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!
Polyphenols: Key Features to Look at When Supplementing
This week we are introducing the newest members of our polyphenol line CacaoRx and CacaoRx Plus. In this blog Dr. Sears takes us through the background on these products and the key features they had to have before being introduced to the marketplace. The Science We hear a lot about the health benefits of polyphenols, but in order to maximize these benefits they need to be absorbed into the blood. This is why the clinical data on polyphenols is still rather sparse because most of the 8,000 known polyphenols are virtually insoluble in water. What we do know from the published data is that the health benefits of polyphenols are dependent upon the concentration of polyphenols being consumed, their ability to be absorbed, and most importantly their safety. The polyphenols that have the greatest amount of clinical research to support their benefits are purified polyphenol extracts from cocoa and maqui berry. Extracts of cocoa polyphenols have been shown to help reduce insulin resistance and decrease blood pressure by improving blood flow (1,2). Extracts of maqui polyphenols have been shown to improve blood sugar levels as well as reduce oxidative stress (3,4). Both polyphenols reduce the oxidation of low density lipoprotein (LDL) particles as well as reduce oxidative stress which is major cause of unresolved inflammation (5,6). Concentration of Polyphenols Maqui: The primary polyphenols in the maqui berry are a special class known as delphinidins. Based on the unique structure of these delphinidins they are also one of the few polyphenols that can be absorbed intact into the blood (7). Although delphinidins are found in red wine and berries, the maqui berry has the highest concentration of these unique polyphenols. When we created MaquiRx, the purification technique used to produce it increased the concentration of the delphinidins to be 17 times greater than the starting material. This means one capsule of MaquiRx has more than 50 times the delphinidins than a glass of red wine. Cocoa: Only a small percentage of the polyphenols in cocoa can be directly absorbed into the blood based upon their structure (8). The lack of absorption of most cocoa polyphenols has numerous benefits for gut health based on their ability to nurture good bacteria and minimize bad bacteria. Cocoa polyphenols can reduce biofilm formation which is used by pathogenic bacteria to try to evade the immune system. As those biofilms are dissolved by cocoa polyphenols, the immune system can more easily eliminate the pathogenic bacteria. You would have to consume a greater amount of cocoa polyphenols than maqui polyphenols to get the same level of absorption into the blood. Even though absorption of cocoa polyphenols is low, the ones that are absorbed have been shown to help with improved blood flow, cognition, and reduction in insulin resistance. Purity and Safety The only way to get adequate levels of polyphenols to maximize their health benefits is to use purified extracts in addition to consuming a diet rich in non-starchy vegetables and fruits. This is why MaquiRx is the only polyphenol extract that has been purified by column chromatography. Purity concerns are even more important when it comes to cocoa polyphenols. Cocoa polyphenols have significant health benefits, but they often are contaminated with heavy metals such as cadmium. When we created our CacaoRx line, we developed a new technique to minimize the levels of cadmium in cocoa. Both our maqui and cocoa extracts have what is known as Generally Regarded As Safe (GRAS) status. GRAS status only comes after passing an external review of experts on the manufacturing and safety of a product allowing our purified polyphenols to be used as food ingredients in addition to a supplement form. Since both polyphenol extracts (MaquiRx and CacaoRx) have GRAS status we were able to incorporate them into our ZoneRx shakes and bars making these products the only bars and shakes containing polyphenols and still be considered a food, not a supplement. Convenience I recommend taking 1,000 to 1,500 mg of polyphenols per day through a combination of diet and supplementation. It is difficult to meet these amounts even when following the healthiest of diets. This is what led to the creation of our new line of cocoa products CacaoRx and CacaoRx Plus. These supplements use the same purified cocoa and maqui polyphenols found in our ZoneRx bars and shakes in capsule form. Now whether you use ZoneRx bars, ZoneRx shakes, or capsules containing CacaoRx or CacaoRx Plus you will be getting superior Zone nutrition with the greatest concentration, purity, safety and convenience you’ve come to expect from Zone Labs. References Grassi et al. Journal of Nutr 138: 1671 (2008) Ludovici V et al. Front Nutr 4:36 (2017) Alvarado et al. Panminerva Med. 58(3 Suppl 1):1-6 (2016) Alvarado et al. Biomed Res Int. 2016:9070537 (2016) Davinelli et al. Journal of the American College of Nutrition 34:No. S1, 28–33 (2015) Davinelli et al. Journal of Nutrition Biochemistry 61: 33-39 (2018) Schon et al. Nutrients 10: E1720 (2018) Rodriguez-Mateos et al. Amer J Clin Nutr 108: 1229 (2018)
