What is the aging process? It turns out that it's not just one but several processes and we'll touch on several of them in this series. Chronic long term inflamation damages all of our cells including our blood vessels and brain. Contrary to popular belief not all inflamation is bad. Our bodies use inflamation to kill bacteria, viruses and even cancer cells. As we get older the fine balance between good and bad inflamation is lost or diminshed leading to the signs of aging. Science has a term for this and calls it inflamaging.
Inflammation is so important you should know your numbers. The blood test is called C reactive protein or CRP. Keep this number under 3.
What can we do if our levels are above 3? Take anti-inflammatory drugs? Turns out long term aspirin use does show some very impressive protective effects against some of these deadly diseases. What these studies don't talk about is the negative side of anti-inflammatory drugs. They can be especially hard on your gut, kidneys, liver and eyes.
Fortunately, there are natural products that have potent anti-inflammatory properties without the side effects. The king of these is fish oil, an omega 3 fatty acid. It ranks number 2 on my supplement list behind vitamin D. Other supplements that reduce inflammation are DHEA, Vitamin E, and Vitamin K. By the way Vitamin K is incredibly important. Science may show it to be the next vitamin D in its positive effects.
There is another substance that not only reduces inflamation but restores the balance between good and bad inflamatory responses. It is the oil from black cummin seeds. This is very exciting news for those of us that want to be proactive regarding our health.
Remember I'm still only talking about supplements. The most important weapon in your anti-aging arsenal is your diet, a complex subject I'll cover in more detail in another installment.
Fish oil should be on your family's must list of supplements. Scientific studies have shown fish oil reduces cardiac deaths by 28% as well as 36% reduction death from all causes. That translates to 250,000 fewer cardiac events with an overall health care cost reduction of 30%. Combine that with a 25% reduction in health care costs with Vitamin D and we are talking about over a trillion dollars in direct savings to our health care costs. Are you listening Mr. President? Congress?
Not all fish oils are the same. Never use one that is out of date. A very popular brand is Omega Swirl by Barleans. It is 10 times better absorbed than normal fish oil supplements and has a great flavor. Another on my list is Krill oil due to the exceptional anti-oxidant benefits it possesses.
Fish oil not only reduces your risk of cardiac events but it benefits your brain, liver, skin, immune system, joints and mood. It is a huge winner.
Sincerely,
Charles Hough DC