Daily Perricone

You are browsing the archives of Dr Perricone.

Dr. Perricone’s 3-tiered philosophy for healthy aging and beautiful skin is the foundation of his holistic approach. This program consists of an anti-inflammatory diet, supplements and topicals. Each tier counteracts inflammation at the cellular level. We invite you to listen as Dr. Perricone explains this innovative philosophy and offers solutions to that will change how [...]

Be sure to catch Dr. Perricone’s live appearance on QVC Saturday, April 4th at 4:30 PM EST where he’ll make a special announcement! Check your local listings and tune in!

Dr. Perricone will be appearing live on  Detriot CNN radio! Take a look at the details below to catch the live show. Don’t worry if you miss it, or you don’t live in Detroit. We will post the recording on this blog. Total Health Transformation Interview Series 11AM-11:30AM Saturday, March 28th, 2009 Station WDTW 1310 [...]

Remember – your skin reflects what’s happening inside on your body. So what you put into your body is vital. Tier One of Dr. Perricone’s Three Tier Philosophy to health and beauty is food. Eat an anti-inflammatory diet and soon you’ll see the results.

The New Year is a perfect time to embark on a healthier lifestyle – particularly if we have put on extra weight during the holidays. We may also find that our skin is winter-parched due to the cold weather, low seasonal humidity and drying effects of overheated environments.

Cutting-edge nutrition for weight control

The dawn of a new year is a wonderful time to make changes and adjustments to our lives that will benefit us both short and long term. Weight loss is a perennial issue for many of us and it becomes even more so as we age. Understanding a few basic principles can enable us to take off extra weight without starving or being forced to eat foods that we neither like nor enjoy.

I always caution my patients and readers to avoid drastic lifestyle changes that will be impossible to maintain. A few simple modifications will do the trick along with the introduction of targeted supplements such as the long-chain “marine” omega-3 essential fatty acids found only in fatty fish such as salmon, sablefish, tuna, anchovies and sardines, and in fish oil supplements.

Glutamine for healthy weight loss and a healthy gut

Another key weight control ally is the amino acid glutamine, which also plays an important role in preserving precious muscle mass.

Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. Glutamine is the body’s most abundant amino acid and is primarily stored within muscle tissue. While the majority of the glutamine we need is synthesized in our muscle cells, we can also obtain a significant amount of glutamine from several dietary sources, including poultry, fish, dairy products, and legumes.

However, under certain stressful conditions, glutamine is used up very quickly and our body cannot make as much as it needs. For example, prolonged and intense cardiovascular workouts, such as running and aerobics, can cause the body to burn muscle for energy, exhausting our glutamine supply.

Glutamine plays an important role in keeping the muscles functioning properly and in helping to reduce muscle deterioration. When we are overweight and in an inflammatory state, we need even more glutamine, so the body breaks down the muscle tissue to get the extra glutamine it needs, and we lose muscle mass. Therefore, by ensuring adequate glutamine intake, we can lose weight while retaining muscle mass. This is because Glutamine is anti-catabolic, which means that it is critical in the prevention of muscle breakdown: a negative process promoted by chronic illness, mental or psychic stress, overwork or over-exertion, poor nutrition, and dieting.

Glutamine plays a number of vitally important roles in many other functions as well. It is essential to the support of our immune system and immune response, where it is utilized by white blood cells.

Glutamine is also very supportive of our digestive system. The health of the gut is vital because it is the point of fuel and nutrient entry. Glutamine nourishes the cells that line the stomach, intestines, and digestive track, which actually use glutamine as a fuel.

Studies have shown that supplemental glutamine may protect against aspirin-induced gastric lesions and enhance healing of painful peptic ulcers. In fact, an old folk remedy for ulcers is fresh cabbage juice – which is high in glutamine. Glutamine may also be helpful in healing the stomach problems arising from colitis and Crohn’s disease.

