Ultima Thule
1st February 2011, 19:23
Hi! This is my first real post here.
I have been for a few years trying to figure out what is essential in healthy bodily functions, and therefore in developing the body also in athletic sense. What immediately follows, is what does your body need for longevity, I trained intensely for over a decade and am currently focused on nutrition because of the consequences..
What ultimately directs my attention is my basis in chinese medicine and the theory of it. That makes the search interesting, you can be sure that if the ancient chinese said something, you will find substance to it.
I am going to keep this post as brief as possible, but the amount of information I am trying to incorporate here easily expands exponentially, so bear with me, Iīll try to stick to the level where most "bottlenecks" form..
Minerals
- on a cellular level you have several Yin-Yang pairs, Natrium(sodium/Na)-Potassium(Kalium/K) being essential one. They form so called Natrium-Potassium pump, where Na is passively transported from outside the cell to inside - from higher to lower concentration. Potassium does exactly the opposite. After that the Sodium-potassium-pump kicks in and with the power invested into it by ATP(adenosinetriphosphate) actively transports 3 sodium-ions back out for every 2 potassium-ions going back in the cell. SO YOU NEED BOTH OF THEM, we tend to use too much sodium but it is not unusual for people to have problems due to lack of sodium ie. from avoiding salt. The more you do, think and are stressed, the more impulses the cells receive from your central nervous system, and the more often they need to be able to produce ATP to power up the pump. Constant stress can and will wear your cells out. What generally is needed for the potassium to get inside the cell is:Calcium, Magnesium, Manganese, Silica, Q10 Ubikinon and enough energy from nutrition.
Typical setback for this groundwork would be using statins ie cholesterol-lowering drugs. While they inhibit the production of cholesterol in liver, they also inhibit at least partially the production of Q10 ubikinon, which is essential in the production of ATP - hence the usual muscle pains with statins. Trouble with this function can lead to tiredness, heartbeat irregularities, you name it.
Calcium-Magnesium: they are another important pair. Besides the obvious role of Calcium in developing healthy bone(where it needs essentially vitamin C, D, K2, Magnesium, Phosphorus among others and physical strain), Calcium is essential in functioning of the nerves and muscles. Magnesium plays also a part in nerve function and it is needed in muscle relaxation. Excess Calcium in ratio to Magnesium can do the same thing. Even if you have all the other minerals, but not enough Magnesium, you may end up with potassium not entering the cell, collagen not being produced properly, Calcium not being used properly etc. Lack of Magnesium is quite usual. Nutritionwise good sources are green plants, they contain chlorophyll, which shares identical molecular core-structure with hemoglobin, they differ in the green having magnesium ion in the center of four Nitrogen-ions, the red having Iron in the middle. Other good source is nuts and seeds. Magnesium requires manganese in the body to function properly. 2 thirds of u.s. citizens donīt meet the RDA, which in itself might be too low. Symptoms of Mg-deficiency range from high blood pressure, to heart symptoms, spasms, cramps, partially weakened immunity(low Mg hinders immunoglubolin-production) etc.
Mineral-summary: Calcium-Magnesium(optimal ratio 2,1:1), Potassium-Sodium. There are other very important minerals, Zinc, Chromium, Selenium, Manganese and several others, but to keep the story reasonably short I will just remind you that minerals are really IMPORTANT as electrolytes, ie they make basically water able to conduct electricity. If you all the time drink mineral-wise poorer water(possibly huge amounts of it), you end up leaking the minerals from your body. Drinking just distilled water basically kills you. Many of the longest-living populations drink mineral-rich waters, therefore making sure their bodies are able to conduct and hold on to electricity - energy. I encourage you to use wide spectrum source of minerals.
Vitamins
Vitamin A, eat liver now and then, if you donīt happen to be a vegetarian. Infant can store from mothers milk(if present there) vitamin A for the need of up to 20 years. It is therefore possible that you start to develope vitamin A deficiency in your thirties and wonder how it is possible with the same diet youīve been having for a decade. Betacarotene is provided in carrots for example, which is converted into vitamin A.
Vitamin B, a good general source in theory is chlorella, but a few tablets a day just wonīt do it, even with 50-100 capsules a day the amounts donīt meet even RDA, but I DO EXPECT the vitamins in a natural source to be more readily bioavailable than in a synthetic product. You need to use vitamin B complex, they must all be available for the body. Inositol, which formerly was one of vitamin b:s, is a possible good solution for malabsorption in the intestines(you take supplements, but they donīt seem to work), combined with Q10 ubikinon.
