Stress and cancer

NK cells are “Natural Killer” cells (also known as K cells). They are a type of lymphocyte (which is a blood cell) and most importantly a component of our innate immune system. They’re called this way because play a major role in the host-rejection of both tumours and virally infected cells. They are critical, vital to our immune system in order to function perfectly.

Maybe I’ll talk about them another time, now I want to focus on cancer. Considering all immune system cells, NK cells show the strongest activity in preventing metastasis and the strongest response to stress.

Now, consider that even short-term stress decreases NK cell activity, significantly increasing the risk of certain types of cancer and relative metastasis. Gender plays a significant role in the NK cells response to stress: men are more affected than women.

Under stress our immune system activity decreases and immune attack against external pathogens becomes “lethargic”. Stress then becomes a cause of cancer because our immune system is highly responsive to emotional pitfalls. Consequently prolonged chronic stress is even more damaging. Consider the following five situations of risk as a reference for yours:

The use of denial or repression as a coping strategy in your life

The experience of separation or loss

A prolonged history of stressful life experiences

A tendency towards melancholy and hopelessness

A personality type characterized by conflict avoidance.

Do you consider yourself within the above traits? Then you should be very careful. The point is that the cells responsible for cancer surveillance work best in an environment of confidence and calm. Our thoughts MUST be thoughts of serenity and healing to optimize the activity of our immune cells. This is why oncologists suggest stress management, meditation, yoga, positive messages, breathing exercises.  

Generally speaking the enduring message (fear or assurance, despair or hopefulness, laughter or tears) reflects our hour-to-hour psyche and sets the tone for health victories or failures.

This is not a new science. At all. Expect little more from your body than the quality of your thoughts at this very moment: “as a man thinks in his heart, so is he” (proverb).

….Always humble,

Angiolino

Bye-bye hot dog

Our eating habits are changing and if you ask me, changing for the better. Of course food companies are struggling to keep up. Step by step we’re learning a basic concept: we are what we eat. It’s easy to make fun of people obsession with gluten, but more and more studies are correlating this allergy to poor quality / processed food.

Slowly getting rid of tricky advertisement, we are turning away  products created by big food companies. We don’t want anymore artificial colors and flavors in cereals, for example. We want to limit antibiotics in chickens. No more artificial dyes in macaroni and cheese. No more dubious, strange emulsifiers. We want simple and easy-to-understand ingredients like fresh milk from local farms, cocoa beans, cream, sugar…. natural ingredients.

This reflects a new reality: consumers are walking away from most iconic food brands. Big food manufacturers are reacting by cleaning up their ingredient labels, acquiring healthier brands and coming out with a prodigious array of new products. Whenever possible, organic products.

Food companies are moving in the right direction, but it won’t be enough to save them. If they are to survive changes in eating habits, they need a fundamental shift in their approach. NOT just a façade (turned to organic labels).

The food movement over the past couple of decades has substantially altered consumer behavior and reshaped the competitive landscape. They want more and healthy products, no more sodas, replaced by water. Orange juice, a drink once seen as an important part of a healthy breakfast, is now more correctly considered a serious carrier of free sugar, stripped of its natural fibers. Sales of packaged cereals, also heavily sugar-laden, are down over 25 percent since 2000, with yogurt and granola taking their place. Frozen dinner sales are down. Sales at McDonald’s have been on a downward spiral for nearly three years (I can’t be happier): we want healthy food.

To survive, the food industry will need more than its current bag of tricks. There is a consumer shift ongoing: there was a time when consumers used to walk through every aisle of the grocery store, but today much of their time is being spent in the perimeter of the store with its vast collection of fresh products, raw produce and fresh prepared foods. Sales of raw fruits nd vegetables are also growing.

For consumers today, packaged goods equals the image of foods stripped of their nutrients and loaded with sugar. Also, decades of deceptive marketing have left large food companies with brands that are fast becoming liabilities (I can’t be happier for this too).

Food companies can’t merely tinker. For food companies to have any hope of survival, they will have to make bold changes in their core product offerings. Companies will have to drastically cut sugar, process less, go local and organic, use more fruits, vegetables and other whole foods. Develop fresh offerings. Just recently processed meat has been declared highly carcinogenic (rightly so! Excuse me!).

