Showing posts with label antioxidants. Show all posts
Showing posts with label antioxidants. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Dieting the Right Way
Many people either starve or deprive themselves of food in hopes of losing weight. Various factors influence the body and how it reacts to certain foods and food products. Everyone has a different chemistry and the trick is to find a lifestyle that works for you.
For me, I go with everything in moderation and cooking healthy. It is important to make sure you cut back on fats, salt and sugars, if you are using these in excess. However, it is important to have all of these in your diet for a balanced body.
Antioxidants play a key role in making sure your body stays as young as possible for as long as possible. They replace nutrients your body loses as you age.
Energy supplements and shakes are helpful when you are cutting back in order to fuel your body for everyday activities as well as exercise.
All in all, finding the right combination that works for you, sometimes takes time. Once you find a balance, don't worry about going up and down a few pounds. There will always be times when your body holds and loses weight regularly.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Antioxidants can protect your lungs! H1N1 News!
A report published in the November 2009 issue of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) Journal revealed the discovery of researchers at the University of Alabama and Southern Research Institute in Birmingham of a protective effect for antioxidants against lung damage caused by the influenza virus.
Sadis Matalon of the University of Alabama's Department of Anesthesiology Pulmonary Injury and Repair Center and colleagues demonstrated that the virus damages the lungs via its M2 protein, which attacks the cells of the lungs' inner lining by disrupting their ability to remove fluid, resulting in increased susceptibility to pneumonia and other conditions. The M2 protein accomplishes this by decreasing the expression and function of ameloride-sensitive epithelial sodium channels (ENaCs).
The researchers conducted a series of experiments using frog eggs and human airway cells. Airway cells transfected with M2 revealed increased levels of damaging molecules known as reactive oxygen species. Co-administration of M2 with glutathione ester (an antioxidant compound) prevented M2 from causing damage. "In this study we show for the first time that an influenza virus type A protein, M2, down-regulates the function of a major epithelial ion channel, ENaC, both in oocytes microinjected with human ENaCs and in human airway cells . . . by increasing levels of reactive species and activating specific isoforms of protein kinase C," the authors write. "These novel findings suggest a mechanism for the influenza-induced rhinorrhea and life-threatening alveolar edema in humans."
"The recent outbreak of H1N1 influenza and the rapid spread of this strain across the world highlights the need to better understand how this virus damages the lungs and to find new treatments," Dr Matalon remarked. "Additionally, our research shows that antioxidants may prove beneficial in the treatment of flu."
"Although vaccines will remain the first line of intervention against the flu for a long time to come, this study opens the door for entirely new treatments geared toward stopping the virus after you're sick," added Gerald Weissmann, MD, who is the Editor-in-Chief of the FASEB Journal. "As Thanksgiving approaches, this discovery is another reason to drink red wine to your health."
Sadis Matalon of the University of Alabama's Department of Anesthesiology Pulmonary Injury and Repair Center and colleagues demonstrated that the virus damages the lungs via its M2 protein, which attacks the cells of the lungs' inner lining by disrupting their ability to remove fluid, resulting in increased susceptibility to pneumonia and other conditions. The M2 protein accomplishes this by decreasing the expression and function of ameloride-sensitive epithelial sodium channels (ENaCs).
The researchers conducted a series of experiments using frog eggs and human airway cells. Airway cells transfected with M2 revealed increased levels of damaging molecules known as reactive oxygen species. Co-administration of M2 with glutathione ester (an antioxidant compound) prevented M2 from causing damage. "In this study we show for the first time that an influenza virus type A protein, M2, down-regulates the function of a major epithelial ion channel, ENaC, both in oocytes microinjected with human ENaCs and in human airway cells . . . by increasing levels of reactive species and activating specific isoforms of protein kinase C," the authors write. "These novel findings suggest a mechanism for the influenza-induced rhinorrhea and life-threatening alveolar edema in humans."
"The recent outbreak of H1N1 influenza and the rapid spread of this strain across the world highlights the need to better understand how this virus damages the lungs and to find new treatments," Dr Matalon remarked. "Additionally, our research shows that antioxidants may prove beneficial in the treatment of flu."
"Although vaccines will remain the first line of intervention against the flu for a long time to come, this study opens the door for entirely new treatments geared toward stopping the virus after you're sick," added Gerald Weissmann, MD, who is the Editor-in-Chief of the FASEB Journal. "As Thanksgiving approaches, this discovery is another reason to drink red wine to your health."
Friday, October 30, 2009
Turkey Day May be Healthier than you think!
SAVANNAH, Ga., Oct 28, 2009 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- For those who think cranberries are nothing more than a turkey side dish, new research revealed this week confirms that the crimson berry may be small, but its health benefits are large. Leading scientists from throughout the country and abroad convened today in Savannah, GA, for the Fourth Cranberry Institute Health Research Conference to review the latest findings on the potential health benefits of cranberries, including studies that reveal an eight-hour protection against certain harmful bacteria and significant improvements in biomarkers for many chronic diseases.
More than 30 nutrition scientists from leading research institutions, including the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and a variety of prestigious universities, presented new findings about the cranberry's antibacterial and anti-adhesion properties, as well as promising new areas of research in anti-aging, anti-cancer and protection against cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome and type II diabetes.
"New studies are continually finding how unique cranberries are, and that their potential health benefits are impressive," said Jere Downing, executive director, Cranberry Institute, the nonprofit organization dedicated to cranberry health research. There seems to be no denying that cranberries are antioxidant-rich and deliver unique proanthocyanidins (PACs) that are responsible for cranberries' beneficial anti-adhesion properties.
Cranberry Juice Cocktail Offers Eight-Hour Urinary Tract Protection
Cranberries may offer help to more than 11 million American women each year who contract urinary tract infections (UTIs). UTIs cost some $1.6 billion in healthcare and the only known treatment is antibiotic therapy, which increasingly contributes to creating bacterial resistant strains of pathogens.
Cranberry PACs have been shown to protect against P-fimbriated Escherichia coli (E. coli), which is thought to be responsible for as much as 95% of urinary tract infections, and other strains of E. coli bacteria through anti-adhesion properties, so that pathogenic bacteria are unable to adhere to our cells, multiply and cause an infection. New research presented by Amy Howell, Ph.D., associate research scientist at Rutgers University, Marucci Center for Blueberry and Cranberry Research and Extension, examined the anti-adhesion effects of 16 oz. of cranberry juice cocktail (CJC) versus water on subject urine samples exposed to E. coli bacteria. The researchers, including lead researcher Terri A. Camesano, Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, reported that CJC provided protection against the pathogen for up to eight-hours.
"The potential for cranberry juice cocktail to help prevent urinary tract infections is significant, especially since we know that the berry's unique proanthocyanidins offer at least an eight-hour anti-adhesion benefit," said Howell. "Based on this and other studies, we recommend that drinking cranberry juice twice daily can help maintain a healthy urinary tract," she added.
Pathogen Protector
The same anti-adhesion benefits studied in urinary tract health are now being identified in other areas of the body, such as the oral cavity, stomach and small intestine. Studies at the conference identified that cranberry PACs help prevent oral bacteria from adhering to tooth and denture surfaces, thereby helping to protect against gum disease and cavities. In addition, researchers from the University of Maine conducted trials to determine if cranberry PACs can help protect against E. coli 0157:H7, the strain responsible for serious--and even life-threatening--cases of foodborne illnesses.
While more studies are needed, the preliminary studies suggest that cranberry PACs may play a role in oral health, gastrointestinal health and protection against bacterial, fungal and even viral illnesses.
Heart Health
Emerging research suggests that cranberries may also play a role in cardiovascular health. A University of Scranton study presented one way in which the cranberry provides cardioprotection. In the study, animals fed a high-fat diet with two doses of cranberry juice cocktail (CJC) daily had significantly decreased atherosclerotic development, compared to animals fed a high-fat diet without CJC. The mechanism of the effect of CJC on atherosclerosis is currently under examination, but is thought to be from the potent antioxidant capacity of the berries.
Anti-Cancer
Numerous ongoing and recently completed studies are evaluating the role cranberries may have in preventing certain cancers. Preliminary in vitro studies conducted at the University of Massachusetts found that compounds in cranberries limit the proliferation of human breast, colon and prostate tumor cell lines in a dose-dependent manner. Researchers at the University of Western Ontario presented research showing that cranberry extracts impaired the growth of eight different human cancer cell lines.
The Cranberry Institute
The Cranberry Institute is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1951 to further the success of cranberry growers and the industry in the Americas through health, agricultural and environmental stewardship research, as well as cranberry promotion and education.
More than 30 nutrition scientists from leading research institutions, including the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and a variety of prestigious universities, presented new findings about the cranberry's antibacterial and anti-adhesion properties, as well as promising new areas of research in anti-aging, anti-cancer and protection against cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome and type II diabetes.
"New studies are continually finding how unique cranberries are, and that their potential health benefits are impressive," said Jere Downing, executive director, Cranberry Institute, the nonprofit organization dedicated to cranberry health research. There seems to be no denying that cranberries are antioxidant-rich and deliver unique proanthocyanidins (PACs) that are responsible for cranberries' beneficial anti-adhesion properties.
Cranberry Juice Cocktail Offers Eight-Hour Urinary Tract Protection
Cranberries may offer help to more than 11 million American women each year who contract urinary tract infections (UTIs). UTIs cost some $1.6 billion in healthcare and the only known treatment is antibiotic therapy, which increasingly contributes to creating bacterial resistant strains of pathogens.
Cranberry PACs have been shown to protect against P-fimbriated Escherichia coli (E. coli), which is thought to be responsible for as much as 95% of urinary tract infections, and other strains of E. coli bacteria through anti-adhesion properties, so that pathogenic bacteria are unable to adhere to our cells, multiply and cause an infection. New research presented by Amy Howell, Ph.D., associate research scientist at Rutgers University, Marucci Center for Blueberry and Cranberry Research and Extension, examined the anti-adhesion effects of 16 oz. of cranberry juice cocktail (CJC) versus water on subject urine samples exposed to E. coli bacteria. The researchers, including lead researcher Terri A. Camesano, Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, reported that CJC provided protection against the pathogen for up to eight-hours.
"The potential for cranberry juice cocktail to help prevent urinary tract infections is significant, especially since we know that the berry's unique proanthocyanidins offer at least an eight-hour anti-adhesion benefit," said Howell. "Based on this and other studies, we recommend that drinking cranberry juice twice daily can help maintain a healthy urinary tract," she added.
Pathogen Protector
The same anti-adhesion benefits studied in urinary tract health are now being identified in other areas of the body, such as the oral cavity, stomach and small intestine. Studies at the conference identified that cranberry PACs help prevent oral bacteria from adhering to tooth and denture surfaces, thereby helping to protect against gum disease and cavities. In addition, researchers from the University of Maine conducted trials to determine if cranberry PACs can help protect against E. coli 0157:H7, the strain responsible for serious--and even life-threatening--cases of foodborne illnesses.
