When we think of dying of old age, we tend to think of single factor events, such as:
● Heart attack
● Stroke
● Cancer
● Pneumonia/Respiratory disease
● Diabetes
● Alzheimer’s disease
● Influenza
However, rarely does death result from a single cause. There are generally multiple causes that create a situation in which a disease controls our bodies and death results. We can focus on the cellular level in our bodies to prevent or thwart the initiation of multiple causes of disease.
I lost a brother a couple of years ago to a hemorrhagic aneurysm. It was a single cause of death. He had suffered severe headaches for years and refused to see a doctor. He treated his symptoms with over the counter medicines.
Every cell in the body (humans and most animals) has an enzyme called AMPK. As we age, our body’s production of this enzyme declines. AMPK is the abbreviation for adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase. Disease begins when the levels of AMPK are insufficient to keep the cell healthy.
Studies have shown that maintaining and/or restoring optimal levels of AMPK assist the body in fighting a number of diseases, such as:
● Cardiovascular
● Organ failure
● Neurodegenerative
● Cancers
AMPK is an enzyme that you should keep optimized for a longer, healthier life. It is called the ‘metabolic master switch’. It controls the cell’s ability to extract energy from the nutrients that we eat. It directs the storage of energy and the distribution of that energy throughout the body. It does this by continuously monitoring the body’s energy status and demands. If the cell has too little energy, it can starve. It has too much, it can create inefficiencies in cellular, tissue, or organ function. Long-term inefficiency can lead to disease.
