Mark's Daily Apple

Resveratrol Does It Again

Seriously, how can we not love this stuff? The potent little antioxidant has been hailed for years as anti-inflammatory, anti-atherogenic and even anti-cancer. And, as for the cancer part, the news just keeps getting better. Research out of the University of Rochester Medical Center shows that resveratrol is doubly effective in treating the exceptionally problematic pancreatic cancer.

[Resveratrol] can help destroy pancreatic cancer cells by reaching to the cell’s core energy source, or mitochondria, and crippling its function. The discovery is critical because, like the cell nucleus, the mitochondria contains its own DNA and has the ability to continuously supply the cell with energy when functioning properly. Stopping the energy flow theoretically stops the cancer. …The new study also showed that when the pancreatic cancer cells were doubly assaulted — pre-treated with the antioxidant, resveratrol, and irradiated — the combination induced a type of cell death called apoptosis, an important goal of cancer therapy. In fact, the research suggests resveratrol not only reaches its intended target, injuring the nexus of malignant cells, but at the same time protects normal tissue from the harmful effects of radiation.

via Science Daily

Posted By: Worker Bee

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1,000 Posts!

That’s right. We’ve posted our one-thousandth blog post! (Actually, 1,065. We were so busy writing one-thousand sort of came and went without us even noticing.) We would like to use this as an opportunity to thank all of our readers for enjoying the ride with us. (Thank you!) It has been a labor of love – one we hope to continue for many more thousands of posts.

We’d also like to take this occasion to revisit all of the things we’ve been ranting about. Since October ‘06 we have covered everything from diabetes and the American healthcare system to fats, food, and fitness. View the Best Of and Most Popular Posts to reminisce, and check out some of our personal favorites if you are looking for even more nostalgia:

Posted By: Aaron

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Dear Mark: Mulling Multivitamins

Dear Mark,

I’m new to your blog and am interested in taking better care of my health. I’m changing my diet and want to start a multivitamin. I go to the store though and end up bewildered enough that I don’t end up buying anything. What am I supposed to be looking for?

Not surprisingly, I get a good number of questions about supplements. Since it’s a topic I’m obviously passionate about, I’m always happy to offer advice on what my research and experience have taught me about wise supplementation.

First off, I definitely recommend the kind of product you’re looking for: a core nutrient assurance. As you know, I’m all about a good diet – a great diet, in fact. But a great diet with strategic supplementation can offer optimum health benefits A few fundamental suggestions:

Posted By: Mark Sisson

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Dear Mark: Vegetarian Protein Possibilities

In response to last week’s “Encore on Omegas” post, reader dunim asked this question about alternative protein sources:

Mark, how can an active person who doesn’t eat meat or fish and wants to eat minimum soy get good quality protein? Would you suggest whey supplements in case the protein requirements are not met? How much whey is too much?

As everyone and their grandmothers know, I strongly advise a meat and fish eating diet for the most complete nutrition. That said, I know that vegetarians won’t die of protein deprivation. However, they need to make more of a concerted effort to get the full “family” of amino acid building blocks. There are 22 amino acids that the human body uses to manufacture muscle and other vital tissue. Together, these 22 are essential for the body’s repair and regeneration needs. For vegetarians, getting enough of all 22 amino acids generally entails consuming more protein-containing carbohydrates and more calories to get the full amount of necessary protein.

Posted By: Mark Sisson

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Dear Mark: Encore on Omegas

The posts involving omega-3s have spurred a lot of discussion and a good number of excellent questions. Thanks to Ed Parsons and company I thought I’d give more time to the topic and see if I can complete the picture a little more. Thank you for your comments and questions.

Dear Mark,

Can you give us some rules of thumb for getting into the 1:1 ratio ballpark? Should I be trying to hit the ratio for every meal, for each day, or by the week, or even over a longer time period?

Just to review, the hailed 1:1 ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids provides your body with the appropriate balance thought to keep inflammation at bay. I would advise making the ratio a priority each day. Targeting the ratio for every meal can get unnecessarily complicated, and longer spans like a week don’t take into account your body’s constant hormonal production, which is influenced by the fatty acids.

Posted By: Mark Sisson

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