My Molecular Health
The Why Behind 'Eat Fruit & Vegetables
Anthocyanidins in Apples and Their Regulation for Health Benefits
The old adage 'An apple a day keeps the doctor away' is now proven to be good advice by modern, molecular level science. Apples are rich in Flavonoid anthocyanins, especially in the peel. From a nutritional point of view regular consumption of apples with the peel is recommended to enhance the dietary intake of antioxidant compounds. For even more fiber eat everything but the stem! Read the research paper!
PLUS there is EVEN more! By eating the whole apple, except the stem, you gain additional microbial benefits. An apple contains around 100 million bacteria, and much of it is located in the fruit's core, particularly the seeds. Only 10 million bacterial cells live in the flesh.Read this article published in Phys.org on 12/22/2022!
Should I Weigh Myself Every Day?
The answer to that is a simple YES. And there is science to back it up! Many of us don't like weighing ourselves because we don't like seeing the number on the scale, we don't like seeing that number increase and usually it's disappointing to put in the work just to see disappointing results.
One research study published in May 2015 explains the importance of weighting ourselves everyday, and at the same time each day.
Sustainable Fish Farming
This article from the USDA describes Scientists at the Conservation Fund's Freshwater Institute in West Virginia that are researching ways to make fish farming more eco-friendly. They use a system called recirculating aquaculture that reuses the water in the production cycle, which can reduce water use. They are also looking for ways to stop fish from maturing early, improve the taste of the fish, and reduce the amount of feed needed to grow the fish. Their current focus is with Atlantic Salmon and Rainbow trout.
The Science Behind 'Eat Fruits & Vegetables'
Almost every nutrition article advises 'to eat more fruits & vegetables', plus 'varied & darker colors are better'. These foods contain fiber, vitamins and minerals along with anitoxidants. While we're familiar with these terms, during the last 12-18 months you may have heard more about Flavonoids. As a molecule, bio-science is very focused on this particular subclass of Polyphenols. Flavonoids are the healers in the plant world rushing to wherever there is stress or damage.
Retrain Your Tongue, Take Back Your Brain
Achieving Permanent Sugar Harm Reduction and a Sugar Free or Sugar Reduced Lifestyle
It seems so simple. Go to your doctor, finish the exam and if overweight or you have an elevated blood sugar, cholesterol or one of many other indicators are off, you are told, 'Eat less sugar. Eat more vegetables and fruit'.
Almost every article on weight loss and dieting recommends the same thing. Simply change the foods you are eating (and loving) to foods you may not eat regularly, or don't set well with your taste buds. 'Just Say No'.Or, switch to foods without sugar and artificial sweeteners; eat complex carbs instead of white rice and pasta. Eat less meat, more fresh veggies and eliminate processed foods. Just simply eliminate the chips you've been chomping on for years. Or the small bowl of ice cream you enjoy a couple nights a week. Simple, right?
The formula for weight loss and improving your molecular and metabolic health is simple. Eliminate sugar and you will lose weight.and your gut health will improve. We are now pounded with articles on this on a daily basis. Some have caught on to 'harm reduction' versus 'elimination' which is much more doable.
This diagram of the tongue, and its defined areas for specific tastes such as sweet at the tip of the tongue and bitter in the back, is now widely discredited as science has found the different taste buds are well spread out over the entire tongue. But visually this diagram serves a purpose of showing the different tastes. It's the sweet and salty that give us the most trouble with sweet being addictive. It's retraining our tongue to like 'non-sweet' and allow our brain the opportunity to mindfully be able to pass up the M&M's, or ice cream. Unless it's a special occasion. But we just have to learn that 'Bitter Is the new Sweet'.
Learn more about drinking homemade Fermented Ginger Juice, Green Tea and Clove juice to give your brain some dopamine and seratonin nourishment throughout the day, and to retrain your tongue to welcome 'non-sweet'
When I started my climb up the mountain of ‘no sugar’ I wasn't sure I'd be successful. You see, I've tried many times to reduce my sugar consumption, but it never lasted long. Too many candy bars in the check-out lane.
Yet now, except for special occasions I no longer eat ice cream, candy bars, cookies, cakes, or crackers. I lost 20 pounds in the first 11 months I’d been working on dramatically reducing my sugar and ‘quick release’ carbs like pasta and white rice consumption. Without exercise. I couldn’t have imagined this in early January 2021when I started.
Our tongue is the gateway to our digestive system and overall health. And as it turns out, also to our brain. Our tongue starts the digestion process as soon as food is recognized. Signals go to the brain to tell it whether it is sweet, sour, bitter, salty or ‘an undefined mixture’ (umami). Once the signal hits our brain, our brain tells us whether we like it or not. And with some foods, such as sugar, liking it to the point of actual addiction.
