Apr
25
2020

Exosomes can Regenerate Your Stem Cells

By | Anti-aging medicine, Arthritis, blood brain barrier, Diabetes, exercise, fasting mimicking diet, Fitness, Heart Disease, immune system, Inflammation, kidney disease, lifestyle, mitochondria

Dr. Douglas J. Spiel gave a talk on how exosomes can regenerate your stem cells. In essence, this was at the 27th Annual World Congress on Anti-Aging Medicine in Las Vegas from Dec. 13 to 15th, 2019. His original topic was: “Placental MSC Exosomes for Longevity and Chronic Disease”. Notably, MSC stands for “mesenchymal stem cells”. Dr. Spiel recommended this website to look at applications of exosome therapy.

Essentially, what scientist found is that certain factors from stem cells can activate your own stem cells to regenerate tissues that grow old. These factors are messenger RNA (mRNA) and micro RNA (miRNA), which come as tiny particles of 40‐100 nm.

Advantages of administering exosomes

To emphasize, exosomes can be given systemically as infusion, and they can regenerate your stem cells, if they are in need of treatment. They cross the blood brain barrier, so it is possible to treat brain diseases. That is to say, there is no first-pass removal in the lungs as it is with mesenchymal stem cells (MSC). The potency is related to the age of the donor and his/her stem cells. Notably, exosomes are easy to store, freeze and administer.

Exosomes influence the growth of target cells and promote regeneration. In addition, exosomes stimulate immunomodulation and have anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic properties. To clarify, the only limitations are that the strength of the exosomes is related to the age of the blood donor. The exosome fraction comes from mesenchymal stem cells. That is to say, it circulates in the plasma portion of the blood, which is obtained by spinning blood cells down in a centrifuge. To emphasize, exosomes can regenerate your stem cells.

Applications of exosomes for various clinical conditions

Joint inflammation

Mesenchymal stem cells are useful to treat arthritis. But it is important to realize that exosomes from mesenchymal stem cells are doing the same by stimulating the body’s own stem cells situated in the joints. In fact, several target cells have been identified that are stimulated by exosomes. These are chondrocytes, chondrocyte progenitor cells, cartilage-derived stem cells and synovium‐resident multipotent progenitor cells. In addition, other target cells are osteoblasts and osteoclasts in resident MSC within the subchondral bone and chondrogenic cells in the knee joint.

Disc degeneration  

Degenerative intervertebral discs respond to exosome treatments. The IL1 beta cytokine is involved in intervertebral disc degeneration. Exosomes inactivate these cytokines and have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Exosomes are not all the same. Different sub-fractions were isolated that have anti-inflammatory, immune-stimulating, antioxidant and other effects on the body.

Aging research

Researchers were able to pinpoint aging to various factors that contribute to premature aging. To clarify, when there is a decrease of catabolic processes and an increase of anabolic processes, an older person can combat premature senescence. Another key point, aging is also linked to redox homeostasis. Simply put, oxygenation processes in the body need to be balanced by reduction processes. This keeps the body in a healthy state. ADP/NADH production can be stimulated by exosomes.

Longevity comes from good lifestyles

With the use of exosomes, the aging process slows down, as oxidative stress is neutralized, damaged mitochondria are removed and cellular debris as well. That is to say, this improves inflammation and premature aging.

As has been noted, in the past 200 years life expectancy has doubled in most countries. 4 areas where longevity is particularly common are: Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Nicoya, Costa Rica and Loma Linda, USA. Only 7% of longevity stems from genetic factors, the rest is from lifestyles we adopt. In the final analysis, people who die prematurely followed a very poor lifestyle causing them to develop diseases, which ultimately killed them.

Clinical diseases from aging

Ultimately, advanced aging puts you at risk of getting cardiovascular disease (heart attacks and strokes), cancer and neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease). From the third decade onwards, there is the risk of bone loss, which causes osteoporosis. As has been noted, loss of cartilage causes osteoarthritis. Loss of muscle strength and muscle mass is called sarcopenia. With aging there is often an accumulation of abdominal fat. Hormones are disbalanced. Blood pressure is often elevated and blood lipids as well. Insulin resistance can develop and the blood vessels become stiffer. This causes heart attacks and strokes.

The details of the aging process are much more complicated than originally thought of. There is a combination of aging of the DNA, mitochondrial aging, stem cell exhaustion and a change of intercellular communication due to dysregulated endocrine signalling. In addition, there is a decline of the immune system and epigenetic factors that can turn off longevity genes.

Oxidative stress as a cause of premature aging

Dr. Spiel pointed out that reactive oxidative species (also known as free radicals) cause damage to mitochondria and mitochondrial DNA. But we need the energy from the mitochondria for a comfortable life. In essence, antioxidants can neutralize free radicals. Age-related conditions due to oxidative stress are: cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease and type 2 diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cancer, neurodegenerative disease, frailty and sarcopenia. Surely, both reactive oxygen and reactive nitrogen are free radicals. They have one or more unpaired electrons and all aerobic body cells produce them. Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) cause oxidative damage to our cells and contribute to the development the diseases just mentioned.

Antioxidants help to prevent diseases

But antioxidants can contain these free radicals in various ways. The body has five built-in enzymatic ways to protect itself and five non-enzymatic ways (bilirubin, vitamin E, beta-carotene, albumin and uric acid). In addition, there are antioxidants that a person can take as supplements to inactivate RONS. These are: vitamin C and E; phenolic antioxidants like resveratrol, phenolic acids, flavonoids, oil lecithin, selenium, zinc and drugs like acetylcysteine.

Without control of the oxidative stress RONS can lead to cellular senescence and chronic inflammation. This leads to a vicious cycle where chronic oxidative stress and inflammation feed on each other leading to premature diseases.

Causation of several diseases

As we age, the body reduces the inborn antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase). Before we can understand how to live longer, we need to be aware what happens in various health scenarios as follows.

  • The lack of inborn antioxidant enzymes leads to vascular endothelial dysfunction, high blood pressure and premature hardening of the arteries. This can become a precursor to heart attacks and strokes.
  • Elevated blood sugar in the case of type 2 diabetes leads to increased sugar concentration of body cells and formation of free radicals.
  • Oxidants from cigarette smoke activate macrophages and epithelial cells to produce inflammatory cytokines. Continued smoking releases proteases in the process that break down connective tissue and cause emphysema and COPD.

There are more diseases

  • Chronic kidney disease comes from oxidative stress affecting the filter units of the kidney, called glomeruli. With a lack of blood supply to the kidneys secondary high blood pressure develops and endothelial dysfunction. It also leads to chronic inflammation.
  • In the brain oxidative stress leads to cognitive impairment and dementia.
  • Oxidative stress and chronic inflammation are important ingredients for the development of cancer. RONS and cytokines release NF-kB, which activates cancer genes. RONS can also directly attack the DNA of cells and cause cancer through carcinogenesis.
  • Sarcopenia and frailty come from the action of RONS on the skeletal muscles. In old age there are less inborn antioxidants available. This leads to decreased muscle quantity or sarcopenia. Eventually frailty results with the risk of falls and fractures. 

Preventative measures for slowing the aging process

There is a number of steps that in combination help to slow the aging process.

