I Hate the Flu
Quercetin, A Famous Allergy-Fighting Flavonoid, Also Effective In Preventing Viruses Including Flu; Plus What to Take when You Have The Flu... Quercetin is best known as an effective and safe natural allergy-fighter. It has many other benefits, including protection from flu and colds.
http://www.lef.org/newsletter/2007/2007_02_13.htm?source=eNewsLetter2008Wk36-2&key=Archive+News
Life Extension Update Exclusive
February 13, 2007
Quercetin prevents viral illness
A study conducted at Appalachian State University in North Carolina has demonstrated that quercetin, an antioxidant compound found in such foods as red grapes and green tea, reduces viral illnesses and helps maintain mental performance in individuals under extreme physical stress. The finding was presented on February 9, 2007 at the southeastern regional meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine, held in Charlotte, North Carolina.
In research funded by a $1.1 million dollar contract awarded by the U.S. Department of Defense, Dr David Neiman of Appalachian State University’s Department of Health, Leisure and Exercise Science and his colleagues divided forty cyclists to receive [b]1,000 milligrams quercetin c[/b]ombined with vitamin C and niacin to aid absorption, or a placebo for five weeks. During the third week of the trial, the athletes rode a bicycle to the point of exhaustion three hours per day for three days. Blood and tissue samples were analyzed to ascertain any physiological changes that may have occurred.
Forty-five percent of the participants who received a placebo reported illness after being physically stressed, compared with only 5 percent of the group that received quercetin. No side effects were observed. “That’s a highly significant difference,” Dr Nieman stated. “When you have a double-blind, placebo-controlled study and you have those kinds of differences, it can’t be due to chance.”
“These are ground-breaking results,” Dr Neiman announced, “because this is the first clinical, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study that has found a natural plant compound to prevent viral illness.”
“It appears that it takes significant stress to bring out quercetin’s infection-fighting properties,” he observed. “This all happened when athletes were under high oxidative stress, when stress hormones were high, and they were also undergoing muscle damage. The athletes taking the quercetin supplement maintained their ability to react to an alertness test when exhausted, whereas those who took the placebo became measurably slower. The infection data and vigilance data are our two biggest findings in this study.”
The US Department of Defense’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) took an interest in quercetin when searching for a therapy to help maintain the immune systems of troops who experience severe physical and mental stress.
“The question that needs to be answered now is will quercetin help members of the general community who are just going through mental stress,” said Dr Nieman. “I really want to see if this substance will help the common person. That’s what we’re gearing up for with our next research project.”
http://www.lef.org/newsletter/2008/0905_This-Flu-Season-Try-Quercetin.htm?source=search&key=flu%20faloon
September 5, 2008
This flu season, try quercetin
The August 1, 2008 issue of the American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology reported the details of a study conducted by researchers at the University of South Carolina and Clemson University which found that quercetin, a compound that occurs in many fruits and vegetables, helped protect against influenza in mice exposed to the virus.
In the current study, conducted by J. Mark Davis of the University of South Carolina’s Arnold School of Public Health and colleagues, one group of mice was given quercetin for seven days while the remainder received no quercetin. Half of the mice in each group were exercised to fatigue on the last three days of the treatment period. One half hour following the final exercise session, the animals were inoculated with an influenza A strain, and were monitored for signs of illness for 21 days.
Mice that experienced exercise-related stress demonstrated a greater susceptibility to influenza. Ninety-one percent of these mice developed signs of the flu, compared with 63 percent of nonexercising animals. Mice that exercised to fatigue also exhibited signs of the flu earlier than other animals that developed influenza. Among those that received quercetin, however, the same rate of influenza occurred as in mice that did not exercise, demonstrating that the compound cancelled the temporary stress-related depression of immune function caused by intense exercise. Mice that did not engage in intense exercise also experienced a protective benefit from quercetin.
