Krill Oils DHA - Brain Advantage

The below article on Fish versus Krill oil was written by Dr. Rhonda Patrick.  Dr. Patrick is one of my favorite research junkies whose work I follow closely.  As for my daily omega-3 intake, I alternate between Barlean's Wild & Whole Alaskan Salmon Oil and Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega in the morning, and Natural Stacks Anarctic Krill Oil in the evening. I hope you enjoy the below article and encourage you to sponsor Dr. Patrick so she can continue to produce her well researched content. There has been a lot of health experts recently advocating strongly for krill oil as an allegedly superior alternative to fish oil as a source for omega-3s. Today we are going to get into the nitty gritty of fish and krill oil and hopefully shed some light on their similarities as well as differences, which may lead to benefits that are actually specific to different tissues in the body. It's undeniable that the essential omega-3 fatty acids, particularly eicosapentaenoic acid (known as EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (known as DHA) are extremely important in human physiology. In fact, because fish oil is already one of my single favorite supplements, it's pretty hard for me to even entertain the notion that there's any room for some sort of trade-up from the awesomeness of fish oil. There may be some truth to it, however, within certain very specific contexts. Omega-3 (EPA & DHA) are essential fatty acids and are required by the human body. They cannot be synthesized by our bodies and must be obtained from the diet. One study using data from the National Center for Health Statistics looked into the most common dietary, lifestyle, or metabolic risk factors influencing early mortality found that low intake of omega-3 fatty acids was one of the top dietary factors that had the largest influence on mortality and it accounted for around 80,000 to 100,000 deaths in 2005 alone. [1] The "Benefits" of Omega-3 But... before we dive into krill oil and a comparison between it and fish oil, let's briefly go over just a few of the established benefits of EPA and DHA that are generalizable: Supplementation with EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids has been shown to: Lower all-cause mortality. Prevent telomere shortening (the biological measure of aging) (read more.) Improve learning and memory. Delay brain aging by repairing damage and preventing atrophy. Reduce inflammation, immune system hyperactivity that damages tissues and can also initiate cancer Positively affect cholesterol profile by increasing HDL and lowering triglycerides. Increase cell membrane fluidity including in neurons, which is critical for the action of neurotransmitters including norepinephrine, which has been shown to play a very important role in focus and attention. On the topic of cell membrane fluidity and norepinephrine, it plays a very important role in many, many different cellular functions. However, just to make it a little bit more tangible one particular example worth mentioning is the fact that DHA is necessary for the adrenergic receptor (found in the cell membrane) to be able to bind to norepinephrine so that norepinephrine can induce a biological response in the brain. Norepinephrine in particular has been shown to play a very important role in focus and attention. See my video on hyperthermic conditioning to learn more about norepinephrine in the context of sauna use. Neurotransmission, however, isn't the only place where membrane fluidity is critical. In fact, many other cell types also have proteins (like receptors) bound to the membrane will likely have their function impeded by a membrane that is too rigid. So whether we're talking about omega-3 in the context of mortality or in the context of brain function, omega-3 is awesome & extremely important. Let's now turn to the original thrust of this article, however, and dive into a comparison between fish oil and krill oil. These are the two most common sources, with the latter of which being a bit more expensive but arguably a superior option. Now, I know what you're thinking: there is no way omega-3 can do all of that stuff, I must be trying to sell you on some kinda snake oil! I hope so. I hope so, my friend. And that is because I'm a fan of irony: Snake oil, real snake oil at least, has actually been found to be a fat that is rich in omega-3 fatty acids. In fact, Chinese snake oil has been found to have even more of the anti-inflammatory goodness known as eicosapentaenoic acid than fish oil: on average snake oil is about 20% EPA, which is about 2% more than fish oil at 18%. [2] Krill Oil's Differentiating Characteristics There are a few key characteristics or facts that differentiate krill oil from fish oil in a way that  might influence the way you supplement. Krill oil has a higher a bioavailability due to most of its EPA and DHA fatty acids being attached to phospholipids, unlike the omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil which are either found in a triglyceride or ethyl ester form. One of the phospholipids found in krill oil (and fish) has been found to be the almost exclusive source for DHA found in the brain in recent mouse, rat, and piglet studies. This phospholipid, known as phosphatidylcholine, is generally not found in molecularly distilled fish oil although it is produced in the body. Krill oil contains a special antioxidant called astaxanthin, which is a carotenoid that fish oil does not contain. Molecular Distillation As A Point of Distinction It's important to understand that fish oil is usually modified by the process of molecular distillation, which allows EPA and DHA to be concentrated and removes contaminants like mercury. Krill oil is able to circumvent this processing altogether largely due to its lack of contamination characteristic of its position, which sits lower in the food chain. The omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA