Vitamin Families, not Vitamins

Vitamins are now viewed as “vitamin families”. For example the vitamin C family now consists of at least seven various forms of vitamin C while vitamin E has four forms plus its closely associated tocotrienol cousins. Vitamin A and beta-carotene are part of a family at least 400 members.

Mixtures of vitamins may be better than the use of a pure vitamin. Vitamin E exists as four common forms - alpha, beta, gamma, and delta. Most vitamin E that is used is the pure alpha-D-tocopherol. Research now suggests that the gamma version of vitamin E is most important and an excessive intake of the alpha vitamin E can block the positive action of the gamma isomer.

Vitamins are natural substances necessary in small amounts in the diet for the normal growth and maintenance of our bodies. The vitamins assist in transforming proteins, fats and carbohydrates into energy. Some vitamins aid in the formation of blood cells, hormones, nervous system chemicals and genetic material. The human body requires thirteen vitamins to function properly and if the body lacks one or more of these vitamins, characteristic deficiency symptoms will appear.

Vitamins are divided into fat-soluble and water-soluble classes. The fat-soluble vitamins are Vitamins A, D, E and K, are usually consumed in fat-containing foods, and are stored in the body's fat tissue. Because fat-soluble vitamins are stored, it is possible to consume them in excess and "overdose". Water soluble vitamins such as the B vitamins and vitamin C are rapidly excreted from the body and overdosage is rarely a problem.

The Importance of Plant Phytonutrients (Phytochemicals)

There is a rapidly emerging awareness of the importance to our health of a diverse group of chemicals call plant phytonutrients or plant phytochemicals. The most fundamental change in the human diet is the sharp reduction in the intake of low calorie plant foods. The changes in the human diet over the past 50,000 years have occurred far too rapidly for any effective genetic adaptation by our bodies. Our bodies are still basically designed for a diet high in low calorie plants such as cabbage, apples, lettuce and so forth.

Vegetables, fruits, and whole grains contain a wide variety of over 600 phytochemicals such as terpenes, organosulfides, isothiocyanates, indoles, dithiolthiones, polyphenols, flavones, tannins, protease inhibitors, and carotenoids that appear to protect health. For example, common vegetables and fruits contain approximately 50 carotenoids which exhibit strong antioxidant activity. Lutein (abundant in yellow/orange vegetables and fruits) and lycopene (found almost exclusively in tomatoes) possess exceptionally strong antioxidant activity.

Phytochemicals work in various ways. For example, brassinin, found in cabbage, activates the mixed function oxidases that remove toxic compounds. Curcumin, a component of turmeric, acts to alter the metabolism of fatty acids, such as arachidonic acid, and change the ratios of hormone-like prostaglandins and prostacyclins.

The National Cancer Institute's Chemoprevention Program has developed a major research program, started in the early 1980s, which is screening more than 400 potential chemopreventive phytochemical agents as anti-cancer agents including more than 25 compounds in approximately 60 ongoing human clinical trials.

Mixtures of Phytochemicals are Most Effective

Studies on the influence of diet on chronic diseases have linked the high consumption of mixed fruits and vegetables to a reduced risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, cataracts, and cancer. High levels of natural antioxidants, such as the carotenoids, tocopherols, and ascorbic acid appear to be reduce these health risks. However, long-term intervention studies to reduce chronic diseases which have used single nutrient such as beta- carotene have been disappointing. Because antioxidants have synergistic interactions and tissue specificity, many scientists have argued that only combinations of phytochemicals will produce significant health benefits.

Daily Fruit and Vegetable Extracts Reduce Damaging Lipid Peroxidation by 75%

Wise and colleagues reported, the daily supplement of 1.5 grams of dried extracts of fruits and vegetables, reduced damaging lipid peroxidation products in the blood by 75% within one week. Lipid peroxidation products are an excellent measure of rate damaging oxidations within the body. This is a dramatic change and may help explain the success of the Lyon Heart Diet (See Below) on reducing cancer and heart disease. In most human studies, obtaining a 10 to 20% change in a blood factor is difficult. (Wise 1996)

In the study, fifteen healthy adults (10 women, 5 men; ages 18 to 53 years) consumed the supplements twice daily for 28 days. The fruit and vegetable supplements consisted of dried fruit and vegetable powders obtained by drying juices from apples, oranges, pineapples, papaya, cranberries, peaches, carrots, parsley, beets, broccoli, kale, cabbage, spinach, and tomatoes. Each person received gelatin capsules containing 850 mg of fruit powder per fruit and 750 mg of vegetable daily.

After 7 days the lipid peroxidation products were reduced by 75% and remained low until the end of the trial.  At 28 days the starting lipid peroxides in the serum of 16.85 ± 16.91 µmol/mL were reduced to 4.22 ± 3.78 µmol/mL. During the 28 days serum antioxidant levels increased significantly: beta-carotene, 510%; alpha-carotene, 119%; lutein/zeaxanthin, 44%; lycopene, 2046%; and alpha-tocopherol, 57%.

Are Fresh Fruit Juices with Hydrogen Peroxide Better?

Our ancestors over the past 20 million years ate high amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables. While processed juice has many health benefits, some nutritionists state that freshly prepared juices are healthier. Fresh juices contain significant levels of hydrogen peroxide but the hydrogen peroxide drops rapidly on storage.

Some scientists are of the opinion that a certain level of hydrogen peroxide in food and drinks serves as a natural stimulant to the immune system. Human mother's milk has significant levels of hydrogen peroxide with colostrum milk (first milk secreted after birth) having even more. The spring water at Lourdes, France contains a high level of hydrogen peroxide. Dr. Edward Carl Rosenow (1875 - 1966) authored of 450 medical papers and argued that the ingestion of hydrogen peroxide in foods controlled or eliminated toxic microorganisms.

