Exciting Anti-Aging Research: Bergamot Stimulated AMPK Release May Keep Your Body Healthy ADVERTISEMENT

12/07/2015

This article is sponsored by Nutri Lifescience. The actual content and opinions in the article, including any and all scientific research references, are the sole view of Joseph who is the publisher and administrator of Living Fit, Healthy and Happy(SM). I maintain full editorial independence even when hosting sponsored content. The information presented below is not endorsed by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), or any other government agency. The content in this sponsored article and elsewhere on Living Fit, Healthy and Happy(SM) is for educational purposes only, and is not intended to substitute for medical advice, treatment or diagnosis.

Joseph

Declining health and increased vulnerability to disease are characteristics of aging. In many ways this seems almost paradoxical - with advances in medical science comes the promise of longevity and indeed people are enjoying longer lives, but over time the body gradually loses vigor. It's not uncommon for elderly people to be afflicted with at least of one the following ailments:

obesity
diabetes
arthritis
stroke
cardiovascular disease

Although medical science has yet to understand precisely how the human body enters a state of physical decline, we do know that part of the reason is a gradual loss of cellular energy and with it, increased susceptibility to internal and external stressors.

In this article, I'm going to talk about some of the stressors and how supplementing your diet with bergamot may help your body to remain healthy for a longer period of time.

Aging and Metabolism

God has given us a set amount of time to live; at present He does not want these bodies to continue indefinitely. Therefore He incorporated an almost incalculable number of mechanisms into the functioning of the human body, their interaction can keep the internal machinery running smoothly i.e. prolonged health or fall into a state of illness and eventual death.

To get a better appreciation of this, I'm going to tell you some interesting facts about the physiology and biochemistry that we rely on every second of our lives.

The human body is amazingly designed, it's composed of trillions of living cells and each of them is equipped with internal machinery and the ability to regulate itself and to regulate and be regulated by other cells.

We should think of cells as living machines and as with any machine, they require a battery, a steady supply of fuel and a means to remove excess waste.

Food is the fuel of the body; in the stomach and small intestine, food is digested i.e. broken into chemicals which are eventually transported to each cell. From there the fuel is used by the cells for energy.

Mitochondia are the cellular batteries that I mentioned above. You maybe surprised to know that our cells "breathe". Mitochondria use oxygen from cellular respiration to produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP is a high energy molecule; when it is used up, ATP is broken down to adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and eventually adenosine monophosphate (AMP). AMP is the "end of the line" so to speak, the cell would be out of energy if it were left with only AMP.

Fortunately, the body produces 5'adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) which is a special chemical that makes good use of AMP.

One of the functions of AMPK is to recognize when cells are running low on ATP.

When ATP is low, AMPK helps stimulate production of more ATP through a variety of mechanisms including:

fatty acid oxidation - breaking down fat for energy
glycolysis - converting stored glucose for energy
increased synthesis of a protein that transports glucose across cell membranes
increased production of mitochondrial enzymes involved in the production of oxygen carrier molecule

Unfortunately, we gradually lose energy as we age. Although aging is a natural part of living, some of its consequences can be very problematic, because they can lead to metabolic syndrome and with it a host of potentially deadly illnesses.

Metabolic Syndrome - the Killer Within

Metabolic syndrome is a name given to a condition that encompasses a variety of inter-related illnesses. I've written several articles discussing its potential danger to the human body. In short, people diagnosed with metabolic syndrome often have the following ailments:

obesity
type 2 diabetes
high cholesterol
high blood pressure
inflammation

Each of the above illnesses are serious in and of themselves, but imagine how much more deadly they are when a person is afflicted with all of them. Even worse, fatty liver disease - a condition wherein the liver accumulates excess fat - often accompanies metabolic syndrome.

Does this mean that we are destined to be destroyed by this affliction? Not necessarily.

AMPK and Bergamot May Hinder Metabolic Syndrome

Medical scientists have been devoting a great deal of study to finding ways to combat age-related illnesses. Recently research teams have discovered that bergomot polypehlic fraction (BPF) can work with AMPK to combat the effects of metabolic syndrome.