in fish are mostly in triglyceride form, meaning three fatty acids are bound to a glycerol backbone. Once fish oil is distilled it is no longer the same substance. After distillation the EPA and DHA is converted from triglyceride form into ethyl ester form by removing the glycerol backbone and replacing it with an ethanol backbone. At this stage it can be converted back into a triglyceride form by a process called re-esterification, which adds the glycerol backbone back onto EPA & DHA. [3] This secondary process of converting EPA and DHA back into triglyceride form is unique to higher-end brands of fish oil (like nordic naturals) and is done to deliberately increase the bioavailability of EPA and DHA fatty acids. Unfortunately, many of the fish oil supplements on the market are left in ethyl ester form after molecular distillation and the bioavailability of EPA and DHA in ethyl ester form is much lower than triglyceride form. [4] Krill oil contains EPA and DHA that are mostly present in phospholipids, including: phosphatidylcholine phosphatidylserine phosphatidylethanolamine A phospholipid is composed of a fat-soluble diacylglyceride and a water soluble phosphate group attached to an organic molecule (choline, serine, or ethanolamine in the previous examples). What's important to know about the phospholipids in krill oil is that they are far more bioavailable than fish oil's triglyceride or estyl ether forms. Phosphatidylcholine, in particular, is very important, but I'll elaborate more on that in a moment. Bioavailability of Krill Oil vs. Fish Oil There are two keys areas where omega-3 fatty acids can encounter problems, which affect its bioavailability and use by your tissues. First is absorption in the small intestine after ingestion. Second, is actual transport inside different tissues (such as the brain, heart, and liver) after intestinal absorption. First let's cover the differences in intestinal absorption of phospholipids (mostly found in krill oil), triglycerides (mostly found in fish oil, if industrially re-esterified), and ethyl esters (mostly found in fish oil, if it wasn't re-esterified). In order to be absorbed by the small intestine, the EPA and DHA from fish oil present in triglyceride or ethyl ester form must be broken down by pancreatic lipases (enzymes that break down triglycerides) into free omega-3 fatty acids (meaning they are cleaved from their backbone). The EPA and DHA in phospholipids from krill oil are also broken down into free omega-3 fatty acids in small intestine by a different class of enzymes called phospholipases (enzymes that break down phospholipids) but here is the important point: they do not necessarily have to be broken down because they can also form micelles which can be absorbed in their intact form. Ethyl esters are poor substrates for pancreatic lipases which means the EPA and DHA in ethyl ester form are not absorbed as well as in triglyceride form (since the ethyl esters are less able to complete the conversion into free fatty acids). While the EPA and DHA in triglycerides are more bioavailable than ethyl esters, they are not more bioavailable than phospholipids. There are two reasons for this: EPA and DHA in triglycerides can be broken down by gastric lipases in the stomach, which means some of the omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil are lost in the stomach and never make it to the small intestine for absorption into the bloodstream. Unfortunately, the most bioavailable component of fish oil (triglyceride form) is the form that is most susceptible to this, whereas the phospholipids (ie. phosphatidylcholine) found in krill oil are generally not broken down in the stomach. [3] Krill oil's phospholipids do not necessarily have to be broken down into free fatty acids by phospholipases in the small intestine since they can also be absorbed in their intact form by chylomicrons, which are the lipoproteins responsible for transporting omega-3 in the bloodstream. [5] Even though ethyl ester is the least bioavailable form, one trick that can help improve even its bioavailability is to eat it with an accompanying high fat meal (in other words, a meal rich in triglycerides). [6] How Much More Bioavailable Is Krill? About 40%. There is evidence demonstrating that omega-3 fatty acids are more bioavailable in krill oil.  When identical doses of EPA and DHA were given in either phospholipid form, triglyceride form, or ethyl ester form (molecularly distilled) to humans, EPA and DHA concentrations in plasma cholesterol were shown to be highest when in phospholipid form followed by triglyceride form and, lastly, ethyl ester form. [7]  In line with this, another study in which humans that were given krill oil containing 62.8% of the total amount of omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil, increased their plasma EPA and DHA levels to the same level as those in the fish oil group despite the fact that it was a smaller dose (by 37.2%). [8] Because the EPA and DHA concentrations in plasma cholesterol are indicative of the amount actually being absorbed in the small intestine and into the bloodstream, this suggests that EPA and DHA in phospholipid form is more bioavailable than triglyceride and ethyl ester is the least bioavailable. DHA from Krill Oil More Readily Transported to Brain Cells The concentration of EPA and DHA in plasma cholesterol is not necessarily indicative of the amount of these omega-3 fatty acid concentrations inside different cell types. So let's take a closer look at the mechanisms of transport inside different tissues starting with my favorite, the brain.      