AMPK Explained
If you haven’t heard, Dr. Sears has a new book arriving late summer called the Resolution Zone. One of the themes he writes about is how our bodies heal from injury or inflammation and how a key component in that repair process is activating an enzyme called AMPK. Based on the latest science, Dr. Sears believes activating AMPK is the secret to a longer and better life. AMPK is found in every cell in our body and is a genetic master switch that controls our metabolism. Since metabolism is the essence of life, activating AMPK becomes key to living longer and better. In this blog we’ll give you a quick overview on AMPK, the benefits of activating it and how you can naturally boost your levels to reap its benefits. What is AMP-Activated Protein Kinase (AMPK) AMPK, short for adenosine monophosphate activated protein kinase, is an enzyme found in our cells that plays a critical role in energy metabolism. Think of it as a master switch turning on and off as it regulates energy intake and energy expenditure. When our energy levels become low (e.g. exercise, stress, hunger), that is when AMPK is activated to help restore balance to our cells. Although its primary role is in energy metabolism it is becoming more clear that AMPK has even more benefits at the cellular level. Benefits of AMPK There are numerous benefits that come with activating AMPK: Increases metabolism- it helps convert sugar and fat into energy while decreasing hunger Reduces insulin resistance which is one of the culprits for weight gain Lowers triglyceride levels Normalizes glucose levels Increases blood flow Increases weight loss Increases longevity Decreases inflammation Helps with blood sugar control Helps support heart health Acts as an antioxidant Lifestyle and Dietary Habits that Can Increase the Levels of AMPK Boost the Intensity of Your Workouts: High intensity exercise depletes ATP and activates AMPK. This promotes new mitochondria (where ATP is made) and also helps to repair any damage that results from the intensity of the workout Bump Up Your Intake of Dietary Fiber: Studies have shown that water-soluble, dietary fiber (think oatmeal and apples) can enhance AMPK. This can aid in weight loss and improve lipid and glucose profiles. Curb Your Calories: Eating fewer calories makes fat cells release a hormone called adiponectin which activates AMPK in different tissues. Calorie restriction has been shown to minimize the risk for disease and slow down the aging process. This is the foundation of the Zone Diet. Watch Your Carbs: Consuming too many carbohydrates in your diet can spike the levels of a hormone call insulin. If uncontrolled, high levels of insulin over the long-term can lead to insulin resistance which has been shown to decrease AMPK levels Minimize Inflammation: High levels of inflammation directly inhibit AMPK activation. Foods rich in omega3s like fish and fish oil can help reduce this inflammation. Omega-3 have also been shown to increase the hormone adiponectin which activates AMPK. Get Your Polyphenols: Non-starchy vegetables and fruits are rich in polyphenols (and fiber!). Polyphenols are the chemicals that give fruits and vegetables their color, and can help activate AMPK. Lifestyle and Dietary Habits that Can Decrease the Levels of AMPK Here are some of dietary factors that can work against activating AMPK. Excess calorie intake: Eating too many calories immediately shuts down AMPK. Try to keep intake at any one meal to about 400 calories. Excess glucose intake: The vast majority of glucose in the diet comes from grains and starches. Consuming carbohydrate rich foods like these stops AMPK activity by increasing insulin, a hormone used to control blood sugar levels. Insulin resistance: When our bodies don’t respond properly to insulin it can build up in our blood and lead to a condition called insulin resistance. Elevated insulin levels are powerful inhibitor of AMPK. Ketogenic diets: Ketogenic diets, low carbohydrate, high fat dietary, have recently been linked to insulin resistance, an inhibitor of AMPK, and a risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Following a ketogenic diet makes our body not respond appropriately to insulin. Summary The science behind AMPK is incredibly complex, but as you’ll learn in the Resolution Zone using Pro-Resolution Nutrition (the Zone Diet, omega3s and polyphenols) makes it easier to reap the benefits of AMPK. By focusing on the dietary factors that promote AMPK activity while minimizing those known to decrease it these factors become key to living longer and better. {{cta('099356c2-4978-4ba9-af0c-49dc18772aa1')}}