AMPK and bergomot polypehlic fraction (BPF) can improve metabolic syndrome in a variety of ways:

in terms of the pancreas, liver, heart, healthy weight management, and free radicals from Reactive Oxygen Species-

The pancreas is an organ that produces insulin in response to glucose that is produced by the liver. One of insulin's jobs is to tell cells to open up so the glucose can enter. When the level of serum glucose increases, so does insulin output from the pancreas. Eventually this can lead to insulin resistance, a condition whereby cells start to ignore the signals from insulin which causes more glucose to accumulate in the bloodstream which triggers more insulin from the pancreas. This feedback loop then creates a situation that we in science refer to as a "snowball effect."

Imagine that you've placed a little snowball at the top of a snow covered hill. Now you roll that snowball down the hill. The snowball gets larger as it rolls downhill because more snow sticks to it. By the time you reach the bottom of the hill, you've got a huge snowball.

This is what can happen if insulin resistance goes unchecked. Gradually it may develop into full blown diabetes.

AMPK helps the cells accept glucose. This will reduce the strain on the liver. Bergomot polyphenols also assist in glucose uptake into cells.

Metabolic syndrome can also cause the liver to accumulate large amounts of fat leading to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD). If something isn't done to reverse the process, it will eventually kill you. In fact the condition is linked to the life-threatening ailment cirrhosis.

AMPK prevents the liver from collecting too much fat (triglycerides) and stimulates fatty acid oxidation. This is an example where oxidation is a good thing, wherein it helps the body use fat for energy.

Although the precise mechanism hasn't been discovered, a study of patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease has found that BPF improves lipid profile. The patients experienced improved high density lipoprotein (HDL) and lower low density lipoprotein (LDL) and serum cholesterol. Thus, bergomot polyphenolic fraction also prevents NAFLD.

By helping glucose uptake, the enzyme also eases the work of the pancreas. When the pancreas is overworked it may become scarred, inflammed or develop other problems. In fact, inflammation is one of the hallmarks of metabolic syndrome, pancreatitis and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

There are also benefits to heart health; risk for heart attack and stroke increase when the body has too much LDL, and unhealthy cholesterol. AMPK and bergamot polyphenol effects on fatty acid oxidation (as I discussed above) may improve cardiovascular health thereby reducing the risk of stroke and heart attacks.

AMPK and bergamot polyphenolic fraction may be helpful for healthy weight management, too. Bergamot activates AMPK, and AMPK stimulates cellular metabolism. When your body is using more energy, less of it will be stored as body fat.

AMPK stimulates mitochondia to make cellular energy but one of the drawbacks of this important process is production of leftover oxygen molecules or Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS). Free radicals create oxidative stress which cause cellular aging and eventual death. Polyphenols have been shown to combat oxidative stress thereby inhibiting this by-product of cellular metabolism.

Bergamot Polyphenolic Fraction Activates AMPK Naturally

Medical science has sought many remedies for the treatment of metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes. Metformin is one such medication; it is a man-made pharmacological agent that helps lower blood sugar levels. It is also a very powerful AMPK activator.

Interestingly, bergomot polyphenolic fraction is a natural activator of AMPK. It's important to point out that metformin is manufactured by the pharmaceutical industry, and only pharmaceutical companies are authorized to make claims about a medicine's ability to cure disease. But for people who are seeking natural ways to keep healthy and reduce their risk for developing metabolic syndrome, bergamot polyphenolic fraction is an option.

Bergamonte vegetarian capsules which are distributed by Nutri Lifescience are made from bergamot citrus fruit and contain the bergamot polyphenolic fraction that I talked about in this article.

Read my sponsored article Got Bad Cholesterol? Try Bergamonte from Nutri Lifescience to learn more about this remarkable gluten-free health supplement. Buy your very own bottle of 60 Bergamonte vegetarian capsules today!

Summary

Aging populations are susceptible to metabolic syndrome which can have a detrimental effect on quality and quantity of life. Fortunately, God has created the human body to be able to make use of food for fuel and provided numerous mechanisms to help the body function efficiently.

AMPK is an enzyme that is manufactured by every cell of the body and is involved in energy production for cellular metabolism. Therefore, AMPK is a chemical that can have a positive effect on metabolic syndrome because it is necessary for health and longevity i.e. it slows down the aging process.