Quercetin, found in grapes, tea, blueberries, and other foods, is chemically related to resveratrol, a compound that has also been shown to have some antiviral benefits in laboratory studies. “Quercetin was used because of its documented widespread health benefits, which include antiviral activity, abundance in the diet and reported lack of side effects when used as a dietary supplement or food additive,” Dr Davis commented.
In previous research with quercetin, reported in the February 13, 2007 issue of Life Extension Update, athletes who received quercetin for five weeks experienced fewer viral illnesses following exercise-induced stress compared with those given a placebo.
“This is the first controlled experimental study to show a benefit of short-term quercetin feedings on susceptibility to respiratory infection following exercise stress,” Dr Davis announced. “Quercetin feeding was an effective preventive strategy to offset the increase in susceptibility to infection that was associated with stressful exercise.”
Influenza
Ideally, the best approach to the flu is to avoid getting sick in the first place. This may mean using a vaccine to help bolster the immune response against specific strains, or taking nutrients such as lactoferrin that have been shown to enhance the immune system.
The Life Extension Foundation’s approach to the flu is ba<x>sed on the idea of preemption. At the first sign of infection, consider taking the following supplements. This program is not meant for long-term consumption because of the high doses. Only follow these recommendations for a few days. At the first sign of flu symptoms, consider taking:
- Cimetidine [aka Tagamet]—800 to 1000 mg/day
- Pure Gar brand garlic—9000 mg once or twice a day
- Kyolic aged garlic extract—3600 mg/day
- DHEA—200 to 400 mg in the morning
- Lactoferrin—1200 mg/day
- Zinc—Two 24 mg lozenges every 2 hours while awake. This is a very high dosage of zinc and is toxic if taken for long periods. Only take this much zinc for a few days.
- Melatonin —10 to 50 mg at bedtime
- Vitamin C—6000 mg/day (1000 mg every hour for the first 6 hours), then 3000 mg/day (1000 mg several hours apart).
- Vitamin E—400 international units (IU) daily
- Green tea—725 mg/day. A decaffeinated form is available for people who are sensitive to caffeine.
- Selenium—200 micrograms (mcg) daily
- Elderberry extract—Take lozenges as needed.
http://www.lef.org/newsletter/2007/2007_02_13.htm?source=eNewsLetter2008Wk36-2&key=Archive+News
Life Extension Update Exclusive
February 13, 2007
Quercetin prevents viral illness
A study conducted at Appalachian State University in North Carolina has demonstrated that quercetin, an antioxidant compound found in such foods as red grapes and green tea, reduces viral illnesses and helps maintain mental performance in individuals under extreme physical stress. The finding was presented on February 9, 2007 at the southeastern regional meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine, held in Charlotte, North Carolina.
In research funded by a $1.1 million dollar contract awarded by the U.S. Department of Defense, Dr David Neiman of Appalachian State University’s Department of Health, Leisure and Exercise Science and his colleagues divided forty cyclists to receive [b]1,000 milligrams quercetin c[/b]ombined with vitamin C and niacin to aid absorption, or a placebo for five weeks. During the third week of the trial, the athletes rode a bicycle to the point of exhaustion three hours per day for three days. Blood and tissue samples were analyzed to ascertain any physiological changes that may have occurred.
Forty-five percent of the participants who received a placebo reported illness after being physically stressed, compared with only 5 percent of the group that received quercetin. No side effects were observed. “That’s a highly significant difference,” Dr Nieman stated. “When you have a double-blind, placebo-controlled study and you have those kinds of differences, it can’t be due to chance.”
“These are ground-breaking results,” Dr Neiman announced, “because this is the first clinical, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study that has found a natural plant compound to prevent viral illness.”
“It appears that it takes significant stress to bring out quercetin’s infection-fighting properties,” he observed. “This all happened when athletes were under high oxidative stress, when stress hormones were high, and they were also undergoing muscle damage. The athletes taking the quercetin supplement maintained their ability to react to an alertness test when exhausted, whereas those who took the placebo became measurably slower. The infection data and vigilance data are our two biggest findings in this study.”
