Fisetin Promotes Health and Longer Lifespan

fruits

Fisetin is a natural compound found in a variety of fruits and vegetables, that has been shown to slow aging and increase lifespan. It also improves memory and brain function, protects against stress, shows anti cancer properties, and improves mood.

Fisetin works by helping to reduce the burden of damaged senescent cells which has been shown to extend lifespan and improve overall health. Scientists who have been studying fisetin believe its benefits perform as well as other antioxidants in making cells more efficient.

Research has discovered that fisetin is a very powerful senolytic which are small molecules that can selectively induce aptosis in senescent cells. Senescent cells are cells that no longer divide as we get older. When cells no longer divide they will become useless and begin accumulating in the body. Some of those malfunction and begin to emit free radicals and cytokines which gradually impairs cellular function and increases aging.

In the laboratory, scientists studied the positive effects of fisetin by studying aging mice. Some were fed their normal diet and others were fed a diet of fisetin rich foods. The mice that ate the fisetin rich foods lived about 10% longer and their bodies performed better even at a very old age.

Fisetin also helps our bodies make more glutathione which is the most powerful anti-oxidant agent in the body. Less oxidation means our cells can make more energy and help us feel better, look better, and improve health.

Fisetin is also one of many polyphenols which are antioxidants that have some unique health benefits. It is thought that polyphenols which are micronutrients found in a variety of plant based foods, can help treat and improve digestive issues, help with weight management difficulties, and help improve overall health.

Clinical trials are currently being conducted to evaluate short term benefits of intermittent treatment with fisetin to see what effect it might have on certain aspects associated with aging such as frailty. This trial is also looking for more information in regards to dosing for future use of fisetin.

Another current clinical trial involves 40 women who are between 70 and 90, are postmenopausal and are all affected by disturbances in their gait. This trial began in 2018 and will conclude in 2020. The goal is to evaluate markers and frailty in addition to looking at insulin resistance and bone resorption.

½ of the women are being given an oral dose of fisetin each day for two days in a row for a period of two months. The other ½ of women are receiving a placebo following the same schedule. With positive results, this study could lead to further development of larger clinical trials with a goal of analyzing effects of fisetin intervention on dysfunctions related to the aging process.

The foods that contain fisetin are favorites…apples, strawberries, grapes, persimmons, onions and cucumbers are some of the most popular. Strawberries have the highest levels of fisetin. Since fisetin is one of a variety of polyphenols, it is also beneficial to include other sources of this compound in your diet. Green tea, coffee, blueberries, dark chocolate and a variety of spices including cloves, star anise, and Mexican oregano are all rich sources of polyphenols. Fisetin is also found in our nutraceutical supplement Senex which contains the best natural senolytic compounds known at this time.

To view the original scientific study click below

Fisetin is a senotherapeutic that extends health and lifespan

Morning Exercise Boosts Cognitive Performance

A new study of older Australians has shown how simple, easily doable changes to a person’s daily routine is key to good health of the brain, particularly cognitive performance. The study referred to as the Brains Breaks’ study, shows that not all aspects of cognition will respond in the identical manner to a given dose of exercise. It is possible to manipulate patterns of activity throughout a day to optimize specific cognitive outcomes.

The study revealed that working out in the morning with moderate intensity exercise can improve cognitive performance as compared to periods of sitting without exercise. A morning workout along with brief periods of walking to disrupt sitting during an 8 hour day can boost short term memory compared to uninterrupted sitting.

The study included more than 65 females and males aged 55 to 80. The research team examined the effects of acute exercise in the morning on a treadmill with and then without brief 3 minute breaks of walking during an 8 hour day of prolonged sitting. They assessed aspects of concentration and cognition including attention, psychomotor, executive function such as decision making, working memory, and visual learning.

The results of the study demonstrated that a brain derived neurotropic growth factor protein was elevated for 8 hours during both of the exercise conditions relative to prolonged sitting. This protein is central to mediating benefits of exercise on memory and learning.

