Exploring XENOHORMESIS 🧬

Xenohormesis is another example of science giving an ugly and complicated word to something beautiful and intuitive that we’ve known for thousands of years.

“Xeno-”: The Greek prefix for “strange” or “foreign”, meaning, not from your own body.

“-hormesis”: What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, low dose stressors lead to beneficial adaptations

“Xenohormesis”: Beneficial adaptations transferred to you from your food, due to stressors and signals the food encountered during its lifetime.

Xenohormesis: Nature’s Cycle of Mutual Benefit

When plants get stressed, due to heat, drought, or cold, they can’t run away, so they are forced to adapt in place. This often means pumping out more antioxidants and changing their nutrient profile, sending benefits and signals up the food chain.

Cold-Shock grasses produce omega 3s for cows:

In response to cold, grasses shift their fat profile towards omega-3s which allow animals directly consuming those plants to adapt. If that animal is a cow perhaps, and you consume it seasonally, you’ll also receive the benefits. See: High omega-3 fatty acid content in alpine cheese

Drought-Stressed Strawberries:

Superior taste, antioxidants, and phenol content compared to controlled growth conditions.

Wine Production:

Better taste and health from grapes in dry, sunny, infertile soil due to resveratrol synthesis from UV light, ozone, or pathogens. Resveratrol boosts plant and animal longevity.

Traditional Ethnic Cuisines:

Herb and spice use is thought to offer health benefits by priming consumer's stress response pathways through hormetic and xenohormetic principles.

Deep Dive: Xenohormesis: health benefits from an eon of plant stress response evolution PMC3024065

Actionable Tips:

Here's how you can integrate the wisdom of xenohormesis into your daily life, broadly speaking, organic, seasonal and local foods will confer more xenohormetic benefit than conventionally grown foods.

• Eat Seasonally: Nature’s cycle is designed for benefit. Enjoy the variety of produce that each season brings to your table. Not only does it taste better, but it's also packed with the right nutrients your body needs for that particular time of year.

• Support Local: Local produce is likely to be fresher and more in tune with the seasonal and environmental stressors of your locale. By supporting local farmers, you are also contributing to a sustainable food system.

• Diversify Your Plate: Incorporate a variety of herbs, spices, and other plant-based foods in your diet. The unique compounds found in these foods could provide a xenohormetic boost to your health.

• Get Curious: Explore the traditional foods and culinary herbs of different cultures. Many of these traditions have harnessed the benefits of xenohormesis for centuries.

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