Reaching the Zone Using Metabolic Engineering
People often ask, “What exactly is the Zone, and what are the benefits of being there?” The short answer is that the Zone can be defined as the absence of insulin resistance, and the benefit of being in the Zone is living a longer and better life. “How do I get in the Zone?” The process of getting “in the Zone” is a little more complex because it involves understanding Metabolic Engineering™. You have probably heard that genetic engineering is the future of medicine. However, I believe that Metabolic Engineering™ will have a far more significant impact. The reason is that controlling your metabolism is far more complex and vastly more impactful than any breakthrough envisioned by the biotechnology industry using genetic engineering. Your metabolism converts food into energy, controls your immune system, regulates the expression of your genes, controls tissue regeneration, and finally controls your aging rate. It’s an impressive list. But to get those benefits, you must continually manage the metabolism in each of the 37 trillion cells in your body. Although this may seem like Mission Impossible, Metabolic Engineering™ makes it possible. Understanding Metabolic Engineering™ I started the field of Metabolic Engineering™ nearly 30 years ago with the publication of my first book, The Zone, in 1995. The patent for the Zone diet as a drug to reduce insulin resistance was issued in 2000. However, just as the understanding of the complexity of metabolism has been expanding, so has the evolution of my original dietary concepts of controlling metabolism on a lifetime basis. Metabolic Engineering™ is a comprehensive dietary system to activate the master regulator of your metabolism (AMPK) in every one of your 37 trillion cells. By doing so, you can reduce, if not eliminate, insulin resistance in a short period (clinical studies indicate as little as four days). Unfortunately, it can reappear just as quickly. Therefore, controlling your metabolism is a lifetime effort if you want a longer and better life. Why? Because the longer you have insulin resistance, the more likely you are to develop obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, liver and kidney disease, and neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. Think of Metabolic Engineering™ as a three-legged stool. Sitting on a one-legged stool is impossible, and a two-legged stool is just as precarious. But if you have three legs of equal length, that stool becomes incredibly stable. The three legs of Metabolic Engineering™ are the Zone diet, omega-3 fatty acids, and a particular class of polyphenols known as delphinidins. Each is useful individually, but when combined into a consistent dietary system, they become a powerful force to reduce insulin resistance by reprogramming each of your 37 trillion cells. How to uncover if you have insulin resistance? Your blood will tell you if you currently have insulin resistance. There is a simple blood known as HOMA-IR. If your HOMA-IR level is less than one, you have no insulin resistance, and your health future is bright. About one percent of Americans are in this group. On the other hand, your HOMA-IR is greater than two, you have insulin resistance, and your health future is bleak. The average American has a HOMA-IR of 2.7. This level of insulin resistance in Americans explains our rapidly increasing cost of health care. However, that future can be changed by following Metabolic Engineering™. Rather than focusing on treating chronic disease, my vision is that the future of medicine will be refocused on maintaining chronic wellness. That means living in the Zone for a lifetime.
Injectable Weight Loss Drugs: The Truth About Ozempic and Wegovy
Injectable Weight Loss Drugs: Promises and Pitfalls Injectable weight loss drugs are the hottest topic on social media and the board rooms of pharmaceutical companies looking to make billions of dollars in future sales. But beneath this glamour is some significant caution. GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: Semaglutide and Its Weight Loss Potential Injectable weight loss drugs are known as GLP-1 receptor agonists. The scientific name for the most well-known one is semaglutide, which is marketed under the tradenames Ozempic and Wegovy. In simple terms, these injectable drugs activate the release of the hormone GLP-1 from the gut that goes directly to the brain to tell you to stop eating. These drugs were initially developed to treat type 2 diabetes, but the clinical studies in overweight and obese individuals demonstrated significant weight loss at higher levels (1). The Difference Between Weight Loss and Fat LossUnfortunately, there is a big difference between weight loss and fat loss. Weight loss is the combined loss of stored body fat and lean body mass (i.e., muscle). You want to lose fat but not muscle. Although the weight loss using weekly semaglutide injections was impressive (about 34 pounds) after 68 weeks, you had to go deep into the bowels of the supplementary feature section (Supplementary Index Section 5b) of the article to find that about 40 percent of that weight loss was due to loss of lean body mass. That is not a good sign. It suggests that the injections reduce hunger to the extent that the person has little desire to eat enough protein to maintain muscle mass. In essence, the drug increases the patients' sarcopenia (muscle loss). One of the consequences of sarcopenia is increased frailty. The Downsides of Stopping Injectable Drugs Once you stop injecting weight loss drugs, the weight immediately begins to return (2). Not surprisingly, any metabolic benefits initially seen while taking the drug were lost with the weight regain. I suspect that much of the returning weight is primarily as fat since it takes minimal effort to regain lost body fat compared to far greater effort to rebuild lost muscle mass. That data was not studied in the second study and unsurprisingly, both studies were sponsored by the drug company that makes semaglutide. I can understand why they didn’t include the body composition data as it would be bad for marketing. Zone Diet: The Key to Achieving Lasting Results Injectable weight loss drugs don't sound too promising if it means you must inject this “wonder” drug for the rest of your life. But is there another way to achieve the same results? I believe the answer is yes if you are following the Zone Diet. Drugs like semaglutide cause the release of GLP-1 and so does intake of dietary protein. So how much protein do you need? The answer is about 30 grams of protein at every meal. Not less, but not more, as excess protein can cause transient insulin resistance. Next, you must balance that protein with the correct amount of low-glycemic carbohydrates to prevent excess insulin secretion, which causes low blood sugar and increases hunger. This concept is the foundation of the Zone diet. That is also why the Zone diet was granted a patent to reduce insulin resistance (3). Zone Diet: Scientifically Proven ResultsThe Zone diet has been shown to reduce insulin resistance within days (4). It is insulin resistance that causes you to gain weight. The Zone diet has been shown to help with remission of pre-diabetes (i.e., metabolic syndrome) caused by higher levels of insulin resistance (5). This same eating plan is used by the Joslin Diabetes Center at Harvard Medical School to treat type 2 diabetes caused by severe insulin resistance (6-9). So, what’s the problem with following the Zone diet for life? People seem to believe it is too much effort to balance protein and carbohydrates at each meal. Zone Foods: A Breakthrough Solution To address compliance, I applied for another patented technology. This technology enhances the activation of GLP-1 release in the gut to increase satiety dramatically. It does so by slowing the protein absorption rate in the upper region of the small intestine so that more protein reaches the lower part of the small intestine, where specific cells (L-cells) that sense protein and release GLP-1 are concentrated. The result is greater appetite suppression. Furthermore, if you could combine the right balance of protein and carbohydrates into a single food product, no thinking is involved. This breakthrough was the foundation for producing Zone Foods. Clinical Trials: Zone Foods