Dr. Sears' Polyphenol Q & A
Dr. Sears answers some of the top questions we receive about polyphenols and what makes MaquiRx unique. What are Polyphenols? Polyphenols are complex phytochemicals produced by plants to offer them protection against the sun's radiation and to help defend against injuries induced by microbes or bacteria. Just like polyphenols protect plants, they protect us in a similar way by acting as antioxidants to help combat inflammation and aid in supporting immunity through their activation of key genes. They also play a key role in gut health by helping to defend against bad bacteria while increasing the production of good bacteria. What are the health benefits of consuming polyphenols? Polyphenols should be considered essential nutrients since we know they function as activators of key gene transcription factors such as AMP-Kinase and support the following benefits: What is responsible for all the benefits of polyphenols? Polyphenols, at adequate nutritional intakes, support the activation of AMP-Kinase. Think of AMP-kinase like a genetic master switch for your metabolism. The greater its activity the longer your health span. Which foods contain polyphenols? The more colorful the plant, generally the higher the polyphenol content. This is why fruits, especially berries, and vegetables are good sources of polyphenols. Nonetheless, the levels of polyphenols occurring in fruits and vegetables is only between 0.1 and 0.2 percent by weight. Polyphenols are also found in cocoa, legumes, spices, and plant derived beverages such as tea, coffee and wine. How much should people consume? The answer depends on your personal goals. There are reported benefits that come with consuming anywhere between 500mg to 1,500mg of polyphenols per day. I recommend aiming for a minimum of 1,000mg per day for general wellness. To give a sense of what 1,000mg of polyphenols per day looks like, it could be approximately 5 ½ cups of broccoli, 1 ½ cups of blueberries, 2 ¼ cups of strawberries, or a combination of various fruits and vegetables. A good rule of thumb is that consuming 10 servings of vegetables and fruits per day will provide about 1,000mg of polyphenols per day. Can you get enough polyphenols through your diet? Only 1 out of every 10 adults in the U.S. meets the recommended intake of fruits and vegetables (5 servings per day) let alone the 10 servings per day that I recommend. Unfortunately, the fruits and vegetables that are usually consumed tend to be high in carbohydrates and low in polyphenols. Examples would include bananas and potatoes that can rapidly increase blood sugar levels leading to increased insulin levels. This is why supplementing with purified polyphenol extracts will have the least adverse effect on blood sugar levels. Are some polyphenols better than others? Yes. There are about 8,000 known polyphenols from a wide variety of sources. I consider the best dietary sources are from the blueberry family. The polyphenols in the blueberry family include: American blueberries, Russian blueberries (bilberries), and the Patagonia blueberry (maqui berries). Maqui berries have the highest concentration of a subclass of polyphenols called delphinidins which are water-soluble, meaning they are more likely to get into the blood and have been shown to help support improved blood sugar levels and reduced oxidative stress in clinical studies. What is Maqui? Maqui Berry is the richest antioxidant source in the world, having three times more antioxidants than blackberries, blueberries, strawberries and raspberries. Furthermore, maqui berries are the richest known source of delphinidins. Why extracts over powder or juice? Polyphenol extracts significantly increase the levels of polyphenols and reduce their carbohydrate content. Extracts are more concentrated and purified than simply a juice or a dry powder made from a juice. With extracts, the dry powder of the fruits is further extracted to increase the polyphenol content. For the most purified extracts (such as MaquiRx), the final concentration step involves a complex purification process that produces a refined extract that has about a 40% concentration of polyphenols by dry weight. Such extracts from maqui berry have 14 times more delphinidins compared to common blueberries. Maqui berry extracts have been shown to help activate