1 00:00:09,400 --> 00:00:12,640 Speaker 1: Hey, everyone, welcome to another edition of the podcast. Just 2 00:00:12,720 --> 00:00:16,240 Speaker 1: before we get into it, another reminder that my latest book, 3 00:00:16,280 --> 00:00:20,440 Speaker 1: The Heartiness Effect, is now on pre sale at Amazon 4 00:00:20,680 --> 00:00:23,439 Speaker 1: and there is a short term offer with twenty six 5 00:00:23,480 --> 00:00:26,759 Speaker 1: percent off it, so if you want to save yourself 6 00:00:26,760 --> 00:00:30,320 Speaker 1: some money and get amongst it. And now on with 7 00:00:30,400 --> 00:00:34,240 Speaker 1: the podcast. So welcome to another edition of Wisdom Wednesdays. 8 00:00:34,640 --> 00:00:38,479 Speaker 1: Today we are diving into a really important topic for 9 00:00:38,520 --> 00:00:43,519 Speaker 1: your health, and it's about arterial plaque inflammation and how 10 00:00:43,760 --> 00:00:47,559 Speaker 1: Amiga three fairy acids could be your secret weapon in 11 00:00:47,680 --> 00:00:53,159 Speaker 1: protecting your cardiovascular system against cardiovascular disease and heart attacks. 12 00:00:53,720 --> 00:00:58,320 Speaker 1: I recently reviewed a pretty fascinating research paper, so you 13 00:00:58,360 --> 00:01:01,360 Speaker 1: don't have to and you'll understand why when you know 14 00:01:01,440 --> 00:01:09,280 Speaker 1: the title. It was called docosahexenoic acid attenuits VCA M 15 00:01:09,640 --> 00:01:14,960 Speaker 1: one expression and nuclear factor cap of BRAVO activation in 16 00:01:15,120 --> 00:01:21,759 Speaker 1: tumor necrosis factor alpha treated human aortic endothelial cells. It's 17 00:01:21,760 --> 00:01:25,160 Speaker 1: a mouthful, and yes it was as complicated as it sounds, 18 00:01:25,520 --> 00:01:28,440 Speaker 1: but stick with me because the insights from this study 19 00:01:28,880 --> 00:01:32,360 Speaker 1: are potentially life saving. So let's start with the basics. 20 00:01:32,480 --> 00:01:36,240 Speaker 1: As you probably will know, arterial plaque is the build 21 00:01:36,360 --> 00:01:40,240 Speaker 1: up of cholesterol, fats, and immune cells in your arteries, 22 00:01:40,560 --> 00:01:45,399 Speaker 1: and over time, this plaque can become inflamed, unstable, and 23 00:01:45,480 --> 00:01:49,280 Speaker 1: prone to rupture. And it's really the unstable or soft 24 00:01:49,360 --> 00:01:52,200 Speaker 1: plaque that we need to worry about because when it 25 00:01:52,240 --> 00:01:55,280 Speaker 1: does rupture, it can cause a heart attack or a stroke. 26 00:01:55,680 --> 00:01:58,880 Speaker 1: But here's the good news. Certain nutrients can influence how 27 00:01:59,000 --> 00:02:02,440 Speaker 1: stable that plaque is, and one of the most powerful 28 00:02:02,880 --> 00:02:07,080 Speaker 1: is a mega three fatty acids, especially those find in 29 00:02:07,240 --> 00:02:10,760 Speaker 1: fatty fish like salmon, sardines, and macerol, or in good 30 00:02:10,840 --> 00:02:14,320 Speaker 1: quality fish oil or if you're vegetarian or vegan, alga 31 00:02:14,400 --> 00:02:18,000 Speaker 1: oil will provide this. Now, the research paper i read 32 00:02:18,560 --> 00:02:22,080 Speaker 1: focused on one specific a Mega three D it's a 33 00:02:22,639 --> 00:02:30,079 Speaker 1: or docosahexaenoic acid. Researchers treated human aortic and endothelial cells. 