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The History of Stevia: From Ancient Sweet Leaf to Global Sweetener
Date:
May 31, 2024 11:05 AM
The History of Stevia: From Ancient Sweet Leaf to Global SweetenerStevia, a natural sweetener that has become globally popular in recent years, boasts a rich history spanning centuries. This article delves into the origins and historical significance of stevia, shedding light on its traditional use by indigenous peoples and its evolution into a mainstream alternative to sugar.
The Origins of SteviaStevia, scientifically known as Stevia rebaudiana, originates from South America. This small, green plant is part of the Asteraceae family, which also includes daisies and sunflowers. The leaves of the stevia plant contain sweet compounds known as steviol glycosides, which are responsible for its sweetness.
Traditional Use by the Guaraní PeopleThe historical Journey of stevia begins with the Guaraní people of Paraguay and Brazil, who have used the plant for over 1,500 years. The Guaraní referred to stevia as "ka'a he'ê," which translates to "sweet herb." They traditionally used stevia leaves to sweeten beverages like yerba maté, a popular herbal tea, and to enhance the flavor of various traditional dishes. Stevia wasn't just a sweetener for the Guaraní; it also held medicinal importance. The leaves were used to treat a variety of conditions, including burns, stomach issues, and as a general tonic. This dual use of stevia as both a sweetener and a medicinal plant highlights its invaluable role in indigenous culture.
Stevia's Journey to the Modern WorldRediscovery by European ExplorersThe modern history of stevia began in the 16th century when European explorers first arrived in South America. Spanish botanist and physician Pedro Jaime Esteve (1500–1556) is often credited with the early European studies on stevia, although the plant was not widely documented until later. Interest in stevia grew in the early 20th century when it was scientifically studied by Paraguayan chemist Ovidio Rebaudi. Rebaudi analyzed the sweet properties of stevia leaves and confirmed that they were much sweeter than sugar, which caught the attention of the scientific community.
Introduction to Asia and BeyondIn the 1970s, stevia began gaining traction in Japan as the country sought alternatives to artificial sweeteners. Japanese researchers developed methods for extracting and refining steviol glycosides from stevia leaves, making it possible to use stevia as a commercial sweetener. The success of stevia in Japan set the stage for its global acceptance.
Stevia in the Modern Health MovementHealth Benefits and AdvantagesStevia's rise in popularity can be attributed to its myriad of health benefits. Unlike sugar, stevia is calorie-free, making it an attractive option for those managing their weight. Additionally, stevia has a negligible effect on blood glucose levels, which is beneficial for individuals with diabetes or those monitoring their carbohydrate intake. Moreover, steviol glycosides are stable at high temperatures, making stevia a versatile sweetener suitable for cooking and baking. This thermal stability, combined with its natural origin, has positioned stevia as a preferred option for health-conscious consumers.
Regulatory Approval and Global AdoptionThe Journey of stevia to becoming a global sweetener has involved rigorous scientific scrutiny and regulatory approval. In 2008, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted stevia the status of "Generally Recognized As Safe" (GRAS), which paved the way for its use in a wide range of food and beverage products. Following the FDA's approval, other countries, including those in the European Union, Canada, and Australia, also approved the use of stevia in food and beverages. Today, stevia is found in everything from soft drinks to baked goods, reflecting its widespread acceptance and global reach.
Challenges and Future ProspectsOvercoming ObstaclesDespite its many advantages, the path to widespread adoption of stevia has not been without challenges. One of the initial hurdles was the aftertaste associated with some of the early stevia extracts. However, advances in extraction and formulation techniques have significantly improved the taste profile of stevia, making it more palatable for consumers. Another challenge has been ensuring the sustainable cultivation of stevia. As demand grows, it is essential to implement agricultural practices that support environmental sustainability and fair labor conditions for farmers.
Research and InnovationThe future of stevia holds exciting possibilities as ongoing research continues to explore new applications and improvements. Scientists are currently investigating the potential of stevia extracts in providing health benefits beyond sweetness, such as their antioxidant properties and possible roles in managing certain health conditions. Innovations in biotechnology are also paving the way for the development of new stevia varieties with enhanced sweetness and improved agronomic traits. These advancements could further solidify stevia's position as a key player in the global sweetener market.
In SummaryThe history of stevia is a fascinating Journey from the rainforests of South America to the shelves of supermarkets around the world. From its traditional use by the Guaraní people to its rediscovery by European explorers and subsequent global adoption, stevia has proven to be a remarkable sweetener with enduring significance. As the modern world continues to prioritize health and wellness, stevia's natural sweetness offers a much-needed alternative to sugar, promising a future where we can enjoy the sweetness of life without compromising our health.
Are You Ready to Make a Sweet Change?If you've been searching for a healthier way to satisfy your sweet tooth, the Journey of stevia offers a compelling reason to make the switch. With its rich history rooted in traditional use by the Guaraní people, and its scientifically-backed benefits recognized globally, stevia stands out as a truly remarkable sweetener. Free from calories and gentle on blood glucose levels, it's an excellent choice for both weight management and diabetes care. Plus, its versatility in cooking and baking means you won't have to compromise on your favorite recipes. Join the growing number of health-conscious consumers who are choosing stevia for a naturally sweet life. Explore its various forms—from whole leaves to refined steviol glycosides—and incorporate this natural sweetener into your diet today. Embrace the future of sweetening and enjoy the benefits of stevia for yourself and your loved ones.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About SteviaWhat is stevia?Stevia is a natural sweetener derived from the leaves of the Stevia rebaudiana plant, which is native to South America. It has been used for centuries by the Guaraní people and is known for being much sweeter than sugar while containing zero calories.
How is stevia used as a sweetener?Stevia can be used in various forms, including whole leaves, powdered extracts, and liquid concentrates. It is commonly used to sweeten beverages, baked goods, and other foods. Thanks to its stability at high temperatures, stevia can also be used in cooking and baking.
Is stevia safe to consume?Yes, stevia is considered safe for consumption. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted stevia the status of "Generally Recognized As Safe" (GRAS). It has also been approved for use in many other countries, including those in the European Union, Canada, and Australia.
Can stevia help with weight management?Stevia can be an effective tool for weight management because it contains no calories. Replacing sugar with stevia in your diet can help reduce overall calorie intake, which may contribute to weight loss or maintenance.
Is stevia suitable for people with diabetes?Stevia is suitable for people with diabetes as it has a negligible effect on blood glucose levels. This makes it a preferable alternative to sugar for those needing to monitor their carbohydrate intake. However, it is always best to consult with a healthcare provider before making any significant changes to your diet.
Does stevia have any side effects?Stevia is generally well-tolerated and considered safe for most people. However, some individuals may experience mild side effects, such as digestive discomfort, when consuming large amounts. It is advisable to use stevia in moderation.
What does stevia taste like?Stevia is known to be much sweeter than sugar, and its taste can vary depending on the form used and the specific product. Early versions of stevia extracts were noted for having a slight aftertaste, though modern formulations have significantly improved the taste profile.
How is stevia cultivated?Stevia is typically grown in subtropical and tropical climates. Sustainable cultivation practices are essential as the demand for stevia increases. These practices include using environmentally friendly agricultural methods and ensuring fair labor conditions for farmers.
Are there any environmental benefits to using stevia?Stevia has the potential to be more sustainable than traditional sugar crops. It requires less land and water to produce the same level of sweetness, which can reduce the environmental impact associated with sugar cultivation.
Can stevia be used in baking?Yes, stevia can be used in baking due to its high-temperature stability. However, because it is much sweeter than sugar, recipes may need to be adjusted to account for its intensity. Many commercially available stevia sweeteners come with specific usage guidelines for cooking and baking.
Are there different types of stevia products?Yes, stevia products come in various forms, including whole leaves, powdered extracts, and liquid concentrates. Some products are blended with other sweeteners or filler ingredients to better mimic the taste and texture of sugar.
How does stevia compare to artificial sweeteners?Stevia is a natural sweetener, which sets it apart from many artificial sweeteners. It is derived from a plant and does not undergo extensive chemical processing. Many consumers prefer stevia because it is perceived as a more natural and healthier option.
What research is being done on stevia?Ongoing research on stevia explores its potential health benefits beyond sweetness, such as its antioxidant properties and possible roles in managing certain health conditions. Innovations in biotechnology are also working to develop new stevia varieties with enhanced sweetness and other desirable traits.
Where can I buy stevia?Stevia products are widely available at VitaNet LLC. Stevia can be found in the baking aisle or the section dedicated to natural and alternative sweeteners. By understanding the benefits and uses of stevia, you can make an informed decision about incorporating this natural sweetener into your diet. With its rich history, proven health benefits, and versatility, stevia offers a compelling alternative to traditional sugar.
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=6607) Debunking Myths About Stevia: Separating Fact from Fiction
Date:
May 29, 2024 05:02 PM
Debunking Myths About Stevia: Separating Fact from FictionStevia has gained significant popularity as a natural sweetener, but with popularity comes a wave of misconceptions and myths. As consumers become more health-conscious and seek alternatives to sugar, it’s essential to separate fact from fiction regarding Stevia. This article debunks stevia myths with evidence-based info to clarify consumer doubts.
Myth 1: Stevia Is ArtificialFact:One of the most prevalent myths about stevia is that it is artificial. In reality, stevia is a completely natural sweetener derived from the leaves of the Stevia rebaudiana plant. The plant has been used for centuries by indigenous people in South America for its sweetening properties. Unlike artificial sweeteners such as aspartame or saccharin, stevia is derived from a natural source and processed to extract its sweet components, known as steviol glycosides.
Myth 2: Stevia Is HarmfulFact:Another common misconception is that stevia is harmful to health. Scientific studies and regulatory organizations have repeatedly confirmed the safety of stevia. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) classifies high-purity stevia extracts as "Generally Recognized as Safe" (GRAS) for consumption. Furthermore, research indicates that stevia can have health benefits like lowering blood pressure and blood sugar levels, making it a suitable sweetener for individuals with diabetes and hypertension.
Myth 3: Stevia Tastes BadFact:Some people believe that stevia has a bitter aftertaste, which makes it less appealing as a sweetener. While early formulations of stevia extracts indeed presented a noticeable bitter aftertaste, advancements in processing have minimized this issue. Modern high-purity stevia products are often combined with other natural sweeteners or flavor enhancers to improve taste, making them virtually indistinguishable from sugar in many applications.
Myth 4: Stevia Is Only for DiabeticsFact:While it’s true that stevia is an excellent sweetener for individuals managing diabetes due to its zero-calorie and zero-carbohydrate nature, it is not exclusive to them. Anyone looking to reduce sugar consumption or seeking a natural alternative can benefit from using stevia. It is a versatile sweetener that can be used in a variety of foods and beverages, making it suitable for the general population striving for a healthier lifestyle.
Myth 5: All Stevia Products Are the SameFact:Not all stevia products are created equal. The purity and quality of stevia extracts can vary significantly between products. It's crucial to read labels and choose products that contain high-purity stevia extracts, as some products on the market contain added fillers or lower-grade stevia. By selecting reputable brands and scrutinizing ingredient lists, consumers can ensure they are using high-quality stevia that meets their health standards. Kal Sure Stevia Extract is one of those high-quality brands that stand out in the market. Known for its commitment to purity and potency, Kal Sure Stevia Extract offers a product that is free from fillers and unnecessary additives. The brand’s stringent quality control measures ensure that each batch contains only high-purity stevia extracts, delivering consistent sweetness without the aftertaste. Consumers can trust Kal Sure Stevia Extract as a safe, reliable, and pleasant-tasting alternative to conventional sugar. When choosing a stevia product, it's essential to opt for a brand like Kal Sure stevia to enjoy the full benefits of this natural sweetener.
Myth 6: Stevia Causes Allergic ReactionsFact:Some believe that consuming stevia can trigger allergies. However, stevia is generally considered hypoallergenic and does not commonly cause allergic reactions. There have been few documented cases of stevia allergies, and these are typically related to individuals with specific sensitivities. For the vast majority of people, stevia is a safe and well-tolerated sweetener, even for those with common food allergies.
Myth 7: Stevia Leads to Weight GainFact:The notion that stevia contributes to weight gain is counterintuitive, given its zero-calorie nature. Unlike sugar, which is high in calories and contributes to weight gain, stevia provides sweetness without adding calories. Using stevia instead of sugar can help reduce overall caloric intake, aiding in weight management efforts. Multiple studies have shown that replacing sugar with stevia can be an effective strategy for achieving and maintaining a healthy weight.
Myth 8: Stevia Disrupts MetabolismFact:Concerns about stevia disrupting metabolism are unfounded. Research indicates that stevia neither affects metabolic rates nor alters insulin sensitivity in a negative manner. On the contrary, stevia has been shown to have a neutral or even beneficial impact on metabolism, particularly for individuals with metabolic disorders like diabetes. It allows for sweetening without the metabolic consequences associated with high sugar consumption.
Myth 9: Stevia Can’t Be Used in BakingFact:There is a misconception that stevia is unsuitable for baking due to its chemical composition. While it is true that baking with stevia requires some adjustments—since it does not have the same physical properties as sugar—it can still be used effectively. Bakers often use stevia in combination with other ingredients to achieve the desired texture and sweetness. Many recipes and commercial products have successfully incorporated stevia, proving its versatility in baking applications.
