• Iron levels were much higher in people with both Down syndrome and Alzheimer’s — Compared to healthy adults and those with Alzheimer’s alone, people who had both conditions had about twice as much iron in a key brain region responsible for memory and decision-making.

This group had much higher levels of damage from iron reacting with the fats in brain cells and breaking them down. Making matters worse, the natural defenses that protect brain cells from this type of damage were weakened or missing.

• The brain’s protective enzymes were missing where they were needed most — The study found enzymes that normally repair damage to brain cell membranes were reduced by as much as 70% in the affected areas. These enzymes are important because they help prevent brain cell death triggered by iron overload.

Another protective compound, glutathione, also wasn’t being made properly. That’s because the enzyme needed to make it was also reduced by up to 60%. Without enough glutathione, brain cells lose a major line of defense against stress and oxidation.

• Iron harmed key parts of brain cells that act like control centers — The study found that iron was attacking small areas on the cell’s surface where important proteins are handled and messages are sent. In brains affected by Alzheimer’s — especially in people with Down syndrome — these areas were badly damaged. This damage changed how certain proteins were made, increasing the toxic forms that clump together in the brain and destroy nerve cells.

• The brain’s protein-cutting process turned more destructive under stress — Normally, certain brain proteins can be cut in ways that are either safe or harmful. In the damaged brains, the harmful cutting process became more active — not because there was more of the cutting enzyme, but because it was working faster, likely due to iron-related stress. At the same time, the safer cutting process slowed down. This shift caused the brain to make more toxic proteins instead of removing them.

• Even though the body made more antioxidants, they weren’t in the right place — The brain as a whole seemed to increase antioxidant enzyme levels in response to damage, but those enzymes weren’t where they were most needed. This mismatch meant that cells remained vulnerable to damage, even though the body was trying to defend itself. It showed that Alzheimer’s damage isn’t just about overall inflammation or oxidation — it’s about damage happening in precise, high-risk zones.

• Your genes influence how much iron builds up in your brain — In people with rare forms of Down syndrome who didn’t have an extra copy of a certain protein-making gene, there was far less brain iron, fewer harmful protein clumps, and they lived up to 20 years longer than those with the extra gene. This shows that making too much of that protein leads to more iron buildup, more brain damage, and a shorter life — helping explain why some people’s brains decline faster than others.

1. Test your ferritin and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) to assess iron burden and oxidative stress — If you don’t know your ferritin level, that’s where you start. Ferritin is the storage form of iron, and the ideal range is between 60 and 75 ng/mL. High ferritin levels indicate your body is holding onto too much iron, which leaks into your brain and triggers damage.

I also recommend asking for a GGT test. GGT is a key marker of oxidative stress and helps identify if free iron is causing damage inside your body. When both ferritin and GGT are elevated, it’s a strong sign your iron is doing harm.

2. Donate blood or request phlebotomy if your iron is too high — If your body is holding onto more iron than it can safely manage, it increases your risk for heart disease, insulin resistance, and oxidative damage to your organs — including your brain. One of the most effective solutions?

Donate blood two to four times a year. This simple act pulls iron out of storage and lowers your levels gradually. If donation isn’t an option due to your health history, ask for therapeutic phlebotomy to achieve the same result.

3. Balance your copper intake to support healthy iron metabolism — Iron reduction is only one piece of the puzzle. If your copper status is low, which is common, your body can’t regulate iron properly. Copper and iron work together. When copper is deficient, iron builds up in places it doesn’t belong. Consider supplementing with 3 to 4 milligrams of copper bisglycinate daily if your intake is low.

You can also focus on copper-rich foods like bee pollen, grass fed beef liver, and acerola cherries — acerola cherry is very high in vitamin C, which contains copper-rich tyrosinase enzyme. Don’t overlook retinol either — this nutrient, found in beef liver and organ meats, helps your body absorb and use copper effectively.

4. Get calcium from food to help keep iron in check — Proper calcium intake reduces your risk of iron overload naturally. When calcium is low, your body produces more parathyroid hormone, which increases iron storage. That creates a feedback loop that worsens brain inflammation over time.

Focus on getting calcium from whole food sources like raw grass fed dairy, pasture-raised egg yolks, and powdered eggshells. Skip the synthetic calcium supplements unless medically necessary, as they don’t offer the same co-factors for absorption.

5. Remove vegetable oils and increase antioxidant-rich foods — Iron is especially dangerous when it reacts with unstable fats, like polyunsaturated fats in vegetable oils. I recommend eliminating canola, soy, corn, sunflower, safflower, and other vegetable oils from your kitchen. These oils break down in your body and feed oxidative stress.

Replace them with stable fats like grass fed butter, ghee, coconut oil, and tallow. At the same time, boost your antioxidant defenses by eating garlic, onions, and pasture-raised eggs. These foods give your body the building blocks to produce glutathione, your brain’s main defense system against iron-triggered damage.

You can also add molecular hydrogen to your daily routine. Hydrogen activates your body’s own healing system by switching on glutathione — especially important when chronic illness and oxidative stress have shut those systems down. Whether through hydrogen-rich water or tablets, this approach helps reactivate your brain’s defense systems where they’re needed most.