34 00:02:30,080 --> 00:02:31,880 Speaker 1: So what they did is got those cells and put 35 00:02:31,919 --> 00:02:34,880 Speaker 1: them in a test tube and they treated them with 36 00:02:35,040 --> 00:02:37,800 Speaker 1: TNF alpha tumor of crusis factor alpha. That is a 37 00:02:37,880 --> 00:02:42,880 Speaker 1: potent inflammatory molecule that is actually released in the body 38 00:02:43,520 --> 00:02:47,040 Speaker 1: during times of stress or inflammation, and you can actually 39 00:02:47,040 --> 00:02:49,600 Speaker 1: measure it on a blood test. Now, what this actually 40 00:02:49,639 --> 00:02:53,040 Speaker 1: does did by putting these cells in a petri dish 41 00:02:53,160 --> 00:02:57,760 Speaker 1: and then pouring over our applying TNF alpha. It actually 42 00:02:57,880 --> 00:03:02,639 Speaker 1: simulates what happens in our own during inflammation. And then 43 00:03:02,680 --> 00:03:05,840 Speaker 1: what they did is they added DA to see which 44 00:03:05,880 --> 00:03:09,800 Speaker 1: effective have and this is where it gets really interesting. 45 00:03:10,440 --> 00:03:17,160 Speaker 1: DA significantly reduced the expression of something called VCAM one, 46 00:03:17,600 --> 00:03:22,120 Speaker 1: which stands for vascular celle at hazing molecule one. Now 47 00:03:22,240 --> 00:03:27,120 Speaker 1: VCAM one, it's like velcrow for immune cells. It helps 48 00:03:27,160 --> 00:03:30,160 Speaker 1: them to stick to the walls of your blood vessels 49 00:03:30,560 --> 00:03:34,119 Speaker 1: and then enter into the plaques where it makes them 50 00:03:34,160 --> 00:03:38,040 Speaker 1: more inflamed and unstable. And it's basically your body reacting 51 00:03:38,200 --> 00:03:40,840 Speaker 1: to the build up of plaque those immune sales go 52 00:03:40,960 --> 00:03:47,400 Speaker 1: into it. Now, by reducing VCAM one, d ITSA essentially 53 00:03:47,560 --> 00:03:52,040 Speaker 1: makes the blood vessels less sticky, limiting the invasion of 54 00:03:52,240 --> 00:03:57,360 Speaker 1: pro inflammatory immune sales into the plaque, and basically it's 55 00:03:57,440 --> 00:04:02,520 Speaker 1: turning down the inflammation volume. The study also found the 56 00:04:02,640 --> 00:04:08,760 Speaker 1: DHA reduced activation of NFkB nuclear factor kappa bravo that 57 00:04:08,920 --> 00:04:12,880 Speaker 1: is a central player in the body's inflammatory response. So 58 00:04:13,040 --> 00:04:16,480 Speaker 1: think of it as the master switch for inflammation. F 59 00:04:16,640 --> 00:04:20,880 Speaker 1: When it's flipped on, you get a cascade of inflammatory 60 00:04:20,960 --> 00:04:24,120 Speaker 1: signals inside your body and a bit of damage. So 61 00:04:24,720 --> 00:04:29,880 Speaker 1: what DJA doing here is twofold. It's actually reducing the 62 00:04:29,920 --> 00:04:34,359 Speaker 1: immune cells entry into the plaque and it's dampening the 63 00:04:34,440 --> 00:04:39,480 Speaker 1: inflammatory response from outside of sorry, from the inside out, 64 00:04:39,920 --> 00:04:43,920 Speaker 1: and it basically then what's pretty cool is they found 65 00:04:43,960 --> 00:04:47,760 Speaker 1: that then encourage the immune sales to leave the plaque. 