Changes in Your Skin

Everyone notices that as they become older their skin becomes drier, less pliable and more irregular (wrinkles). It also seems thinner, as you lose some of the underlying fatty tissue, and you may notice that your skin makes less natural oils. Also, spots appear that weren’t there before. A myriad of topical skin products are available that may temporarily help with some of these issues, but an important consideration is the proper balance of natural lipids that are the building blocks of skin cell membranes. These structures need to be constantly replaced to keep your skin tissue from the effects of premature aging. MLR® with NTFactor® Lipids will help by providing the membrane lipids needed to help keep your skin cells healthy and flexible.

Changes in Your Heart 

When you reach 50 and beyond, your blood vessels become stiffer and your heart has to work harder to provide the blood that all tissues and cells require. This can result in higher blood pressure, which is a prime factor in future heart attacks. You’ve heard it a million times, but you really do need to stay physically active, keep your weight and blood pressure under control, get enough sleep, and maintain a proper diet so that your cells and tissues can repair themselves. Maintaining a proper lipid balance in your heart and blood is also important, and that is where MLR NTFactor® Lipids comes in. In our published studies, NTFactor® Lipids daily lowered the known blood markers of heart attack risk. This means that taking NTFactor® Lipids may help in maintaining heart health as you age.

Hearing and Vision Changes

As we age, we notice that we often have a hard time following conversations, and find it difficult to see distant signs or read small print. These are natural changes, but it would sure be nice to put them off for a few years or reduce their effects. In published studies with laboratory animals, MLR® with NTFactor® Lipids prevented natural age-associated loss of hearing, and the antioxidant properties of NTFactor® Lipids may help to prevent changes in your eyes that cause improper lens focusing on close or distant objects.

Changes in Teeth and Gums

As you get older, you may notice that your mouth seems drier and your gums seem to pull away more from your teeth. You can prevent some of this by eating a proper diet and brushing and rinsing more often. Daily use of NTFactor® Lipids could help by providing the lipids necessary to maintain gum epithelial cell membranes. In addition, normal teeth have live tissues inside, including nerve cells, and these require constant repair of their cellular membranes.

Your Bones Change and Joints Become Stiffer

As we age, our bones begin to slowly weaken as they become less dense and more brittle. Tissues in our joints may begin to break down, and our joints feel stiffer.  Some of these effects can be partially mitigated by proper diet, especially by including enough calcium and vitamin D. Your bones and joints contain important cells and tissues that provide the precursor components that replenish and maintain them, so it is important to keep these cells provided with essential components, especially cellular membrane precursors. This is why MLR® with NTFactor® Lipids is important to bone and joint health.

Urinary Changes

Aging presents noticeable changes in your bladder and urinary system. Sometimes, it may be difficult to control your bladder and a little unexpected leakage may occur. For men, a common problem is an enlarged prostate. Although clinical studies with NTFactor® Lipids on these specific problems in aging individuals are still being conducted, in some of our previous clinical trials, certain participants have reported fewer urinary problems. 

Strength and Mobility Changes

One of the more obvious changes that occurs with aging is loss of muscle mass, which can result in overall weakness and loss of mobility. Exercise and movement can help to prevent some of this loss of muscle mass and function, but diet is also important—especially maintenance of your mitochondria, the little batteries inside each cell that provide over 90% of cellular energy necessary for muscle contraction and function. MLR® with NTFactor® Lipids helps restore and rejuvenate mitochondrial membranes that provide the high energy molecules that all cells and tissues require for their function.

Researchers may still be looking for that Fountain of Youth, but, as I outlined in this article,  there are scientifically proven things you can do to battle the effects of aging. MLR® with NTFactor® Lipids can be used as part of an anti-aging routine that includes exercise, diet, proper sleep and other tried-and-true methods. 

Please visit our Science Page to learn more about how NTFactor® Lipids is scientifically proven to reverse the effects of aging, reduce fatigue, and repair cell damage.