McDonalds needs to do more than use antibiotic-free chickens. The back of the house for its 36,000 restaurants currently looks like a mini-factory serving fried frozen patties and French fries. It needs to look more like a kitchen serving freshly prepared meals with locally sourced vegetables and grains.

This require a complete overhaul, major organizational restructuring and billions of dollars of investment, but these corporations have the resources. It may be their last chance.

The message is: WE ARE WHAT WE EAT. For the time being, bye-bye hot dogs.

….Always humble,

Angiolino

Go "nuts" for wal"nuts"!

No, really, I’m not joking: go nuts, go crazy for them. The oldest tree food known to man, dating back to 7,000 BC. It stands out in front, head and shoulders, to all other nuts. The healthy fats in most nuts are primarily only monounsaturated fatty acids.

Here is the difference: walnuts are rich in polyunsaturated ones instead, plus oleic acid (the same beneficial acid found in olive oil). They also contain several potent phytonutrients including: quinone juglone, the tannin tellimagrandin and the flavonol morin. All these are very potent cancer inhibitors.

Like other nuts they contain vitamin E, but most of their form is not in the alpha-tocopherol form, but in the more effective gamma-tocopherol one (for the difference between the two see my previous post “vitamin E”). These super nuts are also particularly rich in ellagic acid which has potent anti-inflammatory properties.

Plus, 14 different polyphenols provide a radical scavenging effect and rare phytonutrients cancer blocking effect: mechanisms through which these phytonutrients attack cancer cells include impairment of their mitochondrial function and induced apoptosis.

By eating walnuts the risk of prostate cancer is reduced by 30 to 40%. Brest cancer by 50%. Just four to seven walnuts a day increase levels of omega-3 in our body, decreasing cardiovascular risk.

Those over age 60 performed better cognitive test scores thanks to their consumption. So many endless benefits. My personal hint is the following: eat the walnut skin! 90 percent of walnuts’ abundant phenols are found in their bitter skin, it’s the healthiest part to eat. Look for walnuts that are raw, with an undamaged shell (due to their high content of fatty acids would rancidify very quickly). Keep them in a refrigerator and should last up to 6 months.

Their calorie content could induce weight gain (they’re SO tasty), replace some other unhealthy fat sources (from animal fats, generally speaking) with healthy walnuts.

….Always humble,

Angiolino

Telomeres (following)

(see previous parts in "Telomeres" section)

What’s more important than looking fabulous? Staying alive and healthy longer: a long healthy life is accomplished best by those who become and stay fit. Why am I saying this? Because people who exercise vigorously three hours a week are biologically nine years younger than people who exercise less than fifteen minutes a week. Will all the results in between (90 min. a week = 4 yrs advantage).

How does it happen? Repetitive form of exercise leads to an adaptive response. The body begins to build new capillaries, it’s better able to take in and deliver oxygen to our body and another thing that happens is the release of human growth hormone (HGH). Here’s the trick: higher levels of HGH correlate with longer telomeres, that’s why people who regularly exercise look younger. Now you know the reason.

But aerobic exercise is insufficient, unless it’s high-intensity aerobic, because it doesn’t result in the same growth-hormone production as intense physical work do. But doesn’t exercise increase the production of oxidation in our bodies? Yes, it does, and oxidation is the primary toxin to the telomere. It’s just apparently a contradiction. Because our body fights oxidation pretty well when it’s young: the “problem”, so to speak, is when we get old. And why is it not a real problem? Simply because there are plenty of antioxidant supplements around. So you can get the benefits of exercise, benefiting your telomeres as well, regardless of your age.

So, this is my hint: exercise your body, but do NOT stress it. Find your balance avoiding extreme sports: marathons, triathlons, long-distance cycling, violent sports (football, boxing) are activities that will shorten your life span. Exercise too little is damaging (as well as not exercising at all) and is equally damaging exercising too much.

A very damaging conception is that elderly should avoid training regularly (the usual advice doctors give are long, easy walks at best): it’a never too late. On the contrary ,balance is the key, according to your age, because HGH will be produced anyway. Yoga and meditation are completely different matters: they are benefiting your telomeres but of course cannot be considered a form of exercise. I’ll write about them next time.

