Keep And Repair Your Muscles
I don't have to tell you that once we get a little older, our muscle isn't Olympic quality anymore!
But what if there were a way to keep our muscles strong as we age -- without spending hours pumping iron in a gym?
Well, there just may be.
University of Pennsylvania researchers have made a breakthrough discovery about a simple vitamin -- one that could be like a fountain of youth for muscles.
This vitamin could hold the secret to keeping you strong and sturdy in your senior years -- and it just may change how we treat diseases like muscular dystrophy forever.
Losing muscle strength as we age is pretty much a given. And there's a very simple reason for that.
You see, our muscle cells depend on their mitochondria -- kind of like little cellular powerhouses -- to generate energy. And our muscles require a tremendous amount of energy.
But, as we get older, those mitochondria can get damaged, become inefficient, or just stop working the way they should. The end result -- our muscles become weaker and more easily fatigued.
So these UPenn researchers genetically engineered a group of mice to have the same problem. Their muscles started wasting away, and they had trouble running on a simple treadmill.
But once the mice were fed a B3 vitamin called nicotinamide riboside (NR), everything changed. It was as if their muscles came back to life!
The muscle deterioration was "completely reversed" (that's right -- completely) and mitochondria that had basically gone to sleep were suddenly woken back up.
Now, "completely reversing" muscular atrophy sounds pretty amazing, and the researchers say it may even lead to new treatments for those with muscular dystrophy. But there's more good news about NR.
Research done previously in Switzerland, Canada and Brazil found that NR was able to act as a kind of fountain of youth in elderly mice.
Another one of the important jobs of the mitochondria is to help stem cells regenerate damaged organs. And when researchers gave mice NR to support their mitochondria, they ended up living longer than the mice that didn't get it.
The team called their findings a way to restore "the body's ability to repair itself."
There's no doubt that keeping mitochondria as strong as possible as you get older is vital if you want to stay healthy and steer clear of age-related diseases. And now we know a humble B vitamin can help to do that.
So, you're probably wondering how to get more NR in your diet. While it's present in trace amounts in some foods, such as milk, it's easily available in numerous brands of supplements.
Also, if you've had a problem in the past with something called a "niacin flush," which is a common side effect from taking another kind of B3 called niacin, NR doesn't appear to cause that problem.
I don't have to tell you that once we get a little older, our muscle isn't Olympic quality anymore!
But what if there were a way to keep our muscles strong as we age -- without spending hours pumping iron in a gym?
Well, there just may be.
University of Pennsylvania researchers have made a breakthrough discovery about a simple vitamin -- one that could be like a fountain of youth for muscles.
This vitamin could hold the secret to keeping you strong and sturdy in your senior years -- and it just may change how we treat diseases like muscular dystrophy forever.
Losing muscle strength as we age is pretty much a given. And there's a very simple reason for that.
You see, our muscle cells depend on their mitochondria -- kind of like little cellular powerhouses -- to generate energy. And our muscles require a tremendous amount of energy.
But, as we get older, those mitochondria can get damaged, become inefficient, or just stop working the way they should. The end result -- our muscles become weaker and more easily fatigued.
So these UPenn researchers genetically engineered a group of mice to have the same problem. Their muscles started wasting away, and they had trouble running on a simple treadmill.
But once the mice were fed a B3 vitamin called nicotinamide riboside (NR), everything changed. It was as if their muscles came back to life!
The muscle deterioration was "completely reversed" (that's right -- completely) and mitochondria that had basically gone to sleep were suddenly woken back up.
Now, "completely reversing" muscular atrophy sounds pretty amazing, and the researchers say it may even lead to new treatments for those with muscular dystrophy. But there's more good news about NR.
Research done previously in Switzerland, Canada and Brazil found that NR was able to act as a kind of fountain of youth in elderly mice.
Another one of the important jobs of the mitochondria is to help stem cells regenerate damaged organs. And when researchers gave mice NR to support their mitochondria, they ended up living longer than the mice that didn't get it.
The team called their findings a way to restore "the body's ability to repair itself."
There's no doubt that keeping mitochondria as strong as possible as you get older is vital if you want to stay healthy and steer clear of age-related diseases. And now we know a humble B vitamin can help to do that.
So, you're probably wondering how to get more NR in your diet. While it's present in trace amounts in some foods, such as milk, it's easily available in numerous brands of supplements.
Also, if you've had a problem in the past with something called a "niacin flush," which is a common side effect from taking another kind of B3 called niacin, NR doesn't appear to cause that problem.