vs. Injectable Weight Loss Drugs So, does it work? To answer that question, you must do clinical trials. We published the results in 2017 (10). In subjects consuming Zone Foods for six weeks the total weight loss was virtually the same as the study referenced above using weekly injections of semaglutide. However, the body composition was dramatically different between the two approaches. Those consuming Zone Foods were gaining muscle mass and losing more fat. Although weight change in the control group was about the same as those in the Zone Foods group, it consisted primarily of near equal portions of fat loss and muscle loss, just like the subjects getting their weekly injections of semaglutide. Bottom line, using Zone Foods not only induced greater loss of fat than taking semaglutide injections but also increased muscle mass. Not surprisingly, the use of Zone Foods reduced insulin resistance by 140 percent compared to the control group (10). Now that’s what I call a “wonder drug.” References1. Wilding JPH et al. Once weekly semaglutide in adults with overweight or obesity. N Engl J Med 384:989-1002 (2021) doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa20321832. Wilding JPH et al. Weight regain and cardiometabolic effects after withdrawal of semaglutide: The STEP 1 trial extension. Diabetes Obesity and Metabolism 24: 1553-1564 (2022) doi: 10.1111/dom.14725. 3. Sears, B. “Method of and nutritional and pharmaceutical compositions for reduction of hyperinsulinemia.” U.S. Patent No. 6,140,304 (2000)4. Markovic TP et al. “The determinants of glycemic responses to diet restriction and weight loss in obesity and NIDDM.” Diabetes Care 21:687-694 (1998) doi: 10.2337/diacare.21.5.687.5. Stentz FB et al. “High protein diet leads to pre-diabetes remission and positive changes in incretins and cardiovascular risk factors.” Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis 31:1227-1237 (2021) doi: 10.1016/j.numecd.2020.11.027.6 Giusti J and Rizzott J. “Interpreting the Joslin Diabetes Center and Joslin Clinic clinical guideline for overweight and obese adults with type 2 diabetes.” Curr Diab Report 6:405-408 (2006) doi: 10.1007/s11892-006-0014-y.7. Hamdy O. “Diabetes weight management in clinical practice—the Why Wait model,” U.S. Endocrinology 4:49–54 (2008) doi: http://doi.org/10.17925/USE.2008.04.2.498. Hamdy O and Carver C. “The Why WAIT program: improving clinical outcomes through weight management in type 2 diabetes.” Curr Diab Rep 8:413-420 (2008) doi: 10.1007/s11892-008-0071-5.9. Hamdy O et al. “Long-term effect of intensive lifestyle intervention on cardiovascular risk factors in patients with diabetes in real-world clinical practice: a 5-year longitudinal study.” BMJ Open Diabetes Res Care 5:e000259 (2017) doi: 10.1136/bmjdrc-2016-000259.10. Johnson CS et al. Use of novel high-protein functional food products as part of a calorie-restricted diet to reduce insulin resistance and increase lean body mass in adults: A randomized controlled trial. Nutrients 9:1182 (2017) doi: 10.3390/nu9111182.
Sugar, Sugar Substitutes, and Reality
Sugar has many things going for it. It is sweet, it is cheap, and it is addictive. Along with fat and salt, it is one of the mainstays of the industrialized food industry to make their otherwise bland products both edible and desirable. But unfortunately, it is also a cause of insulin resistance, the underlying cause of various chronic diseases. No wonder the food industry is constantly seeking sugar substitutes, but only if they are cheaper than sugar and nearly as sweet. One such candidate has been sugar alcohols and, in particular, erythritol. And it is safe, or at least we thought so until a recent study (1). This study found that a quarter of individuals who consumed the most erythritol had a doubling of their risk of a heart attack. To put this in perspective, this is about the same increase in cardiovascular risk level as having type 2 diabetes. OK, that was only an association. To confirm their initial finding, they gave healthy volunteers a dose of 30 grams of erythritol to see what would happen. This level of erythritol is similar to what many people consuming keto-friendly products typically consume daily. However, this level of erythritol caused significant amounts of excess clot formation in their blood. The study's lead author stated that they weren’t even looking for this connection. And if this is true for erythritol, it is likely to occur with other typical sugar alcohols like sorbitol, xylitol, maltitol, mannitol, and others. However, unlike erythritol, these other sugar alcohols have more significant laxative effects. Does this mean everyone should return to dumping good old sugar into their foods to make them more palatable? That’s probably not a good idea unless you want to increase insulin resistance which makes you gain weight, have lower mental and physical performance levels, and accelerate aging. I forgot to mention that insulin resistance is also strongly associated with the development of diabetes, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s. Fortunately, there is a way out of this dilemma, and it is a different type of sugar known as allulose. First, a little information on sugar. Sugar is a disaccharide with one glucose molecule linked to one fructose molecule. The link between these two sugars is rapidly broken down in the stomach, so the sugar you initially put in your mouth enters the small intestine as pure glucose and pure fructose. Both are quickly absorbed. The glucose goes directly into the blood to cause insulin secretion. Still, the fructose goes directly to the liver to induce the synthesis of palmitic acid (it’s called de novo lipogenesis). Excess levels of either glucose or fructose can cause insulin resistance. Allulose is different. It is also quickly absorbed, but your kidneys just as quickly excrete it into your urine. However, allulose has another critical benefit: it stimulates AMPK production (2). Why is that important? AMPK is the master regulator of your metabolism, and it reduces insulin resistance (3). This background is why we reformulated our ZoneRx® shakes and bars and our future products will contain allulose to help reduce insulin resistance, resulting in greater metabolic efficacy while lowering the likelihood of developing chronic diseases associated with insulin resistance. Losing weight and living longer is what food technology should be about. References Witkowski et al. The artificial sweetener erythritol and cardiovascular event risk. Nature Med. 2023 Feb 27. doi: 10.1038/s41591-023-02223-9. Lee et al. D-allulose ameliorates adiposity through the AMPK-SIRT1-PGC-1α pathway in HFD-induced SD rats .Food Nutr 2021 Dec 21;65. doi: 10.29219/fnr.v65.7803. Sears and Saha. Dietary Control of Inflammation and Resolution. Front Nutr. 2021 Aug 10;8:709435. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2021.709435
Your Guide to Simple Zone Meals
The secret to the Zone diet is reducing insulin resistance to achieve a better hormonal balance from your diet. This starts with having adequate protein at each meal. Protein is critical for success; you need a certain amount at each meal to induce satiety. That amount is approximately 30 grams of low-fat protein per meal. However, that amount of protein must still be balanced by the appropriate amount of carbohydrates to reduce insulin resistance. Then you add a dash of high-quality fat for flavor. The Ideal Balance of a Zone Meal A Zone meal should contain approximately 400 calories to help stabilize blood sugar. Those 400 calories should contain at least 30 grams of protein, less than 12 grams of fat, and about 40 grams of net carbohydrates (total carbohydrates minus fiber) primarily from low-glycemic choices. Carbohydrates choices should ideally be rich in fiber and high in polyphenols to achieve better hormonal balance in the blood. If you can go 4-5 hours without hunger after a meal, you know that meal had the optimal Zone balance. Your Guide to Making Zone Meals Here we will take you through simple ways to make Zone meals. Every Zone meal starts with adequate protein for superior appetite control. The better the quality of your choices, the faster you will reduce insulin resistance. Here are some general tips for a Zone meal. Start with Protein (approximately 30 grams per meal) Your goal