While more studies are needed, the preliminary studies suggest that cranberry PACs may play a role in oral health, gastrointestinal health and protection against bacterial, fungal and even viral illnesses.
Heart Health
Emerging research suggests that cranberries may also play a role in cardiovascular health. A University of Scranton study presented one way in which the cranberry provides cardioprotection. In the study, animals fed a high-fat diet with two doses of cranberry juice cocktail (CJC) daily had significantly decreased atherosclerotic development, compared to animals fed a high-fat diet without CJC. The mechanism of the effect of CJC on atherosclerosis is currently under examination, but is thought to be from the potent antioxidant capacity of the berries.
Anti-Cancer
Numerous ongoing and recently completed studies are evaluating the role cranberries may have in preventing certain cancers. Preliminary in vitro studies conducted at the University of Massachusetts found that compounds in cranberries limit the proliferation of human breast, colon and prostate tumor cell lines in a dose-dependent manner. Researchers at the University of Western Ontario presented research showing that cranberry extracts impaired the growth of eight different human cancer cell lines.
The Cranberry Institute
The Cranberry Institute is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1951 to further the success of cranberry growers and the industry in the Americas through health, agricultural and environmental stewardship research, as well as cranberry promotion and education.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
New Hope for Eternal Youth?
NEW YORK, Oct 9, 2009 (GlobeNewswire via COMTEX) -- Methuselah Foundation awarded Z. David Sharp, Ph.D. with a special "Mprize" for the first pharmaceutical intervention to successfully extend the life of laboratory mice. The study, published this summer in the journal Nature, showed that when aging mice were given the drug rapamycin, they lived longer than other mice. Dr. Sharp is from the University of Texas.
Methuselah Foundation presented the special Mprize Lifespan Achievement Award to Dr. Sharp at a ceremony on Thursday, October 8th at the Friars Club in New York City. Presenters included Dave Gobel, CEO Methuselah Foundation, Roger Holzberg, CEO My Bridge 4 Life, Huber Warner, University of Minnesota and Keith Murphy, CEO Organovo. Dr. Max Gomez, broadcast journalist, served as emcee for the event.
Dr. Sharp said he was "honored, thrilled and humbled by this recognition." He went on to thank Methuselah Foundation's Scientific Advisory Board and its Board of Directors for this "tremendous honor."
Dave Gobel, CEO of the Foundation said, "Methuselah Foundation is happy to honor Dr. Sharp's work because it begins to shed light on the potential for late-onset interventions via a pharmaceutical and has the potential for some very positive public messaging about the importance of aging research."
Methuselah Foundation is a non-profit medical charity dedicated to extending healthy human life. Supported by the donations of individuals and organizations, the programs of Methuselah Foundation include near, mid and long term strategies that advance the mission of ending age-related disease through awareness, education, scientific research and direct community outreach. For more information please go to: www.methuselahfoundation.org
Methuselah Foundation presented the special Mprize Lifespan Achievement Award to Dr. Sharp at a ceremony on Thursday, October 8th at the Friars Club in New York City. Presenters included Dave Gobel, CEO Methuselah Foundation, Roger Holzberg, CEO My Bridge 4 Life, Huber Warner, University of Minnesota and Keith Murphy, CEO Organovo. Dr. Max Gomez, broadcast journalist, served as emcee for the event.
Dr. Sharp said he was "honored, thrilled and humbled by this recognition." He went on to thank Methuselah Foundation's Scientific Advisory Board and its Board of Directors for this "tremendous honor."
Dave Gobel, CEO of the Foundation said, "Methuselah Foundation is happy to honor Dr. Sharp's work because it begins to shed light on the potential for late-onset interventions via a pharmaceutical and has the potential for some very positive public messaging about the importance of aging research."
Methuselah Foundation is a non-profit medical charity dedicated to extending healthy human life. Supported by the donations of individuals and organizations, the programs of Methuselah Foundation include near, mid and long term strategies that advance the mission of ending age-related disease through awareness, education, scientific research and direct community outreach. For more information please go to: www.methuselahfoundation.org
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Use Walnuts in your Holiday Baking!
Abuja, Sep 18, 2009 (Daily Trust/All Africa Global Media via COMTEX) -- Nuts generally have become popular as all round source of nutrition and are favoured by those who exercise regularly as a good source of protein and energy. Walnuts which are popularly known as awusa or asala in Yoruba, arinsa in Igbira add extra nutrition, flavor and crunch to one's meal.
These nuts, which are harvested in December and are available all year round come from an ornamental tree that is highly priced for its beauty. The walnut kernel consists of two bumpy lobes that look like abstract butterflies. The lobes are off white in colour and covered by a thin, light brown skin. They are particularly attached to each other while the kernel is enclosed in round or oblong shells that are brown or black in colour and they are hard.
Although the nuts are said to have a high fat content, it plays a role in the provision of a balance diet; with beneficiary nutritional contents covering all the important food groups.
When it comes to their health benefits, walnuts definitely are regarded as a "brain food" not only because of the wrinkled brain like appearance of their shells but because of their high concentration of omega 3 fats.
A nutritionist, Dr Kabir az-Zubair, Director, Molecular Biology & Bioinformatics of National Biotechnology Development Agency, Federal Ministry of Science & Technology, said the human brain is made up of more than 60% structural fats and for the brain cells to function properly, these structural fats need to be primarily the omega 3 fats which are mostly found in walnuts.
"Walnut is an excellent source of omega 3 essential fatty acids, a special type of protective fat the body cannot manufacture. It has many health benefits ranging from cardiovascular protection, to the promotion of better cognitive function and the anti-inflammatory benefit that is useful for Asthma patients, rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory skin diseases such as Eczema and psoriasis; walnuts also contain an anti-oxidant compound called ellagic acid that supports the immune system and appears to have several anti-cancer properties," he said.
These nutritious nuts are also important source of monounsaturated fats amounted to 15% of the fats found in walnuts so adding it to ones diet is an important step in improving cardiovascular health. Studies on the dietary value of walnut show that increasing the dietary intake of walnuts as favourable effects on high cholesterol levels and other cardiovascular risk factors.
In addition to their heart protective monounsaturated fats, walnuts concentration of omega-3 essential fatty acids is also responsible for the favourable effects walnut consumption produces on cardiovascular risk factors.
Omega-3s benefit the cardiovascular system by assisting in preventing erratic heart rhythms, making blood less likely to clot inside arteries (which is the proximate cause of most heart attacks) and improve the ratio of good (HDL) cholesterol to potentially harmful (LDL) cholesterol. Omega-3s also reduce inflammation, which is a key component in the processes that turn cholesterol into artery clogging plaques.
Walnuts also contain relatively high levels of L-arginine, an essential amino acid which becomes a special import in hypertensive persons. Human body according to experts converts l-arginine into nitric oxide, a chemical that helps keep the inner walls of blood vessels smooth and allows blood vessels to relax. Since individuals with hypertension find it difficult to maintain normal nitric oxide levels which may also lead to other significant health issues such as diabetes and heart problems, walnuts can serve as a great addition to their diets.
In a research published by the British Journal of Nutrition which identified several nuts among plant foods with highest total antioxidant content, suggests that walnuts and chestnuts have the highest antioxidant content of tree nuts with walnuts delivering more than 20mmol antioxidant per 3ounces (100gm).
The research concluded that, consumption of nuts at least 4 times in a week showed a 37% reduced risk of coronary heart disease while each additional serving of nuts per week shows 8.3% reduced risk of cardiovascular and coronary heart disease, intake of a handful of walnuts at least 4times in a week is recommended for persons suffering from these diseases.
Prevention and control of high blood pressure is also one of the benefits derived from eating walnuts because it is gathered that individuals whose diets provide greater amount of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid have lower blood pressure than those who consume less and walnuts has been identified as an excellent source of this essential fats.
It also improves the cholesterol profile in persons with type 2 diabetes. In patients with type 2 diabetes, a daily ounce of walnuts in a diet in which 30% of calories came from fat related into a significant improvement in subject's cholesterol profile. The nuts are found to reduce levels of several molecules that promote atherosclerosis.
Preventing gallbladder disease may be as easy as having a handful of walnuts as part of ones diet or tossing some walnuts on salad because it helps in prevention of gallstones in women. For a better night sleep, sprinkling ones dinner with a handful of walnuts is good because it is a source of bio-available melatonin - a hormone produced by the pineal gland, which is involved in inducing and regulating sleep and it's also a powerful antioxidant in bio - available form, making the perfect evening meal for a natural good night sleep.
Apart from the dietary benefit of walnuts, straw-coloured clear oil can also be extracted from fresh walnuts which must be protected from the light and oxidant agents because it becomes rancid easily. This oil is used as a tonic for children and aged people as well as a dry agent for painting for the rapidity by which colours dry in it.
The nutritional value of walnuts can be likened to that of cheese because of its high content of proteins and fats. Walnuts have a high source of essential unsaturated fatty acids such as alfa-linoleic acid and their contents in proteins and vitamins are good, especially in vitamins B and E groups.
Maintenance of healthy levels of melatonin is important for everyone over the age of 40 since the amount of the hormones produced by the human body decreases significantly as humans age. This reduction in antioxidant protection may be related to the development of free radical related diseases later in life; thus walnuts are highly recommended for everybody for healthy living.
by Romoke W. Ahmad
Copyright Daily Trust. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com).
These nuts, which are harvested in December and are available all year round come from an ornamental tree that is highly priced for its beauty. The walnut kernel consists of two bumpy lobes that look like abstract butterflies. The lobes are off white in colour and covered by a thin, light brown skin. They are particularly attached to each other while the kernel is enclosed in round or oblong shells that are brown or black in colour and they are hard.
Although the nuts are said to have a high fat content, it plays a role in the provision of a balance diet; with beneficiary nutritional contents covering all the important food groups.
When it comes to their health benefits, walnuts definitely are regarded as a "brain food" not only because of the wrinkled brain like appearance of their shells but because of their high concentration of omega 3 fats.
A nutritionist, Dr Kabir az-Zubair, Director, Molecular Biology & Bioinformatics of National Biotechnology Development Agency, Federal Ministry of Science & Technology, said the human brain is made up of more than 60% structural fats and for the brain cells to function properly, these structural fats need to be primarily the omega 3 fats which are mostly found in walnuts.
"Walnut is an excellent source of omega 3 essential fatty acids, a special type of protective fat the body cannot manufacture. It has many health benefits ranging from cardiovascular protection, to the promotion of better cognitive function and the anti-inflammatory benefit that is useful for Asthma patients, rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory skin diseases such as Eczema and psoriasis; walnuts also contain an anti-oxidant compound called ellagic acid that supports the immune system and appears to have several anti-cancer properties," he said.
These nutritious nuts are also important source of monounsaturated fats amounted to 15% of the fats found in walnuts so adding it to ones diet is an important step in improving cardiovascular health. Studies on the dietary value of walnut show that increasing the dietary intake of walnuts as favourable effects on high cholesterol levels and other cardiovascular risk factors.
