In the face of an obesity epidemic and the early onset of the diseases of aging in even young Americans, there shines a bright ray of hope. It is there for anyone who chooses to inform themselves and then take effective actions to better themselves. The aging clock can be slowed - and in many cases reversed. It is the dawn of a new era.

1. The Top 10 Health Breakthroughs of 2020
In the face of an obesity epidemic and the early onset of the diseases of aging in even young
Americans, there shines a bright ray of hope. It is there for anyone who chooses to inform
themselves and then take effective actions to better themselves. The aging clock can be
slowed - and in many cases reversed. It is the dawn of a new era.
Top 10 of the highlights that made 2020 special.
#10 - The Mayo Clinic Places One Foot in the Door of the Real World
Miracles never cease and it appears that the Mayo Clinic is trying to enter the 21st century
with at least a finger on the nutritional pulse of reality. In May they put out a press release
stating that "Thousands of research studies have documented how the oils known as
omega-3 fatty acids can benefit the cardiovascular system, particularly among people
diagnosed with coronary artery disease...The most compelling evidence for the
cardiovascular benefit provided by omega-3 fatty acids comes from three large controlled
trials of 32,000 participants randomized to receive omega-3 fatty acid supplements
containing DHA and EPA....These trials showed reductions in cardiovascular events of 19
percent to 45 percent. Overall, these findings suggest that intake of omega-3 fatty acids,
whether from dietary sources or fish oil supplements, should be increased, especially in
those with or at risk for coronary artery disease."
The breakthrough is not that fish oils prevent and treat heart disease; we've known that for
years. The breakthrough is that the vitamin-and-alternative-health-hating Mayo Clinic is
telling the world to take fish oil supplements to prevent heart disease. That signifies the
initial stages of a paradigm shift of magnitude.
#9 - Bone Health Is One Key to Longevity
Bones can no longer be thought of only in terms of fracture risk and osteoporosis. Bones are
constantly giving birth to new cells and these cells play vital roles in metabolism and
immunity. For example, when bone cells get inflamed not only does this promote excess
bone loss it directly causes fat cells to multiply in white adipose tissue - which clearly
explains why women gain weight after menopause as well as the key to stopping the
problem.

2. The highlight study of the year was a detailed gene analysis performed on one of the world's
healthiest older men (he was 113 at the time, recently passing away at 114). Researchers
expected to find genetic advantages enabling him to live a long life. Much to their surprise,
he didn't have any "better genes" at all - he had better bones! And the reason he had better
bones was because he ate a diet containing fresh fruit and vegetables (bone anti-
inflammatory nutrients) and stayed very active (stimulating bone health).
Needless to say, the disastrous bone drugs were not part of his plan.
#8 - Grape Seed Extracts Stop Alzheimer's Plaque
This year's research showed that "normal" brain aging is quite an abnormal process; with
the loss of mental capability, intelligence, and memory directly relating to how many
plaque-like brain tangles occur. At the far end of the spectrum is Alzheimer's disease - a
problem with brain plaque overwhelming healthy brain function. However, there are a
thousand shades of grey on the way to this problem, and each step in the wrong direction is
marked by ever-increasing levels of brain plaque.
Red grape seed extracts showed that they could stop brain plaque from forming. The new
research showed that brain cells must first be punched in the nose by some form of stress,
get inflamed, and then begin to express certain genes that promote plaque formation. Red
grape seed extracts simply stop this process from occurring. Not only that, they are
powerful protection for the lining of your arteries - helping to stop plaque formation there
as well.
#7 - Vitamin D for Anything and Everything
A major question during 2008 was: "Is there anything that vitamin D does not help?"
Vitamin D's role in bone metabolism is well known. Its role as a hormone is less well known
but very important. As a bewildering array of breaking science now shows, vitamin D is a
gene-regulating super nutrient. It is vital for efficient immune function, prevention of
autoimmune problems, healthy metabolism, proper thyroid function, prevention of type I
and type II diabetes, prevention of heart disease, cancer prevention, and improved nervous
system health and mood.