In animal studies, the administration of small amounts of hydrogen peroxide stimulates some types of immune reactions.  Beyond this possible nutritional benefit of hydrogen peroxide, the compound has used clinically - often by intravenous infusion - as a treatment for a variety of acute and chronic diseases, but these treatments are generally viewed as dangerous by the medical establishment. A certain amount of freshly prepared fruit juice daily may have special health benefits.

Free Radical Scavengers

Free radicals cause much of the tissue damage responsible for degenerative diseases such as arthritis, heart disease, cancer, and senility. The absorption or detoxifying of free radicals would protect our bodies from many degenerative diseases.

Free radicals cause a damaging oxidation of cellular components. Ultraviolet light produces free radical oxidation of the skin. Air pollutants damage lungs by free radical oxidation. Many drugs and chemicals destroy cells by oxidation. Even exercise causes increased production of free radicals.

Free radicals are unstable atoms or molecules, usually containing oxygen, that chemically  react with many other molecules. Stable molecules keep their electrons in pairs, but the free radical has an unpaired electron in an outer orbit around the molecule. This unstable electron seeks another electron from a neighboring molecule. When the neighboring molecule loses an electron, that molecule becomes a new free radical which grabs an electron from another undamaged molecule. This sequence can be repeated many hundreds of times, creating a free radical chain reaction that damages many molecules.

Anti-oxidants help stop these free radical reactions. They contain electronic structures that defuse the free-radicals electrons energy and stop the chain reactions.

Vegetables, Fruits, and Whole Grains

Epidemiological data provide evidence that high intakes of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains are associated with improved health and reductions in degenerative diseases and mortality. Many studies have found that improved health is linked primarily to consumption of raw vegetables and fresh fruits (citrus, carrots, green leafy vegetables, and cruciferous vegetables), soy products, and whole grain wheat products. The beneficial effect of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains is attributed to their constituents, including fiber, micronutrients, and phytochemicals. While specific plant compounds are the focus of numerous studies, the relative health-protective contributions are "packaged" in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and are difficult to attribute to any one factor.

Dietary Fiber

Dietary fiber is generally defined as compounds in plant foods that are resistant to human digestive enzymes. Insoluble fiber is predominant in plant skins, husks and tough parts of plants. Soluble fibers include pectin, guar, barley and oat bran, all of which reduce blood cholesterol and help reduce the risks of coronary artery disease.

Dietary fiber may reduce some of the risks of dietary fat.  Fiber reduces the reabsorption of excreted estrogens from the intestine while the phytoestrogens in plants compete with estrogens for receptor-binding and may help reduce the breast cancer risk.

Americans eat an average of 12 grams of dietary fiber each day. The National Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society recommend 25 to 35 grams daily and some nutritional experts recommend 40 to 50 grams. You can increase your fiber intake by eating more whole grain foods and cereal products, vegetables, and fruits. However, as you increase your fiber intake, your will need to drink more water.

If you can't obtain sufficient from high-fiber foods, there are many fiber supplements, available as pills, capsules and powders.

Limitations of the “Recommended Daily Allowance” of Vitamins and Minerals

Much of the medical profession bases your vitamin and mineral needs on the RDA or Recommended Daily Allowance of vitamins and minerals. The RDA was primarily developed from rat studies and basically is the minimum daily nutrients needed for young rats to grow and successfully breed. It was not developed for humans and does not take into account the changing nutritional needs of aging humans and persons with special diseases such as diabetes or heart disease.

While there is a slowly developing recognition that the RDA is not an adequate guide for humans, changes are very slow. For example, the importance of higher folic acid intake to reduce birth defects and to reduce heart disease has resulted in recommendation for an increased intake of folic acid, but it is well to keep in mind that the RDA is a fundamentally flawed guide - especially as we get older.

Why You Must Supplement

It is often difficult to obtain protective amounts of supplements from foods. Most vitamin E studies find health-protective effects at 100 to 400 units of vitamin E daily. The typical American diet provides about 10 units of vitamin E daily. To obtain 400 units of vitamin E you would have to drink 2 quarts of corn oil, or eat 5 pounds of wheat germ or 8 cups of almonds.

The Six Most Important Supplements

What do you really need among the many supplements available? Prof. Lester Packer of UC Berkeley (center in photo to the left), who many scientists consider as today's leading authority on anti-aging supplements, has for 30 years led a very successful research lab in studies of aging and methods to slow aging processes (now the called Packer Laboratory - a very rare honor at a university). Packer lists the following anti-oxidants as most important.

Vitamin A, Beta Carotene, and the Carotenoid Family

Vitamin A (or retinol or retinyl alcohol) is a key nutrient for skin health. Vitamin A induces differentiation of skin cells. Many cosmetics include retinol in skin creams although the effects of retinol is not as dramatic as its acid form called retinoic acid (Retin-A). Dosages of vitamin A required for effective skin renewal would be toxic to the remainder of the body. The acid form of vitamin A or retinoic acid (or Retin-A) is widely used as a dermatological drug for skin renewal and the treatment of acne. Accutane (cis-retinoic acid) is very similar to vitamin A and is used for the treatment of many severe types of acne.

Vitamin A starts out as beta-carotene, one of the family of more than 600 different plant pigments known as carotenoids, which also includes lutein, zeaxanthin and many others. When we consume vegetables containing beta carotene (dark green leafy types such as spinach, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, mustard and collard greens, as well as yellow-orange vegetables like carrots, cantaloupe, pumpkin, yellow squash, etc.), our bodies convert it to the various other forms of vitamin A called retinols. Some are used for skin and ligament repair, others for transporting enzymes and proteins, and some  of it is used in the electrical process of vision. Beta-carotene is also one of the anti-oxidants which acts as a free-radical scavenger, helping to eliminate damaged cells within our bodies. There is evidence that this type of reaction is important in fighting certain cancers and regulating the aging process.