In the end: what’s the PERFECT exercise for your telomeres? Interval training and resistance training (don’t worry: they’re practiced in all the gyms).

….Always humble,

Angiolino

Chlorophyllin

It’s derived from the plant substance chlorophyll. It detoxifies environmental toxins and chemicals, protecting our DNA. In the last 70 years 80,000 new chemicals have been synthesized and every year 4 billion pounds of these carcinogens are released into the environment. Everyone is exposed to pesticides and herbicides laced in foods, emissions from trucks, cars and planes. If you think you can escape them, one way or another, it’s impossible.

Also foods cooked at high temperatures threaten cellular integrity.

Deep-fried foods along with well-done beefsteak, hamburgers and bacon trigger the formation of gene-threatening toxins directly inside our bodies.

Among many other types of supplements, also chlorophyllin has anticarcinogenic effects. It disables carcinogens by forming complexes with these chemicals that limit the ability of toxins to bind to normal cells to inflict malignant changes.

It provides protection against cancer including: oral cancer, liver, pancreatic, colon, bladder, brest and stomach cancers. It targets multiple molecules involved in cancer development so that these mutations do not occur.

There are many foods containing chlorophyll: as a reference all green vegetables. But supplementing directly with chlorophyllin is much more efficacious.

It’s a cheap supplement. My personal hint is to never take it with any food, but alone, early in the morning with plenty of water. To buy a high-quality product see my previous post "A small guide to supplements".

….Always humble,

Angiolino

Cranberries

Translation: a drop of heaven for women. The ability of these berries to prevent urinary tract infections (UTIs) is not related to their strong acidity but to the unusual nature of their proanthocyanidins (PACs). The special structure of these PACs act as a barrier to bacteria that otherwise might latch on to the urinary tract lining. The good news is that this whole area of investigation has opened the door to other possible cranberry benefits. For example stomach ulcers (caused by the Helicobacter pylori bacteria) could be prevented in much the same way as cranberries help prevent bacterial attachment to the lining of the urinary tract. Future studies are more expected to confirm this fascinating type of health benefit, which will be further increased by a higher concentration of anthocyanins (the phytonutrients that give the berries their red color) thanks to the water-harvesting technique.

Cancer-preventive (let me just say: block of MMPs, inhibition of ODC, stimulation of QRs, inhibition of CYP2C9s) and detoxification effects extend to breast, colon, lung and prostate, merely for your reference. A cup a day is the amount required in case of need (let’s say 100 grams). I mentioned their phytonutrients, they are: anthocyanins as said, plus phenolic acids, proanthocyanidins, flavonoids, triterpenoids. To be active they must act together synergistically (read below).

Other important benefits (without being too specific) are: anti-inflammatory, immune support, cardiovascular, antioxidant protection.

Just two words about their related possible kidney stone formation: I have to admit they could increase it. But only if consumed with regularity (being a curative berry to be used in case of need only, it should never happen).

Contrary to many other berries, they deliver the most potent effects if consumed whole, because it’s the synergy among cranberry nutrients that is responsible fot health benefits, not individual components: this is my final hint. Meaning: do NOT use their powder or juice extracts or any form of supplements (categorally). You would waste money, with only antioxidant results. Choose whenever possible those with the deeper red color available. For optimum efficacy use them in combination with blueberries (see my previous post).

….Always humble,

Angiolino

A small guide to supplements

Be very careful when you buy supplements: they are not all the same. At all!

The following guidelines are applicable to all kind of supplements you’re going to use. Treasure it.

Buy products with only the highest quality ingredients. Maybe you’ll pay more for them (not necessarily), but you’d do the same for everything else like a meal, a computer or any other thing, with a difference: you’ll put them into your body. Inferior ingredients can be contaminated, improperly formulated, hard to digest, even harmful or not pure.

Look for brands that clearly show on the label third-party independent testing of their products.

Buy from companies that have a long record of success in the supplement industry. Low-quality supplements shouldn’t survive in the highly competitive supplement industry.

Be very suspicious of marketing labels: don’t fall for false, exaggerated claims. Do your own search / research and when using internet to validate scientific claims, be very aware of the source. Do claims come from a study funded by the company producing the supplement itself? Or are they truly independent? That’s ALL the difference.

Look for product descriptions that you can understand: if there’s true high quality, it doesn’t have to be hidden by leery descriptions. On the contrary!