3. The sunshine vitamin is indeed a wonder nutrient. The American Cancer Society sits around
with major mud on its face, doing everything in its power to prevent people from getting
vitamin D - a problem made worse in the winter months when none is available for most of
the U.S. And as usual, our bumbling government won't let all Americans know that they
need 1200 IU to 2000 IU of vitamin D per day, especially in the winter, to help prevent major
health problems.
#6 - Resveratrol Turns Back the Clock
An explosion in resveratrol science hit the front pages of the news around the world, as Big
Pharma spent millions trying to make resveratrol drugs. The Big Pharma spending is
interesting for several reasons:
1) Just imagine how much we could learn if our government would spend money studying
all major nutrients in widespread use.
2) The resveratrol nutrient that is already on the market will end up working better than any
drug made.
Resveratrol activates a gene called SIRT1, which has a profound disease prevention and anti-
aging effect. SIRT1 is normally activated by calorie restriction in times of famine. However,
in today's world of excess food consumption it will be a major tool to prevent and treat the
coming obesity epidemic and all its health complications.
It is already clear that the supplement works best when you are on a good diet, as too much
food simply turns off SIRT1. Its value during a diet is that it helps your muscles work better
on fewer calories so that you can actually lose weight while feeling great.
Even if you aren't overweight, the other main point is that resveratrol will help you live
longer - a fact borne out by the lifespan in various regions of France that have the highest
content of resveratrol in their red wine.
#5 - The Digestive Genome Marks the New Frontier of Health
The mapping of the human genome was a monumental accomplishment that has yielded
unexpected information. As scientists began to unravel the mysteries of how the human

4. genome is controlled, they quickly found that many of the signals controlling health were
coming from the foreign contents within your digestive tract. Like the space race to the
moon, the new health frontier is now the genomes of the trillions of foreign cells that
comprise your digestive tract.
A treasure trove of information has already been uncovered. Many of these foreign cells are
vital to health and have both a friendly and unfriendly role depending on which of their
genes are turned on. A case in point is Pylori and Candida albicans, both of which are
considered unfriendly and both of which are normal inhabitants of your digestive tract and
need to be in a friendly condition for optimal digestive health and the prevention of
digestive disease. In fact, your personal "foreign cell signature" directly influences your own
immune tissue to form along the lining of your digestive tract. It also plays a large role in
how much inflammation you experience elsewhere in your body - including your joints and
back. Friendly flora is vital to maintaining a state of balance that promotes health.
Decades of damage from the overuse of antibiotics, high sugar diets, junk food, chemicals in
the diet, pesticides in the diet, genetically modified toxic food, and excess alcohol can finally
be seen for the disease-producers they really are. It will be a long time before your doctor
gives you any meaningful advice on this subject, since their profession has helped create an
epidemic of poor digestive health that in the light of this emerging science is proving to be a
major contributing factor to multiple diseases - not just digestive-related problems.
#4 - The Changing World of Fat, Cholesterol, and Heart Disease
Those basing health decisions on cholesterol numbers and concepts of good and bad
cholesterol have been left in the Stone-Age dust. HDL, or "good" cholesterol, can have its
proteins oxidized and easily become "bad" just like LDL. Cholesterol itself turns out to be a
vital player in the structure of nerve receptors, and its levels are reduced when taking
medication to lower numbers of LDL. Cholesterol fitness, like muscle fitness, is the new
concept of cholesterol health that supports true cardiovascular health.
A huge breakthrough occurred this year when it was demonstrated for the first time that fat
accumulating around the outside of arteries was the key signal of impending cardiovascular
disease. This fat, which builds up in direct proportion to your waistline expanding, was
previously thought to be part of the structure of arteries and not play a functional role. New
scientific tools have shown that it accumulates in excess, recruits inflammatory immune
cells to live in its newly expanded neighbourhood, and they generate inflammation into the
arteries that knocks out friendly nitric oxide causing blood pressure to rise and

