UnLocking The Genetic Secrets to a Longer and Healthier Life.

By ingesting natural plant molecules we can potentially switch genes on and off to benefit from their anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-bacterial, and blood sugar- normalizing effects and live longer!

Reservatrol is a gene activating compound is among the polyphenol products that is attracting much attention.

The secrets of genetics to live longer and healthier: ( The Longevity Factor, by Dr Maroon, M.D.)

1.Eat and drink natural foods with the highest polyphenol antioxidant content, such as red wine, grape juice, green tea, dark chocolate, apples, berries and peanuts.

2.Take supplements containing super-concentrated polyphenol and reservatrol from natural resources.

3. Take reservatrol as a dietary supplement.

4.Use a prescription reservatrol-like drug.

Polyphenols and Health:

1. Drink Red Wine:
- Reduces risk of death ( Studies from France, the UK, Finland, Denmark)
- Helps prevent coronary artery disease by reducing LDL(bad) cholesterol and boosting HDL (good) cholesterol.
- Produces anti-clotting action reducing risk of stroke.
- Reduces hardening and narrowing of arteries.
- Lower blood pressure in people with hypertension.
- Decreases risk of Alzheimer's Disease.

Note: Quercetin ( another polyphenol) in red wine improves the absorption of reservatrol.

2. Grape Juice :
- Another great source of reservatrol.

3. Green Tea: ( contain catechins)
- Excellent anti-oxidant and anti-aging effects.
- Anti-clotting effect. Green tea catechins prevent stickiness and clotting of blood platelets, reducing risk of stroke and heart attacks.
- Anti-viral and cold prevention effects.
- Helps to control high blood pressure.
- Cancer prevention. Catechins interfere w/ cancer development in all 3 stages.
- Suppress LDL and elevate HDL.
- Control blood glucose levels.
-Help to maintain healthy intestinal flora
- Together w/ caffeine, catechins help accelerate fat burning, contributing to weight loss.
- Inhibits osteoarthritis by reducing inflammation.

4. Dark Chocolate: ( Unsweetened, unprocessed)

- A powerful anti-oxidant.
- Reduces atherosclorosis, reduces risk of heart disease, lowers LDL and triglycerides and elevates HDL.
- Reduces blood clotting ( affects platelet stickiness)
- Improves blood flow.
- Acts as an anti-hypertensive.
- Helps control blood sugar ( enhances effects of insulin).
- Enhance mood ( elevates serotonin and endorphins) and may function as a anti-depressant.

5. Apples:
- Lowers blood pressure.
- Inhibits triglyceride absorption.
- Enhance fat metabolism and insulin sensitivity.
- Protects colon against free-radical damage.
- Helps prevent bone loss in menopausal women.

The Xeno Diet:

- "Eat Less and Work Out"
- Exercise 60 minutes/day. Incorporate aerobic and strength training.
- Add some type of mindful relaxation each day.
- Reduce your calorie intake and increase your activity level.
- Add xeno factors ( polyphenols and reservatrol) to your diet.
- Subscribe to the 80-20 Rule: 80% of food is plant based and 20% is animal based.
- Eat protein w/ every meal ( The lower on the food chain the better : seaweed-algae-plants-fish-poultry- mammals)
- Eat healthy fats ( unsaturated): fish, fish oil,avocados, olive oil, nuts).
- Eat complex carbs ( fruits, vegetables, whole grains, whole wheat pasta, legumes).
- Avoid simple carbs: ( white rice and bread and processed starches, fructose and sucrose-laced sodas).
- Consume 40-45 grams of fiber each day ( whole grains, leafy greens, beans, lentils, raw vegetables, oatmeal,and fruits).
- Consume some probiotics ( low-fat yogurt which contains L. acidopholous and bifidobacteria)
Drink 2 glasses of red wine each day, 6-8 ounces of grape juice and 2 -5 cups of green tea each day.

- Take a high-potency multivitamin ( 2000IU of Vit D, 400mcg of folate, 1200 mg of calcium, 400mg of magnesium, 1000mg of Vit C, 400mg of Vit E , and daily value of B-complex)
-Omega -3 fatty acids ( fish or fish oil)
- Coenzyme Q10 ( up to 100mg/day)

Keys To Longevity

Aging is a combination of genetic predisposition (DNA) and environmental and lifestyle factors.
New research is shedding light on powerful and life-changing ways to slow down and possibly reverse the aging process. Diet ( specifically polyphenols from plant sources) and exercise are proving to be the key that may unlock the longevity mystery.

The following information was extracted from The Longevity Factor ( Joseph Maroon,M.D.)

Aging Facts: ( Rates of decline vary depending on DNA, demographics, gender and environmental factors)
- Heart: Heart walls thicken, gradually losing pumping effectiveness. Max oxygen consumption during exercise declines w/ each decade of adult life ( approx. 10% in men and 7.5% in women).