Myth 10: Stevia Is ExpensiveFact:Consumers sometimes think that switching to stevia will significantly increase their grocery bills. While high-purity stevia products may be more expensive per ounce than sugar, they are much sweeter. A small amount of stevia goes a long way, which means that even a small container can last a long time. In the long run, the cost of stevia can be comparable to or even less than sugar, particularly when considering the health benefits and potential medical cost savings from reduced sugar consumption. Brands like Kal Stevia 3.5 oz contains 1800 servings per container.
Are You Ready to Sweeten Your Life?It is crucial to approach any information about stevia with a critical eye and rely on evidence-based data rather than myths. Stevia is a natural, safe, and versatile sweetener that offers numerous health benefits without the downsides of sugar and artificial sweeteners. By debunking these common misconceptions, consumers can make informed choices that contribute to a healthier lifestyle.
Take the Next Step Towards a Healthier LifeNow is the perfect time to reconsider your sweetening choices and embrace the benefits of stevia. With its proven safety, versatility in cooking, and numerous health advantages, stevia stands out as a superior alternative to traditional sugar and artificial sweeteners. Start exploring reputable brands, like Kal Sure Stevia Extract, and experiment with incorporating stevia into your daily routine. By making this simple switch, you can enhance your overall well-being without compromising on taste. Visit your local grocery store or trusted online retailer to find high-quality stevia products and embark on your Journey to a healthier, sweeter life today!
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=6605) CuraMed by Terry Naturally
Date:
February 14, 2024 05:33 PM
Experience the transformative power of nature with CuraMed by Terry Naturally, a prized elixir that encapsulates the essence of health and vitality. Imagine a single ingredient, BCM-95® Curcumin, with a heritage spanning centuries, now delivered to you in its most potent and absorbing form. Curcumin, derived from the ancient turmeric root, is revered for its remarkable anti-inflammatory properties and its ability to fiercely protect your cells from oxidative stress and damage. Step into a story where wellness intertwines with tradition, where each capsule of CuraMed holds the secret of age-old wisdom fused with cutting-edge technology. Feel the comfort of knowing that you're nourishing your body with an extract that's up to 700% more bioavailable than standard turmeric, thanks to the unique process that melds curcumin with essential oils to enhance absorption. Like a golden drop of sunshine, each dose is a concentrated beacon of health. Envision a life where every day is filled with the vigor you desire. CuraMed by Terry Naturally offers that vitality by maintaining a healthy inflammation response in the body, supporting your joints, brain, heart, and immune system. The power of BCM-95® Curcumin is more than just an antioxidant; it's a commitment to your long-term wellbeing, ensuring that with every capsule, you're paving the path to a vibrant life. Begin a Journey where each morning promises a leap towards wellness. With CuraMed's unparalleled potency, imagine fewer pills and yet feeling the invigorating impact of curcumin flooding through your body, like a wave of restorative energy. It's not just about alleviating the pains of today, but about investing in the joys of your tomorrows. CuraMed by Terry Naturally isn't just a supplement; it's an ally in your quest for a life brimming with health. Embrace the science of nature with a product that stands apart in its commitment to pure, powerful ingredients designed for maximum impact. Let CuraMed be the guardian of your health, guiding you to a life where every day feels like a breath of fresh air, clear mind, and a resilient, thriving body.
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=6594) six top-notch supplements that can help you achieve your goals.
Date:
December 06, 2023 04:55 PM
If you're looking to stay in the game longer and improve endurance while promoting rapid recovery, we've got you covered! six top-notch supplements that can help you achieve your goals.For most of us, life can feel like quite the balancing act. In an ideal world, we would all have ample time throughout the day to dedicate to our health and well-being. However, reality paints a different picture, where 24 hours can seem like an insufficient amount of time to squeeze in work, school, family, and the countless responsibilities that life throws at us. In recent years, the use of supplements for recovery has gained popularity, becoming more common than ever before. Our bodies face a barrage of daily stresses, including exposure to environmental toxins, electromagnetic pollution, and the strain of intense physical activity. These factors increase our body's demands for antioxidants and essential nutrients that aid in the process of recovery. While consuming antioxidant-rich foods can certainly make a difference, it can be challenging to meet these requirements solely through our diet. That's where a well-rounded supplement regimen can play a crucial role in promoting optimal health and aiding in recovery. Even with our best efforts to exercise regularly, eat nutritious meals, and get sufficient sleep, life in the 21st century can be incredibly demanding, depleting our bodies on a cellular level. For athletes, consistent training is key to reaching desired performance levels. It's important to understand that the muscle recovery and building process primarily occurs between gym sessions. Developing a comprehensive recovery strategy during this crucial window, through the use of supplements, proper nutrition, and adequate rest, can help athletes perform at their best week in and week out. Failing to make the most of this recovery period may result in free radical damage and delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). To maximize the benefits, it's important to prioritize food as the primary source of vital nutrients, while also recognizing the significant role supplements can play in providing the necessary building blocks for muscle repair due to their rapid absorption rate. However, it's essential to ensure that any chosen supplements are clinically validated, demonstrating efficacy and supported by solid scientific evidence. In today's fast-paced world, there is a growing demand for quick and convenient solutions to jumpstart the recovery process. Nevertheless, when it comes to choosing supplements, it's important to remember that one size does not fit all. The market offers an overwhelming array of options, often leaving individuals feeling bewildered about which products to select. Before diving into my recommendations for the top six supplements to aid in recovery, I believe it's crucial to emphasize the significance of cellular renewal and its direct impact on the recovery process. This, in my opinion, serves as the key to achieving a quick and effective recovery. Oxidation and Free Radical DamageA fundamental key to staying young and maintaining optimal health is cellular renewal and minimizing the damage to cells over time. We all age, but studies have shown that some individuals age better than others. Have you ever wondered why? Well, recent research has linked oxidative stress to the aging process. So, what exactly is oxidative stress? Allow me to explain in simple terms – oxidation occurs when the body produces by-products commonly known as free radicals. It's almost like a machine rusting, but instead of rust forming on iron, our bodies experience the effects of aging and age-related diseases. Now, our bodies naturally produce free radicals as part of our daily metabolism, and they can also be produced as a result of environmental pollutants from everyday things like air, water, and even sun exposure. As we age, our bodies become more vulnerable to the long-term effects of oxidative stress, which simply means we accumulate too many free radicals and experience increased inflammation at the cellular level. As interesting as it may sound, the process of oxidation is actually abundant and can be beneficial for our bodies to function properly. But, and this is an important "but," this very process can also cause potential harm. You see, the oxidizing process creates these molecules called free radicals, which are electrically charged. These free radicals interact with our cells, and this interaction can lead to both positive and negative outcomes. For example, our immune system utilizes free radicals to help fight infection. However, when LDL cholesterol (often referred to as bad cholesterol) is oxidized, it can become a concern (cholesterol buildup). Let's talk about oxidative stress. It occurs when the level of free radicals overwhelms the body's natural antioxidant defense system, resulting in cell damage. As I mentioned earlier, while free radicals serve useful functions in the body, they are highly unstable molecules. If they remain uncontrolled, they have the potential to wreak havoc by causing damage to cells, enzymes, and even our DNA, which ultimately accelerates the aging process. In addition, these free radicals can also contribute to the development of various age-related diseases, including arthritis, cancer, and heart disease Now, inflammation is triggered by free radical damage, and it is this inflammation that leads to the negative effects of free radicals due to oxidation. The question then becomes, how can we address this in our daily nutritional regimen? The answer lies in the incorporation of antioxidants, which play a vital role in combating oxidative stress and minimizing the damage caused by free radicals in our bodies. You'll be glad to know that there are foods rich in antioxidant content that can help us on this Journey. In fact, certain foods contain phytonutrients that, according to many health professionals, hold the potential to unlock the secrets of longevity and overall well-being. So, my dear friend, let's take a proactive approach, nourish our bodies with antioxidant-rich foods, and strive to minimize the effects of oxidative stress caused by free radicals. It's never too late to make positive choices for our health and age gracefully. Phytonutrients, also known as health boosters, are substances produced by plants to protect themselves from harmful bacteria and viruses. However, these compounds also offer significant benefits to the human body. Packed with essential nutrients, phytonutrients play an active role in promoting good health. They belong to the antioxidant family, responsible for eliminating harmful free radicals and thus slowing down the aging process. Incorporating a diet rich in high antioxidant foods like fresh fruits and vegetables is crucial as the first line of defense against aging. While vitamins A, C, and E are commonly known antioxidants, there are other antioxidants available in both food and supplement form. These antioxidant supplements play a vital role in bridging the nutritional gap left by processed foods, lacking the necessary antioxidants and nutrients to combat free radicals effectively. Let's take a closer look at my top six supplement recommendations, known for their efficacy in fighting oxidative stress and promoting optimal recovery: Beta Alanine: As an amino acid derivative, Beta Alanine is proven to enhance intramuscular carnosine content, improving the body's ability to buffer hydrogen ions. During exercise, the body accumulates hydrogen ions, contributing to fatigue and lowering pH levels. Beta Alanine supplementation can reduce fatigue, enhance exercise performance, and increase training volume. Whether it's interval training or weightlifting to improve running economy, incorporating beta-alanine can have a positive impact on endurance performance and overall training results. BCAAs: Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs) have become a staple supplement for athletes due to their role in muscle and energy production during exercise. Consisting of three essential amino acids - leucine, isoleucine, and valine - BCAAs have been shown to significantly reduce muscle soreness and expedite the recovery process. Supplementing with BCAAs helps prevent muscle breakdown, as the body does not need to rely on its own muscle tissue for energy. Consequently, protein synthesis remains high, supporting muscle growth and repair. Creatine, a natural molecule found in muscle cells. When engaging in high-intensity workouts like weightlifting, Creatine helps your body produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP), a vital energy source. This amazing compound improves strength, boosts lean muscle mass, and aids in faster muscle recovery. Flavonoid Root, a breakthrough extract known for its cardiovascular benefits. This extract is packed with potent antioxidants and acts as a nitric oxide booster, promoting increased endurance during workouts. Studies have shown that it fights against free radical damage and increases the flow of oxygen-rich blood, ensuring optimal cardiovascular health. You can also boost nitric oxide with beet root, and l-citruline. Speaking of studies, a published research paper in Food and Nutrition Research (April 2016) highlighted the effects of the unique flavonoid root extract on arterial health. The study revealed that after one year of consumption, participants experienced a decrease in artery wall thickness, total cholesterol, LDL levels, and blood pressure. This indicates that the extract may help reduce the risk of oxidation-related cerebral vascular issues and improve overall cardiovascular health Glutamine. It's the most abundant amino acid in the human body and plays a vital role in muscle recovery and repair. Glutamine aids in preventing muscle soreness, optimizing post-workout recovery, and supporting muscle rebuilding. By facilitating nitrogen transport, regulating acid-base balance, and acting as an antioxidant, Glutamine ensures faster post-workout muscle recovery, giving you the freedom to train harder for better results. Protein plays a crucial role in replenishing and repairing your muscles after a workout, making it a key nutrient to consume alongside carbohydrates. By opting for a protein shake as a post-workout option, you can efficiently supply amino acids to your muscles, stimulating muscle protein synthesis, enhancing recovery, and promoting growth. It's important, though, to choose a protein shake that contains high-quality ingredients, as prioritizing quality over quantity is key when it comes to protein. Apart from protein, there are several other supplements that work through various mechanisms to provide natural, broad-spectrum antioxidant and nutrient support, ultimately contributing to optimal health and recovery. Taking preventative measures to protect the health of different body systems is much easier than trying to restore their function after damage has occurred. With this in mind, retailers should suggest a preventive program to their customers, aiming to limit free radical damage and promote recovery. As the adage goes, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," emphasizing the significance of protecting and preserving one's health. In conclusion, the role of antioxidants, particularly phytonutrients, in maintaining overall health and combating oxidative stress cannot be overstated. These beneficial compounds not only slow down the aging process, but also enhance the body's ability to recover from physical exertion. Various supplements, including Beta Alanine, BCAAs, Creatine, Flavonoid Root, Glutamine, and Protein, each offer distinct benefits in supporting muscle growth, improving athletic performance, and promoting quicker recovery. The incorporation of these supplements into one's regimen can effectively bridge the nutritional gap left by processed foods. A preventive strategy, emphasizing a diet rich in antioxidants and high-quality supplements, holds the key to optimal health and longevity. As the saying goes, 'an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure'.