Vitamin C: HUGELY important. Because it is "old" news, it can easily be forgotten.
- essential for stresshormone production(cortisol, adrenaline) in adrenal gland. Without them your body cannoīt routinely alternate itīs hormone levels to basically wake you up in the morning, let alone react to stressful events. Bear in mind that cortisol is made from cholesterol
- humans donīt produce vitamin C, biosynthesis in almost all the other lifeforms makes vitamin C from glucose - hence perhaps your craving for sugar is a sign of vitamin C deficiency.
- essential for production of collagen with amino acids lycine and proline. Proline can be produced in the body, but lycine is one of the essential amino-acids.
- vitamin C works in the tryptophan-serotonin-conversion, lack of it can lead to lack of serotonin - what I consider to be the "carrier" of good vibes, not the source of them
- vitamin C is needed in the production of carnitin, which is needed when cells wanīt to utilize fat in their energy production, lack can lead to a decreased ability to utilize body fat
- antioxidant, in that role and in the collagen-producing work help to protect the walls of your arteries
Where you can easily see lack of vitamin C at work, is when you look at the stressed young generation. The small amount of vitamin C they get is quickly used by their adrenal glands because of irregular daily rhytm, hectic lifestyle, impulsive games, music and other forms of entertainment. This in turn leads to not being to produce collagen, burn fat etc., you get lack of muscle tone and strength, the knees tend to be weak, resulting in the legs forming x-shape.
Vitamin C is a must, preferably from food, but if it is stored, heated, it is in sunlight or in contact with oxygen, it wonīt last... I suggest anything from 1000mg and up daily from a supplement. If diarrhea occurs, take a little bit less, and avoid taking more than 500mg at one time. If taken in fluid form, maximum of 250-400mg can be absorbed in one time. Calcium aids in absorption. Vitamin C enhances Iron absorption, if you have really high Hb, you possibly need to think about not taking vitamin C at the same time with anything that contains Iron.
There are genetically different sub-groups of population, where approximately one fifth-quarter of westerners tend to be really bad in managing vitamin C(keeping it unoxidized), therefore needing a lot more of it than the next guy.. So in a family one member can suffice with 500mg and the other one needs 2500mg. The absolute minimum a completely healthy, unstressed body needs(utopia..) is about 250-300mg, the RDA is catastrophically low.
Vitamin D: a lot of talk lately. I suggest 50-100 micrograms daily, if you live in my "level", canada or northern states. Vitamin D is more like a hormone than vitamin, there is thread about it, so no more about that. A word of advice though: if you live in a country like Finland where you get 5 hours or less of light through the clouds during wintertime, donīt overdo it, take vitamin D in amounts that help you(so that you notice), but donīt use it to function round the clock during winter, or you end up harming your body. Vitamin D with Calcium and NGF, nerve growth factor adjust agrin, which in turn adjusts the alignment of muscle cells. Therefore vitamin D can increase muscle power if the muscle cells work in coherent direction and not against each other. In your body, vitamin D is produced from cholesterol.
Vitamin E: 20-30ml of olive-oil can do it, fat-soluble antioxidant, good to use.
moving on...
Essential amino-acids
There are 8-10 essential amino-acids(depending on whether histidine and arginine are counted in or considered semi-essential), which serve as basic LEGO-blocks for the body to produce thousands of different protein-structures.
Essential amino acids are:
phenylalanine, valine, threonine, tryptophan, isoleucine, methionine, leucine, lysine (and histidine, arginine)
Seems easy, but for a vegetarian, might be a hitch, you need to be mindful:
- corn lacks lycine(collagen production)
- grain lacks lycine
- soy lacks methionine, only fermented soy-products could be considered recommendable(and for a male soy is not a good choice anyway)
- lentils lack methionine and cystine, they are somewhat produced when you sprout them
Animal sources tend to be complete in amino-acid content. Arginine, which is essential for the production of NO, nitric-oxide, which is needed in the dilation of arteries(that is why you take a nitro under your tongue with angina pectoris). Almonds are a good source of arginine. Organic egg is a good choice in regards to amino acids! I myself use 3 raw eggs daily. I also heat the shells in the oven to get rid of possible salmonella, crush them and use them also. This has to with the mineral content, and also the membrane inside the crust, which is rich in so called essential sugars, or glyconutrients that Iīll get back to later on. Chlorella is also quite good source of amino acids! But you need to use enough of it.