- Arteries: Cholesterol and calcium buildup, causing arterial thickening and stiffness. Decrease in elasticity and the narrowing of the arteries lead to high blood pressure.

- Lungs: Maximum breathing capacity declines approx. 40% between ages 20-70.

- Brain: A gradual decrease in the number of brain cells leads to selective impairment ( especially in memory).

- Body fat: Body fat gradually increases until middle age, stabilizing until late life when body weight tends to decline.

- Muscles: Between ages 30-70 muscle mass declines approx. 20-25%. Metabolic function also slows down 3% per year after the age of 35. ( Aerobic and strength training slows and can even reverse this rate of loss).

-Bone: Bone density and mineral loss lead to osteopenia and osteoporosis in both men and women.

Sight and Hearing: Declines begin in 40's and declines appear greater in men than women.

Why Do We Age?

1. Error Theory:
- Looks at the build up of free radicals, which can be neutralized by anti- oxidants.
- Repetitive damage to DNA of mitochondrial cells ( energy powerhouse of the body).
- Cellular deterioration leads to cancer and inflammatory diseases such as Alzheimer's.
- Over time cells simply begin to function poorly and wear out.

2. Programming Theory:
- Involves loss of organ function at a specific rate as we age.
- Loss of immune function.
- Mental stress and depression weaken immune function.
- Repetitive DNA sequences ( telomeres) at the end of chromosomes fray and get shorter.

Research Findings:
- Plant chemicals found in Xeno Factors help to repair DNA, help defense against free radicals,
help enhance immune response, remove defective proteins and mutated cells and detoxification of harmful chemicals.

Xeno Factors:
- Activate specific mechanisms within cells, help to control inflammation, regulate cell survival, repair cells and prevent cell death.
- Xeno factors are powerful anti-oxidants which can enhance immune and endocrine function.

- Polyphenols are very abundant anti-oxidants which promote various gene activating mechanisms.
- They give the red to red wine, dark brown to chocolate and green to green tea.
- Other great sources: grapes, apples, onions, soy, peanuts, berries, and green vegetables are loaded with polyphenols.

Reservatrol:

-Found in stressed red grapes is a powerful polyphenol that is playing a major role in the anti-aging revolution.

Human studies are on going. Animal studies have provided the following findings:
- Helps maintain metabolic function and body weight.
- Increases the number of energy-producing mitochondria in muscle cells.
- Increase aerobic capacity.
- Maintain cell sensitivity, moderating blood sugar levels.
- Enhances muscle strength and reduces muscle fatigue.
- No adverse effects on liver.

Human Studies: Reservatrol ( xeno factors)
- Increases number of energy-producing mitochondria and improve tissue repair following exercise, which leads to greater endurance and better recovery, hence greater fitness!

- May help in reducing the decline in memory, reaction-time and processing of information.

Diabetes:

- Can in increase glucose absorption in liver, fat and muscle cells differently than insulin, potentially sparing the pancreas.

- Decrease insulin resistance, enhancing glucose absorption and stabilizing weight.

- Polyphenols act also as potent anti-inflammatories by neutralizing free-radicals and thus reducing the reliance on drugs.

Cardio Protection:

- Reduce free-radicals through anti-oxidant effects.

- Reduce inflammation naturally.

- Help as a vasodialator ( widening the arteries and blood vessels).

- Helps with anti-platelet activity reducing the risk of blood clotting.

Anti-Cancer Effect:

- Helps with all 3 stages of cancer

1. Initiation: Free-radicals attack the cells mitochondria and DNA.

2. Promotion: Actively dividing precancerous cells accumulate and enlarge, which is enhanced by inflammation at the site but also throughout the body. This is where cancer is most curable.

3. Progression: Final and most deadly stage. Growth factors enhance the tumor's survival.

Reservatrol and Possible Benefits:


-Anti-inflammatory effects which inhibit initial DNA mutations.

- Self destruction of cancer cells through a process called apoptosis.

- Inhibit tumor angiogenesis ( formation of new blood vessels).

- Inhibition of cancer cells including those found in the lungs, prostate, colon, liver and skin, and in leukemias.

Stroke Prevention:

- Xeno factors help prevent atherosclerosis and clot function within blood vessels plus their effects as an anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory should contribute to a reduction in strokes.

Alzheimer's Disease:

- Cardiovascular disease is a major risk factor for AD ( hypoxia - reduced oxygen to the brain).
Hypoxia activates a gene called BACE 1 which produces amyloid-beta plaques common in AD brains.

