Nutrition Corner
by Theresa Tsingis, DCMS

A Dozen Ways to Age Well

"The idea is to die young as late as possible." – Ashley Montagu

To further the chances of the above occurring, here are ways to stay vibrant, strong, flexible, and slow down the incidence of disease. My following suggestions are simple and can be added to your daily life with a minimum of expense:

1. Improve absorption of the food you eat – After age 50, digestive enzyme production decreases, and supplementation may be wise. When food passes through the digestive tract, the opportunity for nutrient absorption is brief. If food is not digested, nutrients aren't absorbed and deficiencies can occur. Full-spectrum digestive enzymes can be taken at low doses with large meals of the day to prevent this.
2. Lower blood pressure – This can be done through stress reduction, exercise, the intake of omega 3 fats, lower salt intake, biofeedback, and medication. It's important to lower blood pressure in order to decrease strain to the cardiovascular system. In a recent meta-analysis, garlic was found to decrease systolic blood pressure. Consult with your doctor.
3. Lower cholesterol – Besides statin drugs, there are a number of ways to lower cholesterol. Fiber can help, since it pulls cholesterol out of the body during digestion. Ground flax and psyllium are good forms of fiber. Flax has been shown to reduce the incidence of colon cancer.
4. Prevent vitamin B deficiencies – Deficiencies occur from age, alcohol intake, stress, and enzyme defects. Vitamin B12 can be given in the form of inexpensive injections, and can be helpful with maintaining cognitive function during and after stressful incidences. B complex is helpful for a variety of conditions.
5. Increase omega 3 fat intake – These fats help mood, memory, cardiovascular health, reduce inflammation, and they beautify skin, hair and nails. 1,200 mg. of EPA and 800 mg. DHA are standard adult dosages; this may vary depending on your personal history.
6. Monitor vitamin D levels – This fat-soluble vitamin is essential for bone quality, and has antidepressant and anti-cancer functions. Many people have low Vit. D levels, and it is common over age 50. The name of the blood test is 25-hydroxy Vitamin D. Also, there are genetic tests which can detect low Vit. D receptors. A person low in receptors can benefit from higher than average doses of Vitamin D. (Do not take high dosages of D if you have kidney disease.)
7. Add fiber – Fiber helps lower cholesterol, and can prevent constipation and colon cancer. Fruits, vegetables, beans, peas, lentils and unrefined grains are the best source of fiber; refined foods made of wheat and sugar are not.
8. Avoid/Limit refined carbohydrates – While I was earning my master's degree in nutrition, I learned that there are no "essential carbohydrates". The "3 whites" – white flour, white sugar, and salt, promote deterioration, not nutrition.
9. Exercise – This is one of the main ways to stay young in later years. There are many ways to stay active – walking, hiking, yoga, weight lifting, swimming, classes in dance, jazzercise, aerobics. The choice is up to you, and depending on your level of ability and interests, they are abundant.
10. Stretch – Staying flexible is probably one of the main pursuits ignored until it is significantly decreased. Stretching improves coordination, which can save one from falling, losing grip of objects, and strains and sprains.
11. Manage stress – Find an avocation; take a vacation. Stay connected to others by volunteering, become a mentor, call and email friends and family often. In essence, do not isolate. Don't underestimate your value and the importance of connection with others.
12. Have adventures – Outdoor travel, indoor exploration – it's up to you. Be creative. Express yourself. Try new things. Research shows that those who continue to learn keep brain cells healthy.

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Summer Heat, Sports and Nutrition

"When you're thirsty it's too late to think about digging a well" – Japanese Proverb

Summer includes outdoor activities, but the fun can fade if some basic mistakes observed. Headaches, heat stroke, sunburns, dehydration, muscle cramps and fatigue are just some side effects of sun exposure.

These symptoms can easily be avoided with the following precautions:

Drink Water & Fluids
Most people are slightly dehydrated, especially when coffee and alcohol are consumed daily. It's a little known fact that fluid losses of as small as 2% of body mass cause changes in body temperature. Unfortunately, the sensation of thirst often lags behind the hydration levels needed for health and good athletic performance.

Water may be an adequate replacement fluid for shorter events, but for longer ones a good electrolyte, carbohydrate and protein replacement drink is best. Studies show that "pre-exercise hyper-hydration" can improve endurance and performance. (However it is also harmful to drink excessive water, which can cause a dangerous condition known as hyponatremia.)

