AGE Defying Nutrients Which Ones Can Help You

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" AGE " - Defying Nutrients: Which Ones Can Help You

By Allen S. Josephs, M.D.

President, Vitacost.com

06/29/2006

 

Coming upon new information is such an enjoyable thing. As I was

preparing for this week's newsletter, I came across a review article

in the June 2006 edition of Diabetes Care concerning advanced

glycation end products1. These products, otherwise known as AGEs, are

formed within the body, especially in individuals with increased

blood sugar, and have been widely implicated in the development of

poor cardiovascular, nerve, kidney and vision health.

 

AGEs appear to form in the body when an elevation of glucose occurs

and the glucose cross links with healthy proteins, causing damage to

cells and proteins. They have also been implicated in progressive

memory impairment. In fact, the most effective way to accelerate

aging in animals, and humans for that matter, is to increase blood

sugar levels and AGEs (something I don't recommend unless you're a

scientist conducting an animal study). We frequently take in these

harmful AGEs in our diet. High-temperature cooking, such as grilling,

frying and roasting, significantly increases AGE levels. Cooking food

at lower temperature for shorter times and with higher water content,

such as boiling and steaming, generally produces lower AGE levels.

AGE levels appear to be highest in meat and animal food products.

Preventing these AGE products from forming can be achieved by

optimizing blood sugar and, as noted above, avoiding foods with high

AGE levels.

 

There are several particular nutrients that appear to have beneficial

effects for reducing AGEs and protecting healthy cells. Two of the

most powerful nutrients are alpha lipoic acid and benfotiamine.

Benfotiamine is a highly-bioavailable lipid form of vitamin B1

(thiamine) that's currently available in the U.S. as a dietary

supplement. Both benfotiamine and high-dose thiamine have been shown

to reduce AGE formation. According to the article, both of these

nutrients decrease oxidative stress, inhibit protein kinase C

activation and have other positive effects on AGE formation.

 

But what I was so delighted to discover was that benfotiamine has

been successfully utilized in individuals with poor peripheral nerve

health. In a study published in the International Journal Clinical

Pharmacology and Therapeutics last year, 40 patients with a history

of poor peripheral nerve health were randomized in a placebo

controlled, double-blind study2. Half of the patients received 100 mg

benfotiamine tablets four times daily while 20 patients received

placebo over a three-week study period. At the end of this rather

short trial there was significant improvement in nerve health in

those given benfotiamine compared to placebo. The most pronounced

effect was a decrease in pain. This beneficial effect has been shown

in animal studies as well. Other studies indicate benfotiamine and

thiamine are beneficial for promoting heart and cardiovascular

health.

 

There are over 2,000 studies published about alpha lipoic acid, many

of them about its powerful antioxidant effects, protecting cells from

AGEs and free radicals. A recent study indicates when alpha lipoic

acid is combined with the amino acid carnitine, there are clear

benefits for protecting the " power plants " of the cell, called

mitochondria. As we age, free radicals increase and mitochondria

dysfunction, causing cells to die. It appears elevations of blood

sugar dramatically increase this aging process. I also highly

recommend Nutraceutical Sciences Institute's (NSI®) new patent-

pending superior ToCoQ10™ for benefiting mitochondrial health by

providing both fuel and antioxidant protection.

 

Another interesting study that came to light recently was published

in the Journal of National Cancer Institute June 20063. Researchers

from the University of Colorado studied a compound derived from milk

thistle. Mice were injected with chemicals to induce growth of

abnormal cells within the lungs. They were then given a diet

containing various amounts of this milk thistle derivative. It was

found that those mice given the milk thistle-containing diets had

smaller amounts of abnormal cell development within the lungs,

reducing incidence by 93% in mice that received the highest

percentage of milk thistle compared to those given none.

 

There was another interesting study recently published in the journal

Nutrition and Metabolism regarding low-carbohydrate diets4. In the

study out of Sweden, 31 obese patients with elevated blood sugar were

signed to receive either a low-carbohydrate diet containing 20% carbs

or a continuation of their normal diet, containing 55% to 60% carbs.