66 00:04:48,480 --> 00:04:51,800 Speaker 1: Now this is not from this study but from broader 67 00:04:51,880 --> 00:04:55,279 Speaker 1: research that I think is just as critical. Amiga threes 68 00:04:55,440 --> 00:05:00,240 Speaker 1: don't just stop immune sales from coming in, it appears 69 00:05:00,279 --> 00:05:04,120 Speaker 1: with recent research they may also encourage the existing immune 70 00:05:04,160 --> 00:05:08,400 Speaker 1: sales to actually leave the plaque and therefore stabilize it. 71 00:05:09,080 --> 00:05:14,080 Speaker 1: And this happens via protein called CCR seven, and it 72 00:05:14,240 --> 00:05:18,680 Speaker 1: kind of acts like an exit sign, guiding immune sales 73 00:05:18,720 --> 00:05:22,320 Speaker 1: out of the plaque into the lymphatic system. And that 74 00:05:23,320 --> 00:05:26,920 Speaker 1: is what they're actually supposed to do, but often they 75 00:05:26,960 --> 00:05:30,359 Speaker 1: don't and that's when creates are that it contributes to 76 00:05:30,440 --> 00:05:34,400 Speaker 1: the instability of the plaques. Now, whise there is more 77 00:05:34,480 --> 00:05:39,200 Speaker 1: research needed to fully understand this mechanism, the early signs 78 00:05:39,279 --> 00:05:43,120 Speaker 1: are really really promising. And the takeaway here is that 79 00:05:43,320 --> 00:05:46,200 Speaker 1: we often think of a mega three's as something nice 80 00:05:46,240 --> 00:05:49,400 Speaker 1: to have for general health. But this research reminds us 81 00:05:49,480 --> 00:05:53,720 Speaker 1: that DITA and EPA, which is another key a Mega three, 82 00:05:54,040 --> 00:05:59,560 Speaker 1: they are powerful targeted anti inflammatory agents. They actively support 83 00:05:59,680 --> 00:06:04,880 Speaker 1: vastular health by stabilizing plaque, reducing immune sale invasion, and 84 00:06:05,000 --> 00:06:08,320 Speaker 1: potentially helping with cellular cleanup. And we know from other 85 00:06:08,360 --> 00:06:11,960 Speaker 1: research that they are potent anti inflammer trees that are 86 00:06:12,080 --> 00:06:16,000 Speaker 1: linked to both cardiovascar health and to briant health. And 87 00:06:16,040 --> 00:06:20,240 Speaker 1: I have talked on this podcast before reasonably recently that 88 00:06:20,920 --> 00:06:24,960 Speaker 1: people with an Amiga three index, which you can get 89 00:06:25,000 --> 00:06:28,560 Speaker 1: measured by the way at amigaquant dot com. I have 90 00:06:28,760 --> 00:06:31,039 Speaker 1: no relationship with these guys. I just think they offer 91 00:06:31,400 --> 00:06:34,880 Speaker 1: a brilliant service and it's pretty cheap to measure it. 92 00:06:35,160 --> 00:06:38,600 Speaker 1: And it's basically looking at the ratio of Amiga three 93 00:06:38,720 --> 00:06:42,360 Speaker 1: to Amiga six sales in your red blood cells, which 94 00:06:42,360 --> 00:06:46,200 Speaker 1: are a kind of a reflection of what they've been 95 00:06:46,320 --> 00:06:49,599 Speaker 1: like over the last number of months. And they found 96 00:06:49,600 --> 00:06:53,080 Speaker 1: that people with an Amiga three index of eight or 97 00:06:53,120 --> 00:06:56,520 Speaker 1: more live five years longer than people with an a 98 00:06:56,560 --> 00:07:00,680 Speaker 1: Mega three index of five or below, which is potent. 99 00:07:00,760 --> 00:07:04,000 Speaker 1: You don't find any other nutrient that has that sort 100 00:07:04,000 --> 00:07:08,279 Speaker 1: of an impact. And this research is showing one of 101 00:07:08,600 --> 00:07:11,000 Speaker 1: just one of the ways by which mega threes are 102 00:07:11,040 --> 00:07:15,720 Speaker 1: beneficial to the heart and a cardiovascuar system. So how 103 00:07:15,800 --> 00:07:18,240 Speaker 1: much of it should we be taking? So, based on 104 00:07:18,400 --> 00:07:22,960 Speaker 1: clinical research and