Foods to Boost Your Stem Cells
There has been a lot of attention paid to stem cells in recent years, particularly in the news, but what exactly are they?
Stem cells have the remarkable potential to develop into many different cell types in the body during early life and growth. In addition, in many tissues they serve as a sort of internal repair system, dividing essentially without limit to replenish other cells. When a stem cell divides, each new cell has the potential either to remain a stem cell or become another type of cell with a more specialized function, such as a muscle cell, a red blood cell, or a brain cell.
Regenerate the body
Stem cells naturally encode for growth and repair, there is potential for them to be used to regenerate tissue that is damaged or diseased. In fact, the greater the injury, the greater the amount of stem cells the body calls to regenerate and heal. As we age however, our innate stem cells start to lose their ‘punch’ or, simply don’t work as effectively to regenerate or heal. As time goes on, the body’s production of these cells also decreases.
There are a number of diseases that are known to be influenced by an impairment of stem cells, whereby stem cell therapy has proven effective. These are:
Alopecia
Alzheimer’s disease
Asthma
Atherosclerosis
Autism
Burn injury
Chronic wounds
Diabetes
Erectile dysfunction
Infertility
Ischemic heart disease
Ischemic stroke
Macular degeneration
Neuropathy
Osteoporosis
Parkinson’s Disease
Peripheral arterial disease
Skin aging
Stem cell therapy
In light of the above knowledge, using stem cells as a form of therapy is nothing new. The conventional harvesting of stem cells located from bone marrow and in umbilical cord blood are used to treat blood-related and immune diseases. They are also used to help heal the body after chemotherapy. The focus now for many researchers is how to coax stem cells in other organs to similarly restore function and health.
Stem cells stimulated by food
As a food-loving Clinical Nutritionist however, I took it upon myself to further explore this fascinating area of research to see if there are foods or nutrients that could stimulate our own bodies innate stem cells and give some hope to those who are in need of healing, cellular regeneration or are merely riding the anti-aging bandwagon and are seeking every means to push back time a little further! And, lo and behold, I hit the nutritional healing jackpot!
Here are some foods shown to stimulate stem cells naturally:
Bamboo shoots
Black chokeberry
Blueberries
Chinese celery
Collard greens
Dark Chocolate (Cacao)
Goji berries
Green beans
Green tea
Mango
Omega 3 fatty acids
Pistachios
Plums
Spinach
Squid ink
Turmeric
What type of eating helps?
There are certain patterns of eating that have also proven effective in stimulating stem cells, these are:
The Mediterranean diet
Okinawan diet (Diet from Okinawa Japan)
Caloric restricted
Intermittent fasting (reboots stem cells & immunity)
On the opposite side of the spectrum however, dietary patterns that have proven to harm stem cells and reduce their quality or effectiveness are:
High trans fats
High salt
High refined sugar
Foods that can kill Cancer Stem Cells
Further studies undertaken on specific cancer cells have indicated that certain foods may target the stem cells within certain metastatic tumours, therefore preventing their growth or preventing cancer from recurring. These are:
Purple potato, Walnut – Colon Cancer
Cacao – Breast cancer
Green Tea – Colon & breast cancer
Extra virgin olive oil – Breast cancer
Thyme, Capers – Prostate cancer
These exciting revelations in“Nutritional Stem Cell Therapy” open up a great area of promise for the future of nutrition and preventative medicine, specifically prevention of cancer and chronic disease. When these foods are mindfully consumed daily, we are empowering our body to sustain these wonderous and regenerative qualities which stimulate the body to repair and heal itself with these nutritious tools.
I challenge you to add at least 3 of these “stem cell boosting foods” to your shopping list this week and each week after until you consume the complete variety on the whole list. Let me know how you go with regenerating your one and only body!
In health and love
Deena x
This information is intended for educational purposes only and is not designed to treat or cure any disease. If you would like more personalised information specific to your individual needs and health goals, you can book an online private consultation with myself or contact me for more information. If you have any existing health concerns or are taking prescribed medication, speak to your health practitioner before making any changes to your diet or medications.