How much is enough and not too much? If urine output is low and the color is dark, dehydration is probably occurring. If it is light yellow and there is no weight loss of more than 2% after exercise, fluid intake is probably adequate. Weight gain after exercise and symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, headache and malaise are symptoms of hyponatremia, which demands medical attention. Electrolyte sports drinks can balance body fluids and help maintain energy. Some of those drinks are healthier than others (Hint – look for ingredient lists without dyes, artificial flavors and colors). The key here is moderation.

Take Magnesium
Magnesium plays a critical part in over 300 chemical reactions in the body! Most people don't consume enough to optimally maintain those metabolic processes. Some symptoms of magnesium deficiency are: migraines, muscle cramps, joint pain, palpitations, premenstrual tension and anxiety. Exercise further depletes magnesium stores, but most drinks don't include it. Furthermore, the average American diet is deficient since magnesium is found in only small amounts in nuts, seeds, vegetables and whole grains.

The solution? – supplement with an absorbable form such as magnesium glycinate, aspartate or chelated magnesium. When inspecting a supplement, note that "elemental magnesium" is the relevant ingredient. Taking 400 to 600 mg. of elemental magnesium in divided doses can prevent deficiencies. Please consult with a nutritionist or medical doctor if you have any pre-existing conditions.

Eat Protein
When necessary, muscles break down during exercise and are converted to sugar for the brain's energy supplies. Muscle tissue can provide up to 10% of the energy for exercise if not prevented. To avoid this, supplement with small amounts of amino acids in a sports beverage, for example.

Among the preferred forms are "branched-chain amino acids" (valine, leucine, and isoleucine) which readily convert into fuel and help spare muscle breakdown. In the critical 2-hour period after exercise, studies have shown that refueling with both carbs and protein results in significantly greater muscle gain and recovery than with carbs alone.

Other considerations regarding muscle building and repair include the body's ability to digest protein. If one of your exercise goals is muscle building and you aren't getting results, digestive enzymes may help. Nutrients can't help if they're not digested.

Summer fun makes for great memories. "Summertime and the living is easy" will apply to your next 8 weeks if you keep yourself healthy with these nutrition pointers. Enjoy!

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Cholesterol and the Liver

Ever since cholesterol levels became associated with heart disease, it has gotten a bad name. Cholesterol is vitally important to the body for sex hormone production, fat digestion (it makes bile), membrane structural support and nerve impulses. Cholesterol helps cells to communicate and retain their shape and function. Low cholesterol is dangerous to physical and mental health, as witnessed by early cholesterol-lowering studies which resulted in increased suicide levels.

So why the bum rap?
Since it is waxy and acts as a protective coating, cholesterol is laid down in inflamed arteries. The liver makes more than 80% of the body's cholesterol, and diet usually plays a minor contribution compared to the liver's own intrinsic cholesterol production. The underlying problems regarding cholesterol and heart disease are actually the inflammatory states which the arteries developed via lifestyle, diet and genetic inheritance.

Lifestyle directly affects the liver. How does it do this?
Your lifestyle influences which enzymes and hormones the liver must make in response to the stimuli from the outside environment. You liver's one mission is to keep you living, and in order to do that it must maintain brain blood sugar levels and produce the hormone cortisol in response to stress.

Remember fright, flight or fight responses? – they can be in response to "paper tigers", "lay-offs", deadlines, the economy ... When the body perceives a threat the liver responds accordingly and shunts its energy towards survival, increasing heart rate, decreasing digestion, limiting detoxification of unwanted molecules, and lowering sexual function. Because of these "threats" the liver sends signals to the immune system, gut, nervous and circulatory systems to ensure high survival-related vigilance.

In my opinion this shunts liver function away from maintenance of cholesterol and sex steroid levels. In addition, cortisol inflames blood vessels amongst other effects, so the cholesterol that is produced must travel to the vessel, coating it in a protective gesture. This goal of protection eventually backfires in the form of plaque breakage, clot formation and vessel obstruction, leading to heart attacks and chronic heart disease.

So, when considering nutrition and lifestyle, consider your liver.
A sound nutrition program includes an approach that improves liver function when it is found to be imbalanced. A functional medicine practitioner takes liver function into account whenever there are symptoms and especially with high cholesterol and triglyceride levels. It may not be enough to eat well and exercise, even though that is a good start.