Dr. Mercola Explains How Whey Protein Can Help Slow Down Aging

It has been one of man’s fervent wishes to find a way to slow down aging and increase longevity. Emperors and kings have searched for the fountain of youth throughout the centuries. Nowadays, doctors and scientists are continuing the quest in the laboratory, looking for the most effective methods to reverse the aging process.

Late last year, Dr. Joseph Mercola attended the 2009 Longevity Summit, which drew some of the world’s top anti-aging biologists and experts, including Sierra Sciences CEO Bill Andrews, PhD. Andrews gave a lecture on telomeres and their potential role in altering the aging process.

According to one theory, you age as your cells age and if you can find a way to delay the aging of your cells, you’ll be able to control your aging.

All cells contain a nucleus, which house the chromosomes that contain your genes. A chromosome has two “arms,” with each arm containing a single molecule DNA, which is composed of units called bases. A typical DNA molecule is approximately 100 million bases long. Telomeres are bundles of DNA located at the tip of each chromosome arm, and are similar to the plastic tips on shoelaces that keep them from unraveling.

A telomere is about 15,000 bases long at the moment of conception in the womb. Immediately after conception, your cells start dividing and your telomeres shorten each time cell division occurs. Once your telomeres are reduced to about 5,000 bases, you essentially die of old age (note: DNA molecules are about 100 million bases long).

Biologists have discovered that reproductive cells do not age and do experience the shortening of the telomere like somatic cells (all of the other cells in your body). This is because reproductive cells produce the enzyme telomerase.

Somatic cells do not produce telomerase but they do contain the gene for the production of telomerase. This gene is turned off, which causes the telomere shortening process and cell aging.


Whey Protein for Way Longer Life?

Sierra Sciences has screened more than 160,000 different chemicals, looking at their ability to turn on the telomerase gene and is closely studying 33 possible components of what is envisioned to be the first true anti-aging drug, which might be available within the next two decades.

Majority of the research in this field focuses on proprietary chemicals to stop telomere shortening but Dr. Mercola  has discovered that there are studies in progress showing that increasing the levels of glutathione (GSH) – your body’s main antioxidant – can provide similar results.

Mercola explains that you cannot directly ingest glutathione because it is produced from inside your cells by its precursor amino acids: glycine, glutamate and cystine. But you don’t necessarily have to take expensive glutathione supplements. Scientists at the Longevity Summit confirmed that you can increase your glutathione levels by modifying your diet.

The best way to increase and maintain your GSH levels is by eating foods which are high in the sulfur amino acids your cells need to synthesize glutathione. Consuming whey protein is one of the easiest and most convenient ways to do this.

Whey protein is one of Mercola’s favorite health products and superfoods because it provides many health benefits, including boosting your energy and helping promote your optimal intake of carbohydrates, essential fats and vitamins and minerals.

Just keep in mind that not all whey products are created equal. Your best bet would be to consume high quality whey protein from grass-fed cows, which also has to be carefully processed to preserve the glutathione precursors.

How Dangerous is Electrosmog?

Could you imagine life without electricity? Man has come a long way since Thomas Alva Edison switched on the first light bulb more than a hundred years ago. Aside from lighting, modern society relies on electricity to power communications, computation, heating and transportation, and can be expected to provide energy for more applications in the future.

But little did man know that the rollout of the electrical grid a century ago is contributing to many of the health problems that can impair and kill him.

With every application and every new electrical device, the electromagnetic spectrum is filled in far beyond what occurs in nature, resulting in what is known as electrosmog.

Electrosmog or electromagnetic field (EMF) pollution is the overabundance of man-made electromagnetic energy. The EMFs come from appliances, BlueTooth, cell phones, cell phone towers, electrical motors, power lines, radios, satellite dishes, television sets, transformers and WiFi.

The effects of electrosmog on human health have been a source of great controversy. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a draft report in the early 1990s recommending that EMFs be classified as a probable Class B carcinogen – the same level as formaldehyde and PCBs. However, pressure from lobbyists prevented the EPA from classifying EMFs as cancer-causing in the final revision of the report.

Not a few people thought Dr. Joseph Mercola and other concerned doctors and scientists were off their rockers when they started warning people about the dangers of EMF pollution. But Dr. Mercola raising the red flag on electrosmog is not a case of paranoia because more and more scientific evidence is linking the use of electricity to many health problems, including:

•    acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children
•    ADHD and Alzheimer’s disease
•    asthma
•    brain tumors
•    cardiovascular disease
•    hormonal imbalance
•    immune system dysfunction
•    malignant melanoma
•    sleep disorders

Your body can react to EMFs as a harmful invader, much like toxins and viruses, Mercola explains. Why? Because humans are electrical beings. Your cells and organs “talk” by means of finely tuned bio-electrical transmitters and receivers; it’s like tuning into a radio station. Your body is disturbed by electrosmog in the same way that static occurs when you expose a radio antenna to external noise.

While scientists have yet to pinpoint the actual “trigger” that causes health problems, there is more than enough evidence to show that EMF pollution is a contributing factor. It would be unwise for you to take this danger for granted.