DHA is the most abundant fatty acid found in the brain, making up 10 to 20% of the brain's total lipid composition, which is 60% by dry weight. [9] Despite the fact that DHA is abundant in the brain, the mechanisms of how DHA crosses the blood-brain barrier have remained unclear for some time, up until recently. As it turns out, something called DHA-lyso-phosphatidylcholine is far more preferred by the brain compared to DHA in its free fatty acid form, which is what we have left over after triglyceride or ethyl ester DHA has been broken down by lipases. [10,11] But what is DHA-lyso-phosphatidylcholine? DHA-lyso-phosphatidylcholine is a byproduct of DHA in phosphatidylcholine after it is cleaved (by phospholipases) either in the small intestine or in the bloodstream. Since DHA in phosphatidylcholine is primarily found in krill oil and not fish oil, this means that krill oil is a great source for DHA-lyso-phosphatidylcholine while fish oil is not. [11] It seems as though DHA-lyso-phosphatidylcholine may be really important. In fact, studies have shown that DHA-lyso-phosphatidylcholine accumulates by 10-fold higher amounts in the brain than DHA in free fatty acid form. [10] This isn't a phenomenon specific to just rats, either. Another study demonstrated something very similar in piglets as well:  DHA is taken up into developing brains of piglets in phosphatidylcholine far more effectively than DHA in triglyceride form. [12] A Transporter Specialized for DHA-lysophosphatidylcholine So what is the mechanism? Why does the brain prefer DHA-lysophosphatidylcholine over DHA in free fatty acid form? A nature paper published in May 2014 found a specialized DHA transporter (called Mfsd2a) that transports DHA-lysophosphatidylcholine across the blood-brain barrier. They showed that mice engineered to lack this transporter had 60% less DHA in their brain compared to normal mice! [13]  Getting rid of this transporter ONLY affected DHA levels in the brain and not other tissues, such as the heart or liver... which, instead, has been shown to mostly accumulate DHA in its non-esterified form. [10] The one exception is red blood cells, which actually also prefers DHA-lysophosphatidylcholine which makes sense because DHA concentrations in red blood cells tightly correlate to actual DHA levels found in the brain. [14]  This last point actually makes a great argument for using red blood cell omega-3 content as an index for omega-3 sufficiency instead of the more common plasma cholesterol tests, but as of yet this type of test is not widely available on the market. Krill Oil Has Its Own Antioxidant: Astaxanthin One other unique aspect of krill oil is that, unlike fish oil, krill oil contains astaxanthin. That isn't to say that fish don't contain astaxanthin, common fish that eat zooplankton, such as salmon, do as well. However, insofar as we're talking about omega-3 supplements: astaxanthin is a carotenoid that is unique to krill oil and is not present in fish oil. Astaxanthin is produced primarily by phytoplankton, which biosynthesize the precursors lycopene and beta-carotene; zooplankton graze on phytoplankton and convert some of the beta-carotene to astaxanthin. Fish (such as salmon) and crustaceans (such as krill) eat the zooplankton and this is their source of astaxanthin. [15] Carotenoids, such as astaxanthin, are antioxidants that uniquely sequester a type of oxidation originating from singlet oxygen (which is produced from UV radiation) and they are also strong antioxidants against peroxyl radicals. [16] Singlet oxygen and peroxy radicals are very reactive and can damage lipid membranes, DNA, and proteins in your cells. All of these are fundamental biological causes of aging. (Note: for more information on this please see my video entitled, "Do Antioxidants Cause Cancer?"). Something cool about astaxanthin in particular is that it is one of the carotenoids that is easily absorbed into the human bloodstream. Astaxanthin has an amphipathic structure (both water soluble and lipid soluble properties), which allows it to accumulate in cell membranes. This a is a good thing, because DHA, which is very prone to oxidative damage, also accumulates in cell membranes where it is needed to play a critical role for the cell in membrane fluidity. Many antioxidants, such as glutathione, are produced and used inside the soluble portion of the cell but are not present in cell membranes. For this reason, getting a little astaxanthin with your omega-3 fatty acids may be a great way to uniquely protect that DHA as well as other polyunsaturated fats in the cell membrane from oxidation since it is localized to the same membrane region of the cell as DHA. Astaxanthin may also have other benefits on its own. For example, astaxanthin supplementation all by itself has been shown in humans to improve immune function while decreasing an important marker of inflammation known as C-Reactive Protein. [17] Astaxanthin also reduced DNA damage, hyperlipidemia, and oxidative stress by suppressing lipid peroxidation and increased HDL. [17-20] Oxidative stress, DNA damage, and inflammation are all important initiators of cancer, which I talked about in length in my video "Do Antioxidants Cause Cancer?" Astaxanthin as a supplement has also been shown to increase HDL-cholesterol and decrease triglycerides (suggesting it plays an important role in cardiovascular health), reduce the oxidation of cell membranes which has been known to play a role in skin aging, and been shown to actually improve crow's feet, elasticity, and transepidermal water loss. [21] In conclusion, astaxanthin supplementation may be beneficial for fighting against many degenerative diseases of aging, such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes, and neurodegenerative diseases. Summary Krill oil "beats" fish oil from many different perspectives: the EPA and DHA are more bioavailable as a consequence of phospholipids. One of the most compelling reasons krill oil is superior to fish oil is due to the fact that krill oil is a source of DHA-lysophosphatidylcholine, the preferred form of DHA in the brain. Additionally, krill oil comes with the added bonus of astaxanthin, which may also play a special role in the fight against aging that other antioxidants don't. One last novel feature that is specific to krill oil and not fish oil