Nutrigenomics and Xenohormesis: Two Recently Coined Scientific Terms Whose Understanding Is Vital to Our Quality Longevity

Nutrigenomics is the scientific study of the interaction of nutrition and genes, especially with regard to the prevention or treatment of disease. It’s quite possible that a good understanding and application of nutrigenomics can help us delay or prevent many of the diseases associated with aging.

Life expectancy today in the U. S. is approximately 77 years with a big discrepancy between males and females: 73.6 years for men and 79.4 years for women. But scientists are beginning to question this data. Because of many remarkable discoveries in molecular biology and nutrigenomics, many scientists now believe we can live well beyond the average life expectancy.

These discoveries include those of longevity genes, how they are activated and the biochemical mechanisms they rely on to increase longevity and enhance health.

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And then there’s the further discovery that specific plant molecules found in our food supply can activate longevity genes.

These same scientists are now beginning to admit that we can fortify our diets with plants for anti-aging effects.

Says Ronald Klatz, M.D., D.O., who coined the term, “anti-aging medicine:”

“We’re looking at a life span for the baby boomers and the generation after the baby boomers of one hundred twenty to one hundred fifty years of age.”

The idea that food is nothing more than fuel is no longer valid. Even the simplest foods contain hundreds of specialized molecules some of which are nutritive and provide energy and others of which are bioactive, meaning they’re capable of effecting changes in hormone levels and in fat, carbohydrate and protein metabolism. But Hippocrates, father of Western medicine and author of the adage, “Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food,” in a general sense, already seemed to grasp the bioactivity of food.

This plant-to-human/animal interaction is as ancient as humankind itself. A biological principle exists that explains how it is that we can derive health benefits from eons of plant stress response evolution: Environmentally stressed plants, through the ages, have produced bioactive compounds that can confer stress resistance and survival benefits to humans and animals that consume them. 

This principle is called xenohormesis (from xenos, the Greek word for stranger, and hormesis, the term for health benefits provided by mild biological stress such as cellular damage or a lack of nutrition).

Xenohormesis asserts that certain molecules in our food can have significant health- and longevity-enhancing effects that could possibly turn out to surpass anything current medications can achieve, if only we would focus our diets on their consumption.

But should we restrict the ingestion of plant foods beneficial to our longevity and vitality only to what goes in the mouth? 

What about our skin, the largest organ of the body and which absorbs more than 60% of what we put on it? Our skincare penetrate the body and join the bloodstream to nourish not just skin but body. It stands to reason that nutrigenomics applies to the ‘nutrition’ we give topically to our skin. 

This is why PHYTO5 creates skincare with high grade essential oils, for example, that have the ability to ‘communicate’ to the body ingesting them through the skin. 

Lingonberry seed essential oil in Extreme Hydrating Cream, the perfect super skin hydrator product especially in icy cold temperatures, is a berry from the Arctic region containing ingredients essential to lingonberry’s survival in temperatures as low as minus 50°C. Lingonberry is able to pass on its survival response to and through the skin.

Against all odds, Edelweiss, which grows at great heights on cliffsides and in other dangerous areas, offers the benefits of centuries of stress response, namely, survival and regeneration to the skin in PHYTO5’s Face Gel Mask and Perfection Cream for hyperpigmentation.

And the ancient ginkgo tree passes on its knowledge of survival and longevity in PHYTO5’s Water element Day Cream and Night Cream.

Xenohormesis has already been applied in drug discovery and the conscious nutritional enhancement of diet by many people.

“A full 40 percent of the drugs behind the pharmacist's counter in the Western world are derived from plants that people have used for centuries, including the top 20 best selling prescription drugs in the United States today.” — USDA–U.S. Forest Service

“A new study has revealed that the number of Americans following plant-based diets is up nearly 9.4 million over the last 15 years to over 9.7 million in total.” —thebeet.com

Though most plant-based consumers are unaware of xenohormesis and how a plant passes on its rich history of stress response to the human body, these consumers nevertheless recognize a whole array of health and longevity benefits.

Xenohormetic plant compounds can, when ingested, improve longevity by activating our own cellular stress response. This form of plant to human communication gives us important chemical cues we may have overlooked until recently. Applying the science of nutrigenomics may prove to be beneficial in not just our life-extension but quality of that life as we extend it.

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Endnotes:

Hooper, Philip L et al. “Xenohormesis: health benefits from an eon of plant stress response evolution.” Cell stress & chaperones vol. 15,6 (2010): 761-70. doi:10.1007/s12192-010-0206-x

Konrad T. Howitz, David A. Sinclair, Xenohormesis: Sensing the Chemical Cues of Other Species, Cell, Volume 133, Issue 3, 2008, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2008.04.019.

(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0092867408005114)

Cayuela Sánchez JA, Elamrani A. Nutrigenomics of essential oils and their potential domestic use for improving health. Nat Prod Commun. 2014 Nov;9(11):1641-8. PMID: 25532301.

Dhanjal, Daljeet Singh et al. “Plant Fortification of the Diet for Anti-Ageing Effects: A Review.” Nutrients vol. 12,10 3008. 30 Sep. 2020, doi:10.3390/nu12103008

Phytochemicals of Nutraceutical Importance. United Kingdom, CABI, 2014.

Swann G. The skin is the body's largest organ. J Vis Commun Med. 2010 Dec;33(4):148-9. doi: 10.3109/17453054.2010.525439. PMID: 21087182.

You Can Live Beyond Your Prescribed Genetics

Among many critical factors influencing the aging process, our genetic heritage is a major one. Genetics escape our control yet twins with an identical genetic imprint can age differently. This proves other factors like lifestyle are in play.

Other factors include our living conditions. We don’t have control over our environmental climate either.