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=6591) CuraMed Coupon
Date:
November 18, 2023 10:26 AM
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(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=6590)
Date:
November 17, 2023 12:27 PM
Ashwagandha, a powerful adaptogenic herb, has been a pillar of Ayurvedic medicine for centuries. Revered for its restorative properties, it has a rich history in promoting well-being and vitality. Indigenous to India and North Africa, Ashwagandha has been used for over 3000 years, marking it as one of the oldest known medicinal herbs. Derived from the roots of the Withania Somnifera plant, Ashwagandha functions by interacting with your body's endocrine and nervous systems. It aids in modulating stress responses, regulating hormone levels, and enhancing cognitive function. Moreover, it's proven to lower cortisol levels, the body's primary stress hormone, leading to better stress management. Withanolides, the biologically active compounds in Ashwagandha, are primarily responsible for the herb's therapeutic effects. They belong to a group of naturally occurring steroids that possess a wide range of biological activities. Withanolides are beneficial in modulating the body's response to stress, enhancing memory, and improving overall mental well-being. Research suggests that they can also inhibit the growth of some forms of cancer, making them a subject of intense study in the field of oncology. The potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of withanolides contribute to Ashwagandha's reputation as a powerful adaptogen, helping to balance various systems within the body and promoting overall health and vitality. To our valued customers seeking a natural solution to stressful living, Ashwagandha offers a natural path to tranquility. It aids in reducing anxiety and depression, supports cognitive health, and promotes a balanced mood. Further, it enhances physical performance by boosting energy levels and improving sleep quality, making it a holistic solution for a healthier life. Feeling stressed and overwhelmed is no way to live. With our Ashwagandha, you can harness the power of nature to regain control of your well-being. Embrace the power of Ashwagandha and reclaim a life of balance and vitality. This is more than just a supplement; it's a step towards a healthier, happier you. So why wait? Take the first step towards a stress-free life today. Order Now and start your Journey towards wellness. The power of Ashwagandha is unarguably exceptional, and when it marries the innovation of Europharma / Terry Naturally, the result is nothing short of extraordinary. The Europharma / Terry Naturally: Ashwagandha EP35 Extra Strength 60 Caps stands out with its exceptional formulation that includes a whopping 35% withanolides. These active compounds are the driving force behind the extensive benefits of Ashwagandha. With 60 high-potency capsules in each bottle, this product offers you a phenomenal dose of nature's stress shield. The heightened concentration of withanolides equates to more potent stress relief, optimized hormonal balance, enhanced cognitive function, and overall improved health and vitality. This supplement is manufactured under the highest quality standards, ensuring product safety and efficacy. Its natural and organic sourcing further makes it an ideal choice for those seeking a clean and green route to wellness. We highly recommend the Europharma / Terry Naturally: Ashwagandha EP35 Extra Strength 60 Caps for those seeking a powerful, high-quality Ashwagandha supplement. The high concentration of withanolides in this product offers a fast-acting and highly effective solution to stress management and overall health improvement. Embrace the strength and potency of this exceptional Ashwagandha supplement. Order now and set your health and wellness on a new, improved path.
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Date:
December 07, 2022 02:58 PM
If you’re looking to take your health and wellness Journey to the next level, it’s time to consider adding L-Glutamine into your daily routine. This supplement has been proven to support lean muscle growth, assist in recovery from workouts, promote healthy immune function, and provide digestive support. Let's explore why this supplement can be beneficial for overall health and wellness.
What is L-Glutamine?
L-Glutamine is an amino acid that plays a vital role in cellular health by providing nitrogen for cell production. It is found naturally in the body, but efforts such as intense exercise, stress, injury or illness can cause a decrease in its levels. Supplementing with L-glutamine can help keep levels consistent in order to reap the full benefits of this nutrient.
Benefits of L-Glutamine
L-glutamine provides several benefits for those looking to improve their wellness Journey. For starters, it helps build lean muscle mass by helping the body metabolize protein more efficiently. Glutamine is one of the most abundant amino acids found in muscle. Additionally, taking this supplement can help reduce post workout fatigue and enhance overall recovery time after a strenuous workout session. Furthermore, due to its antioxidant properties, it may also aid in immune system functioning by protecting against free radical damage caused by inflammation and stress. Finally, glutamine plays an important role in maintaining proper digestion by providing fuel for cells that line the small intestine which supports nutrient absorption.* Glutamine may even help reduce leaky gut syndrome.*
Incorporating Glutamine Into Your Diet
The good news is that there are plenty of ways you can incorporate l-glutamine into your diet without having to resort to supplements or shakes. Some food sources include red meat, fish, dairy products like yogurt or kefir, eggs and legumes such as beans or peas.* It’s also easy enough to find l-glutamine powder which can be added into smoothies or healthy snacks like energy bars.*
So, if you're looking for an effective way to take your health and wellness Journey to the next level with natural methods rather than synthetic ones - then incorporating l-glutamine into your diet could be the answer! This supplement has been known to support lean muscle growth while aiding recovery from workouts and promoting healthy immune system functioning along with digestive health - making it a great addition to any lifestyle! Be sure to consult with your healthcare provider before starting any supplementation regime though!*
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Date:
August 18, 2017 12:14 PM
While different dieting fads forever come and go, there are certain staples of healthy eating that will always be relevant to a successful weight loss journey. For example, while it may sound counterintuitive at first, fats are an important part of a balanced diet—so long as they are healthy fats like the kind found in avocados. In place of carbohydrates, there are many creative substitutes available like zucchini noodles and spaghetti squash. Foods with few ingredients are also reliable safe bets for healthy eating. Key Takeaways: "Low-cal condiments like salsa, hot sauce, and mustard are an easy way to add a kick to many dishes." Read more: http://www.womansday.com/health-fitness/nutrition/g3141/what-to-eat-to-lose-weight/
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Date:
June 20, 2017 11:14 AM
Space travel could become a real viable option for most people in the very near future. But, you may ask, what kind of health problems can arise from traveling in outer space? Well, nutrition for one, could be an area of concern in space travel, since most food would consist of re-hydrated food pouches. Fresh foods during space travel are rare, so vitamins are a must to ensure proper health is maintained. Another health concern for a space traveler may be hygiene. While on board a space flight, water is limited. Showering and changing clothes daily may not be an option. Water is precious and even urine is recycled and reused. In addition, a person's mental health will certainly be tested from being in such a small confined area during the journey. Sleeping, as well, takes a little more thought, since falling asleep without being tethered could cause one to be injured or even float away! Lastly, the main health concern would probably be radiation exposure which could lead to cancer or "space brain," a condition that causes brain damage. These areas of health concern would need to be considered before deciding if boarding the next spacecraft is the right choice for your one of a kind vacation in the near future. Happy travels!! Read more: What Happens to Our Bodies in Space?
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Date:
February 19, 2017 10:19 AM
Are you maybe not getting enough vegetables and leafy greens in your diet? Do you just want to eat a healthier, more balanced and nutritious diet overall? Then the Spinach Smoothie video from ABC Health is great place for you to start your Journey to that healthier lifestyle you have always been dreaming of. Key Takeaways: "This smoothie is refreshing and it gives you a great energy that will last the whole day."
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Date:
January 21, 2017 10:59 AM
Journey with us on a spiritual level to remind ourselves of what our goals are. What are our dreams and how do we get there? Sunflowers could be the answer to our inner thoughts and questions. A flower, that not only always looks towards it's life source, but that also has excellent herbal healing benefits. Key Takeaways: "There’s an added bonus to the magnesium in sunflower seeds; it promotes a healthy mood." Reference:
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Date:
December 24, 2016 02:59 PM
Cacao, which is used to make chocolate, is a superfood that contains one of the highest concentrations of antioxidants and magnesium. It also has the benefit of being used to make one of the tastiest candies in the world. Due to its mood-enhancing properties, many party-goers have recently started using concentrated cacao to get high. Some use it to get an endorphin rush, while others use it to calm anxiety and overcome emotional problems. There have actually been healing groups popping up around the world that take the drug together and use it for spiritual enlightenment. Key Takeaways: "Reports are surfacing of ground cacao being used as a new party drug in clubs across Europe, be they in drink, or pill form, or even snorted in powdered form." Reference:
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Date:
September 05, 2014 09:30 PM
What is Moringa Moringa is a plant that is grown mostly in the tropics, and it is known for it's many health benefits. Different parts of the plant; bark, leaves and flowers have all been studied and found to be rich in medicinal and health value. Even though it traditionally originated from the Himalayan parts of India, Moringa is now used all over the world. Health benefits of Moringa: 1. Prevents cancer and other diseases: It is rich in antioxidants that prevent formation and development of cancer cells. Taking a serving of Moringa daily can provide you with about 46 different types of antioxidants and vitamins that your body needs. The antioxidants are also beneficial in keeping your general body health and boost your immunity so that you are not vulnerable to be attacked by other diseases. People with compromised immunity, like HIV patients can effectively use Moringa to control opportunistic diseases. 3. Detoxifies the body: Moringa can be successfully used to detoxify the body without the risk of losing important nutrients. It also helps in speeding up metabolism and digestion. People who are struggling with weight loss can use it as a way to quick start their weight loss Journey instead of using diet pills and other harmful products. 5. Boosts energy: Due to the many nutrients Moringa has, it provides the energy needed for daily activities. If you are constantly feeling fatigued and stressed, taking Moringa will put you right back to your feet. People suffering from erectile dysfunction can also benefit from it as it helps in improving circulation of blood, even to the penile region 7. Natural antibiotic: Moringa has antibacterial properties that help with controlling bacterial diseases. If you do not want to use conventional antibiotics, which come with a lot of health risks, then you can opt for Moringa.
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Date:
December 16, 2011 02:28 PM
Thyme has many culinary uses as well as health benefits to the human body. During the ancient times, thyme is commonly used as an embalming agent. It is popularly used in Egypt to preserve the mummies of their deceased rulers or pharaohs. In Greece, it was widely employed in temples because of its soothing and relaxing aromatic property. For the Romans, thyme is widely used as a flavoring to their cheese and liquors. It adds an aromatic flavor to the food or beverage, making it more palatable. Other traditions use this herb as incense for the dead to guide the soul of the dead and guarantee its Journey into the next life.
In addition, thyme also has an antiseptic property. During wars in the ancient times, this herb is popular as a topical application on wounds. Today, this herb can is also used as a mouthwash for sores and oral wounds.
The active ingredient in thyme is called thymol. An oil extract of thyme consists of about 15 to 60 % thymol. The most promising property of thymol is its antiseptic quality. In fact, thymol is the considered to be the main ingredient of many popular mouthwashes and toothpastes. Before the discovery of many antibiotics, thyme extracts was popularly used as a medication for wounds and certain skin irritations. Also, thyme extracts can also be employed as an anti – fungal agent on conditions such as Athlete’s foot and toenail fungal infections. Commercially, thymol is also used as an ingredient among many hand sanitizers and cleansers which are alcohol – free and all – natural.
Aside from it external use as an antiseptic, thyme extracts can also be made into tea and used as a relief treatment for respiratory problems such as coughs and bronchitis. And because of its antiseptic property, thyme extract made into a tincture has a promising effect to improve inflammations of the throat. This can also be used as gargles about three times per day to improve sores in the oral mucous membranes. It cans show improvement after three to five days of use.
Another health use of thyme is that it can also be used to help in maternal labor and childbirth. Clinical studies have shown that thyme has an oxytocin – like property which can induce uterine contractions during labor. After childbirth, it can also be useful in facilitating a faster delivery of the placenta. Its antiseptic property is also useful in the prevention of maternal infections brought about by childbirth.
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Date:
October 21, 2008 12:56 PM
Grapefruit pectin fiber is a source of soluble fiber that can bind to cholesterol and inhibit the formation of atherosclerosis. It is also effective in maintaining good blood sugar levels, and promoting a healthy colon. However, before discussing how grapefruit pectin fiber works in these ways, it is first necessary to explain how they occur in the first place.
CHOLESTEROL LEVELS
First cholesterol. This is a steroid lipid, most of which is biosynthesized by your body rather than being present in your diet. Although it has a bad name health wise, cholesterol is actually essential to good health because it helps your digestive system break down fast, it strengthens cell walls and is a major ingredient in the manufacture of vitamin D by your liver. It is also essential for the formation of several hormones, including cortisone, cortisol and aldosterone by the adrenal glands, and also of estrogen and testosterone. A bloodstream without cholesterol is therefore not good for you.
Given that cholesterol is essential for good health, then why does it have such a bad press? The root cause of that is that cholesterol is not water soluble, and to be carried round the bloodstream to where it is needed it needs some transport. For that, it uses low density lipoproteins (LDLs). However, it’s not a return Journey, and to get back they must use another form of lipid known as a high density lipoprotein (HDL). The protein part is water soluble, wile the lipid part can attach to the cholesterol and carry it around the bloodstream.
The problem arises with free radicals, which are oxygenated molecules that are generated by the body’s metabolism, and also created from pollutants, such as pesticides and cigarette smoke, and the UV portion of daylight. These can oxidize the low density lipoproteins so that they can be attacked by phagocytes (while blood cells) deposited as plaques in the artery walls. This hardens and thickens the arteries, reducing the heart’s blood supply which in turn can cause strokes and heart attacks.
This can be prevented in a number ways, the major of which are by consuming plenty antioxidants in your food, mostly contained in phytochemicals (plant chemicals), reducing your LDL cholesterol levels to the minimum needed by your body, and also by increasing the HDL levels in your bloodstream by as much as possible.
Grapefruit pectin fiber can bind to cholesterol, and prevent it from being deposited in the artery walls by the oxidized LDL. A sixteen week double blind study (neither the subjects nor those carrying out the test and analyzing the results knew who were given the placebo) found that grapefruit pectin successful reduced the low density cholesterol level of 27 subjects by 10.8% and overall plasma cholesterol by 7.6%. These volunteers were at a medium to high risk of atherosclerosis due to a high LDL cholesterol concentration in their blood.
Animal studies have also been carried out, whereby animals were fed a high cholesterol diet, and those fed a high fat diet were found to have an average of 45% narrowing of their arteries, and those fed the same diet, but with added grapefruit pectin fiber, were found to have only 25% narrowing, thus corresponding with the results of the human volunteers.
