Paraoxonase Enzymes and their Practical use for Lowering Cholesterol and Inflammation for Heart Disease, Diabetes, Arthritis and Other Inflammatory Diseases.
Paraoxonase enzymes were first discovered in the mid 1990’s as an enzyme that detoxifies organophosphate pesticides and people with a lack of genes to create paraoxonase were found to be at increased risk of toxicity from pesticide exposure.
Later it was discovered that paraoxonase enzymes are integrated into HDL reverse cholesterol transport molecules which allow the body to remove oxidised cholesterol away from cells and organs where it can cause inflammation and diseases.
This relates to why your doctor will measure the levels of HDL cholesterol to see if your body is able to remove the oxidised or rusting cholesterol safely so it does not cause heart disease.
The paraoxonase enzymes as a result also have use in lowering inflammation in diseases where oxidised cholesterol can worsen the health condition, so paraoxonase enzymes will help atherosclerosis (heart disease and stroke), diabetes, liver and kidney diseases, rheumatic diseases, eye diseases (macular degeneration), cancer and HIV infection.
There is also evidence to indicate that both nerve degeneration diseases like dementia and Alzheimer’s and autism can be helped by raising paraoxonase while the action of detoxifying pesticides is useful in all nervous diseases since most people are exposed to pesticides through diet.
The types of food that raise paraoxonase enzymes are featured in the Mediterranean diet and this can partly explain why the Mediterranean diet is so beneficial for heart disease.
Foods that can be used on a daily basis would include pomegranate juice, possibly the most potent of the foods, ‘Vitamin C and vitamin E, quercetin, red wine polyphenols, green tea extracts, grape seed extracts, freeze-dried blueberries, gallic acid and ellagic acid from berries, taurine foods, acai berries, olive oil and moderate alcohol consumption….’
Moderate alcohol means one drink a day of wine or beer. (:
Other polyphenol foods that help with diabetes have been identified but studies on their paraoxonase raising ability may still need to be done, these can all be used in the daily diet too.
Flavonoids from berry fruits, kiwi, cherry, apple, pear, chicory and coffee.
Flavonols from onion, curly kale, leeks, broccoli and blueberries.
Genistein from soybeans and soy products.
Resveratrol from red wine and grapes.
Many studies using cocoa powder have been found to protect HDL so cocoa without lots of sugar is quite beneficial.
Fish oils or omega-3 oils have been proved useful and a diet of mixed fruits and vegetable increases vitamins (β-carotene, vitamins C and E) and folate which also lower homocysteine and aid the anti-inflammatory process.
Choosing and using the variety of foods highlighted here will help most inflammatory diseases as a result.
Handy to know.
PON1 and Mediterranean Diet
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4488773/
Pharmacological and dietary modulators of paraoxonase 1 (PON1) activity and expression: the hunt goes on
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3077125/
Dietary polyphenols as potential nutraceuticals in management of diabetes: a review
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3751738/
Breakthrough In Cardiovascular Health: Paraoxonase, Antioxidants & Genetics
http://metabolichealing.com/breakthrough-cardiovascular-health-pon1-genetics/
“Fruits, vegetables, wine, tea, extra virgin olive oil, chocolate and other cocoa products.”
Dietary Polyphenols and Their Biological Significance 2007
http://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/8/9/950/htm
Continuous intake of polyphenolic compounds containing cocoa powder reduces LDL oxidative susceptibility and has beneficial effects on plasma HDL-cholesterol concentrations in human
http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/85/3/709.full
The effects of dietary polyphenols on reproductive health and early development
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25376587
Dietary Polyphenols, Berries, and Age-Related Bone Loss: A Review Based on Human, Animal, and Cell Studies
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4665444/
Novel insights of dietary polyphenols and obesity
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3926750/
Bergamot Polyphenols: Pleiotropic Players in the Treatment of Metabolic Syndrome
Potential Role of Olive Oil Phenolic Compounds in the Prevention of Neurodegenerative Diseases http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25781069
SPECTRA OF ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES OF HYPERCHOLESTEROLEMIA BY DIETARY BIOACTIVES: EMPHASIS ON NUTRIGENOMICS OF POLYPHENOLS
Cherry Antioxidants: From Farm to Table http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20944519
Dietary Polyphenols Increase Paraoxonase 1 Gene Expression by an Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor-Dependent Mechanism
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC419885/
Dietary Antioxidants and Paraoxonases Against LDL Oxidation and Atherosclerosis Development
http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/3-540-27661-0_9
Synergy of plant derived polyphenols in their salutary effects on human health
Role of paraoxonase 1 (PON1) in organophosphate metabolism: implications in neurodegenerative diseases.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21864557
