Quercetin : Anti-Infection & Anti-Obesity

I found Quercetin to be an amazing compound when I explored its capabilities as an anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic compound. This became very important to me because of its function to control infection and obesity. I am over seventy years old and I have fought the battle trying to get my hormones, especially testosterone, up to a healthy level. I have built up a good quantity of belly fat, and I have tried a lot of products that were supposed to help me lose weight, but the fat accumulated in the stomach area, is really hard to get rid of. I have put together a brand new health program for myself. The program will combine a number of different elements, but basically it will use a body building program with a gym called NIFTY after FIFTY; which I think is a terrific program for seniors. Quercetin will fit into this program because of the many things it does to help the body grow and stay healthy. I think the one element of Quercetin that is important for me is its ability to control infection. Nifty after Fifty is a very clean facility, but there is constant turnover of people as they come and go from their workout sessions. So there is always a chance of being exposed to a viral contaminate that Quercetin will give me protection.

Garlic has almost 200 compounds. Garlic has been used for centuries to treat and prevent infectious diseases and viral complication. Quercetin is one of the 200 compounds in garlic. Modern science has verified quercetin benefits in preventing viral diseases. Laboratory research on quercetin has acted to reduce reproduction and infection of many viruses, including respiratory syncytial virus (a common causative agent of children’s upper respiratory infection).

Last year Italian researchers discovered that an extract rich in quercetin has an ability to protect cells infected with herpes viruses. Then an animal study conducted last year showed that when the test animals were supplemented with quercetin, it aided the mice so they were not infected with the influenza after exercise-induced stress. This finding will be used to support future research. Already there are studies using combinations of quercetin and curcumin; another is, of course, quercetin & resveratrol.

Obesity is rapidly becoming one of Earth’s major global health problems. Quercetin has captured the interest of obesity research as they are exploring quercetin’s potential as a method to control fat accumulation. In the past fat was considered inert. Now, it is known and accepted that fat is a beehive of endocrine and metabolic activity producing hormones, inflammatory cytokines and other molecules which influence health both good and bad.

Exciting research shows that this flavonoid can by itself or in combination with resveratrol and genistein have the ability to exert multiple effects directly on fat tissue. Fat accumulation in aging human fat cells is restricted in culture; this will stop the aging of new fat cells and simultaneously begins apoptosis (the programmed destruction of existing fat cells). Quercetin acts to block the intake of glucose from the blood, this prevents fat cells from getting fresh raw materials required to produce and collect fat molecules. A University of Georgia research group published an important report in 2008, in which they reported they could stop fat cell production and increase fat cell death by using either resveratrol or quercetin. When they combined quercetin and resveratrol the lipid accumulation was sharply reduced in cultured fat cells by nearly 70%, and increased fat cell apoptosis by an amazing 310%.

Animal studies have produced evidence to support the potential anti-obesity qualities of quercetin. It is no surprise that quercetin alone or in combination with nutraceuticals is gaining so much attention from researchers hunting for an effective technology to block obesity and its many harmful effects on human health and vigor.

I will be using quercetin and possible combinations of quercetin and other nutraceuticals, as information is published on what is being developed. What excites me is that both quercetin and resveratrol have so much to offer in improving human health, and at the same time they have no dangerous side effects to be afraid of. Oh yes, there is another very important advantage to using these supplements, they are very affordable. I will keep my progress updated in the blog.