BLOOD SUGAR
It is essential that you maintain a stable level of sugar in your blood since the body reacts to low blood glucose by making you feel hungry, and thereby forcing you eat. If you are trying to lose weight you will find it very difficult if your blood sugar levels fluctuate. Grapefruit pectin can reduce the rate at which carbohydrates enter your bloodstream, and therefore the rate at which sugars are absorbed.
Studies have also indicated that pectin can even out your blood sugar concentration, so that you experience fewer fluctuations or sudden spikes that can make you feel either very hungry, and so binge on carbohydrates, or very satisfied so that you eat nothing at all. The maintenance of a stable level of glucose in the blood is necessary for a normal life since it is that that determine your need to eat food. If your blood sugar is low, the desire to eat high calorie carbohydrate food is uncontrollable.
This is the theory behind the so-called ‘grapefruit diet’. You eat a grapefruit prior to a meal, and allow it to be digested. The grapefruit pectin will make you feel full and so eat less, so that you can eat normal foods, but still lose weight. Many people take the grapefruit pectin in supplement form for its ease and economy of use. It is also more convenient since you don’t have to carry grapefruit around with you everywhere you go.
A Healthy Colon
Like any other soluble fiber, grapefruit pectin fiber is a dietary fiber that can help to maintain the health of your colon. In fact it is the only one of the basic four fibers of lignin, cellulose, hemicelluloses and pectin that is soluble. Although referred to as soluble, pectin softens and expands and provides substance and added weight to faeces in order to allow it to pass easier through your colon.
Other than ensuring the easy passage of your stool through your colon, and avoiding constipation, grapefruit pectin fiber can help to prevent excessive growth of bad bacteria in the intestine, and because it accelerates the passage of substances through the colon, there is less time for toxic or cancerous substances to be in contact with your bowel lining. It is that which causes bowel cancer, and grapefruit pectin fiber can help to prevent it.
Fiber can also help to prevent diverticulosis, where the intestinal wall develops small sacs and becomes weakened. It also prevents hemorrhoids, eases the symptoms of IBS (irritable bowel syndrome). In short, it offers many benefits for the health of your colon, and can help to cure many bowel conditions.
However, it is important that you don't just rush into using any form of dietary fiber, but take it gradually. You start with a small intake, and then increase it slowly; since it is not absorbed through the intestine too much can lie in your colon and ferment, causing any number of intestinal problems. When used properly it can ease the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, but if used to excess, or too quickly, can actually cause the same symptoms, in addition to blocking the absorption of essential minerals such as iron, zinc and calcium.
Grapefruit pectin fiber can do a great deal for health, including maintaining good blood sugar and cholesterol levels, and helping to keep your colon healthy. It is available in convenient supplement form, but make sure that you drink sufficient liquid each day in order to prevent the fiber blocking your intestine rather than allowing free passage of waste product into, through, and out of your colon.
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Date:
February 09, 2008 10:43 AM
The benefits of ascorbyl palmitate are due to the substance being a fat-soluble form of ascorbic acid which is otherwise known as vitamin C. Before discussing why being fat-soluble should be of benefit, let us first have a look at what vitamin C does for us and what its limitations are.
Most people know vitamin C as the vitamin that prevents us from getting scurvy, and that limes and other citrus fruits were given to sailors to prevent them from contracting this often fatal disease on long Journeys. However, important though the protection it provides against scurvy is, there are many more important uses for this important vitamin. In fact some of them are closely connected to the symptoms of scurvy.
Among these are pains and swelling in the joints, and the loosening of teeth and hair loss. Scurvy is also associated with easy bruising and bleeding. All of these can be associated with loss of collagen, which is contained in connective tissues, bone and blood vessels. Collagen repairs and maintains cartilage, heals wounds and is essential for proper skin formation and the structure of ligaments, tendons, blood vessels, bones, hair and teeth. When we consider that one of the most important properties of vitamin C is the part it plays in the production of collagen in the body, then its effectiveness in alleviating the symptoms of scurvy is not difficult to understand.
Vitamin C is also a strong antioxidant that destroys free radicals that kill and severely damage body cells, and cause a large variety of undesirable conditions such as atherosclerosis and cancers, and also debilitating and painful inflammatory conditions such as arthritis. Many free radicals are formed in the body as by-products of our metabolism: the generation of energy from fats and blood glucose. Others are ingested in the form of cigarette smoke and other toxins, while yet other free radicals are caused by the effect of sunlight on our skins. Natural antioxidants such as vitamins A, C and E help to keep these free radicals under control and minimize their effect.
Another interesting property of vitamin C is in the synthesis of carnetine, a deficiency of which is also thought to contribute to scurvy. Carnetine is needed by the body to transport fat to the cellular mitochondria so that it can be converted to energy. Vitamin C is also believed to take part in the biochemistry that converts cholesterol to bile acids and so helps to maintain a healthy level of cholesterol in the blood.
The vitamin is therefore a very useful one for the body, but it has one fault. It is water soluble, and hence cannot be stored in the body but is expelled in the urine. Had it been fat soluble it could have been able to be stored in the body fats, in the same way that vitamins A and E are, and be available for use when required. Instead any excess that is not immediately used is lost, and a fresh intake of ascorbic acid necessary on a continuous basis.
Not only that, but it is only of use in areas of the body that the blood can reach. Fatty tissue is practically devoid of vitamin C, and many areas of the brain cannot be reached by substances that are insoluble in oils and fats. It also finds it difficult to penetrate the skin and the walls of body cells. This is where the benefits of ascorbyl palmitate are useful.
Ascorbyl palmitate is a fat-soluble form of vitamin C and possesses all of the attributes of ascorbic acid. It is more easily absorbed by the body and can be stored in the membranes of the cells until needed. It is also a powerful antioxidant, the same as vitamin C, and is frequently used to prevent the oxidation of vegetables oils, such as on potato chips and other oily snacks. It also takes part in the biochemistry of the production of collagen and connective tissues.
The usefulness of this substance comes from not only from its amphoteric nature, whereby it has one end that is water soluble and another that is fat soluble, but also by the fact that it is also amphipathic, meaning that it prefers neither one medium nor the other, and tends to collect at phase boundaries, between oil and water phases. It is particularly effective in topical uses on the skin, because it is easily absorbed into the skin tissue, and more stable than some of the other forms of vitamin C. It is also believed to protect other fat soluble antioxidants such as vitamin E from oxidation, and also to help to protect blood cell membranes from free radical attack.
Although vitamin C is a very powerful vitamin, carrying out a multitude of tasks, ascorbyl palmitate has some advantages over it apart from the solubility difference. Its antioxidant properties are stronger than those of regular ascorbic acid and in fact rival those even of vitamin E, which it also helps to regenerate after its reaction with free radicals, and help to maintain a continuous supply of this powerful antioxidant.
It is also a chemically neutral form of the vitamin, and unlike regular ascorbic acid, does not cause inflammation of the tissues it comes into contact with. It can also reduce sunburn due to excessive exposure to UVB when applied to the skin, and is a very stable form of the vitamin. Ascorbyl palmitate also acts as an anti-inflammatory with certain conditions, such as psoriasis where topical application helped to reduce the extent of the lesions. In fact it appears to do most of what vitamin C does, but faster and with smaller doses.
So why is ascorbyl palmitate not used as the main form of vitamin C in supplements? The answer is money. Ascorbyl palmitate is considerably more expensive than regular vitamin C, and also normal ascorbic acid has some properties that the fat-soluble form does not have, such as its ability to rapidly pass through the body in the bloodstream.
However, it would make sense to take a supplement consisting of both forms of vitamin C, and so combine the best properties of each. Any vitamin C supplement that is designed for maximum effect on the body should contain at least 25% of ascorbyl palmitate, the balance being ascorbic acid. That is what to look for if you are to receive the combined benefits of both water and fat soluble vitamin C.
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Date:
May 18, 2007 01:06 PM
The Awesome Foursome: Coenzyme Q10, L-Carnitine,
D-Ribose, Magnesium
The “Awesome Foursome” of Coenzyme Q10, L-Carnitine, D-Ribose, and magnesium helps our hearts metabolize energy more efficiently and protects them from the stress of cardiovascular disease. This powerful combination of nutrients goes directly to the basic biochemistry of cellular energy metabolism. Now let’s take a closer look at how Coenzyme Q10, L-Carnitine, D-Ribose, and magnesium work in synergy to promote cardiovascular health.
Coenzyme Q10:
Energy Recycling through the Electron Transport Chain
Coenzyme Q10 is a powerful antioxidant that helps protect the mitochondrial membrane, mitochondrial DNA, and cell walls from free-radical attack. But its most important function in the body is its central role in energy metabolism.
Most – about 90 percent – of the ATP used by cells is recycled as food (fuel) and oxidized in the mitochondria. Fatty acids, carbohydrates, and, occasionally, proteins are carried across the mitochondrial membrane and enter the Krebs’ cycle, moving from step to step and spinning off electrons. These electrons are then handed off to the electron transport chain, where, in the presence of oxygen, the energy from the electrons is captured as a phosphate group is added to ADP to form ATP. This recycling of ATP is called oxidative phosphorylation, and the by-products of these pathways are CO2 and water.
In this fashion, Coenzyme Q10 acts as a gatekeeper of electrons, making sure they are carried to just the right place to pass on their life-giving energy.
What is critical, however, is the simple fact that without Coenzyme Q10 the electron transport chain would totally break down. And since the electron transport chain is (by far!) the largest contributor to cellular energy turnover, its loss would be catastrophic. It is also important to know that there has to be an excess of Coenzyme Q10 in the mitochondria to be maximally effective. Having just enough isn’t sufficient to do the job properly, and having a deficiency seriously affects the mitochondria’s ability to supply the cell with energy.
Cellular stress can cause Coenzyme Q10 deficiency, which places a severe strain on Coenzyme Q10 availability. People with heart disease, hypertension, gingival disease, Parkinson’s disease, and the other disorders we’ve discussed are known to be deficient in Coenzyme Q10. Whether these deficiencies are the cause or the effect of these varied medical problems, the end result is that they sap the life out of their mitochondria and reduce their energy supplies. You see, Coenzyme Q10 cannot function properly if electrons are not coming out of the Krebs’ cycle, and the Krebs’ cycle won’t work without the fuel that’s transported into the mitochondria by L-Carnitine.
L-Carnitine:
Transporting the Cellular Energy Fuel
Fatty acids are the preferred energy fuel for hearts and most other cells in the body. L-Carnitine facilitates the beta oxidation of fatty acids as energy fuel. And since fatty acids are the preferred fuel for energy recycling in cells, this action is critical to cell and tissue function. Unfortunately, L-carnitine is deficient in people with heart disease, peripheral vascular disease, lipid metabolic disorders, mitochondrial disorders, and many other disease syndromes we reviewed earlier. This L-carnitine deficiency disrupts the normal metabolism of fatty acids, reducing available energy supplies and leading to the accumulation of toxic by-products of fatty acid metabolism. L-carnitine supplementation revives fatty acid metabolism and restore normal mitochondrial function. But even this powerful improvement in cellular energy metabolism cannot up for the energy drain that comes from the loss of energy substrates caused by low oxygen delivery to the tissue. Only D-Ribose can do that.
D-Ribose:
Rebuilding the Cellular Energy Pool
As long as cells and tissues have plenty of oxygen, the pool of energy substrates in the cell remains high. And as long as there is enough L-carnitine and Coenzyme Q10 available, the process of energy utilization and supply can proceed unimpeded. However, the cellular supply of oxygen can be restricted by acute or chronic heart disease, peripheral vascular disease, any number of skeletal – or neuromuscular diseases, or even high-intensity exercise.
When cells are deprived of oxygen the mitochondrial energy turnover becomes inefficient. Remember, oxygen is required to let the oxidative pathway of energy recycling work properly. If the mitochondria are not able to recycle energy efficiently, cellular energy supply cannot keep pace with demand. But the cell has a continuing need for energy so it will use all its ATP stores and then break down the by-product, adenosine diphosphate (ADP), to pull the remaining energy out of this compound as well. What’s left is adenosine menophosphate (AMP). Since a growing concentration of AMP is incompatible with sustained cellular function it’s quickly broken apart and the by-products are washed out of the cell. The net result of this process is a depletion of the cellular pool of energy substrates. When the by-products of AMP catabolism are washed out of the cell, they are lost forever. It takes a long time to replace these lost energy substrates even if the cell is fully perfused with oxygen again.
Ribose is the only compound used by the body to refill this energy pool. Every cell in the body has the capacity to make ribose, but hearts, muscles, and most other tissues lack the metabolic machinery to make ribose quickly when the cells are stressed by oxygen depletion or metabolic insufficiency. Ribose is made naturally in the cells from glucose. In stressed cells, however, glucose is preferentially metabolized for the energy turnover and is not available for ribose synthesis. So when energy pools are drained from stressed cells, the cells must first wait for the slow process of ribose synthesis before they can begin to replace their lost energy stores.
Acute ischemia, like that which takes place during a heart attack, heart surgery, or angioplasty, drains the cell of energy. Even when oxygenated blood flow returns, refilling the energy pool may take ten or more days. But when oxygen deprivation is chronic, or when energy metabolism is disrupted by disease, there may be so much continual strain on the energy supply that the pool can ever refill without the assistance of supplemental ribose. Conditions like ischemic heart disease or congestive heart failure fall into this category. In these situations, supplementing the tissue with exogenous ribose is the only way the cell can keep up with the energy drain.
