Let us add more years to life and more healthy life to years . . .

A close friend from California who was 65 years old weighed 275 pounds, had high blood pressure, frequent attacks of gout, back pain, and had diabetes. One day, Vincent realized that he had a choice: either he could depend on at least seven prescribed medications and resign himself to old age and inactivity, or he could take charge of his life by making healthy eating and lifestyle choices. Thankfully, Vincent chose to make healthy choices.

The process was difficult and slow at first, but he stuck with it. He started eating well and exercising. He ended up losing 80 pounds, the gout attacks stopped, his back pain disappeared and blood sugar normalized. Vincent is now 89 years old, but his body is biologically like that of a 60+ year old. His story shows that it is never too late to reverse your medical conditions and live a healthy life!

Our aging population is relatively low compared to the 89 countries struggling with the aging tsunami. The elderly will comprise only 4.1% of the total population by 2015. About 91% of older adults have a least one chronic condition, and 73% have at least two and take multiple medications. The elderly respond to treatments and medications differently than younger persons.

 

What causes us to age?

 

Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs)

 

The glycation process was first described in 1912, and approximately 100 years later few people in the general population know about its destructive capabilities. It is now time to help the general community understand how AGEs are formed and what impact they have on aging and degenerative diseases. To start, we need to look at proteins and sugar.

Proteins are essential for life because they serve two critical roles. First, proteins provide structure for the body. One such structural protein is collagen, which accounts for approximately one third of your body’s total protein. It is found in skin, muscles, organs and vascular structures, and provides elasticity and cohesion to these structures. Second, proteins are necessary to form enzymes that enable all life-sustaining biochemical reactions occurring within your body. Sugar, a simple carbohydrate, provides energy your cells need. When properly controlled, proteins and sugars can interact without causing damage to the body.

As you age, your structural proteins are damaged by a process known as glycation. This process is an uncontrolled reaction between proteins and sugars that significantly alters the structure and function of proteins. In this process, a sugar molecule attaches to a protein molecule and forms a non-functioning structure called Advanced Glycation End products (AGEs). This means that the protein and sugar can no longer do what your body needs them to do, but instead they damage other cells. Research over the last 20 years has implicated AGEs in most of the diseases associated with aging: Alzheimer’s disease, Cancer, Heart disease, Type II diabetes, Kidney disorders, Atherosclerosis, High blood pressure, Stroke, Visual impairment, Skin disorders.

Because proteins are present throughout the body, the destructive capacity of Advanced Glycation End products is enormous. Understanding how to prevent the formation of AGEs is critical to slowing the aging process and reducing the risk for degenerative diseases.

 

Two Primary Sources for AGEs

 

There are two primary sources for Advanced Glycation End products. The first source is the food we eat. The browning of food is a cooking technique that helps to give desirable flavor to food. It is achieved by heating or cooking sugars with proteins in the absence of water, and in this process AGEs are formed. Since grains, vegetables, fruits and meat all have proteins, this browning effect is an indication of AGEs. It is estimated that 30% of food-borne AGEs are absorbed when ingested.

The second source for Advanced Glycation End products happens inside your body through normal metabolism and aging. Carbohydrates, either simple or complex, are absorbed by your body to affect your blood sugar levels. Most of your blood sugar goes to providing the energy your body needs to properly function. However, a small proportion of your blood sugar is glycated to form AGEs.

Because of chronically elevated blood sugar levels, diabetics consistently face the challenge of AGEs. Unfortunately, this problem has now become an issue for the general population. Over the past 30 years, sugar consumption has increased dramatically. Simple sugars like fructose and galactose (milk sugar) undergo glycation at about 10 times a higher rate than glucose. Most sweeteners today are approximately 50% fructose or a fructose derivative.

We cannot stop the march of time, but we can help equip you with important information and practical tips that empower you to live the rest of your life with robust wellbeing and vitality. But, just like, Vincent you need to choose. With our health, the best time to take care of ourselves is before anything goes wrong. The choice is yours.

Meanwhile, here is the Green Secret’s “Fountain of Youth” juice. (Make sure to scrub and wash all ingredients well before juicing). It is a MUST to use organic ingredients only.

½ sugar beet
3 stems malunggai
½ cup pineapple
1 inch turmeric
3 calamansi (juice)

Juice all ingredients in your masticating juicer. Stir and serve at room temperature or chilled, as desired.

For more information or questions, email me at [email protected]. Thank you IAJ WELLNESS for making this information public.

 

Christine E.V. Gonzalez is a doctor of naturopathic medicine and holds PhDs
in holistic nutrition and natural medicine. LLM (MS Environmental Laws & Labor)
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