is that it is also a great source of other phospholipids such as phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylethanolamine which are abundant in mitochondrial membranes and neuronal cell membranes. In fact, the levels of these phospholipids in mitochondrial membranes and neuronal membranes decrease with age and this has been linked to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease. How much do I take? The next question many of you might ask is how much to take. I personally take a lot of omega-3: in the past I've adjusted my fish oil dose to correspond to about 2 grams of EPA and 1 gram of DHA per day based on studies I'd read that seemed to suggest this might be a good therapeutic dose. What the ideal amount to supplement with krill oil is: I have no idea. This open for debate and something I'm not sure about. As of right now I tend to take some of both. I'm hoping that with the new discovery of this brain-specific transporter, clinical trials will use krill oil when trying to understand the effects of DHA supplementation on the brain. If I figure anymore out, I'll let you guys know. Until next time! Thanks for reading. We're a razor's edge from our second milestone! We're now at ~55% of the $4,500/mo milestone! Consider making a small, even infinitesimal Patreon pledge to support FoundMyFitness articles and videos. You can pledge as little as $0.25 per month... but if you do decide to pledge a little more to help us reach our milestones, we'll throw in a few Patreon members-only perks like:  Early content access The opportunity to influence what topics get picked next Access to Google Hangouts (limited slots) Click here to learn more about our milestones and how-to pledge! References 1. Danaei G, Ding EL, Mozaffarian D, Taylor B, Rehm J, Murray CJ, Ezzati M: The preventable causes of death in the United States: comparative risk assessment of dietary, lifestyle, and metabolic risk factors. PLoS Med 2009, 6:e1000058. 2. Graber C: Snake Oil Salesmen Were on to Something. Edited by. Scientific American: Scientific American; 2007. 3. Dyerberg J, Madsen P, Moller JM, Aardestrup I, Schmidt EB: Bioavailability of marine n-3 fatty acid formulations. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids 2010, 83:137-141. 4. Neubronner J, Schuchardt JP, Kressel G, Merkel M, von Schacky C, Hahn A: Enhanced increase of omega-3 index in response to long-term n-3 fatty acid supplementation from triacylglycerides versus ethyl esters. Eur J Clin Nutr 2011, 65:247-254. 5. Cohn JS, Kamili A, Wat E, Chung RW, Tandy S: Dietary phospholipids and intestinal cholesterol absorption. Nutrients 2010, 2:116-127. 6. Lawson LD, Hughes BG: Human absorption of fish oil fatty acids as triacylglycerols, free acids, or ethyl esters. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 1988, 152:328-335. 7. Schuchardt JP, Schneider I, Meyer H, Neubronner J, von Schacky C, Hahn A: Incorporation of EPA and DHA into plasma phospholipids in response to different omega-3 fatty acid formulations--a comparative bioavailability study of fish oil vs. krill oil. Lipids Health Dis 2011, 10:145. 8. Ulven SM, Kirkhus B, Lamglait A, Basu S, Elind E, Haider T, Berge K, Vik H, Pedersen JI: Metabolic effects of krill oil are essentially similar to those of fish oil but at lower dose of EPA and DHA, in healthy volunteers. Lipids 2011, 46:37-46. 9. Yehuda S, Rabinovitz S, Mostofsky DI: Essential fatty acids are mediators of brain biochemistry and cognitive functions. J Neurosci Res 1999, 56:565-570. 10. Thies F, Pillon C, Moliere P, Lagarde M, Lecerf J: Preferential incorporation of sn-2 lysoPC DHA over unesterified DHA in the young rat brain. Am J Physiol 1994, 267:R1273-1279. 11. Croset M, Brossard N, Polette A, Lagarde M: Characterization of plasma unsaturated lysophosphatidylcholines in human and rat. Biochem J 2000, 345 Pt 1:61-67. 12. Liu L, Bartke N, Van Daele H, Lawrence P, Qin X, Park HG, Kothapalli K, Windust A, Bindels J, Wang Z, et al.: Higher efficacy of dietary DHA provided as a phospholipid than as a triglyceride for brain DHA accretion in neonatal piglets. J Lipid Res 2014, 55:531-539. 13. Nguyen LN, Ma D, Shui G, Wong P, Cazenave-Gassiot A, Zhang X, Wenk MR, Goh EL, Silver DL: Mfsd2a is a transporter for the essential omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid. Nature 2014, 509:503-506. 14. Kuratko CN, Salem N, Jr.: Biomarkers of DHA status. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids 2009, 81:111-118. 15. Andersson M, Van Nieuwerburgh, L., Snoeijs, P.: Pigment transfer from phytoplankton to zooplankton with emphasis on astaxanthin production in the Baltic Sea food web. Inter-Research Marine Biology Progress Series 2003:213-224 16. Naguib YM: Antioxidant activities of astaxanthin and related carotenoids. J Agric Food Chem 2000, 48:1150-1154. 17. Park JS, Chyun JH, Kim YK, Line LL, Chew BP: Astaxanthin decreased oxidative stress and inflammation and enhanced immune response in humans. Nutr Metab (Lond) 2010, 7:18. 18. Riccioni G, D'Orazio N, Franceschelli S, Speranza L: Marine carotenoids and cardiovascular risk markers. Mar Drugs 2011, 9:1166-1175. 19. Choi HD, Kim JH, Chang MJ, Kyu-Youn Y, Shin WG: Effects of astaxanthin on oxidative stress in overweight and obese adults. Phytother Res 2011, 25:1813-1818. 20. Yoshida H, Yanai H, Ito K, Tomono Y, Koikeda T, Tsukahara H, Tada N: Administration of natural astaxanthin increases serum HDL-cholesterol and adiponectin in subjects with mild hyperlipidemia. Atherosclerosis 2010, 209:520-523. 21. Tominaga K, Hongo N, Karato M, Yamashita E: Cosmetic benefits of astaxanthin on humans subjects. Acta Biochim Pol 2012, 59:43-47. About Dr. Patrick: Dr. Patrick has a Ph.D. in Biomedical Science and has done extensive research on aging, cancer, and nutrition. She is an expert on nutrition and metabolism and currently conducts clinical trials examining the positive effects of vitamin and mineral supplementation on metabolism, inflammation, and aging.