AMP-Kinase which plays a key role in energy balance and metabolism. Activation of AMP-Kinase is the genetic master switch that controls appetite, blood sugar, lipid levels, reduction of inflammation, and repair of damaged tissue. Research has shown that delphinidins in purified maqui extracts can enter the blood more easily than other polyphenols, thus supporting activation of AMP kinase. Is there a blood test to measure how many polyphenols I need? There is no specific test to measure polyphenols in the blood since their lifetime in the body is short. That said, there is a standard test you can take to gauge whether you are taking enough. This is called hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c). HbA1c is a measure of the circulating levels of blood glucose over a 3-month period of time. If you can maintain a HbA1c level between 4.9-5.1% you are probably doing a good job getting enough polyphenols through diet and supplementation. If your HbA1c levels are higher, you probably need to add more polyphenols to your diet. Dr. Sears recommends consuming 1000mg of polyphenols a day. Each maqui capsule supplies 120mg of polyphenols. Does that mean you need 8 capsules per day? No. Ideally your polyphenol intake should come from a combination of both food and supplementation. It really depends on how much you think you can consume in your diet. The more fruits and vegetables you consume following the Zone Diet, the less polyphenol extracts you need. When will people start seeing the benefits after they begin to supplement? Generally within 30 days of using MaquiRx you’ll begin to notice benefits in the improvement of your metabolism. Are there any side effects to supplementing with polyphenols? No, as long as the polyphenols are highly purified such as MaquiRx and you can keep your HbA1c in the desired range of 4.9-5.1% there will not be any issues. At lower levels of HbA1c there is the possibility that the body may increase the secretion of cortisol to increase blood sugar levels. This is common for individuals following ketogenic diets. How long do you have to take it? Polyphenols should be considered essential nutrients that must be supplied by the diet for a lifetime.{{cta('b55efb49-3acd-41bc-ac18-721609a63a24')}}
What Are Polyphenols and How Much You Need
Polyphenols are produced by plants to offer them protection from the suns radiation and to help defend against disease. They protect us in a similar way by acting as antioxidants to help combat everyday insults (UV radiation, cigarette smoke, free radical formation) to improving immunity through their activation of key genes. The amount of polyphenols in foods can vary widely depending on where they are grown, how they are cooked, and whether they are organic or produced conventionally. For optimal health, you need consistent consumption of very high levels of fruits and vegetables every day to maintain adequate intakes of polyphenols. Despite the health benefits of polyphenols, only 1 out of 10 adults meets the recommended intake of fruits and vegetables per day. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans and MyPlate encourage individuals to consume 1 ½ to 2 cups of fruit and 2 to 3 cups of vegetables per day as part of a healthy diet. That said, our intake doesn’t come close to that and the ones we do consume are less than ideal as they are higher in carbohydrates and lower in polyphenols. Bananas top the list for fresh fruit consumed and potatoes and tomatoes (technically a fruit) are the main vegetables we consume primarily in the form French fries and pizza sauce. When it comes to how many polyphenols you should consume, there are benefits ranging from intakes of 500mg to 1500mg per day. Dr. Sears would suggest aiming for a minimum of 1000mg per day. The concentration of polyphenols in vegetables (0.1% by weight) and fruits (0.2% by weight) can be low, requiring high levels of consumption. To give a sense of what 1000mg of polyphenols per day looks like, it could be approximately 12 cups of cauliflower, 1.5 cups of blueberries, or 3 glasses (~5 fluid ounces each) of red wine or some combination of various fruits and vegetables. Here’s what it would take to reach these levels in foods…. Since few Americans are taking in adequate levels of fruits and vegetables, following the Zone Diet can help you reach your goals. The use of purified polyphenol extracts rich in delphinidins makes it easier to consume adequate levels for the desired benefits you want to achieve. Starting your day with a Zone Shake for breakfast (250mg), a Zone bar for a snack (375mg), Zone pasta with vegetables for lunch (232mg) and a Zone sensible dinner (525mg) you'll be at almost 1400mg in a day with limited effort on your part. Plus