Magnesium:
Switching on the Energy Enzymes
Magnesium is an essential mineral that's critical for energy requiring processes, in protein synthesis, membrane integrity, nervous tissue conduction, neuromuscular excitation, muscle contraction, hormone secretion, maintenance of vascular tone, and in intermediary metabolism. Deficiency may lead to changes in neuromuscular, cardiovascular, immune, and hormonal function; Impaired energy metabolism; and reduced capacity for physical work. Magnesium deficiency is now considered to contribute to many diseases, and the role for magnesium as a therapeutic agent is expanding.
Magnesium deficiency reduces the activity of important enzymes used in energy metabolism. Unless we have adequate levels of magnesium in our cells, the cellular processes of energy metabolism cannot function. Small changes in magnesium levels can have a substantial effect on heart and blood vessel function. While magnesium is found in most foods - particularly vegetables - deficiencies are increasing. Softened water and a trend toward lower vegetable consumption are the culprits contributing to these rising deficiencies.
Supporting the Links in The Energy Cycle Chain – the Synergy
Clearly, each membrane of the “Awesome Foursome” is fundamental to cellular energy metabolism in its own right. Each plays a unique and vital role in supplying the heart with the energy it needs to preserve its contractile force. Each is independently effective in helping hearts work through the stress of disease. And while each contributes immeasurable to the energy health of the cell, in combination they are unbeatable. Allow me to reiterate the step-by-step, complicated cellular processes involved to be sure that you really understand the rationale for using these nutrients.
The cell needs a large, sustained, and healthy pool of energy to fuel all its metabolic functions. Contraction, relaxation, maintenance of cellular ion balance, and synthesis of macromolecules, like proteins, all require a high energy charge to carry their reactions to completion. The energy pool must be preserved, or these fundamental cellular functions will become inefficient or will cease to operate altogether. To keep the pool vibrant and healthy, the cell needs ribose. But even with supplemental ribose, the cell needs the efficient turnover of its energy stores to balance ongoing energy utilization with supply. That’s where CoQ10 and L-carnitine come into play.
The converse is also true. Even if the cell is fully charged with energy, cellular energy supply will not keep pace with demand if the mitochondria are not functioning properly. CoQ10 and L-carnitine work to keep mitochondrial operations running at peak efficiency, and one side cannot work effectively without the other. Even though CoQ10 and L-carnitine can make the energy turnover mechanisms work more efficiently, they cannot increase the cell’s chemical driving force, and their action will be only partially effective. Ribose on the other hand, can keep the energy pool supplied with substrate, but the value of energy pool repletion cannot be fully realized if the substrate cannot be maximally utilized and recycled. Ribose fills the tank; CoQ10 an L-carnitine help the engine run properly.
Magnesium is the glue that holds energy metabolism together. By turning on the enzymes that drive the metabolic reactions, magnesium allows it all to happen.
These four nutrients must be utilized by cardiologists and other physicians as they treat patients day-to-day. On my own Journey, using Coenzymes Q10 for two decades, L-carnitine for more than ten years, D-Ribose for two years, and magnesium equally as long, I’ve seen this “Awesome Foursome” reduce suffering and improve the quality of life for thousands of patients.
The future of nutrition in conventional medicine is very bright, although the integration of nutritional supplements has been a slow and, at times, lonely process.
L-carnitine and Coenzyme Q10 are finally gaining the recognition they deserve. D-Ribose is emerging as a new player in the complex understanding of metabolic cardiology, and doctors are beginning to discuss the important role of magnesium deficiency in heart patients. As a practicing cardiologist for over thirty years, I see metabolic cardiology as the future for the treatment of heart disease and other complex disease conditions, as well.
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=1539)
Date:
September 19, 2006 05:50 PM
Hello All:
I was touched this morning by the attached E-mail. When someone tells me “these products are so expensive” these are the kind of stories that always come to mind. It is not about cost: IT IS ALL ABOUT VALUE. What else in this world has this kind of impact on health?
Subject: DiGeorge Syndrome
Hi
My name is Wendy and I live in Ponca City OK. This story is about my daughter Sydney and her Journey with DiGeorge Syndrome.
DiGeorge syndrome is a rare congenital (i.e. present at birth) anomaly with symptoms vary greatly between individuals but commonly include a history of recurrent infection, heart defects, and characteristic facial features.
We learned about DiGeorge when Sydney was born. What a tough way to come into the world. Sydney had open heart surgery at 13 days old. We were told after her surgery that Sydney was born without a thymus gland. This gland is the home for the immune system. We were then told that she would likely die by the age of three. She would be very ill all of her life and would die from some type of infection. This devastated us!
One of the first people to provide some hope that there was something out there that could help was a friend of mine. His name is Tim O’Conner and told me about a company that provides glyconutrients. He is our pharmacist (we go to church together too). I had to call him from the hostpital with a medication list to make sure he had everything available in Ponca City before we could leave the hospital in Oklahoma City. Once we got to the pharmacy, Tim told me about the products and how it helps the immune system.
I had to think about it, research it and pray about it. I wasn’t just going to take his word for it! When Sydney was about 9 weeks old, I started her on glyconutrients, ¼ teaspoon twice a day. Because when Sydney was six weeks old, the immunologist told us she had a very poor immune system and to keep her away from everyone we can. No animals, no strangers, no church. So I really thought even more about the products. We started the products and went back to the immunologist at 6 months and at that point he told us that her immune system was probably better than mine! Then we asked what else do we need to do and he said “let me hold her for a minute because I am not going to see her ever again”. I started to cry! I was so happy because I had been told so many terrible things about kids with DiGeorge Syndrome and how they are always sick and that pneumonia normally kills them. We have been so blessed! Until Sydney was 1 year old she had to take a form of calcium, I cant remember the specific type. We were told by the endocrinologist that she would always have a calcium deficiency. Guess what, she is off the calcium too! Genetics asked what we had been doing with her, special therapy? No, just Sonner Start (a state funded occupational therapy) oh, and glyconutrients.
Every time we told a doctor about glyconutrients, they wanted to know more. We have told every doctor about this product. We have been told by all the genetic, immunologist, endocrinologist ect., that she doesn’t need to be followed by them any longer. Between that and prayer, Sydney is now almost 3 years old and is very healthy! Actually now, all we giver her are the glyconutrients kids supplements anywhere from 5 – 7 a day. She is great and loves the kids BEARS supplements!
Wendy
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=1393)
Date:
June 29, 2005 09:59 AM
Hoodia Extract - Discover the Contemporary Use for a Traditional Food Source
The San Tribesmen of the Kalahari Desert in southern Africa have known for millennia what we’ve only recently discovered; that the cactus-like Hoodia gordonii plant can be used as a healthy alternative food source. Because Source Naturals is dedicated to your good health, we’ve fused ancient San tradition with modern science to develop HOODIA EXTRACT.
The sustenance the San derived from the hoodia plant as a main food source allowed them to travel lightly without the burden of extra food to hinder their Journey on long hunting trips. With the introduction of our high quality HOODIA EXTRACT, Source Naturals offers you a safe, natural solution to achieving and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and the chance to discover the contemporary use for the powerful nutritional supplement everyone’s looking for. HOODIA EXTRACT underlines Source Naturals commitment to bringing you the highest quality dietary supplements in your steps toward good health.
An Age Old Tradition
Life in southern Africa’s Kalahari Desert could be cruel. But even without modern research, the San Tribesmen knew their nutritional needs could be met with a remarkable botanical. For more than a hundred thousand years the San thrived as hunter-gatherers; their success dependant on their ability to locate food. Their treks across the Kalahari would last for months, even years, with the men hunting for antelope, and the women foraging for what became the main staple in their diet: fruit, nuts, and plants. None of their traditional food sources were more important than the phenomenal Hoodia gordonii plant. The hoodia plant became their chief source of sustenance while roaming the desert. Fruit and meat spoiled, nuts never lasted, but the stems and roots of that plant were special.
A Special Plant
Despite its similar appearance, the cactus- like hoodia is characterized as a succulent plant, which is a member of the milkweed family. Though there are about 20 species within the family, the active ingredient of hoodia is found only in the gordonii variety. Experts in succulent horticulture have helped ensure that the material Source Naturals uses to make HOODIA EXTRACT is gathered from authentic Hoodia gordonii sources.
A Potent Extract
The secret of HOODIA EXTRACT lies in the plant’s active ingredient; a substance containing previously unknown molecules discovered by South African scientists, and found to interact with the hypothalamus. Through painstaking chemical testing to assure quality and potency, Source Naturals has gone to great lengths to develop an extract that is best for the supplemental needs of its consumers. Every bit of the certified material Source Naturals receives is put through high tech chromatographic analysis to verify the purity of the active constituents needed to make HOODIA EXTRACT.
A Responsible Company HOODIA EXTRACT has been produced with environmental sustainability in mind. Using only materials safely cultivated from the stems of seedlings grown on approved farms in South Africa, Source Naturals has made certain those materials were gathered with the knowledge and help of the San people to better preserve the Kalahari’s natural resources.
A Wellness Revolution in Nutritional Health
With today’s people faced with a multitude of nutritional problems, it is increasingly critical for us to take charge of our own well-being. Source Naturals is devoted to providing the highest quality products designed to supplement your diet and aid in your pursuit of a healthy lifestyle. HOODIA EXTRACT is available at your local health food store in 250mg capsules or tablets. Source Naturals - providing nutritional benefits offered only in the natural products marketplace.
References
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=518)
Date:
June 29, 2005 09:44 AM
SYTRINOL - For Heart Health, Don’t Be Confused About Cholesterol...
Maintaining your cardiovascular health is one of the best ways you can stay fit. That means working to keep your cholesterol levels within the normal range. And contrary to popular belief, the amount of cholesterol you consume in food is not the most important factor for regulating normal cholesterol levels. It is actually the liver’s imbalanced production of cholesterol that is much more critical for your cardiovascular health.
You can address the root cause of maintaining normal cholesterol levels today with Source Naturals SYTRINOL™. This patented blend of citrus polymethoxylated flavones and tocotrienols has been clinically shown to promote cardiovascular health by supporting normal cholesterol production by your liver, promoting balanced triglyceride (fat) production, and providing antioxidant protection. Source Naturals, an industry leader in many categories, introduces the science of SYTRINOL™ in the CHOLESTEROL RESCUE™ product family to support your better heart health today.
The Truth About Cholesterol
Cholesterol is a very confusing subject – our bodies require it but we can also get too much of it. Cholesterol is one type of the ring-shaped compounds called sterols. Other sterols include bile acids, sex hormones, adrenal hormones and vitamin D. Approximately 90% of the cholesterol in your body is in your cell membranes. The remaining 10% can be found in your blood and throughout your body.
Liver’s Over-Production of Cholesterol
When your body needs more cholesterol, your liver takes carbohydrates, proteins and fats (also called triglycerides) from your diet and converts them into cholesterol. The amount of cholesterol that you might consume from foods (in animal products such as eggs, milk, cheese and beef ) is minute compared to the amount of cholesterol produced by your liver. Thus, cholesterol from food isn’t as critical to your total cholesterol. But balancing the cholesterol produced by your liver is very critical to your total cholesterol and thus, your cardiovascular health.
Oxidized LDL Cholesterol
Despite the confusion, cholesterol is a vital component of good health that strengthens cell membranes and provides building blocks for hormones, bile and vitamin D production. However, there is one potential pathway where cholesterol can contribute to an imbalance. When cholesterol moves through the blood to individual cells, it can travel in groups such as lipoproteins, which also contain fats and proteins. When the cholesterol is moving through your blood in Low Density Lipoproteins (LDL) it can undergo oxidation by free radicals in the artery walls. Some medical experts theorize that the oxidized LDL cholesterol becomes trapped in the artery walls as imbalanced deposits instead of completing the Journey to join cell membranes. These deposits can eventually reduce the size and function of the arteries, compromising blood flow. Thus, antioxidant protection, balanced triglyceride production, and normal cholesterol production by the liver can all be critically important to your good health. And SYTRINOL™ provides all of these benefits.
How SYTRINOL™ Supports Heart Health
SYTRINOL is a powerful scientifically formulated blend protected by U.S. patent numbers 6,251,400, 09/ 481724. It contains natural citrus polymethoxylated flavones (PMFs) and tocotrienols that go deep to address the root causes of cholesterol wellness.
Citrus PMFs
Polymethoxylated flavones are types of polyphenolic compounds called flavonoids, which are the largest known category of phytonutrients. Health benefits of various flavonoids include antioxidant activity, immune system support, and cellular protection. The unique structure of polymethoxylated flavones, which naturally contain methyl groups paired with oxygen in key places, enables PMFs to interfere with cholesterol production. The citrus PMFs in SYTRINOL, such as tangeretin and sinensetin, promote normal cholesterol levels by inhibiting both the production of cholesterol precursors, such as cholesteryl esters, and the activity of HMG CoA Reductase, an enzyme that synthesizes cholesterol in the liver. These PMFs can also balance the body’s production of triglycerides by inhibiting the activity of your liver’s triglyceride producing enzyme, diacylglycerol acetyltransferase. Since LDL cholesterol is made from cholesterol and triglycerides, decreasing your liver’s production of triglycerides will reduce the amount of those triglycerides available to form LDL cholesterol compounds.