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Continuous Heart Rate Variability Monitoring - HealthPatch

I have been monitoring the health of my autonomic nervous system (ANS) for several years.  The ANS is made up of the sympathetic (fight or flight) and parasympathetic (rest and digest) branches.  One way to look at these two branches is to think of the sympathetic branch as a car's accelerator, while the parasympathetic branch as the car's brakes.  The goal is to maintain balance between these two branches, at least when you are not actively engaged in exercise.

 I have used tools offered by HeartMath and SweetWater Health to measure and manage the health of my ANS.  The applications offered by these two companies make use of your Heart Rate Variability (HRV) to show the balance between the two branches, as well as the measure of your resiliency (strength/power of each branch).

Many athletes measure their HRV first thing in the morning to determine the state of their recovery.  See my prior blog post on Recovery - What's Involved for the low down on various ways to test recovery.  As an aside, Proteus, the manufacturer of an FDA approved smart pill, has just announced Recover, which uses a patch similar to the HealthPatch, and will support continuous monitoring of several biometrics, including HRV. Proteus Recover is being marketed for athletes.  They appear to be using HRV, HR and sleep to quantify recovery status.

I was finally able to obtain a VitalConnect HealthPatch sample pack last week. This was my first foray into continuous HRV monitoring.  As a side benefit, the HealthPatch also measures steps, skin temperature, respiration rate, and stress level.