But other factors point to how we choose to consciously live our lives.

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The physical effects of aging may accelerate as a result of:

• where you live (dry or humid, hot or cold, temperate or extreme climates)

• your socioeconomic conditions (depening on the time and resources you have to take care of yourself)

• your relationships (family and friends)

• your psychological frame of mind (tendency to worry, embrace fear and anger, or to laugh and be merry)

• your diet

• your exercise routine

• your socializing habits

• various personal disciplines you might or might not have, including how you handle stress (at work and in your private life) your spiritual life.

Some factors have little to do with the amount of free time or disposable income you have.

• Do you drive when you could walk instead?

• Do you take the escalator rather than the stairs?

• Do you take every opportunity you have to stretch, exercise, and breathe deeply?

• Do you take a few minutes, even a few seconds, throughout the day to meditate and to manage your negative emotions when they appear?

• Do you find reasons to smile and to laugh?

• Can you stay clear of smoking and alcohol (beyond an occasional beer or glass of wine) and recreational drugs?

Exercise, nutrition and diet (including the choice for energetic foods and phytochemicals in our diet), colon therapy and inner cleansing, and mindfulness practice are all key elements of a lifestyle designed to slow the aging process as much as possible.

In this post, we’ll focus on exercise, so pertinent for this time of year, and we’ll discuss food, inner cleansing and mindfulness practices in soon upcoming posts.

Exercise does not need to be strenuous, but we do need two types of exercises: stretching and cardiovascular.  Exercising in general, and stretching in particular, sponsors the movement of vital energy throughout the body, accelerating the flow of blood that brings necessary nutrients to all cells. It also stimulates the process of elimination of waste within cells and tissues.

It is good to remember that we generate more internal energy as we exercise, but depending on the type of exercise, we might also expend a large amount of energy, leaving us depleted at the end of our session. The goal is to build up energy while expending as little of it as possible. In that respect, low impact and moderately intensive cardiovascular exercises are superior forms of wellness enhancement.

Mindful exercising connects intention to action. It is important because energy follows our intention, therefore we can redirect it. Yoga, qi gong, and tai chi are known for their focus on the coordination of movement and breath with intention and awareness. There are many other activities that can be performed with conscious focus, from golf to simply walking upstairs.

All this is contrary to the frequent practice of mechanically performing exercises while listening to music or watching television in an attempt to distract the mind from repetitive and boring movements.

Conscious breathing should also be considered part of our exercise regimen. For most people, twenty to thirty minutes of accelerated breathing three times a week is quite sufficient.  Experts point to the need of breathing from the abdomen and not simply from the top of the lungs. This action helps the movement of the diaphragm, the largest muscle in the body that acts as a major pump for the movement of lymph and of water throughout the body.

Skin Is Your Third Lung

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) views skin with great reverence. It’s more than a barrier between the inside of the body and the outside environment. Skin is linked to the organ function of Lung—a breathing and eliminating function. Consequently, TCM links Lung to the energy of the Metal element.

But there’s more: Your skin is particularly important because it is a reflexive organ that provides important telltale signs of what is going on within your body. Any recurring skin problem in the same area is an indicator of your health condition. Your skin’s role as a provider of natural early warning signs can help you maintain or achieve an improved state of wellness.

We all know that smoking is very bad for our health, but few realize the particularly dreadful cumulative effect smoking has on skin health and quality. This is because the lungs and skin have a very specific and direct connections and is why Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) refers to the skin as the third lung.

For most people, twenty to thirty minutes of accelerated breathing three times a week is quite sufficient for the health of their skin and body. During these sessions, the breathing should be deep enough to completely empty out the lungs and then fully renew the oxygen content of the lungs. Lack of frequent and deep breathing causes parts of the lungs and a significant portion of the lung alveolus to remain collapsed.

Experts point to the necessity of breathing from the abdomen and not simply from the top of the lungs. This action helps the movement of the diaphragm, the largest muscle in the body that acts as a major pump for the movement of lymph and of water throughout the body.

The lungs (along with skin, kidneys, and colon) are one of four major organs for eliminating bodily waste (gas, fluids and solids). Poor lung energy manifests as disorders of skin and mucous membranes as well as poor venous and lymph circulation. Lungs and the large intestine are responsible for separation, distillation and elimination.

The reflex zone for lungs is found on the face, namely on the cheeks extended from the corner of the mouth, alongside the jawbone to the ear, on both sides.

Lungs are paired with the large intestine in TCM (lungs: yin and large intestine: yang). They belong to Metal element/Fall season. Lungs are where internal energy from nutrients in the blood mixes with external energy of air to provide vital energy.

Skin is called the third lung in TCM because it is the limit between the internal and the external. For this reason, skin is regulated by Metal energy. Breathing (lungs) affects the movement of vital energy through the body.

It is said, “Where chi goes, energy flows.” Body-mind exercises such as yoga demonstrate how intent and breathing can direct energy with its attendant therapeutic benefits.

“As the interface between our inner and outer world, the Lung manages external security. Sometimes referred to as the “third lung,” the skin is the outermost surface of the self, providing an elastic envelope that contains us, shielding against intrusion. The Lung transpires across the dermal layer: through perspiration, plus opening and closing the pores, it constantly adjusts the moisture and temperature of the body. Like a screen of variable porosity, the Lung tightens and thickens the skin to ward off undesirable influences and seal in valuable internal resources, or it loosens and thins the skin to release unwanted internal substances or feelings and permit penetration of desirable influences.”

— Beinfield, Harriet, and Efrem Korngold. Between Heaven and Earth: A Guide to Chinese Medicine. New York: Ballantine, 1992. Print.

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Source:

Canas, Jon. Energetic Skincare, Naturally. Eustis, FL: Phyto Distribution, 2010. Print.