The study shows that uninterrupted sitting should be avoided in order to maintain optimal cognition throughout the day. It is also shows that moderate intensity exercise such as a brisk walk should also occur for daily maintenance of health of the brain.

These types of studies are critical to the aging population which is being looked at for routines and daily functions that could lead to living healthier, longer lives. Just simple changes to a person’s daily routine can have significant benefits to cognitive health. The study also shows that there may come a day when we are able to do very specific types of exercises to enhance specific cognitive skills such as learning and memory.

To view the original scientific study click below.

Distinct effects of acute exercise and breaks in sitting on working memory and executive function in older adults: a three-arm, randomised cross-over trial to evaluate the effects of exercise with and without breaks in sitting on cognition

Transformation of Stem Cells

A group of researchers from Penn Engineering have discovered through novel imaging techniques that stem cells can actually control their transformation into other kinds of cells. This means that cells may have more control over their fate contrary to previous thought.

Previously it was believed that transformation into other cells was mostly outside the cell’s control. The researchers studied how stem cells interact with their environment by using hydrogels or engineered materials which mimic body tissue composition.

The researchers designed a new imaging technique to visualize proteins that cells produce in their micro environment. They also developed two unique hydrogels with varied biophysical properties into which cells were embedded and used along with their labeling technique.

The team discovered that once cells were placed in hydrogels, they began to create proteins which changed the surrounding environment and influenced the behavior of the cells. They basically determined their own function through shaping their environment through the proteins.

To look further at the importance of the proteins on the behavior of the cells, the team blocked the ability of the cells to interact with proteins they produced and the ability to break down the proteins. When they prevented these proteins from interacting with the cells, the development process of the cells and the subsequent fate changed.

The findings that the secreted proteins meaningfully impact the behavior of the cells, calls for reevaluation of how hydrogels are used in the field. The biophysical properties of the hydrogels are often implicated in the behavior of cells. The work suggests that proteins which are secreted by the cells within hours after embedding in a hydrogel might supplement and possibly cancel out effects of the inherent properties of hydrogels which scientists are intending to study.

The research has important applications for the engineering of tissue, drug screening and more. The findings that proteins are released into a hydrogel environment is knowledge for trying to study hydrogel effects alone, which the additions of proteins would complicate. A new technique of labeling developed by the researchers might lead to a better understanding of how cell function is affected by proteins.

The team also conduct research on biomaterials which can be used to regenerate body tissues. They spearheaded a project in 2011 to regrow cartilage tissue.

Additionally, strides in cell research have been made by discovering the important tole sugars play in inter cell communication by using a technique known as atomic force spectroscopy.

Understanding cells and cellular environment not just as individual entities, but also as an interwoven system is critical to progress in biological fields.

Organic Produce Shown to be Healthier

A large scale observational study from Inserm, a French organization similar to the U.S. NIH, has found that people who consumed the most organic produce had a 25% lower risk of developing any type of cancer. While it might make sense to think all produce as equally nutritious, the growing scientific research evidence shows there is a distinct advantage to consuming organics.

The study involved 68,946 participants who consistently consumed the most organic produce during the 4 year study. While factors such as smoking, obesity and lack of exercise all play a role in whether a person will develop cancer, the findings were significant enough to lead to further studies and also justify the higher cost of switching to organic produce.

The difference in cancer rates between the consumption of organic produce and conventionally grown produce is due to the use of pesticides which are sprayed on the conventionally grown produce. The research team also show that the study provides more evidence to suggest pesticides in foods can be harmful.

They found low levels of the synthetic pesticides including some which are linked to cancer and other serious health problems in the conventionally grown produce. By choosing organics we are making a better health choice, but also making a better choice for the environment.

The pesticides most commonly linked to cancers are all pervasive in our environment. They include Organophosphates malathion, diazinon and glyphosate which is the active ingredient in Monsanto’s toxic Roundup product. The company is currently in court to determine its possible role in the development of cancer in a long line of people.