Tocotrienols are compounds similar to vitamin E in structure and function. The tocotrienols in SYTRINOL increase degradation of cholesterol building blocks such as Apolipoprotein B, interfere with cholesterol production, and provide antioxidant protection. The tocotrienols in SYTRINOL are also especially protective antioxidants for LDL cholesterol compounds that have already been produced, helping to prevent the oxidized LDL cholesterol conditions that may affect your cardiovascular circulation.
SYTRINOL’s Proactive Synergy
SYTRINOL works so well because this natural blend of PMFs and tocotrienols works proactively, synergistically, and independently. In preliminary human research, SYTRINOL proactively supported balanced cholesterol and triglyceride production by the liver through the synergistic effects of the PMFs and tocotrienols. Furthermore, SYTRINOL promotes LDL cholesterol antioxidant protection.
The above information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Other products work reactively to disable existing cholesterol and may only work in conjunction with diets. And because SYTRINOL works independently of diet, you can take it anytime.
Three Lifestyle Strategies for Cardiovascular Health
1. Exercise regularly to increase hearthealthy HDL cholesterol and lower blood triglycerides (fats).
2. Eat a healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins to help maintain normal cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
3. Take the right supplements to promote your cardiovascular health. In preliminary clinical studies, the amino acid L-ARGININE supported healthy blood flow to the heart and body. GARLIC OIL helps to maintain healthy cholesterol levels and promotes healthy circulation. POLICOSANOL CHOLESTEROL COMPLEX, CHOLESRESPONSE™, CHOLESFIBER™, CHOLESTREX®, and GRAPEFRUIT PECTIN all help to support normal cholesterol levels. HEART RESPONSE™ and HEART SCIENCE™ are advanced formulas that address heart health. Additionally, you can get cardiovascular system supporting compounds such as folic acid, betacarotene, CoQ10, lipoic acid, ginkgo, grapeseed extract, hawthorn extract, magnesium, vitamin E, and many other nutrients in LIFE FORCE MULTIPLE™, Source Naturals’ best-selling multiple. There is a revolution underway in natural health consciousness, and your local health food store is at the forefront. You can benefit right now – long before word spreads to the general public – with the innovative heart nutrition of SYTRINOL, a CHOLESTEROL RESCUE™ product. SYTRINOL™ is a trademark of KGK Synergize exclusively licensed worldwide to SourceOne Global Partners.
References
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=516)
Date:
June 18, 2005 09:07 AM
Anti-Aging Nutrients by Edward C. Wallace, DC, ND Energy Times, February 3, 2000
What's the big deal about trying to live longer? As you grow older (and the American population grows older alongside you) you may want to postpone the inevitable. Few wish to hasten "the Journey from which no traveler returns." But as we approach that final bon voyage, chances are we desire clear sailing-aging without disability and with a peaceful, easy feeling.
How Do We Age?
Science has long puzzled about what causes the wrinkles, pains and deterioration of aging. In the search for causes, two basic theories have won over the most proponents: The first holds that cells are programmed with biological clocks that predetermine how many times they can reproduce before becoming non-functional. This theory has been largely formulated by the researcher Leonard Hayflick, MD.
The second basic theory, introduced by Denham Harman, MD, PhD, in the mid 1950s, holds that cells eventually break down due to attack by caustic molecules called free radicals that cause oxidative stress.
Programmed Cell Theory
In the early '60s, Dr. Hayflick observed that human fibroblasts (cells from connective tissue) in the laboratory refused to divide more than about 50 times. Dr. Hayflick also found that even if he froze the fibroblasts after 20 divisions, they would remember that they only had 30 divisions left after thawing.
Fifty cell divisions have been called the "Hayflick limit." Based on this research, scientists theorize that cells maintain a genetic clock that winds down as old age ensues. Many researchers believe the hypothalamus gland is the force behind our aging clocks, signaling the pituitary gland to release hormones that cause aging.
Free Radical/Oxidative Stress Theory
The other popular theory of aging pictures the human body as a cellular battlefield where attackers called free radicals damage our cells and tissues, making them age. In this scenario, a process called oxidation is the chief aging villain. On a microscopic level, oxidation generally entails molecules or atoms losing electrons. (Gaining electrons is called reduction.) The molecules or atoms that take these electrons are oxidizing agents.
Free radicals are substances that can exist with missing electrons, making them readily able to donate or accept electrons and damage structures in cells. As such, they are highly reactive, binding with and destroying important cellular compounds. Most of the free radicals in your body are made during metabolic processes. More are added from the food you eat and environmental pollution. Most of these free radicals contain oxygen molecules. As each cell makes energy in little structures called mitochondria, free radicals result. These oxidant by-products can damage DNA, proteins and lipids (fats). Consequently, toxic by-products of lipid peroxidation may cause cancer, inhibit enzyme activity and produce mutations in genetic material that make you age faster.
DNA Repair Theory
Free radical damage to DNA can cause cells to mutate or die. Your body makes enzymes that can repair this damage and slow aging. But, over time, the amount of damage overwhelms the body's ability to fix things. As cells grow older, their ability to patch up DNA diminishes and the rate of damage proceeds faster than repair. The result: We age and eventually die.
What Can We Do?
The free radical theory of aging suggests that taking antioxidants (compounds known to prevent free radical damage) in our food or as supplements may slow aging.
In the publication Age (18 [51] 1995: 62), it was reported that "aging appears to be caused by free radicals initiated by the mitochondria at an increasing rate with age. Superoxide and hydrogen peroxide radicals formed by the mitochondria during normal metabolism are major risk factors for disease and death after about the age of 28 in developed countries. Antioxidants from the diet lower the production of free radicals without impairing essential reactions to maintain body function."
Antioxidant Protection
Common dietary antioxidants include: vitamins E and C, carotenes, sulphur containing amino acids, co-enzyme Q10 and flavonoids (a group of plant compounds or pigments responsible for the color in fruits and flowers). In addition, melatonin, DHEA and the amino acid compound glutathione may also prove of benefit.
Glutathione along with the enzyme glutathione peroxidase are an essential part of free radical "quenching." (Quenching means changing free radicals into benign substances no longer capable of harm.) Deficiencies may suggest a decreased capacity to maintain detoxification and metabolic reactions in which glutathione plays a role, resulting in increased free radical stress and/or lipid peroxidation. Drinking too many alcoholic beverages can result in glutathione deficiency.
In a study in which 39 healthy men and 130 healthy women between the ages of 20 and 94 were evaluated for glutathione levels, the older subjects had significantly decreased levels (especially in the 60 to 79-year-old group). The authors felt that physical health and longevity were closely related to glutathione levels (Jrnl Lab & Clin Sci 120(5), Nov. 1992: 720-725). Poor nutrition and/or deficiencies in essential micronutrients and many prescription medications may contribute significantly to detoxification capacity in an aged individual. All of these circumstances are common in the elderly.
Eating a poor diet that contains too many processed foods without many fruits and vegetables can compromise your body's ability to detoxify pollutants, toxins and other harmful compounds. That can set off metabolic processes capable of fomenting large increases in free radical stress that can accelerate aging. Unfortunately, even in a country as prosperous as our own, nutrient deficiencies are frequent, especially in older citizens.
Nutrition Deficiencies
A study that looked at what elderly people consumed compared their reported intake with the 1989 Recommended Dietary Amount (RDA) and 1980 RDA: One of four people consumed only two-thirds of the RDA for calories and 60% consumed less than two-thirds of the RDA for vitamin D. As for other nutrients, 50% were found to have inadequate zinc levels (less than two-thirds of the RDA), 31% lacked calcium, 27% were short of vitamin B6, 25% didn't get enough magnesium, 7% missed out on folate and 6% ate less than two-thirds of the requirement for vitamin C (Nutrition Reviews (II), September 1995: S9-S15).
When researchers examine what everyone in the U.S. eats, they find that only 9% of Americans consume the recommended five servings of fruits and/or vegetables per day (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Sept 1993).
A diet high in fruits and vegetables is naturally high in antioxidant compounds and is believed to help you live longer. Unfortunately, if you buy your produce in the supermarket, those fruits and vegetables may also be rich in pesticide and herbicide residues (Consumer Reports, March 1999). Obviously, organic produce lacks these residues. But, in any case, research continues to indicate that a diet low in meats and animal fat and high in vegetables protects against antioxidant damage.
Longevity Diets
A six-year study of 182 people over age 70 in rural Greek villages found that those following their traditional diet of olive oil, whole grain breads, fresh fruits and vegetables and wine were less likely to die during the study than those who consumed more red meat and saturated fat. The most important foods in lowering the risk of early death included fruits, vegetables, legumes (peas and beans), nuts, dairy products and cereals (BMJ 311, 1995: 1457-1460).
Another article in Epidemiology highlights the evidence that eating a vegetarian diet increases your chances of living longer. Included in this survey is a recent country-wide study of diet and health in China, showing that the traditional near vegetarian diet of 10% to 15% of calories coming from dietary fat reduced the chances of heart disease, diabetes and many types of cancers (Epidemiology 3[5], 1992: 389-391).
Staying Alive
Staying skinny and limiting what you eat may also increase longevity. Scientific studies have previously shown that being overweight can theoretically curtail your life, increasing the risk of heart disease, diabetes and other life-shortening conditions. Animal studies have also shown that restricting food can slow diseases associated with aging. Researchers believe that cutting calories helps your immune system stay younger by reducing the formation of substances that are called proinflammatory cytokines.
Specifically reducing your intake of fatty foods may decrease your chance of coming down with autoimmune diseases. Researchers think omega-6 fatty acid vegetable oils (like corn oil) may increase free radical formation and decrease levels of antioxidant enzyme messenger RNA in addition to other effects (Nutrition Reviews 53[4], 1995: S72-S79). Another study found that cutting calories lowers the levels of oxidative stress and damage, retards age-associated changes and extends maximum life span in mammals (Science 273, July 5, 1996: 59-63).
In yet another study, it was shown that caloric restriction early in the life of lab animals increased their life span by a whopping 40% (Australian Family Physician 23[7], July 1994: 1297-1305). Today's modern higher-fat, low-fiber diet with substantial sugar consumption represents everything the longevity researchers say you shouldn't eat.
Longevity and Exercise
Exercise may slow aging. When researchers looked at the exercise habits of 17,000 men, average age of 46, they found that those who took part in vigorous activity lived longer.
Exercise can improve both cardiac and metabolic functions within the body, while also decreasing heart disease risk. Even modest exercise has been shown to improve cholesterol and blood sugar levels (JAMA 273[15], April 19, 1995: 1179-1184). In a study of how exercise affects your chances of living longer, 9,773 men underwent preventive medicine examinations on two different occasions. When the researchers looked at who lived longest, they found the highest death rate was in men who were unfit during both physical exams.
The Treadmill of Life
The lowest death rate was in the men who worked out and were in good shape. The researchers concluded that for each minute increase in how long a man could keep treading on a treadmill (between the first and second exam) there was a corresponding 7.9% decrease in the risk of dying (JAMA 273 [14], April 12, 1995: 1093-1098).
Since exercise can increase oxygen consumption up to 10 times, boosting the rate of production of free radicals, researchers believe that older individuals need more antioxidant nutrients to protect them. In a paper published in Aging Clinical and Experimental Research (1997), researchers stated that if you regularly exercise in your golden years, you should take more antioxidant vitamins to compensate for this risk.
Longevity Supplementation
Melatonin is not often thought of as an antioxidant, but, instead, as a sleep aid. Melatonin, however, is an effective and efficient free radical scavenger and may help stave off the effects of aging. Melatonin protects against what are called hydroxyl free radicals. Research shows that older people's lack of melatonin may make them more susceptible to oxidative stress. In one study, researchers felt that new therapies aimed at stimulating melatonin synthesis may eventually lead to therapies for the prevention of diseases related to premature aging (Aging and Clinical Experimental Research 7[5], 1995: 338-339). Melatonin was shown to provide antioxidant protection in several ways.
Toning Down Enzymes
Melatonin can ease the effects of enzymes that generate free radicals, enhance the production of glutathione peroxidase (an antioxidant) and defuse the caustic action of free radicals that contain hydroxyls. In several studies, DHEA supplementation has been shown to potentially revive immune function in older adults (Exp. Opin. Invest. Drugs 4[2], 1995: 147-154).
In a study of 138 persons older than 85 years compared to 64 persons 20 to 40 years of age, scientists found that the younger people had four times as much DHEA in their bodies.
The researchers believe that our bodies make less and less DHEA as we get older. The authors of this study raise the possibility that declining DHEA may be partly to blame for our biological clocks running down (New York Academy of Sciences 1994: 543-552).
Vitamins E & C
A growing body of research also supports the benefits of taking vitamins E and C to hold off the effects of getting old. Researchers writing in Free Radicals and Aging (1992: 411-418) point out that as you get older your body is home to more and more free radical reactions that may lead to degenerative diseases like heart disease and arthritis. Research has found that in older people with exercise-induced oxidative stress, taking vitamin E every day may significantly fight off free radicals. (To investigate this effect, scientists measured waste products in urine that result from free radical reactions.) Their conclusion: Dietary antioxidants such as vitamin E may be beneficial.