In addition to their heart protective monounsaturated fats, walnuts concentration of omega-3 essential fatty acids is also responsible for the favourable effects walnut consumption produces on cardiovascular risk factors.
Omega-3s benefit the cardiovascular system by assisting in preventing erratic heart rhythms, making blood less likely to clot inside arteries (which is the proximate cause of most heart attacks) and improve the ratio of good (HDL) cholesterol to potentially harmful (LDL) cholesterol. Omega-3s also reduce inflammation, which is a key component in the processes that turn cholesterol into artery clogging plaques.
Walnuts also contain relatively high levels of L-arginine, an essential amino acid which becomes a special import in hypertensive persons. Human body according to experts converts l-arginine into nitric oxide, a chemical that helps keep the inner walls of blood vessels smooth and allows blood vessels to relax. Since individuals with hypertension find it difficult to maintain normal nitric oxide levels which may also lead to other significant health issues such as diabetes and heart problems, walnuts can serve as a great addition to their diets.
In a research published by the British Journal of Nutrition which identified several nuts among plant foods with highest total antioxidant content, suggests that walnuts and chestnuts have the highest antioxidant content of tree nuts with walnuts delivering more than 20mmol antioxidant per 3ounces (100gm).
The research concluded that, consumption of nuts at least 4 times in a week showed a 37% reduced risk of coronary heart disease while each additional serving of nuts per week shows 8.3% reduced risk of cardiovascular and coronary heart disease, intake of a handful of walnuts at least 4times in a week is recommended for persons suffering from these diseases.
Prevention and control of high blood pressure is also one of the benefits derived from eating walnuts because it is gathered that individuals whose diets provide greater amount of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid have lower blood pressure than those who consume less and walnuts has been identified as an excellent source of this essential fats.
It also improves the cholesterol profile in persons with type 2 diabetes. In patients with type 2 diabetes, a daily ounce of walnuts in a diet in which 30% of calories came from fat related into a significant improvement in subject's cholesterol profile. The nuts are found to reduce levels of several molecules that promote atherosclerosis.
Preventing gallbladder disease may be as easy as having a handful of walnuts as part of ones diet or tossing some walnuts on salad because it helps in prevention of gallstones in women. For a better night sleep, sprinkling ones dinner with a handful of walnuts is good because it is a source of bio-available melatonin - a hormone produced by the pineal gland, which is involved in inducing and regulating sleep and it's also a powerful antioxidant in bio - available form, making the perfect evening meal for a natural good night sleep.
Apart from the dietary benefit of walnuts, straw-coloured clear oil can also be extracted from fresh walnuts which must be protected from the light and oxidant agents because it becomes rancid easily. This oil is used as a tonic for children and aged people as well as a dry agent for painting for the rapidity by which colours dry in it.
The nutritional value of walnuts can be likened to that of cheese because of its high content of proteins and fats. Walnuts have a high source of essential unsaturated fatty acids such as alfa-linoleic acid and their contents in proteins and vitamins are good, especially in vitamins B and E groups.
Maintenance of healthy levels of melatonin is important for everyone over the age of 40 since the amount of the hormones produced by the human body decreases significantly as humans age. This reduction in antioxidant protection may be related to the development of free radical related diseases later in life; thus walnuts are highly recommended for everybody for healthy living.
by Romoke W. Ahmad
Copyright Daily Trust. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com).
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Fountain of youth?
Drugs That Might Lengthen Life Spans Are Being Tested; Writing a Prescription for the Fountain of Youth ; Researchers Are Testing Drugs That May Extenda Healthy Life Span
International Herald Tribune
09-09-09
Forget the fountain of youth: chemicals are more likely to someday be the source of a longer, healthier life.
It may be the ultimate free lunch -- how to reap all the advantages of a calorically restricted diet, including freedom from disease and an extended healthy life span, without eating one fewer calorie. Just take a drug that tricks the body into thinking it's on such a diet.
It sounds too good to be true, and maybe it is. Yet such drugs are now in clinical trials. Even if they should fail, as most candidate drugs do, their development represents a new optimism among research biologists that aging is not immutable, that the body has resources that can be mobilized into resisting disease and averting the adversities of old age.
This optimism, however, is not fully shared. Evolutionary biologists, the experts on the theory of aging, have strong reasons to suppose that human life span cannot be altered in any quick and easy way. But they have been confounded by experiments with small laboratory animals, like roundworms, fruit flies and mice. In all these species, the change of single genes has brought noticeable increases in life span.
With theorists' and their gloomy predictions cast in the shade, at least for the time being, experimental biologists are pushing confidently into the tangle of linkages that evolution has woven among food intake, fertility and life span.
"My rule of thumb is to ignore the evolutionary biologists -- they're constantly telling you what you can't think," Gary Ruvkun of the Massachusetts General Hospital remarked this June after making an unusual discovery about longevity.
Excitement among researchers on aging has picked up in the last few years with the apparent convergence of two lines of inquiry: single gene changes and the diet known as caloric restriction.
In caloric restriction, mice are kept on a diet that is healthy but has 30 percent fewer calories than a normal diet. The mice live 30 or 40 percent longer than usual with the only evident penalty being that they are less fertile.
People find it almost impossible to maintain such a diet, so this recipe for longevity remained a scientific curiosity for many decades.
Then came the discovery of the single gene changes, many of which are involved in the body's regulation of growth, energy metabolism and reproduction. The single gene changes thus seem to be pointing to the same biochemical pathways through which caloric restriction extends life span.
If biologists could only identify these pathways, it might be possible to develop drugs that would trigger them. Such drugs could in principle have far-reaching effects. Mice on caloric restriction seem protected from degenerative disease, which may be why they live longer. A single drug that protected against some or all the degenerative diseases of aging would enable people to enjoy more healthy years, a great benefit in itself, even if it did not extend life span.
The leading candidates for such a role are drugs called sirtuin activators, which may well be mimicking caloric restriction, in whole or in part. The chief such drug is resveratrol, a minor ingredient of grapes and red wine. Sirtris Pharmaceuticals, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, is now conducting clinical trials of resveratrol, in a special formulation, and of small-molecule drugs that also activate sirtuin but can be given in much lower doses. The resveratrol formulation and one of the small chemicals have passed safety tests and are now being tested against diabetes and other diseases.
The sirtuin activators have a strong scientific pedigree. They emerged as the surprising outcome of a quest begun in 1991 by Leonard P. Guarente of MIT to look for genes that might prolong life span in yeast, a single-cell organism. Working with David A. Sinclair, now at Harvard Medical School, he discovered such a gene, one called sir-2.
People and mice turned out to have equivalent genes, called sirt genes, that produce proteins called sirtuins.
Dr. Guarente then found that the sirtuins can detect the energy reserves in a cell and are activated when reserves are low, just what would be needed for a protein that mediates the effects of caloric restriction. Dr. Sinclair and colleagues screened a number of chemicals for their ability to activate sirtuin, and resveratrol landed at the top of the list. The chemical was already known as the suspected cause of the French paradox, the fact that the French eat a high fat diet without penalty to their longevity.
The two researchers and their colleagues thus argued that caloric restriction works by activating sirtuins, and so drugs that activate sirtuins should offer the same health benefits.
But despite the high promise and strong scientific foundation of the sirtuin approach, it has yet to be proved that a resulting drug will work. The first of many questions is that of whether caloric restriction applies at all to people.
Two experts on aging, Jan Vijg of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Judith Campisi of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, argued recently in Nature that the whole phenomenon of caloric restriction may be a misleading result unwittingly produced in laboratory mice. The mice are selected for quick breeding and fed on rich diets. A low-calorie diet could be much closer to the diet that mice are adapted to in the wild, and therefore it could extend life simply because it is much healthier for them.
"Life extension in model organisms may be an artifact to some extent," they wrote.
To decide whether life extension by caloric restriction is an artifact of mice in captivity, why not try it on wild mice? Just such an experiment has been done by Steven N. Austad of the University of Texas Health Science Center. Dr. Austad reported that caloric restriction did not extend the average life span of wild mice, suggesting the diet's benefits are indeed an artifact of mice in captivity. But others interpret his results differently. Richard A. Miller of the University of Michigan says the maximum life span of the wild mice was extended, and so the experiment was a success.
Laboratory mice are inbred, and researchers can get different results depending on the breed they use. To put the mouse data on a firmer footing, the National Institute on Aging has set up a program to test substances in three laboratories simultaneously. Its first round of candidate agents for reversing aging include green tea extract and two doses of resveratrol.
The resveratrol tests are still under way, but last month the results with another substance, the antifungal drug rapamycin, were published. Rapamycin was found to extend mice's lives significantly even though by accident the mice were already the equivalent of 60 years old when the experiment started.
Rapamycin has nothing to do with caloric restriction, so far as is known, but the study provided striking proof that a chemical can extend life span.
Another result, directly related to the caloric restriction approach, emerged last month from a long-awaited study of rhesus monkeys kept on such a diet. The research was led by Richard Weindruch of the University of Wisconsin. As fellow primates, the monkeys are the best possible guide to whether the mouse results will apply in people. And the answer they gave was ambiguous.
The monkeys who had spent 20 years on caloric restriction were in better health than their normally fed counterparts, and suffered less diabetes, cancer and heart disease, apparently confirming that caloric restriction holds off the degenerative diseases of aging in primates as well as rodents.
But as for life span, the diet extended life significantly only if the researchers excluded deaths that were apparently unrelated to aging, such as under the anesthesia used to take blood samples.
People may live so long already that no drug could make much of a difference. Probably because of reductions in infant mortality and other types of disease, human life expectancy in developed countries has been on a remarkable, unbroken upward trend for the last 160 years. Female life expectancy at birth rose from 45 years in 1840 to 85 years in 2000.
An important difference among experts on aging is whether there is an intrinsic rate of aging. Supposing there were cures for all diseases, what would one die of, if one died at all? Dr. Vijg and Dr. Campisi believe there is a steady buildup of damage to DNA and to proteins like the collagen and elastin fibers that knit the body together.
Damage to DNA means that the regulation of genes gets less precise, and this regulatory drift disrupts the stem cells that repair each tissue. Even if all disease could be treated, it is not clear that anything could overcome intrinsic aging.
Dr. Miller, on the other hand, said he believes that no clear distinction can be made between disease and other frailties of aging.
"Anything a doctor can charge for we call disease, but wrinkled skin, white hair or not feeling good in the morning, these we don't call disease," he said.
In the view of evolutionary biologists, the life span of each species is adapted to the nature of its environment. Mice live at most a year in the wild because owls, cats and freezing to death are such frequent hazards. Mice with genes that allow longer life can rarely be favored by natural selection. Rather, the mice that leave the most progeny are those that devote resources to breeding at as early an age as possible.
According to this theory, if mice had wings and could escape their usual predators, natural selection ought to favor longer life. And indeed the maximum life span of bats is 3.5 times greater than flightless mammals of the same size, according to research by Gerald S. Wilkinson of the University of Maryland.