Beware of private-label supplements. Because so many of them are made by pharmaceutical companies and then just relabeled into many, many different brands by distributors. Those are exactly the cases where quality is most probably lacking and where instead merely profit comes first, NOT your health.

Simple advices to follow. Great impact.

….Always humble,

Angiolino

Vitamin B1

(After-meal blood sugar)

Unfortunately as humans age blood sugar tends to rise: people don’t have to be diabetics to suffer from health consequences of high blood sugar. Moreover, after a meal, one’s blood sugar (whether a person is diabetic or NOT) spikes and the result is the production of byproducts called “advanced glycation end products” (AGEs), that damage cells, tissues and organs. They also trigger inflammation and oxidation, generating a viscious cycle.

What is glycation exactly? As a reference, the browning that takes place when foods are cooked at high temperatures is the result of sugar-related molecular change: the same happens inside our bodies every day due to chemical reactions when a sugar and an amino acid (protein) reacts together. Put simply, the structure of normal proteins becomes warped.

So, first hint: this is why you should never combine carbs with proteins when eating. They require two completely different digestive process, chemical reactions that shouldn’t be combined. Otherwise you just mess it all up (and then complain feeling lazy and heavy). The byproducts of this chemical reaction are called AGEs and they damage the body’s DNA, deactivate enzymes, induce apoptosis (programmed cell death), inflammation, oxidative stress, nerve-cell damage, high cholesterol, reduce vascular health, therefore increasing aging itself: blocking them directly leads to an extension of human life expectancy.

With advancing age even normal blood sugar levels trigger AGEs.

Having said all the above, the question is: what are our defenses? One is vitamin B1, also called Thiamine. It prevents glycation molecules from becoming fully formed in the first place. It would sound like the perfect solution but there’s a problem: it’s water soluble. It has difficulties penetrating the lipid molecules of cell membranes. We could increase the intake of it but wouldn’t do any good, because it’d get excreted in the urine. The real solution is: Benfothiamine, a FAT-soluble derivative of thiamine (vit. B1), that boosts thiamine levels (from 20% to 40% higher), inhibiting the AGEs. It has an extremely safe record and slows all the chronic disease and aging effects of glycation both in nondiabetics and diabetics.

Just two words on other benefits:

reverses the pathways and memory loss of Alzheimer’s

defense against sugar-induced vision loss

protects against cardiovascular damage

inhibits sugar-related kidney disease

reduce neuronal dysfunction

My second hint is: stay away from pure sugar. Controlling much more what you eat during a meal is enough to prevent above damages (unless in elderly age or with high blood sugar levels already), without supplementing. Walk for half an hour after each meal (it’s enough only if the meal is balanced, as said).

Remember the three poisons: tobacco, alcohol, sugar. EQUALLY harmful.

….Always humble,

Angiolino

Telomeres (following)

Each time chromosomes divide and multiply, instead of losing the DNA that matters, they lose only some of the telomere’s DNA. With every replication of our DNA, part of the telomere sequence is chopped off. This is how nature protects the DNA in a chromosome. Basically, we start to die the day we are conceived: the embryo has about fifteen thousand base pairs in its telomeres, a newborn human approximately ten thousand base pairs. With each cell division, a few base pairs are lost, until the critical limit is reached. In some people this process happens quickly, in others it can take much longer.

Seldomly, a few telomeres become longer, thanks to the telomerase activity. The key to immortality is turning the telomerase gene from off to on.

Nature already does that: it is NOT impossible. In sperm cells, the enzyme telomerase adds telomere DNA back to the cells’ telomeres and keeps those telomeres as long as they have always been. That’s why an eighty year old man can still father children.

Now it should be much clearer how telomeres and telomerase work.

In an ideal world telomeres would shorten slowly and we’d live longer: in our sad reality the food is grown in nutrient-poor soil that contains pesticides and heavy metals from acid rain. Cattle, chickens and other animals are raised in unsanitary conditions, pumped full of hormones and antibiotics.

So, the first hint to preserve your telomeres is to switch to organic food. Although not being perfect is so much better than regular food.

To be continued….