REFERENCE: Nicolson GL, Ferreira de Mattos G, Settineri R, Breeding PC. Membrane Lipid Replacement and its role in restoring mitochondrial membrane function and reducing symptoms in aging and age-related clinical conditions. Nature Cell Science 2024; 2(4): 238-256. https://doi.org/10.61474/ncs.2024.00038

At Nutritional Therapeutics, we’ve been working on repairing mitochondria and returning their function back to normal.  One of those functions is providing the energy required to naturally decontaminate our cells and tissues. We are being continuously exposed to various chemicals in our foods and our environment, from smoke to fuels to food additives, and this can damage our mitochondria. We are also increasingly exposed to natural neurotoxins from various sources. Neurotoxins are the biotoxins released from mold, bacteria and other biosources that are often extremely damaging to our cells and tissues. Nutritional Therapeutics has an important new program in safely reducing chemical and neurotoxin contaminants from our cells and tissues.  As a part of this program, we have worked with chemical- and neurotoxin-contaminated patients who have multiple symptoms and problems, including damage to their cellular membranes and reduced abilities of their mitochondria to produce ATP.  

In our research, we’ve found that one of the most common causes for mitochondrial dysfunction is damage to membrane lipids. The result is leaky membranes that cannot maintain proper electrical/chemical gradients inside mitochondria, especially the inner mitochondrial membrane. We use the natural approach of Membrane Lipid Replacement to remove and replace the damaged membrane lipids that are essential for maintaining mitochondria inner membranes and thus mitochondrial membrane function. Natural, safe lipid supplements like NTFactor^® Lipids can replace the damaged mitochondrial lipids and restore mitochondrialmembranes and their function.

As I have been discussing, the high-energy molecules like ATP produced by fully functional mitochondria are essential in the removal of contaminating chemicals and toxins from your cells.  But that is not all that NTFactor^® Lipids does; it also acts by first surrounding the contaminating neurotoxic chemicals and forming little lipid globules and micelles that can be removed from cells without leaking the chemicals out and causing more damage . The removal of these lipid globules and micelles with the chemicals and toxins safely inside also requires energy in the form of ATP.  Eventually these lipid containers containing the toxic materials are secreted from cells and tissues in an energy-dependent (or ATP-dependent) process, and they can then be transported in the blood circulation to the gastrointestinal system and later removed in the stool. We have found that the slow removal of chemicals and biotoxins eventually results in reductions in a variety of different symptoms associated with chemical and toxin contamination.

Although the process of partitioning and removal of chemicals and biotoxins is slow, we have found that it is exceptionally safe. If chemicals or toxins are removed too rapidly, adverse symptoms and sickness can occur. Along with this slow detoxification process, the daily use of NTFactor^® Lipids also helps provide the mitochondrial energy necessary for fighting fatigue and other problems associated with loss of mitochondrial energy.

Prof. Emeritus Garth Nicolson, PhD, MD (H)
The Institute for Molecular Medicine, 
Huntington Beach, California  

References

Nicolson GL. Membrane Lipid Replacement—a functional approach to repairing cellular membranes, reducing symptoms and restoring function.  Functional Food Science 2022; 2(8): 198-204. 
https://doi.org/10.31989/ffs.v2i8.990

Nicolson GL, Ferreira de Mattos G, Settineri R, Breeding PC. Membrane Lipid Replacement and its role in restoring mitochondrial membrane function and reducing symptoms in aging and age-related clinical conditions.  Nature Cell Science 2024; 2(4): 238-256.
https://doi.org/10.61474/ncs.2024.00038

Nicolson GL, Breeding PC. Membrane Lipid Replacement with glycerophospholipids slowly reduces self-reported symptom severities in chemically exposed Gulf War veterans. International Journal of Translational Medicine 2022; 2(2): 164-173.
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijtm2020014

Luckily, there’s one thing you can do to improve your health that won’t interrupt your daytime plans: Sleep.

Yes, that’s right—sleep.

Many people don’t realize how much adequate sleep (or the lack thereof) can impact their health, but getting enough shuteye can improve issues ranging from your memory, your mood, and even your weight! Ideally, most adults should be getting between 7 and 9 hours of sleep each night in order to be fully rested.

Here are a few surprising ways that adequate sleep can improve your overall health:

The Heart of the Matter
Sleep is a time of rest and repair for your body—and it’s crucial for protecting your heart health. While you sleep, your blood pressure lowers, giving your circulatory system some much-needed rest. If you shortchange your body on time spent asleep, you’ll lose out on some of its restorative value. Spending more time with your blood pressure heightened can lead to an increased risk of adverse health effects.