High Fructose Corn Syrup Linked to Brain Damage
A new study out of UCLA has found that fructose-induced
changes to genes in the brain are not only linked to diabetes and
cardiovascular disease but also to Alzheimer's,
Parkinson's, depression, bipolar disorder, and attention
deficit disorder. (EBioMedicine)
This report cites a Department of Agriculture study, which
states that the average American gets most of his/her fructose from foods
containing high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and consumes an average of 27 pounds
a year. (Fruit naturally contains fructose, but it also contains various fibers
and other compounds that slow the absorption of fructose and counteract its ill
effects.)
I think the average consumption of HFCS is much higher. The
Illinois Farm Bureau puts that average at 35.7 pounds, and we know that HFCS
consumption increased over 1,000 percent between 1970 and 1990. Since that
time, its use has continued to skyrocket.
The researchers knew that the omega-3 fatty acid
docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) occurs naturally in the membranes of brain cells and
could possibly protect against these genetic alterations. However, DHA is only
made in very small amounts by the body from the essential fatty acid linolenic
acid. Most DHA has to come from diet.
To better understand the effects fructose has on the brain
and any possible protective effects of DHA, researchers trained rats to escape
from three groups. For six weeks, one group drank water spiked with fructose
that would be equivalent to a human drinking a liter of soda per day. The
second group was given the same fructose-laced water along with a diet rich in
DHA. The third group received water but no fructose or DHA.
At six weeks, the rats were put through the maze again. Those
that consumed the fructose took twice as long to navigate the maze compared to
the group drinking water, which was indicative of memory impairment caused by
fructose. Those given fructose water and DHA navigated the maze the same as
those given only water, which suggested that the DHA had eliminated the ill
effects of fructose.
The research team then sequenced over 20,000 genes in the
brains of the rats and identified more than 700 genes in the hypothalamus (the
part of the brain that controls metabolism) and more than 200 genes in the
hippocampus (the area that regulates learning and memory) that were altered by
fructose. The altered genes were comparable to those found in humans that
interact to regulate metabolism, cell communication, and inflammation...the
same alterations that have been linked to Parkinson's, depression, bipolar
disorder, and several other brain diseases.
This was an amazing study, to say the least. It clearly
illustrated not just how harmful HFCS is, but also the way it manipulates
genes, altering metabolism and destroying the communication between brain
cells. HFCS isn't just slowly destroying our ability to learn and remember information;
it is making permanent genetic changes that can lead to some of the worst
neurological diseases of our time.
Additionally, this study has shown that DHA seems to reverse
these harmful changes. As the lead author of the study said, "DHA changes
not just one or two genes; it seems to push the entire gene pattern back to
normal, which is remarkable. "
I certainly don't believe taking DHA should be used as an
excuse to consume HFCS, But it does give us a measure of protection against
HFCS, which is prominent in our food supply.
I would still try to avoid HFCS like the plague. Sodas
continue to be the most common source but if you read food labels, you'll see
that it's in practically everything (condiments, salad dressing, commercially
manufactured bread products, baby food, crackers, granola bars, and more).
As for DHA, it is abundant in wild (not farmed) salmon and
other fatty fish like anchovies, sardines, mackerel, tuna, trout, herring, and
halibut. It's also found in algae such as spirulina and in walnuts, flax and
chia seeds, and to a lesser degree in other fish, poultry, and egg yolks. If
you don't already take an omega-3 supplement like fish or krill oil that
contains DHA, you might want to consider it.
Beware
of Fructose….Especially If You Are Diabetic
A
new study has just revealed the most damning evidence to date on the dangers of
fructose. And those in the greatest jeopardy are the people who were once told
this sweetener was a dream come true for them...diabetics.
Harvard scientists have discovered how the sweetener can "open the floodgates" allowing diabetics to absorb it almost immediately where it goes straight to the liver and turns into -- fat.
The researchers also said that this study puts another brick in the wall about what might be causing the gigantic rise of diabetes in the U.S.
From fructose to fat
It wasn't all that long ago when those with diabetes were told that fructose was perfectly fine for them to use. And even now, you may hear about studies claiming that fructose is not only okay, but that it's somehow beneficial to diabetics.
Well, don't believe a word of it. With all the facts we currently know, giving fructose a clean bill of health is rediculous!
I recently told you how fatty liver disease, a potentially deadly condition that's reaching epidemic proportions, can be triggered by foods and beverages high in fructose. And over the years I've told you how high fructose corn syrup has been linked to everything from diabetes to heart attacks to liver disease to cancer.
But this research is helping to put all those puzzle pieces together.
The Harvard scientists found that diabetic mice have a protein that can activate the deadly effects of fructose immediately. It's almost like flipping on a light switch.