In this view, cells are so robust that they do not limit life span.
Instead the problem, especially for longer-lived species, is to keep them under control lest they cause cancer. Cells have not blocked the evolution of extremely long life spans, like that of the bristlecone pine, which lives 5,000 years, or certain deep sea corals, whose age has been found to exceed 4,000 years.
In people the germ cells, the egg and sperm, do not age; babies are born equally young, whatever the age of their parents. The genesis of aging was the division of labor in the first multicellular animals between the germ cells and the body cells.
That division put the role of maintaining the species on the germ cells and left the body cells free to become specialized, like neurons or skin cells. But in doing so the body cells made themselves disposable. The reason we die, in the view of Thomas Kirkwood, an expert on the theory of aging, is that constant effort is required to keep the body cells going. "In terms of natural selection, there are more important things to do," he writes.
All that seems clear about life span is that it is not fixed. And if it is not fixed, there may indeed be ways to extend it.
International Herald Tribune
09-09-09
Forget the fountain of youth: chemicals are more likely to someday be the source of a longer, healthier life.
It may be the ultimate free lunch -- how to reap all the advantages of a calorically restricted diet, including freedom from disease and an extended healthy life span, without eating one fewer calorie. Just take a drug that tricks the body into thinking it's on such a diet.
It sounds too good to be true, and maybe it is. Yet such drugs are now in clinical trials. Even if they should fail, as most candidate drugs do, their development represents a new optimism among research biologists that aging is not immutable, that the body has resources that can be mobilized into resisting disease and averting the adversities of old age.
This optimism, however, is not fully shared. Evolutionary biologists, the experts on the theory of aging, have strong reasons to suppose that human life span cannot be altered in any quick and easy way. But they have been confounded by experiments with small laboratory animals, like roundworms, fruit flies and mice. In all these species, the change of single genes has brought noticeable increases in life span.
With theorists' and their gloomy predictions cast in the shade, at least for the time being, experimental biologists are pushing confidently into the tangle of linkages that evolution has woven among food intake, fertility and life span.
"My rule of thumb is to ignore the evolutionary biologists -- they're constantly telling you what you can't think," Gary Ruvkun of the Massachusetts General Hospital remarked this June after making an unusual discovery about longevity.
Excitement among researchers on aging has picked up in the last few years with the apparent convergence of two lines of inquiry: single gene changes and the diet known as caloric restriction.
In caloric restriction, mice are kept on a diet that is healthy but has 30 percent fewer calories than a normal diet. The mice live 30 or 40 percent longer than usual with the only evident penalty being that they are less fertile.
People find it almost impossible to maintain such a diet, so this recipe for longevity remained a scientific curiosity for many decades.
Then came the discovery of the single gene changes, many of which are involved in the body's regulation of growth, energy metabolism and reproduction. The single gene changes thus seem to be pointing to the same biochemical pathways through which caloric restriction extends life span.
If biologists could only identify these pathways, it might be possible to develop drugs that would trigger them. Such drugs could in principle have far-reaching effects. Mice on caloric restriction seem protected from degenerative disease, which may be why they live longer. A single drug that protected against some or all the degenerative diseases of aging would enable people to enjoy more healthy years, a great benefit in itself, even if it did not extend life span.
The leading candidates for such a role are drugs called sirtuin activators, which may well be mimicking caloric restriction, in whole or in part. The chief such drug is resveratrol, a minor ingredient of grapes and red wine. Sirtris Pharmaceuticals, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, is now conducting clinical trials of resveratrol, in a special formulation, and of small-molecule drugs that also activate sirtuin but can be given in much lower doses. The resveratrol formulation and one of the small chemicals have passed safety tests and are now being tested against diabetes and other diseases.
The sirtuin activators have a strong scientific pedigree. They emerged as the surprising outcome of a quest begun in 1991 by Leonard P. Guarente of MIT to look for genes that might prolong life span in yeast, a single-cell organism. Working with David A. Sinclair, now at Harvard Medical School, he discovered such a gene, one called sir-2.
People and mice turned out to have equivalent genes, called sirt genes, that produce proteins called sirtuins.
Dr. Guarente then found that the sirtuins can detect the energy reserves in a cell and are activated when reserves are low, just what would be needed for a protein that mediates the effects of caloric restriction. Dr. Sinclair and colleagues screened a number of chemicals for their ability to activate sirtuin, and resveratrol landed at the top of the list. The chemical was already known as the suspected cause of the French paradox, the fact that the French eat a high fat diet without penalty to their longevity.
The two researchers and their colleagues thus argued that caloric restriction works by activating sirtuins, and so drugs that activate sirtuins should offer the same health benefits.
But despite the high promise and strong scientific foundation of the sirtuin approach, it has yet to be proved that a resulting drug will work. The first of many questions is that of whether caloric restriction applies at all to people.
Two experts on aging, Jan Vijg of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Judith Campisi of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, argued recently in Nature that the whole phenomenon of caloric restriction may be a misleading result unwittingly produced in laboratory mice. The mice are selected for quick breeding and fed on rich diets. A low-calorie diet could be much closer to the diet that mice are adapted to in the wild, and therefore it could extend life simply because it is much healthier for them.
"Life extension in model organisms may be an artifact to some extent," they wrote.
To decide whether life extension by caloric restriction is an artifact of mice in captivity, why not try it on wild mice? Just such an experiment has been done by Steven N. Austad of the University of Texas Health Science Center. Dr. Austad reported that caloric restriction did not extend the average life span of wild mice, suggesting the diet's benefits are indeed an artifact of mice in captivity. But others interpret his results differently. Richard A. Miller of the University of Michigan says the maximum life span of the wild mice was extended, and so the experiment was a success.
Laboratory mice are inbred, and researchers can get different results depending on the breed they use. To put the mouse data on a firmer footing, the National Institute on Aging has set up a program to test substances in three laboratories simultaneously. Its first round of candidate agents for reversing aging include green tea extract and two doses of resveratrol.
The resveratrol tests are still under way, but last month the results with another substance, the antifungal drug rapamycin, were published. Rapamycin was found to extend mice's lives significantly even though by accident the mice were already the equivalent of 60 years old when the experiment started.
Rapamycin has nothing to do with caloric restriction, so far as is known, but the study provided striking proof that a chemical can extend life span.
Another result, directly related to the caloric restriction approach, emerged last month from a long-awaited study of rhesus monkeys kept on such a diet. The research was led by Richard Weindruch of the University of Wisconsin. As fellow primates, the monkeys are the best possible guide to whether the mouse results will apply in people. And the answer they gave was ambiguous.
The monkeys who had spent 20 years on caloric restriction were in better health than their normally fed counterparts, and suffered less diabetes, cancer and heart disease, apparently confirming that caloric restriction holds off the degenerative diseases of aging in primates as well as rodents.
But as for life span, the diet extended life significantly only if the researchers excluded deaths that were apparently unrelated to aging, such as under the anesthesia used to take blood samples.
People may live so long already that no drug could make much of a difference. Probably because of reductions in infant mortality and other types of disease, human life expectancy in developed countries has been on a remarkable, unbroken upward trend for the last 160 years. Female life expectancy at birth rose from 45 years in 1840 to 85 years in 2000.
An important difference among experts on aging is whether there is an intrinsic rate of aging. Supposing there were cures for all diseases, what would one die of, if one died at all? Dr. Vijg and Dr. Campisi believe there is a steady buildup of damage to DNA and to proteins like the collagen and elastin fibers that knit the body together.
Damage to DNA means that the regulation of genes gets less precise, and this regulatory drift disrupts the stem cells that repair each tissue. Even if all disease could be treated, it is not clear that anything could overcome intrinsic aging.
Dr. Miller, on the other hand, said he believes that no clear distinction can be made between disease and other frailties of aging.
"Anything a doctor can charge for we call disease, but wrinkled skin, white hair or not feeling good in the morning, these we don't call disease," he said.
In the view of evolutionary biologists, the life span of each species is adapted to the nature of its environment. Mice live at most a year in the wild because owls, cats and freezing to death are such frequent hazards. Mice with genes that allow longer life can rarely be favored by natural selection. Rather, the mice that leave the most progeny are those that devote resources to breeding at as early an age as possible.
According to this theory, if mice had wings and could escape their usual predators, natural selection ought to favor longer life. And indeed the maximum life span of bats is 3.5 times greater than flightless mammals of the same size, according to research by Gerald S. Wilkinson of the University of Maryland.
In this view, cells are so robust that they do not limit life span.
Instead the problem, especially for longer-lived species, is to keep them under control lest they cause cancer. Cells have not blocked the evolution of extremely long life spans, like that of the bristlecone pine, which lives 5,000 years, or certain deep sea corals, whose age has been found to exceed 4,000 years.
In people the germ cells, the egg and sperm, do not age; babies are born equally young, whatever the age of their parents. The genesis of aging was the division of labor in the first multicellular animals between the germ cells and the body cells.
That division put the role of maintaining the species on the germ cells and left the body cells free to become specialized, like neurons or skin cells. But in doing so the body cells made themselves disposable. The reason we die, in the view of Thomas Kirkwood, an expert on the theory of aging, is that constant effort is required to keep the body cells going. "In terms of natural selection, there are more important things to do," he writes.
All that seems clear about life span is that it is not fixed. And if it is not fixed, there may indeed be ways to extend it.
Friday, September 18, 2009
You are What You Eat
Creams are helpful on the outside, but don't count out what goes inside your body when you're looking to keep your skin clear and fresh. Here are some foods to pile on your plate .
Strawberries, red peppers, kiwi
These fruits and veggies are packed with vitamin C, an antioxidant shown to prevent damage to the skin and possibly help prevent aging. Vitamin C also helps form collagen, which supports the skin's structure and keeps it smooth.
Other vitamin C-rich foods: Potatoes, tomatoes, citrus fruit, broccoli.
Carrots, apricots, spinach
The antioxidant beta-carotene is in these fresh foods. Beta- carotene converts in the body to vitamin A, which we need to create new and healthy skin cells. It also protects your skin from bacteria and viruses and keeps it hydrated.
Other beta-carotene-rich foods: Collard greens, romaine lettuce, sweet potatoes.
Sunflower seeds, almonds, olive oil
Rounding out the antioxidants are the vitamin E-rich foods. This vitamin protects cell membranes from free-radical damage, especially brought on by UV rays. Of course, sunscreen helps, but a serving of nuts and seeds every so often can help strengthen your cells from the inside.
Other vitamin E-rich foods: Mangoes, peanuts, chicken breast.
Water
Not drinking enough water can dehydrate and give off that pruney look (no one wants that). Instead, keep skin radiant by sipping water throughout the day. No need to chug gallons - you also get water from other sources, such as fresh fruits and veggies.