Beta Carotene is not toxic to the liver even in high doses in contrast to Vitamin A. Beta Carotene will increase the body's demands for Vitamin E. If you take 50,000 units of beta carotene per day, you will need about 1,000 units of vitamin E also.

Evidence continues to mount supporting the theory that at least two other carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin, play a key role in age-related macular degeneration or ARMD which is a condition which causes decreased visual acuity and blindness in older adults.

Lycopene is the best anti-aging candidate of the carotenoids because it is the most efficient quencher of the dangerous free radical called singlet oxygen. Lycopene is regenerated after quenching singlet oxygen, so that it can detoxify many free radicals without being destroyed. Lycopene levels drop off with age even in persons who ingest high levels of plants.

The Vitamin C Family

This vitamin is important for skin repair and tissue healing. High levels in the skin help reduce free radical damage and promote collagen synthesis. Patients with peptic ulcers will heal faster on vitamin C than those without extra vitamin C.

There are at least seven distinct active forms of vitamin C. The famous two-time Nobel prize-winning biochemist, Linus Pauling, long ago argued the importance of vitamin C as an anticancer agent, even though it was not realized at the time that vitamin C existed in at least 7 different forms (Cameron and Pauling, 1979). Pauling calculated that our primate ancestors ingested approximately 3 grams of vitamin C daily from plants.

One of the most important members of the vitamin C family may be a plant product called ascorbigen, a fat-soluble form of the vitamin C family which it is now known to contain (Dashwood 1988). Ascorbigen is indole-3-carbinol bound to ascorbic acid and present in brassica vegetables.  The combination of dietary supplementation with both I-3-C and ascorbigen produces up to an 80-fold increase in intestinal or liver Mixed Function Oxidases that detoxify carcinogens. Other protective substances from plants, in addition to I-3-C, are now known to be most effective when they are bound to one of the forms of vitamin C. These substances which may also reduce cancer risks include pectin (Kritchevsky 1978), bioflavinoids (Vinson 1987), and a form of vitamin C is called isoascorbate (Rencricca 1979).

Thus the safest course may be to supplement your body with regular vitamin C (500 mg to 1 gram daily), then obtain the other forms from fresh plants.

The Vitamin E Family and Tocotrienols

Vitamin E family may decrease some of the harmful effects of solar radiation on the skin and is often used in conjunction with beta carotene. Vitamin E is used in lotions or creams to protect the skin or to treat burns. Some dermatologists use vitamin E lotions to treat dermatitis from poor blood flow. It is often prescribed for topical use in pregnant women to prevent stretch marks.

The vitamin E family are anti-oxidants. They act as a free radical scavengers to prevent the excessive free radical molecules from causing tissue damage. Vitamin E is the most effective scavenger of peroxyl free radicals in biological membranes. When using vitamin E, always use the natural plant mixtures containing all four of the common isomers (closely related forms of a molecule) of vitamin E which are: alpha tocopherol, beta-tocopherol, gamma tocopherol and delta tocopherol. Research is finding that the gamma isomer may be the most important and an excessive intake of only one form - the commonly sold alpha-tocopherol - can block out the beneficial actions of the gamma isomer.

Tocotrienols

A newly described and closely related family of molecules are the tocotrienols from plants such as rice bran, palm fruit, barley, and wheat germ. These molecules will not replace the essential requirement for the vitamin E family but appear to block many of the degenerative changes of aging and are under intense investigation.

Tocotrienols, also in alpha,  beta, gamma, and delta isomers, are very similar to the vitamin E molecules but have three double bonds in the side chain of the molecule. Gamma tocotrienol is the major form in nature and appears to possess the strongest health benefits.

A major function of the tocotrienols may be help counter the damaging effects of the sun’s ultraviolet rays on the skin (Packer 1997). Diet topically applied tocotrienols selectively accumulate in skin and serve to protect it against ultraviolet damage and oxidation (Traber et al 1997). In rats it was found that UV radiation significantly reduced vitamin E concentrations after 29 minutes of UV exposure but, in skin treated with tocotrienols, the vitamin E concentrations were 7 to 30 fold higher after the radiation.

When given to patients with arterial blockages in the arteries that supply blood to the brain for 18 to 24 months at 240 mg of tocotrienols per day, there was a decrease in the arterial blockages while patients who received a placebo did not show such an effect (Tomeo 1995). (Kooyenga, Geller, Watkins, Gapor, Diakoumakis and Bierenbaum, Palm oil antioxidant effects in patients with hyperlipidemia and carotid stenosis-2-year experience, Asia Pacific J Clin Nutr 1997, 6:72-75).

Tocotrienols in combination with vitamin E reduce the growth of breast cancer cells in culture, but vitamin E alone does not have this effect (Guthrie 1997).

Tocotrienols are present in low levels in rice bran oil and palm oil but obtaining health enhancing amounts of these tocotrienols would require consuming one cup per day of oil. Tocotrienol supplements are now available from vitamin and nutritional outlets.

DHEA and Skin Health

DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) is a precursor hormone produced by the adrenal gland and is a source of many other hormones, including the sex hormones estrogen and testosterone. In recent controlled studies, DHEA has been shown to improve sense of well-being, immune and mental function in middle-aged men and women, and muscle tone.

DHEA levels peak at age 25, then gradually decline. By age 60, DHEA levels are 30% or less of those in young adults. DHEA also is essential for proper sebaceous gland functioning and the production in skin oils. Much of the increase of dry skin with age is due to the decease in DHEA levels in the skin (Sourla et al).

