Sirtfoods

Anintroductiontothemostrecentlydiscoveredwonderfoods

Abitaboutme

• ItookpartinanERASMUSprogramme myself:Lille2003-04• Bydaymarketing&PRforJohnLewis• Inbetween…nutritionist• Blogatwww.lethereatclean.com• RegularlycontributetoBBCRadioWales• BrandpartnershipswithRiverford,Ocado,FloretteandTilda• GrewupinNewport,livedinCardiffsince2013.Marriedwithayoungdaughter

Overtoyou…

• Roundtheroomquickintroductions• Yourname• Whereyou’refrom• YourDeathRowmeal

Abitaboutglobalhealth

Abitaboutglobalhealth

• Obesityratesareexplodingtogetherwithahostofobesity-relateddiseases• Morethanoneinthreepeoplehasheartdisease• Sixin10havinghighbloodpressure• Oneintenhasdiabetes,andanotherfourareonthevergeofgettingit• Ifyouseetwowomenovertheageof50,oneofthemisgoingtohaveanosteoporoticfracture• Twooutofeveryfivepeoplewillbediagnosedwithcanceratsomestageintheirlives• Despitealltheamazingadvancesinmodernmedicine,societyisgettingfatterandsicker• 70%ofalldeathsareduetochronicdisease

Today’stalk– Sirtfoods

• WhatareSirtfoods?• HowdoSirtfoods regulateourmetabolism?• WhoelseintheworldiseatingSirtfoods?• ThescienceofSirtuins• Sirtuins andfatburning• Sirtuins andmusclebuilding• Wellbeingwonders• ASirtfood triparoundtheworld• Thetop20Sirtfoods• Sirtfoods foreveryday

Whatare Sirtfoods?

• Fastingdietshavegainedalotofcolumninches.Studiesshowthatbyfastingfollowerscanexpecttoloseabout11poundsin6monthsandexperiencesubstantialreductionsindiseaserisk

• Areductioninourbody’senergystoresactivateswhatisknownasthe‘skinnygene’.Fatstorageisswitchedoffandourbodystopsitsnormalgrowthprocessesandgoesinto‘survival’mode.Fatburningisstimulatedandthegenesinvolvedintherepairandrejuvenationofourcellsareturnedon

• However,areductioninenergyintakeprovokeshunger,irritability,fatigueandlossofmuscle

• EnterSirtfoods… anewlydiscoveredgroupoffoodsthatarerichinspecialnutrientsthat,whenweconsumethem,areabletoactivatethesameskinnygenesinourbodiesasfasting.Thesegenesareknownassirtuins

• Sirtfoods arecapableoftriggeringaprofoundlybeneficialeffectinthebody,andbitbybit,researchhasuncoveredacollectionofthesepowerfulfoods.SomearemorewellknownthanotherssuchasJapanesemisosoupandthetraditionalBritishherblovage,butmorecommonlyfoodslikeextravirginoliveoil,onions,parsley,chilli,kale,strawberries,capers,tofu,cocoa,greentea,andevencoffee

HowdoSirtfoods regulateourmetabolism?

• ResearchnowshowsthebenefitsofSirtfoods extendfurtherthansimplymimickingtheeffectsofcaloricrestriction.Sirtfoods canhaveeffectsonfatburningwhilesimultaneouslyincreasingmuscleandenhancingcellularfitness• Sofarpharmaceuticalindustrieshavetried(andsofarfailed)toreducethebenefitsofthesecomplexplantnutrientsintoasingleisolated‘drug’.Howeveritlikelymakesfarmoresensetoeatdietssufficientlyrichinthesenutrientsintheirnaturalfoodformtoreaptheseexcitingbenefits.

WhoelseintheworldiseatingSirtfoods?

WhoelseintheworldiseatingSirtfoods?