Flaxseed, salmon, tuna
All rich in omega-3 fats, these foods help prevent inflammation. Their heart-healthy oils also keep skin nice and shiny. A study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition found that elderly folks who consumed higher amounts of fish and veggies throughout their life had fewer wrinkles. It could be the combo of the omega-3s in fish plus antioxidant-rich veggies, though researchers can't say for sure right now.
Other omega-3 foods: Sardines, walnuts, tofu.
Courtesy Toby Amidor of Healthy Eats on foodnetwork.com
- Food Network Kitchens
Strawberries, red peppers, kiwi
These fruits and veggies are packed with vitamin C, an antioxidant shown to prevent damage to the skin and possibly help prevent aging. Vitamin C also helps form collagen, which supports the skin's structure and keeps it smooth.
Other vitamin C-rich foods: Potatoes, tomatoes, citrus fruit, broccoli.
Carrots, apricots, spinach
The antioxidant beta-carotene is in these fresh foods. Beta- carotene converts in the body to vitamin A, which we need to create new and healthy skin cells. It also protects your skin from bacteria and viruses and keeps it hydrated.
Other beta-carotene-rich foods: Collard greens, romaine lettuce, sweet potatoes.
Sunflower seeds, almonds, olive oil
Rounding out the antioxidants are the vitamin E-rich foods. This vitamin protects cell membranes from free-radical damage, especially brought on by UV rays. Of course, sunscreen helps, but a serving of nuts and seeds every so often can help strengthen your cells from the inside.
Other vitamin E-rich foods: Mangoes, peanuts, chicken breast.
Water
Not drinking enough water can dehydrate and give off that pruney look (no one wants that). Instead, keep skin radiant by sipping water throughout the day. No need to chug gallons - you also get water from other sources, such as fresh fruits and veggies.
Flaxseed, salmon, tuna
All rich in omega-3 fats, these foods help prevent inflammation. Their heart-healthy oils also keep skin nice and shiny. A study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition found that elderly folks who consumed higher amounts of fish and veggies throughout their life had fewer wrinkles. It could be the combo of the omega-3s in fish plus antioxidant-rich veggies, though researchers can't say for sure right now.
Other omega-3 foods: Sardines, walnuts, tofu.
Courtesy Toby Amidor of Healthy Eats on foodnetwork.com
- Food Network Kitchens
Monday, September 7, 2009
Dr Sears on an Anti-Aging Break Through
You know stress hurts. You worry, you feel anxious… you lose sleep. That’s old news. But now, through the discovery of telomeres, we can actually measure the effects of stress. And the wear and tear is more distressing than we even imagined.
Researchers at the University of California discovered that stress speeds up aging.1 This makes your cells die before their time – and produces all the terrible effects we think of as aging.
They compared women who felt a lot of stress to women under little stress. Using certain cellular markers, they discovered the high-stress women were up to 10 years “older” than women with low stress levels!2
The cellular markers they used are “telomeres.” Telomeres are the “time keepers” attached to every strand of DNA. As they wind down, you get older and your body breaks down.
What’s more, the effects of stress on telomeres get worse with age. A North Carolina study found that stressed women over 55 had significantly shorter telomeres.3 Therefore, the older we get, the more important it is to control the stress in our lives.
It’s not just women. An Ohio State University study linked shorter telomeres to high-stress occupations such as long-term caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients. The Alzheimer’s caregivers showed a four to eight year shortening of life span.4
That’s why it’s so important for you to get rid of stress. “Toughing it out” could be the biggest mistake you ever make. But stopping stress in its tracks can help you add 10 years or more to your life.
In this month’s Health Confidential, I’ll give you the supplements you can take to help your body respond to stress. Plus, I’ll give you a way to repair the damage that stress has already done to your cells.
Slow Telomere Shortening with Antioxidants
When you’re under stress, your body needs more antioxidants.
Researchers in France studied the lifestyles of a wide range of men and women. They were looking to see which behaviors affected their ability to fight off free radicals. Not surprisingly, behaviors such as smoking and drinking lowered their bodies’ antioxidant ability. But the researchers found that psychological stress had the same effect.5
Scientists at Tokyo Medical and Dental University got similar results when they tested three groups of workers at a drug company. When the men were subjected to stress – making a speech in front of company executives – their bodies produced higher levels of a certain free radical.6
Perhaps more importantly, the French researchers also linked lower antioxidant capacity to a higher risk of cancer and heart problems. So building up your antioxidants when you’re stressed is particularly important.
A natural multivitamin and mineral supplement is a good place to start. A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that those who took a multivitamin daily had 5.1 percent longer telomeres than non-users.7
Specifically, the study pointed to vitamins B12, C, and E for maintaining telomere length.
Vitamin B12 – I recommend taking at least 100 mcg per day. Although, I have advised my patients to take as much as 500 mcg per day or more for improving things like brain function and energy levels.
Vitamin C – based on my own experience, taking up to 3,000 mg per day is a good amount if you're currently in good health. I always recommend pregnant women get at least 6,000 mg per day. And in times of stress or sickness, you can take up to 20,000 mg.
You also want to make sure that you get the natural form of vitamin C and not the synthetic form. In one particular study, natural vitamin C was 148% more effective than the synthetic form. And it stayed in the test participants’ systems longer.8
Vitamin E – There are actually eight forms of vitamin E, divided up into two groups: four tocopherols and four tocotrienols. Almost all multivitamins use tocopherols, but make sure they use “mixed” tocopherols. That means they are using a combination of all four. Some manufacturers try and skimp by using just one of the four tocopherols. It’s also important to watch out for the kinds of tocopherols that are in it. Your body is better able to absorb them in their organic “d” form.
But many vitamin manufacturers use the inferior synthetic “dl” form. Studies actually show that natural vitamin E has twice the bioavailability of the synthetic form.9 That means your body is able to absorb more of the vitamin. So be sure to get the natural “d” form.
I recommend 200 to 400 IU of mixed tocopherols a day. Unlike vitamins B12 and C, vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin, which means it needs fat to get absorbed in your body. So be sure to take it with food.
Also get plenty of fruits and vegetables in your diet, too. (Organic is best.) Nothing beats Nature’s own source of healthy nutrients.
Besides fighting off the effects of stress with antioxidants, you can also help your body adapt to stress. That’s where herbs come in.
Adaptogens: Your Secret Weapon Against Stress
In my experience, natural alternatives are usually superior to drugs. And my patients tend to agree. Herbs and other natural supplements are usually more effective and more economical than prescription drugs. And they rarely have the dangerous side effects.
Best of all, these natural alternatives don’t just mask symptoms the way most drugs do. Instead, they strengthen your body’s own natural defenses. And that means you’re dealing directly with the problem, not just covering it up.
This is the situation with some herbs called “adaptogens.” These herbs help your body adjust to stress – including psychological stress. And three of the best adaptogens are panax ginseng, Siberian ginseng (eleuthero) and Ginkgo biloba.
All three herbs are approved for use by Commission E, the German government’s official natural medicine committee.10 And with good reason, too. All three are effective in fighting stress.
For example, an animal study in India compared the effects of Ginkgo biloba and panax ginseng. The study found that both herbs show powerful stress-fighting properties. And ginseng was particularly effective against chronic stress – the kind of relentless pressure that’s so common in our society.11
European researchers also found that Ginkgo normalized the levels of stress hormones in rats exposed to stressful situations.12 And according to a recent article in Current Clinical Pharmacology, Siberian ginseng lowers levels of cortisol – the main stress hormone.13
What all this means to you is that you can get relief from stress, even if you can’t avoid it. Extracts of all three of these herbs are widely available.
I advise my patients to take 120 mg of Ginkgo biloba and 200 mg to 500 mg of Siberian ginseng and Panax ginseng daily if they are feeling stressed.
Finally, just a word of caution here… Although these herbs are generally safe, people with high blood pressure should avoid Siberian ginseng.
Repair the Damage from Stress
You can also reverse the damage done to your cells by stress. It just happens to be the most exciting advancement in anti-aging medicine ever.
For the first time, the emerging science of telomere biology has found a way to turn your genetic switch back on. It’s a ground breaking new therapy called TA-65. It’s a natural extract that comes from the Astragalus plant. It activates your telomerase gene, the switch that controls your genetic aging. That means you can actually stop, and even reverse your body’s aging process.
I am very excited about TA-65, and over the last several months have been spreading the word as much as possible. In fact, my Wellness Research Foundation recently hosted a special seminar with Dr. Bill Andrews, who is one of the leading telomere biology researchers in the world. He is one of the people who discovered telomerase activation with TA-65.
The turnout for this seminar was amazing. We had a packed house. There was limited seating and people paid $500 in advance to be part of this exclusive event.
Both Dr. Andrews and I explained this scientific breakthrough in fine detail to everyone. We presented over two hours of captivating information to the group. We discussed the steps leading to the discovery of TA-65, exactly how it works, and even shared our own personal story with it. We left absolutely nothing out.
Researchers at the University of California discovered that stress speeds up aging.1 This makes your cells die before their time – and produces all the terrible effects we think of as aging.
They compared women who felt a lot of stress to women under little stress. Using certain cellular markers, they discovered the high-stress women were up to 10 years “older” than women with low stress levels!2
The cellular markers they used are “telomeres.” Telomeres are the “time keepers” attached to every strand of DNA. As they wind down, you get older and your body breaks down.
What’s more, the effects of stress on telomeres get worse with age. A North Carolina study found that stressed women over 55 had significantly shorter telomeres.3 Therefore, the older we get, the more important it is to control the stress in our lives.
It’s not just women. An Ohio State University study linked shorter telomeres to high-stress occupations such as long-term caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients. The Alzheimer’s caregivers showed a four to eight year shortening of life span.4
That’s why it’s so important for you to get rid of stress. “Toughing it out” could be the biggest mistake you ever make. But stopping stress in its tracks can help you add 10 years or more to your life.
In this month’s Health Confidential, I’ll give you the supplements you can take to help your body respond to stress. Plus, I’ll give you a way to repair the damage that stress has already done to your cells.
Slow Telomere Shortening with Antioxidants
When you’re under stress, your body needs more antioxidants.
Researchers in France studied the lifestyles of a wide range of men and women. They were looking to see which behaviors affected their ability to fight off free radicals. Not surprisingly, behaviors such as smoking and drinking lowered their bodies’ antioxidant ability. But the researchers found that psychological stress had the same effect.5
Scientists at Tokyo Medical and Dental University got similar results when they tested three groups of workers at a drug company. When the men were subjected to stress – making a speech in front of company executives – their bodies produced higher levels of a certain free radical.6
Perhaps more importantly, the French researchers also linked lower antioxidant capacity to a higher risk of cancer and heart problems. So building up your antioxidants when you’re stressed is particularly important.
A natural multivitamin and mineral supplement is a good place to start. A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that those who took a multivitamin daily had 5.1 percent longer telomeres than non-users.7
Specifically, the study pointed to vitamins B12, C, and E for maintaining telomere length.