Schwartz and Pashko (1996) reported that "topical application of DHEA on mouse skin inhibits skin tumor promotion".  DHEA aids the skin's superoxide defense and this may explain its ability to prevent skin cancer and papillomas (benign tumors). DHEA also keeps some chemical carcinogens from binding to DNA. According to researchers at the Fels Research Institute and Temple University, cancers just do not start if enough DHEA is present.

Studies show that DHEA is ready absorbed by skin when applied topically. Topically applied DHEA helps protect the skin's delicate blood vessels. Researchers reported that when DHEA was applied after a serious burn, the blood vessels underlying the burned area are protected and the skin is retained instead of peeling off.

Folic Acid

Folic acid reduces birth defects, colon cancer and cardiovascular problems. Folic acid is essential for regenerating methionine, an essential amino acid. Inadequate availability of folate contributes to improper in DNA methylation which impairs DNA repair and can accelerate the development of colon cancer.

Coenzyme Q10

Coenzyme Q10 or CoQ10 is essential for adequate cellular energy production. It is synthesized in the body but decreases with age and may be one of the reasons for the decreased energy that occurs as people age. Bliznakov found the lifespan of mice was increased by 50% by injections of CoQ10, and a UCLA study reported that oral doses of CoQ10 increased the average maximum lifespan of mice. Both studies reported that the very old mice appeared healthier looking than mice of the same age that had not received supplemental CoQ10.

Based on human and animal studies, CoQ10 is appears to reduce heart disease and cancer. A 5 year Japanese study found CoQ10 to reduce deaths in patients with heart failure by 75%.

Melatonin

Melatonin (N-acetyl 5-methoxytryptamine) was discovered in 1958 by the dermatologist Aaron Lerner at Yale University who reported its skin lightening properties within the skin cells of amphibians. Melatonin (meaning "pigment-lightening") should not be confused with melanin, the natural dark pigment in skin. Melatonin is mainly synthesized in the pineal gland (a pea-sized organ in the brain) and, in lessor amounts, in the retina.

Melatonin is a hormone connected with sleep patterns and also a powerful human antioxidant that against UV radiation. Researchers at the University of Zurich has shown that topically applied melatonin gives excellent protection against sunburns if applied before sun exposure and also may have role in repairing burned skin. In small amounts melatonin causes skin cells to proliferate. People with psoriasis and atopic eczema have low melatonin levels.

Melatonin levels drop over 90% in human by age 60, producing sleeplessness and perhaps other problems of aging. It has been called 'the darkness hormone', which acts as a time signal for daily biological rhythms. In all species studied to date, from algae to man, there is a day/night cycle where melatonin production peaks during the period of darkness.

Melatonin is used to resynchronize sleep rhythms following time zone travel and night shift work. After sudden changes in sleep times, internal body rhythms become unsynchronised, and disturb in sleep, mood and job performance.The use of 5 to 10 milligrams of melatonin after such shifts often can re-establish sleep/waking patterns with minimal “jet lag”. Walter Pierpaoli and William Regelson, recommend that persons over 55 should take 3.5-5mg at bedtime to aid sleep and obtain antiaging benefits of melatonin (Pierpaoli and Regelson 1995).

A number of studies have found that melatonin administration to mice produces old mice that are healthier and live 20% longer than normal. Russel Reiter's group, at the University of Texas Health Science Centre in San Antonio, has been investigating the antioxidant effects of melatonin for a number of years. Their find that melatonin has antioxidant properties in certain animal models and offers protection against ionizing radiation, helps prevent cataract formation, and acts as a scavenger of free radicals which reduces oxidative damage to cell membranes. Other studies found it protects against the chemical carcinogen safrole, the diabetes-inducing toxin alloxan, the herbicide paraquat, bacterial lipopolysaccharide, and the liver toxin carbon tetrachloride (Reiter 1995).

Melatonin has very low toxicity and few if any negative side effects have ever been reported. Recommended anti-aging dosages range from 0.3 to 10 milligrams per day.
 

Calcium/Magnesium/Milk/Melatonin for Sleeping

Calcium and magnesium are natural tranquilizers and should be taken at bedtime since they tend to promote sleep. Milk also helps since it contains high levels of tryptophan which help sleeping. Finally, melatonin helps reset the body’s sleep clocks and should also be taken at bedtime.

A good mixture for helping with sleeping is:

            Calcium        1,000 milligrams
            Magnesium    500 milligrams
            Melatonin      1 to 6 milligrams (start at 1 milligram and work up)
            Milk             1 glass

J'ai tant reve de toi
qu'il n'est plus temps
sans doute que je m'eveille.
Robert Desnos 1900-1945
(I have dreamed so much of you
that it is uncertain there is
enough time for me to awaken.)
 
 
 
 
 
 

Alpha Lipoic Acid

Alpha Lipoic Acid, which is also called Thioctic Acid or Lipoic Acid, is a vitamin-like substance of great interest today among researchers studying aging and among competitive bodybuilders. It improves the physique by reducing fat and increasing muscle. According to Richard A. Passwater, Ph.D, in his book "Lipoic Acid: The Metabolic Antioxidant", Alpha Lipoic Acid neutralizes free radicals, protects the body's genetic material, slows aging, and protects against heart disease and cancer. During aging, a protein called NF-kappa-B builds up in cells and binds to the DNA and slows DNA function. This leads to a weakening of the immune system, faster aging of the skin and functional impairment in other body systems. Alpha Lipoic Acid (and also glutathione/reduced glutathione) helps block the binding of NF-kappa-B to cellular DNA. This results in a younger and less wrinkled skin. In animals, Alpha Lipoic Acid has anti-atherosclerotic effects.