  • A Mediterranean diet combined with a fasting mimicking diet or other calorie restricted diet
  • Regular physical activity
  • Cognitive training
  • Vitamin D3 supplementation
  • Reducing your risk to develop vascular disease
  • Certain drugs turn on the longevity gene (metformin, rifampin)
  • Spiel warned that due to limited compliance and variable response these steps alone may not be enough to prevent age-related problems

How to live longer

It is important to recognize the importance of antioxidants to counteract the development of these diseases. As already mentioned, the following counter the effect of free radicals: vitamin C and E; phenolic antioxidants like resveratrol, phenolic acids, flavonoids, oil lecithin, selenium, zinc and drugs like acetylcysteine. Mesenchymal stem cells can also stop the action of free radicals. In addition, exosomes, which  are products of mesenchymal stem cells can do the same. Mitochondria, the power houses within the cells, create energy, but also release free radicals. In his clinic Dr. Spiel administers intravenous exosomes to counter the oxidative stress. Numerous studies linked mitochondrial dysfunction to various age-related diseases. There are markers in blood tests that the physician can order to analyze malfunctions in the body. Dr. Spiel showed 4 slides that contained a lot of medical information that is too technical. I omitted it for this review.

Intravenous infusions of exosomes

The important thing to remember is that epigenetics can be changed by exosome infusion and lifestyle changes mentioned above. Dr. Spiel said that generally he uses 15 ml of exosomes by intravenous infusion every 12 weeks for longevity and performance enhancement. This treats conditions like infertility, osteoporosis, osteopenia, heart, liver and kidney weaknesses. Here is the dosing for intravenous exosomes by weight:

20-50 lb: 5 ml; 50-90 lb: 10ml; more than 90 lb: 15 ml; more than 220 lb: 20 ml. Unfortunately, one exosome treatment costs between 500.00 and 922.00 USD, an amount that most people cannot afford.

Contraindication to the use of stem cells or exosome therapy

It is important to realize that a person who has cancer should not receive either mesenchymal stem cells or exosomes. Indeed, exosomes do not differentiate between cancer cells and healthy cells, but stimulate cell division. For the same reason people with myeloproliferative disease (sickle cell anemia, bone marrow dysplasia) should also not receive exosomes. To clarify, other conditions where the physician will not order exosomes are primary pulmonary hypertension, acute bacterial infection or an immune-compromised state. In addition, macular degeneration with neovascularization is also a condition where the health professional does not administer exosomes.

Exosomes can Regenerate Your Stem Cells

Exosomes can Regenerate Your Stem Cells

Conclusion

Dr. Douglas J. Spiel gave a talk on how exosomes can regenerate your stem cells. Specifically, this was at the 27th Annual World Congress on Anti-Aging Medicine in Las Vegas from Dec. 13 to 15th, 2019. Dr. Spiel explained how disease processes age our organs. Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) cause oxidative damage to our cells and contribute to the development of diseases. This involves the mitochondria in the cells as well. The good news is that a healthy lifestyle can counter these damaging processes to a certain extent. But it takes another step to re-establish the balance of our cells, exosome infusions. Exosomes are tiny particles that are shed by stem cells and that circulate in the blood. They can reenergize stem cells that are ailing to become functional again.

Expensive exosome infusions

He recommended an infusion with exosomes every 12 weeks for maintenance of good health and as a “fountain of youth”. Obviously, there are some limitations. As mentioned, it is not suitable for all patients, like cancer patients, patients with sickle cell anemia, acute bacterial infections or pulmonary hypertension. In addition, it is also not a treatment which many patients will seek out as the cost is prohibitive. One exosome treatment cost between 500.00 and 922.00 USD, an amount that most people cannot afford.

Mar
14
2020

Telomeres are Important

By | Alzheimer’s disease, andropause, Anti-aging medicine, Cancer, Cardiovascular disease, Diabetes, exercise, fasting mimicking diet, fish oil, Fitness, food, heart attack, High Blood Pressure, Hormones, Menopause, Nutrition, Obesity, omega-3 fatty acids, Smoking, Stress management, telomeres

In the first place, Dr. Joseph Raphaele reviewed why telomeres are important at a Conference in Las Vegas in December 2019. This was at the 27th Annual World Congress on Anti-Aging Medicine in Las Vegas from Dec. 13 to 15, 2019. The actual title of his lecture was: “Telomeres in 2019; clinical developments and cutting-edge applications”.

Notably, Dr. Raphaele reviewed how various animals have quite different life expectancies. First, the Aldabra giant tortoises, for instance can live up to 152 years. Second, the house mouse can at the most live up to 6 years, but its predator, the cat lives up to 38 years. Finally, humans can live up to 122.5 years.That is to say, the average mortality rate doubling curve of man is 8 years. Dr. Raphaele introduced the terms “lifespan” and “health-span”.

Lifespan versus health-span

The first thing to remember is that our lifespan is defined by the number of years we live. On the contrary, the health-span is defined by the number of years you do not have any disease and your physical and mental health are good. Dr. Raphaele explained that for the most part the body’s organs have a limit of functioning after 80. For this reason the kidneys, the maximum heart rate, the maximum breathing capacity and the maximum work rate (oxygen uptake) all decline after the age of 80. It is important to realize that in 1961 Dr. Leonard Hayflick showed that there is a limit of how often cells can divide. After 60 doublings cells in tissue culture either die or just stop dividing. The built-in molecular clock resides in the telomeres. The telomeres are the caps at the end of the chromosomes in the cell’s nucleus.

Telomeres and their function in aging

In a word, what is the function of telomeres? In essence, the telomeres protect the integrity of our genes. For the most part, they protect the chromosomes from deteriorating, prevent DNA fusion and massive instability of the genes. In addition, the telomeres allow the cells to divide in an orderly fashion, but only up to the Hayflick limits. In short, the bottom line is that telomeres prevent cells from mutations of the DNA, from senescence and from death.

Shortening of telomere length with age

Dr. Raphaele said that one of the important findings was that telomere length is shortening with age. Notably, he showed a slide similar to this. To clarify, this graph shows telomere length as a function of the lifespan in years. The telomere length is obtained by a blood test. This determines the length of the telomeres in white blood cells. At a young age it has a length of between 8 and 10 kb. kb stands for kilobase. A kilobase consists of 1,000 pairs of nucleic acid sequences. So, 10 kb means 10,000 pairs of nucleic acid sequences. Around the age of 80 people have much shorter telomeres, only 4 to 6 kb. There is an enzyme, called telomerase that can elongate telomeres by approximately 10%. But this may not be desirable as too much telomerase activation can also stimulate cancer growth.

Age changes telomere length

Dr. Raphaele explained further that a telomere loses about 100 base pairs per cell division. But there are other factors that shorten telomeres. Smoking, sedentary lifestyle, high blood pressure, stress and a low antioxidant status all can shorten telomeres. Certain congenital conditions can shorten telomeres by 28%. Dyskeratosis congenita is such a condition where 80% patients die by the age of 30 due to aplastic anemia. This is associated with bone marrow failure. 10% of these patients die from cancer. Apart from age, which shortens telomeres slowly, lifestyle factors are very important. A good lifestyle where you exercise regularly, you don’t smoke and you eat a healthy diet will slow down the shortening of your telomeres. Controlling your stress, sleeping enough hours per night and taking supplements also delays telomere shortening. Certain medications that control diabetes, high blood pressure or thyroid medication that treats hypothyroidism also delay telomere shortening.

Telomeres and shortened lifespan

Researchers could show that good lifestyle practices work by increasing telomerase to a certain degree. This results in lengthening of telomeres and translates into up to 10 years of increased life span. Jerry Shay, PhD said in 2011: “While the aging process is complex and certainly cannot be explained solely on the basis of telomere biology, there is a growing consensus that in some situations telomere biology and telomere tests may have important utility similar to cholesterol assays or blood pressure monitoring measurements.”

Telomeres are not just a biological clock inside our cells. They have a great influence on the function of mitochondria and on how many mitochondria multiply inside cells. This latter process is called mitochondrial biogenesis. In addition, telomeres regulate gene expression.