Vitamin B12 – I recommend taking at least 100 mcg per day. Although, I have advised my patients to take as much as 500 mcg per day or more for improving things like brain function and energy levels.
Vitamin C – based on my own experience, taking up to 3,000 mg per day is a good amount if you're currently in good health. I always recommend pregnant women get at least 6,000 mg per day. And in times of stress or sickness, you can take up to 20,000 mg.
You also want to make sure that you get the natural form of vitamin C and not the synthetic form. In one particular study, natural vitamin C was 148% more effective than the synthetic form. And it stayed in the test participants’ systems longer.8
Vitamin E – There are actually eight forms of vitamin E, divided up into two groups: four tocopherols and four tocotrienols. Almost all multivitamins use tocopherols, but make sure they use “mixed” tocopherols. That means they are using a combination of all four. Some manufacturers try and skimp by using just one of the four tocopherols. It’s also important to watch out for the kinds of tocopherols that are in it. Your body is better able to absorb them in their organic “d” form.
But many vitamin manufacturers use the inferior synthetic “dl” form. Studies actually show that natural vitamin E has twice the bioavailability of the synthetic form.9 That means your body is able to absorb more of the vitamin. So be sure to get the natural “d” form.
I recommend 200 to 400 IU of mixed tocopherols a day. Unlike vitamins B12 and C, vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin, which means it needs fat to get absorbed in your body. So be sure to take it with food.
Also get plenty of fruits and vegetables in your diet, too. (Organic is best.) Nothing beats Nature’s own source of healthy nutrients.
Besides fighting off the effects of stress with antioxidants, you can also help your body adapt to stress. That’s where herbs come in.
Adaptogens: Your Secret Weapon Against Stress
In my experience, natural alternatives are usually superior to drugs. And my patients tend to agree. Herbs and other natural supplements are usually more effective and more economical than prescription drugs. And they rarely have the dangerous side effects.
Best of all, these natural alternatives don’t just mask symptoms the way most drugs do. Instead, they strengthen your body’s own natural defenses. And that means you’re dealing directly with the problem, not just covering it up.
This is the situation with some herbs called “adaptogens.” These herbs help your body adjust to stress – including psychological stress. And three of the best adaptogens are panax ginseng, Siberian ginseng (eleuthero) and Ginkgo biloba.
All three herbs are approved for use by Commission E, the German government’s official natural medicine committee.10 And with good reason, too. All three are effective in fighting stress.
For example, an animal study in India compared the effects of Ginkgo biloba and panax ginseng. The study found that both herbs show powerful stress-fighting properties. And ginseng was particularly effective against chronic stress – the kind of relentless pressure that’s so common in our society.11
European researchers also found that Ginkgo normalized the levels of stress hormones in rats exposed to stressful situations.12 And according to a recent article in Current Clinical Pharmacology, Siberian ginseng lowers levels of cortisol – the main stress hormone.13
What all this means to you is that you can get relief from stress, even if you can’t avoid it. Extracts of all three of these herbs are widely available.
I advise my patients to take 120 mg of Ginkgo biloba and 200 mg to 500 mg of Siberian ginseng and Panax ginseng daily if they are feeling stressed.
Finally, just a word of caution here… Although these herbs are generally safe, people with high blood pressure should avoid Siberian ginseng.
Repair the Damage from Stress
You can also reverse the damage done to your cells by stress. It just happens to be the most exciting advancement in anti-aging medicine ever.
For the first time, the emerging science of telomere biology has found a way to turn your genetic switch back on. It’s a ground breaking new therapy called TA-65. It’s a natural extract that comes from the Astragalus plant. It activates your telomerase gene, the switch that controls your genetic aging. That means you can actually stop, and even reverse your body’s aging process.
I am very excited about TA-65, and over the last several months have been spreading the word as much as possible. In fact, my Wellness Research Foundation recently hosted a special seminar with Dr. Bill Andrews, who is one of the leading telomere biology researchers in the world. He is one of the people who discovered telomerase activation with TA-65.
The turnout for this seminar was amazing. We had a packed house. There was limited seating and people paid $500 in advance to be part of this exclusive event.
Both Dr. Andrews and I explained this scientific breakthrough in fine detail to everyone. We presented over two hours of captivating information to the group. We discussed the steps leading to the discovery of TA-65, exactly how it works, and even shared our own personal story with it. We left absolutely nothing out.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Chlorella and Dieting for a Healthier New Year!
If you are interested in reducing body fat, getting your cholesterol level under control and staying clear of diabetes, chlorella may be just the perfect superfood. Researchers have recently investigated the effects of Chlorella on people with high-risk factors for lifestyle diseases and found that chlorella affects a positive outcome by controlling gene expression. Other new findings have also added to chlorella's impressive credentials.Findings from the studyAs reported in the September edition of the Journal of Medicinal Food, researchers in Kyoto, Japan fed chlorella to 17 subjects with high-risk factors for lifestyle-related diseases and 17 healthy subjects over a 16 week period,. They conducted blood biochemical tests and gene profile expression analysis before and after the chlorella administration. They confirmed that in both groups, chlorella intake resulted in noticeable reductions in body fat percentages, total serum cholesterol, and fasting blood glucose levels.
Through gene expression analysis, they found that gene expression profiles varied with chlorella intake. They identified many genes affected by chlorella ingestion that returned to their pre-ingestion state when chlorella ingestion was discontinued. Among these were genes related to metabolic enzymes, signaling, receptors, transporters, and cytokines.A difference in genetic expression level was found between the two studied groups at the start of the tests, and the researchers were able to identify genes with noticeable variance in expression levels resulting from chlorella intake in the high-risk factor group. These included genes involved in fat metabolism and insulin signaling pathways, which suggest that these pathways are physiologically affected by chlorella intake. There were clear variations in the expression profiles of genes directly related to the uptake of glucose following chlorella intake, indicating that the activation of insulin signaling pathways could be the reason for the blood sugar lowering effects of chlorella.Chlorella reduces UVB degradation of the skin.
The May-June edition of the European Journal of Dermatology reports that solar UV radiation damages human skin, affects skin tone and resiliency, and leads to premature aging. Skin damage by oxidants leads to activation of protein kinase C, increasing collagen degradation. Ingestion of chlorella has been shown to inhibit this activity. This degradation was evaluated following UVB irradiation in the presence of an aquaeous extract fraction of chlorella, in human skin fibroblasts. Expression levels of activity on elastin protein and pro-collagen mRNA were also investigated. The researchers found that premature aging-induced collagen degradation and gene expression were suppressed in the presence of the chlorella fraction. The fraction also appeared to counteract the negative effects of UVB exposure on elastin protein and increased pro-collagen mRNA expression following UVB exposure.Chlorella decreases dioxin and increases immunoglobulin concentration in breast milkOne of the big sales pitches for the use of infant formula in place of breast milk has been that breast milk contains dangerous levels of dioxin. A study reported in the March, 2007 edition of the Journal of Medicinal Food analyzed dioxin levels in breast milk and maternal blood samples from 35 pregnant women in Japan. They measured immunoglobulin A (IgA) concentrations in breast milk and investigated correlations with dioxin concentrations. In addition, 18 of the 35 women took chlorella supplements during pregnancy, and its effects on dioxin and IgA concentrations in breast milk were investigated.The researchers found that toxic equivalents were significantly lower in the breast milk of the women taking chlorella tablets than in the control group. These results suggest that chlorella supplementation by the mother may reduce transfer of dioxins to the child through the breast milk. No significant correlation was identified between dioxin and IgA concentrations in the breast milk of the control group. IgA concentrations in breast milk in the chlorella group were significantly higher than in the control group. Increasing IgA levels in breast milk are considered to be effective for reducing the risk of infection in nursing infants.
New studies also document the powerful chelating properties of chlorellaAlso reported in the September Journal of Medicinal Food is a study in which 40 rats were divided into one control group and three groups that were treated with cadmium. One cadmium group received no chlorella, one received 5% chlorella, and one received 10% chlorella. After 8 weeks, the relative liver weight was significantly lower in the group receiving no chlorella compared with both groups receiving chlorella, indicating severe liver damage in the no-chlorella group. This group also displayed significantly higher hepatic concentrations of cadmium than the groups receiving chlorella. Hepatic RNA had a higher expression in the chlorella treated groups than in the no-chlorella group. Researchers concluded that chlorella has a protective effect against cadmium induced lever damage by reducing cadmium accumulation and stimulating the expression of RNA in the liver.
The July edition of Food Chemistry Toxicology reports another study in which the chelating ability of chlorella was assessed. Levels of interleukin -6, an important stimulator of red blood cell production, were assessed along with investigation of the number of adherent and non-adherent cells. Mice that had been drinking water containing 1300ppm of lead acetate were treated with chlorella daily for 10 days. The researchers found that chlorella improved cellular function, increased the ability of cells to produce interleukin-6, and restored the reduced the number of non-adherent cells. Monitoring of lead poisoning demonstrated that chlorella treatment significantly reduced lead levels in blood and tissues, completely restored the normal levels of ALA in the liver, and decreased the abnormally high plasma levels of ALA.The findings of these two studies underscore the powerful chelating ability of chlorella and suggest that chlorella would be useful for pre-treating before consuming any food or drink in which the presence of heavy metals is suspected, such as fish. Chlorella has also been shown in previous studies to be an effective chelator of mercury and is an excellent supplement for anyone with dental fillings containing mercury, as well as anyone undergoing the removal of fillings.What is chlorella?
Chlorella is tiny, single-celled water-grown green algae that contain a nucleus and an enormous amount of readily available chlorophyll. It is composed of about 58% highly digestible protein, and carbohydrates. It is a good dietary choice for people who do not eat meat. It contains all of the B vitamins, vitamins C and E, amino acids, beta-carotene, iron, zinc, macro-minerals such as calcium, magnesium, zinc, potassium, rare trace minerals, essential fatty acids including GLA, and polysaccharides. One teaspoon of chlorella contains 90 mg of RNA and 8 mg of DNA. Chlorella has more vitamin B-12 than liver. It is virtually a complete food and considered one of the superfoods, delivering a wind fall of nutrition to the body.Chlorella contains thousands of phytochemicals, most of which have not yet been identified.Chlorella is nature’s answer to the multi-vitamin pill concept, offering a broad array of nutrients in highly bio-available form with perfect synergy. It has shown to be effective at reversing degenerative diseases such as all types of cancers, diabetes, liver disorders, high blood pressure, and obesity. People with poor digestion are able to easily digest chlorella.Chlorella is perfect for body detoxification. Its fibrous outer cell wall binds with heavy metals and pesticides that accumulate in the body and ushers them out. It’s high content of chlorophyll makes it an ideal cleanser for the blood stream and the elimination channels, insuring that metabolic wastes are carried away from the tissues. It cleanses the breath and reduces body odor.