Alpha Lipoic Acid functions in the production of Adenosine Tri-Phosphate (ATP), the body's energy transferring molecule. When producing ATP from glucose, a molecule called Acetyl Co-A is produced and produces ATP through the Krebs cycle. Alpha Lipoic Acid is a necessary co-factor in many of Krebs cycle reactions, and within limits, a greater availability of Alpha Lipoic Acid increases cellular energy production. One of the key characteristics of human aging is a sharp fall-off in energy production. According to Dr. Hans Tritschler, a scientist in Munich, Germany, supplemental Alpha Lipoic Acid can increase ATP production from glucose by approximately 40%. Furthermore, this increases the body's burning of fat since fat oxidation requires metabolic intermediates produced by the burning of glucose. A very old biochemical adage is "Fat burns in the flame of the sugars".

When Alpha Lipoic Acid was discovered, it was nearly classified as a vitamin. However, the body produces some Alpha Lipoic Acid and it is not strictly essential. However, like Co-enzyme Q-10, the body's production of Alpha Lipoic Acid is often insufficient for the needs of the body. While no one disease is directly linked to a deficiency of Alpha Lipoic Acid, it does cure scurvy in Vitamin C deficient individuals and cerebro-cortical atrophy in cases of clinical hypotonia.

Alpha Lipoic acid interacts synergistically with other antioxidants such as vitamins E, C and glutathione and helps to regenerate them. Most antioxidants are destroyed in the process of deactivating tissue-damaging oxidative agents. Alpha Lipoic Acid recycles ascorbic acid (vitamin C). When ascorbic acid has taken electrons from a free-radical, it becomes dihydroascorbate. When dihydroascorbate encounters Alpha Lipoic Acid it is converted into usable ascorbic acid. If there is a lack of available Alpha Lipoic Acid, then the dihydroascorbate will be transferred by the kidneys into the urine and lost from the body. Alpha Lipoic Acid also recycles the tocopherols (Vitamin E) and  and Glutathione by acting as a "Redox" (reduction-oxidation) agent. Very few substances can perform this recycling function and, in this way, Alpha Lipoic Acid multiplies the effectiveness of other antioxidants.

Bodybuilding publications have focused recently on the muscle building and anti-catabolic actions of Alpha Lipoic Acid. Over the last twenty years, bodybuilders have discovered a number of muscle enhancing agents such as Anabolic Steroids and Clenbuterol. Because of the side-effects of steroids, in recent years bodybuilders have emphasized energy producing nutritional supplements such as Hydroxy-Methyl-Butyrate (HMB), Ornithine Keto-Glutarate (OKG), Phosphatidyl-Serine (PS) and Keto-Iso-Caprionate (KIC). Musclebuilding researchers report that when taking Alpha Lipoic Acid as a supplement for a year, they observed energy increases up to 40% combined with a 2% lower body fat percentage.

Scientists have reported that Alpha Lipoic Acid reduces a major aging process called glycation, a process in which sugars in the body bind to proteins and damage the proteins. Glycation occurs when portions of glucose molecules attach to issue proteins and producing Advanced Glycosalation End-products (AGE). This glycation damage sometimes ruptures tissue, producing dysfunctional or dead cells with reduced tissue integrity. This type of damage is cumulative, is poorly repaired by the body's repair systems, and contributes to reduced functional efficiency of aged tissues. Glycation is the principal cause of the progressive tissue damage of diabetes and one of the ways that muscle tissue is lost during aging. Among anti-oxidants, Alpha Lipoic Acid is the best protector against glycation. European physicians use Alpha Lipoic Acid to reduce the need for injected insulin or insulin enhancing drugs such as Glucotrol. It is used to help control blood sugar levels and reduce the glycation damage associated with primary and secondary diabetes.

Alpha Lipoic Acid has been reported to help regeneration of nerve cells damaged by diabetic neuropathy. It was initially thought that this was the result of Alpha Lipoic Acid reducing the progressive nerve destruction which allowed the some repair of nerves. However, Dr. Ziegler at Heinrich-Heine University reported that treatment with Alpha Lipoic Acid induced "sprouting", or growth of new fibers, in as little as three weeks which is a marked acceleration of normal nerve repair.

Cataracts are caused by the degeneration of proteins in the lenses lenses of the eyes. The two principal causes are glycation of proteins and damage from ultraviolet rays of the sun. The lenses of the eyes are not well protected by anti-oxidants in blood. In 1994, Dr. Lester Packer and his group found that Alpha Lipoic Acid increased the levels of glutathione, vitamin C and vitamin E in the eye lens tissue of animals and reduced the rate of cataract formation.

Bodybuilders report significant benefits occur with Alpha Lipoic Acid levels as low as 30 milligrams per day. It has been used in Europe for more than thirty years at dosages of 300 to 600 milligrams per day for the treatment of diabetic neuropathy without noticeable undesireable side-effects.

Aminoguanidine

Like Alpha Lipoic Acid, Aminoguanidine is an anti-glycosylation agent. It may be the most potent available anti-glycosylation agent. It effectively counters the damage caused by protein cross linkages and appears especially useful preventing collagen crosslinks. Studies in animals have shown that aminoguanidine can prevent the types of molecular cross linking that occurs with diabetes, atherosclerotic plaque formation, blood vessel hardening with age, and cross linkage of brain proteins.

Grape Seed Proanthocyanidins and Pycnogenol®

Proanthocyanidin flavonoids (OPCs or Oligomeric Proanthocyanidin Complexes) found in grape seeds are potent anti-oxidant with broad spectrum actions against damaging free radicals. Pycnogenol® is a similar but patented and trademarked extract from the bark of the French Maritime Pine. Both products have been used as traditional medicines for centuries. Prof. Jacque Masquelier, of France, (photograph to the left) named both compounds and has conducted over 50 years of research on these anti-oxidants.