Chronic diseases associated with shortened telomeres

Here is a list of chronic diseases where all the patients have shortened telomeres.

  • High blood pressure
  • Hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis)
  • Cancer
  • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
  • Alzheimer’s disease
  • Diabetes and obesity
  • Chronic stress
  • Metabolic syndrome

Telomeres in cardiovascular disease

Telomere length was found to be shortened in those who developed a heart attack. Researchers compared the telomere length in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients to people with no history of heart attacks. In comparison to this normal group the heart attack victims had telomeres typical for people who are chronologically 11.3 years older than the healthy controls. The researchers calculated that people with telomere shortening had a 3-fold higher risk of coming down with a heart attack.

Telomere length enhancers

  1. Lifestyle changes can have positive effects on telomere length. Examples are smoking cessation, weight loss and stress reduction.
  2. Dietary changes: we know that fish oil (omega-3 fatty acids) supplements elongate telomeres as does a low-fat diet.
  3. Supplements like vitamin D3, antioxidants (vitamin C and E) and astragalus (TA-65) elongate telomeres as well. The astragalus supplement, TA-65 showed a significant elongation of telomeres after 12 months while controls lost telomere length.
  4. Exercise: in a 24-week experiment of care workers regular aerobic exercise increased the telomeres by 67.3 base pairs.
  5. Bioidentical hormone replacement in aging people: when hormones are missing after andropause and menopause, the natural hormones need replacing, or the telomeres are shortening.
  6. High cortisol levels cause telomere shortening.
  7. Human growth hormone elongates telomeres via telomerase activation.
  8. The fasting mimicking diet (FMD) was shown to extend life and telomeres as well.

Therapeutic rationale for telomere lengthening in CAD and AD

Patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) are at risk for developing heart attacks and other cardiovascular diseases. Here is an overview of many clinical trials that have been done in humans with CAD. It shows shortening of telomeres in these high-risk patients. But the review also shows that telomeres can lengthen by changing the risk factors of cardiovascular disease. Researchers were increasing the enzyme telomerase that indirectly lengthens telomeres. Both approaches prevent serious cardiovascular disease and increase life expectancy significantly. In severe cases of telomere shortening the physician can consider TERT gene therapy.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) also is a condition where telomeres are shortened compared to normal controls. Time will tell whether TERT gene therapy is possible to prevent Alzheimer’s disease.

Telomeres are Important

Telomeres are Important

Conclusion

Telomeres are the caps of the chromosomes in our cells. In the past the word “telomere” appeared obscure and only scientists discussed this among themselves. Now we know that telomere shortening is often the reason for chronic illnesses like high blood pressure, hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis), cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes and obesity. Patients who have these conditions often have shortened telomeres in their white blood cells. Over the years we have learnt that lifestyle changes can have positive effects on telomere length. Smoking cessation, exercise, weight loss and stress reduction are elongating telomeres.

Additional factors elongating telomeres

In addition, supplements like antioxidants (vitamin C and E), vitamin D3 and astragalus root (TA-65) elongate telomeres as well. By elongating telomeres, a person can add 10 to 11 years of disease-free life to the normal life expectancy. Researchers showed that telomerase activation by human growth hormone increased telomere length without causing cancer. Dr. Thierry Hertoghe, an endocrinologist from Belgium spoke about HGH replacement in aging people on other occasions. He said that cautiously treating patients with low doses of HGH when blood tests showed deficiency, adds about two decades of life-expectancy to these patients’ lives.

Jan
04
2020

Preserving Youthful Power

By | exercise, fasting mimicking diet, Fitness, Health

Dr. Christopher W. Shade (PH.D.) presented a lecture in Las Vegas on Dec.13, 2019 talking about preserving youthful power. The presentation was at the 27th Annual World Congress on Anti-Aging Medicine and his title was “Building Youthful NAD+ Power with Precursors, Sirtuin-Activating Compounds, and Methylation support”.

In the first place, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) is a signalling molecule between the DNA of the nucleus of cells and the energy producing mitochondria that reside in the cells. The exact nature of the interaction is described in this review article. It describes how stress leads to a depletion of NAD+ and sirtuins, and causes accelerated aging. On the other hand, calorie restriction and exercise lead to increased production of NAD+, activation of sirtuins and longevity.

Details about low NAD+ activity

It is important to realize that when NAD+ is below a critical level the following disease states can develop. First, in the brain it is Alzheimer’s disease and neurodegenerative disease. Second, in the eyes macular degeneration and keratoconjunctivitis sicca can develop. Third, severe plaque-type psoriasis can occur in the skin. Fourth, the pancreas develops hyperinsulinemia and metabolic syndrome. Fifth, type 2 diabetes can make your muscles weak. Sixth, sarcopenia with loss of muscle mass and cardiovascular disease in the heart can also develop. Seventh, the liver reacts to the metabolic syndrome by causing hepatic steatosis. Metabolic syndrome causes inflammatory cytokines in the fatty tissue. Eighth, the lungs react by developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Ninth, your blood can get endotoxin-induced inflammation and sepsis from bacteria. A lack of NAD+ causes all of these negative changes simultaneously in the body.

In fact, when a person exercises regularly, uses intermittent fasting as a tool of calorie restriction and takes supplements of NAD+ all of these negative processes stop and sirtuins are activated restoring the body to a more youthful condition.

Summary about the effects of NAD+

In other words, NAD+ is important for cardiometabolic health, energy balance, liver health, immune health and cognitive health. NAD+ is also involved in maintaining the membrane polarity of cell walls. The blood /brain barrier and the gut/blood barrier are also kept intact by NAD+. In addition, NAD+ is involved in detoxification and control of the action of free radicals. It also is important to control Inflammation. For these reasons, it is not a surprise that people with normal NAD+ function will be healthier than those who have a problem with this.

Sugar reduces NAD+ to NADH

It is important to note that scientists could show in animal models and in humans that sugar overconsumption leads to the reduction of NAD+ to NADH. All of the negative effects described above for low NAD+ are then coming true. NADH is a reduced and disabled form of the oxidized NAD+. In essence, this substance has no biological action.

Energy metabolism

Biochemists have determined with regard to the energy metabolism of mitochondria that there are three occasions where enzymes are dependent on NAD+. Without NAD+ the energy-providing oxidative metabolism in mitochondria would not take place. As NAD+ is lower in older age, this explains why an aging population has less energy. In addition, as we age, the number of mitochondria per cell is decreasing. That is to say that an aging population has less energy than youthful people.

Other factors that are important in preserving youthful power

The AMPK signalling pathway

AMPK stands for 5′ AMP-activated protein kinase. This is an enzyme that consists of three protein portions. In humans it is expressed in liver, brain and muscle tissue. It provides energy in the liver by fatty acid oxidation. In muscles it stimulates glucose uptake and fatty acid oxidation. AMPK also inhibits cholesterol synthesis, lipogenesis and triglyceride synthesis. Fasting and exercise can stimulate AMPK production, which in turn will stimulate SIR1 genes and NAD+ production. This is especially happening in muscle tissue. To put it another way, there are a close-linked metabolic reactions between NAD+, AMPK and sirtuins.

Balance between AMPK, NAD+ and methylation

Given the right circumstances this can lead to detoxification, longevity and energy. This is what intermittent fasting and exercise can do for you. AMPK needs high NAD+ levels to give you all of the benefits. But NAD+ must be balanced with methylation. This is a somewhat difficult subject to explain, but the link explains it in somewhat technical terms. In other words, with a balance of the body’s biochemistry the person is healthy. When there is a disbalance, you get sick.

