WINNING THE BATTLE AGAINST THE “EVIL TWINS”
OF HEALTHY AGEING
“INFLAMMAGING” and
“IMMUNOSENESCENCE”
Average life expectancy at birth of Homo sapiens did not
exceed 40-45 years until a couple of centuries ago even in
the most developed countries, although the survival of a
small number of very old people even in ‘primitive’ societies
is well-documented. Strong immune responses and
inflammation in early life have played a major role in the
survival of humans in the unforgiving environment that was
common to our ancestors. Immunity and inflammation are
deeply connected and constitute an integrated network of
defence capable of coping successfully with invading
microbial and viral pathogens during our early reproductive
years. However, beginning about our fourth decade, both
these defenders begin to gradually turn on us, becoming
“inflammaging” and “immunosescence” intent on our
eventual destruction.
But thankfully, medical science has thrown us a lifeline,
promoting valuable extended years of healthy, active ageing.
Maxwell Strong PhD
NEUROLEX PTY LTD
2
CHRONIC SYSTEMIC INFLAMMATION (AND OXIDATIVE STRESS) IF UNCHECKED,
BEGIN THEIR PATHWAY TO CHRONIC DISEASE MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY
Following is a copy of the first several paragraphs of the excellent cover article THE SECRET KILLER
by authors Christine Gorman, Alice Park and Kristina Dell and which featured in the TIME magazine of
February 23, 2014. We have reproduced this extract because of its even greater importance now, over
a decade later, as we face a “Tidal Wave” of age-related chronic disease, dubbed, the Silver Tsunami.
Although often not manifesting clinically for some years, chronic systemic inflammation actually develops
progressively from our fourth decade, becoming known later as “inflammaging”.
“What does a stubbed toe or a splinter in a finger have to do with your risk of developing
Alzheimer’s disease, suffering a heart attack or succumbing to colon cancer? More than you
might think. As scientists delve deeper into the fundamental causes of those and other
illnesses, they are starting to see links to an age-old immunological defense mechanism called
inflammation – the same biological process that turns the tissue around a splinter red and
causes swelling in an injured toe. If they are right – and the evidence is starting to look pretty
good – it could radically change doctors’ concept of what makes us sick. It could also prove a
bonanza to pharmaceutical companies looking for new ways to keep us well.
Most of the time, inflammation is a lifesaver that enables our bodies to fend off various diseasecausing bacteria, viruses and parasites. (Yes even in the industrialized world, we are constantly
bombarded by pathogens.) The instant any of these potentially deadly microbes slips into the
body, inflammation marshalls a defensive attack that lays waste to both invader and any tissue
it may have infected. Then just as quickly, the process subsides and healing begins.
Every once in a while, however, the whole feverish production doesn’t shut down on cue.
Sometimes the problem is a genetic predisposition; other times something like smoking or high
blood pressure keeps the process going. In any event, inflammation becomes chronic rather
than transitory. When that occurs, the body turns on itself – like an ornery child who can’t resist
picking a scab – with aftereffects that seem to underlie a wide variety of diseases.
Suddenly, inflammation has become one of the hottest areas of medical research. Hardly a
week goes by without the publication of yet another study uncovering a new way that chronic
inflammation does harm to the body.. It destabilizes cholesterol deposits in the coronary
arteries, leading to heart attacks and potentially even strokes. It chews up nerve cells in the
brains of Alzheimer’s victims. It may even foster the proliferationn of abnormal cells and
facilitate their transformation into cancer. In other words, chronic inflammation may be the
engine that drives many of the most feared illnesses of middle and old age.
This concept is so intriguing because it suggests a new and possibly much simpler way of
warding off disease. Instead of different treatments for, say, heart disease, Alzheimer’s and
colon cancer, there might be a single, inflammation-reducing remedy that would prevent all
three.
A decade ago, researchers were blaming oxidative damage (‘free radicals’) for everything from
cancer to heart disease. Now chronic (innate) low-grade inflammation is seizing the spotlight.
“Inflammation is the evil twin of oxidation”, says neuroscientist James Joseph of Tufts
University. “Where you find one, you find the other”.
3
OUR PROBLEM DEVELOPS DRAMATICALLY AND PROGRESSIVELY FROM MID-LIFE
The proportions of Australians with one or more chronic conditions increases with age as shown
in the following data published by The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
Age increases
0-14 years
15-24 years
25-44 years
45-64 years
65+ years
% WITH CHRONIC DISEASE
None
86.9
80.8
74.0
47.0
18.4
One
12.3
17.0
21.0
32.0
32.0
Two
0.8
1.9
3.8
14.1
26.7
Three
-
0.3
1.1
5.1
15.3
Four
-
-
0.2
1.4
5.0
Five or more
-
-
-
0.5
2.6
% more than one
13.1
26.0
53.0
81.6
3.62
4.64
5.34
C-Reactive Protein (CRP) mg/L
19.2
2.99
You may have noticed that from about our 45th year, our chronic disease conditions more
than double. And you will notice too, our level of chronic systemic inflammation (CRP),
gradually increases with age, a condition known as “inflammaging”. But why?