Arginine for example stimulates growth hormone production, therefore aiding healing. It also is required for the function of immune system. Many of the amino acids take secondary or primary part in the formation of collagen structures, in almost all imaginable types of tissues in human body. Some of them have an effect on the production of conenzyme A, which plays a role in the production of essential glyconutrients(later..), they are essential in DNA/RNA etc. I hope you take your time and do the research yourself, it is not reasonable to present here.
Summary: you need to take care of your essential amino acids. This will not make sure that everything is okay, as liver is one of the most essential organs that make up different kinds of protein-combinations from them - if you are stressed, angry, depressed, anxious, use too much alcohol, get too much of toxic substances in the air etc., the liver just might not be able to do the work. Emotions are therefore as essential as are the amino acids.
Essential glyconutrients
In chinese medicine there is a concept called Jing. It is a material form of Qi, it is called also essence, therefore essential. It has to do with the basic constitution you inherit and it is supplied with your nutrition and managed by the way you life.
Material forms of this Jing are semen, egg, bile, bone marrow, cerebro-spinal fluid, the Jing is said to "fill the brain". This information has lead me to discover what are these substances: for sure omega 3 have to do with it, cholesterol DEFINITELY has a lot to do with this Jing. It is so sad, that we have this industry that has pushed cholesterol lowering drugs for decades that also inhibit cholesterol production in the brain, which is essential in the functioning of the brain synapses and the production of neurons. This in my opinion has been a major factor(not the only one though) leading to epidemic of alzheimers and dementia.
Until this far propably some of you have found no biggies in my summary, however I give you a salute if the next stuff is plain and obvious.
One thing lead to another in my search, when I tried to figure what substances might be in jeopardy when you get the symptoms of deficient Jing: poor memory, dizziness, weak lower back and knees, premature aging, weak bones, child growing slowly, hereditary diseases, weak sexual energy, infertility etc., More and more people live longer, but develope signs of aging way too young. I started to study so called essential glyconutrients.
In general they have to do with cell-communication, immunity, memory, the health of brain, the structures of the joints, including cartilage and the synovial fluid etc.
The problem with these is, that normal nutrition nowadays no longer supplies us with these. Some of them can be obtained quite easily, but for some, not anymore - do you eat your meat with the tendons, fascia, do you use bone, marrow and cartilage when you cook dinner, do you eat kidney, liver or heart?
Essential glyconutrients are:
1. Glucose
2. Mannose
3. Galactose
4. Fucose
5. N-Acetyl-Galactosamine
6. N-Acetyl-Glucosamine
7. N-Acetyl-Neuraminic Acid, also Sialic Acid
8. Xylose
Glucose is the basic form from which your body can produce the others, normal white sugar is glucose+fructose, lactose is glucose+galactose..Too much glucose is not good, the rest of the essential sugars actually are not sweet in flavor. Regarding glucose from nutrition, liver basically can produce all the glucose you need.
Mannose is absorbed quite slowly, it is antibacterial, antiviral, antiparasitic, antifungal. It is really efficient against esteria coli, for example in urinary tract infection. This is the reason why cranberries of aloe vera can help you with it. Exceptionally important in intracellular communication. Aids immune system. Mannose lowers triglyseride lewels, which actually have some causal relationship with heart-disease.
Can be found in aloe vera, shiitake mushroom, cranberries, eggplant, cabbage, tomato, green beans.
Galactose forms lactose with glucose. It is important in immunity, function of lungs, is important in memory. Substance called galactosylceramide which is derived from galactose is found in all nervous tissues, but can amount to 2% of the dry weight of grey matter and 12% of white matter of the brain.
Galactose activates natural-killer-cells, is important to kidney function, is essential in cellular communication, improves wound healing, is the chosen energy
form of sperm and seems to effect sperm formation, deficiency can lead to rheumatoid arthritis, colon cancer, LED, poor immunity etc.
