Daily black cumin consumption has been found in systematic reviews and meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials to significantly improve weight loss, cholesterol, triglycerides, blood pressure, and blood sugar control.
The spice also lowers markers of inflammation, such as C-reactive protein, and has favorable effects on inflammatory conditions, such as asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, and a common cause of hypothyroidism called Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. Black cumin also appears to help get rid of kidney stones and help with the symptoms of menopause.
The Dietary Inflammatory Index names turmeric as the single most anti-inflammatory food.
Numerous studies propose that turmeric can benefit various health conditions.
Over five thousand articles about curcumin, the pigment in turmeric that gives curry powder its golden color, have been published in the medical literature. Curcumin was first isolated over a century ago. Despite thousands of experiments, only a few clinical studies involving human participants were conducted in the twentieth century. However, since the turn of the century, curcumin has been tested against a variety of diseases in more than 50 clinical trials, with dozens more underway.
The National Cancer Institute has tested over a thousand compounds for cancer-preventing activity since 1987. Only a few dozen have reached clinical trials, and curcumin, turmeric’s bright-yellow pigment, is among the most promising. Cancer-preventing agents can be classified into different subgroups based on the stage of cancer development they combat: Carcinogen blockers and antioxidants help prevent the initial triggering DNA mutation, while antiproliferatives prevent tumors from growing and spreading. Curcumin is unique as it belongs to all three groups, potentially helping to prevent and/or halt cancer cell growth.
Black pepper contains a bioactive compound called piperine, which enhances the absorption and bioavailability of curcumin (the main active compound in turmeric) in the body.
Green cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum), a member of the ginger family, is often referred to as "the queen of spices".
In a trial involving patients with fatty liver disease, patients who were given half a teaspoon of cardamom three times daily with meals for three months exhibited not only improvements in liver function and systemic inflammation markers, but also a significant increase in sirtuin levels in their bloodstream.
Moreover, this same dosage of cardamom, taken over two to three months, can significantly improve markers of inflammation and oxidative stress. It can also be a safe, inexpensive, and convenient method to lower the level of triglycerides in the blood.
Aspirin has been shown to extend the lifespan of mice and other model organisms. We’ve been using its active anti-inflammatory ingredient, salicylic acid, for thousands of years, though, in its natural form (as an extract of willow tree bark) to ease pain and fever. But taking an aspirin a day is generally not recommended for those without a known history of heart disease or stroke, particularly among the elderly, as the risk of bleeding complications increases sharply in individuals over seventy years of age.
How can we get the anti-inflammatory effects without the bleeding risk? Aspirin is actually two drugs in one. It’s technically acetylsalicylic acid. Within minutes of swallowing aspirin, enzymes in our gut split it apart into an acetyl group and salicylic acid. The acetyl group is what inactivates our platelets and thins our blood. If we could consume salicylic acid directly, we could combat inflammation without the risk of bleeding.
The willow tree isn’t the only plant that contains salicylic acid precursors. They are widely found throughout the plant kingdom in many fruits and vegetables. Dried basil, chili powder, coriander, dried oregano, paprika, and turmeric are rich in the compound.
Spices are the most potent DNA protectors. Just one week of eating about two teaspoons of rosemary or sage a day, one and a half teaspoons of ground ginger or cumin, three-fourths of a teaspoon of paprika, or even just a tenth of a teaspoon of cooked turmeric can protect against breakage of our strands of DNA.
As a teenager, I could sleep for 12 hours straight. Now, as a 40-year-old, I only manage 6-8 hours of sleep and wake up 1-2 times during the night to urinate.
Overactive bladder is characterized by urinary urgency, often accompanied by increased urinary frequency. More than one in three women will experience an overactive bladder in their lifetime, with prevalence increasing with age. However, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial found that relief could be achieved with just ½ g of dried cranberry powder. Drugs for controlling bladder symptoms, such as tolterodine (Detrol), make up a multibillion-dollar industry. Yet, they may only reduce average monthly urinations by sixteen, which equates to one less urination every other day. Conversely, less than a quarter teaspoon of cranberry powder worked nearly four times better, resulting in almost two fewer trips to the bathroom a day.
Native Americans reportedly used cranberries to treat urinary ailments. These fruits can reduce rodent prostates by as much as 33 percent. However, the first human trial, titled "The Effectiveness of Dried Cranberries (Vaccinium macrocarpon) in Men with Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms," was published only in 2010. The dried cranberries weren’t those sugary, oily Craisins but rather just straight, whole cranberry powder. Significant improvements in BPH symptoms, quality of life, and all urination parameters studied were noted for about three-quarters of a teaspoon a day of powdered cranberries. What about less than a quarter of a teaspoon or even an eighth of a teaspoon? Both of those doses beat out placebos for decreasing BPH symptoms.
