Quercetin

We all have three types of cells: functional cells, senescent cells and dying cells. Senescent ones are dysfunctional because aging and the sooner our body eliminates them the better (although they’re not dead yet): they produce chemically altered proteins that create inflammation and disrupt healthy functional cells.

Let’s remember that all age-related diseases involve inflammation: everything producing pro-inflammatory toxins is damaging our body, accelerating the process of aging itself through a degenerative mechanism. The point is that senescent cells accumulate slowly over time, because our body is less and less efficient in getting rid of them.

And that’s why I’m talking about quercetin this time, which is very effective in removing aging cells. Allowing functional cells to work properly, indirectly increases longevity. Quercetin is a flavonoid found in many fruits and vegetables that fights oxidative stress. Just clearing away about 35% of degenerated cells produce improvements in age-related diseases: this flavonoid has the ability to remove old cells without harming normal ones.

How can aging cells impact our body? In many different ways: in the immune system older cells can no longer recognize new threats. In skin no new tissue is produced. Accumulating in the joints they cause osteoarthritis. In the brain increase the possibility of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. In heart they cause more cardiovascular problems. In lungs they secrete inflammatory substances.

Basically senescent cells contribute to aging and diseases in organs and tissues in the entire body. A healthy immune system can help remove senescent cells but it becomes less and less efficient as we grow older. A sad example is an extremely rare disease called “progeria”: the result of a gene mutation that produces premature accumulation of senescent cells.

Quercetin can be taken as a supplement but my personal hint is not to waste money for this kind of supplement, wherefore it’s already abundantly found in nature.

It’s contained in apples, onions, oranges, green tea, blueberries, red grapes. In particular in red apples (almost 500 mg per kg). If you consider that recommended supplementation would be in the range of 150/300 mg per day, where 150 mg is the maintenance dose, you can clearly deduct that it’s so much better to eat a couple of apples a day saving some money, although it’s not an expensive supplement anyway.

After all “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” is based on solid scientific research.

….Always humble,

Angiolino