is to get about 30 grams of high-quality protein at each meal. Add Carbohydrates If you are making classic Zone meals, you want to add sufficient low-glycemic carbohydrates (such as non-starchy vegetables) to balance the protein at a meal. Low glycemic means the carbohydrates from these sources enter the blood as glucose at a slower rate. Protein is more uniform in its density, whereas carbohydrates are not. Non-starchy vegetables have a low carbohydrate density, meaning you must consume many more of these carbohydrates to get the same amount of glucose entering the blood as in a much smaller portion of starchy vegetables or grains. Here is an estimate of the portion size of each type of carbohydrate to get about 40 grams of net carbohydrates per meal. Best carbohydrate choices for a Zone meal These carbohydrates enter the blood as glucose slowly and are the best to reduce insulin resistance. If you are using Zone PastaRx as your protein choice, you will only need to add 1 ½ to 2 cups of cooked vegetables to provide approximately 40 grams of carbohydrates at a meal to balance your protein intake. The best choices for non-starchy vegetables would be the ABCs (asparagus, artichokes, broccoli, cauliflower, and spinach), as they have a better protein-to-carbohydrate ratio than other vegetables. Less desirable carbohydrate choices These carbohydrates are less desirable as they enter the bloodstream as glucose at a faster rate and will not be as effective in reducing insulin resistance. However, if you want to use these carbohydrates to replace one quarter of the preferred carbohydrate choices for a Zone meal, here are the levels you can use (choose only one). You can also see that trying to balance your protein portion at a Zone meal using more than these fractions of fruits, whole grains or starchy vegetables will have a decreased effect on reducing insulin resistance because they rush into the blood as glucose at a much faster rate than preferred non-starchy vegetables. Poor carbohydrate choices include white carbohydrates (bread, pasta, rice, and potatoes) as they contain no polyphenols (that’s why they are white) and enter the blood quickly as pure glucose, thus increasing insulin resistance. Therefore, these carbohydrates should not be part of the diet for anyone with a higher level of insulin resistance. On the other hand, the use of Zone PastaRx as a rice or pasta replacement has been shown in clinical trials to reduce insulin resistance. Add Fat The last thing you add to your meal is fat. However, just enough for improved taste because too much fat provides excess calories that will slow down your rate of reducing insulin resistance. You only need one portion of fat per meal providing about 12 grams. Putting It Together A typical Zone meal should supply about 30 grams of protein, approximately 40 grams of carbohydrates, and about 12 grams of fat. This gives you a protein-adequate meal with moderate levels of low-glycemic carbohydrates and low amounts of healthy monounsaturated fat providing approximately 400 calories per meal. The result of that balance is a lack of hunger or mental fatigue for the next five hours because of better hormonal control of satiety and improved blood sugar levels. When To Eat Your Zone Meals Here is the basic science behind meal timing: Eat your first Zone meal within an hour after waking up. Consume three Zone meals of equal calories to control hunger throughout the day. Each Zone meal should contain about 30 grams of protein. Eat your protein first at every meal to maximize hunger suppression. Eat your last Zone meal before sunset or at least four hours before bed. Your metabolism is controlled by circadian rhythms determined by sunlight, meaning you want to spread your calorie intake evenly throughout the daylight hours. Your goal is to work with your metabolism to reduce insulin resistance, not against it.
Metabolism Q&A
When we think about metabolism we often think about it tied to body weight. The thought being that those with fast metabolisms are leaner, those with slow metabolisms are overweight. You might be surprised to learn that the size or composition of an individual, isn't necessarily tied into whether their metabolism is fast or slow, but how efficient it is. In this Q&A, Dr. Sears talks about metabolism, how it plays a role in things outside of body weight, and why the focus should change from increasing your metabolism to making it more efficient. Q. What is Metabolism? A. Metabolism can be defined as the ability of the body to convert the food you eat into energy. When you consume excess calories your metabolism becomes less efficient and more of these incoming calories become stored as excess body fat instead of being used to make the energy needed to maintain optimal performance. Your metabolism is what controls your immune system and orchestrates your ability to repair damage in each of your 37 trillion cells. It’s a highly dynamic system that keeps you alive. It can be controlled (and optimized) by your diet.Q. What dietary factors are most important to have a healthy metabolism?A. An efficient metabolism requires a combination of macronutrients (protein, carbohydrate, and fat) as well as fermentable fiber and polyphenols. Maintaining those nutrients within appropriate ranges is the key to improved metabolic performance. For a more efficient metabolism, you need approximately 30 grams of protein (but not more) at each meal to increase the release of hormones from your gut that go directly to the brain to tell you to stop eating. You also need adequate fermentable fiber, whose metabolism in the gut will further enhance the release of those satiety hormones from the gut. You can get more omega-3 fatty acids by eating more fatty fish or taking fish oil supplements. All three work together to improve metabolic efficacy. This is what I call Metabolic Engineering.Q. What do you recommend as a starting point for someone who wants to start implementing these changes to their diet?A. Your goal with metabolism is to focus on increasing its efficiency. The starting point is consuming the least number of calories you need at each meal to generate the complex hormonal cascade that stops hunger. Excess glucose and fat inhibit the master regulator of metabolism (AMPK) in every cell in your body. To begin, start a meal with protein to curb calorie intake and hunger. Regardless of your weight, sex, or age, you need to consume about 30 grams of protein to set in motion the complex metabolic cycle that stops hunger for the next five hours. You will then need to balance that protein with moderate levels of low-glycemic load carbohydrates (i.e. non-starchy vegetables, small amounts of fruit) and low levels of fat to generate the optimal hormonal responses that eliminate hunger. That is the basis of the Zone diet.Q. In the past you recommended the Zone Body Fat Calculator as way to determine your protein needs, have these protein requirements changed?A. The Zone Body Fat Calculator determines the minimum daily protein levels needed to maintain your current muscle mass, not necessarily enough to suppress hunger for the next five hours. To get this hunger suppression is why I recommend 30 grams of protein at a meal. If you are hungry, you are likely to consume excess calories throughout the day, decreasing overall metabolic efficiency.Q. What benefits will you see in someone who has optimized their metabolism?A. The benefits of an efficient metabolism look like the following: Burns fat faster: Yes, you know about this benefit. But did you know that when your metabolism is optimally efficient, excess body fat comes off and stabilizes without sacrifice, starvation, or grueling workouts? It’s true. Maintains physical energy and mental focus: Your metabolism’s job is to turn food into energy. Do you get tired shortly after meals or in the afternoon? Do you have brain fog or trouble concentrating? That means your metabolism is not doing its job maintaining energy production. Slows the aging process to maintain wellness: Humans are designed to remain lean, strong, and vital for far longer than you might think. Again, when an inefficient functioning metabolism doesn’t provide enough energy to your cells, aging speeds up, and wellness decreases. Have more questions for Dr. Sears? Drop them in the comments below!