VitalConnect states that the zinc air battery contained in the disposable portion of the patch will last between 48-72 hours. I achieved 84 hours, which included four exercise events and four showers. Not too shabby.

I made use of SweetWater Health's SweetBeatLife (SBL) to pull the data off the HealthPatch.  I should point out that you need to stop monitoring every nine hours due to SBL's current data log limitations. I fired up the VitalConnect mobile app each time I stopped SBL so I could batch upload the data collected during the prior nine hours to the VitalConnect site.

I watched the HealthPatch video a couple of times prior to applying the patch to my chest. The assembly of the patch involves the connection and sealing of the module which stores the data and houses the the low-power bluetooth radio.

I opted to affix the patch on my upper chest, as I wanted to be able to run WHOOP  with my Wahoo TICKR in parallel with SBL for testing purposes.

I was able to collect a lot of data over the 84 hours. The only breaks in recording occurred during the first and third night, when the patch lost connectivity to SBL (first night) or SBL crashed (third night).

You need to keep your iPhone (SweetWater is releasing an Android client soon) charged at all times. I kept it plugged in when I was stationary and at night while sleeping.  I made use of my Mophie Powerstation when I was more mobile.

I have four more patches to test, but will likely wait a few weeks to give them another spin.

Feel free to ask questions.

Enjoy,


Chuck

Natural Stacks Natural Protein, The Best Protein Source On The Planet

I attempt to consume 90 grams of protein per day.  This is not as easy as one would think.

I have used various protein sources to help me hit my daily protein goal on and off over the past few years.  Some contained too many unnecessary fillers, while others were not comprehensive enough.  Sounds like Goldilocks and the Three Bears I suppose.

Then came along Natural Stacks and their kick ass Natural Protein.  Natural Stacks hit my radar due to their use of only the best ingredients and the fact that they are one of the most transparent supplement companies on the planet.

The Natural Protein, contains a 2:1 blend of Whey to Collagen and comes in two flavors, Madagascar Vanilla Bean and Raw Ecuadorian Cacao.  Natural Stacks also threw in Colostrum for good measure.

What I like most about this product is that it contains very few ingredients, yet is extremely well rounded from a nutritional standpoint.  I will leave it to you to review the Natural Stacks product page, but I do not think you will find a better source of protein to help maintain muscle mass, enhance recovery and keep your gut happy (side benefit of Colostrum - helps heal a leaky gut).

I also encourage you to check out Natural Stacks other products.

So bottoms up.

Enjoy!

Time to ramp up the Vitamin D

The Automnal Equinox is upon us which means the sun will be much lower on the horizon here in the northern states until the spring (Vernal Equinox).  This is the period of time when I ramp up my intake of Vitamin D.

Vitamin D is actually a hormone and is an important contributor to your health.  You can not possibly produce enough of this hormone during the winter months, no matter how much time you spend outside.  For this reason, you should strive to supplement with roughly 1,000 IUs of Vitamin D per 25 pounds of body weight. You should also get a blood test to check your levels from time to time to make sure you are maintaining an optimal level.  Finally, make sure you supplement with the D3 form of Vitamin D.  I personally take Natural Stacks Vitamin D3, which includes coconut oil, to aid in absorption.

I posted a great Vitamin D Infographic a bit ago, which provides a good overview of why this hormone is so important. I also encourage you to watch Dr. Rhonda Patrick's video, The "Vitamin D Sweet Spot" and Its Relationship To Aging:

As always, feel free to ask questions.

In search of mental clarity

I know a lot of people, myself included, who start their day with a cup of coffee.  The goal is to wake up one's brain and help you start your day with an extra boost of energy and focus.  Unfortunately it often takes frequent trips to the coffee shop to maintain this enhanced state, which in turn, can lead to a pattern of ups and downs, with stints of jitters.

I began a renewed interest in my health in the fall of 2011.  This was at the tail end of multi-year experiment with a raw vegan diet.  Like a lot of people, I felt really good at first.  But unfortunately, my energy levels started to decline and my brain felt off.

I  first added Dave Asprey's Bulletproof Coffee recipe to my morning routine.  I was immediately hooked. This fat heavy concoction gave me a huge boost in energy and turned my brain back on.

I next added Onnit's Alpha Brain.  Alpha Brain is based on sound research, but I must say I did not notice any benefits.

Next up was Natural Stack's CILTEP.  CILTEP stands for "Chemically Induced Long-Term Potentiation".  I noticed my ability to focus was noticeably enhanced after a couple of days of use and this heightened level of mental clarity persists well into the day, especially when combined with Natural Stack's Smart Caffeine.  One word of caution, do not take Smart Caffeine too late in the day.  I did this once and could have easily staid up all night.  I had to use intense brain entrainment to bring my brain down to a level where sleep was possible.