• ThebestsourcesofSirtfoods arefoundinthedietsofthoseboastingthelowestincidenceofdiseaseandratesofobesityintheworld

• KunaIndianswhoappearimmunetohighbloodpressureandshowremarkablylowratesofobesity,diabetes,cancerandearlydeathdrinkalotoftheSirtfood-richcocoa

• India,wherethevoraciousappetiteforallthingsspicy,especially,theSirtfood turmerichasleftcancerinitswake

• Okinawa,JapanwhereabuffetofSirtfoods,sveltefiguresandlonglifeallgohandinhand

• TheMediterranean,forwhomthoseeatingthetraditionalfareobesitysimplydoesnotprevailandwherechronicdiseaseistheexceptionnotthenorm.Oliveoil,wildleafygreens,berries,wine,datesandherbsareallpotentSirtfoods andallfeatureprominentlyinthenativeMediterraneandiet

• ThoughSirtfoods arenotamainstayoftheBritishdietthiswasnotalwaysthecase.Sirtfoods usedtobeastapleinBritishkitchens,andwhilemanyhavefallenoffthemenu,andsomehavevanishedaltogether,wewillsoonseethatthiscanbeeasilyrectified

Thescienceofsirtuins

Thescienceofsirtuins (1of2)

• Theyfirstcametolightinalandmarkstudyin2003whenresearchersgaveresveratrol,acompoundinredgrapeskinandredwine,toyeastandfounditproducedthesamebenefitsascaloricrestrictionwithoutneedingtoreduceenergyintake.Sincethenresearchershavefoundthatothercompoundsinredwineexertthesameeffect,whichisnowbelievedtoexplainthehealthbenefitsofredwineconsumptionandevenwhypeoplewhodrinkredwinegainlessweight.

Thescienceofsirtuins (2of2)

• Eachofuspossessesanancientfamilyofgenescalledsirtuins

• Sirtuins aremastermetabolicregulatorsthatcontrolourabilitytoburnfatandstayhealthy

• Sirtuins actasenergysensorswithinourcells,andgetactivatedwhenashortageofenergyisdetected

• Caloricrestriction,fastingandexerciseallactivateoursirtuin genes,butcanbehardtosticktoandevenhavedrawbacks

• Thereisanewgroundbreakingwaytoactivateoursirtuin genes:Sirtfoods

• ByeatingadietrichinSirtfoods youcanmimictheeffectsoffastingandexercise,andachievethebodyyouwant

Sirtuins andfatburning

• Sirtuins havethepowertodeterminewhetherwestayleanorgetfat

• ActivatingSirt1inhibitsPPARγ,blockingtheproductionandstorageoffat

• ActivatingSirt1alsopromotesPGC-1αwhichmakesmoreenergyfactoriesinourcellsandincreasesfatburning

• ActivatingSirt1evengetsourfatcellsthatspecialise inenergystoragetobehavedifferentlyandstartdisposingofenergy

Sirtuins andmusclebuilding

Sirtuins andmusclebuilding

• Bystressingthebodyi.e.,throughfasting,wegetanincreaseinfreeradicalsandinflammation.Thisactivitycausesthebreakdownofourmuscle,whichwethenuseforfuel.However,ourbodydoeshaveasystemtocounterthismusclebreakdown;thesirtuins• Sirt1isapotentinhibitorofmusclebreakdown.Itkeepsfreeradicalandinflammatorychemicalsincheckleavingourmuscleintactandallowingustocontinueburningfatinsteadofmuscleforfuel

Wellbeingwonders

Wellbeingwonders1of2

• Byactivatingourancientsirtuin geneswecanburnfatandbuildaleanerandstrongerbody• TheimportanceofSirtuins extendsfarbeyondjustbodycompositionalone,toeveryfacetofourwellbeing• Thedeclineinsirtuin activitywithagecomeswithwhatareseenastheinevitableconsequencesofaging• Byincreasingoursirtuin activitywecanpositivelyinfluencetheageingprocessmakingitpossibletodelayandevenpreventmanyage-relateddiseases— theso-called'longevitydividend’.

Wellbeingwonders2of2

• Sirtuin activationisgreatforhearthealth,protectingthespecialmusclecellsintheheartandgenerallyhelpingtheheartmusclefunctionbetter.Italsoimproveshowourarterieswork,helpsushandlecholesterolmoreefficiently,andprotectsagainstthecloggingupofourarteriesknownasatherosclerosis

• Sirtuin activationincreasestheamountofinsulinthatcanbesecretedandhelpsitworkmoreeffectivelyinthebody.Asithappens,oneofthemostpopularanti-diabeticdrugs,metformin,reliesonSirt1foritsbeneficialeffect

• Sirtuin activityisfoundtobelowerinAlzheimer’spatients.Incontrast,sirtuin activationimprovescommunicationsignalsinthebrain,enhancescognitivefunctionandreducesbraininflammation

• Osteoblastsareaspecialtypeofcellinourbonesresponsibleforbuildingnewbone.Themoreosteoblastswehave,thestrongerourbones.Sirtuin activationnotonlypromotestheproductionofosteoblastcells,butalsoincreasestheirsurvival.Thismakessirtuin activationessentialforlifelongbonehealth