Practical application how to supplement for preserving youthful power

Dr. Shade asked the rhetorical question: how can we achieve a balance between NAD+ and methylation?

His answer is to supplement with the following supplements.

  • Trimethylglycine (Betaine) 2‐5g/day
  • Vitamin B2: 10‐30mg/day
  • SAMe or methylcobalamin 1000‐3000mcg/day
  • Measure Homocysteine as marker of methylation; if it is low, the methylation pathway is normal and there is balance.

Next: how to we raise NAD+? The answer is by cardio-metabolic blending.

  • Berberine and quercetin (they are respiratory chain modulators)
  • Resveratrol, silymarin and lipoic acid (they are liver kinase B1 activators)
  • Resveratrol or pterostilbene and quercetin (they are sirtuin activators)
  • Nicotinamide riboside (NR) and nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) 200- 400 mg per day
  • Trimethylglycine (Betaine) 2-5 grams per day and methylcobalamin, B2, and others (methylation support)
Preserving Youthful Power

Preserving Youthful Power

Conclusion

It is difficult to describe energy flow in biochemical terms. Dr. Christopher W. Shade did exactly that in a lecture he gave at the 27th Annual World Congress on Anti-Aging Medicine in Las Vegas on Dec.13, 2019. The key for preserving youthful power is to balance the metabolism that occurs in the nucleus of the body cells with the metabolism taking place in the mitochondria. The mitochondria are the energy producers, but the steering of this occurs through the metabolic products from the cell nucleus. NAD+ plays a key role in our energy metabolism. But there is an interplay with AMPK, which stands for 5′ AMP-activated protein kinase. Sirtuin genes interact with these messenger molecules as well and this is where longevity comes in.

Longevity through sirtuin stimulation

Sirtuins are longevity genes that help us get more energy for a longer period of time. Regular exercise stimulates this complex biochemistry giving us extra NAD+ for energy. Intermittent fasting also stimulates sirtuins, which adds to the extra energy and gives us longevity. This is not a bad deal when you look at it from a distance. We can achieve a lot preserving our energy through an active life style. Supplements can be an auxiliary measure, but they are not effective enough without positive lifestyle choices.

Dec
21
2019

Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

By | Allergies, autoimmune disease, blood test, Diabetes, exercise, fiber, Inflammation, Nutrition, Obesity

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been increasing in the general population. About 25% of all Americans suffer from this condition. It is more common among obese, overweight and diabetic patients. But it is also very common in people whose gut bacteria are abnormal. Antibiotic residues in red meat and in poultry can cause these gut bacteria changes according to scientists. Metabolic products of these abnormal gut bacteria are absorbed in the gut and end up in the portal vein. This is a large vein collecting all the nutrients and leaked toxins and transports them to the liver. The liver detoxifies toxins and digests nutrients. In the process the liver can get inflamed and turn into a fatty liver.

Fatty liver is still reversible

When liver damage continues, fibrotic changes can develop and liver cirrhosis is the next stage of this disease. Fatty liver is still reversible, but liver cirrhosis is not.

The January 2020 edition of LifeExtension magazine contains a review of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). It also tells you what you can do to normalize the condition. In the following I am reviewing this article.

Probiotics can help to reverse non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Two studies that I will describe in more detail later showed that probiotics can reduce inflammation in the blood significantly and can reverse fatty liver disease. Abnormal bacteria in the gut can also lead to leaky membranes of the gut wall. This can become permanent and the condition has the name “leaky gut syndrome”. Researchers have linked this condition to the development of autoimmune diseases. People with obesity and with high blood sugars (people with diabetes) have the highest risk of developing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The condition (NAFLD) does not produce any symptoms. But a combination of blood tests and scans can diagnose the condition.

Good and bad gut bacteria

If you allow the bad gut bacteria to stay, inflammation of the gut wall with leaky gut syndrome develops. This allows bacteria, toxins and other substances that should stay out of the blood to enter the body. Researchers have found that good bacteria can control the gut inflammation by taking probiotics, that will allow the leaky gut wall to heal. They found the following bacteria to be beneficial:

  • Lactobacillus casei
  • Lactobacillus rhamnosus
  • Streptococcus thermophilus
  • Bifidobacterium breve
  • Lactobacillus acidophilus
  • Bifidobacterium longum
  • Lactobacillus bulgaricus

Probiotics usually contain most or all of these good bacteria. This allows the inflamed gut wall to heal and restore the gut barrier.

Two human trials

A  randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was published in 2014. 52 patients with NAFLD who were overweight or obese were taking probiotics twice a day versus a placebo control group. After 28 weeks the experimental group showed normalized liver enzymes and a significantly reduced C-reactive protein. The C-reactive protein was reduced by 54% in comparison to the placebo group.

The other clinical trial consisted of 50 patients with NAFLD, but a normal or low body mass index. Half of the patients were taking probiotics, the other half placebo pills. The researchers noted that after 28 weeks the inflammatory markers were much lower in the experimental group than in the placebo group. Also, the liver values were now normal.

Discussion

Patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease are in danger of progressing to liver cirrhosis and liver failure. At this point only a liver transplant could rescue them from death. However, as the clinical trials have shown, the use of probiotics to normalize the gut bacteria can normalize the inflammation of the gut and reverse fatty liver disease. Regular exercise and weight loss through the use of a lower calorie diet will also help in normalizing the liver function. When prebiotics are added to probiotics the healing effect is amplified even further. Prebiotics contain fiber that cannot be digested, but which is useful for bacteria from the probiotics to multiply on.

Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Conclusion

We need to pay more attention to the food we are consuming. For instance, regular beef in the US contains antibiotic residues that permanently change the gut flora. This leads to an inflammatory reaction of the gut wall and leaky gut syndrome. Gut bacteria and toxic substances can now enter into the portal vein and reach the liver. The liver attempts to detoxify this, but in the process, it also develops non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). About 25% of Americans have this condition, which is asymptomatic. The only way to diagnose it is through blood tests and scans. Two clinical trials have documented that NAFLD can reverse back to normal with the consumption of probiotics. Regular exercise and weight loss (calorie-reduced diet) also help to reverse NAFLD back to normal liver tissue. It is obvious that a timely intervention is necessary to avoid the progression to liver cirrhosis!

Sep
07
2019

Resistance Training In Seniors Is Essential For Healthy Aging

By | exercise, Fitness, fractures, Prevention

The National Strength and Conditioning Association restated that resistance training in seniors is essential for healthy aging.

In a summary statement the association said: ”Current research has demonstrated that countering muscle disuse through resistance training is a powerful intervention to combat muscle strength loss, muscle mass loss (sarcopenia), physiological vulnerability (frailty), and their debilitating consequences on physical functioning, mobility, independence, chronic disease management, psychological well-being, and quality of life.”

This research is not new. But seniors seem to overlook this and prefer to sit around and talk to friends. It is easy to forget going to the gym and work with exercise equipment at least 3 times per week.

Preventing sarcopenia in seniors

In order to prevent falls, the senior needs muscles that are powerful enough to maintain the balance. To achieve this in senior years, it would help to visit a gym three to five times per week and exercise with exercise machines used for resistance training. ( I usually go 5 to 7 times per week and work on 10 weight machines. I have noticed that my strength has improved by doing this persistently.

The authors said in the Position Statement that aging is associated with a variety of biological changes. These can lead to a reduction in skeletal muscle mass, strength and function. This increases the risk of falls. Research has shown that resistance training is a powerful tool to combat the loss of muscle strength and muscle mass. This helps to slow the aging process and prevent falls and fractures.

