Tag Archive for: hormones

What Is the Proteome?

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In the week we took off, I spent my time researching a couple of fascinating studies. We all have different ideas of what’s fun, don’t we? For me, getting to research topics in depth is a refreshing opportunity to learn something new. I’m going to share part of what I learned in the next several memos and it’s all about the proteome.

Obvious question: what is the proteome? A proteome is the complete set of proteins expressed by an organism—same idea as the microbiome, but with proteins instead of microbes. That includes obvious proteins such as muscle, hormones such as insulin, or many of the thousands of enzymes and other proteins the body makes. Those proteins may be produced only during specific circumstances and in response to events within and outside the body. The proteins can be systemic or they can occur in individual tissues and cells.

More than what, why is the proteome important? Research has demonstrated that there’s variability in the proteome at specific times during life. The idea is to identify which proteins change and which ones are associated with a healthier life. That’s the first step and I’ll cover a study that did just that on Saturday.

Tomorrow is the monthly Insider conference call. Check out the membership and if you become an Insider before 8 p.m. Wednesday, you can take part.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: Aging Cell. 2018;17:e12799. https://doi.org/10.1111/acel.12799

Could Your Rhythms Be Keeping You Fat?

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You eat well and you exercise, but you still can’t lose any weight. What if the answer was in the natural rhythms of your body? I’m not talking about dance moves; I’m talking about circadian rhythms, the natural 24-hour cycles based on day and night. Since we can pretty much control the amount of light indoors 24-hours per day, our natural rhythms can be in disarray.

I’ve talked about the pacemaker of the heart several times over the years. It turns out that there’s an area in the brain called the superchiasmatic nucleus (SCN) that acts as the central pacemaker for circadian rhythms. It’s found in the hypothalamus and for a small group of cells, it seems to do a lot.

In the mornings in response to daylight, the SCN sends signals to raise body temperature and produce hormones such as cortisol. Time to get up! The SCN also responds to light by delaying the release of other hormones such as melatonin that help us sleep. When it gets dark the eyes signal the SCN that it’s night. Melatonin levels rise in the evening and stay elevated throughout the night, promoting sleep.

What does this have to do with being fat and not being able to lose weight? Now that we know how this pacemaker works, it turns out it could be an important factor. I’ll cover recent research the rest of the week.

What are you prepared to do today?

Dr. Chet

 

Reference: www.sleepfoundation.org.

 

How Exercise Affects Menopause: Heart and Brain

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In the last post, I talked about the effects of menopause on the muscles and bones; in short, the changes in the muscles reduce physical abilities, and exercise can help that. But there’s another factor when it comes to physical performance: the heart and cardiovascular system. Once a women passes 30, her aerobic capacity declines every decade. That means oxygen doesn’t reach the muscles and brain as often. Her physical reserves wane.

Exercise can have a positive impact on the heart . . .

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