- Reservatrol blocks production of free-radicals that destroy brain cell's mitochondria and DNA and facilitate removal of toxic amyloid-beta plaques


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The Mayo Clinic : Habits To Make, Habits To Break

1. Add Five Habits:

-Eat 5-6 small measl each day.
- Eat a healthy breakfast.
- Have protein at each meal.
- Eat at least 3-4 servings of vegetables and fruits each day.
- Eat whole grains.
- Eat healthy fats, such as olive oil, avocado, and nuts.
- Exercise 30-60 minutes each day. Combine aerobic and strength training.
- Hydrate each day.

2. Break Five Habits:

- Don't watch TV while eating, spend no more time watching TV than you do exercising.
- Avoid refined sugars and carbs.
- Eat no snacks except vegetables and fruits.
- Limit your consumption of red meat and low-fat dairy that you eat ( choose only organic and grass-fed sources).
- When eating out avoid eating bread and high-calorie desserts.

3. Add Five Bonus Habits:

- Keep a food journal.
- Keep an exercise journal.
- Build up your workouts and challenge yourself
- Set goals that are smart, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound.

Exercise: Boost the Immune System and Protect against Chronic Disease

1. New research data reveals that not only does exercise help to reduce stress, improve metabolic function and thus help manage bodyweight, facilitate better sleep, increase energy and improve brain function, it can boost the body's immune system ( increasing the circulation of natural killer cells that not only fight off viruses and bacteria but can impact the development and proliferation of cancer cells). This also has profound affects on aging - perhaps slowing the aging of the bodies cells and helping to maintain immune function which has a compounding effect over time.

2. Regular exercise can combat the ongoing assault on cells, tissues and organs that underlies many chronic conditions. Exercise can lower blood pressure, reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol, while increasing HDL (good) cholesterol and reduce the incidence of Type 2 diabetes. Although it is important to note that "over-training" can have harmful affects on the immune system and thus make one vulnerable to the development of certain cancers and degenerative diseases.

Medical experts claim that inactivity poses as great a health risk as smoking, contributing to heart disease, hypertension, cancer, diabetes, depression, arthritis and osteoporosis. Exercise can be as simple as a brisk 30-45 minute walk performed at least 5 times per week. Adding more vigorous aerobic activity combined with strength training ( 2-3 x per week) is optimal. Even men and women with low body fat who are inactive are at a higher risk of disease and compromised health. So while reducing obesity is a significant goal, the more important message is to get moving and enjoy physical activity.

3. Other studies have found that regular exercise can reduce mortality and the risk of recurrent breast cancer by approximately 50%. The studies suggest that outcome could be due to exercise's ability to lower estrogen.

4. Exercise can lower the risk of colon cancer by over 60% and new research indicates that it reduces the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease by approximately 40%.

5. Researchers are making great progress in exploring the true anti-aging benefits of exercise. Bio-genetic research is examining whether exercise actually lengthens telomeres, the strands of DNA at the tips of chromosomes. When telomeres shorten, cells can no longer divide and thus become inactive, a process associated with aging, cancer and a higher risk of death.

6. Following and adhering to, a regular exercise regimen, can decrease depression as effectively as Prozac or behavioral therapy. It is thought that elevating the bodies endorphins and increasing blood and oxygen to the brain can re-balance the brain's biochemistry and thus impact our moods and perceptions.

7. It is never too late to start exercising. It impacts all ages and all levels of fitness and health.
Join a health club, hire a personal trainer or find a workout partner who can help motivate you and keep you accountable. As the Nike saying goes: " Just Do It".

2010: A Fresh Start

1. Let Go Of The Past: Look forward and re-commit to your health and fitness goals. Determine
your strengths and build on them. Examine and correct your weaknesses and prioritize them as they impact your short and long-term goals. Eliminate the obstacles to success.

2. Find Balance: Identify those areas in your life that need attention and balance.

3. Keep a Journal: Keeping a journal helps to stay focused on your goals and priorities. Create a variety of headings that help you identify specific areas in your life that need attention.

4. Sleep: Make sure to get adequate sleep and rest. Consistent and restorative sleep have profound health and wellness benefits.

5. Lower Your Stress: Managing stress is crucial to your health and longevity. Un-managed stress has profound effects on our emotional, mental and physical well-being. Healthy nutrition, regular exercise, adequate sleep and relaxation and mindful breathing and life-balance all help to counter the effects of stress

6. Self-Responsibility: Take responsibility for your health and well-being. Be in charge of your efforts and the direction you take in life.

7. Communication: Open communication is essential to strong and healthy relationships at work and with friends and family. Practice being open and listening to others.

8. Finding Life Meaning: Having a life purpose that defines and challenges you, gives your life real meaning and direction. Create goals that support your purpose. Write these goals down and stay accountable to them.

9. Playfulness: Find time to play and explore new hobbies and interests. Study a new language, try a new sport, play a musical instrument. Challenge yourself in new and creative ways.