Should You Be Taking CoQ10?

Coenzyme Q10 has two main functions. Most importantly, it helps us make ATP, our energy source for life. Since it is critical for energy production, it is most abundant in heart muscle, pancreas tissue, the brain, and the liver. The other function is to increase some of our essential antioxidants and act as one. Many factors can contribute to CoQ10 deficiency. These are aging, disease, dietary deficiency, statin drugs, and increasing tissue demands. Although our bodies make it, it is easy to get from foods, it is one of the more popular supplements available today because evidence shows it is beneficial for our health. This post will cover what it is, what it does for us, and how you can maintain adequate levels.

Why We Should Pay Attention To Our Insulin Level

Insulin promotes the uptake of glucose by cells and its storage as glycogen. The insulin and glucose tend to balance out in healthy individuals. In healthy individuals, our cells readily respond to insulin and quickly take up glucose. In many people the body produces insulin, but it is not enough to effectively keep up, and blood sugar rises. Most doctors focus on reading blood sugar levels to diagnose health problems. It turns out that high insulin levels precede high sugar levels, making it an excellent predictive test for disease.

Protein, Energy, and My Curious Case of Starvation (Or What Human Evolution and History Taught Me)

We can produce glucose from the protein we ingest in the absence of fat and carbs in the diet. Making glucose from protein is a process known as gluconeogenesis. The problem is that our ability to synthesize glucose from protein is very limited and will not sustain us longterm. Luckily, we have such an abundance of food today, most people will never have to rely on gluconeogenesis, except for me. Today, I would like to share my story and put the knowledge I gained from my experience into the larger framework of human evolution and biology.

The Very Important But Misunderstood Role of Vitamin C In Our Health

The modern history of the discovery of vitamin C is an interesting one, and, as you will see, we are still uncovering new information about its role in our health. More interesting is the evolutionary history of vitamin C metabolism in humans, which is somewhat unique among the animal kingdom, and has led to confusion over the amount we need in our diet. This post will set the record straight.