Because of disputes over trademarks and patents by marketing companies, there is much confusion over the differences between OPCs and pycnogenol. Dr. Masquelier has stated that they are essentially equivalent but that Grape Seed OPCs possess more potent antioxidant activity than Pycnogenol. In France, where both products are on the list of reimbursable medicines, the grape seed extract outsells the pine bark by 400%.

Proanthocyanidin is a class of bioflavanoids found in a number of plants, including purple, red and white grapes, as well as pine bark, lemon tree bark, hazel nut tree leaves, blue berries, cherries, cranberries and others. It is most concentrated of these is the seeds of purple grapes. Proanthocyanidin bioflavanoids act similarly, regardless of their source. Therapeutic benefits are dose dependent with the highest concentration of OPCs giving the greatest therapeutic benefit.

Grape Seed Extract has 20 times the anti-oxidant power of Vitamin C and 50 times that of Vitamin E. In addition to proanthocyanidins, these products contain other organic acids such as caffeic, ferulic and gallic acids. Caffeic and ferulic acids inhibit the formation of nitrosamine compounds in the gastrointestinal tract. Caffeic acid has an anti-inflammatory action by inhibiting the enzyme arachidonate-5-lipoxygenase, which is involved in leukotriene synthesis.

DHEA

DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) is a precursor for many steroid hormones such as testosterone and estrogen. DHEA declines sharply with age - up to 90% - in both men and women. Many studies have found that oral DHEA can improve neurological function, immune function, and appears to be protective against some types of cancer and cardiovascular disease. In a study at the University of California at San Diego, 50 milligrams daily DHEA for 6-months increased body muscle mass and muscle strength. It also produced a sense of improved psychological well-being in both men and women.

Since DHEA is converted into testosterone, there have been concerns about its use in men might worsen prostate hyperplasia. Because of this dosages should be limited to between 25 and 50 milligrams daily. If you take DHEA, you should inform your physician during visits.

Chrysin

Chrysin, also called "Flavone X", is a naturally occurring isoflavone extracted from the Passiflora coerulea plant. Bodybuilders and trainers report that Chrysin helps to increase testosterone levels when taken orally. It appears to boost testosterone levels by minimizing the conversion of testosterone to estrogen, which is naturally occurring process in men. When blood estrogen levels rise, this signals the pituitary gland to decrease testosterone.

The biochemical conversion of testosterone to estrogen is called is called aromatization and a compound like chrysin which inhibits this process is called an anti-aromatase. By inhibiting the estrogen shut down signal to the pituitary, testosterone levels in the blood could increase further with a consequent increase in the body's muscle mass. European studies have found Chrysin to increase the blood levels of testosterone by over 30%.

Soy Isoflavones

Soy isoflavones are under intensive study because of their multiple health enhancing properties. They help prevent many types of cancer, they retard gallstone development, the aid kidney function, stimulate bone formation, lower cholesterol levels and inhibit the oxidation of LDL cholesterol, and slow development and progression of blood vessel atherosclerosis.

Soy contains high levels of phytoestrogens, or plant estrogens. These phytoestrogenic compounds are found in soy foods, flax seeds, and some herbs and called isoflavones and lignans. One of the first phytoestrogens to be studied was in red clover. It was noted that when female sheep ate a diet high in red clover, their menstrual cycles became irregular.

An antiestrogenic prescription drug, tamoxifen, binds to the DNA in a manner similar to the safe C-2 estradiol. Women using this drug have a lower incidence of breast cancer and the drug also reduces the growth rate of existing breast cancer cells by 30-40% (Nayfield 1991, Han 1992). Isoflavones are phytoestrogens from plants that are chemically similar to the drug tamoxifen. They reduce the risk of breast cancer by binding to the estrogen receptor sites on the chromosomal material in mammary gland cells and preventing the dangerous C-16 form of estrogen from binding.

Soy products (soybeans or tofu) are particularly abundant in isoflavones, such as genistein and daidzein, which are weak estrogens and have been observed to reduce the incidence of experimental tumors in experimental mammals (Barnes et al, 1990). Barnes reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute that the isoflavone called genistein inhibits two enzymes necessary for tumor growth and reduces the blood supply to tumors (Mesina and Barnes 1991). Soy genistein appears to inhibit an enzyme that breaks down cyclooxygenase-2 (Cox-2). This reduces excess production of prostaglandin E2 in the body which can promote cancer cell growth and induce abnormal blood clotting.

Women in Asia, where the diet is high in soy foods, usually consume more than 35 grams of soybeans or soy-derived food per day as opposed to the American woman who may only get 1-2 grams per day. The Asian women have less menopausal symptoms and had a lower incidence of breast cancer. However when Asian women come to America and adopt the traditional American diet, their postmenopausal symptoms increase as does their incidence of breast cancer. Several studies have found a protective effect of soybean products against the development of breast cancer. The protective effect may be due to  the fact that phytoestrogens can act both as weak estrogens and weak anti-estrogens. It is presumed the anti-estrogen effect on the breast confers protection against breast cancer.

Soy foods also appear to be useful in preventing or lessening the risk of osteoporosis and heart disease. One study found that soy isoflavones had an anabolic effect which increased bone density in post-menopausal women after binding to the estrogen receptors in bone tissue. A 1990 study of 23 American women showed that a diet high in soy food and flax or linseed meal reversed the atrophic changes seen in the vagina after menopause. A 1995 study of 58 post menopausal women showed that a diet high in soy decreased postmenopausal hot flashes. A study at the University of Illinois showed a significant increase in bone density after six months of a high soy diet.

Dietary Fats

Dietary fats and oils are divided into three main categories: saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated.