Triglyceride versus Ethyl Ester Fish Oil
Fish oils are more common in the consumer marketplace which requires individuals be more educated about what they are consuming. This isn’t as easy as you think if you don’t know what to look for. In this blog, Dr. Sears explores fish oil purity and what to know about the difference between ethyl esters and triglycerides. The Growth of the Fish Oil Market Before 2001 the sales of fish oil products in the United States were minimal. Prior to 2001, most of what was sold at that time consisted of the same cod liver oil that your great-grandparents gave your grandparents before they could leave the house each morning. It tasted terrible because it wasn’t purified and required having to take a tablespoon daily because it wasn’t very concentrated since it was derived from extracted cod livers. All of that changed starting in 2002, as shown by this graph taken from the Washington Post. In 2001, I wrote extensively about this change in my book The OmegaRx Zone: The Miracle of the New High-Dose Fish Oil. I described the breakthroughs taking place in the processing of omega-3 fatty acid concentrates and how this could eventually usher in a new era of medicine. Yet less than eight percent of American adults were consuming fish oil supplements by 2012 (2). Why Not Just Eat Fish? Consuming fish solely as a source of omega-3 fatty acids in the diet sounds good in theory, but what is considered an acceptable level of intake? The goal should be to consume enough omega-3 fatty acids to deliver at least 2.5 grams of EPA and DHA daily. You require those levels because omega-3 fatty acids are essential nutrients the body cannot make, and the diet must supply them. If you were to translate 2.5 grams of EPA and DHA into fish consumption, that would be about 40 oz. of canned tuna or 8 oz of canned salmon daily. Unfortunately, the types of fish that Americans prefer to eat are lean fish that have minimal amounts of EPA and DHA. Furthermore, fish don’t make omega-3 fatty acids; they accumulate them from marine sources (such as plankton) that can produce them. Unfortunately, another downside to consuming large quantities of fish is that they accumulate toxins that we have thrown into the oceans, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Without adequate levels of EPA and DHA, it is impossible to control inflammation in every organ in the body. Currently, the average American consumes about 100 mg of EPA and DHA. Unfortunately, those are deficient levels resulting in an increase in inflammation-driven diseases over the past 20 years. How EPA and DHA are increased in fish oils To increase the concentration of EPA and DHA found in crude fish oils and reduce the PCBs found in all fish oils, you must convert crude fish oil into ethyl esters and then concentrate the EPA and DHA by molecular distillation. You can’t do that with the natural triglycerides found in crude fish oils that you consume eating regular fish. Once you convert crude fish oils into a high-potency omega-3 fatty acid ethyl ester, they become exceptionally prone to oxidation. Some manufacturers reassemble the purified ethyl esters back into triglycerides. Unfortunately, this synthetic step causes increased oxidation and the repositioning of EPA and DHA from their natural position into unnatural configurations in reconstituted triglycerides. These reconstituted fish oils are essentially “Frankenstein fats” that make it difficult for the body to convert the omega-3 fatty acids into phospholipids which are the final depots for omega-3 fatty acids in the body. What To Know When Choosing an Omega-3 Omega-3 fatty acids are essential for human health, but only if they are purified from PCBs, not oxidized, and easily converted into phospholipids for long-term storage. Let’s start with PCBs. PCBs are never completely removed from an omega-3 fatty acid concentrate, but depending on the refining technology, they can be reduced to very low levels. At Zone Labs, we only use selected lots of crude fish oil processed to have incredibly low PCB levels. As a result, we have the most rigid standards for the upper limits of PCBs (less than two parts per billion (2 ppb) all 209 PCB isomers) for any company, including drug companies. Furthermore, we test every finished lot of our final product used by the consumer and post the results on our website. Another major problem is oxidative stability. Any processing of crude fish oil will cause increased oxidation leading to rancidity. Rancidity is measured by a standard test known as TOTOX which measures the levels of peroxides, aldehydes, and ketones in the final product you purchase. TOTOX levels govern all edible oil trading in the world. If the TOTOX level of any oil is greater than 26 milliequivalents/kg, it is considered unsuitable for human consumption. You can also smell these oxidation products, so even the freshest fish begin to smell. As you might expect, omega-3 fatty acid concentrates are more prone to oxidation. To get around that smell problem, some manufacturers add lemon flavors to their products. This dramatically increases the TOTOX levels in the finished product that you purchase. If a fish oil product has a lemon taste and smell you can likely assume its TOTOX levels are far greater than the upper limit of 26 milliequivalents/kg, and it is not suitable for human consumption. Safety of Ethyl Esters Virtually all long-term clinical studies of the safety of omega-3 fatty acids have been done with ethyl esters. These ethyl esters are ultimately converted into phospholipids that can be measured in the blood (3 ). A recent study has demonstrated that the higher the omega-3 fatty acids in the phospholipids in the blood, the lower the levels of cardiovascular disease and mortality (4). This is also true of chronic kidney disease (5). Of course, those benefits will only be obtained if the omega-3 fatty acid product quality going into the patient is suitable for human consumption. This is why we pride ourselves in having the omega-3 fatty acids products with the lowest levels of PCBs and TOTOX compared to any company worldwide, including the largest drug companies. References Sears B. The OmegaRx Zone. Regan Books. New York, NY (2001) Clarke TC, Black LI, Stussman BJ, Barnes PM, Nahin RL. Trends in the use of complementary health approaches among adults: United States, 2002-2012. Natl Health Stat Report 2015:1-16. 3, Browning LM, Walker CG, Mander AP, West AL, Madden J, Gambell JM, Young S, Wang L, Jebb SA, Calder PC. Incorporation of eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids into lipid pools when given as supplements providing doses equivalent to typical intakes of oily fish. Am J Clin Nutr. 2012 Oct;96(4):748-58. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.112.041343. Harris WS, Del Gobbo L, Tintle NL. The Omega-3 Index and relative risk for coronary heart disease mortality: Estimation from 10 cohort studies. Atherosclerosis. 2017 Jul;262:51-54. doi: 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2017.05.007. Ong KL, Marklund M, Huang L, Rye KA, Hui N, Pan XF et al. Association of omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids with incident chronic kidney disease: pooled analysis of 19 cohorts. BMJ. 2023 Jan 18;380:e072909. doi: 10.1136/bmj-2022-072909.