Vitamin B12, originating not from plants or animals, but from earth-covering microbes, was likely obtained from natural water sources in the past. However, modern water treatment processes, including chlorination, eliminate the bacteria that produce this nutrient.
Today, in our sanitized environment, reliable sources of vitamin B12 include supplements, animal products, and B12-fortified foods. For vegans, vegetarians, and individuals aged fifty to sixty-five, a daily intake of at least 50 mcg or a weekly intake of at least 2,000 mcg is recommended. This age group may lose some ability to absorb B12 from food.
A deficiency in vitamin B12 can lead to serious health problems affecting the blood, gut, brain, and nervous system. Given the increasing demand for cleanliness in our food chain, it is critical to ensure a regular and reliable B12 source. Supplements are often the most convenient, safe, and affordable option.
From a longevity perspective, B12 can decelerate mTOR for plant-based eaters with inadequate B12 consumption, who may have elevated levels of a methionine breakdown product, homocysteine, an mTOR activator. mTOR is an enzyme that regulates cellular processes, and its inhibition has been shown to extend average and maximum lifespans in model organisms.
Even subclinical (asymptomatic) B12 deficiency is associated with increased oxidative stress, making a regular reliable source of vitamin B12 crucial for maximizing the benefits of plant-based eating.
As a water-soluble vitamin, B12 supplements are generally safe, as any excess not absorbed by your body is excreted in your urine.
While we await long-term randomized controlled clinical trials, an umbrella review of ninety-six meta-analyses of observational studies suggests that increasing tea consumption by three cups daily could potentially reduce the risk of premature death from all causes by 24 percent. This is roughly equivalent to extending one's lifespan by approximately two years. This applies to both green and black tea, with green tea potentially having a slight advantage.
Chamomile is one of the most widely used medicinal plants in the world—and for good reason. When type 2 diabetics drank a small cup of chamomile tea after their meals for a few months, they got significant improvement in long-term blood sugar control compared to drinking the same volume of warm water or when pitted head-to-head against black tea. And the side effects? All good—lower LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, a decrease in inflammation, and improved sleep, mood, and antioxidant status. Chamomile tea and green tea appear to share the same mechanisms for blood sugar control: blocking the transport of sugars through the intestinal wall.
Flaxseeds like sesame seeds also reduce conventional inflammatory markers, but the mechanism by which ground flaxseeds reduce blood pressure appears to be through the reduction of oxylipins, pro-inflammatory compounds thought to be involved in “inflammaging” that rise with age. Middle-aged adults randomized to eat muffins containing ground flaxseed were able to drop their oxylipin levels down to what one would expect to see in a twenty-year-old within just four weeks.
In the most extensive systematic assessment to date of effects of omega-3 fats on cardiovascular health, increasing intake of the fish oil fats has little or no effect on cardiovascular health. In fact, if anything, only the plant-based omega-3s found in flaxseeds and walnuts might be protective.
Spermidine plays a key role in regulating cell growth. It is positively charged, so it naturally binds to negatively charged molecules like DNA. Spermidine fits neatly in both the major and minor grooves of the DNA helix. Most spermidine in our body is actively bound to our genetic material, stabilizing our genetic code for proper translation. Spermidine is also a potent activator of autophagy.
The problem is that spermidine levels decline with age. Ours tend to drop by more than half by the time we reach our fifties.
However, we could also replenish declining levels externally with a spermidine-rich diet.
Taking the amount of spermidine in a daily half teaspoon of wheat germ can significantly reduce hair shedding (as determined by the so-called pull test) compared to placebo even months after the study ended.
Though spermidine may reduce the risk of getting cancer, because autophagy’s nutrient replenishment action could potentially help sustain tumor viability, perhaps people with cancer shouldn’t go out of their way to increase their spermidine intake. Another group advised to exercise caution are those with kidney failure.
Barberries have been shown to successfully lower LDL cholesterol levels an average of fourteen points (mg/dL), as well as improve acne, artery function, triglycerides, blood sugars, and insulin resistance. One could achieve the dose of berberine used widely in China for diabetes management, which is presumably AMPK-enhancing, by eating as few as two teaspoons of barberries three times a day or a single tablespoon twice a day. Eating the whole food is preferable, especially since an analysis of berberine supplements on the market found that 60 percent failed to match what was claimed on their labels.
Moderate coffee consumption may be associated with various health benefits, such as a reduced risk of certain diseases like Parkinson's disease, type 2 diabetes, and liver diseases.
Unfiltered coffee, such as espresso, contains certain compounds called diterpenes, which can raise cholesterol levels. Filtered coffee, on the other hand, typically uses paper filters that remove these compounds. If you have high cholesterol or are concerned about it, filtered coffee may be a better choice.
I aim to supply you a few servings per week of arabica from notable coffee regions of the world