Good source is non-homogenized milk product, unless you are lactose intolerant! Other sources include grapes, cranberries, apples, figs, cauliflower, broccoli, asparragus, rhubarb, bruccels sprout. I myself have am lactose-intolerant, which clearly has during 30 years led me to deficient in galactose. How about you? Actually lactose breaking down to glucose and galactose is not very ideal, they both compete of the same pathway, therefore making galactose challenging to digest.
Galactose is present in myelin sheath of the nerves - it glycolipids form 70-80% of the myelin sheath and galactose is by far the biggest contributor there. We are starting to get a picture of galactose deficiency being a possible contributor to different types of neurological diseases.
In general galactose is a most important one to have, because it is demanded in various processes - in brain matter, myelin sheath, hormone production and as the precursor to 6 other essential sugars and I am sure many other processes.
Dietary sources of galactose (in mg of Galactose per 100 grams of produce) are:
Dairy products
Fruit such as Apples (800), Apricot (600), Banana (200), Blackberries (1,000), Cherries (400), Cranberries (1,200), Currants (800), Dates (800), Grapes (300), Kiwi Fruit (700), Mango (1,700), Orange (1,600), Nectarine (1,100), Peach (1,300), Pear (600), Pineapple (700), Plums (2,600), Prunes (1,600), Raspberries (900), Rhubarb (1,500), Strawberries (500), Passionfruit (300)
Herbs such as Echinacea, Boswellia, Fenugreek, Chestnuts (2,700)
Vegetables such as Broccoli (2,700), Brussels Sprouts (4,100), Avocado, Cabbage (4,400), Carrot (3,400), Cauliflower (3,200), Celery (2,700), Cucumber (1,600), Potato (1,800), Eggplant (3,500), Tomatoes (1,600), Leeks (6,600), Asparagus (2,800), Lettuce (2,000), Green Beans (4,100), Mushrooms (not buttons) (1,100), Beetroot (1,100), Onions (4,500), Parsnip (2,200), Green Peas (800), Pumpkin (2,400), Spinach (1,400)
Fucose. Adjusts immunity, is amply present in mothers milk, activates nerve cells specialisation, adjusts nervecell growth, is involved in learning process and memory function, maintains healthy liver function, maintains healthy skin, helps treat cancer and rheumatoid arthiritis. Fucose is found in high consentrations in the nervous system, kidneys and testes, it functions in sperm production.Sources: kelp, wakame, shiitake, maitake, seeds, nutritional supplements.
N-Acetyl-Galactosamine Is often used in treatment of knee joint trouble and pain, because in many glucosamine supplements there exists also chondroitin sulfate which in metabolism breaks down to galactosamine. Galactosamine is a part in macrophages and neutrofiles, is used in cancer treatment, adjusts the function of the eyes, is present in retina, light receptors, optic nerve and eye pigment. Galactosamine can help synovial fluid regain its normal state in inflammation. Galactosamines main function concerning joints is forming chondroitin sulphate, which forms cartilage. Sources: cartilage, red algae, clams, shark fin, sour cream. This is one of the essential sugars that you usually develope a deficiency of - when you age, you can no longer synthesize it, and if you donīt eat your cartillage, you donīt get it. One medication that hinder or inhibit some of the procecces needed i for the synthesis of essential sugars in your body is surprising:aspirin, acetylsalicsylic acid, it inhibits normal function of acetyl coenzyme A which is(among MANY other things) essential in the production of these essential sugars. Huge amounts of people use it on a daily basis...
N-Acetyl-Glucosamine is propably the one that you have heard of - it is quite usual supplement for treatment of joint pain. It helps the immune system, it is present in thyroid, testes, liver, intestine. It is a part in so called glycoprotein structures(remember amino acids), which constitute cartilage, mucuous membranes, foremost itīs activity is connected to being a part of hyaluronic acid - a main ingredient in synovial fluid. It can also prevent the spreading of influenza-virus and herpes virus. It can be used in the treatment of chrons disease and ulcerative colitis. Sources: bovine cartilage, shark fin, shiitake. Improves insulin-production. Important for the function of thyroid. Interesting note is, that a product made out of egg shell membrane has proved out to be even more efficient - possibly because it provides other essential sugars as well.
