Why all the recent attention about bergamot? Is it actually becoming a
contender with statins, the number one Big Pharma moneymaker of the past?
Could it actually be better? Well, we do know that it's bitter. Pardon the pun.
It comes from a plant called a bitter orange. But we'll talk about all
this in just a minute.
First of all, let's talk about what it is. It's the oil from a
plant called citrus bergamia that's part of the mint family. They're called
essential oils, bergamot oil, they come from things called flavonoids. We'll talk
about those in just a minute. Here's where the one of the big problems is. A
hundred oranges only yields 3 ounces of oil so there's been a lot of problem
with adulteration in the past with other types of oil. So the guys in Calabria,
Italy (the capital of production (and bergamot is the symbol of Calabria), those guys said,
look, we've got to do some things to tighten up our quality control. Calabria...
ring any bells for you? It's the home place for Valter Longo and a
lot of centurions. Is it because of the bergamot? I don't know. It has
been used for centuries though it's been part of Ayurvedic and other types of
medicine in terms of several different things which we'll talk about in a few
minutes. What's the most
common use for it? Why do most people remember bergamot? It's part of Earl Grey
tea. It's what creates that distinctive bitter taste. Again, where does that taste
come from? Chemicals called flavonoids. Those are also the active ingredients
that have helped create the health impact of bergamot, for
example, statin effects. You've heard of hydroxymethylglutaryl CoA and probably
not HMG-CoA. Probably not. But you've heard of statins and that's actually how
statins work - to decrease LDL. They inhibit the enzyme that makes
cholesterol in the liver. And for those of you who are interested in that
pathway, it's right over here. Bergamot also is known for having some other
effects as well. Antidepressant effects, antimicrobial effects, and antioxidant
effects. Here's one of the academic articles about how it inhibits the
HMG-CoA enzyme, the enzyme that makes LDL. Before I go on, I just have to say those
of you that watch my channel know that I don't worry too much about LDL in and of
itself. I worry more about inflammation.
And as I continue to watch the development of this story, just be aware
that that's going on in the back of my mind. Other activities are
anti-inflammatory, antioxidant effects of bergamot juice in an experimental model
of this one on inflammatory bowel disease.
Now, just like many other things, they do have a positive impact in the
wrong places. The wrong time can have a very negative impact. This
is bullous toxicity. Bullous means big blisters, and here you might be able to
see this a little bit better if I expand it. So that's happened with people that
were working with bergamot. It got on their skin. And for some people, getting
bergamot on your skin and being exposed to sunlight can cause this. There are
actually even reports of death among young children who got too much bergamot.
I've reported on that in my first bergamot video a couple of years ago and
I'm still a little bit puzzled how kids could actually drink that much because
it tastes so strong. Anyway, here's some of that recent research where
they're talking about reducing the markers for cardiovascular disease. Now,
are they focusing mostly on LDL? Yes, they are. Is it gonna be shown to be a
cardiovascular anti-inflammatory thing? I think it's too
early to tell. But I'm looking and there's some types of bergamot out there.
One of them that's got a lot of press is Bergamet. I've got a friend who
got connections there at Bergamet and I'm doing some due diligence on this
product if we can find that. It does make sense. We'll see if we can offer it. Thank
you very much for your interest. Because there's a combination of laypeople and
medical professionals in the audience dentist and
some PhD folks and some other maybe even a doctor too. And what I think what it's
beneficial for the layperson is we've watched all these videos maybe like I
did over the last year and you have these dots of information. And when you
come here it helps you connect all those dots together, and it gives you a
better depth of knowledge.