Chlorella has been shown to accelerate healing, protect against radiation, help in the treatment of Candida albicans and relieve arthritis pain. It is effective against anemia and its stimulation of red blood cells assures proper transport of oxygen to the brain and body.Chlorella is a potent cancer fighterChlorella stimulates the immune system and the production of interferon, one of the body’s greatest natural defenses against cancer. Increased interferon production is thought to stimulate macrophages, T-cells and tumor necrosis factor. This results in the immune system being able to combat foreign invaders whether they are viruses, bacteria, chemicals or foreign proteins. Chlorella’s DNA repair mechanism has been documented.Numerous animal studies have documented chlorella’s effectiveness against cancer. One such study involved mice given chlorella prior to being transplanted with breast tumors. The results indicated a 70 percent survival rate in the chlorella fed group and a control group survival rate of zero.In another study, fifteen glioblastoma patients were treated with high levels of chlorella, in some cases combined with chemotherapy and radiation. Glioblastoma is the type of deadly brain tumor recently diagnosed in Senator Kennedy. Their health and immune status increased immediately, and they experienced a 40 percent two-year survival rate, compared to the normal two year survival rate of 10 percent for this type of cancer.Chlorella helps balance the body’s pHIt is believed by many that disease starts and thrives in an acidic body environment. Any diet that is deficient in fruits and vegetables will be acidic in nature. The consumption of soft drinks and processed fruit drinks are particularly acid forming as are diets high in meat and uncultured dairy products.
Proper pH balance is critical for health, and the body goes to great lengths to maintain the proper pH of its blood, by increasing respiration and by pulling alkaline minerals out of the bones to use to buffer any excess acidity. This is why consumption of soft drinks is linked to osteoporosis.Chlorella is an alkaline food, which means it counters acidity. This promotes increased bone mass since the body is not sacrificing minerals from the bones to create proper acid/alkaline balance. Metabolic function is therefore improved. The consumption of alkaline foods has been linked to improved immune function, kidney function, higher energy levels, and lower allergic response levels.
Using chlorellaChlorella can be purchased in tablet form and as powder. The tablets are easier to use, but there is some question that the quality of the chlorella may be compromised by the heat produced in the compression process used to create the tablets. There are several high quality chlorella tablets on the market with vastly different price points. Swanson's Chlorella is an excellent product that is well packaged to maintain its freshness. It is relatively high priced. Nutricology Chlorella from is also very good quality and well packaged and less expensive. Yaeyama Chlorella is also of high quality, however the packaging usually leaves something to be desired.Chlorella’s strong outer cell wall needs to be broken to make its nutrients accessible. Any package of chlorella you buy should tell you that the cell wall has been broken. Some lower quality manufacturers of supplements sell chlorella that has not had the cell walls broken. These products are virtually worthless.
Powdered chlorella is generally the province of the boutique supplement manufacturers and can be quite expensive, with the exception of NOW Chlorella which is good quality, broken cell wall powdered product that is available in sizes up to a pound. This can be purchased online from Vitacost or Lucky Vitamin.Powdered chlorella can be mixed into juiced vegetables and fruits or used in smoothies. It has a mellow, non-intrusive flavor and adds a richness and thickness to any liquid you use with it. Mixing chlorella into a drink requires a blender or shaker.Chlorella combined with spirulina, another green algae, creates a whooping powerhouse of nutrition. Add a spoon full of each to your smoothie or juice. The Chewables from Nutricology which are pharmaceutical Grade can be founf at http://www.healthyprism.com/
Click on:
Chlorella
For Chewables
Through gene expression analysis, they found that gene expression profiles varied with chlorella intake. They identified many genes affected by chlorella ingestion that returned to their pre-ingestion state when chlorella ingestion was discontinued. Among these were genes related to metabolic enzymes, signaling, receptors, transporters, and cytokines.A difference in genetic expression level was found between the two studied groups at the start of the tests, and the researchers were able to identify genes with noticeable variance in expression levels resulting from chlorella intake in the high-risk factor group. These included genes involved in fat metabolism and insulin signaling pathways, which suggest that these pathways are physiologically affected by chlorella intake. There were clear variations in the expression profiles of genes directly related to the uptake of glucose following chlorella intake, indicating that the activation of insulin signaling pathways could be the reason for the blood sugar lowering effects of chlorella.Chlorella reduces UVB degradation of the skin.
The May-June edition of the European Journal of Dermatology reports that solar UV radiation damages human skin, affects skin tone and resiliency, and leads to premature aging. Skin damage by oxidants leads to activation of protein kinase C, increasing collagen degradation. Ingestion of chlorella has been shown to inhibit this activity. This degradation was evaluated following UVB irradiation in the presence of an aquaeous extract fraction of chlorella, in human skin fibroblasts. Expression levels of activity on elastin protein and pro-collagen mRNA were also investigated. The researchers found that premature aging-induced collagen degradation and gene expression were suppressed in the presence of the chlorella fraction. The fraction also appeared to counteract the negative effects of UVB exposure on elastin protein and increased pro-collagen mRNA expression following UVB exposure.Chlorella decreases dioxin and increases immunoglobulin concentration in breast milkOne of the big sales pitches for the use of infant formula in place of breast milk has been that breast milk contains dangerous levels of dioxin. A study reported in the March, 2007 edition of the Journal of Medicinal Food analyzed dioxin levels in breast milk and maternal blood samples from 35 pregnant women in Japan. They measured immunoglobulin A (IgA) concentrations in breast milk and investigated correlations with dioxin concentrations. In addition, 18 of the 35 women took chlorella supplements during pregnancy, and its effects on dioxin and IgA concentrations in breast milk were investigated.The researchers found that toxic equivalents were significantly lower in the breast milk of the women taking chlorella tablets than in the control group. These results suggest that chlorella supplementation by the mother may reduce transfer of dioxins to the child through the breast milk. No significant correlation was identified between dioxin and IgA concentrations in the breast milk of the control group. IgA concentrations in breast milk in the chlorella group were significantly higher than in the control group. Increasing IgA levels in breast milk are considered to be effective for reducing the risk of infection in nursing infants.
New studies also document the powerful chelating properties of chlorellaAlso reported in the September Journal of Medicinal Food is a study in which 40 rats were divided into one control group and three groups that were treated with cadmium. One cadmium group received no chlorella, one received 5% chlorella, and one received 10% chlorella. After 8 weeks, the relative liver weight was significantly lower in the group receiving no chlorella compared with both groups receiving chlorella, indicating severe liver damage in the no-chlorella group. This group also displayed significantly higher hepatic concentrations of cadmium than the groups receiving chlorella. Hepatic RNA had a higher expression in the chlorella treated groups than in the no-chlorella group. Researchers concluded that chlorella has a protective effect against cadmium induced lever damage by reducing cadmium accumulation and stimulating the expression of RNA in the liver.
The July edition of Food Chemistry Toxicology reports another study in which the chelating ability of chlorella was assessed. Levels of interleukin -6, an important stimulator of red blood cell production, were assessed along with investigation of the number of adherent and non-adherent cells. Mice that had been drinking water containing 1300ppm of lead acetate were treated with chlorella daily for 10 days. The researchers found that chlorella improved cellular function, increased the ability of cells to produce interleukin-6, and restored the reduced the number of non-adherent cells. Monitoring of lead poisoning demonstrated that chlorella treatment significantly reduced lead levels in blood and tissues, completely restored the normal levels of ALA in the liver, and decreased the abnormally high plasma levels of ALA.The findings of these two studies underscore the powerful chelating ability of chlorella and suggest that chlorella would be useful for pre-treating before consuming any food or drink in which the presence of heavy metals is suspected, such as fish. Chlorella has also been shown in previous studies to be an effective chelator of mercury and is an excellent supplement for anyone with dental fillings containing mercury, as well as anyone undergoing the removal of fillings.What is chlorella?
Chlorella is tiny, single-celled water-grown green algae that contain a nucleus and an enormous amount of readily available chlorophyll. It is composed of about 58% highly digestible protein, and carbohydrates. It is a good dietary choice for people who do not eat meat. It contains all of the B vitamins, vitamins C and E, amino acids, beta-carotene, iron, zinc, macro-minerals such as calcium, magnesium, zinc, potassium, rare trace minerals, essential fatty acids including GLA, and polysaccharides. One teaspoon of chlorella contains 90 mg of RNA and 8 mg of DNA. Chlorella has more vitamin B-12 than liver. It is virtually a complete food and considered one of the superfoods, delivering a wind fall of nutrition to the body.Chlorella contains thousands of phytochemicals, most of which have not yet been identified.Chlorella is nature’s answer to the multi-vitamin pill concept, offering a broad array of nutrients in highly bio-available form with perfect synergy. It has shown to be effective at reversing degenerative diseases such as all types of cancers, diabetes, liver disorders, high blood pressure, and obesity. People with poor digestion are able to easily digest chlorella.Chlorella is perfect for body detoxification. Its fibrous outer cell wall binds with heavy metals and pesticides that accumulate in the body and ushers them out. It’s high content of chlorophyll makes it an ideal cleanser for the blood stream and the elimination channels, insuring that metabolic wastes are carried away from the tissues. It cleanses the breath and reduces body odor.
Chlorella has been shown to accelerate healing, protect against radiation, help in the treatment of Candida albicans and relieve arthritis pain. It is effective against anemia and its stimulation of red blood cells assures proper transport of oxygen to the brain and body.Chlorella is a potent cancer fighterChlorella stimulates the immune system and the production of interferon, one of the body’s greatest natural defenses against cancer. Increased interferon production is thought to stimulate macrophages, T-cells and tumor necrosis factor. This results in the immune system being able to combat foreign invaders whether they are viruses, bacteria, chemicals or foreign proteins. Chlorella’s DNA repair mechanism has been documented.Numerous animal studies have documented chlorella’s effectiveness against cancer. One such study involved mice given chlorella prior to being transplanted with breast tumors. The results indicated a 70 percent survival rate in the chlorella fed group and a control group survival rate of zero.In another study, fifteen glioblastoma patients were treated with high levels of chlorella, in some cases combined with chemotherapy and radiation. Glioblastoma is the type of deadly brain tumor recently diagnosed in Senator Kennedy. Their health and immune status increased immediately, and they experienced a 40 percent two-year survival rate, compared to the normal two year survival rate of 10 percent for this type of cancer.Chlorella helps balance the body’s pHIt is believed by many that disease starts and thrives in an acidic body environment. Any diet that is deficient in fruits and vegetables will be acidic in nature. The consumption of soft drinks and processed fruit drinks are particularly acid forming as are diets high in meat and uncultured dairy products.
Proper pH balance is critical for health, and the body goes to great lengths to maintain the proper pH of its blood, by increasing respiration and by pulling alkaline minerals out of the bones to use to buffer any excess acidity. This is why consumption of soft drinks is linked to osteoporosis.Chlorella is an alkaline food, which means it counters acidity. This promotes increased bone mass since the body is not sacrificing minerals from the bones to create proper acid/alkaline balance. Metabolic function is therefore improved. The consumption of alkaline foods has been linked to improved immune function, kidney function, higher energy levels, and lower allergic response levels.
