What are Cytokines?

Cytokines are proteins that signal cells to act throughout the body. They are inflammatory in nature and are classified as proteins, peptides, and polypeptides (a nice pictorial of cellular immunity at work). One commonly known cytokine, interferon type I is used to treat hepatitis B and C.


There is debate in the scientific community whether or not cytokines are hormones. This may be due in part to their anatomy, origin, and level of concentration in the body. Cytokines can be concentrated 1,000s times greater during trauma or infection. Hormones are generally secreted by localized organs/glands such as the pancreas while cytokines can be generated from nearly every nucleated cell in our body including macrophages (WBCs), endothelial cells (interior of our body) like those that line our blood vessels, and epithelial cells (surface of our body) like our skin.


Here is a video representation courtesy of nucleusinc.org:

Just thinking about the structure of cytokines brings to light the fact that they are all highly dependent upon adequate levels of cholesterol since cell membrane structural integrity and intracellular communication are all reliant on cholesterol. In addition, WBCs act immunoprotectively with cholesterol in the blood to bind to and inactivate toxins such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and free radicals. Here is a good site with practical application tips to reduce inflammation while enhancing the body's immunoprotective abilities naturally without dependence drugs which are partly responsible for iatrogenic disease and death. This also highlights one way cholesterol plays a role in immunity and how it may relate to other diseases such as cancer (McCully, Ravnskov & Rosch, 2011).  

Cytokines are active in both acute and chronic inflammation. This is a two edged sword since they actively facilitate immune responses in our body. Chronic inflammation can have detrimental long-term impact on our health and should be minimized since inflammation is a contributory factor in cardiovascular disease. This may be how statins are protective by reducing C-reactive protein (CRP) an inflammatory marker, needless to say the harm associated with statin's cholesterol lowering effect is greater than its documented benefits.

There are many factors that stimulate chronic inflammation and this is the underlying issue we should seek to correct when considering any level of prevention. Addressing these health abnormalities through a symptomatic response (pharmaceuticals) can have untold long-term consequences including cancer.

The greatest benefit of acute inflammation occurs when we have an infection. Inflammation stimulates cholesterol production. The bad news is that as chronic inflammation continues it inhibits nitric oxide (NO), a potent vasodilator, increases blood pressure and places the lining of our blood vessels at increased risk through atherosclerosis. The mechanisms responsible for atherosclerosis are very complex and the presence of cholesterol does not necessarily indicate cause. One of statins' benefits comes from inflammation reduction. According to Chris Masterjohn, (he describes the process in great detail here), statins can provide a co-occurring negative impact by reducing Coenzyme Q10 production which works in conjunction to NO to improve cardiovascular function and negate the effects of atherosclerosis. Statins are also known to cause muscle degeneration. Think about your heart. It is a muscle.


We need cytokines to keep us healthy when we get sick. We also need to understand how chronic inflammation occurs and to moderate the its effects by our lifestyle choices. When trying to mitigate these risks, understanding what causes inflammation and how to prevent it can reduce the risk of health problems down the road. We should approach it though our diet and lifestyle not a drug . . . unless you want to take that risk.


References

McCully, K., Ravnskov, U., and Rosch, P. (2011). The statin-low cholesterol-cancer conundrum. Quarterly Journal of Medicine. doi: 10.1093/qjmed/hcr243

I needed to lose weight part 1

I started this draft last December. Since I have decided to give blogging another shot, I think it is appropriate to post this and add follow ups as time allows. I am starting my MSN/Ed next week and will probably incorporate some of the study topics in order to keep the blog alive during the school year. Perhaps I should have added my BSN journey into the blog, but I was too busy reading other people's blogs in my off time and lost interest. Anyhoo, here is the beginning of the story that recently changed my life's direction, revived my dreams, and awakened new goals.

On June 1st 2010, topping the scale at 305-310 pounds, my BMI was over 40. Feeling exhausted all the time, having difficulty breathing, a poor view of myself, I had had enough. A friend told me about a book, The Belly Fat Cure by Jorge Cruise. I read it, put it to work, and lost 8-10 pounds the first two weeks. Fascinated, I continued down this path and began studying fat metabolism, I discovered Good Calories Bad Calories written by Gary Taubes. It is a premier critical analysis of the last two centuries questioning the scientific method and resulting policies of diet, health, and exercise. In it he argues quite convincingly how insulin is a primary driver behind obesity and western diseases.

Needless to say, I severely restricted any source that increased my serum glucose and the pounds kept coming off. I weighed myself every day and noticed weight coming off almost a pound a day for the first two months. The next two months averaged under a half pound a day.

My hunger cravings for sugar and flour had subsided after eliminating wheat one month into the weight loss. The weight keeps coming off, even now. It is effortless, albeit much slower. My BMI is just over 25 and will be in the normal range in early 2011. Energy levels have increased significantly and my brain fog has lifted.