Posts Tagged ‘energy’

Coenzyme Q10 is the must have nutrient. This is an oil-soluble vitamin type substance present primarily in the mitochondria. It participates in aerobic cellular respiration, and generating energy. The organs with high energy requirements are both the heart and liver. They need the high concentrations of CoQ10 to work properly. Coenzyme Q10 is required for your cells to produce enough energy to synthesize adenosine triphosphate (ATP).  Immune function needs a large amount of cellular energy (ATP) to mount a defense against foreign invaders. There is no substitute for CoQ10.

The levels of Q10 decline with age. There are a number of studies that prove the immune support of CoQ10. Aging alone accounts for a lower immune response. Natural killer cells are dependent on CoQ10, along with other nutrients to fend off viruses. Coenzyme Q10 is lower in people taking statin drugs. It is one of the adverse side effects. It is thought to be one of the reasons statin drugs do not perform as expected. They can put a heart patient in danger, because the heart muscle depends on CoQ10 to function properly. Heart patients struggle with low energy levels. Satins have adverse side effects and one of them is the lowering of cellular energy.

The benefits of CoQ10 are being studied. There seems to be evidence that it works well for hypertension. People with high blood pressure have lower levels of CoQ10 than normal. There is good scientific evidence that it helps with controlling high blood pressure. The Mayo Clinic has some research that shows this. People with congestive heart failure have lower levels of CoQ10. It may help protect the heart from heart-damaging side effects of cancer drugs.

Coenzyme Q10 is recognized as a therapeutic agent in Japan, and Europe, but is not as widely used in the United States. Dr. Peter Langsioen MD, FACC and some others think the reason is one of politics and finance. This is a natural product, and can’t as such be patented. For this reason there is no incentive for pharmaceutical companies to research its value.

Since it is an effective treatment for cardiovascular disease, and other age related conditions, seniors should be tested for CoQ10 levels. Most seniors are told that a low fat diet is the right one for them. A low fat diet is not only ineffective, it causes weight gain. It is a diet that is high in processed food. Those are the foods high in carbohydrates and sugar. The diet that makes the most sense is one based on whole foods as nature intended. Coenzyme Q10 is fat soluble and poorly absorbed. Essential fatty acids improve absorption.

The highest food source of CoQ10 is in fatty fish and meat. Our bodies produce some CoQ10, and the rest is synthesized from food. The foods that supply the highest amounts are sardines, mackerel, beef liver, beef heart, and the meat from beef and lamb. The gain fed beef that we buy in the supper markets are not the best source of coenzyme Q10. The organs of grass-fed beef have 10 times more CoQ10 than grain fed beef. If your dinner consists of wild game or grass fed beef you will be maintaining a good level of coenzyme Q10 into your senior years.

Sedentary lifestyle’s risks are well known.  Yet, if you ask people what they are afraid of, it will usually consist of things that can harm them.  On that list, you will not hear many say, inactivity. The problem is because people think in immediate terms.  Physical inactivity presents one of the biggest dangers to both adults and children in the 21^st century.

Steven Blair a professor of exercise science and epidemiology at the University of South Carolina’s Arnold School of Public Health, called Americans’ physical inactivity “the biggest public health problem of the 21^st century.”  Steven Blair is an authority on exercise and its benefits, and was the senior scientific editor for the report that came out in the 1990’s on the U.S. Surgeon General’s Report on Physical Activity and Health.

Physical activity does not mean gym workouts; we are talking about house and yard work.  We are talking health hazards, fitness levels are a predictor of health status.  Longevity is associated with physical activity, not necessarily gym memberships.  Walking alone makes a difference, gardening, golfing, swimming, as well as moving around in ways that use some muscles.  There is evidence that people including children are not even moderately fit.

There is research that shows people who are fit have far fewer health problems as they age.  Also, they get the privilege of reaching their senior years, while enjoying a higher quality of life.  The benefits of exercise reduces cognitive decline, it improves mobility, and  lifts depression.  Throught technology has benefited our lives, it has also stolen our lives.  It has held us captive to both the desk, and couch.  Industrialized societies cut the workout out of work.  The solution is so simple, that it seems to elude us.  Use it or loss it never was never truer, yet we think it applies to everything but physical activity.  American businesses are beginning to recognize the health benefits of exercise.  It has an impact on the health of their employees, with better job attendance, and a higher level of performance.

The all or nothing philosophy does not apply to physical activity.  Week- end warriors, gym rats, and muscle building zealots have made exercise a  complex time consuming activity.  In plain terms it is moving around and doing activities that require using different muscles and oxygenating our cells.  That is what generations before did without thinking about it.  The hard working generations had people reach old age without needing hip replacements, bypass operations, and numerous other infirmities treated.

The previous generations were strong, and many reached near the century mark in relative good health.  What the medical community has done is save people from infections and congenial conditions.  This means statistically we look like we have a longer and healthier life.  In reality they extent the lifespan by cut and paste, and that does not give us good health.

Sedentary lifestyle’s risks are too numerous to list.  It affects everything from the ability to get around, cholesterol levels, diabetes, high blood pressure, and cognitive function.  Movement energizes the life-force that goes through all your systems, and brings you a vibrant life.

ENERGY SUPPLY

The human cell is the source of the body’s energy supply; it’s what keeps us going. When the cells are not functioning at their peak you can not have optimal health, energy, or vitality. When the cell loses some of their ability to function at peak performance, which means to produce enough energy for the body, degenerative conditions starts to appear.

VITALITY

The human cell produces the energy that is called vitality, which helps make you resist stress. Good nutrition supplies the cells with the needed material to perform their job of producing an energy supply. This is the prime reason that Americans are facing so many health challenges. Our diet does not provide the needed requirements for cellular energy.

MITOCHONDRIA

Understanding how diet affects your cells, and ultimately your energy level would change the way you face health challenges. The mitochondria are the real power production plant of the cell. There could be hundreds of these in a cell; their work is to facilitate cellular respiration, which is where they transform oxygen and nutrients into energy and water. Mitochondria are considered the power generators of the cell; they convert oxygen and nutrients into adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to be exact.  ATP is the chemical energy “currency” of the cell that powers the cell’s metabolic activities.

ATP

ATP helps you operate At Total Power. There is some evidence that malfunctioning mitochondria could explain Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, Cancer and other condition.  Mitochondrial function is involved in aging. With aging you loss power, cells experience an energy loss. Mitochondria help cells produce more ATP than they could otherwise, this amount of energy is needed for humans to survive.

ATP is used as a source of chemical energy. Mitochondria are also involved in other processes; cellular differentiation, it controls the cell cycle and cell growth, and other cellular functions. The one place you have power over this function is in nutrition. Cellular nutrition is one of the ways to ensure you operate at total power. By boosting the cells energy, you actually will be providing the nutrients to the cell, and making sure your body systems are supported.

CELLULAR NUTRITON

At this point we are not talking about RDA or recommended daily allowance of each nutrient. If this was enough we would be preventing a number of the chronic degenerative conditions that are so prevalent today. Cellular nutrition is the way to an active and healthy life. It is both preventative and curative. Curative in the sense that you are being providing what you need so your body can do its job; this is what the cure word means in the true sense.