁵

Sulforaphane, a component of broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables, lowers inflammation and reduces oxidative stress in people with neurodegenerative diseases including multiple sclerosis.^36,37

Green tea has been used as an addition to standard therapy for neurodegenerative diseases including multiple sclerosis.²⁸

Huperzine A has been helpful in the animal models of Alzheimer’s disease.²⁹

Resveratrol has demonstrated benefits for cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases.³

Phosphatidylserine is a component of the cell membrane and is a key part of myelin insulation around the axons (wiring) between cells in the brain and spinal cord.³³ Phosphatidylserine content declines with age, which contributes to immune senescence— the gradual decline of immune system function associated with aging. This decline in immune cell vitality is part of why there is a greater risk for developing cancers and serious infections over the age of 65. Taking supplemental oral phosphatidylserine has also been beneficial for people with neurodegenerative and psychiatric diseases.³³

When you have an infection, a higher intake of vitamin C is needed to fight it.²³ Because the risk of respiratory infections is increased during the winter months, I have my patients take additional vitamin C from December through March.

Dr. Wahls key recommendations for antioxidants and polyphenols

These are my top recommendations for optimizing your polyphenol and antioxidants intake to better manage your MS and autoimmune-related symptoms. First, is vital to improve your diet starting with the recommendations above. Once that is stabilized, adding the following targeted supplements can further improve your quality of life.

Mito Multi Complete

This multivitamin/ multimineral contains the key vitamins and their necessary mineral cofactors for optimal functionality. In addition, Mito Multi Complete contains several antioxidants and polyphenols: L-carnitine, lipoic acid, milk thistle extract, green tea, huperzine A, resveratrol, broccoli seed extract, Shilajit, and Bacopa monnieri. This is terrific support for your mitochondria and cells.

This nutraceutical provides additional polyphenol and antioxidant support. N-acetylcysteine, phosphatidylserine, acetylcysteine-l-carnitine, lipoic acid, coenzyme Q, and broccoli seed extract which is metabolized to sulforaphane.

Ultra C

Taking additional vitamin C and related bioflavonoids during December, January, February, and March can facilitate greater resistance to viral infections. It also helps your body fight these infections if you do become ill, hopefully making the infection milder and shorter.

Citations

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