Saturated fats and oils include animal fat, butter fat, cocoa butter, coconut oil, palm oil, and palm kernel oil.

Monounsaturated oils include avocado oil, olive oil, canola oil (canola oil is a mixed category - high in both monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids) plus high oleic safflower and high oleic sunflower. These high oleic safflower and sunflower oils are formulated to be high in the monounsaturated fatty acid, oleic acid, and are very different from regular safflower and sunflower oil.

Polyunsaturated oils include corn oil, canola oil (canola oil is a mixed category - high in both monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids), sunflower oil, peanut oil, cottonseed oil, safflower oil, soybean oil, fish oil, flaxseed oil, walnut oil, primrose oil, sesame oil, grapeseed oil, borage oil.

Essential Fatty Acids or EFAs

Essential Fatty Acids or EFAs are fatty acids that are required for normal human growth and development and cannot be manufactured within your body. They must come from your diet. There are two families of EFAs called "omega-3" and "omega-6" fatty acids which differ only in the number and placement of the double bonds on their carbon chains. Omega-3 fatty acids have their first double bond three carbon molecules from the end of the carbon chain while omega-6 fatty acids have their first double bond six carbon molecules from the end of the carbon chain. Hence, this placement gives rise to their respective names.

There is no "official" recommended intake for omega-3 fats or omega-6 fats in the U.S. Some researchers recommend eating at least 2% of calories as linoleic acid to prevent EFA deficiency. Because the present US diet has shifted over the past 100 years to much more omega-6 fats in the diets than omega-3 fats, increasing your intake of omega-3 fats is the most important but remember that both types of fats are essential for health. Some experts recommend an intake of omega-3 fatty acids of 1000-1100 mg per day for alpha-linolenic and 300-400  per day for both EPA and DHA. However, the average American diet  provides only 50 mg EPA and 80 mg DHA daily.

Since omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are used as critical starting materials for many powerful hormones, their presence or absence in the diet can have profound effects on health. These effects have been one of the most difficult nutritional actions to unravel since they frequently have opposite actions on critical body functions. In general, omega-3 fatty acids have actions that promote general body functioning and inhibit blood coagulation, reduce the clumping of blood platelets and coronary spasm. Omega-3 fats acids also inhibit adult-onset diabetes, some types of skin eczema, and rheumatoid arthritis.

On the other hand, omega-6 acids generally promote body defense mechanisms such as inflammatory responses to bacterial and viruses and increase blood clotting after injuries. We need both types of functions. Actions such as blood clotting exist in a delicate balance. Too much blood clotting and we get atherosclerosis and heart attacks; too little blood clotting and we would bleed to death after minor injuries.

For example, omega-3 fatty acids block have anti-inflammatory actions on diseases such as arthritis and colitis while omega-fatty acids may promote them. Omega-3 fatty acids reduce your risk of cancer while omega-6 fatty acids may increase it. Omega-3 fatty acids are linked with a low risk of Alzheimer’s disease while omega-6 fatty acids are linked with an increased risk.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Wild Coho salmon from San Juan Island. Natural, free-ocean salmon are the healthiest.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Ideal Ratio of Omega-3 and Omega-6 Fats

Two types of dietary essential fatty acids (EFA), omega-3 and omega-6, are crucial for radiant skin and your overall health. However, the typical American devours far too many omega-6 fats while consuming low levels of omega-3. The ideal ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fats is between 1:1 and 4:1. This balance shaped the diets of our ancestors over millions of years. In today’s fast food era, our ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 averages from 11:1 to 30:1. This imbalance fuels many maladies including hormonal disorders, heart disease, cancer, dementia and depression. Too much omega-6 also causes inflammation, which can age and infect the skin.

Not all omega-6 fatty acids act the same. Linoleic acid, in cooking oils and processed foods, and arachidonic acid (AA) in meat promote inflammation. In contrast, GLA, found in borage oil and primrose oil, is the only omega-6 fat that may actually reduce inflammation. Omega-3 fatty acids in the form of as EPA (eicosapentanoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), also ease inflammation and diminish disease. Thus by substituting unhealthy omega-6 acids with GLA, you can nurture the health of your skin and body. However, don’t over do it. Consume an equal amount of omega-3 fatty acids found in fish such as wild salmon and sardines and take purified omega-3 supplements. If you are a vegetarian, you can also obtain omega-3 fats, ALA, from plant foods such as flaxseeds, flaxseed oil and walnuts. ALA (alpha linolenic acid) is an omega-3 fat from plants that can be converted in the body into EPA and DHA. However, omega-3 fats are more readily absorbed from fish than plants.

So the message here is: Consume omega-3 fats from fish and omega-6 fats from GLA in a 1:1 ratio to maximize health benefits and beautify your complexion.

How Omega-3 Fats Fuel Your Health

Fatty fish such as wild salmon, sardines, mackerel, and herring are brimming over with omega-3 fatty acids. Their active derivatives, EPA and DHA, are critical disease fighters that fuel our health. Lean fish such as cod, flounder and sole contain far less omega-3 acids. Plants contain the omega-3 fatty acid, ALA, which is high in flaxseeds, flaxseed oil, walnuts and Brazil nuts. Olive Oil, rich in monosaturates, contains minimal omega-3 fatty acids but it does contain flavenoids, which exert some of the same effects and may indirectly increases the omega-3 fat content in cells. The majority of Omega-3 scientific studies have used fish oil supplements, not whole fish and most proved that health benefits can be achieved by taking supplements. However, nutritionists generally recommend that you also eat seafood. There is always the possibility that fish contains unknown health factors unavailable in supplements, somewhat like the multiple forms of vitamin E and the closely related tocotrienols.