Telomeres

What are they? The caps at the end of our DNA. The perfect example are the lacecaps of our shoes. The longer they are, the more we live. Forget all the other supplements: they encompasse all the prior theories of aging, all the rest ultimately point to the telomeres.

Telomeres have the potential to increase our life-span, more than anything else. By ramping up our cells’ health and longevity we can prevent disease and aging rather than relying on pharmaceutical science. Irrefutable evidence links most of the disease of aging directly or indirectly to telomere length.

I intend to talk quite extensively from now on about them, posting regularly, along with other health issues/supplements.

If we reset telomere lengths in cells or in tissues, we can reverse aging in those cells and tissues. If we understand how to increase the activity of telomerase (the enzyme that makes telomeres grow), we increase their length. For example the positive effects of meditation and stress reduction on telomere length are already very well documented.

But we want to go further, right?

That’s the path we’ll follow together.

We already know we can reverse aging in human cells, we can already reverse aging in simple human tissues: these are FACTS.  

Telomere: the segment of DNA that occurs at the ends of chromosomes.

Telomerase: an enzyme that causes telomeres to lengthen, facilitating cell division and is essential for the immortality of some cells.

DNA is the key. Chromosomes are important to all forms of life, they are found in every living cell of our body. When they stop replicating, we die. When so many of our cells are in a state of senescence the body as a whole will no longer be able to sustain itself. We just die of “old age”.

This could become increasingly avoidable. Maybe some of you have never heard about them: if you like you will read directly from here.

This is merely an introduction. We’ll learn a little bit more next time hopefully together.

To be continued….

Probiotics, prebiotics and microbiome

Where is our first line of defense? In our stomach and small intestine.

You’ve already understood the importance of a diet high in fiber and (digestion-resistant) starch. Foods such as potatoes, rice, pasta, bread, noodles, sugars are rapidly digested, which rapidly increases blood sugar that stimulates insulin release, leading to obesity, insuline resistance and type II diabetes. By contrast other foods high in fiber are very slowly digested: fatty acids produced in the colon by bacteria fermenting the fiber prevent colon cancer.

Now, fiber and digestion-resistant starch are called prebiotics. They’re components of food that cannot be digested by the stomach or small intestine, but are fermented in the colon to provide additional nutrients and health benefits.

On the contrary, probiotics are live bacteria that provide health benefits when taken orally. Probiotics capable of surviving the acidic environment of the stomach include, in particular and among others, Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. Remember these two names. Bifidobacteria can account for 95% of gut bacteria. The decline of this extremely important bacteria may contribute to aging-associated disease.

Probiotics have been used to prevent and treat antibiotic-associated diarrhea. Given to elderly were shown to enhance immune system function. Probiotics fed to mice increased longevity by suppressing chronic inflammation.

Best sources of prebiotics are chicory, asparagus, onions, soybeans. Concerns about flatulence from eating beans is based on an exaggerated perception of the effects, ignoring tremendous health benefits: they help the growth of Bifidobacteria in the colon. Among other benefits, reduce appetite, improve insulin sensitivity, promote weight loss. Anyway mixing prebiotics can reduce gas.

My final hint: considering the harm that can be caused to the microbiota by the use of antibiotics, you should avoid them (when possible) and IF not, always categorically supplement with probiotics following an antibiotic treatment.

(P.S. kindly read also my “Our gut” post, for a couple more hints)

….Always humble,

Angiolino

Selenium

We all (think to) know it. We should ask the elderly: what do the “oldest old” have in common? The oldest have the highest levels of selenium (and other minerals like zinc). Surprised?

Here’s the trick: DNA damage is a major promoter of accelerated aging in the human body and one essential protective system is the enzyme glutathione peroxidase, which depends on selenium for its actions against oxidative damage because it has….. a selenium atom at its core, hence indispensable for functioning. Besides, by preventing damage to DNA it also helps reduce the risk of cancers.

Moreover, after just one year of supplementation, it leads to increased expression of genes associated with our natural killer cells.

Two words about other benefits: it facilitates removal of dangerous toxins from the body, supports optimal thyroid function, decreases risk of cardiovascular and cognitive dysfunctions (up to 58% less).

This is my personal hint: not all forms of selenium are the same. Concentrate of these three:

Sodium selenite (boosts the body’s natural immune system responsiveness).

