RESVERATROL: What is it? Ah, you forgot.
(Chug a carafe of after-trek wine or just do trail GORP?)

Diane's coffee table is piled with outdoor mags, including A2Z and etc. She's a "Curves" client and part of that stack was the latest copy of, coincidentally, Diane. Flippantly flipping through it, I stumbled on a filler, A Glass of Pinot, Please. The University of MS did a study of 11 red wines and ranked Pinot Noir (CA) numero uno for the highest levels of resveratrol, best known as the wine ingredient that reportedly, ad infinitum, renders the French as superior to Americans, cholesterol-wise (but that's it!). Resveratrol, with it's high antioxidant properties, is credited with anticancer and heart disease benefits, yadda, yadda and, again, lowering LDLs. All good things. Anti-aging? Yes. Here, of course, the plot thickens.

The results of a Cornell University study claims that it's NY State wines that contain the highest levels of resveratrol, refuting the CA credits. It's all based on a particular grape, muscadine, and the role its skin plays in the fermentation process.

Meanwhile, University of Georgia scientists are engineering peanuts which have so far yielded 12.3 times the resveratrol levels in wine. Confused? Hang in there, especially if you have problems with wine and/or peanuts. Supposedly, de-alcoholed wine is equally effective. Does grape juice work? Welch's says so. Allergic to the legume? Then skip the GORP or just pick out the M&Ms.

Plug "resveratrol" into Google Search and you can probably learn more then we did to generate this post. That includes where to buy it in pill form. Typical on the www: RESVERATROL -ANTIOXIDANT BENEFITS, INFORMATION ON SUPPLEMENTS, ARTICLES, LINKS,

A panacea for a successful next trek? We don't know. And, not to be flippant, please experiment and report back....

Disclaimer: Sobriety is always the better choice, whatever your goal (snicker).

MAN OR MOUSE. YOU?
(Or...Give me a piece of cheeeze, pleeeze....)

The January issue of Outside mag is out with a filler titled The Daredevil Gene. A Seattle-based research group has identified a gene, neuroD2, deemed responsible for "fear response," the tendency to chicken out when the prospect of being killed might be your concern. Experiments with mice engineered with only one neuroD2, revealed they showed less aversion to impending danger than if they possessed two of these, the normal number.

Human studies follow. "...different people could have different concentrations of the proteins the genes produce. Higher levels might lead to safer behavior, while lower levels might lead to more magazine covers."

The kicker: Insurance companies, armed with the results of your neuroD2 tests, could raise your premiums if you score as more man than mouse. Meanwhile, the next time you freak on a gnarly knife edge, "blame your heredity."

Water vs Coca-Cola

A few posts ago we covered some facts on water. And then there's Coke:

1. In many states (in the USA) the highway patrol carries two gallons of coke in the truck to remove blood from the highway after a car accident.
2. You can put a T-bone steak in a bowl of Coke and it will be gone in two days. 3. To clean a toilet: Pour a can of Coca-Cola into the toilet bowl and let the "real thing" sit for one hour, then flush clean. The citric acid in Coke removes stains from vitreous China.
4. To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers: Rub the bumper with a rumpled-up piece of Reynolds Wrap aluminum foil dipped in Coca-Cola.
5. To clean corrosion from car battery terminals:Pour a can of Coca-Cola over the terminals to bubble away the corrosion.
6. To loosen a rusted bolt: Applying a cloth soaked in Coca-Cola to the rusted bolt for several minutes.
7. To bake a moist ham: Empty a can of Coca-Cola into the baking pan, wrap the ham in aluminum foil, and bake. Thirty minutes before the ham is finished, remove the foil, allowing the drippings to mix with the Coke for a sumptuous brown gravy.
8. To remove grease from clothes: Empty a can of coke into a load of greasy clothes, add detergent, and run through a regular cycle. The Coca-Cola will help loosen grease stains.
9. It will also clean road haze from your windshield.
Note:
1. The active ingredient in Coke is phosphoric acid. Its pH is 2.8. It will dissolve a nail in about 4 days. Phosphoric acid also leaches calcium from bones and is a major contributor to the rising increase in osteoporosis.
2. To carry Coca-Cola syrup (the concentrate) the commercial truck must use the Hazardous material place cards reserved for Highly corrosive materials.
3. The distributors of Coke have been using it to clean the engines of their trucks for about 20 years!

BASIC WATER FACTS -
(...or "How I hate people who can do Guadalupe Peak in late July, hatless, wearing shorts, T-shirt, flip-flops, and carrying an 89-cent bottle of water bought at the last gas station.")

1. 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated.
2. In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is often mistaken for hunger.
3. Even MILD dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as much as 3%.
4. One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a University of Washington study.
5. Lack of water, the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.
6. Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.
7. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzz short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.
8. Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%, and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.

GETTIN' INTO THE MUSHROOMS

In the Fall issue of A2Z, The Highpointers Club Newsletter, under Klimbin' Kollaborator, a member asks for altitude sickness info and "tricks" that high climbers use to cope.

Yeah, we'd like to know some tricks, too. Prior to doing Whitney, my first 14K+ mountain, I got my doctor to write a prescription for acetazolamide (Diamox). He balked at the mention of my doing elevation stuff, but doctors are notorious for telling us we'll never walk again, etc. I decided it was an envy thing, them being stuck in their office all day examining hypochondriacs.

On arriving in California and curious about the pills in my backpack, I talked to the pharmacist at the Lone Pine drug store, thinking he'd know all about it being who he was where he was. He said the side-effects of Diamox could be similar to altitude sickness itself. Duh. Well, I didn't bother taking any after all and lived.

We're curious about gettin' into the mushrooms - reishi, in particular - to help allay high elevation discomforts. If you're reading this then you can probably research "altitude sickness" on the web. There are numerous sites covering the topic though often trying to sell you something. That's nothing new; wade through it.

Books: We have Going Higher, Charles Houston, and a new, compact publication, Altitude Illness: Prevention & Treatment, Stephen Bezruchka, M.D., M.P.H. Buy used from Amazon, save money.

Nineteen-K, Pen May, a tough hi-klimbin' Kilimanjaro hike leader with lots of Sierra Nev (CA) experience says, "Altitude sickness? Cannot help with "tricks" at all...just staying very aerobically fit, acclimatizing well en route and drinking lots of water...that's all I know!"