Both diets, however, were equal in total calories of approximately

1800 for men and 1600 for women. After six months, subjects eating

the low-carb diet had an average weight loss of almost 30 pounds

whereas the subjects eating a normal diet reported weight loss of

only about nine pounds. Additionally, researchers measured a

particular blood marker called hemoglobin A1C and found, on average,

it dropped from 8% to 6.6% in the low-carb group, whereas in the

normal-diet group, it dropped by only 0.9%. Measuring A1C is actually

the best way to measure for damage caused by AGEs as I discussed

earlier. Elevations of AGEs are linked to poor cardiovascular, nerve,

kidney and vision health. Clearly the low-carb diet has proven safe

and beneficial in at least five human studies now. I do recommend you

choose healthy low-carb foods such as broccoli and wild salmon versus

prime rib and bacon. I discuss the foods that heal and the foods that

kill extensively in my book, Natural Cures from a Real Medical Doctor.

 

Finally, I would like to mention another beneficial study regarding

omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil. In this study trial, published in

the June 2006 edition of the American Journal of Psychiatry, 28

children with a poor mood between the ages of 6 to 12 years old were

to randomly receive omega-3 fatty acids or placebo5. The study was

conducted for a total of sixteen weeks. 20 children remained in the

study for at least one month and were included in the analysis. It

was found, at the conclusion of the study, that 7 out of 10 children

in the omega-3 group had a reduction in their poor mood scores for

more than 50% whereas none of the children in the placebo group noted

this reduction.

 

For many years I have been recommending a combination of acetyl-L-

carnitine (ALC) and alpha lipoic acid (ALA) to my patients who have

poor peripheral nerve health. The optimal dosage is 2,000 mg of ALC

and 1,200 mg of ALA. I now plan to start recommending benfotiamine as

well, based on the published medical studies.

 

Obviously, I can't say enough good things about fish oil and omega-3

fatty acids, where the studies keep showing up positive one after

another. In fact there are over 9,400 studies published on omega-3s.

I highly recommend the Mega EFA product from NSI® which provides

1,063 mg of pharmaceutical-grade, molecularly-distilled fish oil

providing 400 mg of EPA and 200 mg of DHA for each soft gel. I

recommend two per day. Many products contain about half of this level

per softgel and you must take two or three softgels to equal what one

Mega EFA provides. As a result you may need to take four to six per

day of the poorer-quality product. For those that do not like to or

cannot swallow softgels NSI® has launched a lemon-flavored liquid

version with each ½ teaspoon serving providing 2,300 mg of the same

quality fish oil, providing about 750 mg of EPA and DHA combined.

Many other liquids use a much lower potency and quality fish oil, and

you must take 1 teaspoon to equal what a ½ teaspoon of the NSI®

product provides.

 

We recently introduced a benfotiamine product as well. Each capsule

contains 150 mg of benfotiamine. A bottle of 240 capsules costs less

than $25. NSI® also has a vast selection of alpha lipoic acid

products, I recommend 300 to 1,200 mg per day.

 

1. Amy G. Huebschmann, Judith G. Regensteiner, Helen Vlassara, and

Jane E.B. Reusch. Diabetes and Advanced Glycoxidation End Products.

Diabetes Care 2006 29: 1420-1432.

2.Haupt E, Ledermann H, Kopcke W. Benfotiamine in the treatment of

diabetic polyneuropathy--a three-week randomized, controlled pilot

study (BEDIP study). Int J Clin Pharmacol Ther. 2005 Jun;43(6):304.

3. Rana P. Singh, Gagan Deep, Manesh Chittezhath, Manjinder Kaur,

Lori D. Dwyer-Nield, Alvin M. Malkinson, and Rajesh Agarwal. Effect

of Silibinin on the Growth and Progression of Primary Lung Tumors in

Mice. J Natl Cancer Inst 2006; 98: 846-855.

4. Nielsen, J., Joensson, E. Low-carbohydrate diet in type 2

diabetes. Stable improvement of bodyweight and glycemic control

during 22 months follow-up. Nutrition & Metabolism 2006, 3:22.

5. Hanah Nemets, Boris Nemets, Alan Apter, Ziva Bracha, and R.H.

Belmaker. Omega-3 Treatment of Childhood Depression: A Controlled,

Double-Blind Pilot Study. Am J Psychiatr 2006 163: 1098-1100.