Nutrigenomics: Part 2
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Dear Friends,  
We continue our discussion from last week with the question: What makes food therapeutic? Make sure to look at Clinical Notes for easy to create protocols, lots of colorful foods, and reduced inflamation in the body. A healthy food provides ligands that turn on disease fighting genes and turn off those that cause disease. What is a ligand? A ligand is a molecule that binds to proteins involved in “turning on” certain genes and “turning off” others. Transcription molecules are the protein molecules that reside in the cytoplasm of all body cells that when activated by certain ligands transit the cytosol (watery part of the cell) to the cell’s nuclear membrane and set into motion a cascade of molecular events that turn on certain suites of genes into enzyme/protein production. For example, NF-kappa B is a transcription molecule that when activiated by a ligand goes to the nucleas causing specific genes within the genome to open up and transcribe for pro-inflammatory cytocine and chemokines. Cytocine and chemokines are messenger molecules that tell the immune system to increase its activity thus causing more inflammation in the body—thus increasing oxidative stress. When activated, the transcription molecule NRF2 functions as a protective transcription factor. It reduces OS (oxidative stress) by causing the DNA to open up genes that result in the production of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant enzymes like glutatione-s transferase, hemoxygenase, quinone reductase, and many many others. We will get into this much more in the coming weeks. What these examples tell us is that we must bring into our daily diet a rainbow of plants based foods. As you consistantly do so, you will turn on the anti-inflammatory genes and turn off the pro-inflammatory genes. One of the unifying factors for longevity, as described in the Blue Zones (see the Green Facts below) is a plant based diet with lots of color. When we think about typical restaurant food in America, we certainly don’t easily find a rainbow menu. The consequences are all to obvious: look at the diabetes, cancer, heart disease, neurological disease, obesity—pandemic in our country—all inflammatory mediated diseases. Bringing in lots of fresh fruits and vegetables is key strategy to reversing our chronic inflamed state, and bring health back into our bodies. Next week we will dive deeper into this very important subject, which when fully integrated into our lives and the lives of your patients, will create miracles. Good food translates into therapeutic food. Have a wonderful Christmas and Hanukkah. Much love from us to you. Sincerely yours, Seann Bardell Clinical Note: Based on the above, let’s take a look at my regime this morning upon rising before my run. I put a heaping tablespoon of Beta Glucan Synbiotic Formula and a heaping teaspoon of the Number 7 Systemic Booster in a large glass of purified water. Using this as my chaser I downed 4 tablets of our Organic Chlorella, 4 capsules of the Cruciferous Sprouts Complex, two capsules of the Wild blueberry Daily, and four capsules of the new Ultra Minerals—down the hatch. And, then I went for my run. Now let’s look at what went into my body. There was a rainbow of phytonutrients from blueberry, pomegranate, cranberry, tart cherry, pineapple, chlorella, the cruciferous sprouts (watercress, kale, broccoli, daikon and red radish, mustard and cabbage sprouts )—turning on NRF2 and turning off NF-kB, not to mention the robust free radical scavenging activity of the polyphenols, and other antioxidants present in these plant based materials. And, then there were the probiotic organisms that are in the Beta Glucan Synbiotic and the Number 7. They too turn on banks of positive genes that we will talk about at another time. Of course, I could have choosen the High ORAC Synbiotic (say one capsule) and the Cranberry Pomegranate (again one capsule) as my morning probiotic of choice intake. In that case, I would have gotten both the American and Bulgarian collection of probiotic organisms just as I did with my selection of the Beta Glucan Synbiotic and the No. 7, but I would have brought in more wild blueberry extract, billberry extract, grape and grapeseed extract, raspberry and raspberry seed extract, cranberry, tart cherry, prune and pomegranate extract. Not bad. So many choices!
The Cape Buffalo is big— 4 to 6 feet at the shoulders, 11 feet long, males can weigh around 1500 pounds. Cape Buffaloes are said to have killed more big game hunters than any other animal in Africa. They are one of Africa’s most dangerous animals. They’re impressive. Hunters and lions are their only enemies. Here is an amazing footage of a battle between Buffalo and Lion in Kruger National Park, South Africa.
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