Polyphenols, Maqui and Delphinidins: What You Need To Know
Polyphenols are the chemicals that give vegetables and fruits their colors. They also represent the plant’s primary defense against invading bacteria and other parasites. Their intake is essential for gut health as they control the bacterial composition of our digestive system. There are about 8,000 known polyphenols from various sources, but Dr. Sears considers those from the blueberry family the best. The polyphenols in the blueberry family include American blueberries, Russian blueberries (bilberries), and Patagonia blueberries (maqui berries). Maqui berries have the highest concentration of a subclass of polyphenols called delphinidins. What makes delphinidins superior to other polyphenols is they are water-soluble and can be isolated as monomers which means they are more likely to get into the blood. In clinical studies delphinidins have been shown to help improve blood sugar control and reduce oxidative stress. The Health Benefits of Polyphenols It is becoming recognized that polyphenols are essential nutrients for human health. They are potent antioxidants, have anti-inflammatory effects, and help activate AMPK, the master regulator of your metabolism. The more you can activate AMPK, the more you increase energy production, activate your immune function, and help repair damaged tissue. Equally important, you need adequate levels of polyphenols to maintain the appropriate balance of bacteria in your gut, which is critical to maintaining long-term health. If that balance is disturbed by a lack of polyphenols in your diet, the result will be increased cellular inflammation throughout your body. The Amount of Polyphenols You Need Ideally you should consume 5-10 servings of fruits and vegetables daily to have adequate intake of polyphenols. This equates to about 1000mg of total polyphenols. All polyphenols are excellent for the gut, but getting the proper amounts into the blood is quite difficult since very few are water-soluble making it difficult for them to be absorbed. Of the 8,000 known polyphenols, very few can be directly absorbed. The exceptions are maqui berry and cacao polyphenols. Your body can readily absorb more than 95 percent of purified maqui berry polyphenols and approximately 10-15 percent of isolated cacao polyphenols. Many clinical studies showing the benefits of polyphenol supplementation have used either maqui or cacao polyphenols. How Do You Know If You Are Getting Enough? There is no specific test to measure polyphenols in the blood since their lifetime in the body is short. That said, you can take a standard test to determine whether you are taking enough to activate AMPK. This test is called hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c). HbA1c is a measure of the average circulating levels of glucose over a 3-month period of time. If you can maintain a HbA1c level between 4.9-5.1 percent, you are probably doing a good job getting enough polyphenols through diet and supplementation. If your HbA1c levels are higher, you may need to add more polyphenols to your diet. Why are Delphinidins "the Best of the Best"? Delphinidins have a unique structure compared to all other polyphenols that allow them to activate AMPK, giving them unique anti-inflammatory and anti-aging benefits. The richest source of delphinidins is the maqui berry, found only in the Patagonian region of Chile. The maqui berry has 14 times more delphinidins than blueberries whereas strawberries and raspberries have little to no delphinidins. The health benefits of maqui berry concentrate, rich in delphinidins, have been shown to help activate AMPK, the master switch that controls your metabolism. The increased activity of AMPK has been shown to help with appetite control, blood sugar support, lipid levels, reduction of inflammation, and the repair of damaged tissue. I consider delphinidins to be the “best of the best” in polyphenols to improve your metabolism. As part of your total polyphenol intake, I recommend aiming for about 75-100mg of delphinidins daily. Even a diet rich in fruits and vegetables will not contain those levels of delphinidins. Can You Get Enough Maqui in Fresh Berries, Freeze-Dried Powders or Juice? Polyphenol extracts significantly increase the levels of polyphenols and reduce their carbohydrate content. Extracts are more concentrated and purified than simply drinking fruit juice or consuming a dry powder made from fruit juice. With extracts, the dry powder is further processed to increase the polyphenol content significantly. For most purified extracts (such as MaquiRx), the final concentration step involves a complex purification process that produces a refined extract with about 40 percent of polyphenols by dry weight. Why MaquiRx®? MaquiRx® is composed of monomers of delphinidins, which can enter the blood more readily than other polyphenols, thus supporting the activation of AMPK. One capsule of MaquiRx has the same amount of delphinidins found in 48 glasses of red wine, 7 cups of blueberries, and 272 cups of raspberries.
