Collective Insights Blog

How Does The Immune System Work? Part 2: The Adaptive Immune System

The adaptive immune system is responsible for the more complex and optimized immune responses that develop when innate immunity is insufficient to manage a threat. It is the specific immunity we acquire over time as the immune system is challenged with new antigens and learns to deal with them.

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The Benefits of Grounding: An Interview with Clint Ober

We are joined by the innovator behind the Grounding Movement and CEO of Earth FX Inc., Clint Ober. He is known for the Earthing movie and the author of Earthing: The Most Important Health Discovery Ever. We dive into the benefits of grounding and how it can help the body relieve inflammation. We go over science around grounding the tools we can use to help us ground effectively. 

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Biohacking for Longevity: Interview with Dave Asprey

We invited the biohacking pioneer, Dave Asprey, to talk about the science backed practices to age better and live longer. He shares with us his favorite biohacks to improve your gut bacteria, your heart rate variability, your mitochondrial function and more. There is not just 1 thing that causes aging, but 7 functions that contribute to the aging process.

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The Science of Longevity: An Interview with Valter Longo, Ph.D.

There is so much advice on longevity and aging that it can be hard to sort through all of the information. In this podcast transcript we dive into the science-backed approaches for living a longer and healthier life. Valter Longo, Ph.D., has thirty years of experience in longevity and healthy eating, and is one of the world’s experts in the field.

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Hormesis: Benefits of Training Your Stress Response

On the Collective Insights podcast, Dr. Aubrey de Grey, Dr. Dan Pardi, Daniel Schmachtenberger, and Dr. Dan Stickler share their insights on the difference between beneficial and damaging stress. We answer "What is hormesis?" and "How can we effectively manage stress?" Read on to understand how certain kinds of stress actually benefit the body, and which ones to avoid. 

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Mitochondria Functions For Healthy Aging: What does the Mitochondria do?

In this article, we will take a look at how mitochondrial dysfunction can cause damage to cells and mitochondrial quality control pathways act to prevent or overcome that damage. We will also discuss how aging affects mitochondrial function and nutritional strategies to support it.

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Qualia Life (formerly called Eternus) Survey Results

In September-October 2018, a 3-week sample of Qualia Life (formerly called Eternus) was sent to volunteers. Volunteers were selected to include a mix of people who were and were not currently taking Qualia Mind. No information was given on what product was intended to do, ingredients contained in the product, or expected responses. Instructions were to take 8 capsules with breakfast 5 days a week, with 2 off days, for 3 weeks. All participants were asked to complete a survey questionnaire after 5 days, 2 weeks, and 3 weeks. Seventy-one persons completed the 3 weeks of supplementation and provided responses to the survey. 

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How is NAD+ Made? Preiss-Handler Pathway

In 1958, Jack Preiss and Philip Handler published a scientific paper describing how NAD+ was made from niacin in three steps.(1) This pathway was later named the Preiss-Handler pathway after the co-discoverers. It describes the enzyme steps needed to convert niacin into the NAD+ molecule.

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Mitohormesis: How Mitochondria Protect Themselves from Oxidative Stress

In this article, we’re going to learn about mitohormesis, the activity of reactive oxygen species (ROS) as signaling molecules, and how and why ROS can be both beneficial and harmful. We will also discuss what leads to excessive ROS production and accumulation, how this associates with aging, and where antioxidants fit into the equation. Lastly, we’ll discuss nutritional strategies that can support the antioxidant defenses cells and mitochondria use to protect themselves against excessive ROS.

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What is Mitochondrial Biogenesis? Benefits & Effects

Similar to many other cellular processes, the creation of new mitochondria (a process called mitochondrial biogenesis), and the interacting pathways that influence it, suffers with aging. This is the bad news. The good news is that there are things we can do to better support maintaining a fitter mitochondrial network.

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How The Gut Microbiota Influences Our Immune System

The gut microbiota influences many aspects of human physiology, from metabolism, to the cardiovascular system or the nervous system, for example. In this article, we focus on the interaction between the gut microbiota and our immune system.

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What is CD38? An Exploration of NAD+ Consumption Uses and Functions of CD38

In this article, we’re going to introduce an indirect way of supporting NAD+. Rather than making more, this article will be teaching you about using less. Using less requires downregulating a protein called cluster of differentiation 38 (CD38 for short). When CD38 is not as active, less NAD+ is used by it. The result is higher NAD+ levels and greater NAD+ availability for important healthy aging uses.

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12 Science-Backed Ways to Manage Stress

In honor of Stress Awareness month we bring you twelve simple, yet effective, ways to get our bodies, minds, and souls back on track, especially when we are under high stress.