The US Department of Defense’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) took an interest in quercetin when searching for a therapy to help maintain the immune systems of troops who experience severe physical and mental stress.
“The question that needs to be answered now is will quercetin help members of the general community who are just going through mental stress,” said Dr Nieman. “I really want to see if this substance will help the common person. That’s what we’re gearing up for with our next research project.”
http://www.lef.org/newsletter/2008/0905_This-Flu-Season-Try-Quercetin.htm?source=search&key=flu%20faloon
September 5, 2008
This flu season, try quercetin
The August 1, 2008 issue of the American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology reported the details of a study conducted by researchers at the University of South Carolina and Clemson University which found that quercetin, a compound that occurs in many fruits and vegetables, helped protect against influenza in mice exposed to the virus.
In the current study, conducted by J. Mark Davis of the University of South Carolina’s Arnold School of Public Health and colleagues, one group of mice was given quercetin for seven days while the remainder received no quercetin. Half of the mice in each group were exercised to fatigue on the last three days of the treatment period. One half hour following the final exercise session, the animals were inoculated with an influenza A strain, and were monitored for signs of illness for 21 days.
Mice that experienced exercise-related stress demonstrated a greater susceptibility to influenza. Ninety-one percent of these mice developed signs of the flu, compared with 63 percent of nonexercising animals. Mice that exercised to fatigue also exhibited signs of the flu earlier than other animals that developed influenza. Among those that received quercetin, however, the same rate of influenza occurred as in mice that did not exercise, demonstrating that the compound cancelled the temporary stress-related depression of immune function caused by intense exercise. Mice that did not engage in intense exercise also experienced a protective benefit from quercetin.
Quercetin, found in grapes, tea, blueberries, and other foods, is chemically related to resveratrol, a compound that has also been shown to have some antiviral benefits in laboratory studies. “Quercetin was used because of its documented widespread health benefits, which include antiviral activity, abundance in the diet and reported lack of side effects when used as a dietary supplement or food additive,” Dr Davis commented.
In previous research with quercetin, reported in the February 13, 2007 issue of Life Extension Update, athletes who received quercetin for five weeks experienced fewer viral illnesses following exercise-induced stress compared with those given a placebo.
“This is the first controlled experimental study to show a benefit of short-term quercetin feedings on susceptibility to respiratory infection following exercise stress,” Dr Davis announced. “Quercetin feeding was an effective preventive strategy to offset the increase in susceptibility to infection that was associated with stressful exercise.”
Influenza
Ideally, the best approach to the flu is to avoid getting sick in the first place. This may mean using a vaccine to help bolster the immune response against specific strains, or taking nutrients such as lactoferrin that have been shown to enhance the immune system.
The Life Extension Foundation’s approach to the flu is ba<x>sed on the idea of preemption. At the first sign of infection, consider taking the following supplements. This program is not meant for long-term consumption because of the high doses. Only follow these recommendations for a few days. At the first sign of flu symptoms, consider taking:
- Cimetidine [aka Tagamet]—800 to 1000 mg/day
- Pure Gar brand garlic—9000 mg once or twice a day
- Kyolic aged garlic extract—3600 mg/day
- DHEA—200 to 400 mg in the morning
- Lactoferrin—1200 mg/day
- Zinc—Two 24 mg lozenges every 2 hours while awake. This is a very high dosage of zinc and is toxic if taken for long periods. Only take this much zinc for a few days.
- Melatonin —10 to 50 mg at bedtime
- Vitamin C—6000 mg/day (1000 mg every hour for the first 6 hours), then 3000 mg/day (1000 mg several hours apart).
- Vitamin E—400 international units (IU) daily
- Green tea—725 mg/day. A decaffeinated form is available for people who are sensitive to caffeine.
- Selenium—200 micrograms (mcg) daily
- Elderberry extract—Take lozenges as needed.