5. simultaneously generates massive free radical damage that injures LDL and HDL cholesterol
and sets the plaquing process in motion.
This is made worse if blood levels of triglycerides stay high during the day - which is caused
by eating meals that are too large, snacking between meals, and not exercising.
#3 - How Much BDNF is In Your Bank Account?
Brain Derived Neurotropic Factor (BDNF) may well be the molecule of the year. BDNF is key
to keeping your nerve cells alive and stimulating the growth of new nerve cells. Since your
nerve cells are important for regulating everything else, keeping them in top working
condition not only means that your mind will stay sharp it means you are likely to live longer
and healthier.
This year scientists proved the immense value of having adequate BDNF for virtually any
issue of nerve and brain related health. If your supplies run low then you cannot tolerate
stress properly, you are more likely to be or become depressed, your brain is prone to
excess inflammation, and you are set on a path of decline. Conversely, having adequate
BDNF helps you keep up with the demands in your life. It means that you have the potential
to keep your mind and nerves in good working condition.
For example, when you have adequate BDNF then old memories don't bother you or come
back to haunt you at the most inopportune times. Having adequate BDNF may be a key,
along with being a good person, to maintaining healthy relationships.
This year scientists demonstrated that fish oil, blueberries, curcumin, and pantetheine all
help boost the production of BDNF.
#2 - Run for Your Life
Running is now proven to be the single activity with the most bang for the longevity buck.
Early in the year papers emphasized the importance of running in human evolution. It was
also found that running is the best exercise to boost levels of BDNF. It was proven that
running can rejuvenate your heart and even brisk walking can effectively lower your blood
pressure.

6. The highlight of the year was the result of a 20-year study on running over the age of 50. It
found that those who ran cut their risk of premature death in half! No drug can do that.
It also found that runners had less cardiovascular disease, fewer cancer deaths, less
cognitive decline, and better immunity - and their joints were in good condition. Running
turns on gene signals associated with health - it's that simple. The choice is yours.
#1 - Thyroid Health is for Everyone
A startling array of thyroid-related studies have shown that even a slightly off thyroid sends
you down a path of poor health. While thyroid issues are often associated with obesity,
thyroid problems affect normal weight and underweight people as well. One of the
important points to grasp about the emerging science is that these are not thyroid problems
that can be treated with medication - as there is usually adequate thyroid hormone. This
information is about thyroid stressors such as common pollution like PCBs, perchlorate in
the food supply, excess food consumption, and general emotional stress - to name of few.
This year scientific studies showed a sluggish thyroid system was directly related to
increased mortality, fatal heart disease, disturbed heart rhythms, elevated blood pressure,
elevated cholesterol, lack of coordination, risk of breast cancer, mood problems, glaucoma,
and Alzheimer's risk.
You may wonder why so many issues can be associated with a type of thyroid problem that
doctors don't even see as a problem. The answer is that your thyroid system sets the
metabolic pace of your body, like the drummer in a band sets the tempo. If that tempo is
too sluggish then everything else works less well, which means wear and tear accumulates
at a faster rate.
You can fix sluggish thyroid problems by eating a cleaner diet, regular exercise, and using
nutrients that facilitate healthy thyroid function - especially by enhancing the conversion of
T4 to T3 and by providing adequate thyroid-related antioxidants.
The take home message from this year's thyroid news is that you should do everything
possible to keep your entire thyroid system working at an optimal level of health. There is

7. no comfort to be found in being "good for your age." The only thing that really matters is
optimal function - which is the foundation for your future health.
The era of true anti-aging nutrition is upon us. There are no quick fixes - but there is a path
to follow that is now backed by considerable science. Hop on - enjoy quality of health - for a
very long time.
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