expert guidelines from a number of different artiers, 105 00:07:22,960 --> 00:07:26,320 Speaker 1: here's what my recommendation are. Here's what I actually take, 106 00:07:27,160 --> 00:07:33,480 Speaker 1: so total and mega threes APA and DJA anywhere between 107 00:07:33,640 --> 00:07:37,040 Speaker 1: two and three grams per day or two thousand to 108 00:07:37,080 --> 00:07:40,320 Speaker 1: three thousand milligrams per day. I generally take three thousand 109 00:07:40,440 --> 00:07:43,280 Speaker 1: with the days that I remember, and if I'm meaning fish, 110 00:07:43,320 --> 00:07:46,560 Speaker 1: I don't bother taking it that day. But make sure 111 00:07:47,120 --> 00:07:50,960 Speaker 1: that you're getting at least a thousand milligrams of EPA 112 00:07:51,040 --> 00:07:54,280 Speaker 1: and DSA combined, because there are some other constituents in it, 113 00:07:55,560 --> 00:08:00,080 Speaker 1: and higher DJA seems to be especially important if you're 114 00:08:00,120 --> 00:08:03,720 Speaker 1: concerned about your arteries. So if you have existing cardiovascular 115 00:08:03,760 --> 00:08:06,520 Speaker 1: disease or there's a history of it in your family, 116 00:08:07,040 --> 00:08:09,880 Speaker 1: and the deity would be the one you want a 117 00:08:09,880 --> 00:08:14,120 Speaker 1: little bit more of. That's particularly important. Now we can 118 00:08:14,240 --> 00:08:19,120 Speaker 1: obviously get this through high quality fish, eating lots of 119 00:08:19,160 --> 00:08:23,080 Speaker 1: fish per week, probably three servings per week, but for me, 120 00:08:23,480 --> 00:08:26,560 Speaker 1: it's more about the outcome. It's not so much about 121 00:08:27,000 --> 00:08:29,720 Speaker 1: the fish or the fish oil that you're taking. It's 122 00:08:29,760 --> 00:08:33,920 Speaker 1: really about getting your Amiga three index up and that's 123 00:08:33,920 --> 00:08:38,880 Speaker 1: where getting it measured by a megaquant dot com and 124 00:08:39,000 --> 00:08:42,199 Speaker 1: in supplementing to make sure that you get your level 125 00:08:42,360 --> 00:08:45,040 Speaker 1: up to eat that is the best thing that you 126 00:08:45,080 --> 00:08:47,040 Speaker 1: can do. Rather than just say, hey, I'm going to 127 00:08:47,040 --> 00:08:49,360 Speaker 1: take this amount of supplements, it's really about let's get 128 00:08:49,360 --> 00:08:52,640 Speaker 1: an outcome measure in your blood stream. So, in summary, 129 00:08:52,720 --> 00:08:56,720 Speaker 1: amiga threes aren't just heart friendly and Brian friendly, they're 130 00:08:56,720 --> 00:09:00,680 Speaker 1: actually protectors of our arteries. They work on the cellular 131 00:09:00,760 --> 00:09:05,319 Speaker 1: level to reduce inflammatory chaos that leads to this unstable 132 00:09:05,360 --> 00:09:09,520 Speaker 1: plaque which then leads to plaqu rupture and cardiovascular events. 133 00:09:10,040 --> 00:09:15,080 Speaker 1: So don't underestimate the par of those tiny little fatty acids. 134 00:09:15,640 --> 00:09:19,679 Speaker 1: And I think this and other research suggests that we 135 00:09:19,720 --> 00:09:23,080 Speaker 1: should really be ramping up the amount of amiga threes 136 00:09:23,320 --> 00:09:26,480 Speaker 1: in our diet, and particularly if you want to protect 137 00:09:26,480 --> 00:09:29,760 Speaker 1: your arteries as you age. So that's it for this week, folks, 138 00:09:30,280 --> 00:09:31,120 Speaker 1: catch you next time.