HbA1c Blood Test: What to Know
We’re excited to offer the Hemoglobin A1C Blood Test as another valuable blood marker of your current wellness. To familiarize you with the power of this test, we sat with Dr. Sears this week to answer some questions. Here’s what he had to say. What is the Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) Blood Test? Glucose is a critical energy source for every organ in the body, especially the brain. However, if the glucose circulating in your bloodstream remains elevated over time, this excess glucose can cause damage to blood vessels and organ tissues. Your average long-term blood glucose levels are measured by a simple finger-stick blood test known as hemoglobin A1c. This is the primary test used to determine if you are developing diabetes or the extent of your existing diabetes, as it reflects your average blood glucose over the past three months. Does the HbA1c Blood Test Measure Only Blood Sugar? HbA1c is used primarily as a marker of blood sugar control, but it can also be used as a surrogate marker of the activation of AMPK. AMPK is the master switch of metabolism that controls your ability to repair damaged tissue. A pro-inflammatory diet inhibits AMPK activity. If AMPK activity is decreased, the cell cannot remove glucose from the blood, and HbA1c increases. Furthermore, maintaining elevated blood glucose inhibits AMPK activity, creating a positive feedback loop that further decreases your metabolism's efficacy. This reduces your immune function, causes the accumulation of stored body fat, makes it more difficult for injuries to heal, and accelerates aging. Understanding this linkage between HbA1c and wellness makes the knowledge of your current HbA1c one of the most critical numbers you need to know. If You Make Dietary Changes, How Soon Can You Expect to See Changes in your A1c? AMPK activity is under robust dietary control. Restricting calories by using the Zone Diet is one way to increase AMPK activity, as is increasing your intake of EPA and DHA from fish and fish oils. However, the most potent dietary intervention may be increasing your intake of polyphenols. Of the 8,000 known polyphenols, the most powerful to activate AMPK is a class known as delphinidins. Delphinidins are found in low concentrations in blueberries, red grapes, and red wine. However, delphinidins can be concentrated by special techniques to much higher levels. For example, one capsule of MaquiRx contains the same levels of delphinidin as found in consuming 48 glasses of red wine. Clinical studies have shown that using delphinidins can help lower HbA1c levels in 90 days. What is the ideal range for HbA1c? The ideal range of HbA1c should be between 4.9-5.1%. Although an HbA1c level of less than 5.7% is considered “normal,” it is high enough to inhibit AMPK activity, causing insulin resistance. Furthermore, an HbA1c level of 5.7% to 6.4% indicates the presence of prediabetes caused by significant insulin resistance. An HbA1c level greater than 6.5% indicates the existence of type 2 diabetes caused by severe insulin resistance. Once you have type 2 diabetes, you are four times more likely to develop heart disease and twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s. Therefore, many neurologists consider Alzheimer’s to be type 3 diabetes. What do you do if your HbA1c is below 4.9? Is that still good? For optimal health, you need to keep HbA1c in a zone. For example, if your HbA1c level is less than 4.9%, you may not have enough glucose in the blood to maintain optimal glucose levels for the brain, and mental fatigue will be likely. Is there a difference between doing a finger-stick blood test versus a venous puncture to measure HbA1c? A venous puncture to obtain the blood needed for the test will usually have a 0.1 percent lower HbA1c readout than the blood taken from a finger stick. How Does the Blood Test Process Work? The process for this test is very similar to our Cellular Inflammation Blood Test if you are familiar with that. The kit arrives at your door; you register your sample, do the finger stick test, and put it in the mail. Within 1-2 weeks, your results will be in your e-mail inbox. The difference between the two tests is that the HbA1c requires three total drops of blood to be analyzed, whereas the AA/EPA test only requires one. This test does not require an individual to be fasting. Have more questions for Dr. Sears? Drop them below!
The Zone Diet versus the Mediterranean Diet
For the past six years, the Mediterranean diet has been voted the Best Diet in America as well as the best diet to manage diabetes. It’s remarkable since no one can define the Mediterranean diet. No one knows how many calories you should consume each day or how many grams of protein or fat should be consumed daily on the Mediterranean diet. There is also no distinction between low-glycemic or high-glycemic carbohydrates, protein-to-carbohydrate balance, etc. It certainly doesn’t give a strong feeling of robust science for the best diet in America as I pointed out in my book, The Mediterranean Zone (1). Furthermore, the initial results indicating the breakthrough of the Mediterranean diet published in 2013 had to be retracted and republished because of severe methodological problems in the study (2). Nonetheless, the lack of good science doesn’t prevent the Mediterranean diet from being consistently voted the top diet for general health and diabetes management for the past six years. A new study presents much more controlled research that can be used to compare the benefits of the Mediterranean diet to the Zone diet (3). The study was a direct head-on comparison to the Zone diet, so it was a “winner take all.” The study was conducted in a metabolic ward in an Italian hospital where all the food was provided to the subjects. The subjects also had significant insulin resistance (HOMA-IR > 4). Since the subjects were confined to the hospital, their dietary intake was tightly monitored. The control group received a calorie-restricted Mediterranean diet (500 calories less than needed to maintain their current weight) consisting of 55 percent carbohydrates, 20 percent protein, and 25 percent fat. The active group had the same level of calorie restriction but it was composed of 40 percent carbohydrates, 30 percent protein, and 30 percent fat. Although the authors cite this higher protein diet as a “high-protein Mediterranean diet,” it was identical to the Zone diet I described in 1995 (4). Furthermore, it was a crossover study since halfway through the study, the diets the subjects were consuming were switched after ten days to reduce any potential impact of individual metabolic characteristics of the subjects on the results. The Results The Zone diet demonstrated superior insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia reductions compared to the Mediterranean diet. But there is more. The Zone diet also reduced the variability of blood glucose levels, indicating better hormonal stability between meals than the Mediterranean diet. This result was hardly new since Harvard investigators reported similar results after a single Zone meal compared to an isocaloric meal containing a higher level of carbohydrates and a lower level of protein in 1998 (5). In addition, the Zone diet is the primary dietary program used by the Joslin Diabetes Research Center at Harvard Medical School for treating type 2 diabetes. The reason is that the Zone diet is defined and, more importantly it works (6-9). So why don’t you hear more about the Zone diet in the medical research literature? I think the primary reason appears to be that the researchers wish to believe they came up with the idea of the macronutrient balance of the Zone diet all on their own, even though the Zone Diet was granted a U.S. patent for the treatment of hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance in 2000 (10). Furthermore, since more than six million books on the Zone diet have been sold in the United States since the publication of The Zone in 1995, it is not that no one has ever heard of the Zone diet. Another problem is understanding the underlying metabolic problem that causes what is loosely termed “insulin resistance. “ It’s insulin resistance that causes weight gain and diabetes. However, insulin resistance can be best understood as a general term to describe the disruption of your metabolism. Furthermore, insulin resistance is associated with many other chronic disease conditions other than obesity and type 2 diabetes. These other chronic diseases include heart disease and Alzheimer’s. However, the most likely molecular cause of insulin resistance is the inhibition of the master regulator of metabolism known as AMPK (11). To optimally activate AMPK, you need a dietary triad consisting of the calorie-restricted Zone diet coupled with adequate intakes of omega-3 fatty acids and polyphenols. This is the Zone Nutritional System. Each of these nutritional interventions works synergistically with each other to increase AMPK activity. Any single