Posts Tagged ‘Calorie restriction’

Why Strawberries Are Good For Seniors!

Sunday, June 5, 2011
posted by Gilmore
A box of Strawberries

Image via Wikipedia

Seniors who want to take preemptive steps to foster their senior health should consider eating strawberries this June.   The alternative of practicing caloric restriction is not as much fun as eating delicious strawberries.  The benefit of caloric restriction is life extension, but most seniors do not want to eat like monks at a monastery.   The longevity benefits that result from caloric restriction in diet have been researched for more than sixty years, but most seniors would prefer another path to achieve life extension.   It turns out that the folks who research new nutrients have discovered a set of nutrients that can safely stimulate the effects of caloric restriction.   These nutrients mimic the the effects of caloric restriction.   In addition to the previously known caloric restriction mimetics of resveratrol, pterostilbene, grape seed extracts, quercitin and black tea, researchers have discovered the flavonoid fisetin which is found in strawberries.
The flavonoid fisetin in a somewhat rare nutrient found in very small quantities in plants.   In terms of benefiting senior health it is fosters senior health in a least six ways.   It maintains healthy levels of the our cells’ internal antioxidant, glutathione.    Fisetin is the only polyphenol that induces antioxidant activity with a two-fold benefit, because it protects against cancer and cardiovascular disease.   It inhibits glycation in humans that would over the long term can result in Alzheimer’s disease and other types of cognitive deterioration.    Among the flavanoids, fisetin holds a very high rank in terms of preventing DNA damage.   Fisetin very effectively suppresses inflammatory responses that would otherwise open the door to cancer proliferation.   Finally, fisetin provides mitochondrial support to the cells of our bodies and protects them against oxidative stress.   This is very good news for seniors who are seeking preemptive aging information to promote their cardiovascular health and avoid cancer, because all of these nutrients are currently available in supplement form.

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Another Longevity Gene Activator?

Wednesday, June 9, 2010
posted by Gilmore
My first strawberries of this season...
Image by Anushruti RK via Flickr

The longevity that results from caloric restrictions in diet have been studied for about seventy years. Caloric restrictions really extend longevity in all forms of life. Except for the difficult issue of trying to eat like folks at a monastery, this would be good news for seniors who are concerned about their senior health. It turns out that the folks who research new nutrients have discovered a set of nutrients that can safely stimulate the effects of caloric restriction. These nutrients mimic the the effects of caloric restriction. In addition to the previously known caloric restriction mimetics of resveratrol, pterostilbene, grape seed extracts, quercitin and black tea, researchers have discovered the flavonoid fisetin which is found in strawberries.
The flavonoid fisetin in a somewhat rare nutrient found in very small quantities in plants. In terms of benefiting senior health it is fosters senior health in a least six ways. It maintains healthy levels of the our cells’ internal antioxidant, glutathione. Fisetin is the only polyphenol that induces antioxidant activity with a two-fold benefit, because it protects against cancer and cardiovascular disease. It inhibits glycation in humans that would over the long term can result in Alzheimer’s disease and other types of cognitive deterioration. Among the flavanoids, fisetin holds a very high rank in terms of preventing DNA damage. Fisetin very effectively suppresses inflammatory responses that would otherwise open the door to cancer proliferation. Finally, fisetin provides mitochondrial support to the cells of our bodies and protects them against oxidative stress. This is very good news for seniors who are seeking preemptive aging information to promote their cardiovascular health and avoid cancer, because all of these nutrients are currently available in supplement form.

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Resveratrol’s Twin Brother

Saturday, November 21, 2009
posted by Gilmore
List of U.S.
Image via Wikipedia

Studies based on recent plant extract research has discovered a plant extract that is very similar to resveratrol. This plant extract functions in ways similar to resveratrol, because it provides many of the benefits for longevity required for senior health. This compound which is found in minute quantities in grapes and blueberries regulates genes that control the development of diseases that typically affect seniors. Diseases like atheroschlerosis, cancer, diabetes, and systemic inflammation are classic examples of such age-related disorders. This plant extract is called pterostilbene and like resverotrol is a member of the stilbene family of compounds. It turns out that when the two are combined they work synergistically to enhance the good health benefits of resveratrol which is very good news for senior health.
When resverotrol and pterostilbene are combined they activate a person’s longevity genes. Together they act on our longevity genes in a manner that parallels caloric restriction without the obvious and very unpleasant side effect that accompanies caloric restriction. They act at different places to control gene expression. In the case of cancer they turn on the genes that kill cancer cells and turn off the genes that allow cancer cells to spread. They provide similar activity to head off diabetes and memory loss due to aging. Thanks to the availability of combined extracts of both resverotrol and pterostilbene seniors do not have to eat five cups of blueberries and drink 20 bottles of red wine a day.

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Fruit of pomegranate
Image via Wikipedia

The health news has been full of reports about the benefits of resveratrol for extending life similar to benefits demonstrated for caloric restriction for senior health. Both caloric restriction and resveratrol work to promote longevity, because they change the way our genes are expressed. Both turn off the senescence genes and turn on the youth genes that promote cellular vitality. Recent research has shown that pomegranate protects against age-related diseases such as atherosclerosis, cancer, and type 2 diabetes by altering gene expression in a way similar to the action of resveratrol. Pomegranate extracts work in a multifold manner to prevent atherosclerosis and to undue the effects of atherosclerosis that has already attacked the arteries. In addition pomegranate juice has been shown to reduce total cholesterol and LDL levels which effectively reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Thanks to pomegranate’s broad spectrum antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, it is no wonder that it has shown excellent results in preventing certain cancers and reversing the progress of already existing cancers. Beneficial results of treating folks with pomegranate extracts, juice and oils have been shown
for breast, colon, and prostate cancer.
Finally pomegranate juice and extracts have demonstrated powerful preventative effects at multiple levels for folks who are pre-diabetic and those who are diabetic. In lab tests the juice lowered blood sugar and in human trials it improved the lipid profiles in diabetics. The juice reduced the markers of tissue oxidation in diabetics by more than 50% which reduces the amount of atherosclerosis.

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