N-Acetyl-Neuraminic Acid or Sialic Acid has to do with brain development, learning, memory. It is highly efficient agains influenza A and B. It is well provided in mothers milk, it is found in cerebrospinal fluid, brain, kidney, saliva etc. It inhibits the release of histamine, therefore it can ease asthma and allergic reactions. Adjusts immunefunction, is a major factor in the management of mucus, it manages the consistency of mucus in nasal tract, so that it can stop allergens and microbes as well as possible. Sources: eggs, kidney, brain, skin, whey protein isolate. During pregnancy it regulates the development of the fetus ja via breast feeding continues to do so after birth.
Xylose. Antibacterial, antifungal, adjusts the function of white blood cells, prevents cancers of intestines. Sources: aloe vera, birch sap, raspberry, okra, spinach, broccoli, peas, corn, cabbage, eggplant.
Summary: chinese donīt suggest wakame, shiitake, maitake and eating animals whole for nothing. One anecdotal evidence supporting the importance of essential glyconutrients was when I found a study which researched the composition of the birds nests that chinese have used eat in pursuit of longevity. Tha carbohydrates that are present, are mostly these essential sugars.
If you are fit, and you get the usual 2(glucose and galactose) out of these in sufficient amounts from your nutrition, you can produce the rest from there on. They share the same basic molecular structure, but have to go through up to 15 conversions, which is not energy efficient. So you should include them in your daily nutrition - the best you can.
I have found a few supplements that provide all of the eight essential sugars, but there are not many. If anyone is into NONI-juice, a good quality juice can to my knowledge provide 7 out of 8.
Someone has brought up bovine colostrum, which is definitely a good choice, it is not rich just in immunoglobulins but in these essential sugars as well - as is human mothers milk.
One example of the importance of essential sugars is that in 1 erythropoetin-molecule you have 9xMannose, 18xglucosamine, 3xfucose, 1xgalactosamine, 13xgalactose, 11xsialic acid with a long chain of aminoacids. (Check out the picture at: http://enfo.agt.bme.hu/drupal/sites/default/files/epo-structure.png ) Should you lack the ability to present your body with 100% the need from your own synthesis + nutrition combined, your capability to produce EPO -> red blood cells is compromised. All you need for trouble to come your way is you getting 99,9% of your needs met and after some time, your body will slowly begin to manifest symptoms - part of that is definitely normal aging, but if we can help ourselves some, letīs do it.
The essential sugars are present in all of the so called glycoprotein hormones, they are:
Follicle-stimulating hormone
Luteinizing hormone
Thyroid-stimulating hormone
Human chorionic gonadotropin
Alpha-fetoprotein
Erythropoietin (EPO)
These hormones have very much to do with reproduction in general, lack of essential sugars, in my opinion can lead to lack of ability to produce these hormones, which can lead to menstrual disorders, infertility, repeated miscarriages etc.
One important thing is that yes carbohydrates in the form of white sugar, or via consumption of starch (white bread, pasta etc.) in too great amounts(which is the way to do it in western hemisphere ;-) ) is not good for you, but on the other hand there are these LIFE-CHANGING important monosaccharides aka essential glyconutrients that are also carbohydrates.
CONCLUSION:
1. You need to have your minerals.
2. You need to have your vitamins.
3. You need to have your 8 essential amino acids + some
4. You need to have your 8 essential sugars
5. Essential oils, omega 3 and 6 in a correct ratio(more of 3 than 6). Use butter instead of "plastics"..
6. You donīt need anything that is processed heavily, my advice: cook your food from as scratch as you can, if possible grow it.
7. You donīt need to overeat, if possible under eat, it is better, worms live fifty times longer when they under eat. Eat simple meals and remember that with the food you also ingest whatever it is that you are feeling at the moment.
8. You need to manage your energy: emotions, your rhytm(daily, weekly, monthly, yearly and periods of life) according to your hereditary resources and of that moment and according to your surroundings(cold, warm, spring, autumn, pollution, electrosmog. etc.)
Thatīs what I have in a nutshell come up with so far. No one of these is more essential than the others. Lack of any one of these can really be a problem. I encourage everyone to study these things, Iīve covered only some sources for the substance, but on the other hand, not everyone can be interested in this, so I am glad to be of assistance if someone finds this post helpful. At least it is quite LONG...
If someone is into geometry and numerology, one could possibly have something to say in regards to why there are 8 basic blocks in two of the categories!
Yours Ultima Thule
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