The study participants completed questionnaires in regards to their consumption of 16 different foods including vegetables, fruits, fish, eggs, meat, grains, dairy and soy based foods. Cancer was diagnosed in 1,340 of the participants between 2009 and 2016. The most common cancers were breast cancer and prostate cancer. The participants who made healthy lifestyle choices and consumed the most organic foods, were found to be 25% less likely to develop cancer.

Of course the best cure is always prevention by making healthy lifestyle choices. Getting enough sleep, exercising, drinking clean water, managing stress, avoiding smoking and alcohol, maintaining a healthy weight and switching to organics as confirmed by the study, can all help lower the risks of developing cancer.

To view the original scientific study click below.

Association of Frequency of Organic Food Consumption With Cancer Risk

Injectable Tissues Close to Reality

A new study has brought simple injections that can assist in regrowing damaged tissue a step closer to reality. The researchers at UBC Okanagan have created a device that makes encapsulating cells not only faster, but also more effective and cheaper.

While it is not a new idea of injecting different kinds of tissue cells, it is an enticing concept that introducing cells into damaged tissue can supercharge the body’s own ability to repair and regrow an injury. Everything from torn ligaments to broken bones could potentially benefit from this approach. It is even suggested that whole organs could be repaired as the new technology improves.

The challenge is that cells on their own are very delicate and are likely not to survive when injected directly into a person’s body. What the team discovered is that to ensure the survival of the cells, they must be encased in a coating that will protect them from physical damage and also from the body’s immune system.

Previously it has been very difficult to perform that kind of cell encapsulation which until the current study was very time consuming, costly and involved a wasteful process. The team solved the problem by developing an automated encapsulation device which encases many cells in a microgel by using a specialized blue laser and then purifies them to produce a usable and clean sample in just a few minutes.

The advantage of this system shows that over 95% of the cells survive and the process can very easily be scaled up. Earlier research hampered the efforts due to cost and the lack of availability of mass produced cell encapsulated microgels. The team solved that challenge and their system could provide even tens of thousands of cell encapsulated microgels very rapidly, supercharging this field of bioengineering.

In addition to a system that is quick and efficient, the team also shows the equipment is made up of inexpensive and readily available components. They say that any lab that conducts this type of work could set up a similar system anywhere from just a few hundred to a few thousand dollars.

The research team is looking at the next step which will be to embed different kinds of stem cells which haven’t been differentiated into specific types of tissues into the microgels alongside hormones or proteins called growth factors. This idea would be to assist the stem cells in transforming into appropriate tissue types once they have been injected.

To view the original scientific study click below.

An integrated microfluidic flow-focusing platform for on-chip fabrication and filtration of cell-laden microgels.

Discovery of a New Source of Neurons

It has been the belief that mammals are born with an entire supply of neurons which have to last for a lifetime. New research has discovered a particular type of stem cell that makes neurons, which are the source of new cells in the brain’s hippocampus.

Neuroscientists have found at least two different regions of the brain that grow new neurons. They are the center for our sense of smell and the seat of learning and memory, the hippocampus.

The study conducted by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, have discovered in mice a type of stem cell that is the source of this recently discovered supply of new cells in the hippocampus. The findings could help neuroscientists discover how to better maintain youthful conditions for memory and learning, and also regenerate and repair of parts of the brain following injury and with aging.

They have shown for the first time in mammals that neurons in the part of the hippocampus called the dentate gyrus, grow and then develop from a single population of stem cells over a lifetime. These new immature neurons are much more flexible in making the connections in the hippocampus compared to more mature neurons. This is vitally important for healthy memory, learning and adjusting mood.

The team has shown that the neural stem cells they have found have a common molecular signature across the lifetime of the mice. They were able to do this by labeling neural stem cells in embryos while the brain was developing and then following these cells from birth to adulthood.

This approach revealed that these new neural stem cells with their precursor’s label were constantly creating new neurons throughout the animal’s lifespan. The process is unique to the brain. Within the hippocampus these cells never cease replicating and contributing to the brain’s flexibility in mammals.

