by Sean Croxton

“I’m hittin’ switches all day…”

That first line from one of my favorite gangsta rap songs perfectly captures the spirit of today’s blog.

Nutrigenomics is a topic that sparked my interest almost two years ago when I began skeptically investigating Protandim and its claims. Eventually, it led me to such classic books as Deep Nutrition, The Primal Blueprint, Genetic Nutritioneering, and now Forever Young by Dr. Nicholas Perricone.

Nutrigenomics is exactly as it sounds. It is the combination of nutrition and genomics. In other words, it is the study of how nutrients and other substances influence the expression of our genes.

For some, genetics unfortunately hold us hostage. Many of us erroneously assume that our genes are all-powerful, leaving our health at the mercy of our genetic blueprints. For example, my father and his mother both died of pancreatic cancer. Two generations of such a ruthless disease should have me quaking in my Nikes.

But what should I do? Should I just count down the days, months, or years until I get the formal diagnosis?

Hell no.

I hit switches.

Music, please!!

The switches I hit turn my good protective genes ON and my bad genes that cause cancer and other diseases OFF.

You can do it too! And we can all do it through the foods we eat and/or the supplements we take.

The public, media, and medical professionals always tend to lag about twenty years behind the scientific research. One thing that we haven’t quite caught on to is the fact that the benefits of foods go well beyond ORAC values, antioxidant profiles, and macronutrient ratios. Nutrients like catechins, polyphenols, and stilbenes actually affect gene expression.

Today, we’ll focus on what are known as transcription factors. Transcription factors are not really genes. Rather, they are protein messengers in our cells that are activated by different stimuli (i.e. food). When activated, they migrate to the cell’s nucleus, where they attach to receptor sites on the genes and flip the ON switch for specific genetic activities and expressions.

Transcription factors are not always nice guys. NF-kB and AP-1 accelerate the processes of disease and aging. When NF-kB is activated, it skedaddles over to the nucleus and tells the genes to crank up the production of what are called inflammatory cytokines. Not good. This is why NF-kB has been linked to a multitude of diseases, including AIDS, allergy, Alzheimer’s disease, arthritis, and atherosclerosis.

And those are just the A’s. (I stole that from Bill Maher.)

AP-1 (activator protein 1) activation tells your genes to make more collagen-digesting proteins, causing microscars in the deep layer of the skin that give rise to wrinkles.

Anyone want wrinkles?

Better question. Anyone want to hit the switch on NF-kB and the many diseases linked to it?

I didn’t think so. Keep those two turned OFF.

The hero of this story is nuclear factor (erythroid-derived )-like 2. It’s a mouthful!

Fortunately it has a nickname, NRF2.

Just like the bad guys, when activated, NRF2 moves to the nucleus of the cell and attaches to genes. But instead of turning on inflammation, it tells your genes to turn ON the production of more than a dozen protective anti-inflammatory enzymes as well as antioxidant enzymes like glutathione, the chief cellular antioxidant (more on this later in the week).

Now that’s a switch you want to hit! Turning on NRF2 is like hitting the three-wheel motion. (I wonder how many readers know what that means. See pic in the upper right.)

So which foods turn the good guys ON and the bad guys OFF. Well, I’ll be blogging all about the Big Three (tea, turmeric, and cocoa) tomorrow. For now, let’s discuss just how these foods and drinks hit the right switches.

As I mentioned earlier, we tend to focus on ORAC scores and such, but we completely tune out other important substances like Michael acceptor pharmacophores.

Say what!

We’ll just call them MAPs. A pharmacophore is like a key that unlocks a door. In this case, the MAPs on the food molecules mentioned (as well as many others) have a set of structural features that are recognized by a receptor thus hitting the switch on the appropriate transcription factor and sending either the good or bad guys into action.

What is quite interesting is the fact that these beneficial food molecules are actually electron deficient and pro-oxidative! They cause oxidative stress.

If you go back to seventh grade science class, you know that molecules that are deficient in electrons will do whatever they can to steal electrons from another molecule in order to fill its outer shell. This causes damage to molecule being stolen from, including damage to the DNA (may cause cancer), enzymes, and cell membrane. I did a pretty decent job explaining this in my Antioxidant Myth blog from last year.

You would think that these foods would be harmful to your health. However, they are quite sneaky. The mild oxidative stress they cause actually tricks NRF2 into waking up and going to work. NRF2 rushes over to the nucleus, binds to the gene receptor, and turns ON the production of the protective anti-inflammatory and antioxidant enzymes.

At the same time, these foods turn OFF the bad guys.

Trickery at its finest.

Stay tuned! This week is all about how to take the power away from your bad genes and show them who’s boss through the foods you eat and the switches you hit. Why stay 20 years behind the research? Do it NOW.

Tune in tomorrow! We’re gonna set up shop, never close, and get riches. And never stop eating well and hittin’ switches!

If you don’t get it, watch the video.

Westside!!!

Sean
www.undergroundwellness.com

This is Part 3 of my series on aging and oxidative stress. If you missed Part 1 and Part 2, please check them out.

