What you put in your mouth every day sets the stage for how well your body functions, down to fueling the smallest building blocks you don’t necessarily think about as you choose a banana over a baked good.
These building blocks include stem cells, the body’s raw materials from which all other cells with specialized functions are generated. We study them to understand diseases, and doctors and scientists use stem cells to help repair or regenerate damaged or diseased cells in patients suffering from spinal cord injuries, type 1 diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, stroke, burns, cancer and osteoarthritis. Stem cells also play a leading role in the testing of new drugs for safety and effectiveness. [1]
Keeping stem cells happy is critical to aging gracefully, and we must feed them an array of nutrients so that they can grow, proliferate, and even protect us from toxins. Below is a list of foods and supplements Dr. Autoimmune recommends to do just that or you might consider fasting.
When you are fasting, either intermittently or via restricted time periods throughout the day, your cells are repairing themselves and are essentially cleaning out old, defective proteins inside the cells. There are many different ways to break up your eating and fasting time periods, and you should speak with a professional to learn of ways to improve your metabolism and boost those stem cells. [2]
If fasting doesn’t appeal to you or fit in your busy schedule, consider actively supplementing your diet with foods rich in vitamins and minerals. Such micronutrients are not only necessary for fueling you throughout the day, growing bones, balancing fluids in the body, and boosting your immune system – they’re also very important in reducing inflammation and helping stem cells grow.
While there are many different types of vitamins and minerals, one in particular is considered a powerhouse in increasing how fast stem cells are made. Niacin, or Vitamin B3, is a part of every cell in the body, and it aids in breaking down the food you eat into usable energy in the mitochondria of the cell. Niacin is found in plentiful amounts in meats like grass-fed beef, salmon, chicken and even in products such as eggs. Other foods have been found useful in helping stem cells to grow include berries, broccoli and nuts.
Nuts are also a fabulous source of Omega-3’s. These fatty acids aren’t made by the body, so you must consume them through the foods that you eat. Chia and flax seeds, grass fed beef, and salmon, are great sources of Omega-3’s, or consider supplementing your diet with something like fish oil to help boost your body against illness and protect against inflammation. [3]
Omega-3’s may have the ability to help stem cells grow significantly, and they are incorporated into the cell membranes throughout the body, enriching the membrane to be both protective and able to change signals so that stem cells can then repair and rejuvenate.
N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) is a potent antioxidant that we use in functional medicine for many reasons. It can protect stem cells from becoming damaged from environmental toxins and it can promote the growth of stem cells when exposed. This sulfur based amino acid can also help fight infections and helps to produce glutathione, your body’s strongest antioxidant!
Organic green tea (EGCG) has been shown through medical trials to both increase healthy stem cells and decrease production on cancerous stem cells. In fact, cancer produces its own stem cells, and daily consumption of green tea is a wonderful way to promote your stem cells into a healthier state! As an added value, it also seems to have an impact on promoting healthy gut bacteria.
Lastly we wanted to mention a food that we are absolutely in love with, Oleic acid. Better known as olive oil, oleic acid is known to produce the “Mediterranean Diet” effect and has a huge list of benefits. In Mesenchymal Stem Cells, it can increase viability, differentiation, proliferation and the cells’ ability to regenerate. [4] First press oils done by mechanical means are the only ones we recommend!
Whether you have invested in Stem Cells via regenerative medicine or you just want to age with grace, the vitamins and nutrients mentioned here can help you remind these critical cells that they are well taken care of. With care, they will keep regenerating and providing the benefits of long term, abundant health!
Dr. Autoimmune offers the best quality products, including vitamins and supplements, through our online portal. And we stock a selection of the world’s best olive oil in our wellness centers.
[1] https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/bone-marrow-transplant/in-depth/stem-cells/art-20048117
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3106288/
[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24505395
[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6904865/#!po=14.0000