In summary, glutamine can be used whenever there are any stomach problems, as simple as over-indulging in alcohol (alcoholic-induced gastritis) to ulcers, viral-induced diarrhea, or even severe problems such as inflammatory bowel disease.

Glutamine to cut food cravings

Glutamine will help reduce cravings for high glycemic carbohydrates, thereby making your weight loss program much easier. We all know how the best intentions can be tossed out the window when the cookie monster strikes.

Taking just ½ teaspoon of glutamine three times per day will help eliminate these cravings. Glutamine can also help prevent both depression and fatigue and can also help us synthesize neurotransmitters in the brain which naturally relax us while elevating our mood. In the brain it is converted to glutamic acid and increases the concentration of GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid).

Both glutamic acid and GABA can be considered “brain fuel,” as they are essential for normal mental function. Studies have also shown that glutamine supplementation helps prevent the damaging effects of alcohol on the brain and may also reduce alcohol (as well as the aforementioned food) cravings.

Glutamine tips

I recommend that you take one-half teaspoon of glutamine, dissolved in water, three times a day. Here are some tips for getting the most out of supplemental glutamine:

Once mixed in water, glutamine deteriorates rapidly, so take it immediately upon mixing in the water.
Mix it fresh for each serving. Do NOT store glutamine in solution, as it may become inactive or even toxic.

Check with your primary care physician before beginning any supplementation program – this is mandatory if you being treated for any disease or kidney, liver or other health problem, are pregnant, or nursing.

Glutamine may cause constipation in some individuals; to protect from this increase your water and soluble fiber intake. This can be accomplished by adding one gram of pectin to a glass of water drunk throughout the day.

As always I welcome your comments and suggestions.

Wishing you a safe, peaceful, healthy and joyful 2009.

Nicholas Perricone, MD

P.S. Purchase a Glutamine Dietary Supplement

Oxidative Stress – cutting life (and telomeres) short

Long-time Perricone readers and viewers of my PBS specials know that I have long taught the life-enhancing benefits of the anti-inflammatory lifestyle. This is comprised of many facets, each one reinforcing and enhancing the benefits, both external and internal. Two of the cornerstones of the anti-inflammatory lifestyle are anti-oxidant foods and supplements to combat the destructive effects of oxidative stress. The free radicals that create oxidative stress also create inflammation. Since anti-oxidants also function as natural anti-inflammatories, the right foods and supplements are the perfect antidote to combat the inflammatory cascade, which is the most damaging result of oxidative stress.

The researchers that conducted the study on stress and cell aging, further stated that it was not clear exactly how stress affected the telomeres, but they suggest changes in stress hormone levels could have an effect. As we now know, stress and the hormones it produces are responsible for a great many health problems. In future blogs we will address the stress hormones, especially cortisol. These stress hormones are also known as the death hormones, and for good reason. High levels of cortisol, for example, circulating in the blood stream, has disastrous effects, including the shrinking of the brain, unwanted weight gain, especially in the abdominal region and the thinning of the skin. Tomorrow we will discover another horror story—the effect of stress on the skin.

If you are like me, finding new solutions to age-old problems is a high priority. Fortunately, Dr. Perricone has come to the rescue with DailyPerricone, our new blog designed to bring you the latest and greatest beauty, health, fitness and longevity news and information.

Everyday new scientific breakthroughs occur, new studies are released and exciting new facts are revealed in the pantheon of scientific and medical journals. One of the goals of this blog is to save you the time and energy of sifting through the hundreds of journals; here in Daily Perricone you will find Dr. Perricone’s top picks that will enable you to live each day at your personal best.

We also want to hear from you and welcome your ideas, comments, suggestions and contributions.

Anne Sellaro, Executive Editor

Perricone MD Pigment Corrective System combines the power of the Pigment Corrective Dietary Supplements along with the Pigment Corrective topical cream to help diminish the appearance of hyper-pigmentation and brown spots, while lightening and brightening skin’s appearance from the inside out and the outside in.

BUY NOW