Poor compliance rate of older adults

Despite the knowledge that resistance training can prevent falls and fractures only 8.7% of adults above the age of 75 in the US are using fitness facilities for resistance exercises.

Resistance Training In Seniors Is Essential For Healthy Aging

Resistance Training In Seniors Is Essential For Healthy Aging

Conclusion

A new Position paper was published to point out the importance for seniors to engage in resistance training. Only 8.7% of adult above the age of 75 in the US are actually following this advice. This puts the majority of older residents in the US at risk of falling. Once you fall, you can succumb to a fracture of a bone. Typically fractures in seniors are due to muscle weakness. The Position paper has laid out the research, the exact exercises and follow-up data on resistance training. Those who have engaged in a resistance-training program have enjoyed many benefits. The evidence is very convincing that resistance training will indeed help prevent falls and injuries. It will also be of benefit to improve the quality of life in older age.

Aug
03
2019

The Best Ways To Prevent Cancer

By | alcohol, andropause, breast cancer, Cancer, Cardiovascular disease, coffee, Diabetes, diet, exercise, fiber, food, green tea, heart attack, Hormones, lifestyle, lung cancer, Menopause, Nutrition, Obesity, omega-3 fatty acids, Prevention, Processed food, prostate cancer, sleep, Smoking, Stroke, sugar, testosterone, Vitamins and supplements

Cancer is the second leading cause of death, that’s why it is important to learn about the best ways to prevent cancer. Generally speaking you want to remove cancer-producing substances (carcinogens) from your diet. But diet is only part of your lifestyle that can contribute to cancer. I shall list some of the more important dietary factors below and briefly touch on important other factors.

Avoid burning your meat

When you use the BBQ, you should avoid burning your meat. Even though the marks of “charring” are considered desirable on meat from the grill, this is really burnt! As a matter of fact it is a lot better to use a slow cooker at low heat and simply cook your food longer. This way you don’t create carcinogens. Avoiding to burn your meat is particularly important for the red meats.

Sugar and an overabundance of starchy foods can cause cancer

You never thought that sugar and an overabundance of starchy foods could cause cancer, but they do. The reason is that the metabolism of cancer cells is using 10- to 12-times more sugar than the metabolism of normal cells. The worst thing a cancer patient can do is to over-consume sugar. Replace sugar by stevia, which is a harmless, plant-based sweetener and does not lead to an insulin reaction. Avoid all other sugar substitutes, as there are other heath problems with most of them.

Avoid phthalates

Those who have a craving for macaroni and cheese are out of luck. This food contains phthalates that are part of the ingredients of almost every sample of cheese powder used to manufacture macaroni and cheese. Phthalates can cause infertility and breast cancer. So you must definitely avoid macaroni and cheese, at least the stuff from the box. Prepare your own!

A high fat diet

What does a high fat diet do? It increases the risk for breast cancer. But it can also increase colorectal cancer risk. Limit your fat intake to about 10% of saturated fat. That is the recommendation of the FDA. Increase your consumption of fish and seafood. Only one proviso: predator fish like shark, marlin, tilefish, swordfish and grouper are high in mercury. But wild salmon, sardines and oysters are low in mercury. You can also enjoy shrimps and prawns.

Take high dose vitamin D3 supplements

High dose vitamin D3 supplements help you to avoid cancer. There are strong statistics showing that vitamin D3 is a powerful tool to lower your risk of developing cancer. Your family doctor should take a blood test called 25-hydroxy vitamin D level to make sure that you absorb enough vitamin D3. There are slow and fast absorbers and the only thing to know how well your gut absorbs vitamin D3 is in doing this blood test.

Also, curcumin (turmeric) 500 mg once per day is good for cancer prevention.

Take enough fiber

Make sure you take enough fiber, which does not only reduce colorectal cancer, but also many other cancers. When you eat plant-based food, you automatically get fiber in it. North Americans are not consuming enough fiber in their diet.

Avoid processed meat and too much red meat consumption

Processed meat and red meat cause cancer.

Beef, lamb and pork seem to contribute to causing cancer according to the WHO. Use common sense and eat fish, chicken and turkey. Reduce your beef consumption. My grandmother served beef as a Sunday dish.The rest of the week simple, plant-based foods appeared on the table. Ask your grandmother, what she used to cook. Or ask your mother what she ate as a child.

Eat moderate amounts of fruit and vegetables

The claim that fruit and vegetables would protect you from cancer is not as solid as researchers thought of in the past. Newer research has shown that a basic intake of fruit and vegetables is needed for nutrients, but consuming more than that will NOT protect you from cancer.

This link explains that eating more vegetables or fruit beyond a certain point will not do harm, but will not protect you further from cancer.

Drink green tea or black tea

If you like tea, drink green tea or black tea. Sweeten it with stevia, but not with sugar. Tea has been shown to have cancer prevention properties.

Avoid alcohol consumption to prevent cancer.

Coffee is a healthy drink and it has mild anti-cancer effects as well. It does not matter whether you drink it caffeinated or decaffeinated.

Other lifestyle issues

Quit smoking

If you are still smoking, quit smoking! Smoking is by and large the biggest risk for developing lung cancer, throat cancer, esophageal cancer and pancreatic cancer.

Watch your calorie intake

Eat smaller meals more often. This way the production of your digestive juices will consume some calories. In addition your taste buds are satisfied, so your hunger for food is more controlled. The end result is that you will not gain weight.

Prevent obesity and type 2 diabetes

This will help prevent obesity and type 2 diabetes, both of which are established risk factors to develop cancer. Here is a review that shows you, which cancer types are caused by obesity. With regard to diabetes, there is a strong association to developing liver cancer, pancreatic cancer and endometrial cancer (=uterine cancer). There is a lesser risk (only 1.2 to 1.5-fold) to develop cancer of the colon and rectum, breast cancer and bladder cancer.

Pollution

Poor air quality with pollution can also be a factor in causing cancer. Pollution does not stay local, but travels through the stratosphere around the globe. The result is that now 10 to 15% of lung cancer in the US occurs in patients who never smoked. This translates into 16,000 to 24,000 deaths annually of never-smokers in the US. In certain cities such as Beijing lung cancer rates have doubled in 9 years between 2002 and 2011. Lung cancer in non-smokers can be caused from exposure to radon, to second-hand tobacco smoke, and other indoor air pollutants.

Bioidentical hormone replacement

When males do not replace missing testosterone in andropause they are much more prone to develop prostate cancer. Similarly, when women are menopausal and do not get progesterone supplementation, they develop a higher amount of breast cancer due to estrogen dominance. It follows from this that bioidentical hormone replacement in menopause and andropause will help to prevent prostate cancer and breast cancer.

The Best Ways To Prevent Cancer

The Best Ways To Prevent Cancer

Conclusion

There is strong evidence that certain foods can cause cancer. Other foods including supplements like curcumin and vitamin D3 can help prevent cancer. Basically, you want to avoid all that is known to cause cancer and eat more of the healthy foods that do not cause cancer. This will help to decline your cancer risk. I suggest that in addition you should quit smoking, avoid pollution as much as possible, reduce excessive alcohol intake and watch your calorie intake. By doing this you prevent obesity and type 2 diabetes, and you will move into the low-risk cancer group. We all need to work on this on an ongoing basis.

Practical hints regarding the best ways to prevent cancer

The best ways to prevent cancer is to avoid processed red meat and all other processed foods. Eat more vegetables, fruit, wild salmon and other seafood. Don’t eat red meat more often than once a week and make it red meat from grass fed animals. In addition exercise regularly, get enough sleep and practice some form of relaxation (yoga, Tai Chi, self-hypnosis etc.). This lifestyle will not only prevent heart attacks and strokes, but also the majority of cancers.

