Daily Perricone

Antioxidants are critical in anti-aging medicine because they act as natural anti-inflammatories, giving us protection against the free radical-initiated inflammation that causes cellular damage.  When this damage occurs internally to our vital organs such as the brain, it results in problems like Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s, and dementia.  It can also damage the lungs, resulting in decreased respiratory function, as well as the heart and the kidneys.

And it is not just our internal organs that suffer. Free radical damage and inflammation is apparent in our appearance with each passing year.  It manifests in very visible damage to skin, resulting in the thinning of the skin, deep lines, wrinkles, sagging and loss of tone, texture and radiance. Negative changes in our muscle mass, known as sarcopenia, along with the loss of critical bone mass (osteopenia and osteoporosis) also occur. Each and every one of these changes, whether external or internal, is the initial result of damage on a molecular and cellular level.

The old adage, use it or lose it, certainly comes into play when discussing the gain and loss of muscle. We must incorporate weight bearing exercises on a daily basis to both build and maintain healthy muscle tissue. This means walking as much as possible and yoga, Pilates or working out with light weights to keep the upper body toned and well-muscled.

As a nation of chronic dieters, I have also wondered if I could use sarcopenia as a model to measure and compare the muscle mass loss seen in those who diet. The answer was a solid yes. I was fascinated to find that patients who suffered from sarcopenia had higher circulating levels of inflammatory markers than those who experienced less muscle mass loss, while other parameters had insignificant differences. These other parameters, such as levels of growth hormones and sex hormones, were fairly close to the same level in both groups. In other words, those subjects with the greatest loss of muscle mass were in an inflammatory state. These inflammatory markers, such as C-reactive protein and cytokines such as  interleukin-6, are elevated in those people who suffer the most muscle mass loss or severe sarcopenia.

RECHARGING THE MITOCHONDRIAL BATTERIES

Now that we understand some of the reasons that cause our cells to age, we can concentrate on what we need to (a) protect them from inflammatory damage, and (b) recharge the mitochondrial “batteries” to keep them up and running with energy to spare.  There are two ways to do this – through diet and through nutritional supplements.  We’ll begin with diet.

The foods we eat are of critical importance because they either create or prevent the free radicals and inflammation implicated in aging and disease, meaning our diet can be either pro-inflammatory or anti-inflammatory.  It is very exciting that scientific breakthroughs and discoveries now allow us to actually rejuvenate and revitalize our bodies on a cellular level – but if our diet is pro-inflammatory we will undermine the effects of even the most powerful remedies.  So the first step in cellular rejuvenation is to establish a firm base, beginning with the foods we eat, thus ensuring the success of mitochondrial and other cellular rejuvenators.

Keeping our bodies youthful, supple and strong, free of unwanted body fat and loss of muscle and bone can start with your very next meal.  Bon Appetit!

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