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Cold Exposure & Other Mild Stressors for Increased Health & Longevity


Dean Pomerleau

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+1 for Olives and Olive Oil. 

 

Oleuropein aglycone enhances UCP1 expression in brown adipose tissue in high-fat-diet-induced obese rats by activating β-adrenergic signaling.

 

Oleuropein is the pungent principle of raw olives. Oleuropein aglycone (OA) is a major phenolic compound in extra virgin olive oil and the absorbed form of oleuropein. We aimed to determine the mechanism underlying the nutritional effects of oleuropein and OA on interscapular brown adipose tissue (IBAT) in rats with high-fat (HF) diet-induced obesity by examining the agonistic activity of oleuropein and OA toward the transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 (TRPA1) and vanilloid 1 (TRPV1). Four-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed an HF (palm oil 30% wt:wt) diet alone or with oleuropein (HF-O, 1 g/kg diet) for 28 days. In rats fed HF-O compared to HF, urinary noradrenaline, adrenaline and UCP1 levels in IBAT were significantly higher, whereas plasma leptin levels and the total weight of the abdominal cavity adipose tissue were significantly lower. In anaesthetized 7-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats, the OA (3.8 mg of intravenous injection)-induced increase in plasma noradrenaline secretion was suppressed by TRPA1 or TRPV1 antagonist and by a β2- or β3-adrenoceptor antagonist. Furthermore, OA-activated rat and human TRPV1s expressed on HEK293 cells at the same level as zingerone (pungent component in ginger). OA also activated humanTRPA1, and its potency was approximately 10-fold stronger than that for TRPV1. These findings suggest that OA is the agonist of both TRPA1 and TRPV1 and that OA enhances UCP1 expression in IBAT with a concomitant decrease in the visceral fat mass of HF-diet-induced obese rats through enhanced noradrenaline secretion via β-adrenergic action following TRPA1 and TRPV1 activation.

 

 

For more on olive oil please see Michael Rae's highly informative rant on EVOO.

Here is the most recent list of EVOO rankings by phenolic compounds that I could find.

Edited by Gordo
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With the change in seasons it has gotten easier to experiment with cold exposure.

 

In the summer I got started with cold exposure by filling the bath tub with water straight from the cold tap.  Although the water is not extremely cold it's high conductivity does suck one's heat fairly quick.  Entering the water is brutal but after a couple minutes one adapts and it is almost comfortable.  After a while, typically 20+ minutes, shivering sets in and it slowly becomes increasingly uncomfortable.

 

In contrast I've recently been able to experience increasingly intense cold air exposure.  Today it was 4F and quite windy when I went out to do my morning chicken care chores wearing a headband, gloves, a T-shirt and light hiking shorts.  Stepping into cold air is not bad, not even close to the brutality of entering the bath.  But I never adapt.  There can be moments when bright sun on bare skin feels good, but in general the cold starts out mildly unpleasant and gets steadily worse.  After about 10 minutes I start feeling noticeably sluggish/weakened and it becomes increasingly urgent to finish and get back inside.  Surprising to me my hands and feet remain relatively comfortable but going out well bundled to keep my core warm results in rapid freezing pain in my hands due to having Raynaud's syndrome.

 

After a cold bath as soon as I'm dried off, I feel energized, my skin is hot and my various chronic pains are greatly diminished.  Coming in from cold air it takes longer to feel warm and any benefits in energy or pain relief are more subtle.  I don't yet have a sense of which is more effective for long term benefit.

Edited by Todd Allen
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Apollo Sierra Organic California 70% Mission, Leccino, Frantoio

http://www.apollooliveoil.com/organic-extra-virgin/index.php/purchase/shop/#!/Sierra-Organic/p/63349049/category=8815809

 

Thanks Gordo. The above looked especially impressive in the rankings. Not cheap though. 20 bucks for 375 ml.

 

The Bariani looks like a bargain in comparison: http://superolive.com/Bariani-California-Extra-Virgin-Olive-Oil-3x-500-ml-169floz-P3239716.aspxalthough not quite as many polys as the apollo it has a much lower price

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Just a friendly head's up, Mike, that Apollo oil is a year old:

"...(Medium intensity - Milled December 2015 - 375 ml)..."

 

This South African oil is seven months old:

http://amphoranueva.com/store/index.php?p=product&id=217

 

I try to buy the freshest oils possible, and in season, and if companies don't list harvest dates, I don't buy buy them.