Previously published here.

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Jun
08
2019

How Can We Prolong Our Lives?

By | Cardiovascular disease, cholesterol, diet, exercise, fish oil, Fitness, food, heart attack, Hormones, melatonin, mitochondria, Mortality, Nutrition, omega-3 fatty acids, Prevention, sleep, Stroke, sugar, telomeres, Vitamins and supplements

The question “How can we prolong our lives?” is something that fascinates many people. It is not one thing, one activity, one diet, or one lifestyle factor that determines longevity. It is the combination of all of the things listed below that are necessary.

Longevity is partially inherited from your mother

The reason for this is that mitochondria in your body cells come from your mother’s body. As you know, the egg (ovum) contains the mitochondria (the energy packages of the cell). The sperm that is the winner penetrating the ovum is shedding the tail outside the ovum. The tail of the sperm had loads of mitochondria in it to give it the energy to wiggle its way up the Fallopian tube to meet the ovum. This is the reason why we all inherit our mitochondria from our mother. If there is longevity on your mother’s side, you likely will have the longevity gene as well. So, this certainly helps, but on the other hand, we cannot pick our ancestors! Don’t be discouraged! There is enough that you can do.

Diet

The best type of diet is a Mediterranean-type diet. There is a new fasting mimicking diet, that likely turns on latent longevity genes that need to be intermittently activated, if we are serious about wanting to increase longevity. Dr. Longo is the inventor of the fasting mimicking diet. I have discussed this in detail here. Briefly, it consists of eating 500 to 600 calories on 5 consecutive days. The rest of the month you eat normally. The important part is that Dr. Longo has shown in humans that telomeres get elongated by the 5-day protocol per month. Longer telomeres means longer life. This is what we want, because this adds life to our life expectancy!

Lifestyle

Don’t smoke and don’t do drugs. Drugs interfere with our hormone- and other cell surface receptors. Our body cells don’t like artificial chemicals from outside. Don’t overlook the fact, that alcohol is also a drug! Alcohol is a nerve and cell poison. It has been shown to even be toxic, so don’t drink all the time. If you want a drink here and there, you probably get away with it. But binge drinkers (6 drinks or more in one evening) are out of luck; their life expectancy is shorter than that of non-drinkers.

Exercise

Regular exercise recharges your mitochondria to give you extra energy. It conditions your heart and lungs and also your muscles. Many people think exercise would cause weight loss. But it is not leading to that much weight loss at all! What is more important is the fact that it is reducing the overall mortality from many diseases by up to 47%! Exercise also improves blood sugar control, energy levels and sleep patterns. There are also hidden benefits, as the heart is being conditioned and the lungs are improving their vital capacity from regular exercise, particularly aerobic exercises like running or using a treadmill. But muscle strength also benefits from regular exercise.

Get enough sleep

You need 7 to 8 hours of sleep, and it is best to go to sleep between 10 or 11 pm. During your sleep your brain is being renewed and your hormones are reloaded. There is a diurnal hormone rhythm that ensures you have enough energy for the following day. A Swedish study found that longtime shift workers had a 28% higher mortality compared to a control group of daytime workers: Shift work and mortality.

Vitamins and supplements

Some minimum vitamin and mineral supplements are helpful for longevity: Mornings: 2 capsules of molecularly distilled fish oil (omega-3 fatty acids). Two tablets of vitamin C 500 mg chewable, one capsule of 150mg of chelated magnesium, resveratrol 500mg, vitamin B complex B-50, zinc 30mg, vitamin K2 two capsules of 100 micrograms, vitamin D3 5000IU every morning, CoQ-10 400mg. Evenings: 2 capsules of molecularly distilled fish oil (omega-3 fatty acids). Vitamin B complex B-50, chelated magnesium 150mg, melatonin 3mg to fall asleep, valerian root 500mg capsule (if you have anxious thoughts); you may repeat melatonin and valerian root in the middle of the night, if you wake up at 2AM or 3AM in the morning.

Brief explanation for vitamin and mineral replacement

In case you wonder about the rationale of my suggestion for vitamin and mineral replacement, here is a brief explanation: vitamin C stimulates the adrenal glands and helps support the immune system. You get more energy and get fewer infections. Molecularly distilled fish oil is anti-inflammatory, helps prevent osteoporosis, but also prevents heart attacks by preventing inflammation of the arteries. Magnesium and zinc are co-factors in hundreds of biochemical reactions inside our cells, so this helps your metabolism.

Resveratrol an anti-aging supplement

Resveratrol is a bioflavonoid derived from red grapes. It has multiple beneficial effects. It lowers blood pressure, helps to control diabetes better and prevents osteoporosis. But resveratrol also elongates telomeres, which translated into a longer life and less diseases. B complex vitamins are good for energy and many metabolic processes. Vitamin K2 and vitamin D3 work together to get calcium out of our arteries and deposit calcium into our bones. This prevents osteoporosis, which is particularly important for postmenopausal women, but is also important for men. Resveratrol also prevents heart attacks and strokes. CoQ-10 is important to lower cholesterol, but also supports the metabolism of mitochondria, the energy packages of our cells.

Hormone deficiencies

We all know that there is menopause for women and andropause for men. But there are silent hormone deficiencies that are less well known. For instance melatonin secretion gets reduced fairly quickly after the age of 20. Between the age of 50 and 60 you are basically deficient for melatonin, so using a supplement of melatonin tablets would be very reasonable. Another hormone, namely human growth hormone (HGH) is very likely deficient in us by the time we are 50 to 60 years old. I will deal with this further below.

Menopause

Women get into menopause between 45 and 55, but they can get there earlier or later. Women are missing estrogen and progesterone. Many women were horrified by the Women’s Health Initiative result in 2002. But this trial involved synthetic hormones that the body did not like. So women got breast cancer, colon cancer, heart attacks and strokes from Premarin and Provera, both synthetic hormones. Had physicians been sensible and put them on bioidentical hormones instead, they would have prevented heart attacks, strokes and osteoporosis. They would also have prevented breast cancer and colon cancer. The proper way to replace missing hormones in women with menopause is to replace them with bioidentical progesterone cream and bioidentical estrogen cream.

Andropause

Men get into andropause between 55 and 65. The testicles will no longer provide the man with enough testosterone. This leads to lack of sex drive, erectile dysfunction, but also to more heart attacks, muscle weakness and a lack of energy. The problem is that there is not enough testosterone to stimulate the mitochondria. Mitochondria are very prominent in the heart muscle, skeletal muscles, but also in the brain. When the doctor confirms a lack of testosterone with blood tests, he orders replacement with bioidentical testosterone cream or by a simple testosterone injection twice per week. The man will feel better after a short period of time (4 to 6 weeks) as all his functions return back to normal.

Many speakers at anti-aging conferences, which I attend every December in Las Vegas, seem to agree that bioidentical hormone replacement adds 10 to 15 years of life both in men and women. It also gives people renewed energy, and they look younger.

Human growth hormone

Many people do not know that human growth hormone (HGH) is important for longevity in adults. In childhood it was important for bone growth. Growth hormone deficiency is the one factor that has been underestimated. The discussion of dwarfs in comparison to their healthy brothers and sisters showed us the following. Growth hormone production can add between 19 and 34 years (average 26.5 years) of life. Dr. Hertoghe, an endocrinologist from Belgium has done blood tests (IGF-1) and lately also 24-hour urine metabolite tests of growth hormone on aging patients and found that many were deficient with regard to HGH production. These were patients where Dr. Hertoghe already replaced their thyroid hormones, if abnormal and replaced their sex hormones when they were low.