Chronological Age Vs.Biological Age
Vitamin C also looks to scientists like a good anti-aging bet. Research in the Journal of Advancement in Medicine, (7[1], Spring 1994: 31-41) showed that folks consuming larger amounts of vitamin C were less likely to experience clinical problems at all ages. Those taking in less than 100 mg of vitamin C per day also suffered the most problems.
In this research, individuals over 50 years of age who daily consumed the largest amount of vitamin C were as healthy or healthier than the 40 year olds who were taking the least amount of vitamin C.
Similar Relationship
A similar relationship appears to exist for vitamin E and serum cholesterol levels. In a study of 360 physicians and their spouses, researchers found that people in their 50s who consumed more vitamin E had lower cholesterol than those in their 30s who were taking less.
And the longevity beat goes on: In a study evaluating environmental tobacco smoke and oxidative stress, researchers divided 103 people into three groups. Researchers blew smoke at 37 of these folks without protection while 30 of them got to breathe tobacco smoke but took antioxidant supplementation. Another 36 of them merely had to read magazines from doctors' offices. The results: After 60 days of supplementation the antioxidant folks had a 62% reduction in evidence of oxidative damage to their DNA. Cholesterol levels dropped and so did antioxidant enzyme activities. The researchers concluded that taking antioxidants provided a modicum of protection against environmental poisons.
The range of antioxidant nutrients used in this study included: beta-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc and selenium as well as copper (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 7, November 1998: 981-988).
Carotenoids
When you mention carotene or carotenoids, most people think of the beta carotene that makes carrots orange. But more than 600 carotenoids are present in colorful vegetables and many of these misunderstood substances are more potent antioxidants than beta-carotene.
Carotenoids have been shown to destroy oxygen free radicals in lipids (fats), help protect our cells from the sun's ultra violet radiation and enhance our natural immune response (J. Nutr 119[1], Jan. 1989: 112-115).
Some evidence seems to show that how much carotenoids you (and other mammals) have in your cells may be the predominant factor in determining life span (Proc Natl Acad Sci 82 [4], 1985: 798-802). Therefore, a diet rich in carotenoids (leafy green vegetables, carrots, yams, sweet potatoes, squash, citrus fruits and tomatoes) along with supplementation seems to be just what the fountain of youth ordered.
Flavonoids
Flavonoids, a group of antioxidant plant pigments, seem to be able to protect specific organs. For instance, the flavonoids in milk thistle (Silybum marianum) have been used for ages for liver problems. Bilberry has been found protective for the eye and hawthorn for the heart and circulatory system.
Numerous studies have shown the many beneficial effects of flavonoids with perhaps the best known being the ability of anthocyanidins in wine and grape seed extract to help protect your blood vessels and capillaries from oxidative damage (Phytotherapy 42, 1986: 11-14; Am J Clin Nutr 61, 1995: 549-54).
Flavonoids are found in vegetables and such fruits as blackberries, blueberries, cherries and grapes. A diet rich in these foods helps ensure an adequate intake of these important nutrient compounds.
Amino Acid Health
Methionine and cysteine are sulphur containing amino acids (protein building blocks), both of which are essential in maintaining levels of glutathione, a substance that plays a major role in quelling free radicals. Studies have found that as we age, the level of these important amino acids in our bodies decreases. (NEJM 312 [1], 1985: 159-68). As it has been shown that adding cysteine to the diet of test animals can increase their life expectancy considerably, researchers believe these amino acids can help us live longer too.
Attitude & Behavior
Get more sleep! A recent study showed that men who habitually napped were less likely to have a heart attack. The men in this research who regularly napped for at least 30 minutes per day had about a 30% reduction in heart problems while those who napped for a full hour had a 50% reduction compared to non nappers. Naps of longer duration did not seem to increase the benefit. In the same research, investigators also found that spending time with a pet or merely contemplating nature could also improve cardiac health. Sensuality, optimism and altruism also appeared to have health benefits (Family Practice News, December 15, 1998: 14-15).
In another study, this one in American Psychologist, researchers from the University of California found that people who are self-indulgent, pampered and achieve by running roughshod over the competition are less likely to outlive their healthy peers. Being egocentric, impulsive, undependable and tough-minded were predictors of poor physical health and a shorter life. So loosen up and be nice to your fellow humans! (U.C. Davis Magazine, Fall 1995: 14).
Longevity at Last
While no one has suggested that taking supplements, eating vegetables or exercising can, as of yet, extend the human life span past the generally recognized limit of about 120 years, researchers believe they can improve your odds of longer life. And by staying healthier, your old age will be more enjoyable, too.
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=377)
Date:
June 13, 2005 03:52 PM
Home on the Range
by Janis Jibrin, RD Energy Times, September 5, 1999
Got chicken? Americans can't seem to get enough of this bird. Last year each of us ate, on average, just about 80 pounds of chicken, a whopping increase over the 49 pounds we each devoured in 1980 and an eight-pound increase from 1995. Part of this food's popularity comes from its lean image as a healthier, less fatty alternative to red meat (don't forget to take the fatty skin off). Chicken's also a cheap protein source: At many popular supermarkets you'll find weekly specials at about a dollar a pound.
But at health food markets, chicken can cost upwards of $1.69 a pound. These birds may be touted as raised in an organic, stress-free environment and on a vegetarian diet, free of antibiotics. For many people, this poultry is a better buy.
The Alternative Chicken
Most of the supermarket chicken you pick up in grocery refrigerated cases are broilers, birds bred to mature in about eight weeks. In comparison, in the '60s, chickens needed 14 weeks to become adult poultry. Conventionally-raised broilers eat grain mixed with whatever's cheapest on the market, such as recycled cooking oil that's been used to fry fast foods and animal parts.
These birds reside in chicken coops the size of football fields and don't see the light of day until transported to the slaughterhouse. On the other roost, alternatively raised chickens are brought up in a variety of ways (see box), but usually enjoy a more relaxed life and diet.
Chickens on the farm receive antibiotics for two reasons: To fight off the diseases that can run rampant through a crowded chicken coop and to encourage faster growth.
Antibiotics Stimulate Growth
Mark Cook, PhD, professor of animal science at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, explains, "Gut bacteria trigger an immune system assault, which makes chickens a little feverish, suppresses appetite and slows growth. Antibiotics stimulate growth indirectly, by keeping bacteria levels down, and preventing the immune reaction." When birds get sick, they often get dosed with even more antibiotics.
This widespread antibiotic use has come home to roost and may contribute to the growth of bacteria that, frequently exposed to chemicals, have evolved ways to keep from being killed by pharmaceuticals.
This development threatens human health. Bacterial infections that people contract, once easily cured by penicillin or other drugs, are now tougher to eradicate. For instance, campylobactor, a common bacteria found in chicken, and responsible for some food poisonings, now demonstrates signs of resistance to drugs like floroquinolones. A powerful class of antibiotics, floroquinolones used to dependably conquer this infection.
"Floroquinolones are an extremely important class of antibiotics, used to treat many types of infections such as urinary tract infection, a wide variety of gastrointestinal illnesses, pneumonia, almost everything," says Kirt Smith, DVM, PhD, epidemiologist, acute disease epidemiology section, Minnesota Department of Health.
A study by Dr. Smith, published in the New England Journal of Medicine (340, 1999: 1525-32), showed that the percent of floroquinolone-resistant campylobactor appearing in infected people in his state-Minnesota-climbed from a little over 1% in infected people during 1992 to 10.2% in 1998. He and other scientists strongly suspect that the rise is a direct consequence of the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) decision to allow floroquinolones in poultry feed beginning in 1995.
Although it was nearly impossible for Dr. Smith to trace the precise origin of campylobactor poisoning, he believes chicken was usually the source-and not just U.S. chicken. Many of the infected people had returned from Mexico and other countries.
"Sales of floroquinolones for poultry use in Mexico has increased dramatically," notes Dr. Smith.
Many alternative chicken producers do not use any antibiotic-laced feed at all. Other farmers adjust the feed to lower gut pH, making it more acidic and lowering chances of bacteria. At the U. of Wisconsin, Dr. Cook is developing antibodies to suppress the immune response to bacteria so chickens won't need antibiotics to spur growth. Buying and dining on chicken raised with little or no antibiotics could beneficially lower your risk of contracting a hardy bacterial infection. Better to catch campylobactor from an antibiotic-free chicken than a conventional chicken, speculates Dr. Cook. "There's less likelihood the bug will be resistant, and a better chance your problem can be cured with antibiotics," he explains.
And, looking beyond your own immediate health risk, buying antibiotic-free chicken makes a small contribution to stopping the spread of antibiotic resistant bugs. A Matter of Taste Conventionally raised chickens get little exercise and live only eight weeks, so they're tender but bland.
"There's not much taste in a modern chicken. Free range or organically grown, older birds usually have more taste," notes Dr. Cook.
The days of barnyard chickens happily clucking and strutting around in picturesque nature have disappeared with the family farm. Today, chickens lead a meager existence. After hatching, baby chicks are tossed into a gigantic hen house that is home to up to 30,000 birds. Their short lives are lived within the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) mandated 3/4 square foot per chicken. In that squeeze, birds can catch "chicken influenza," especially in winter when it's too cold to let in much fresh air.
Laying hens don't experience much more of a peaceful existence. These birds live their years with about five other hens, so crowded they can't flap their wings. Cages, suspended in the air, let eggs roll into a holding area. So they don't peck each other, hens are often debeaked, a painful process that can cause infection.
Hens go through natural laying and "dry" cycles. Growers manipulate this cycle by "forced molting," depriving hens of food for four to 14 days to keep them constantly laying. By the end of two years, hens are worn out. Their inactivity weakens their bones enough that electrical stunning, the usual method for knocking chickens out before slaughter, shatters their bones. So some wind up being plucked and boiled alive, according to Mary Finelli, program director for farm animals and public health at the Humane Society of the United States. The meat from these hens, tougher than other birds, was probably in your deli lunch sandwich. It's also used in the school lunch program or may end up in dog food.
"Generally, organically-grown broilers and hens have it better because room to move is part of the organic certification process," says Finelli. Finelli suggests visiting chicken suppliers to find out how chickens are treated. Or, she advocates a Humane Society book listing reliable firms. For a local producer call the society: 202-452-1100. According to a Consumer Report report, some growers force chickens out the last week of their lives to brand them "free range." So free range isn't a prime standard for choosing a decently raised chicken. However, turkeys thrive outdoors, so choosing free-range turkey is often a good idea for better tasting poultry.
In any case, organic is your best bet for chicken without pesticides. Make it your main choice for your 80 pound yearly consumption!
To fight cruel treatment of poultry:
• Forced Molting Ban. Forced molting is shocking hens for more eggs. To support petitions banning forced molting write: Docket Manage-ment Branch, FDA, Dept. Health & Human Serv-ices, 12420 Parklawn Drive, Room 1-23, Rock-ville, MD 20857. Include docket # 98P-0203/CP
• Downed Animal Protection Bill (House Bill 443, Senate Bill S515) spares some animals from the tortuous Journey from chicken house to slaughterhouse. Mandates humane euthanization.
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Date:
June 10, 2005 09:59 PM
Nutrients for Longevity by Edward C. Wallace, ND, DC Energy Times, September 1, 1999
What's the big deal about trying to live longer? As you grow older (and the American population grows older alongside you) you may want to postpone the inevitable. Few wish to hasten "the Journey from which no traveler returns." But as we approach that final bon voyage, chances are we desire clear sailing-aging without disability and with a peaceful easy feeling.
How Do We Age
Science has long puzzled about what causes the wrinkles, pains and deterioration of aging. In the search for causes, two basic theories have won over the most proponents: The first holds that cells are programmed with biological clocks that predetermine how many times they can reproduce before becoming non-functional. This theory has been largely formulated by the researcher Leonard Hayflick, MD.
The second basic theory, introduced by Denham Harman, MD, PhD, in the mid 1950s, holds that cells eventually break down due to attack by caustic molecules called free radicals that cause oxidative stress.
Programmed Cell Theory
In the early '60s, Dr. Hayflick observed that human fibroblasts (cells from connective tissue) in the laboratory refused to divide more than about 50 times. Dr. Hayflick also found that even if he froze the fibroblasts after 20 divisions, they would remember that they only had 30 divisions left after thawing.
Fifty cell divisions have been called the "Hayflick limit." Based on this research, scientists theorize that cells maintain a genetic clock that winds down as old age ensues. Many researchers believe the hypothalamus gland is the force behind our aging clocks, signaling the pituitary gland to release hormones that cause aging.
Free Radical/Oxidative Stress Theory
The other popular theory of aging pictures the human body as a cellular battlefield where attackers called free radicals damage our cells and tissues, making them age. In this scenario, a process called oxidation is the chief aging villain.
On a microscopic level, oxidation generally entails molecules or atoms losing electrons. (Gaining electrons is called reduction.) The molecules or atoms that take these electrons are oxidizing agents. Free radicals are substances that can exist with missing electrons, making them readily able to donate or accept electrons and damage structures in cells. As such, they are highly reactive, binding with and destroying important cellular compounds. Most of the free radicals in your body are made during metabolic processes. More are added from the food you eat and environmental pollution.
Most of these free radicals contain oxygen molecules. As each cell makes energy in little structures called mitochondria, free radicals result. These oxidant by-products can damage DNA, proteins and lipids (fats). Consequently, toxic by-products of lipid peroxidation may cause cancer, inhibit enzyme activity and produce mutations in genetic material that make you age faster.
