High Performance Living

To a lean 2010, and a permanently lean life.

Last night I saw a commercial for the Taco Bell drive-through diet.  No wonder people are so confused.

The obesity epidemic is now going worldwide.  A new study found a 35% increase in obesity over a recent 10 year period in 7 countries in Africa. 

The solution, at least for those of us here in the U.S., is quite simple.  Eat fresh unprocessed food, as much as possible. 

So eat fresh meat, and avoid coldcuts and other processed meat.  Eat fresh fish, shrimp, and other seafood.  Eat fresh vegetables and fresh fruit.

Avoid things that come in a package.  Avoid tofu, soy milk, and other soy products.  Avoid grains, even whole grains.  Avoid dairy.  Avoid sugar.

It really is that simple.  When you eat this way (imagine eggs, strawberries for breakfast; steak, salad, and asparagus for dinner), your body naturally becomes lean.  I've seen it happen with dozens of people I've worked with.

If you want to life a life of optimum health well into old age, one essential step is to get and maintain a lean muscular body.  And the most important step is not exercise, it is not supplements, it is diet.  We are all in control of our own destiny more than most of us realize.  I challenge you to decide to make 2010 the year you optimize your diet. 

Another way resveratrol promotes longevity

SIRT1 is a protein that is upregulated during famine or caloric restriction.  It is also upregulated by resveratrol, a compound found in red wine.

A lot of research is being done on resveratrol and synthetic derivatives, with many hopes that a longevity drug will be the results.  And of course, many people are already taking resveratrol as a supplement - I'm currently taking 100 mg/day.

Researchers have discovered more about how this substance works.  One thing it does is regulate and keep active something called "heat shock factor 1" (HSF1). HSF1 can sense when a cell has damaged proteins, and increase the expression of molecules called molecular chaperones, which keep proteins correctly folded. 

So basically, high levels of SIRT1 keep your cellular repair machinery on high alert.  Maybe, just maybe, extending longevity.

http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/323/5917/1063

Arginine, amazing amino acid

Arginine is an amino acid, one of the building blocks of protein. A new study funded by the American Heart Association showed how arginine caused the body to send proteins towards muscle growth, and away from fat storage. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090204161848.htm

Your body also uses arginine to make nitric oxide, the chemical responsible for blood dilation. Benefit for the arteries, and you can kind of think of it as natural viagra.

Arginine supplementation also causes growth hormone release. Growth hormone steadily declines as people age. Higher levels of growth hormone correlate with less body fat, more muscle, and even better skin elasticity.

I often supplement with an arginine formulation before going to bed, because the body pulses a larger amount of growth hormone when you sleep.  And, well, you know...

Ritalin May Cause Changes In Brain’s Reward Areas; Effects May Overlap With Those Of Cocaine

One day humanity will look back on this time and shake their heads about the way we medicated ourselves and our families.  Ritalin is a powerful drug that has really helped some people.  But too many people take this drug, and most could take better care of their brains by optimizing their nutrition.  A quality long-chain omega 3 (fish oil) would be the best place to start.

from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090204193314.htm

A common treatment for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, prescribed millions of times a year, may change the brain in the same ways that cocaine does, a new study in mice suggests. Research from Rockefeller University shows that methylphenidate, commonly known as Ritalin, causes physical changes in neurons in reward regions of mouse brains. In some cases, the effects overlapped with those of cocaine...

Exercise and brain cells

A new study confirms that exercise helps reduce a decline in neural stems cells in the hippocampus that happens to mice in middle age.  This tends to happen because nerve growth factors decline as the mouse ages, and exercise slows that decline. 

Pay attention to the older folks that you know, and their wit.  This may be good inspiration to keep your brain working at top form as you age...

http://jap.physiology.org/cgi/content/abstract/105/5/1585

Music improves endothelial functioning

A study presented at the American Heart Associated Scientific Sessions found showed that when volunteers listened to music that made them feel joyful, their blood vessels dilated by 26%.  When your blood vessels relax your blood pressure goes down and your blood flows more freely.  Other ways to induce this effect is to take the amino acid arginine, which increases dilation by increasing production of nitric oxide.  (This is similar to how Viagra works, by preventing breakdown of nitric oxide).