Symptoms of human growth hormone deficiency

But they lost hair, developed old looking faces with wrinkles. In addition, a loss of subcutaneous fatty tissue is giving the face a hollow appearance. They also had muscle and joint pains and thin skin, particularly over the back of their hands.

Replacement of growth hormone

He replaced their missing HGH using daily HGH self-injection with a tiny needle (similar to diabetes injections). Within 1.5 to 3 years the wrinkles disappeared, the faces started to look younger and patients did feel younger. Their muscle and joint pains had disappeared and their hair grew back. The dosage range is between 0.1mg and 0.3mg, a tiny amount of HGH daily. This is not inexpensive, but some health care plans pay for this, as a lack of HGH is a true hormone deficiency.

How Can We Prolong Our Lives?

How Can We Prolong Our Lives?

Conclusion

I have given you an overview of the important elements of what increases longevity. The key is to have a healthy, balanced diet and leave junk food out. Don’t smoke and don’t drink excessive amounts of alcohol. No alcohol consumption would be best, because alcohol essentially is a nerve poison and can lead to dementia. Exercise regularly to lower mortality and strengthen your heart and lungs. Get enough rest and sleep to refresh your diurnal hormone rhythm. When we age, it is important to keep an eye on our hormones. You need a physician who is knowledgeable about it.

Hormone replacement

Hormones that are missing need to be replaced by bioidentical hormones. In addition you need to know what the level of IGF-1 is. HGH controls the IGF-1 level. If IGF-1 is low, you need HGH replacement. Studies have shown that replacement of missing HGH may be able to add 2 decades of good life. All of the other hormones replaced by bioidentical hormones will add 10 to 15 years. As stated in the beginning, there is not one thing only that increases longevity, but a combination of all these factors.

First published here: https://www.quora.com/What-increases-longevity/answer/Ray-Schilling

Jun
01
2019

More Obesity In Rural Areas

By | exercise, Fitness, food, Obesity, Processed food, sugar, Weight loss

A new study was published May 2019 in the magazine Nature showing that there is now more obesity in rural areas. In the mid 1980’s when the first reports came out about obesity, this was not the case. It actually was the opposite: there were more cases of obesity in cities compared to rural areas. The study was also reviewed in Medical News Today.

The new worldwide obesity study was done by the Imperial College London in the United Kingdom. Researchers studied 112 million adults. The study population came from 200 countries and territories. The study covered 32 years from 1985 to 2017. More than 1000 scientists conducted this study worldwide.

Findings of the obesity study

Circumstances changed regarding obesity since the 1980’s

The previous finding in the mid 1980’s that the urban population was leading the obesity wave was now reversed. There is now more obesity in rural areas while the urban population is eating more balanced meals. The population in rural areas of low- and middle-income countries are now accounting for 80% of the word obesity.

Objective increase of BMI over 32 years

The degree of being overweight or obese is best determined by the body mass index. This is the person’s weight in kilograms, divided by the height in meters, but squared. On this scale a normal BMI is 20.0 to 25.0, being overweight is from 25.1 to 29.9 and obesity is 30.0 or higher.  Women’s BMI has increased by 2.0 kilograms per square meter (kg/m2), while the men’s BMI has risen by 2.2 kg/m2 for both sexes over the study period. In rural areas the BMI has risen by 2.1 kg/m2 while in urban areas, the average BMI of women rose by 1.3 kg/m2 and for men by 1.6 kg/m2.

Healthier lifestyle in cities compared to rural areas

The BMI in high-income countries has grown particularly in rural areas. Prof. Ezzati commented to this: “In fact, cities provide a wealth of opportunities for better nutrition, more physical exercise and recreation, and overall improved health.”

More obese women in urban centers of sub-Saharan Africa

In sub-Saharan Africa there is an opposite trend compared to other countries. In Africa the women in urban centers are getting obese while their counterparts in rural Africa have less problems with obesity. The researchers thought that this is due to city women moving less and sitting at desks etc. In contrast women in the rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa are doing more physically demanding tasks.

What are the issues about obesity?

The problem is that people who turn obese eat the wrong foods. The problem is often that they eat too much sugar and too many starchy foods. Here is my remedy to prevent obesity.
1. Cut out sugar. Cut out highly refined starches. This prevents diabetes, heart attacks and strokes.
2. Avoid red meat and processed meats: this reduces the risk of colorectal cancer.
3. Eat clean foods: organic vegetables or your own vegetables grown in your garden; organic salad; grass-fed beef once per week (not more often); organic chicken and turkey; bison meat once every week or every two weeks; wild salmon two to three times per week.
4. If you exercise regularly on top of eating healthy foods, you can drastically reduce many illnesses and diseases compared to those who don’t.

Remove the majority of starchy foods from your diet

I wrote about avoidance of highly refined starches. I cut out starchy foods as they digested into sugar and give you an insulin response causing hyperinsulinism, inflammation in your arteries, strokes, heart attacks and Alzheimer’s. If you can do it and you don’t want those diseases: cut out wheat and wheat products especially white flour; pasta, bread, baked good. Potatoes, white rice and refined cereal are also problematical. I have avoided this since 2001 and lost 50 pounds. I kept my weight down since. My body mass index is between 21 and 22. I have energy, work out, and I don’t miss these items. Re-evaluate your food habits, and next clean out your pantry!

More Obesity In Rural Areas

More Obesity In Rural Areas

Conclusion

An international study examined the rate of obesity in 200 countries, involving 112 million people over a long time span, namely over 32 years. While in the mid 1980’s most obese patients lived in big cities around the world, this pattern has changed. Now there is more obesity in rural areas. People in the cities are learning more about healthy nutrition and they have more access to fitness centers. In order to tackle the obesity problem people must learn the difference between nutritious food and junk food. You need to cut out sugar as much as possible. It is the biggest offender and contributes to a list of health problems. But you need to remove processed food from your diet, because it contains sugar and unhealthy fats. Red meat and processed meats are also unhealthy and should be removed.

What to eat

Eat clean foods such as organic vegetables or your own vegetables grown in your garden. Buy at farmers’ markets, if they are in your area. Consume organic greens. If you cannot live without red meat, limit your consumption to grass-fed beef once per week (not more often); organic chicken and turkey; bison meat once every week or every two weeks, and enjoy wild salmon two to three times per week. It is easier to do than you think, prevents obesity and keeps you healthy until a ripe old age.

May
18
2019

A Pill Against Obesity

By | diet, Drugs, exercise, food, Nutrition, Weight loss

At the 26th European Congress on Obesity in Glasgow, Scotland a pill against obesity was introduced. Here is a report about this on CNN. The biotechnology company, Gelesis had funded the research. This company also developed the product. The FDA has accepted this product, which is marketed under the name “Plenity”. The FDA gave clearance for Plenity as a prescription weight loss product for use in overweight adults with a body mass index above 25.0. Genesis has announced that Plenity will be available in the US by 2020. The cost of it is yet unknown.

How Plenity, a pill against obesity, works

Plenity actually is a medical device. It is a capsule that contains tiny little gel pieces that dissolve in the stomach. Patients take one capsule with water before lunch and dinner. When the gel pieces swell it gives a fullness feeling that limits calorie intake. The hydrogel pieces increase the volume of the stomach and small intestine. By the time the gel particles arrive in the large intestine, enzymes have partially broken down the hydrogel, water is released and the rest is expelled in the feces. Dr. Ken Fujioka, a weight loss expert, endocrinology researcher at Scripps Clinic and scientific advisor to Gelesis said: ”The most compelling aspects of this approach are its effectiveness, novel mechanism of action and impressive safety data. This approach creates another arm in the treatment algorithm of weight management and could be used by an overwhelming majority of people struggling with weight issues”.