Fortunately for the answer, we simply have to turn to the study by researchers from Emory
University, USA who discovered that from about age 45 years, the level of our body’s chief
natural antioxidant, glutathione, drops dramatically, resulting in a progressive increase in
oxidative stress, or ‘redox imbalance’.
And you guessed it, this increasing oxidative stress of course triggers activation of our natural
‘master regulator’ of inflammation, the protein Nuclear Factor-kappa B (NF-kB), and with it
progressively begins a cascade of pro-inflammatory cytokines. This is clearly shown in the
gradual increase in our levels of C-Reactive Protein, the serum biomarker of chronic systemic
inflammation, in a study of US adults.
Suddenly medical puzzles seem to be fitting together, such as why rheumatoid-arthritis
sufferers have higher rates of sudden cardiac death. They’re all connected on some
fundamental level – which raises a tantalising question. If there are these common threads,
which we call the “fertile ground”, in the development of all these diseases, are there common
treatments? Medical researchers are eager to find out. But it’s not as simple as it seems.
If you can’t live with inflammation, you can’t live without it, either. Inflammation is a component
of the immune system’s defences. The problem is that, as you will see from the chart, it
gradually increases with age (“inflammaging”) and unless contained at safe levels, continues
its damage to tissues, cells and organs throughout our body, resulting finally in chronic disease.
This knowledge is beginning to change clinical approaches to treatment.
But taming the immune system isn’t as simple as it sounds. Here’s the catch. With ageing,
there is already a gradual decline in our immunity (immunosenescence), and If you turn
down the central switches controlling inflammation too much, you run the untoward risk of
secondary bacterial and viral infections. Inflammation is an important part player in our immune
defence against invading pathogens. Reduced too far, we are like sitting ducks, helpless
against any pathogen coming our way.
4
Inflammation increasing with age (“inflammaging”), and immunity decreasing with age
(“immunosenescence’), - the double whammy we don’t need for healthy ageing; and
this combination resulting in increased age-related morbidity and morbidity.
Eventually, it became clear with intense examination of several thousands of published
university studies that protection lies in a group of phytochemicals found in certain fruits,
eventually narrowing this to a subclass of polyphenols known as flavonoids, epicatechins and
flavanols. These demonstrate very potent inhibitory action against our evil twins, oxidative
stress and chronic inflammation. They also demonstrate selective toxicity to transformed or
cancer cells, whilst at the same time, providing protecting for normal healthy cells.
However, still confronting us was the problem of epigenetic changes to our chromatin which had
to be overcome. And it was here that we eventually discovered the solution in a particular type
of soluble fibre found in some vegetables.
But in successfully lowering systemic chronic inflammation, which is readily demonstrated with
the exquisite blood biomarker, serum C-reactive protein (CRP), we would also diminish an
important component in our natural defence against the ever-present possibility of attack by
invading pathogens such as bacteria or viruses. We finally discovered that this dietary fibre
comes to our rescue. Metabolites, particularly butyrate, produced by friendly health-promoting
bacteria present in our gut, when fed this fibre, not only have both antiinflammatory and
antioxidant functions, but also actually augment our body’s production of antimicrobial peptides,
resulting in a vital boost in our natural immunity against invading pathogens, whilst at the same
time protecting against chromatin dysregulation. Importantly too, we found that MIT neurologists
also had discovered that these same gut bacterial metabolites were able to augment brain
plasticity, cognitive function, and restore memory and learning function in mice bred to develop
the human form of Alzheimer’s disease, even restoring memory long since gone.
These antimicrobial peptides are known as important effectors of our innate defence that
demonstrate broad-spectrum activity against a wide range of invading microorganisms including
both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, protozoa, yeast, fungi and viruses. This is
particularly important at present with the emergence of multidrug resistance in a number of
medically important bacterial species.
All this science is now incorporated in a 100% natural, drug-free, safe and effective fruit and
vegetable concentrate, extracted and standardised in the proprietary soluble food powder
ingredient known as NEUROLEX*. And the results are evident in the ever-widening group of
people now regular users of this product, ranging from enhanced feelings of wellness and
health, to medically-documented cancer elimination even in advanced cancers, complete stroke
recovery, enhanced heart function, and the list continues to increase.
A truly ‘breakthrough’ development in healthy wellbeing ,NEUROLEX* is the first and only,
evidence-based, completely-natural, safe, totally fruit and vegetable-derived, food
concentrate to simultaneously reduce the damaging effects of oxidative stress, chronic
systemic inflammation, and chromatin dysfunction, whilst actually boosting the body’s
immune function with augmented antimicrobial peptide levels. A truly unique, evidencebased key to healthy ageing.
Dr. Strong enthusiastically welcomes enquiries from medical researchers, medical specialists,
medical practitioners as well as interested members of the public, and can be contacted on
(02) 9531 8585, Mob: 0418 413657. Email: mendel_inst@prontomail.com
NEUROLEX PTY.LTD.
Note; *This product is protected by current Patent Pending 2015900919.
As always we encourage you to discuss all health concerns with your doctor.