if you want an added boost taking MaquiRx might be the additional push you need to hit 1500mg no problem. Below we have provided recipe cards for the above lunch and dinner suggestions. Check out the link at the bottom of this blog for hundreds of delicious Zone approved recipes for you to choose from to stay in the Zone all day long. Green Orzo Pasta : Instructions Bring chicken broth to a boil. Add Zone orzo and stir until broth is almost all absorbed, about 12 minutes. Add baby spinach and stir until liquid has been absorbed. Stir in garbanzo beans. Remove from heat and let cool. When cool, add scallions, parsley, lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Salmon and Spinach : Instructions Pour the balsamic vinegar and honey into a small saucepan; then bring to a boil. Cook over medium heat until the volume is reduced by half and a syrupy consistency is obtained, 5-7 minutes. Set aside. Prepare the spinach. Wash and drain rapidly then transfer to a saucepan without adding any water. The water trapped in the leaves after gentle shaking is enough to cook them. Add salt, cover and cook over high heat 3-4 minutes until the leaves wilt. Avoid overcooking, otherwise the spinach will become brownish. Transfer the spinach to a colander and press to remove excess water. Set aside. Lightly oil salmon on both sides. Heat a grooved, thick-bottom frying pan or a skillet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. When hot, add the fish, skin side down, and cook until the edges become opaque and lighter colored, about 5 minutes. Turn and cook an additional 3 minutes. Peel off the skin then season with salt and pepper. Check with a fork to see if it is cooked through. Transfer the spinach to warmed serving plate. Place the fish on top and drizzle with the balsamic syrup. Serve. Have a small cup of mandarin oranges for dessert. {{cta('297eb944-2751-46ba-b69b-897464cab474')}}
The Importance of Polyphenols in Athletic Performance
Within every cell in our body are ancient bacterial fragments called mitochondria. Essentially, the role of mitochondria is to take the food we eat and turn it into energy (a.k.a ATP). For an athlete, without adequate levels of ATP, muscles can’t contract, nor can they repair the damage done by exercise. The only way to make enough ATP is to make sure that adequate levels of oxygen are getting to the muscle cell and at the same time making sure the mitochondria in the muscle cells are working at peak efficiency to generate as much ATP as possible. Anything that increases ATP production will give the athlete a significant advantage over their competitors. Polyphenols and Performance The role of polyphenols in athletic performance is only now beginning to emerge. Polyphenols operate at several levels including gene activation which leads to increased mitochondrial efficiency and increased blood flow to deliver more oxygen to the mitochondria. In particular, replacing damaged mitochondria while simultaneously replacing them with newly synthesized mitochondria is a key function of polyphenols. Since mitochondria supply 85-95% of the energy to a muscle cell, the more efficient the mitochondria are, the greater the athletic performance. The Impact of Polyphenols on Recovery Times Polyphenols are the chemicals that give fruits and vegetables their color. They are also key components for gut health as they function as the primary guardians of the gut to defend it against pathogenic microbes. However, small levels of polyphenols can also enter into the blood. Once in the blood, they can become gene activators (1). In particular, they activate the gene transcription factors that cause the increased synthesis of specialized proteins. One of these gene transcription factors is Nrf2 known to increase the expression of anti-oxidative enzymes that are a 1000 times more powerful than standard anti-oxidants such as Vitamin C or Vitamin E in reducing excess free radical production. This is important for reducing delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). DOMS is the extended muscle pain and soreness due to injury that reduces strength until the muscle is finally healed. That takes time, and that is why you need increased recovery times the more intense you workout. The other gene transcription factor activated by polyphenols is AMP kinase. AMP kinase is the master switch for your metabolism. In particular, it is the key to replacing damaged mitochondria (mitophagy) and simultaneously replacing them with new ones (biogenesis). Since the cells in the body need ATP on a constant basis, this is equivalent to changing tires on your car while driving 60 miles an hour. It is only possible if AMP kinase is working at full efficiency. Another