Within minutes of the sweetener hitting the stomach, the mice absorbed the fructose and it went directly to their livers. There it was converted to fat. And that was the case in both short and long-term feeding experiments.
Harvard professor Richard Lee, the study author, said that what the team discovered tells them that diabetics may be "more susceptible to the damaging effects of fructose"
Professor Lee also said the research supports the idea of how high fructose consumption can actually "spur diabetes."
And that's not a new theory, either.
Study after study has found that fructose can be "a principle driver of type 2 diabetes." And as for obesity, current research has booted that absurd mantra that "a calorie is a calorie" right out the door.
As a cardiovascular research scientist said about his study on fructose last year, "now we understand that different types of calories have different metabolic effects in the body."
Of course knowing that fructose is bad for you and being able to dodge it in foods and beverages are two different things!
So here are the top names you need to watch out for where fructose is concerned.
Harvard scientists have discovered how the sweetener can "open the floodgates" allowing diabetics to absorb it almost immediately where it goes straight to the liver and turns into -- fat.
The researchers also said that this study puts another brick in the wall about what might be causing the gigantic rise of diabetes in the U.S.
From fructose to fat
It wasn't all that long ago when those with diabetes were told that fructose was perfectly fine for them to use. And even now, you may hear about studies claiming that fructose is not only okay, but that it's somehow beneficial to diabetics.
Well, don't believe a word of it. With all the facts we currently know, giving fructose a clean bill of health is rediculous!
I recently told you how fatty liver disease, a potentially deadly condition that's reaching epidemic proportions, can be triggered by foods and beverages high in fructose. And over the years I've told you how high fructose corn syrup has been linked to everything from diabetes to heart attacks to liver disease to cancer.
But this research is helping to put all those puzzle pieces together.
The Harvard scientists found that diabetic mice have a protein that can activate the deadly effects of fructose immediately. It's almost like flipping on a light switch.
Within minutes of the sweetener hitting the stomach, the mice absorbed the fructose and it went directly to their livers. There it was converted to fat. And that was the case in both short and long-term feeding experiments.
Harvard professor Richard Lee, the study author, said that what the team discovered tells them that diabetics may be "more susceptible to the damaging effects of fructose"
Professor Lee also said the research supports the idea of how high fructose consumption can actually "spur diabetes."
And that's not a new theory, either.
Study after study has found that fructose can be "a principle driver of type 2 diabetes." And as for obesity, current research has booted that absurd mantra that "a calorie is a calorie" right out the door.
As a cardiovascular research scientist said about his study on fructose last year, "now we understand that different types of calories have different metabolic effects in the body."
Of course knowing that fructose is bad for you and being able to dodge it in foods and beverages are two different things!
So here are the top names you need to watch out for where fructose is concerned.
- · HFCS, an ingredient you want to avoid at all costs.
- · HFCS-90, another kind of HFCS, only it's 90 percent fructose.
- · Fruit sugar, while it sounds natural, this ingredient is typically nothing more than a code name for high fructose corn syrup.
- · Agave syrup, even if it's organic and has beautiful pictures on the label! Agave can be up to almost 100 percent fructose.
- · Crystalline fructose, which you'll find added to numerous drinks including sports ones claiming to be good for you. This sweetener is 100 percent fructose. And it's derived from genetically-modified corn to boot.
And
again, even though fruit also contains fructose, it's at low levels and
digested differently due to its natural fiber content.
Tylenol Can Be
Deadly
Five years ago Jasmin Bindom was 16 and finishing up her junior year at St. Mary's Academy in New Orleans.
But instead of getting ready for summer vacation, the teen ended up in the hospital being put into a medically-induced coma. Her body swelled to three times its normal size; she lost just about all of her skin, hair and nails; and she came very close to losing her life.
What permanently scarred and almost killed Jasmin is a horrific drug side effect called Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, or SJS.
SJS isn't like any other side effect you could imagine. It can leave you horribly scarred, blind, and crippled, with lifelong damage. And the most frightening part is, it can happen to anyone.
We don't often hear much about SJS -- and most of us never even consider it before popping a prescription or OTC pill.
SJS is a severe allergic reaction to medication that basically burns your flesh from the inside out. Victims are often described as looking like they'd just been pulled from a pot of boiling water.
In Jasmin's case, she took an Extra Strength Tylenol. When she started developing a rash, she went to the hospital where they gave her another OTC drug, Motrin. And that's when things went downhill really fast.
While just about any med can trigger SJS, the condition has been most frequently caused by antibiotics, seizure drugs, and painkillers such as ibuprofen, naproxen and acetaminophen (like Tylenol).
And SJS can turn deadly quickly. It can start as a rash or painful blisters all over your body, and then rapidly progress to a stage called toxic epidermal necrolysis (what Jasmin had), where your skin starts falling off.