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NAD+ Consumption Uses: An Overview

The NAD+ form of the molecule is required for certain cellular signaling reactions that change the way cells behave. Unlike redox, where the molecule is conserved, the NAD+ molecule is broken apart or “consumed” when used for signaling. It’s these NAD+ consumption uses that have been a main reason for the resurgence of scientific interest in strategies to boost NAD+.

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Qualia Mitochondria+: Putting the Healthy Aging Puzzle Together

We all age. But, we don’t all age at the same rate. From a bottom-up point of view, we are a complex colony of tens of trillions of individual cells. We care about what healthier cells allows the body to do better. Qualia Mitochondria+ is our solution to cell support for better aging. 

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Benefits of Gynostemma pentaphyllum Whole Herb Extract

Gynostemma pentaphyllum (Southern Ginseng) is an herb attributed with having ginseng status. Until fairly recently Gynostemma pentaphyllum was used primarily in mountainous regions of southern China and northern Vietnam. It’s been described as the "immortality herb,” because people within Guizhou Province, where herbal teas made from the plant are consumed regularly, are said to have a history of unusual longevity. 

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There's Nothing Funny or Interesting about Perfection

I paused for a moment to think about my answer and what areas of my life I'm working on and perfecting and it hit me. Not being so damn perfect.

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What is elevATP® Ancient Peat and Apple Fruit Extract?

ElevATP® is a proprietary, clinically researched combination of a water extract of “ancient peat” (fossilized plants) and apple extract. The ancient peat contains 70 elements and is especially rich in carbon, magnesium, nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur. ElevATP® is a clinically tested product with human studies for sports performance, body composition, and elevating ATP.

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Benefits of Strawberry Seed Extract

Strawberries are a good source of polyphenols. The seeds are an even better source. We made sure to source an extract standardized for at least 2% polyphenols. Studies of this extract suggest it might support healthy skin, weight, metabolism, and other functions needed for healthy aging.* Strawberry polyphenols would also be expected to support antioxidant defenses and overall cellular health.* But the main reason we included the strawberry seed extract is because it is a source of a specific flavonoid called tiliroside.

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Citrus sinensis L. Fruit Extract: Sources and Benefits

Citrus × sinensis is the group of oranges that includes the commonly eaten navel orange and the blood orange. The peels and fruit are a rich source of citrus bioflavonoids. But our interest went beyond just including a generic citrus bioflavonoid mixture. What we were really interested in is a specific polymethoxylated flavone called nobiletin. Nobiletin has been identified as clock-enhancing small molecule, so is a key nutrient to support body clock functions.

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Sophorae japonica L. Flower Extract: Sources and Benefits

Rutin is a type of polyphenol called a flavonoid glycoside. It’s composed of quercetin and the disaccharide rutinose. It’s also called rutoside, quercetin-3-O-rutinoside and sophorin. While it’s found in a wide variety of plants, including citrus, foods with the highest concentrations of rutin include capers, black olives, buckwheat, and asparagus. The most common use of rutin has been for supporting healthy veins. But it does much more.

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Citrus grandis Fruit Extract: Sources And Benefits

Apigenin belongs to the flavone class of polyphenol compounds. It is one of the more common flavones in the diet, found in many fruits and vegetables, including celery and parsley. It’s also found in high amounts in the flowers used to make chamomile tea.

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Sirtmax® Kaempferia parviflora Root Extract: Sources And Benefits

Kaempferia parviflora is found in the upper northeastern regions of Thailand. It is commonly called black ginger, because of the intense purple-black color and similar shape of the roots to ginger. The traditional use has been as a health tonic and energy enhancer leading to it sometimes being called “Thai ginseng.” The novel active constituents are polymethoxyflavonoids polyphenols. 

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Theobroma cacao Seed Extract: Sources And Benefits

Theobroma cacao can be translated as chocolate, food of the gods. This tree is native to the tropical regions of the Americas. The beans are the source of the cocoa used to make chocolate. But this extract is more than simply a pleasure for our tastebuds. Over the past decade chocolate has had a blossoming reputation as being heart healthy. As it turns out, it might also be good for our mitochondrial structure and function.

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Benefits of Niacin & Niacinamide

The main role of vitamin B3 is to make NAD molecules. This is important because the NAD molecule sits at the crossroads of mitochondrial energy production (i.e., ATP), cellular repair and signaling, and cellular defenses. Unfortunately, NAD+ levels decrease with age. This is the bad news. The good news is that there are strategies that can be used to make more NAD+. One of these is vitamin B3.

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