I’ve never been a fan of calorie restriction. Just the thought of it makes me ravenous and irritable. I like to eat! However according to science, my exuberance for forage comes with a hefty price.

Food is my best friend. Aging is my worst enemy. Research shows that we can’t have one without the other. Studies on various animals and fungi have consistently demonstrated the benefits of caloric restriction on the aging process. Thus the conundrum:

Feed my belly and shorten my life? Or live longer and just learn to deal with the hunger pangs? Hmm…

All food must be metabolized. It is the process of metabolism (the conversion of food to energy) that produces pro-aging molecules called free radicals. More food. More metabolism. More free radicals. More aging. Ugh!

As much as I’d like to meet my great-grandchildren, a 1200-calorie diet doesn’t sound so appealing. Sorry, kids.

In fact, I have the double whammy, a love for eating and intense exercise. Yes, exercise is good for us. However it also increases the metabolism, which generates more free radicals! It’s not fair.

Research on endurance athletes shows that they have a higher incidence of free radical diseases such as heart disease, neurological disorders, and cancer. My own clinical experience has confirmed this finding as every single athlete I have worked with has had sky high lipid peroxides, a marker for free radical damage. Of course this doesn’t mean that we should stop exercising. But if you’re a triathlete, marathoner, cyclist, or even a Crossfitter, you should keep an eye on your lipid peroxides. Endurance athletes should also work just as hard topping off their antioxidants as they do their glycogen stores.

Free radical damage goes far beyond diet and exercise. Additional free radical instigators include:

Inflammation: As an appropriate response to infections, injuries, and burns, the body increases its metabolism thus increasing free radical production. Smoldering infections are very common, lingering around outside of conscious awareness and accumulating cellular damage.

Stress: Stress comes in many forms, but mental/emotional stress may result in free radical damage to the brain’s vital neurochemicals (epinephrine, norepinephrine, and dopamine). To make matters worse, stress also breaks down the hippocampus, the area of the brain responsible for memory. The result may be neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Environmental Toxins: Toxins such as aluminum, mercury, lead, and cadmium trigger free radical production in the brain. Pesticides, herbicides, food additives, and recreational drugs also contribute.

Radiation: While the sun is not as evil as it made out to be, excessive sun exposure can deplete the skin’s antioxidant supply. The sun’s rays penetrate the skin, interacting with the skin cells to produce free radicals. Without sufficient antioxidant protection, skin damage and various cancers may result. As a general rule, tan but don’t burn.

X-rays: It is ironic that women over the age of 40 are encouraged to have yearly mammograms as a preventive measure, but each x-ray exposure increases her free radical production and cancer risk! Free radicals from x-rays may damage DNA, creating the conditions for cancer. Though a single exposure is minor in nature, the effect is cumulative. It is important that anyone exposed to radiation supplement with antioxidants to increase their defense against oxidative stress and its associated diseases.

Low Magnesium: Most people are deficient in many nutrients, however a deficiency in magnesium doubles the number of free radicals in the body, making them twice as dangerous. Magnesium works within the cells. Therefore a blood test will not indicate accurate levels. Be sure to request a red blood cell (RBC) magnesium test from your doctor or practitioner.

We’re all doomed! In a world of overeating, inflamed, stressed out, toxin-exposed people who love to play in the sun, request x-rays for minor injuries, and train for marathons while fueled by low magnesium diets, it’s no wonder life expectancy is declining.

Tell my great-grandkids I love them.

((sniffle))

The chips are stacked against me, but I am still committed to aging gracefully. Lab testing is available to track down infections and inflammation. My mental/emotional stress load is up to no one but me. I can reduce my toxic load by using quality natural products, drinking clean water, and consuming whole foods from properly-raised animals and organic fields. I can avoid excess sun and radiation exposure. And I can keep my magnesium levels up by consuming nuts, leafy greens, and tolerable grains.

But I refuse to starve myself! Those lab rats may have lived longer on less food, but I’m sure they were miserable.

This is war. When free radicals attack, we have to fight back. In addition to lifestyle modifications, maximizing our antioxidant defenses is the most powerful weapon in the ongoing battle against oxidative stress. But is it as easy as supplementing with vitamins, eating our fruits and vegetables, and drinking our gogi berry juice? Not a chance.

Tune in next time.

Sean Croxton
Owner, Underground Wellness
sean@undergroundwellness.com
www.undergroundwellness.com

This is Part 2 of my series on aging and oxidative stress. Please read my previous post, Oxygen is Killing Us.

I don’t want to get old. Really, I’m just not interested.

Yeah, you can lecture me on the wisdom we acquire as we age. I couldn’t agree more. I’m totally down with that. But that’s not what I’m talking about. The aging I’m referring to is the kind that shuffles down the street, drives 50 mph in the fast lane, and knows when a storm is coming by how his joints feel. Nope. You can count me out of that one.

And no, I’m not in denial. I’ve been known to pluck a gray hair or two. I know my hairline isn’t what it used to be. Yet if it were possible to slow down the aging process and avert the litany of degenerative diseases that come along with it, who wouldn’t be intrigued by that prospect?

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