This capacity is known as plasticity which is the ability of the brain to form new connections throughout a lifetime to compensate for disease and injury and to adjust in response to new input from the environment. The team compares this process of new neuron growth within the hippocampus to adding new units to the circuitry of the brain’s motherboard.

The research team’s next steps will be to look at the same neural stem cells in other types of mammals and most importantly in humans. They plan to start the search in post mortem brain tissue to investigate how the neural stem cells population are regulated.

To view the original scientific study click below.

A Common Origin of Stem Cells Drives Developmental and Adult Neurogenesis

Longer Life from Lifting Weights

A new study has a great new message…you can help prolong your life by increasing the power of your muscles. The study has shown for the first time that people tend to live longer lives when they have more muscle power.

Power is reliant on the ability to generate velocity and force and coordinate our movement. It is the measure of work performed per unit of time (force times distance). Greater power is produced when the identical amount of work is finished in a shorter period of time or when more work is done during the same time.

Stair climbing requires power and the faster a person climbs the more power is required. Pushing or holding a heavy object needs strength.

Power training is done by finding the ideal combination of weight being moved or lifted and speed. When at the gym most people think about strength training such as weight being lifted and repetitions of the weight lifting without paying any attention to the speed. However, for optimal power training, we need to go beyond the typical strength training by adding speed to the weight lifting.

Our muscle power begins decreasing after about 40. It is known that power is strongly associated to all cause mortality. The good news is that we only need to be above the median for our sex for the best survival with no additional benefit from becoming even more powerful.

The study conducted by the European Society of Cardiology enrolled 3,878 non athletic people aged 41 to 85. The participants underwent a maximal muscle power test using upright rowing exercises between 2001 and 2016. The average age was 59 with 5% of participants over 80 and 68% of these were men.

The highest value that was achieved after two to three attempts with increasing loads was considered as the maximal muscle power and expressed relative to body weight. The values were then divided into quartiles for survival analysis and were analyzed separately by sex.

During the median 6.5 year follow up, 247 men and 75 women had died. Median power value was 2.5 watts kg for the men and 1.4 watts kg for the women. The participants with the maximal muscle power above the median for their sex had the greatest survival (quartiles three and four). Those participants in two and one quartiles respectively had 4 to 5 and 10 to 13 times higher risk of dying compared to those above the median.

This is the first time prognostic value of muscle power had been assessed. Prior research focused on muscle strength by using the hand grip exercise. The upright row exercise was used for the current study because it is a common action as part of daily life such as picking up groceries and grandchildren.

The best way to train to increase muscle power is through multiple exercises for the lower and upper body. A weight should be chosen with the load to achieve maximal power which is not too easy to lift and not too heavy that it can barely be lifted. One to three sets of six to eight repetitions is ideal. The weight should be moved as fast as possible while contracting muscles. A 20 second rest should occur between the sets which will sufficiently replenish energy stores in muscles. The above should be repeated for all exercises for the lower and upper body.

The best way to progress is to begin with six repetitions then increase to eight when they become easy. Once that becomes easy, the weight should be increased and go back to six repetitions and increase to eight once again.

Repairing Muscles with Stem Cells

A new study has given insights into muscle boosting therapies for age related muscle decline and muscular dystrophies. The study conducted by scientists from Sanford Burnham Prebys, have discovered a molecular signaling pathway involving proteins that regulate how muscle stem cells decide whether to differentiate or renew.

Stem cells in the muscles can burn out while trying to regenerate tissue while natural aging processes occur or due to a variety of chronic diseases of the muscles. The team believes they have found possible drug targets that will direct stem cells in the muscles to make the right decision that will lead to muscle repair. This can potentially help regeneration of muscle tissue and help in the maintenance of muscle function due to distrophy of muscles and the aging process.

As part of the natural aging process muscle wasting occurs. This is called Sarcopenia. Sarcopenia affects almost 10% of adults over 50 and nearly ½ of these individuals are in their 80s. This condition can lead to loss of independence and contributes to accidents involving falls which is a leading cause of accidental death in those 65 and older.