In fact, just a few years ago Johnson & Johnson was ordered to pay the family of a 13- year-old girl $10 million for having 84 percent of her body covered in burns after taking Motrin for a fever.
Jasmin and her family also filed a lawsuit against J&J, but the company made sure to confidentially settle the case right before the jury returned a verdict, claiming it must have been something else that caused her reaction.
Three years ago, the FDA even issued a "Drug Safety Alert" for SJS covering both prescription and OTC meds that contain acetaminophen, such as Tylenol. It even warned how these drugs could cause SJS and "detachment of the upper surface of the skin."
Unfortunately, the agency practically made sure customers would ignore the alert by mentioning seven times how rare the reaction is.
But experts say that it’s not so rare. And there are far more SJS cases than our government would like to admit.
Jean Farrell founded the Stevens-Johnson Syndrome Foundation after her daughter Julie almost died from the condition. She said her group gets reports of 15 new cases a week -- and that's only through the Internet.
"SJS is not as rare as we are led to believe," she said.
What makes SJS especially dangerous is that people may not realize that drugs are causing their symptoms. So they keep right on taking the very meds that might be killing them.
That's why it's important to spot these earliest signs of SJS, so you can stop your medications and call your doctor immediately:
Five years ago Jasmin Bindom was 16 and finishing up her junior year at St. Mary's Academy in New Orleans.
But instead of getting ready for summer vacation, the teen ended up in the hospital being put into a medically-induced coma. Her body swelled to three times its normal size; she lost just about all of her skin, hair and nails; and she came very close to losing her life.
What permanently scarred and almost killed Jasmin is a horrific drug side effect called Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, or SJS.
SJS isn't like any other side effect you could imagine. It can leave you horribly scarred, blind, and crippled, with lifelong damage. And the most frightening part is, it can happen to anyone.
We don't often hear much about SJS -- and most of us never even consider it before popping a prescription or OTC pill.
SJS is a severe allergic reaction to medication that basically burns your flesh from the inside out. Victims are often described as looking like they'd just been pulled from a pot of boiling water.
In Jasmin's case, she took an Extra Strength Tylenol. When she started developing a rash, she went to the hospital where they gave her another OTC drug, Motrin. And that's when things went downhill really fast.
While just about any med can trigger SJS, the condition has been most frequently caused by antibiotics, seizure drugs, and painkillers such as ibuprofen, naproxen and acetaminophen (like Tylenol).
And SJS can turn deadly quickly. It can start as a rash or painful blisters all over your body, and then rapidly progress to a stage called toxic epidermal necrolysis (what Jasmin had), where your skin starts falling off.
In fact, just a few years ago Johnson & Johnson was ordered to pay the family of a 13- year-old girl $10 million for having 84 percent of her body covered in burns after taking Motrin for a fever.
Jasmin and her family also filed a lawsuit against J&J, but the company made sure to confidentially settle the case right before the jury returned a verdict, claiming it must have been something else that caused her reaction.
Three years ago, the FDA even issued a "Drug Safety Alert" for SJS covering both prescription and OTC meds that contain acetaminophen, such as Tylenol. It even warned how these drugs could cause SJS and "detachment of the upper surface of the skin."
Unfortunately, the agency practically made sure customers would ignore the alert by mentioning seven times how rare the reaction is.
But experts say that it’s not so rare. And there are far more SJS cases than our government would like to admit.
Jean Farrell founded the Stevens-Johnson Syndrome Foundation after her daughter Julie almost died from the condition. She said her group gets reports of 15 new cases a week -- and that's only through the Internet.
"SJS is not as rare as we are led to believe," she said.
What makes SJS especially dangerous is that people may not realize that drugs are causing their symptoms. So they keep right on taking the very meds that might be killing them.
That's why it's important to spot these earliest signs of SJS, so you can stop your medications and call your doctor immediately:
- · Flu-like symptoms, which often signal the start of an SJS reaction.
- · A skin rash, blisters or red blotches that are often accompanied by a fever.
- · Blisters that appear in your mouth, eyes, ears, nose and around your genitals.
- · Pink eye or an abnormal swelling of your eyelids.
Also,
Farrell warned that if a blood relative had a severe allergic reaction like SJS
after taking a drug, you should consider yourself at risk for that medication
and be extra careful to avoid it.
Until next time, stay healthy and happy
JD
Roma
The
information on this blog is provided for educational purposes only. It is not a
substitute for professional medical care, and medical advice and services are
not being offered. If you have, or suspect you have, a health problem you
should consult your physician (preferably a Naturopath).
No comments:
Post a Comment