Bergamot polyphenolic fraction are chemicals that come directly from bergamot citrus fruit. Bergamot polyphenolic fraction is a natural activator of AMPK, thus bergamot polyphenolic fraction may also help slow down the effects of aging.

Health supplements should not be mistaken for medicinal drugs that would be prescribed by physicians for treatment of any given disease.

***Disclaimer: This article is not endorsed by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). People should consult their physician before making changes to their diet. The content in this sponsored article and elsewhere on Living Fit, Healthy and Happy_(SM) is for informational purposes only, and is not intended to substitute for medical advice, treatment or diagnosis. People should consult their physician before making changes to their diet.

***Like us on Facebook!!!***

I'm living fit, healthy and happy_(SM). Are you?

Article References

Shirwany, N., & Zou, M. (2010). AMPK in cardiovascular health and disease Acta Pharmacologica Sinica, 31 (9), 1075-1084 DOI: 10.1038/aps.2010.139

Peng W, Zhang Y, Zhu W, Cao CM, & Xiao RP (2009). AMPK and TNF-alpha at the crossroad of cell survival and death in ischaemic heart. Cardiovascular research, 84 (1), 1-3 PMID: 19671584

Gliozzi, M., Carresi, C., Musolino, V., Palma, E., Muscoli, C., Vitale, C., Gratteri, S., Muscianisi, G., Janda, E., Muscoli, S., Romeo, F., Ragusa, S., Mollace, R., Walker, R., Ehrlich, J., & Mollace, V. (2014). The Effect of Bergamot-Derived Polyphenolic Fraction on LDL Small Dense Particles and Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Patients with Metabolic Syndrome Advances in Biological Chemistry, 04 (02), 129-137 DOI: 10.4236/abc.2014.42017

Gliozzi M, Walker R, Muscoli S, Vitale C, Gratteri S, Carresi C, Musolino V, Russo V, Janda E, Ragusa S, Aloe A, Palma E, Muscoli C, Romeo F, & Mollace V (2013). Bergamot polyphenolic fraction enhances rosuvastatin-induced effect on LDL-cholesterol, LOX-1 expression and protein kinase B phosphorylation in patients with hyperlipidemia. International journal of cardiology, 170 (2), 140-5 PMID: 24239156

Shirai A, Onitsuka M, Maseda H, & Omasa T (2015). Effect of polyphenols on reactive oxygen species production and cell growth of human dermal fibroblasts after irradiation with ultraviolet-A light. Biocontrol science, 20 (1), 27-33 PMID: 25817810

Hardie, D. (2008). Role of AMP-activated protein kinase in the metabolic syndrome and in heart disease FEBS Letters, 582 (1), 81-89 DOI: 10.1016/j.febslet.2007.11.018

Grahame Hardie D (2014). AMP-activated protein kinase: a key regulator of energy balance with many roles in human disease. Journal of internal medicine, 276 (6), 543-59 PMID: 24824502

Musi N, Hirshman MF, Nygren J, Svanfeldt M, Bavenholm P, Rooyackers O, Zhou G, Williamson JM, Ljunqvist O, Efendic S, Moller DE, Thorell A, & Goodyear LJ (2002). Metformin increases AMP-activated protein kinase activity in skeletal muscle of subjects with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes, 51 (7), 2074-81 PMID: 12086935

Rajesh G, Kumar H, Menon S, & Balakrishnan V (2012). Pancreatitis in the setting of the metabolic syndrome. Indian journal of gastroenterology : official journal of the Indian Society of Gastroenterology, 31 (2), 79-82 PMID: 22422323

Visceral Fat Distribution Can Predict Liver Disease, Research Study Finds

Diet Or Exercise? Which Is More Effective In Treating Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome?

Vicious Cycle: Is Metabolic Syndrome Interfering With Your Ability To Exercise?

Google+

Posted at 06:00 AM in Anti-Aging, Anti-Oxidants, Cancer Treatment and Prevention, Cardiovascular Health, Diabetes, Health Issues for Seniors, Health Supplements, Men's Health, Nutrition, Sarcopenia, Sponsored Post, Stroke, Weight Loss/Weight Loss Reviews, Women's Health | Permalink | Comments (0)