Muscle wasting also can occur due to genetic diseases of the muscles. There are more than 30 genetic diseases characterized by progressive muscle degeneration and weakness.

Stem cells of the muscle choose between two different fates over a person’s life. They either self renew to replenish the population of stem cells, or they become adult muscle cells. Mounting evidence has shown that mitochondrial respiration or cellular breathing, is a key switch that will drive stem cells of the muscle to differentiate which is an energy intensive process instead of self renewing.

For the current study, the team used mouse models to demonstrate that protein Stat3 promotes mitochondrial respiration. Stat3 regulates many of the cellular processes. This led the team to comb through genes which are expressed during muscle growth to locate additional proteins which are regulated by Stat3 which might serve as more specific targets.

Their efforts led to the protein Fam3a. They conducted further work which included generating a mouse model and cell lines that lacked the Fam3a protein and demonstrated that this protein is required for differentiation and muscle growth. They also showed that Fam3a is secreted by muscle cells while muscle repair occurs. Treatment with the protein restored mitochondrial respiration and stem cell differentiation in stem cells of the muscle which lacked Stat3. This demonstrated the integral role Fam3a plays in determining the fate of muscle stem cells.

Due to the aging of the baby boomer generation with people over the age of 60, it is important to help extend health span as well as life span. The ability to maintain and boost muscle tissue function can assist more people in living an independent and active life. The results of the study can help scientists find applications for muscle wasting diseases and challenges associated with the aging process.

The hope is their findings could also apply to stem cells that differentiate in efforts to create other tissues to treat other degenerative diseases of tissues. They are currently conducting preclinical studies to validate the protein Fam3a as a therapeutic target.

To view the original scientific study click below.

The Stat3-Fam3a axis promotes muscle stem cell myogenic lineage progression by inducing mitochondrial respiration. Nature Communications

Young At Any Age

There is much we can do to slow down and even reserve the body’s trend to decline. A new long term study examined how changes in physical activity in post middle age affects mortality rates.

The study included 2,205 men who were surveyed from 1970 to 1973 at the age of 50. Each participant was categorized into groups that were based on their level of physical activity. The four groups were physical activity that was high, medium, low or sedentary. A follow up was conducted when the participants turned 60, 70, 72 and 82.

The results from the study were positive. As was expected, exercising more translated into lower mortality rates in each of the four groups. The participants who increased their activity levels between ages 50 to 60 were found to have the same mortality rate as those who had always maintained high levels of exercise.

The results were so pronounced, the mortality reductions were compared to people who stopped smoking. However, it is noted that low level exercisers needed to maintain regular physical activity for a minimum of 5 years to catch up. These findings confirm that we have the ability to reverse some damage that has been created in earlier years so as to become healthy as those who have maintained healthy lifestyle choices for a great portion of their lives.

The University of Pittsburgh team that conducted the study have quite possibly answered questions to the possibility of frailty not be inevitable as we age. Their have been recent studies showing that after reaching 40 we will typically lose 8% and more of our muscle mass with each decade. This accelerates after 70. These losses translate into less mobility, independence, strength and have been linked to early mortality.

Exercise on a regular basis may rewrite the future of our muscles. Little evidence for deterioration in older athletes musculature was found. The 70 to 80 year old athletes had just about as much thigh muscle as did the athletes in their 40s. They also showed minor if any fat infiltration.

These older athletes remained strong, although there did occur a drop off in leg muscle strength at around the age of 60. They might not have been quite as strong as those in their 50s, however the difference was small and very little additional decline followed.

The athletes aged 70 to 80 were found to be just about as strong as those in their 60s. This means that we do not have to lose muscle function and mass as we age. Changes that have been assumed to be due to the aging process and unstoppable, are actually related to sedentary and inactive lifestyles. This can be changed and intervened upon.

Those participants who had been sedentary but chose to become fit were able to cut their risk of heart attack by 75% to 80% over a 5 year period. According to the Harvard Alumni Health Study, vigorous activity can significantly lower the risk of coronary heart disease.