L-Selenomethionine (stops cancers at the earliest stages of development)

Selenium-methyl L-selenocysteine (induces apoptosis in cancer cells that have lost the suicide gene).

Needless to say the three forms should be combined together.

Now that you have a better reference, watch out: regular commercial multivitamins usually contains only ONE form of selenium. If on the package it’s NOT spicified which form: do NOT buy it. You look for a quality product, not the illusion of it.

….Always humble,

Angiolino

Essential fatty acids

I already talked about fish oil. Let’s go a little bit more into very specific details.

The body needs fatty acids to survive and is able to make all but two of them: linoleic acid (LA), in the omega-6 family, and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) in the omega-3 family. These two fatty acids must be supplied by the diet and are therefore considered essential fatty acids (EFAs).

Omega-3 fatty acids, found in coldwater fish (and as I said in my previous post, "fish oil"), perilla and flaxseed oils, are essential elements of a healthy diet. Omega-3 oils contain eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and decosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which are usually lacking in the typical Western diet, which is filled instead with foods containing high amounts of omega-6 fats. EPA and DHA can be synthesized in the body from ALA, but EPA and DHA synthesis may be insufficient for most people. Omega-6 are well supplied in the diet by meat and vegetable oils, however, not all omega-6 fatty acids are of equal value: arachidonic acid (AA) tends to be unhealthy because it is the precursor of inflammatory eicosanoids which promote inflammation. In contrast gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), found in borage oil and black currant oil is an important fatty acid that plays a beneficial role.

Most of us consume far too many omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids and not enough omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. In fact, our diet consist of 20 parts of omega-6 to only one part of omega-3. While instead for optimum health, the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids should be between 1:1 and 4:1.

Having said that, my personal final hint if you want to buy a high quality product is to look , on the label of fish oil, for the rate of IFOS (stands for International Fish Oil Standards). The maximun rate is 5 stars. If not specified you can search on internet that particular brand, where you should find all the information needed. Should you not find more specifications, one way or another, be very alert for the product you’re buying: it might not be a quality one. And, AGAIN, buy it only if molecularly distilled.

….Always humble,

Angiolino

Boron

Only a trace mineral? So to speak!

But playing an important role in protecting men against prostate cancer. It’s a potent inhibitor of cancer cells and their metastases, substantially decreasing their numbers. It also lowers the levels of PSA (prostate specific antigen) which is a protein synthesized in the prostate gland seeing as a blood indicator of prostate cancer, infection or inflammation. Having therefore both a preventive and therapeutic effects.

Studies on this precious mineral began 20 years ago, there are plenty of statistics: men with the biggest boron intake show up to a 54% lower risk of cancer, thanks to induced apoptosis (cell death) in cancer cells and its ability to selectively inhibit the tumor growth, while allowing normal cells to grow.

Unfortunately it’s not abundantly found in food, anyway can be found in: apples, plums, grapes, avocados, nuts and legumes. Supplementing with this mineral may be the little known missing link for those seeking a mechanism of defense against prostate cancer.

My personal final hint is to look for a supplement of boron combined WITH: vitamin D3, magnesium, manganese, zinc and silicon for a boosted efficacy.

….Always humble,

Angiolino

Ascorbic acid

Commonly known as vitamin C. Thrown in every supplement sold because is cheap. Underrated: while it helps maintain tissue and speed wound healing, an overlooked strength is its impact on boosting immune function. Unlike most animals, our organism can’t produce it and moreover is very quickly excreted. Stress is another major reason for reducing its levels and all smokers need a higher amount.

As we usually use it only to reduce the duration and severity of colds, let’s try to know a little more its much higher benefits. As sometimes happens with technicalities, I have to be a little tedious, sorry, no alternatives.

Immune cells have active vitamin C transporter molecules embedded in their membranes that actively pump the vitamin into the cells that need more: this is why blood levels of vitamin C drop during times of disease or infection. To increase the intake of vitamin C when sick is a MUST! Its content is closely related to those cells that engulf and destroy infecting organisms.

In particular it should always be used in these cases: diabetes, cardiovascular disease, anemia, periodontal disease, osteoporosis.

Let’s get back to the four immune system’s cells benefited by this vitamin:

Natural killer (NK) cells are “hit men” of infectious targets identified as foreign by our organism. Vit. C helps NK cells to track and destroy tumor cells.

