Happy Friday to you all. We hope you are enjoying your summers thus far, as well as the outdoor saunas that our region’s weather specializes in. After a short hiatus, we are back with some more helpful health information.
You’ll find info on:
- Loss of Power as a new biomarker of aging
- Dihydroberberine-a novel ingredient for glucose control
- Red light therapy reduces blood glucose levels
- Hypothyroid and Depression
- Mast Cells and Toxic Mold
- Egg intake associated with less dementia
- Paris Olympics and the lack of optimal food for the athletes
Powerpenia Should be Considered a Biomarker of Healthy Aging
We know of sarcopenia = advanced loss of muscle with aging and dynapenia = advanced loss of strength with aging now we have a proposed new category- Powerpenia.
The authors’ goal – “As previous studies have shown a greater relevance of skeletal muscle power in healthy aging, we hereby propose the introduction of the term “powerpenia” to specifically reflect the loss of skeletal muscle power along lifespan, but also with disease and/or physical inactivity. Together with sarcopenia and dynapenia, we contend that powerpenia should be considered a biomarker of healthy aging.”
Furthermore per the researchers – “Skeletal muscle power is more influential than muscle strength and mass in enhancing physical function and reducing falls in older adults, and is a more sensitive marker of disease presence and/or physical inactivity.”
Per trainer Alexander Cortes, here are some good ways to train for more power.
Whether someone is young or old, power production exercises are all conceptually similar. Every year past 30 you will start to lose fast twitch muscle fibers, the way you keep these is by training to be explosive.
Move FAST.
This isn’t complicated, just one dynamic exercise per workout is enough. Any movement that requires rapid acceleration can be used as power movement
All of the following exercises train power.
- box jumps
- broad jumps
- squat jumps
- medicine ball throws of any kind
- medicine ball slams
- battle rope slams
- sprinting
- push press
- hang cleans
- high pulls
- dumbbell snatches
- kettlebell swings
Dihdyroberberine and Blood Glucose
We wrote about some good natural ingredients that can help lower blood glucose in a prior post. One of the well-known and most effective products is berberine which has been compared to a natural metformin. However, berberine has been associated with inconsistent absorption and some digestive stressors and many cannot tolerate it well. Dihdydroberberine (DHB) is a newer version of berberine and has demonstrated improved efficacy in comparison and should prove the better option in the future.
Dihydroberberine vs Berberine: Which is Best?
Why Dihydroberberine is “The Better Berberine”
Look out for DHB being available soon as we look to better experiment with glucose control.
Red light therapy shown to significantly reduce blood sugar spikes, study finds
Speaking of blood glucose, this study demonstrated photobiomodulation (PBM) using 15 min exposure to red light of 670 nm wavelength impacted circulating glucose levels in healthy subjects using an oral glucose tolerance test. There was a 27% decrease in glucose after a challenge meant to represent a meal.
As the authors state light has been known to improve mitochondria and energy production:
It is established that photobiomodulation (PBM) with long wavelength light between ~650 and 900 nm spanning the visible through to the near-infrared range, upregulates mitochondrial production of ATP and also reduces reactive oxygen species [1–5]. This upregulation by PBM is conserved across species and animal kingdoms [6–9].
This amount of light should be easy to get. This begs the question of what regular safe sun and outdoor exposure does to one’s overall health and glucose levels and may explain why people who live in countries with sunny environments may see more health benefits. I’ve long contested that the Mediterranean health research has not taken into account the importance of the sun in discussing its lifestyle benefits.
Hypothyroid and depression
Optimal thyroid function is critical for physical and mental health. Suboptimal thyroid function is an underappreciated cause of depression and something we look to aggressively correct when necessary. This good review discusses the importance and thyroid and mood.
Multiple studies concluded that undiagnosed, untreated, undertreated patients with hypothyroidism are at increased risk of developing depression. Autoimmune thyroiditis is also associated with an increased risk of depression. Elevated thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), antithyroglobulin (TgAb), and thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOAb) levels have all been linked to depression and an increased risk of suicide. Moreover, hypothyroidism is known to be one of the leading causes of treatment-resistant depression. Treating underlying hypothyroidism with thyroid replacement therapy could significantly improve mood disorders such as depression.
This review strengthens the link between hypothyroidism and depression, and it also demonstrates how treating the underlying hypothyroidism in people who have been diagnosed with depression will be very beneficial.
Mast Cell Activation Syndrome: Can MCAS Really Be Triggered by Toxic Mold?
Dr. Jill Carnahan has a good article talking about the role of toxic mold-triggering mast cells a form of histamine intolerance. These are complicated but growing concerns we are routinely seeing in our practice. A variety of symptoms from fatigue and brain fog to rashes, digestive issues, and food sensitivities can be associated with mast cell and toxic mold. The Covid era has unmasked many of these underlying problems and combined with potential mold exposures at home has made getting healthier more challenging for many patients.
Our Nurse Practitioner Beth Sutton has been at the forefront of both MCAS and Toxic Mold and has been a great resource for our patients. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us to learn more about this.
Here is a Fullscript link to two of our favorite products you may want to consider if you have Mast Cell and histamine issues. We are also big fans of:
- HistaQuel by Researched Nutritionals*
- Natural D-Hist by Ortho Molecular Products*
- Buffered C Capsules by Ortho Molecular Products*
(*please call the office if interested in these products, and a purchase link will be shared with you.)
Association of Egg Intake With Alzheimer’s Dementia Risk in Older Adults: The Rush Memory and Aging Project
More research continues to show that egg consumption, specifically the choline in egg yolks, is associated with a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s dementia.
“The research does not prove the mechanism of this effect, but we know that several dietary components of eggs are good for the brain,” Gary Small, MD, professor and chair of psychiatry at Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, told Verywell. He was not involved in the new study. “Choline supports the synthesis and release of neurotransmitters important for storing memories. Omega-3 fats reduce heightened brain inflammation that contributes to neurodegeneration, and lutein reduces age-associated oxidative stress that can cause wear and tear on brain cells.” New Research Suggests Eggs Might Help Prevent Alzheimer’s—As Long As You Eat This Part
Paris Olympics 2024: Food becoming an issue for athletes in Olympic village
Looks like the Olympic athletes in Paris want more eggs and other sources of protein. Changing up eating patterns for highly trained professional athletes has caused a stir with some countries at the Olympics.
The politicization of food and nutrition continues unabated with athletes being left short supply of such essential proteins as eggs and chicken.
Paris Olympic officials attempted to offer more plant-based foods in an effort to reduce the Games’ carbon footprint. While there is a variety of cuisine available to accommodate the tastes of different countries — and an abundance of baguettes in France — vegan meals aren’t in line with what the athletes prefer to eat while competing. One British athlete told the Times that the food situation is chaotic compared to the well-organized facilities in Tokyo.
On Tuesday, The Australian reported “more than 700kg of eggs and a tonne of extra meat” was called in “to replace fake meat meals and non-dairy options.” The food orders were placed “as athletes rail against the Vegan Olympics.”
“Athletes don’t want fake meat,” author and nutrition journalist Nina Teicholz wrote on X. “They know that complete proteins — crucial for sports performance — come from animal foods.”
