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| Wellness
Letter - March 2008
Xenohormesis: You Are Eating More than You Think "Xenohormesis" is derived from the word root "xeno" (foreign) and "hormesis" (control). Xenohormesis means altered cellular function due to exposure to foreign chemicals in the food supply, water and air. Our food contains countless potentially bioactive substances which are beyond the traditionally recognized macronutrients (proteins, carbohydrates and fats) and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals). Interestingly, some of these xenohormetic substances are beneficial while many are detrimental. This article will provide you with more information on xenohormesis - get ready to know even more about what you are eating! Many of you have seen the movie "Super Size Me" in which Morgan Spurlock demonstrated an array of adverse health outcomes from eating three fast food meals a day for several weeks. Not only did he gain weight, but what was more concerning was that his metabolism changed towards risk of diabetes, hypertension and heart disease. Spurlock's adverse physiological changes seemed to accumulate more quickly than his actual weight gain, suggesting his health problems resulted from both the increase in caloric intake and the type of calories he was consuming. Spurlock talked about not only gaining weight, having his cholesterol levels rise, and having evidence of altered blood sugar control, but also feeling he was becoming "addicted" to the food and feeling aggressive and restless. How could our body, mood, memory and behaviour be so profoundly affected by food? A simplified answer would be that the food Spurlock was eating contained substances that negatively altered his cellular signalling systems. Emerging science recognizes xenohormetic substances as chemicals that send signals to receptors on various cells, thereby altering their functions - affecting virtually all physiological processes including immunity, inflammation, body fat retention, appetite, blood fat levels, insulin signalling and cellular division. A particular illegitimate signal is chronic stress, which may shift body phenotype to suit a more conservative state of energy management. In prehistoric times, such a response likely aided survival during periods of low resource availability. However, new sources of chronic stress have emerged that has little to do with food supply - eg. sleep deprivation, financial and work stress, environmental pollustion etc. In addition, modern techniques of husbandry and agriculture can produce stress in the food chain, such that food itself can act as an illegitimate signal of chronic stress. Obese livestock and unusual fat profiles in farmed fish, meat, and eggs may reflect stress phenotypes. Consumers of stressed foods may sense those signals and assume the stressed phenotype. This maladaptive process may promote obesity by erroneously biasing hosts towards caloric accumulation and regional tissue accumulation of fat. Now we understand that food is actually "information" - message that is translated to the cell through a complex web of enzymes and reactions, which lead to alteration of gene expression in the cell thereby changing the cell's function in response to the message. Even though thus far in this article we have been discussing the negative impact of xenohormesis in our modern processed foods, it is important to realize that there is a positive side to xenohormesis as well. There are many naturally derived molecules in a whole food, minimally processed, plant-based diet that are "foreign" as well. These are represented by phytonutrients such as anthocyanidins, flavanoids, lignins, polyphenols etc. These historically consumed molecules are nonetheless "foreign" to the human body as they are not biosynthesized in our systems. Of course there are major differences between the health effects of these phytochemicals and man-made chemicals! Plants manufacture phytochemicals to serve as defense mechanisms to ward off disease, insect predation and other environmental stress (eg, drought, cold, heat). Phytochemicals in food are xenohormetic substances that once consumed by humans in our diet, actually improve our stress response. Over the last roughly 50 years of increasing diet alteration / processing, we have been increasing the consumption of xenohormetic substances that increase cellular stress, while decreasing the consumption of whole grain, legume, fruits and vegetables rich in phytochemicals that improve the cellular resilience to stress. Even if we do consume fruits and vegetables, the modern agricultural methods have utilized pesticides and synthetic fertilizers that the food crops do not produce the same amount of beneficial phytochemicals. Now that we have learned a little about the xenohormesis phenomenon, it is up to us to be more vigilant about what we are actually eating. Our food serve as major modulators of our cellular signalling. A low glycemic, mediterranean eating plan based on foods that are as organic and as unprocessed as possible is highly recommended to reduce obesity, heart disease, diabetes and inflammaton. Food indeed should be our medicine. Monette Paulsen is our Registered Nurse Lifestyle Educator administering our First Line Therapy Program, which is a low glycemic mediterranean eating plan customized to your individual needs. More information... Sources:
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