intervention is good but using all three simultaneously is powerful. The molecular mechanisms of their interactions are complicated, but nutrition is always more complex than simple pharmacology. References Sears B. The Mediterranean Zone. Ballantine Books. New York, NY (2014) Estruch R et al. “Retraction and Republication: Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease with a Mediterranean Diet. N Engl J Med 2013;368:1279-90 Retraction of Publication.” N Engl J Med. 378:2441-2442. doi: 10.1056/NEJMc1806491. (2018) Tettamanzi F et al. “A high-protein diet is more effective in improving insulin resistance and glycemic variability compared to a Mediterranean diet: A cross-over controlled inpatient dietary study. Nutrients 13:4380. doi: 10.3390/nu13124380. (2021) Sears B. The Zone. Regan Books. New York, NY (1995) Ludwig DS et al. “High glycemic index foods, overeating, and obesity.” Pediatrics 103:E26. doi: 10.1097/00008480-199908000-00005. (1999) Giusti J and Rizzott J. “Interpreting the Joslin Diabetes Center and Joslin Clinic clinical guideline for overweight and obese adults with type 2 diabetes.” Curr Diab Report 6:405-408. doi: 10.1007/s11892-006-0014-y. (2006) Hamdy O. “Diabetes weight management in clinical practice—the Why Wait model,” US Endocrinology 4:49–54. doi.org/10.17925/USE.2008.04.2.49. (2008) Hamdy O. and Carver C. “The Why WAIT program: improving clinical outcomes through weight management in type 2 diabetes.” Curr Diab Rep 8:413-420. doi: doi: 10.1007/s11892-008-0071-5. (2008) Hamdy O. et al. “Long-term effect of intensive lifestyle intervention on cardiovascular risk factors in patients with diabetes in real-world clinical practice: a 5-year longitudinal study.” BMJ Open Diabetes Res Care 5:e000259. doi: 10.1136/bmjdrc-2016-000259. (2017) Sears, B. “Method of and nutritional and pharmaceutical compositions for reduction of hyperinsulinemia.” U.S. Patent No. 6,140,304 (2000) Sears B and Saha A. “Dietary activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) to treat insulin resistance.” Evolving Concepts in Insulin Resistance doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.103787. (2022)
Q&A with Dr. Sears: Anti-Inflammatory Diets
Learning more about anti-inflammatory diets and AMPK can be a bit confusing. Luckily, Dr. Sears is here to provide valuable insights and answer your questions about these topics. In this blog, you'll get access to his Q&A session and learn more about how to achieve a healthier lifestyle through an anti-inflammatory diet and the importance of AMPK. So, let's jump right in and find out how these can help you create a healthier version of yourself!Q. What is an anti-inflammatory diet?A. The best definition of an anti-inflammatory diet is one that reduces insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is a general term for a disrupted metabolism caused by inflammation. Insulin resistance can be quantified by a blood test known as HOMA-IR. If the levels of HOMA-IR are less than one, then whatever diet you follow is an anti-inflammatory diet. Less than 1 percent of Americans have a HOMA-IR level of less than one. Q. What are the benefits of following an anti-inflammatory diet? A. Although an anti-inflammatory is defined as one that reduces insulin resistance, the real benefit is the activation of AMPK, which is the master regulator of metabolism in each of your nearly 40 trillion cells. It is inhibition of AMPK that is the driving force for the development of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer's, and many other chronic diseases. If you have no insulin resistance (your HOMA-IR is less than one), that is your surrogate marker that AMPK is optimized and your likelihood of developing many chronic diseases is dramatically reduced. Q. How can chronic inflammation affect your health?A. Chronic inflammation decreases the activity of AMPK which controls your metabolism. It is the efficiency of your metabolism that is required to supply energy to the cell, reduce the excess production of inflammatory mediators, like eicosanoids and cytokines, and repair damaged tissue. Q. How can you activate AMPK?A. There are three distinct dietary pathways to activate AMPK. These would include omega-3 fatty acids and polyphenols that are usually deficient in American diets, and the Zone Diet which is a highly defined anti-inflammatory calorie-restricted diet designed to activate AMPK. Anyone of the three is good, but they are highly synergistic when they are all working together. (You may also like: Everything you need to know about the Zone Diet)Q. What foods are pro-inflammatory?A. It is excess calories and too much glucose that will increase inflammation and inhibit AMPK activity. Consuming too many omega-6 fatty acids (e.g., corn oil, safflower oil, soybean oil) and palmitic acid (e.g., palm oil, meat, butter) will also induce inflammation and reduce AMPK activity.Q. Can you share some quick tips on how to adapt an anti-inflammatory diet to your specific needs/preferences? A. You need to consume omega-3 fatty acids, polyphenols and follow the Zone Diet, and simultaneously reduce your intake of foods known to promote inflammation like omega-6 fats. There are hundreds of recipes and helpful tips at www.ZoneLiving.com. The decrease in your HOMA-IR levels will be the clinical indication of your success. The subjective markers are reductions in excess body fat and greater physical and mental energy. Do this for lifetime, and you get healthy aging. Q. How Easy Is It To Measure AMPK activity and HOMA-IR?A. Measuring AMPK activity is incredibly difficult since it never leaves the cell. Therefore, you need a tissue sample to measure its activity. Fortunately, it is very easy to measure HOMA-IR. All you need is your fasting glucose and insulin levels and you put them into a simple equation. If your HOMA-IR is less than one, then your future is bright. If your HOMA-IR is greater than 2, your future is bleak. The average HOMA-IR of non-diabetic Americans is 2.7. However, it’s future you can rapidly change by following an anti-inflammatory diet. Have more questions for Dr. Sears? Drop them in the comments below!
DIY Zone Friendly Taco Night
There is a reason Taco Tuesday is popular because what is not to love about a good taco and all the sides that come with it. This is one night you can minimize the calories of eating out and do it all yourself. Did you know Mexican cuisine is Zone friendly since it focuses on lean protein, lots of vegetables, salsas, and sauces? Even though the menu options go beyond tacos, one of the best things about making this part of your weekly routine is that it is great for picky eaters since there are so many options to choose from. Plus if you like to entertain, a DIY Taco night is colorful and flavorful, easy to make, and a crowd-pleaser especially if you have a lot of dietary considerations; low-carb, vegetarian, gluten-free, kid-friendly! HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN TACO NIGHT Pick Your Protein Every Zone meal starts with lean protein so it makes sense this should be one of the focal points of your taco night, next to veggies of course. Grass-fed beef, grilled chicken, fish or Zone Orzo for a vegetarian option make for great choices. Don't forget to spice things up with cumin, chili powder, paprika, lime, or other seasonings of your choosing. Pick Your Carbs Veggies The ideal way to taco night would be to go with the taco salad. This is not the huge salad that sits inside a fried taco shell. This would be having your protein, veggies, and sides sitting on a bed of romaine or other greens. Whether you go with the taco salad or not, don't forget to add the veggies to your meal. Red onion, peppers, tomatoes, pico de galo, and lettuce make for great additions. Stachy Carbs: You can still enjoy tacos in a shell or wrap in the Zone but choose shells that have minimal ingredients (e.g. Trader Joes Taco Shells) and go for the small corn tortillas instead of the burrito size wraps. Just be mindful of the amount of starchy carbs. Two corn shells are a little over one Zone carbohydrate block and 2 small corn tortillas are about 2.5 carbs blocks in the Zone. Don't forget beans and Zone orzo also contribute to your carb allowance. Pick Your Fats Guacamole is the perfect complement to a taco or fresh avocado with a drizzle of olive oil dressing makes for a delicious salad. Just remember to keep your fats to primarily monounsaturated choices and if you want to use cheese or sour cream go for low-fat options and watch your portions. Make Your Own Taco Bar Have Your Pick- Taco Salad or Taco Shells Chopped Romaine/Greens or Corn Tortillas (Soft or Hard- be mindful of carbs) Stuff It Grass-Fed Beef, Grilled Chicken, Fish, Zone Orzo Top It Salsa, Guacamole, Lettuce, Pico de Galo, Red Onion, Peppers, Tomatoes, Low-fat Cheese, Low-Fat Sour Cream Side It Black beans, Tossed Salad, Zone Orzo You Might Also Like: Mexican Food Survival Guide Tell us if you like tacos as much as we do and what your favorite fixings are below.
