Increasing the Health Span Jeffrey Bland, PhD

 
This presentation will review a strategic approach toward the reduction of risk to the major age-related chronic diseases and the increase of the health span. This approach will be described in terms of current understanding of the molecular and cellular changes associated with premature biological aging. Emphasis will be placed on mitochondrial function, insulin signaling, inflammatory patterns, and the gastrointestinal immune system as the focus for improvement of the health span. This discussion will highlight recent published basic and clinical science studies. The outcome with people will be described through representative clinical case histories and outcome studies.Dr. Bland, Metagenics' President and Chief Science Officer, has been an internationally recognized leader in the nutritional medicine field for over 30 years. Headquartered in Gig Harbor, WA, Dr. Bland founded HealthComm International, Inc. in 1984, and served as its Chief Executive Officer until the merger with its strategic partner, Metagenics, in 2000. As the principal visionary of HealthComm, Dr. Bland had already distinguished the company as a leader in the development of medical foods by the time of the merger. In 1992, he established the internationally respected Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM) to train health practitioners globally in the application of nutritional and functional medicine. He presently serves as Chairman of the Board for IFM. A nutritional biochemist and registered clinical laboratory director, Dr. Bland is a former professor of biochemistry at the University of Puget Sound, and a previous Director of Nutritional Research at the Linus Pauling Institute of Science and Medicine. In 1983 he founded the Natural Products Quality Assurance Alliance. This group of more than 300 natural food products industry leaders met for two years to develop a Quality Assurance Document, which was the first for the industry. In 1994, Utah Senator Oren Hatch entered this document into the Federal Register as part of the supporting information that led to the passage in 1995 of the Dietary Supplement and Health Education Act (DSHEA). Dr. Bland has authored five books on nutritional medicine for the healthcare professional and four books on nutrition and health for the general public. He is also the principal author of over 100 peer-reviewed research papers on nutritional biochemistry. Committed to advancing education in the natural health sciences, Dr. Bland is one of the four original founders of Bastyr University in Washington State, the first federally accredited university in the United States offering graduate and undergraduate degrees in natural medicine. With his highly regarded seminar series on science-based nutrition and health, Dr. Bland continues to focus on providing practical education to healthcare professionals worldwide. Dr. Bland holds several patents for nutritional products and oversees the activities of the Functional Medicine Research Center and the Institute for Functional Medicine.