Randomized placebo controlled weight loss study with Plenity

Gelesis sponsored a weight loss study with 223 patients in the experimental group and 213 in the placebo group. The length of the weight loss study was 171 days. The placebo group lost 4.39% body weight, while the group on Plenity lost 6.41%. There were very few side effects, like an abdominal fullness or bloating.

Discussion regarding Plenity, a pill against obesity

Along with taking Plenity the investigators asked the patients to also stay physically active and adhere to a sensible diet. I know from my own experience that a change in diet can make you shed significant weight and you can keep it down. In 2001 I lost 22.7 kg (=50 pounds) over 3 months, down from 85.5 kg. I weigh now 62.8 kg. With this data you can calculate that I lost 22.7/85.5=26.5% of my original weight. I did so in 90 days, not in 171. It was the difference in food intake that enabled me to lose this weight. I had cut out all sugar, starchy foods, processed food and wheat.

The pill will help patients feel full after small helpings, instead of having hunger pangs, and this can be valuable and will contribute to being successful with losing weight. But long-term weight control only works with an adjustment of dietary habits and lifestyle choices. 

Keeping weight loss in perspective

The authors stated that their best patients were losing 5% and 10% when they watched their diet and exercised. When I compare my own data (26.5% weight loss) and theirs I conclude that they did not try hard enough. And they did not have to rely on any diet pills. It is clear from the data that the placebo group had significant weight loss with just watching their diet and exercising. I do acknowledge that Plenity has a slightly better effect. However, when people complete with their weight loss program, they will continue to eat their former diet regimen. This will make them gain everything back what they have lost.

For 18 years I have not gained back what I lost in 2001 because I have stayed on the same diet that some people may label as “radical”. There is nothing wrong with vegetables, salads, lean poultry, fish, nuts, fruit etc. I suspect that people could easily lose 10% to 20% of weight without any weight loss pills, if they took a similar approach as I did.

A Pill Against Obesity

A Pill Against Obesity

Conclusion

Weight loss seems to be a topic that is of interest to many people. There is the expectation that the new weight loss pill Plenity will be the solution to people’s diet problems. However, the difference in weight loss between the placebo group and the experimental group was only 2.02%! It took the researchers 171 days to be able to say that there was a significant difference between the Plenity group and the placebo group.

Cutting out junk foods

When I did my own weight loss program based on dietary changes alone I had lost 26.5% in only 90 days. I suggest that people should not forget to change their food intake, cutting out junk food and adopting a healthy food intake. They may not require Plenity pills at all or for a much shorter time. Preparations for the time after the weight loss achievement are necessary or else there will be rebound weight gain. Long-term success is only possible with sensible dietary choices and lifestyle choices, such as regular physical activity.

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May
11
2019

Male Fertility Could Be Improved Naturally

By | alcohol, diet, exercise, Fitness, food, Infertility, lifestyle, Men's Health, Nutrition, Obesity, omega-3 fatty acids, Pregnancy

A review article of CNN reviewed how male fertility could be improved naturally. Studies have shown that males contribute about 40 to 50% of the responsibility of any fertility problem of the couple. This means that a couple with infertility issues will benefit from interventions that include the male partner. Dr. Natan Bar-Chama is the director of the Center of Male Reproductive Health in New York. He is a board-certified urologist and male infertility specialist. Dr. Bar-Chama has done research into what affects male fertility. He found that there are several factors that are important for male fertility.

Lifestyle factors

The big factors that interfere with fertility are obesity, caffeine and alcohol intake, smoking, marijuana intake, lack of exercise and wearing too tight underwear resulting in increased scrotal temperature.

Obesity

Overconsumption of refined carbs like sugar and processed foods leads to obesity. The best for him is to change his diet to a Mediterranean diet. This supports weight loss and at the same time improves sperm quality.

Obese men tend to father children that often are not viable. It may be that it is due to genetic changes in the sperm in obese men. These changes can affect fertilization, but also embryo development. Researchers have detected sperm DNA fragmentation in sperm from obese men, which can lead to pregnancy loss. Weight loss in obese men improves sperm quality.

Caffeine and alcohol intake

More than 1 or 2 cups of coffee a day relates directly to difficulties for a couple to conceive. When it comes to alcohol intake, the male should not drink more than one glass of wine or the equivalent of alcohol in beer or spirits per day. Higher consumption results in male infertility due to poor sperm quality. Physicians have warned women for a long time that they should stop drinking alcoholic beverages, if they want to become pregnant. It is best, if both partners don’t drink for the sake of a healthy pregnancy.

Smoking

Stop tobacco and drug use. Smoking and drug abuse have been consistently shown to be bad for sperm quality and are associated with infertility. Marijuana use leads to low sperm counts, which is a cause of infertility.

Lack of exercise

Moderate aerobic exercise and resistance exercise can improve sperm quality.

However, excessive exercise has shown negative effects on sperm. Bicycling for 5 hours or more has been shown to reduce sperm quality due to the heating up of the scrotum and the testicular tissue. For the same reason men wearing boxer shorts instead of tight underpants were observed to have higher sperm concentration and sperm counts.

Antioxidants

Oxidative stress can damage sperm. This involves smoking, a junk food diet, obesity, pollution, radiation and heavy metals like mercury from big game fish (like tuna, shark, sable fish, sword fish etc.). Dr. Bar-Chama said: ”When you cause damage to cell membranes, you are impacting the ability of the sperm to attach, penetrate and activate the complex fertilization process”. In order to counter these negative effects of the environment it is helpful to take antioxidants.

Some of the common antioxidants are: vitamin C and E, beta-carotene, selenium, zinc, folic acid, lycopene and coenzyme Q-10. If you get 5 servings of fruit and vegetables, you get most of the antioxidant vitamins and minerals. You find selenium in Brazil nuts, sardines and halibut. Oysters, dark-meat poultry, crab, and fortified cereals contain zinc, which supports male fertility.

Omega-3 fatty acids

Omega-3 fatty acids from fish and seafood has been shown to increase the success rate of couples who want to get pregnant. Low mercury seafood like scallops, clams, shrimp, oyster, sardines, salmon and squid are a good source of omega-3 fatty acid.

Get some nuts

A handful of nuts or two also helps the male to produce more healthy sperm. This study showed that nut consumption improved the total sperm count. In addition, it increased vitality, motility, and morphology of the sperm.

Cut out processed meats

Another study showed that consumption of processed meat had a negative association with fertility rates in couples that desired children. However, eating chicken instead of processed meat gave the fertility rates a boost.

 

Male Fertility Could Be Improved Naturally

Male Fertility Could Be Improved Naturally

Conclusion

We have been lulled into thinking that when there are fertility problems in a marriage, it would likely be due to female reproductive problems. This kind of thinking is old school and has been disqualified by newer research. It turns out that often the problem originates from the man, if he is unwilling to change his lifestyle to get ready to father a child. As outlined above there are quite a few factors that interfere with sperm production and motility of the sperm. If he wants to father a child, he needs to take good care of his sperm by adopting healthy lifestyles. Sperm, it turns out are much more vulnerable to toxic changes, heat from tight clothing, and nutritional deficiencies.

Healthy food for the man results in a healthy child

Not everything is exclusively the responsibility of the female. The male also needs to eat balanced meals and might also benefit from some antioxidants and supplements. Omega-3 fatty acids from nuts and seafood are also good for sperm production and motility. Add some moderate physical exercise, and he will be ready to father a child. It is very much a team effort, as both parents- to- be have to do their part and embrace a healthy lifestyle.

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