Weighing the Benefits
It may seem too good to be true, but you really can sleep your way to a slimmer waistline—if you’re currently under-rested. Researchers have found that fewer hours spent asleep can equal more stubborn pounds—likely caused by the effects it can have on our hormones. Lack of sleep can disrupt appetite-regulating hormones like ghrelin and leptin, making it harder for you to feel satiated during the day. It can also increase the stress hormone cortisol, which impacts your body’s insulin response, and may cause you to hold onto unwanted pounds.

Inflammatory Remarks
Elevated stress hormones can also affect your body’s inflammatory response, leading to increased inflammation body-wide. Numerous health issues have been tied to elevated long-term inflammation, from heart disease to diabetes and even cancer. Getting a solid eight hours of sleep per night can help lower those stress hormones and give your body a better chance at staving off these ill effects.

Dark Clouds Roll In
It’s no secret that a bad night’s sleep can lead to a sour mood the next day, but long-term lack of sleep can have a much deeper impact on your emotional health. The chemical serotonin is closely tied to your sleep cycle, and extended periods of too little sleep can cause a gradual decline in serotonin levels. This vital chemical is one of the ways your body regulates anxiety, happiness, and mood, so this drop off can lead to increased feelings of depression and anxiousness.

Jogging Your Memory
Mom was right all those years she insisted you get a good night’s sleep before a big test! Sleep plays a crucial role in both learning and memory. While we sleep, our brain sorts and stores all the information it’s gathered during the day, and the neurons we rely on to recall that learned information later need plenty of rest each night to recharge. If they’re overworked by lack of sleep, we may find it harder to call up information we’ve learned and focus on the tasks at hand. Sleep deprivation’s effects on mood can also impact memory and learning, making it harder for us to acquire (and thus remember) new information.

Clean Up on Aisle…
Sleep is also the time that our body repairs itself. While we shut down for the night, our immune system goes to work on everything from wound healing to disease fighting to fixing up daily wear and tear we put our bodies through. Getting adequate sleep gives your immune system time to work, helping you bounce back more quickly from whatever ails you.

Skin Deep
In addition to affecting wound healing, sleep also affects skin hydration and collagen growth. Those who don’t get adequate sleep may find themselves reaching for extra moisturizer or frowning over more fine lines and wrinkles. To keep your skin looking younger longer, try to get that coveted 7-9 hours of sleep per night. 

A Sign of the Times
Sleep can be harder to come by in times of uncertainty and unease—something we’re all dealing with right now. If you’re struggling to get adequate sleep, take some time to create a plan for good “sleep hygiene.” Resist the urge to work from home in the comfort of your bed; try to reserve your bed for sleep and relaxation only, so when you hit the mattress, your body knows it’s time for rest.

You should also limit the everyday things that may be keeping you up—especially caffeine and the blue light that emanates from your electronic devices. Limit your caffeine intake to the morning hours and give your electronic devices their own bedtime—preferably a couple of hours before your own. If you can’t bring yourself to unplug entirely, most phones and computers these days have options to shift the blue-yellow balance of your screens later in the day, to reduce your exposure to stimulating blue light.

Many are hesitant to take prescription sleep aids, but there are natural solutions available that can help. The most common is melatonin, which aims to supplement your body’s own production of this important hormone in order to promote the relaxation necessary for restful sleep. Other supplements have proven beneficial, as well. Magnesium glycinate is particularly effective, combining the stress and anxiety-relieving benefits of magnesium with the sleep-inducing amino acid glycine. Our bodies don’t produce magnesium on their own, and many of us don’t consume enough magnesium-rich foods to meet optimal levels. For that reason, it can be helpful to include supplemental magnesium glycinate in your routine, especially if you’ve been having trouble sleeping.

And finally, adequate physical activity during the day can go a long way toward helping you have a restful night. Try to work in a little bit of active time each day, even if it’s just a speed walk around the neighborhood, or a yoga video from the comfort of your own living room.

Leverage these tips to increase your sleep quantity and quality—your body will thank you!

My work with Nutritional Therapeutics on Membrane Lipid Replacement began more than 20 years ago, and we have published much important research along the way.  All of this work has led me to believe more than ever that NTFactor® is a game-changing supplement that can address a wide range of health and lifestyle issues. 

My goal in writing this blog is to improve the quality of life and health for you and the people you love.  I will use my insights, experience and knowledge from decades of study and practice to bring you the latest news, research and tips.

I hope you’ll help me get the word out about the important topics you’ll see here, and I look forward to interacting with you on NTFactor®’s social media.