benefit of adequate levels of polyphenols in the blood is to increase blood flow by increasing nitric oxide (NO) production which increases oxygen transfer to the mitochondria for still greater ATP production (2). The mechanism of polyphenol-induced vasodilation appears to be via the enhanced conversion of dietary nitrates (primarily found in green leafy vegetables) into NO. The greater the number of hydroxyl groups on the polyphenol, the more efficient the conversion of dietary nitrate into NO (3). Thus the benefits of taking nitrate supplements such as beetroot juice (4) can be greatly enhanced in the presence of high levels of polyphenols. Why You Need Adequate Intake of Polyphenols for Performance This is all great news for the athlete. The bad news is that the bioavailability of polyphenols into the blood is low, and even if they enter the blood they are rapidly removed making their lifetime in the blood very short. This means to get the full benefits of polyphenols for sports performance, they have to be taken at high concentrations on a continual basis to maintain improved blood flow and optimal ATP production. Since the levels of polyphenols in fruits and vegetables is low (0.1 to 0.2% by weight), you would have to consume a minimum of 10 servings of fruits and vegetables per day to obtain the minimum levels of polyphenols required for enhanced sports performance. For many athletes, that sounds like Mission Impossible. Purification of Polyphenols Fortunately, polyphenols can be purified to high concentrations as extracts. Supplementation with polyphenol extracts may potentially achieve adequate levels of polyphenols in the blood to increase ATP production and decrease delayed muscle soreness. Not All Polyphenols Are the Same There are more than 8,000 known polyphenols, all different in structure. The most effective polyphenols fall into a general classes known as flavonoids. These polyphenols have a fused phenol ring structure that provides a unique spatial configuration to enhance their action to activate gene transcription factors. Furthermore, the number of hydroxyl groups in its structure determines the bioavailability of the polyphenol. The one group of flavonoid polyphenols that have the greatest bioavailability is delphindins, and they appear to be the only type of polyphenol that can be absorbed intact by the body (5). A rich source of delphinidins is blueberries. In particular the Maqui berry grown in the Patagonia region of Chile has the highest known concentration of delphinidins. In addition, the most studied flavonoid polyphenol for increasing blood flow are those from cocoa (6-8). Thus, combinations of Maqui and cocoa polyphenol extracts may provide the greatest potential for maximum impact in sports performance. How Many Polyphenols Do You Need For Performance? A lot. You need probably at least 1,000 mg of polyphenol extract per day. Furthermore, that total amount should also be spread evenly throughout day to maintain adequate levels of polyphenols in the blood. Frankly, no one is going to be taking capsules all day long to achieve that goal. This is why the most realistic way is the use of food products (bars) that not only supply necessary nutrients (you have to eat) to maintain stable blood sugars levels, but also supply the necessary levels of proven polyphenol extracts to constantly activate the genes needed for optimal athletic performance.{{cta('a9e96fff-3523-4d72-b761-29f9ef2a1279')}}References: Sears B. The Mediterranean Zone. Ballantine Books. New York, NY (2014) Lundberg JO et al. “Strategies to increase nitric oxide signaling in cardiovascular disease.” Nat Rev Drug Dis 14: 623-641 (2015) Rocha SA et al. “Dietary nitrate in nitric oxide biology.” Curr Drug Targets 12: 1351-1363 (2011) Wylie LJ et al. “Beetroot juice and exercise: Pharmacodynamic and dose-response relationships.” J Appl Physiol 115: 325-336 (2103) Matsumoto H et al. “Orally administered delphinidin 3-rutinoside and cyanidin 3-rutinoside are directly absorbed in rats and humans and appear in the blood as the intact forms.” J Agric Food Chem 49: 1546-1551 (2001) Schroeter H et al. “(-)-Epicatechin mediates beneficial effects of flavanol-rich cocoa on vascular function in humans.” Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 103: 1024-1029 (2006) Heiss C et al. “Endothelial function, nitric oxide and cocoa flavanols.” J Cardiovasc Pharmacol 47 Suppl 2:S128-135 (2006) Desideri G et al. “Benefits in cognitive function, blood pressure, and insulin resistance through cocoa flavanol consumption in elderly subjects with mild cognitive impairment: the Cocoa, Cognition, and Aging (CoCoA) study.” Hypertension 60:794-801 (2012)
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