Welcome to Straight Talk on Health I’m your host Dr. Chet Zelasko. Straight Talk on Health is a joint production with WGVU in Grand Rapids MI. I examine the practical application of health information. Nutrition. Exercise. Diet. Supplementation. I look at the science behind them, and let you know whether it’s something to consider or not. You can check out other things that I do on my website drchet.com and sign up for my free emails.
The science behind the treatments of tomorrow lies with basic research today. There have been a couple of studies published recently that use building blocks of food to treat specific conditions. Let’s take a look at the first one.
Researchers from MIT conducted a study to see if a specific amino acid could help the digestive system recover after damage due to radiation therapy for cancer. They tested 20 amino acids and found that cysteine stimulated the healing process in mice. They found that a high-cysteine diet increased the production of intestinal stem cells. While the actual biochemical process is very complex, it’s ready for human trials.
Why so quickly? Cysteine is a natural substance the body needs. Putting people on a high-cysteine diet for a time would provide no harm and may provide a boost to gut repair. In looking at the references, this approach is also being looked at for people with Crohn’s disease and irritable bowel syndrome.
How do you get a high-cysteine diet? Meat, dairy, legumes, and nuts are all high in cysteine, and it’s also available as a dietary supplement. If you have such issues, talk with your physician about giving the diet a try to see if it will help.
Another potential benefit of a high cysteine diet might be found in the production of NAC naturally by the body. This nutrient seems to benefit the mitochondria and energy production as well as neurological function. That could be another benefit of eating a high cysteine diet.
Zeaxanthin is the next nutrient we’ll look at. Zeaxanthin is a carotenoid we know contributes to eye health, but recent research has shown that it may be beneficial in boosting the right type of immune cells that will interfere with tumor growth.
Researchers examined the effect of zeaxanthin in mice getting immunotherapy for cancer treatment. While the immunotherapy worked, its effect was enhanced in the mice getting the zeaxanthin supplements by slowing tumor growth. The researchers took it one step further. They examined the impact on human tumor cells enhanced with specific traits. The results were that the carotenoid enhanced the cancer-cell-killing ability with several forms of cancer.
This is basic science research to find the next potential beneficial treatments for disease or to enhance the current treatments so they are more effective. This is how science is supposed to work. The head researcher has been studying this topic for years before this breakthrough. There’s a lot more research to go before we may see the results of studies like I reviewed this week.
I think these two studies illustrate the benefit of nutrition for health and as a potential aid to recover from disease. Just keep in mind the concept of food first, then add supplements to enhance impact if necessary. Remember, the first study examined one amino acid, cysteine, found in healthy protein from animal and plant sources. The second used zeaxanthin as a supplement, but foods are the source of that carotenoid as well. I think that eating better may be the way to get healthier and beat conditions before they become a problem. If you try to eat a dark-green vegetable frequently, then add some yellow and orange fruits and veggies, you’ll get your zeaxanthin, plus lots of other good nutrients.
Let’s shift gears a little. I play one game on my phone although if you saw my phone, my grandson has about a dozen so it look like a lot more. It’s a word game and because I refuse to pay a single dime for any type of hints or aids, I see a lot of ads. It goes through phases and right now, it’s all about chair exercises and Tai Chi. Did you know with 15 minutes per day of chair exercises, you could get rid of that belly forever? Did you also know that you could get the same benefit from just 15 minutes of Tai Chi and get so ripped, you’ll look tanned and years younger?
Couple of things you should know before you sign up for either if you happen to see either ad online, especially on social media. First, the people in the Q & A were not real. In one version, I thought the wife looked a little too perfect, the husband a little too fat, and the Tai Chi Master like a version of an actor in action movies. The implication for both is that it will give you a program you can print with exercises for every day of the month. There must have been complaints because all of a sudden,in 2 point font, there was a disclaimer that says characters were AI generated.
But second, you know nothing is free. I spent time filling out the questionnaire. Diet. Anthropometric measurements. Goals. Time willing to exercise. Then the ask to send you an email “to print your program” and you finally out it’s $29.95 per month. The price is probably dictated by the information they collect so they can maximize their profit. I can’t verify that but it would make sense. Will Tai Chi or chair exercise make you lean and ripped as the pictures and drawings indicate? Who knows? While there is some research on chair exercises, there is no research on these exercise programs and the diet they recommend. There is no escaping eating better, eating less, and moving more.
There may have been one element of truth to the original pitch. It may be beneficial to reduce CV training and increase weight training once over 60 years. I just found some research that supports that and if it confirms the approach, I’ll do a podcast about it.
One thing makes sense as an exercise physiologist by training. In order to build muscle, a muscle needs to be stressed, preferably to failure. That’s a lot easier for a person who is younger and can lift heavy weights with 6-8 repetitions. That’s not always possible over 60 years due to ligament and tendon damage. However, using lighter weight with more reps, lifting to failure is still possible. Again, there is still more research for me to verify that approach.
One final thing. A pediatric cardiac surgeon has another series of commercials playing talking about his favorite nutritional topic: lectins. Lectins are a phytonutrient primarily found in beans, legumes, and nuts. He’s claiming it’s destroying your gut and making you sick. While possible, it’s very unlikely. Why? Because we don’t eat raw beans or nuts. Uncooked they can be problematic but cooked? Not very much. Eat cookedbeans and roasted nuts and let the good doctor stick to what he knows. It’s just not nutrition.
That’s all the time I have for this episode. If you like this podcast, please hit the share button and tell your friends and colleagues about it. Until next time, this is Dr. Chet Zelasko saying health is a choice. Choose wisely today and every day.
1.Nature (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09589-5
2. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xcrm.2025.102324