As a side note, I no longer crave or need any additional cups of coffee after the initial Bulletproof coffee I consume right after waking up. This was not the case with Alpha Brain.  I am guessing the one - two punch of CILTEP and Smart Caffeine are driving this change.

I am going to continue to play around with CILTEP and potentially some other nootropics. So stay tuned.

Penn Medicine Researchers Show How Lost Sleep Leads to Lost Neurons

http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2014/03/veasey/

First Report in Preclinical Study Showing Extended Wakefulness Can Result in Neuronal Injury

PHILADELPHIA — Most people appreciate that not getting enough sleep impairs cognitive performance. For the chronically sleep-deprived such as shift workers, students, or truckers, a common strategy is simply to catch up on missed slumber on the weekends. According to common wisdom, catch up sleep repays one's "sleep debt," with no lasting effects. But a new Penn Medicine study shows disturbing evidence that chronic sleep loss may be more serious than previously thought and may even lead to irreversible physical damage to and loss of brain cells. The research is published today in The Journal of Neuroscience.

Using a mouse model of chronic sleep loss, Sigrid Veasey, MD , associate professor of Medicine and a member of the Center for Sleep and Circadian Neurobiology at the Perelman School of Medicine and collaborators from Peking University, have determined that extended wakefulness is linked to injury to, and loss of, neurons that are essential for alertness and optimal cognition, the locus coeruleus (LC) neurons. 

"In general, we’ve always assumed full recovery of cognition following short- and long-term sleep loss," Veasey says. "But some of the research in humans has shown that attention span and several other aspects of cognition may not normalize even with three days of recovery sleep, raising the question of lasting injury in the brain. We wanted to figure out exactly whether chronic sleep loss injures neurons, whether the injury is reversible, and which neurons are involved."

Mice were examined following periods of normal rest, short wakefulness, or extended wakefulness, modeling a shift worker's typical sleep pattern. The Veasey lab found that in response to short-term sleep loss, LC neurons upregulate the sirtuin type 3 (SirT3) protein, which is important for mitochondrial energy production and redox responses, and protect the neurons from metabolic injury. SirT3 is essential across short-term sleep loss to maintain metabolic homeostasis, but in extended wakefulness, the SirT3 response is missing. After several days of shift worker sleep patterns, LC neurons in the mice began to display reduced SirT3, increased cell death, and the mice lost 25 percent of these neurons.

"This is the first report that sleep loss can actually result in a loss of neurons," Veasey notes. Particularly intriguing is, that the findings suggest that mitochondria in LC neurons respond to sleep loss and can adapt to short-term sleep loss but not to extended wake. This raises the possibility that somehow increasing SirT3 levels in the mitochondria may help rescue neurons or protect them across chronic or extended sleep loss. The study also demonstrates the importance of sleep for restoring metabolic homeostasis in mitochondria in the LC neurons and possibly other important brain areas, to ensure their optimal functioning during waking hours.

Veasey stresses that more work needs to be done to establish whether a similar phenomenon occurs in humans and to determine what durations of wakefulness place individuals at risk of neural injury. “In light of the role for SirT3 in the adaptive response to sleep loss, the extent of neuronal injury may vary across individuals. Specifically, aging, diabetes, high-fat diet and sedentary lifestyle may all reduce SirT3. If cells in individuals, including neurons, have reduced SirT3 prior to sleep loss, these individuals may be set up for greater risk of injury to their nerve cells."

The next step will be putting the SirT3 model to the test. "We can now overexpress SirT3 in LC neurons," explains Veasey.  "If we can show that we can protect the cells and wakefulness, then we're launched in the direction of a promising therapeutic target for millions of shift workers." 

The team also plans to examine shift workers post-mortem for evidence of increased LC neuron loss and signs of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, since some previous mouse models have shown that lesions or injury to LC neurons can accelerate the course of those diseases. While not directly causing theses diseases, "injuring LC neurons due to sleep loss could potentially facilitate or accelerate neurodegeneration in individuals who already have these disorders," Veasey says.

While more research will be needed to settle these questions, the present study provides another confirmation of a rapidly growing scientific consensus:  sleep is more important than was previously believed. In the past, Veasey observes, "No one really thought that the brain could be irreversibly injured from sleep loss."  It's now clear that it can be.

Additional Penn authors on the study include Yan Zhu, Guanxia Zhan, Polina Fenik, Lori Panossian, Maxime M. Wang, 

Shayla Reid, David Lai, James G. Davis, and Joseph A. Baur.

