Kale supplementation up-regulates HSP70 and suppresses cognitive decline in a mouse model of accelerated senescence

I've been checking in on Dr. Rhonda Patrick on instagram regularly. New post:

Kale smoothie (with an avocado, some blueberries, and unsweetened almond milk) to increase my heat shock proteins! A new study found that kale supplementation increased heat shock proteins, lowered oxidative damage, and suppressed cognitive decline by improving spatial and learning memory in mice with a premature aging phenotype. I’ve talked quite a bit about heat shock proteins which are robustly activated by heat stress (ie. sauna, exercise, hot bath, hot yoga, etc.). Heat shock proteins are molecular chaperones that play a critical role in preventing protein aggregation and prevent proteins from accumulating too much damage. They also prevent neurons from dying and have been shown to prevent neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. In this study, the compound found in kale responsible for increasing heat shock protein 70 is called t 1-sinapoyl-2-feruloyl gentiobiose and is also found in broccoli. But what is interesting is that sulforaphane which is also found in kale and is particularly high in broccoli sprouts has also been shown to increase heat shock proteins and protect the brain. Some of these compounds such as sulforaphane are produced by plants as natural pesticides that are made not to kill insects but rather to scare them off. What is even more interesting is that these natural plant compounds that are produced to ward off insects don’t kill them but disable them so they often affect their nervous system. It’s no surprise that many of these compounds also have a hormetic effect on the nervous system of humans. This is referred to as neurohormesis.

Study:

Kale supplementation up-regulates HSP70 and suppresses cognitive decline in a mouse model of accelerated senescence 5-2018 - //www.sciencedirect.com/

Dietary interventions have been proposed as an effective way to prevent age-related senescence. Here, we investigated the ability of kale juice (KJ) dietary supplementation to delay cognitive decline in the senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8 (SAMP8) mouse. SAMP8 mice were fed a diet containing 0.8% (w/w) KJ or a control diet for 16 weeks, and cognitive performance was examined using the Morris water maze. KJ administration improved spatial and leaning memory as well as suppressed levels of serum 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine and brain malondialdehyde with respect to the control group. Furthermore, the KJ-fed group showed a significant increase in the gene transcription and protein expression of heat shock protein 70 (HSP70). 1-Sinapoyl-2-feruloyl gentiobiose was identified as one of the active components of KJ affecting HSP70 expression. These findings suggest that dietary kale supplementation can suppress cognitive decline and age-related oxidative damage through the activation of HSP70 in SAMP8 mice.

This is one of those head bangers. It is a poison, but it's not.

good to see the science behind it.

And I have been wondering for a while about saunas. Since a member of this forum mentioned regular use of a sauna, combined with sauna use by a woman in the old country: weekly "bath" and jump into the snow ( Ann Wigmore)----what was the health benefit of this.

If the purpose is to heat up the core temp, does that mean brown fat acting white fat also serves this purpose? Im sure this will not be answered for another 10-20 years.

Thanks for posting.

My kale smoothie--kale, apple, celery with lemonade crystal lite. And OO or CO.

The original recipe used apple juice instead of the apple and crystal lite.

I know crystal lite is not an option for you. Will you try it with almond milk??

She has a post I saw about saunas.

I love heat stress! Those of you that have followed me a while know that I love the sauna and have talked quite in depth about the various health benefits of using the sauna ranging from maintaining muscle mass with age to reducing cardiovascular disease and even Alzheimer's disease. I have also talked about the benefits on the brain...which is what got me interested in using the sauna initially.

I came across a study (hat tip to ~mdpatrick) where a single session of whole-body hyperthermia (similar to the sauna) produced a significant antidepressant effect apparent within a week of treatment that persisted for 6 weeks after treatment in people with major depressive disorder. The sauna also reduced biomarkers of inflammation. I'm excited to say that I just interviewed the senior author of this study...a killer 2-hour podcast coming soon where we discuss all the details. According to him, he thinks similar effects can be had from a sauna, hot bath, hot yoga, and steam shower.
Link to study:

Whole-Body Hyperthermia for the Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial. 8-1-2016

and

Whole-Body Hyperthermia for the Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder
A Randomized Clinical Trial

Whole-Body Hyperthermia

Whole-body hyperthermia, also known as passive fever therapy, is an intensive treatment method, which aims to increase the body temperature for one to two hours, by 38 to 39.8 degrees, depending on the type of disease and doctor’s recommendation. The treatment generally lasts 3-4 hours, including preparation and rest afterwards.

THis is great stuff. HOW DID I MISS YOUR POSTS??lol

I have been thinking about how to make a sauna outside, with the old style hot stones idea. Something simple. Obviously I need to do more studying beyond this.

I am not quick to give my kids tylenol for a fever unless they need to go to school and function. Fevers are the body's natural way of dealing with some infections.

And certainly a great method to stave off the depressing long nites of a scandinavian winter........

and I recall my DH part taking of saunas in Germany in the 1970's during a couple week visit.

You have me thinking. Again.

Sitting in the sauna at the gym (which unfortunately is closed right now for remodeling) I observed my pulse was up at the level of taking a sometimes brisk walk, so the claims you burn calories as you sweat seems believable, plus the heat shock protein benefits. I bought one of those little portable one person tent-type saunas where your head sticks out the hole at the top. The one I got isn't as powerful as a professionally made real wooden sauna, of course, but it does make you sweat if you stay in long enough plus I chose to augment the heat in mine with a regular electric heating pad. It also heats up pretty quick rather than having to wait a long time for a bigger pricey "real" home sauna to heat up.

I'd rather do ANY of these things than consume kale in any form. Just sayin'. All death to kale!

I'll take your share!!!

Just started Lacinato kale seeds last night---great fall crop as it likes cool weather. Kale that has been touched by frost is a totally different vegetable. Even home grown is a totally different veg.

You have to start with a mouse that's prone to senescence, maybe on a diet that, sans-kale, speeds things up in that regard. Fairly specific conditions under which kale was shown as protective.

I've been almost plant-free for four months. I don't feel more senescent. Maybe I'm the wrong kind of mouse. Or on the wrong mouse chow.

There's also a difference between supplementing the diet with kale juice and giving the mice a kale juice supplement. Just adding it to a chow mono-diet may alter pattern of food intake etc. differently than if a bottle of kale-laced water were provided.

MSG added to food can make mice fatter... lace their water with it, and their appetite still increases slightly, but their metabolic rate speeds up, they end up leaner. Or maybe the chow is different in other ways between the two interventions--but that's the point. Controlling so a single variable is the difference between two arms of a study means you know what made the difference--but not that it would make that difference going from a different baseline "control."

Teaser you mean we all need to be adding MSG to our water to become leaner?? If I was a mouse of course

Fourtunately Kale has many known benefits, like anti cancer. I eat a lot of it, and DH, and kids steal my smoothies. I havent told my kids they could carry genes for cancer--not need to worry them yet. Just set good eating habits.

Nothing against kale. Or for MSG, for that matter. This sort of study is very specific in what it actually establishes as true, that's all I'm getting at. There are a lot of people out there who are eating their broccoli, their kale, their spinach, in dietary contexts where they're asking a lot of these poor vegetables in terms of protection.

Im just hedging my bets. My mother has made it to 80-something, but her mother only to late 50's. Same gene mutation. SO what was different: Mother baked in the sun everyday, grew gardens ful of veg, and lived rurally. I have often wondered why one so early and one so late---my mother developed same cancer as her mother, but 20 years older.......likely multifactorial reasons.

Don't need a sauna... just step outside. :-)

Likewise, there are benefits to cold-shock, like the polar bear plunge.