Neutrophils are the main cells fighting bacterial infections. They engulf invading organisms, then destroy them with powerful blasts of short-lived oxygen free radicals (yes, sometimes free radicals are our friends).

Lymphocytes are immune cells that produce antibodies (B-lymphocytes) and coordinate with other cells to guide them towards threats needing destruction.

Antibodies are noncellular components that help identify and destroy cancerous cells, known as immunoglobulins: IgA, IgG, IgM.

Please, from now on, don’t consider this vitamin less important merely because is widely used and cheap.

My personal, final hint: low quality supplements have low dosage of ascorbic acid. An effective amount is AT LEAST 1 gram (1,000 mg), if in addition to a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, otherwise even 2 or 3 grams daily. Like all other vitamins the more they’re combined together, the better. For this one in particular I suggest: quercetin.

That’s it. Sorry for the technicalities.

….Always humble,

Angiolino

AMPK

The notion that we must die is a common one.

It’s not like that: we die of cumulative failures within our cellular machinery. Failures should / will be evitable breakdowns, reversible elements of aging. When do these failures happen, among many other reasons? When the energy needed to our cells for repairs is lacking.

AMPK stands for “adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase”.

It is found in every living cell in mammals. If you want to avoid the symptoms of aging you need it because every cell depends on a steady supply of energy, regulated by releasing the energy available stored in fats and sugars.

This enzyme manages the energy from food to power cellular activity in a regular way: too little energy starves the cells, too much can exhaust them. When energy inefficiency occurs, we identify the dysfunctions as diseases or symptoms. This process is perfect when we’re young: rapid, efficient release of energy with little storage as fat or sugar molecules.

AMPK activity fades with age, but can be activated again and boosted through exercise and / or calorie restriction: one more reason it’s very bad to be fat!

To understand aging we have to understand it’s not the automatic result of time passing, but how we age. Boosting AMPK activity is only one part of what should be a systemic anti-aging approach.

Supplements will help you to keep this vitally important enzyme active.

Search for: Gynostemma Pentaphyllum and Trans-Tiliroside.

Hoping of giving useful hints.

….Always humble,

Angiolino

PQQ

Few of us have ever heard about this relatively new antioxidant / neuroprotector coenzyme, related to mitochondrial formation and dysfunction which worsen virtually all killer diseases of aging. It’s actually used as a biomarker of aging itself. But mitochondrial dysfunction can be reversed.

It means: pyrroloquinoline quinone - PQQ and protects mitochondria from oxidative damage. But it’s not the main purpose, having the potential to reverse cellular aging by activating genes that induce mitochondrial biogenesis (the spontaneous formation of new mitochondria in aging cells), protection and repair. The same result can also be achieved through very intense physical exercise in younger age, diminishing while growing old. The more mitochondria we possess, the better our body fight aging diseases.

It’s up to 5000 times more antioxidant than vitamin C, depending on our age and optimizes the function of the entire central nervous system (increasing the release of nerve growth factor).

Although a bit technical, it’s worth saying it prevents development of the alpha-synuclein protein and amyloid-beta protein in our brain, associated respectively to Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.

Should you decide to use this supplement, my personal hint is to take at least 20 mg per day, otherwise you’re wasting money. Possibly, but not necessarily, in combination with CoQ10 (I’ll talk about this one another time).

….Always humble,



Angiolino

Blueberries for ...(almost) everything

A few words well spent for this magical berry with miraculous healing properties. You won't find a more curative berry around.

It reduces the stiffness of your blood vessels,

cuts cardiovascular diseases by a third,

minimizes your risk of type 2 diabetes

makes the benefits of vitamin D even more powerful

sharpens your vision and memory (I personally guarantee for the vision)

its bioactive compounds prevent hypertension

has cholesterol-lowering effects

builds strong bones

and finally, most of all, it reduces the risk of the most aggressive types of cancers.

My final hint: whenever possible buy ONLY wild blueberries. It multiplies all the above benefits twice. If you're lucky enough to live nearby a wood, you'll probably find them, being very widespread. 

There are also supplements derived from selected wild-arctic-blueberries, but I can’t name them (sorry): you’ll surely find them if you look for.

….Always humble,

Angiolino