LifeCare Chiropractic

The Best Chiropractic Care in Mesa, Arizona

elderly

A FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH IN A PILL?

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Subscribe to any internet supplement website or senior oriented publication and you will have your fair share of “articles” and advertisements on supplements that will reportedly turn back the hands of time. There is only surefire approach documented in the medical literature to extend lifespan in mammals.

Calorie restriction without nutrient restriction is, without a doubt, the most powerful tool to slow again. But by what method does this occur? Most of the evidence suggests that this approach increases the efficiency and number of the mitochondria in our cells. Regular readers know that the mitochondria, the little tiny factories inside of cells that generate ATP energy for the cell, are my favorite organelles and that I believe that preservation and support of the mitochondria is the holy grail of longevity.

Short of calorie restriction without nutrient restriction, there are many other ways to support the health and number of our mitochondria. One such method is to increase the body’s production of an antioxidant called glutathione.

Glutathione not only acts as an antioxidant, but also supports the detoxification of many of the heavy metals that enter our system. Taken orally, glutathione is not well absorbed, although in the form of reduced glutathione, it has been shown to increase levels of glutathione in the cells.

Another method is to increase the intake of the precursors that the body uses to make glutathione. The amino acids cysteine and glycine are known to do this. This particular study takes this concept further.

The authors evaluated the levels of glutathione in the red blood cells of elderly and young subjects and found that the elderly subjects had much lower levels of glutathione, lower levels of the precursors cysteine and glycine in addition to higher levels of oxidative stress (as measured by F2-isoprostanes).

After 2 weeks of supplementation with cysteine and glycine, the elderly subjects had almost double the levels of glutathione in their red blood cells and the cells’ production of glutathione increased by 230%, all in the context of lower levels of oxidative stress. Certainly a good thing.

So what does this mean? In our office we recommend a drink mix that is not only high in phytonutrients to protect our cells, but has whey protein. Whey protein is high in cysteine and has been shown to increase intracellular glutathione levels. We feel that the combination of these two aspects into a drink mix is a great combination to offer our patients.

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INFLAMMATION LEADS TO DEPRESSION IN ELDERLY

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Psychological problems seem to be everywhere in today’s society.  The knee jerk reaction is to medicate.  The problem with these drugs is that they really don’t hold up to well against placebo.  As a matter of fact, for the vast majority of patients, they are just plain ineffective.

Before we go into the gist of this article, we need to cover some basic neurochemistry.  There are certain amino acids that our body’s use to convert to neurotransmitters.  The most famous of which is probably tryptophan, which the body uses to convert to serotonin.  Tyrosine gets converted to epinephrine and norepinephrine (adrenaline) in the adrenals as well as dopamine in the dopaminergic cells of the brain.  Using this knowledge, you can actually use supplements containing tryrosine and / or 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) to help manage depression or anxiety.

This particular study takes an interesting look at what inflammation does to these amino acids in the elderly.  The enzyme indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) breaks down tryptophan, keeping it from being used to make serotonin.  Inflammation seem to speed up this enzyme, breaking down tryptophan before it can be used to produce serotonin and help the brain and our moods function better.

The enzyme guanosine-triphosphate-cyclohydrolase-1 (GTPCH1) is required to produce a compound called BH4, which the body then uses to produce, ultimately, tyrosine and the neurotransmitters noted above.

If all this seems a little too complex for dinner conversation, just remember that inflammation is a major player in much of what goes on in our bodies and brains.  Managing any concern or condition (in this particular case, psychological problems in the elderly) needs to incorporate methods to lower inflammation.

This means a plant based diet.  Lowering of omega-6 fatty acids and increased intakes of omega-3.  It means no processed foods.  Exercise.  Stress management.  The list is almost endless. 

The bottom line is that treatment of any psychological problem needs to encompass the entire body to be the most effective it can be.  Anything short of this is not good medicine.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006322310012783