• Cancerhasbeenamuchmorecontroversialareaforsirtuin research.Butthelatestresearchshowsthatsirtuin activationhelpstosuppresscancertumours.Whilethereisstillmoretolearnonthisparticularlytopic,aswewillsoonsee,thosecultureswhoeatthemostSirtfoods havethelowestcancerrates

ASirtfood triparoundtheworld1of5

• Sinceancienttimes,humanshavebeenfascinatedwiththepursuitoftheelixiroflife• HistoryislitteredwithtalesfromancientreligionsandmythologieswhereonlytheGodsandEmperorswereallowedtoeatcertainfoods,foodswhichconferredpower,strengthandevenimmortality• Whilstourhealthisailing,thereareregionsaroundtheworld,dubbed‘bluezones’,wheretheintakeofSirtfoods ismuch,muchhigherthanweconsumeinourtypicalWesterndiets• NotonlydoweseepeoplelivinglongerthanintheWest,butmuchmoreimportantishowtheyretainyouthfulvitalityinoldage• Inthebluezones,thereareincrediblylowratesofAlzheimer’s,cancer,diabetes,heartdiseaseandosteoporosis

Panama&cocoa

ASirtfood triparoundtheworld2of5

• SanBlasislandsofPanamaandtheindigenoushomeoftheKunaIndianswhoappearimmunetohighbloodpressureandshowremarkablylowratesofobesity,diabetes,cancerandearlydeath• Attheturnofthe21stcenturyaresearchteamunearthedtheKuna’ssecretwhentheyfoundthattheirmajorsourceoffluidwasabeveragemadefromlocallygrowncocoa.Thiscocoaisfantasticallyrichinaspecificgroupofpolyphenolscalledflavanols,whichqualifiesitasaSirtfood• ThecaseoftheKunaisbutonepieceinagrowingbodyofevidencethatflavanoid-richcocoahasextraordinaryhealthbenefits.Inclinicalstudiesflavanoid-richcocoahasbeenfoundtoimprovebloodpressure,bloodflow,bloodsugarcontrolandcholesterolmeasures.Reviewssuggestthatcocoaalsohaspositiveeffectsindiabetesandcancer.Andconsumptionhasbeenshowntoenhancememoryperformance,profferingavaluabledietaryoptioninthesearchforthebrain’sfountainofyouth

India&turmeric

ASirtfood triparoundtheworld3of5

• Turmeric,knownas‘IndianSolidGold’,hasbeenusedinAyurvedic medicineforover4,000yearsforitswoundhealingandanti-inflammatoryproperties

• Thesehealingeffectsaredowntoitscurcumincontent,whichalsomakesitaSirtfood• ItisaprevalentspiceintraditionalIndiancooking,andIndianscaneasilyconsumeasmuchas1gramaday.OverallcancerratesaremuchlowerinIndiathaninWesterncountries,forexample,forwhiteUSmalestheyarethreetimeshigherthaninIndia.Interestingly,thecancerrateforIndiansincreasesby50-75%whentheymovefromIndiatotheUSandUKabandoningtheirtraditionaldiet.Whilstthismightbeduetoanumberofdifferentlifestylefactors,scientificevidencenowindicatesthatcurcuminhaspotentanticancerproperties

• Inadditiontoitsanti-cancerclaimsthereismountingevidenceofothersirt-activatinghealthbenefits.Inrecentstudies,aspecialformofcurcuminthatwasmadetobemoreeasilyabsorbedwasshowntoimprovecholesterollevels,improvebloodsugarcontrolandreduceinflammationinthebody.Ithasbeeninvestigatedforosteoarthritisofthekneeandshowntobeaseffectiveascommonlytakenpainkillers.Andinpatientswithearlytype2diabetes,justeatingagramofturmericadayimprovedtheirworkingmemory

Asia&greentea

ASirtfood triparoundtheworld4of5

• Greentearepresentsanothertantalising Sirtfood offering.FolkloreformAsiatellsthatgreenteaconsumptionbeganmorethan4,700yearsagowhentheChineseEmperorShenNung (‘DivineHealer’)producedapleasantrefreshingbeveragewithgreentealeavesbyserendipity.Itwasonlymuchlaterthatthebeveragedevelopeditsreputationformedicinalandhealingprowess.