There is currently an increasing trend of people 60+ being on their way to being in better shape than the average 35 year old. If a person is exercising now, it doesn’t really matter if they are 25 or 85, they can double their strength in about 3 months and possibly double it again in an additional 3 months. Muscle growth in these older participants was found to be statistically equal to those of younger years doing the same degree of training. Strength and flexibility is not limited to the young. Percentage of body fat and aerobic capacity was found to be more related to training than age.

Additionally, exercise is known to be great for attitude, sex drive and appearance. It helps maintain hormone levels which decline with age. Exercise also increases lymph flow and metabolism as well as helping to increase DHEA while also reducing cortisol, the stress hormone.

Exercise can be aerobic cardio training or anaerobic weight/strength training. Resistance training and weight training can help wake up neural connections. Not only will this lead to improved strength and agility, but will also lead to better coordination.

It is important to note than anyone new to an exercise routine should consider consulting a personal trainer. These trained professionals can help design a program, keep their students motivated and on track, and also insure they are moving correctly to avoid injury.

The body was designed to move. Our bodies signal our cells to grow when we exercise. This creates a ripple effect and spreads growth processes to every cell in our body to help us function in a younger manner. On the other hand, sedentary muscles trickle chemicals which will signal cells to wither away. We can choose to be lazy and decay or choose to be active to help maintain a powerful body as we age. Based on the study, it is never too late to improve!

To view the original scientific study click below.

Total mortality after changes in leisure time physical activity in 50 year old men 35 Year follow-up of population based cohort

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Lower your Stress Hormone Levels with Nature

Taking a stroll or sitting in a place near nature can have some very positive benefits. The findings from a recent study have established for the first time that communing with nature will significantly lower stress hormone levels.

“Nature pills” which is what the discovery is calling the natural stress relieving remedy of being in nature, has real measurable effect. An experiment was designed that would give the researchers a realistic estimate of an effective dose for relieving stress hormone levels.

Participants were asked to engage in a 10 minute or more nature pill three times a week for a period of 8 weeks. Levels of cortisol which is a stress hormone, were measured using saliva samples which were take before and after a nature pill once every two weeks.

The participants were able to choose the time of day, the duration and the place of their nature experience. The chosen place was defined as any place outside that in the participant’s opinion made them feel like they have interacted with nature.

There were just a few constraints put in place to minimize factors which are known to influence stress. They included taking the nature pill during daylight, no aerobic exercise, and to avoid internet, phone calls, social media, reading and conversations.

By building personal flexibility in their experiment, the research team was able to identify the optimal duration of a participant’s nature pill – no matter where or when the nature pill was taken and under normal circumstances of modern life which can be hectic and unpredictable.

Furthermore, to make allowances for participant’s busy lifestyles and also provide meaningful results, the design was also novel in other aspects. Day to day differences in participant’s stress status were accommodated day to day.

The team did this by collecting four snapshots of cortisol change due to a nature pill. That also allowed them to identify and account for any impact of the ongoing, natural drop in cortisol levels as a day goes on. This resulted in a more reliable estimate of the effective duration.

The results of the data revealed that just a mere twenty minutes of a nature experience was sufficient to significantly reduce levels of cortisol. The results also showed that spending even a little more time immersed in the nature experience, 20 to 30 minutes walking or sitting, caused levels of cortisol dropped at their greatest rate.

The experiment gives healthcare practitioners great results as an evidence based rule of thumb on what to include in a nature pill prescription. The studies results provide the first estimates of how experiences in nature impact our stress levels in the context of a normal day.

The experiment’s approach might be used as a tool for further study in this area. Further studies could assess how gender, age, physical ability, seasonality and culture influence the effectiveness of nature experiences in regards to well being. These additional studies could help healthcare practitioners develop customized nature pill prescriptions as well as deeper insights into city designs and well being programs for the public.

To view the original scientific study click below.

Urban Nature Experiences Reduce Stress in the Context of Daily Life Based on Salivary Biomarkers

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