Brain Boosting Foods
The foods we eat have a powerful impact on our cognitive performance. Everyone has those moments where it takes a bit longer to recall someone’s name, the location of our cell phone or car keys, or that feeling of being scattered and unfocused. There are various reasons this can happen, but as we age these moments become concerning that it could turn into something more. The good news is that our diet can be a powerful tool in helping to preserve and improve our memory and concentration. Imbalances in dietary fat intake, intake of inflammatory foods, or not getting enough fruits and vegetables all can increase the level of oxidative stress and inflammation in the body, thus impeding cognitive performance(1). Below are 7 brain boosting foods that have been clinically shown to improve cognitive health. See how your diet stacks up. Fatty Fish: Salmon, mackerel, sardines, and anchovies are fatty fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids, especially EPA and DHA. We know that omega-3s play a critical role in helping to reduce and resolve inflammation, stressing the importance of getting enough through the diet. Most of us don't get enough EPA and DHA. A recent study in the Journal Nutrients showed that a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids, specifically DHA, may play a role in the development of Alzheimer’s disease, especially in those who carry the ApoE4 gene (2). In the study, those who had the highest blood levels of DHA were 49% less likely than those with the least amount to develop Alzheimer’s Disease. If you think your intake of fish is falling short, it might be time to consider supplementation. Berries: Berries are rich in polyphenols which are known for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits. The polyphenols in berries have been shown to help modulate signaling pathways involved in inflammation and cell survival. They offer protection to the brain by helping to prevent age-related neurodegenerative diseases while improving motor and cognitive functions (3). Leafy Greens: Did you know just one serving of leafy greens per day has been shown to slow age-related cognitive decline? Consumption of green leafy vegetables and foods rich in phylloquinone, lutein, nitrate, folate, α-tocopherol, and kaempferol may be responsible for these benefits (4). It doesn’t take much to reach one serving. It could be 1 cup of raw arugula or mesclun greens of ½ cup cooked of collards, kale, or spinach. Walnuts: Walnuts help reduce inflammation and oxidative stress. They do this by reducing free radical formation and boosting antioxidant defenses, minimizing lipid and protein damage in the brain (5). Extra Virgin Olive Oil: The Mediterranean Diet has long been praised for its health benefits especially when it comes to brain health. Extra Virgin Olive Oil is a main component of this eating plan to which many of its benefits come from its phenolic compounds. One of the primary phenolic compounds in EVOO has been shown to have a positive impact on delaying cognitive decline in older adults (6). It’s important when consuming olive oil to make sure you choose one that is minimally processed and less refined like Extra Virgin Olive Oil. This ensures it retains the highest level of phenols. Cocoa: Studies have shown that consumption of cocoa, especially cocoa flavanols, can help reduce insulin resistance, improve blood flow, cognition and reduce inflammation through its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Shortly after consumption, studies have shown cocoa can help increase cerebral blood flow and oxygenation. In young adults, continuous consumption has been shown to improve cognitive performance and increase levels of neurotrophins (7). Herbs and Spices: Herbs and spices have been used for centuries for their medicinal purposes. Since they are rich sources of polyphenols they are a great way to gain the most health benefits out of the foods you eat. There are numerous studies on the benefits of spices and brain health, but cinnamon in particular, which is a spice that is easy to incorporate into foods, has been shown to enhance memory and make poor learners into good learners (8). High levels of free radicals and oxidative stress play a critical role in cognitive performance and the onset of many neurological conditions. This is where the intake of anti-inflammatory foods rich in omega-3s and polyphenols plays an essential role in brain health. These foods help to scavenge and neutralize free radicals and restore balance to our cells. References: Spencer, S.J., Korosi, A., Layé, S. et al. Food for thought: how nutrition impacts cognition and emotion. npj Sci Food 1, 7 (2017). Sala-Vila A, Satizabal CL, Tintle N, Melo van Lent D, Vasan RS, Beiser AS, Seshadri S, Harris WS. Red Blood Cell DHA Is Inversely Associated with Risk of Incident Alzheimer’s Disease and All-Cause Dementia: Framingham Offspring Study. Nutrients. 2022; 14(12):2408. Subash S, Essa MM, Al-Adawi S, Memon MA, Manivasagam T, Akbar M. Neuroprotective effects of berry fruits on neurodegenerative diseases. Neural Regen Res. 2014 Aug 15;9(16):1557-66. Morris MC, Wang Y, Barnes LL, Bennett DA, Dawson-Hughes B, Booth SL. Nutrients and bioactives in green leafy vegetables and cognitive decline: Prospective study. Neurology. 2018 Jan 16;90(3):e214-e222. Chauhan A, Chauhan V. Beneficial Effects of Walnuts on Cognition and Brain Health. Nutrients. 2020 Feb 20;12(2):550. Klimova B, Novotný M, Kuca K, Valis M. Effect Of An Extra-Virgin Olive Oil Intake On The Delay Of Cognitive Decline: Role Of Secoiridoid Oleuropein? Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2019 Oct 29;15:3033-3040. Journal Martín MA, Goya L, de Pascual-Teresa S. Effect of Cocoa and Cocoa Products on Cognitive Performance in Young Adults. Nutrients. 2020;12(12):3691. Published 2020 Nov 30. doi:10.3390/nu12123691 Modi KK, Rangasamy SB, Dasarathi S, Roy A, Pahan K. Cinnamon Converts Poor Learning Mice to Good Learners: Implications for Memory Improvement. J Neuroimmune Pharmacol. 2016 Dec;11(4):693-707.
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