Using chlorellaChlorella can be purchased in tablet form and as powder. The tablets are easier to use, but there is some question that the quality of the chlorella may be compromised by the heat produced in the compression process used to create the tablets. There are several high quality chlorella tablets on the market with vastly different price points. Swanson's Chlorella is an excellent product that is well packaged to maintain its freshness. It is relatively high priced. Nutricology Chlorella from is also very good quality and well packaged and less expensive. Yaeyama Chlorella is also of high quality, however the packaging usually leaves something to be desired.Chlorella’s strong outer cell wall needs to be broken to make its nutrients accessible. Any package of chlorella you buy should tell you that the cell wall has been broken. Some lower quality manufacturers of supplements sell chlorella that has not had the cell walls broken. These products are virtually worthless.
Powdered chlorella is generally the province of the boutique supplement manufacturers and can be quite expensive, with the exception of NOW Chlorella which is good quality, broken cell wall powdered product that is available in sizes up to a pound. This can be purchased online from Vitacost or Lucky Vitamin.Powdered chlorella can be mixed into juiced vegetables and fruits or used in smoothies. It has a mellow, non-intrusive flavor and adds a richness and thickness to any liquid you use with it. Mixing chlorella into a drink requires a blender or shaker.Chlorella combined with spirulina, another green algae, creates a whooping powerhouse of nutrition. Add a spoon full of each to your smoothie or juice. The Chewables from Nutricology which are pharmaceutical Grade can be founf at http://www.healthyprism.com/
Click on:
Chlorella
For Chewables
Friday, October 3, 2008
Sambazon Acai and All It's Wonders
Acai (ah-sigh-ee), the fruit that's making believers of world-class athletes and health-conscious people everywhere. Grown in the Amazon rainforest, acai is truly a gift from Mother Nature. It has a rich, berry-cocoa flavor that makes it taste amazing, and its packed with more antioxidants than blueberries or pomegranates, plus loads of healthy Omega fats, protein and dietary fiber.
So what makes antioxidants and Omega fats so important? Studies have shown how the French and Mediterranean diets, rich in red wine and olive oil, help maintain heart, body, brain and skin. Organic acai combines the best of both diets with 30x the antioxidants of red wine, and an essential fatty acid profile similar to olive oil. Sambazon Acai is a potent combination your body shouldn't go without.
Superhealthy. Supertasty. Superfood.
Sambazon acai products are all certified organic and great for anytime you're hungry or looking for a natural energy boost. And as part of our mission to bring acai to you, we believe we also have to care for the planet and farmers. To do that, we've created a supply chain that benefits thousands of local families while protecting the Amazon rainforest through sustainable agriculture.
Buy the Powder and Capsules Here:
Acai Caps
Acai Powder
So what makes antioxidants and Omega fats so important? Studies have shown how the French and Mediterranean diets, rich in red wine and olive oil, help maintain heart, body, brain and skin. Organic acai combines the best of both diets with 30x the antioxidants of red wine, and an essential fatty acid profile similar to olive oil. Sambazon Acai is a potent combination your body shouldn't go without.
Superhealthy. Supertasty. Superfood.
Sambazon acai products are all certified organic and great for anytime you're hungry or looking for a natural energy boost. And as part of our mission to bring acai to you, we believe we also have to care for the planet and farmers. To do that, we've created a supply chain that benefits thousands of local families while protecting the Amazon rainforest through sustainable agriculture.
Buy the Powder and Capsules Here:
Acai Caps
Acai Powder
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Ashwagandha is your friend
Health Benefits of Ashwagandha Scholars at Banaras Hindu University, located in Varanasi, India, have conducted research that has shown that many of the elements of ashwagandha are antioxidants. The researchers looked at the effects these elements have on the brains of test animals and found that ashwagandha led to larger amounts of three different natural antioxidants: superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase. The scholars conclude, “These findings are consistent with the therapeutic use of W. somnifera as an Ayurvedic rasayana (health promoter). The antioxidant effect of active principles of W. somnifera may explain, at least in part, the reported anti-stress, cognition-facilitating, anti-inflammatory and anti-aging effects produced by them in experimental animals, and in clinical situations."
For years, Indians have prescribed ashwagandha as a treatment for cerebral disorders in the elderly, including memory loss. Scholars from the University of Leipzig looked at the effects of ashwagandha on the brain. They dosed rats with ashwagandha and then looked at their brains to see if ashwagandha affected neurotransmitters. The research showed that ashwagandha led to more acetylcholine receptor activity. The scholars concluded that the increase of activity in that particular neurotransmitter could account for the increase in cognitive ability and memory that is attributed to ashwagandha.
In conclusion, ashwagandha is an excellent natural herb to help maintain youthfulness and recognisance. Jarrow has a great product and so does LifeSpa!
For years, Indians have prescribed ashwagandha as a treatment for cerebral disorders in the elderly, including memory loss. Scholars from the University of Leipzig looked at the effects of ashwagandha on the brain. They dosed rats with ashwagandha and then looked at their brains to see if ashwagandha affected neurotransmitters. The research showed that ashwagandha led to more acetylcholine receptor activity. The scholars concluded that the increase of activity in that particular neurotransmitter could account for the increase in cognitive ability and memory that is attributed to ashwagandha.
In conclusion, ashwagandha is an excellent natural herb to help maintain youthfulness and recognisance. Jarrow has a great product and so does LifeSpa!
Thursday, July 31, 2008
B Complex
What’s a B-complex? A B-complex is a supplement of a combination of B vitamins. Luckily, discovering the healthy benefits of these B’s is not complex. Here is some helpful information:
A B-complex supplement commonly includes thiamine (B1), pantothenic acid (B5), pyridoxine (B6), inositol, folic acid (B9), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), para-aminobenzonic acid (PABA) and vitamin B12. All of these nutrients are considered to be part of the B family. These nutrients can help our bodies live healthier.
B’s as Antioxidants:
An antioxidant is a compound that can prevent the damaging effects of oxidation that can lead to disease initiating events. Antioxidants are thought to play a role in the prevention of most diseases. For example, thiamine (vitamin B1) is known for its antioxidant properties that make it beneficial to cognitive function and heart health as it prevents lipid peroxidation which promotes atherosclerosis. Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5) is traditionally known for its anti-oxidant and wound healing abilities.
Riboflavin (vitamin B2) is a personal favorite for its fun name and its ability to assist in the production of glutathione, the major antioxidant enzyme in the body. Glutathionine is an extremely important factor to your body’s health as it enhances antioxidant activities and thus reduces the risk of many diseases including cancer, arthritis and heart disease.
B’s for Heart Disease:
Many B vitamins play a part in heart health. Perhaps the best known are vitamin B6, B9 and B12. This trio of B vitamins is vital to the health of your cardiovascular system. These vitamins are co-factors for homocysteine metabolism. A co-factor is like a key that opens doors to keep a process moving. Homocysteine is an amino acid that can interfere with proper functioning of the cells that line blood vessels and increase oxidative stress. These two effects lead to an unhealthy cardiovascular system. In fact, hyperhomocysteinemia (i.e. elevated levels of homocysteine in the body) is a risk factor for coronary heart disease and stroke. Ensuring that your body contains sufficient amounts of vitamins B6, B9 (folic acid) and B12 keeps the doors of homocysteine metabolism open and thus, preventing a build up of homocysteine in the body. Keep your cardiovascular system healthy with these three Bs.
There is another heart disease risk factor that is inhibited by the power of the Bs. Vitamin B6 is also connected with C-reactive protein levels (i.e. an indicator of inflammation associated with poor cardiovascular health). Low levels of vitamin B6 in the body is associated with elevated levels of C-reactive protein. Thus, vitamin B6 is doubly important to cardiovascular health.
Another important B vitamin to our hearts is niacin (vitamin B3). Niacin is involved in many aspects of the body. However, it is mostly known for its anti-hyperlipidemic activity and thus, niacin is commonly used to lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
B’s for Mental Health:
Folate (B9) is not only a key that promotes healthy homocysteine levels, it is also an antioxidant. Its ability to prevent oxidation and reduce homocysteine levels thus inhibiting the development of atherosclerotic plaques likely explains why folate is thought to be important in the prevention of cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer’s, dementia and poor cognitive function.
I hope this gave some insight on B vitamins!
A B-complex supplement commonly includes thiamine (B1), pantothenic acid (B5), pyridoxine (B6), inositol, folic acid (B9), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), para-aminobenzonic acid (PABA) and vitamin B12. All of these nutrients are considered to be part of the B family. These nutrients can help our bodies live healthier.
B’s as Antioxidants:
An antioxidant is a compound that can prevent the damaging effects of oxidation that can lead to disease initiating events. Antioxidants are thought to play a role in the prevention of most diseases. For example, thiamine (vitamin B1) is known for its antioxidant properties that make it beneficial to cognitive function and heart health as it prevents lipid peroxidation which promotes atherosclerosis. Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5) is traditionally known for its anti-oxidant and wound healing abilities.
Riboflavin (vitamin B2) is a personal favorite for its fun name and its ability to assist in the production of glutathione, the major antioxidant enzyme in the body. Glutathionine is an extremely important factor to your body’s health as it enhances antioxidant activities and thus reduces the risk of many diseases including cancer, arthritis and heart disease.
B’s for Heart Disease:
Many B vitamins play a part in heart health. Perhaps the best known are vitamin B6, B9 and B12. This trio of B vitamins is vital to the health of your cardiovascular system. These vitamins are co-factors for homocysteine metabolism. A co-factor is like a key that opens doors to keep a process moving. Homocysteine is an amino acid that can interfere with proper functioning of the cells that line blood vessels and increase oxidative stress. These two effects lead to an unhealthy cardiovascular system. In fact, hyperhomocysteinemia (i.e. elevated levels of homocysteine in the body) is a risk factor for coronary heart disease and stroke. Ensuring that your body contains sufficient amounts of vitamins B6, B9 (folic acid) and B12 keeps the doors of homocysteine metabolism open and thus, preventing a build up of homocysteine in the body. Keep your cardiovascular system healthy with these three Bs.
There is another heart disease risk factor that is inhibited by the power of the Bs. Vitamin B6 is also connected with C-reactive protein levels (i.e. an indicator of inflammation associated with poor cardiovascular health). Low levels of vitamin B6 in the body is associated with elevated levels of C-reactive protein. Thus, vitamin B6 is doubly important to cardiovascular health.
Another important B vitamin to our hearts is niacin (vitamin B3). Niacin is involved in many aspects of the body. However, it is mostly known for its anti-hyperlipidemic activity and thus, niacin is commonly used to lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
B’s for Mental Health:
Folate (B9) is not only a key that promotes healthy homocysteine levels, it is also an antioxidant. Its ability to prevent oxidation and reduce homocysteine levels thus inhibiting the development of atherosclerotic plaques likely explains why folate is thought to be important in the prevention of cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer’s, dementia and poor cognitive function.
I hope this gave some insight on B vitamins!
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