The research was supported in part by grants from the National Institutes of Health (R01 HL079555, HL096037, and R01 DK098656).

Scientists agree: Coffee naps are better than coffee or naps alone

http://www.vox.com/2014/8/28/6074177/coffee-naps-caffeine-science

If you're feeling sleepy and want to wake yourself up — and have 20 minutes or so to spare before you need to be fully alert — there's something you should try. It's more effective than drinking a cup of coffee or taking a quick nap.

It's drinking a cup of coffee and then taking a quick nap. This is called a coffee nap.

It might sound crazy: conventional wisdom is that caffeine interferes with sleep. But if you caffeinate immediately before napping and sleep for 20 minutes or less, you can exploit a quirk in the way both sleep and caffeine affect your brain to maximize alertness. Here's the science behind the idea.

How a coffee nap works

(Claudia Merighi/Getty Images)

To understand a coffee nap, you have to understand how caffeine affects you. After it's absorbed through your small intestine and passes into your bloodstream, it crosses into your brain. There, it fits into receptors that are normally filled by a similarly-shaped molecule, called adenosine.

Adenosine is a byproduct of brain activity, and when it accumulates at high enough levels, it plugs into these receptors and makes you feel tired. But with the caffeine blocking the receptors, it's unable to do so. As Stephen R. Braun writes in Buzz: the Science and Lore of Alcohol and Caffeine, it's like "putting a block of wood under one of the brain’s primary brake pedals."

IT TAKES ABOUT 20 MINUTES FOR CAFFEINE TO HIT YOUR BRAIN

Now, caffeine doesn't block every single adenosine receptor — it competes with adenosine for these spots, filling some, but not others.

But here's the trick of the coffee nap: sleeping naturally clears adenosine from the brain. If you nap for longer than 15 or 20 minutes, your brain is more likely to enterdeeper stages of sleep that take some time to recover from. But shorter naps generally don't lead to this so-called "sleep inertia" — and it takes around 20 minutes for the caffeine to get through yourgastrointestinal tract and bloodstream anyway.

So if you nap for those 20 minutes, you'll reduce your levels of adenosine just in time for the caffeine to kick in. The caffeine will have less adenosine to compete with, and will thereby be even more effective in making you alert.

Experiments show coffee naps are better than coffee or naps

(Greg Hirson)

Scientists haven't directly observed this going on in the brain after a coffee nap — it's all based on their knowledge of how caffeine, adenosine, and sleep each affect the brain independently.

But they have directly observed the effects of coffee naps, and experiments have shown they're more effective than coffee or naps alone in maximizing alertness.

PEOPLE WHO TOOK A COFFEE NAP COMMITTED FEWER ERRORS IN A DRIVING SIMULATOR

In a few different studies, researchers at Loughborough University in the UK found that when tired participants took a 15-minute coffee nap, they went on to commit fewer errors in a driving simulator than when they were given only coffee, or only took a nap (or were given a decaf placebo). This was true even if they had trouble falling asleep, and just laid in bed half-asleep during the 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, a Japanese study found that people who took a caffeine nap before taking a series of memory tests performed significantly better on them compared to people who solely took a nap, or took a nap then washed their faces or had a bright light shone in their eyes. They also subjectively rated themselves as less tired.

Interestingly, there's even some evidence that caffeine naps can help people go for relatively long periods without proper sleep. As part of one study, 24 young men went without proper sleep for a 24-hour period, taking only short naps. 12 of them, who were given just a placebo, performed markedly worse on a series of cognition tests, compared to their baseline scores. 12 others, who had caffeine before their naps, managed scores roughly the same as their baselines for the entire day.

How to take a coffee nap

(James Lee)

Taking a coffee nap is pretty straightforward. First, drink coffee. Theoretically, you could drink another caffeinated beverage, but tea and soda have generally have much less caffeine than coffee, and energy drinks are disgusting. Here's a good database of the amount of caffeine in many types of drinks.

You need to drink it quickly, to give yourself a decently long window of time to sleep as it's going through your gastrointestinal tract and entering your bloodstream. If it's tough for you to drink a lot of hot coffee quickly, good options might be iced coffee or espresso.

Right after you're finished, immediately try to go to sleep. Don't worry if it doesn't come easily — just reaching a tranquil half-asleep stage can be helpful.

Finally, make sure to wake up within 20 minutes, so you don't enter the deeper stages of sleep, and you're awake when the caffeine is just starting to hit your brain.

Voila: the perfect coffee nap.