• Asia’shighintakeofgreenteahasbeencitedasakeyreasonforthe‘AsianParadox’:despiteanextremelyhighprevalenceofcigarettesmoking,Asia,andespeciallyJapan,boastssomeofthelowestratesofcardiovasculardiseaseandlungcancerintheworld.Ahighintakeofgreenteaislinkedwithmuchlowerratesofcoronaryheartdiseaseandareducedriskofmanycommoncancers,suchasthoseaffectingtheprostate,stomach,lungandbreast.Itislittlewonderthereforethatgreenteaconsumptionislinkedtosubstantiallyfewerearlydeaths.

• Intriguingly,greenteaalsohasathermogeniceffect,whichmeansitincreasestheamountofenergythebodyburnsoff,aidingfatlosswhilemaintainingmuscle.Combinegreenteawithadietabundantinleafygreens,soy,herbsandspices(curcuminuseisespeciallyprevalent),foraSirtfood smorgasbord,andwehaveadietverysimilartothatfoundinOkinawa– “thelandoftheimmortals”.ItmightbethepoorestprovinceinJapan,yetitholdstherecordforlongevityandthegreatestnumberofcentenariansintheworld.Soastoundingistheirqualityoflife,researchersassumeditmustbedowntosuperiorgenes.But,alongcamethe“Westernisation”oftheirdietsandwithitburgeoningratesofobesityandcripplingdiseasesthatyoungergenerationsarenowexperiencingforthefirsttime,firmlyputtinganyideaofsuperiorgenestorest.

TheMediterranean

ASirtfood triparoundtheworld5of5

• ForatruebountyofSirtfood combinations,weneedtotraveltothetraditionaldietoftheMediterranean.ThisiswherewefindregularconsumptionofahostofpotentSirtfoods – oliveoil,nuts,berries,greenleafyvegetables,herbsandspices,andofcoursewine.Eatingthistypeofdietislinkedtoan8%reductionindeathfromallcauses,withsubstantialreductionsincardiovasculardiseaseanddegenerativebraindiseaseslikeAlzheimer’s,aswellascancer.

• AlandmarktrialoftheMediterraneandietcalledPredimed wascarriedoutinSpainonalmost7,400individualsathighriskofcardiovasculardisease.Theresultsweresogoodthatthetrialwasstoppedearlyafterjustfiveyears.PeoplewhowereencouragedtodeliberatelyfocusoneatingextraSirtfoods (especiallyextravirginoliveoil,andnuts– predominantlywalnuts)experiencedincredibleresults,reducingtheirincidenceofcardiovasculardiseasebyapproximately30%– aresultthatdrugmanufacturerscanonlydreamabout.Off-shootsofthestudyshoweda30%reductionindiabetestoo,aswellassignificantdropsinlevelsofinflammationandimprovementsinmemoryandoverallbrainhealth.

• Theculturesaroundtheworldwhoarehealthiest,slimmestandlivethelongestliveshavesomethingincommon:theyeatthehighestamountofSirtfoods.Theystayleanandslimwithoutsomuchascountingacalorieorgoingonadiet.Thatleavesustodojustonething,whichistopiecetogetherallofthemostpotentSirtfoods ontheplanettocreateadietthelikesofwhichhaveneverbeenseenbefore.Inessence,adiettodriveahealthandweightlossrevolution.

Thetop20Sirtfoods

Bird’seyechilli Buckwheat Capers CeleryCocoa Coffee OliveOil GreenTeaKale Lovage Medjooldates Parsley

RedChicory RedOnion RedWine RocketSoy Strawberries Turmeric Walnuts

Sirtfoods foreveryday

• MEALPLANNINGEXERCISE

• Fromthelistoftop20Sirtfoods workinpairstodesignaonedaymenuforbreakfast,lunch,dinnerandasnackthatistrulySirt-tastic

Credits

Fullcreditfortheinformationcontainedwithinthisdocumentmustgotowww.glenmatten.com.SincebeginningmynutritionaltherapystudiesGlenhasbeenasuperbmentorandbecomealongstandingfriend.HisknowledgeisunrivalledandhiscommitmenttoNutritionalTherapybeyondadmirable.Glenisauthorofthesuperbbook‘The100FoodsYouShouldBeEating’andmorerecentlyco-authoredthebest-selling‘TheSirt FoodDiet’and‘TheSirt FoodDietRecipeBook’.Muchoftheinformationforthispresentationisbasedonthebooksthatarewellwortharead.