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Wondering: does anyone combine heat exposure with CE?

 

"Frequent sauna bathing can reduce the risk of dementia, according to a recent study carried out at the University of Eastern Finland. In a 20-year follow-up, men taking a sauna 4-7 times a week were 66% less likely to be diagnosed with dementia than those taking a sauna once a week."

 

https://scienceblog.com/490745/frequent-sauna-bathing-protects-men-dementia/

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By the way for anyone using the TrueResult glucose meter, I discovered mine is affected pretty heavily by temperature. About a month ago I was experimenting with letting the house temp drop down a lot during the night, to around 60 F. And I had my meter+strips stored in the coldest area of the house, a closet near an air vent, so they probably were dropping into the 50's F. So I noticed my morning readings were suddenly going up quite a bit, 10 to 15 points. Once I started setting the house temp back to a fixed 72 F, problem solved.

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Wondering: does anyone combine heat exposure with CE?

 

 

BrianA, I have been doing heat exposure for more than 3 months by taking a very hot bath each night before bed.  I started the practice because a mouse model of my neuro-muscular disease, SBMA, was shown to benefit from pharmacologically induced expression of heat shock proteins.  A different mouse study of some other disease showed heat shock proteins could be induced by hot water immersion and I decided to give it a try.

 

I don't know to what degree if any I'm achieving the goal of boosting HSPs via this process.  I am getting dramatically better quite rapidly though it might be due to the many other things I've also started doing.  Regardless, I've experienced many direct benefits that make it worthwhile.  First, it dramatically improves my sleep.  I suffered from poor sleep and insomnia.  After a hot bath I'm asleep within a couple minutes of entering bed.  At first I only slept soundly for 3-4 hours but now I'm sleeping well the entire night.  With the better sleep my recovery from exertion improved and my desire for strenuous exercise has grown.  Shortly after starting the hot baths my blood pressure and resting pulse rate both dramatically improved.  I've been visibly gaining muscle and have increasing strength, dexterity and endurance which is unusual for someone with a genetic untreatable progressive wasting disease.

 

As my tolerance for heat has increased, I've been engaging in this more extreme.  I filll the bath straight from the hot tap and over the months I've increased the temp on our hot water heater from 118F to 125F.  The tub after filling is about 5F lower than the water heater setting and cools during the bath.  I typically immerse myself as fully as possible until my heart rate is in the 140-150 range, 10-15 minutes, and then sit up or raise my arms or legs out as needed to keep my blood pressure from crashing too low for as long as I want to continue - an hour is about the max as by that point the water has cooled to where my heart rate is falling even fully immersed.

 

There is some danger in very hot baths and I've had a couple close calls barely able to slide out of the tub and onto the floor when heat stroke has set in too fast.  US law limits hot tubs to 104F max and suggests 15 minutes max exposure.  I encourage anyone intentionally exceeding that to gradually learn and increase your heat tolerance, ideally with someone nearby to yank you out if you over do it.

 

Here's a link to Rhonda Patrick's discussion of the benefits of heat stress.

http://fourhourworkweek.com/2014/04/10/saunas-hyperthermic-conditioning-2/

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I bought one of those Apollo Sierra EVOOs as a gift for someone (FirstTimeBuyer code takes $10 off).  I will be sure to get a sample, I'm very curious to know what the highest phenolic content EVOO tastes like (looks like they have won a lot of awards/contests although from what I've read the average person prefers the taste of lower phenolic EVOO (like most other foods, the healthiest "mojo" is also pungent).  That South African Don Carlo also looks good, I wonder if those stats are reputable?  I like the freshness factor.

 

By the way for anyone using the TrueResult glucose meter, I discovered mine is affected pretty heavily by temperature. About a month ago I was experimenting with letting the house temp drop down a lot during the night, to around 60 F. And I had my meter+strips stored in the coldest area of the house, a closet near an air vent, so they probably were dropping into the 50's F. So I noticed my morning readings were suddenly going up quite a bit, 10 to 15 points. Once I started setting the house temp back to a fixed 72 F, problem solved.

I haven't noticed that.  But I did buy a new meter just to have as a "second opinion" to the TrueResult.  Based on reading a lot of reviews, I picked the Bayer Contour Next meter.  Its readings are essentially identical to the TrueResult (same blood sample, fasting, post CE):

metercompare.jpg

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I'm not necessarily endorsing this, as you want to be responsible when it comes to CE. However, I just nailed out a 40:00 run (7km) in the temperature below. Depending on the moment, the wind chilled the air between -25'C and -35'C.  I wore two pairs of heavy socks, a heavy duty toque and gloves that covered these spots effectively with minimal skin exposure. However, I simply had track paints and two light long sleeve shirts on to cover my body. I felt fine to run like this but it definitely chills you to the bone - however, you feel like a million bucks afterwards.