Much of our addiction to sugar is due to added sugars. Sugar hits the same pleasure centers of our brain that drugs like meth, cocaine and heroin do, and gives a huge dopamine surge. Just like the drugs surge our dopamine level. The tongue illustration above is actually an outdated concept, but often is still used. Current science has shown that the taste buds for the five different tastes actually reside all across the tongue and are not localized in specific areas. So sweet is at the tip of the tongue, and all over the tongue and sends the initial signal to our brain (which literally lives and survives on sugar) that ‘You’ve mined more sugar!!’.
And because sugar is the fuel for our brains, it’s rabid desire for gathering sugar is also probably a ‘species self-survival tactic’. After all, if our brain runs out of fuel, we are dead. Processed food manufacturers know the science behind sugar’s God like power over our wills, which is why 75% of the items in a grocery store have added sugar.
Some of us are more sensitive to taste in different areas of our tongue than others. Like anything, we will generally eat only things that we like the taste of. Unfortunately, for our entire lives, including as an embryo, our tongue and brain have been trained to love sugar by the food and sugar industry. And by parents like myself. And my parents.
The Biggest Benefits of Quercetin, According to Dietitians
Although it’s not well-studied, quercetin may also help prevent allergies and reduce inflammation. Quercetin is a nutrient that offers a number of health benefits, such as reducing risk for heart disease, high cholesterol, and prostate cancer. Quercetin is a type of flavonoid, or plant pigment, found in antioxidant-rich foods like fruits and vegetables, as well as beverages like wine and tea. Eating a variety of produce provides fiber, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and flavonoids, like quercetin. Quercetin has been linked to several health benefits, including reducing risk for heart disease, lowering cholesterol levels, improving blood sugar levels, promoting prostate health, protecting against cancer, and boosting cognitive function.
What Are the Benefits of Quercetin? Quercetin has been linked to several health benefits, thanks to its antioxidant properties. These include: Reducing your risk for heart disease Lowering your cholesterol levels Improving your blood sugar levels Promoting prostate health Protecting against cancer Boosting cognitive function
Cinnamic Acid
The main takeaway from this review is that cinnamon has many health benefits, including protecting against cardiovascular diseases. It is also known to help with diabetes and other metabolic disorders, and has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Cinnamon contains several compounds, such as cinnamaldehyde and cinnamic acid, which can have protective effects on the cardiovascular system. Further research is needed before it can be used as a biopharmaceutical agent. Read the full research paper here
Cells routinely self-cannibalize to take out their trash, aiding in survival and disease prevention
This article by Åsa Gustafsson, University of California, San Diego and Justin Quiles, University of California, San Diego highlights the importance of autophagy, a form of self-consumption cells use to eliminate and recycle abnormal or excess components, including proteins and organelles. Autophagy is essential for cellular health and longevity and is linked to several human diseases, including neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Researchers are evaluating the anticancer effects of two malaria drugs, chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, that block the final steps of autophagy. The article also discusses the team's research examining two key regulators of this process and identifying a unique role one of them plays in degrading mitochondria that may serve as a potential target to treat certain diseases. It is concluded that more work needs to be done to identify all of the specific proteins that regulate each step of the autophagy pathway and how cells finetune this process in both health and disease. Read the article
Role of Prenatal Nutrition in the Development
of Insulin Resistance in Children
During the last few years, many observational studies and clinical trials on animals have been conducted which demonstrate the correlation between nutrition during various ages and the onset of glucose metabolism alterations. Therefore, the crucial importance of maternal nutrition during pregnancy and its effects on the metabolic programming of the fetus is now widely accepted. Particularly, an unbalanced maternal diet is known to correlate with both inadequate intrauterine growth and a higher risk of IR onset during postnatal life and, consequently, an increased risk of developing T2D and metabolic syndrome. In order to obtain a healthy and balanced maternal diet, an adequate supply of both macronutrients and micronutrients must be guaranteed. Particularly, it has been shown that a diet rich in foods containing low glycemic index carbohydrates, low saturated fat and an adequate protein content is
correlated with better metabolic outcomes in the fetus.
What are Micro RNAs & Their Impact on Type II Diabetes?
A Large-scale genetic analysis shows microRNAs in human pancreas is associated with diabetes.
AT THE CELLULAR LEVEL
In a new large-scale genetic analysis, scientists have found a set of small RNA molecules, called microRNAs, in human pancreatic cells that are strongly associated with type 2 diabetes. Researchers discovered the microRNAs in groups of cells called pancreatic islets, which produce hormones, such as insulin, that the body uses to regulate energy levels.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. They are involved in a variety of biological processes, including development, cell differentiation, and apoptosis. MiRNAs bind to the 3' untranslated region (3' UTR) of target mRNAs, resulting in either mRNA degradation or translational repression.
Q:How do they relate with Type II diabetes? A: MicroRNAs have been implicated in the development of type II diabetes. Studies have shown that miRNAs can regulate the expression of genes involved in glucose metabolism, insulin secretion, and insulin sensitivity. For example, miR-375 has been shown to regulate the expression of the gene encoding glucokinase, an enzyme involved in glucose metabolism. Additionally, miR-29a has been shown to regulate the expression of the gene encoding insulin receptor substrate-1, which is involved in insulin signaling.
