The Apple Supplement: QUERCETIN

Quercetin, and it's now making it back in the news for it's immune support properties, and potential to fight multiple respiratory viruses.  

In fact researchers in Montreal are currently looking at it as a COVID-19 treatment.

What Is Quercetin?

Quercetin is a type of flavonoid antioxidant that’s found in plant foods, including leafy greens, tomatoes, berries and broccoli. It’s technically considered a “plant pigment,” which is exactly why it’s found in deeply colored, nutrient-packed fruits and vegetables.

How It Works

Research shows that anti-inflammatory foods containing quercetin can help manage a number of inflammatory health problems, including heart disease and blood vessel problems, allergies, infections, chronic fatigue, and symptoms related to autoimmune disorders like arthritis. 

How exactly do flavonoids benefit us and our pets?

It all comes down to high-antioxidant foods‘ ability to be “scavenge free radicals.”

As a major bioflavonoid in our diets, quercetin (a type of “polyphenolic antioxidant”) helps slow the aging progress because it lessens the effects of oxidative stress on the body. Oxidative stress takes place in all of us but is increased by things like a poor diet, high levels of stress, a lack of sleep and exposure to chemical toxins.

Quercetin plays a role in regulating the immune system’s response to outside stressors through cell signaling pathways called kinases and phosphatases, two types of enzyme and membrane proteins needed for proper cellular function.

Here are the primary benefits that I see for our dogs and cats

1. Lowers Inflammation

Flavonoids, (aka bioflavonoids) including quercetin, are important anti-inflammatories because they act as antioxidants, which mean they literally fight the natural process of “oxidation” that takes place over time as we age.

Quercetin can help stop damaging particles in the body known as free radicals, which negatively impact how cells work — including damaging cell membranes, changing the way DNA works, increasing cell mutations and causing healthy cells to die. It can also reduce expression of inflammatory genes such as interleukin.

Research now shows us that inflammation is the root of most diseases, including heart disease, cancer, cognitive decline, some mental disorders and autoimmune disorders.

At this time, practitioners and patients report using quercetin to effectively fight conditions related to inflammation, including:

• heart disease and circulation problems
• insulin resistance and diabetes
• eye-related disorders, including cataracts
• allergies, asthma and hay fever
• stomach ulcers
• cognitive dysfunction
• viral infections
• inflammation of the prostate, bladder and ovaries
• cancer
• skin disorders, including dermatitis and hives

2. Fights Allergies

Is quercetin an antihistamine? 

Some consider it to be a natural antihistamine and an anti-inflammatory, possibly making it effective for lowering the effects of seasonal and food allergies, plus asthma and skin reactions.

However, most research to date has been conducted on animals and not humans. ( and good news for our animals as it naturally decreases itching)

Histamines are chemicals that are released when the immune system detects an allergy or sensitivity, and they are what account for uncomfortable symptoms.

Quercetin can help stabilize the release of histamines from certain immune cells, which results in decreased symptoms like coughs, watery eyes, runny noses, hives, swollen lips or tongue, and indigestion.

3. Immune Support..

A Boston University School of Medicine study published in the Journal of Biological Regulators and Homeostatic Agents shows a link between a nutrient-dense diet rich in quercetin plus other antioxidants and a lowered risk of cancer.

Quercetin seems to have potential chemo-preventive activity and might have a unique antiproliferative effect on cancerous cells, making it an effective addition to any natural cancer treatment approach. Research shows that this may result from the modulation of either EGFR or estrogen-receptor pathways.

This is from a 2014 paper 

Quercetin: A Promising Treatment for the Common Cold

Brenton Kinker, Adam T Comstock and Uma S Sajjan
Department of Pediatrics and Communicable Diseases, University of Michigan, USA

.. Quercetin is a well-known antioxidant with antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties. Reactive Oxygenated Species (ROS)produced during viral infection although is required for effective clearance of virus and induce beneficial inflammation, excessive production or persistently increased ROS generation may cause tissue damage. Administration of antioxidants may therefore attenuate oxidative damage and susceptibility to secondary bacterial infection..Experiments suggest that quercetin not only scavenges free radicals to  prevent tissue damage, but also decreases inflammatory markers such as IL-8, and exerts antiviral effects [19].Recent in vitro studies have demonstrated that quercetin acts as a potent antiviral agent by inhibiting viral replication of several respiratory viruses, including influenza virus, parainfluenza virus,respiratory syncytial virus, adenovirus, and rhinovirus [18,20-23].

Although the quercetin’s antiviral mechanisms are not well understood, a number of possibilities have been proposed.

Quercetin has Few side effects, and few drug interactions.

Quercetin Doses

For People and Allergies 500mg three times daily

Dog and Cat doses of 3-5mg/lb twice daily.

So for a 50lb dog 150-250mg twice daily

Bioactive Quercetin.

This is quercetin which is markedly more bioavailable - meaning far more of the supplement gets into your pets blood stream to actually be effective. There are many supplements ( ie curcumin), where this is a big issue.

They NEED to be absorbed to be effective. Bioactive quercetin is up to 40X better absorbed.

Most bioactive quercetin is 50mg tablets- I would suggest a dose of 50mg/20lbs daily.