DNA Repair Theory
Free radical damage to DNA can cause cells to mutate or die. Your body makes enzymes that can repair this damage and slow aging. But, over time, the amount of damage overwhelms the body's ability to fix things. As cells grow older, their ability to patch up DNA diminishes and the rate of damage proceeds faster than repair. The result: We age and eventually die.
What Can We Do
The free radical theory of aging suggests that taking antioxidants (compounds known to prevent free radical damage) in our food or as supplements may slow aging.
In the publication Age (18 [51] 1995: 62), it was reported that "aging appears to be caused by free radicals initiated by the mitochondria at an increasing rate with age. Superoxide and hydrogen peroxide radicals formed by the mitochondria during normal metabolism are major risk factors for disease and death after about the age of 28 in developed countries. Antioxidants from the diet lower the production of free radicals without impairing essential reactions to maintain body function."
Antioxidant Protection
Common dietary antioxidants include: vitamins E and C, carotenes, sulphur containing amino acids, co-enzyme Q10 and flavonoids (a group of plant compounds or pigments responsible for the color in fruits and flowers). In addition, melatonin, DHEA and the amino acid compound glutathione may also prove of benefit.
Glutathione along with the enzyme glutathione peroxidase are an essential part of free radical "quenching." (Quenching means changing free radicals into benign substances no longer capable of harm.)
Deficiencies may suggest a decreased capacity to maintain detoxification and metabolic reactions in which glutathione plays a role, resulting in increased free radical stress and/or lipid peroxidation. Drinking too many alcoholic beverages can result in glutathione deficiency.
In a study in which 39 healthy men and 130 healthy women between the ages of 20 and 94 were evaluated for glutathione levels, the older subjects had significantly decreased levels (especially in the 60 to 79-year-old group). The authors felt that physical health and longevity were closely related to glutathione levels (Jrnl Lab & Clin Sci 120(5), Nov. 1992: 720-725).
Poor nutrition and/or deficiencies in essential micronutrients and many prescription medications may contribute significantly to detoxification capacity in an aged individual. All of these circumstances are common in the elderly.
Eating a poor diet that contains too many processed foods without many fruits and vegetables can compromise your body's ability to detoxify pollutants, toxins and other harmful compounds. That can set off metabolic processes capable of fomenting large increases in free radical stress that can accelerate aging. Unfortunately, even in a country as prosperous as our own, nutrient deficiencies are frequent, especially in older citizens.
Nutrition Deficiencies
A study that looked at what elderly people consumed compared their reported intake with the 1989 Recommended Dietary Amount (RDA) and 1980 RDA: One of four people consumed only two-thirds of the RDA for calories and 60% consumed less than two-thirds of the RDA for vitamin D. As for other nutrients, 50% were found to have inadequate zinc levels (less than two-thirds of the RDA), 31% lacked calcium, 27% were short of vitamin B6, 25% didn't get enough magnesium, 7% missed out on folate and 6% ate less than two-thirds of the requirement for vitamin C (Nutrition Reviews (II), September 1995: S9-S15).
When researchers examine what everyone in the U.S. eats, they find that only 9% of Americans consume the recommended five servings of fruits and/or vegetables per day (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Sept 1993).
A diet high in fruits and vegetables is naturally high in antioxidant compounds and is believed to help you live longer. Unfortunately, if you buy your produce in the supermarket, those fruits and vegetables may also be rich in pesticide and herbicide residues (Consumer Reports, March 1999). Obviously, organic produce lacks these residues. But, in any case, research continues to indicate that a diet low in meats and animal fat and high in vegetables protects against antioxidant damage.
Longevity Diets
A six-year study of 182 people over age 70 in rural Greek villages found that those following their traditional diet of olive oil, whole grain breads, fresh fruits and vegetables and wine were less likely to die during the study than those who consumed more red meat and saturated fat. The most important foods in lowering the risk of early death included fruits, vegetables, legumes (peas and beans), nuts, dairy products and cereals (BMJ 311, 1995: 1457-1460)
Another article in Epidemiology highlights the evidence that eating a vegetarian diet increases your chances of living longer. Included in this survey is a recent country-wide study of diet and health in China, showing that the traditional near vegetarian diet of 10% to 15% of calories coming from dietary fat reduced the chances of heart disease, diabetes and many types of cancers. (Epidemiology 3[5], 1992: 389-391).
Staying Alive
Staying skinny and limiting what you eat may also increase longevity. Scientific studies have previously shown that being overweight can theoretically curtail your life, increasing the risk of heart disease, diabetes and other life-shortening conditions. Animal studies have also shown that restricting food can slow diseases associated with aging. Researchers believe that cutting calories helps your immune system stay younger by reducing the formation of substances that are called proinflammatory cytokines.
Specifically reducing your intake of fatty foods may decrease your chance of coming down with autoimmune diseases. Researchers think omega-6 fatty acid vegetable oils (like corn oil) may increase free radical formation and decrease levels of antioxidant enzyme messenger RNA in addition to other effects. (Nutrition Reviews 53[4], 1995: S72-S79). Another study found that cutting calories lowers the levels of oxidative stress and damage, retards age-associated changes and extends maximum life span in mammals (Science 273, July 5, 1996: 59-63).
In yet another study, it was shown that caloric restriction early in the life of lab animals increased their life span by a whopping 40% (Australian Family Physician 23[7], July 1994: 1297-1305). Today's modern higher-fat, low-fiber diet with substantial sugar consumption represents everything the longevity researchers say you shouldn't eat.
Longevity and Exercise:
Exercise may slow aging. When researchers looked at the exercise habits of 17,000 men, average age of 46, they found that those who took part in vigorous activity lived longer.
Exercise can improve both cardiac and metabolic functions within the body, while also decreasing heart disease risk. Even modest exercise has been shown to improve cholesterol and blood sugar levels (JAMA 273[15], April 19, 1995: 1179-1184).
In a study of how exercise affects your chances of living longer, 9,773 men underwent preventive medicine examinations on two different occasions. When the researchers looked at who lived longest, they found the highest death rate was in men who were unfit during both physical exams.
The Treadmill of Life
The lowest death rate was in the men who worked out and were in good shape. The researchers concluded that for each minute increase in how long a man could keep treading on a treadmill (between the first and second exam) there was a corresponding 7.9% decrease in the risk of dying. (JAMA 273 [14], April 12, 1995: 1093-1098).
Since exercise can increase oxygen consumption up to 10 times, boosting the rate of production of free radicals, researchers believe that older individuals need more antioxidant nutrients to protect them. In a paper published in Aging Clinical and Experimental Research (1997), researchers stated that if you regularly exercise in your golden years, you should take more antioxidant vitamins to compensate for this risk.
Longevity Supplementation
Melatonin is not often thought of as an antioxidant, but, instead, as a sleep aid. Melatonin, however, is an effective and efficient free radical scavenger and may help stave off the effects of aging.
Melatonin protects against what are called hydroxyl free radicals. Research shows that older people's lack of melatonin may make them more susceptible to oxidative stress. In one study, researchers felt that new therapies aimed at stimulating melatonin synthesis may eventually lead to therapies for the prevention of diseases related to premature aging (Aging and Clinical Experimental Research 7[5], 1995: 338-339). Melatonin was shown to provide antioxidant protection in several ways.
Toning Down Enzymes
Melatonin can ease the effects of enzymes that generate free radicals, enhance the production of glutathione peroxidase (an antioxidant) and defuse the caustic action of free radicals that contain hydroxyls.
In several studies, DHEA supplementation has been shown to potentially revive immune function in older adults (Exp. Opin. Invest. Drugs 4[2], 1995: 147-154).
In a study of 138 persons older than 85 years compared to 64 persons 20 to 40 years of age, scientists found that the younger people had four times as much DHEA in their bodies.
The researchers believe that our bodies make less and less DHEA as we get older. The authors of this study raise the possibility that declining DHEA may be partly to blame for our biological clocks running down (New York Academy of Sciences 1994: 543-552).
Vitamins E & C
A growing body of research also supports the benefits of taking vitamins E and C to hold off the effects of getting old. Researchers writing in Free Radicals and Aging (1992: 411-418) point out that as you get older your body is home to more and more free radical reactions that may lead to degenerative diseases like heart disease and arthritis. Research has found that in older people with exercise-induced oxidative stress, taking vitamin E every day may significantly fight off free radicals. (To investigate this effect, scientists measured waste products in urine that result from free radical reactions.) Their conclusion: Dietary antioxidants such as vitamin E may be beneficial.
Chronological Age Vs. Biological Age
Vitamin C also looks to scientists like a good anti-aging bet. Research in the Journal of Advancement in Medicine, (7[1], Spring 1994: 31-41) showed that folks consuming larger amounts of vitamin C were less likely to experience clinical problems at all ages. Those taking in less than 100 mg of vitamin C per day also suffered the most problems. In this research, individuals over 50 years of age who daily consumed the largest amount of vitamin C were as healthy or healthier than the 40 year olds who were taking the least amount of vitamin C.
Similar Relationship
A similar relationship appears to exist for vitamin E and serum cholesterol levels. In a study of 360 physicians and their spouses, researchers found that people in their 50s who consumed more vitamin E had lower cholesterol than those in their 30s who were taking less. And the longevity beat goes on: In a study evaluating environmental tobacco smoke and oxidative stress, researchers divided 103 people into three groups. Researchers blew smoke at 37 of these folks without protection while 30 of them got to breathe tobacco smoke but took antioxidant supplementation. Another 36 of them merely had to read magazines from doctors' offices. The results: After 60 days of supplementation the antioxidant folks had a 62% reduction in evidence of oxidative damage to their DNA. Cholesterol levels dropped and so did antioxidant enzyme activities. The researchers concluded that taking antioxidants provided a modicum of protection against environmental poisons.
The range of antioxidant nutrients used in this study included: beta-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc and selenium as well as copper (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 7, November 1998: 981-988).
Carotenoids
When you mention carotene or carotenoids, most people think of the beta carotene that makes carrots orange. But more than 600 carotenoids are present in colorful vegetables and many of these misunderstood substances are more potent antioxidants than beta-carotene.
Carotenoids have been shown to destroy oxygen free radicals in lipids (fats), help protect our cells from the sun's ultra violet radiation and enhance our natural immune response (J. Nutr 119(1), Jan. 1989: 112-115).
Some evidence seems to show that how much carotenoids you (and other mammals) have in your cells may be the predominant factor in determining life span (Proc Natl Acad Sci 82 [4], 1985: 798-802). Therefore, a diet rich in carotenoids (leafy green vegetables, carrots, yams, sweet potatoes, squash, citrus fruits and tomatoes) along with supplementation seems to be just what the fountain of youth ordered.
Flavonoids
Flavonoids, a group of antioxidant plant pigments, seem to be able to protect specific organs.
For instance, the flavonoids in milk thistle (Silybum marianum) have been used for ages for liver problems. Bilberry has been found protective for the eye and hawthorn for the heart and circulatory system.
Numerous studies have shown the many beneficial effects of flavonoids with perhaps the best known being the ability of anthocyanidins in wine and grape seed extract to help protect your blood vessels and capillaries from oxidative damage (Phytotherapy 42, 1986: 11-14; Am J Clin Nutr 61, 1995: 549-54).
Flavonoids are found in vegetables and such fruits as blackberries, blueberries, cherries and grapes. A diet rich in these foods helps ensure an adequate intake of these important nutrient compounds.
Amino Acid Health
Methionine and cysteine are sulphur containing amino acids (protein building blocks), both of which are essential in maintaining levels of glutathione, a substance that plays a major role in quelling free radicals. Studies have found that as we age, the level of these important amino acids in our bodies decreases. (NEJM 312 [1], 1985: 159-68).
As it has been shown that adding cysteine to the diet of test animals can increase their life expectancy considerably, researchers believe these amino acids can help us live longer too.
Attitude & Behavior
Get more sleep! A recent study showed that men who habitually napped were less likely to have a heart attack. The men in this research who regularly napped for at least 30 minutes per day had about a 30% reduction in heart problems while those who napped for a full hour had a 50% reduction compared to non nappers. Naps of longer duration did not seem to increase the benefit.
In the same research, investigators also found that spending time with a pet or merely contemplating nature could also improve cardiac health. Sensuality, optimism and altruism also appeared to have health benefits (Family Practice News, December 15, 1998: 14-15).
In another study, this one in American Psychologist, researchers from the University of California found that people who are self-indulgent, pampered and achieve by running roughshod over the competition are less likely to outlive their healthy peers. Being egocentric, impulsive, undependable and tough-minded were predictors of poor physical health and a shorter life. So loosen up and be nice to your fellow humans! (U.C. Davis Magazine, Fall 1995: 14).
Longevity at Last
While no one has suggested that taking supplements, eating vegetables or exercising can, as of yet, extend the human life span past the generally recognized limit of about 120 years, researchers believe they can improve your odds of living longer. An added benefit: By staying healthier, your old age won't only be longer, it will be more enjoyable, too.
And, who knows, if you hang around long enough, taking your nutrients and getting a comfortable amount of consistent exercise, while meditating and refusing to succumb to stress, that magic bullet that will keep you alive for centuries may be discovered. Some day a new antioxidant or other substance may finally prove to provide the elusive fountain of youth. Stay tuned.
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