FP23 - Enter the "Blue Zone" with Lukasz Cielsa

Have you ever heard the term “blue zone”? It refers to a few places on Earth where a large number of locals live to be a hundred years old or older. Lifespan and even healthspan are influenced by many different factors ranging from genetics, to physical activity, social factors, and diet. In this episode – we’re going to explore a special citrus species consumed in the traditional diet of Okinawa, which happens to be rich in compounds known as polymethoxy flavonoids, which may have some health boosting effects. I also speak with Dr. Lukasz Ciesla to learn more about the impact of these compounds on measures of resilience, and what this may mean for healthy aging.

About Lukasz Cielsa
Lukasz Ciesla obtained his PhD at the Medical University of Lublin in 2011. After defending his thesis, he worked 18 months at the Department of Plant Biochemistry and Crop Quality, Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation, Poland. From 2012–2014 he worked in Foundation for Polish Science project “Multidisciplinary development of drugs acting on selected neuronal receptors” in the Laboratory of Neuroengineering at the Medical University of Lublin. In 2014 he became a laureate of the Foundation for Polish Science program SKILLS-Mentoring, mentor: Prof. Christian Zidorn, University of Innsbruck, Austria. From 2014 to 2017 he worked as a visiting fellow at the National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, USA. In August 2017 he was appointed an assistant professor at the Department of Biological Sciences, the University of Alabama. His lab currently focuses on dietary phytochemicals and their role in healthy aging as well as on the development of novel techniques speeding up the process of identification of health promoting compounds produced by plants.

About Cassandra Quave
Prof. Cassandra Quave is best known for her ground-breaking research on the science of botanicals. Scientists in her research lab work to uncover some of nature’s deepest secrets as they search for new ways to fight life-threatening diseases, including antibiotic resistant infections. Working with a global network of scientists and healers, Cassandra and her team travel the world hunting for new plant ingredients, interviewing healers, and bringing plants back to the lab to study. Besides research, Cassandra is an award-winning teacher, and has developed and taught the college classes “Food, Health and Society” and “Botanical Medicine and Health” at Emory University.
@QuaveEthnobot on Twitter
@QuaveEthnobot on Instagram
@QuaveMedicineWoman and “Foodie Pharmacology with Cassandra Quave” on Facebook