Miller M, Beach V, Mangano C, Vogel RA. Positive Emotions and the Endothelium: Does Joyful Music Improve Vascular Health?” Miller M, Beach V, Mangano C, Vogel RA. Presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions, November 11th 2008.

Rosemary extract before cooking meat

When meat is cooked, particularly at high heat, certain highly reactive molecules called heterocyclic amines, or HCAs, can form.  HCAs are known carcinogens, so it is best to minimize consumption of these molecules.

One way is to avoid grilled or fried meat.  The safest meats are cooked in moisture, such as stewing.  If you do grill, you can put rosemary extract on your meat before cooking.  This has been shown to reduce the amount of HCAs that form, and doesn't affect the flavor much at all.  Rosemary extract is available in liquid and powdered forms.  (Make sure you don't confuse rosemary extract with rosemary oil).

Processed meat consumption = reduced telomere length

The telomere is a region of repetitive DNA at the end of chromosomes.  Each time the cell divides the telomere gets shorter, which limits the number of timies the cell can divide and is thought to be a factor in cellular aging.  There are some companies that are researching how to extend telomere length as a mechanism for extending human longevity.

A study published in the latest issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition looked at telomere length and its relationship to diet.  People who ate processed meat (hot dogs, salami, etc.) had significantly shorter telomeres than those who did not (http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/88/5/1405?etoc).  This type of meat is actually mostly fat, very high in salt, and also typically has nitrates and artificial colors.  The best meat comes from wild game or grass-fed animals, not factory-farmed grain-fed animals, and certainly not from processed cold cuts or hot dogs.

Resveratrol prevents alcohol induced fat accumulation in the liver

One of the risks of alcohol consumption is that it promotes accumulation of fat in the liver.  Chronic and long-term alcohol consumption can lead to cirrhosis and fibrosis of the liver, and even to liver failure.  Alcohol inhibits two molecules that play a role in the breakdown of fats in the liver: AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and sirtuin 1 (SIRT1). When alcohol inactivates AMPK and SIRT1, it allows fat to accumulate.

Resveratrol is a compound found in grapes and red wine, which has been found to dramatically extend the lives of laboratory animals by upregulating the SIRT1 gene.  Researchers have recently found that resveratrol treatment increased the expression of SIRT1 and stimulated the activity of AMPK in the livers of mice fed alcohol.  In fact, alcohol actually seems to enhance the activity of resveratrol. 

So it appears that resveratrol can help prevent the accumulation of fat in the liver caused by alcohol consumption.  There are small amounts of resveratrol in red wine.  I currently supplement with an additional 40mg per day of 50% extract.

http://ajpgi.physiology.org/cgi/content/abstract/295/4/G833

How veggies reduce cancer risk

There are a lot of disagreements about what exactly is "optimal nutrition", but the one area where you'll see the most agreement is vegetables.  Eating a lot of them creates a lot of health benefits.  Risk of cancer, metabolic syndrome, osteoporosis, and more - all dramatically reduced.  We know that vegetables are nutritionally dense and alkaline to the body, both beneficial characteristics.  But little is known about the specific mechanisms by which they may prevent cancer.

Researchers have recently identified one of the ways in which this works.  Pectin, a fiber found in all fruits and vegetables (and used to make jam), has a fragment that binds to and is believed to inhibit a protein called galectin 3 that plays a role in all stages of cancer progression. 

The best way to increase your vegetable intake is to regularly eat large salads with a wide variety of vegetables.  Add some fish or lean meat and dressing made with monounsaturated fat (such as olive oil) or omega-3 fat (such as flax oil), and you've got a perfect meal.

http://www.fasebj.org/cgi/content/abstract/fj.08-106617v2