 

My climate is fortunate in that I am able to do CE like this for many months a year if I like. If you do choose to venture out in such cold conditions, do so at your own risk!

 

 https://s24.postimg.org/5zegjpen9/Screen_Shot_2016_12_16_at_5_53_55_PM.png

Edited by drewab
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This is us.  Minus 40 degrees is the same in both systems.  I do not get out much and do not run.
 
  Detailed ForecastIssued: 4:00 PM CST Friday 16 December 2016

Extreme cold warning in effect.

date Detailed Forecast Tonight A few clouds. Wind up to 15 km/h. Low minus 32. Extreme wind chill minus 40. Sat, 17 Dec Sunny. Wind up to 15 km/h. High minus 25. Extreme wind chill minus 42. Night Increasing cloudiness in the evening. Wind up to 15 km/h. Low minus 29. Wind chill minus 38.
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This is us.  Minus 40 degrees is the same in both systems.  I do not get out much and do not run.
 
  Detailed ForecastIssued: 4:00 PM CST Friday 16 December 2016

Extreme cold warning in effect.

date Detailed Forecast Tonight A few clouds. Wind up to 15 km/h. Low minus 32. Extreme wind chill minus 40. Sat, 17 Dec Sunny. Wind up to 15 km/h. High minus 25. Extreme wind chill minus 42. Night Increasing cloudiness in the evening. Wind up to 15 km/h. Low minus 29. Wind chill minus 38.

 

 

Looks awfully similar to here. Where are you from? If I may ask.

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I've bought Apollo OO for over a decade; they have tested the 1yo batches in the past and the astronomical (pardon pun) numbers are mostly (~95%) unaffected due to careful packaging/storage/low peroxide--the taste is phenomenal, always, imo, too.

Edited by Kenton
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I've bought Apollo OO for over a decade; they have tested the 1yo batches in the past and the astronomical (pardon pun) numbers are mostly (~95%) unaffected due to careful packaging/storage/low peroxide--the taste is phenomenal, always, imo, too.

Hey thanks Kenton. I just ordered 5 bottles. I am curious about it and how it will taste. I will report back

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I've followed this thread for the past few months and just became a member today -- just wanted to chime in on the Cold Exposure component and all of the Canadians - I'm living in New Brunswick and born in Alberta and well ... all this CE talk is great news for us folks!!

A quick intro:

I will try to contribute here yet am a a structural engineer by trade.  I have no formal education in biology (however I do much personal research on CR, PR, metR, and supplementation such as berberine, eating vegan etc.) after years of researching (andconsuming) exogenous THEN endogenous anti-oxidants (thought I was quite smart by the time I narrowed the supplement regimen down to ubiquinol, r-alphalipoicacid, cysteine for GSH (or still consumed NAC), ... until recently I've always searching for a pill to augment what the vast majority would consider a disciplined diet and serious workout regimen.

 

I've come to realize that cold exposure, and CR are more powerful and actually more simple than popping expensive pills.

By CR I am also atm looking into CR vs. PR and actually methionine Restriction (as we cannot avoid all protein, it makes sense to be intelligent about WHICH proteins to be aware of and avoid).

In addition to methionine restriction I am considering adding a few grams of Glycine to my diet per day (apologies if these comments belong in a different thread).

 

I also want to give thanks & gratitude to everyone posting here.  The information here has provided much information to improve lifestyle and diet and clarify what exactly actually improves not only lifespan but healthspan.

 

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Hi Clinton, no formal education in biology here as well, but I often work with structural engineers in the construction field. Cold exposure is sure an interesting issue, I cannot compete with you Canadian guys since I live in a temperate climate but always have a couple of cold showers during the day and exercise outside in T-shirt and shorts. I don't know if the benefits apply to constant cold exposure or even intermittent exposure, and if alternating cold and heat is an added benefit.

 

Re. PR and meth restriction, it's a tricky issue since literal restriction may entail a potential deficiency but staying on the verge (just enough AAs to meet the bodily requirements) is not easy because of the probabilistic nature of minimum individual requirements. I opened a thread on such a topic.

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