A small daily dose of fish oil sharply reduces cardiac deaths. A double-blind controlled study of fish oil (1.08 grams per day of EPA), mustard oil, and a placebo in 122 heart attack patients found that both fish oil and mustard oil (high in omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid) caused a significant reduction in non-fatal heart attacks, cardiac arrthymias, left ventricular enlargement, and angina pectoris in comparison to the placebo oil. The fish oil group, but not the mustard oil group, had half the rate of cardiac deaths as the placebo group (Cardiovascular Drugs Ther 1997; 11:485-91). Researchers at the University of Washington in Seattle found that individuals eating as few as four 3-ounce servings of salmon per month were 50 percent less likely to suffer primary cardiac arrest. Another study of 20,551 male physicians, aged 40 to 84 years, found that eating fish once a week resulted in a 52% lower risk of sudden death compared to persons who ate fish less than once a month (JAMA 1998;279:23-8)

Omega-3 fatty acids play an important role in treating cancer. Animal studies show that omega-3 fatty acids delay tumor appearance and decrease rate of growth, size and the number of tumors. Omega-3 fatty acids also prolong the survival of cancer patients. Sixty patients with untreatable cancer received either fish oil (18 grams daily) or a placebo until death. The fish oil normalized the immune systems of the cancer patients and significantly increased their lifespan (Cancer 1998;82:395-402). In another study, patients with esophageal cancer were given traditional diets or a diet enriched with omega-3 fatty acids. Those on the omega-3 enriched diet had better immune function following surgery, chemotherapy and radiation (Nutrition 1998; 14:551-3).  Flax seed and fish oils may reduce production of toxic estrogens and block some of their tumor-initiating effects.

Seafood also protects against colorectal cancer. An analysis of diet and colorectal cancer in 14,727 American women found no link between cancer risk and the total amount of fat, calories, fiber or carbohydrates. However, women who ate the most fish and shellfish (high in omega-3 fats) had significantly less colerectal cancer (Nutrition and Cancer 28: 276-81; 1997.). Diets high in omega-3 fats and low in omega-6 fats are linked with lower risks of breast cancer. Researchers compared the tissue fatty acid profile of postmenopausal women with and without cancer. In Spain, women the highest in omega-3 and lowest omega-6 fatty acids had 68% less breast cancer (Am J Epidemiol 1998; 147:342-52.). Fish oil not only protects against heart disease and cancer, it also treats depression and dementia! Studies reveal that low DHA blood levels are associated with depression. Supplementation with fish oil often relieves depression (Biol Psychiatry 1998; 43:315-9). Eating fish also reduces the risk of dementia. Scientists at the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism have presented evidence that the increasing rates of depression observed in North America over the last 100 years are due to a significant shift in the omega-6/omega-3 ratio of the diet. The omega-3 fatty acid DHA is the main component of the synaptic membranes. Adequate omega-3 fats may decrease aggression.

Danish researchers compared the diets of 5,386 healthy older individuals with their risk of dementia. They found that that the more fish in one's diet, the lower the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (Ann Neurol 1997;42:776-82). Researchers at Purdue University found that children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) had lower levels of omega-3 fatty acids in their blood than normal children.

Your daily diet should supply at least 1 gram of EPA plus DHA per day, either from food sources or supplements. If you are vegetarian, you can take a tablespoon of flaxseed oil daily which contains alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). As discussed in the prior section, ALA can be converted into the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA. However, you must take approximately 10 times as much ALA for your body to create an equivalent amount of EPA and DHA.

In summary, light up the grill and enjoy an omega rich fish fillet – knowing that you’re feeding more than your taste buds – you’re also nourishing your mind, health and spirit.

Avoid Harmful Trans-Fats

Trans-fatty acids are fats that have been hardened by chemical hydrogenation which solidifies liquid vegetable oil into hard fats such as shortening and margarine. Trans-fats increase the incidence of  cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, and cancer, and have probably caused more premature deaths in the USA than all the wars and traffic accidents.

When trans-fats are incorporated into cell membranes, their un-natural geometric structure disrupts the cellular membrane structure and membranes leak and lose some of their receptor functions. The body can tolerate no more than 2% trans-fats in the diet and some American diets have 35% trans-fats. You should avoid all products that contain partially hydrogenated oils such as shortening, stick margarine, most deep-fat fried foods, and commercially prepared cakes, cookies, crackers, doughnuts, pastries and potato chips. Avoiding trans-fats is difficult, given the widespread use of partially hydrogenated fat in prepared foods.

Trans-fats came into the diet about 80 years ago. Prior to that time, cooking was done primarily with animal fats such as lard. These animal fats had an off-white color and strong odors. The food industry developed hydrogenated corn oil products which had a pure-white color and were odorless. By 1940, hydrogenated fats were established in many prepared foods and used by most cooks. The awareness of serious health problems associated with trans-fats did not arise until the 1980's and 1990's. Such fats should be banned, but political pressure from the food industry has stopped any action toward removing these fats from prepared foods. This story is very similar to the government's very slow action against the tobacco industry despite decades of evidence from scientists and physicians on the ill-effects of smoking tobacco.

Saturated fat and trans-fatty acids fat increase the risk of heart attack in women. A study 80,082 nurses found those with the highest amount of dietary trans-fatty acids had a 53% greater risk of heart attack than those with the lowest amount (New England Journal of Medicine, 1997; 337(21):1491-9.). In animal studies, trans-fats markedly increase the cancer rate.

Cooking with Fat and Lyon Heart Diet

Olive oil is the best cooking oil. Don’t cook with EFA oils since heat destroys their beneficial nutritional properties. The consumption of olive oil, which contains the monounsaturated oleic acid as a major component appears to reduce breast cancer risk. A diet rich in monounsaturated oils such as olive oil reduces the risk of stroke. Men who ate moderate to high amounts of monounsaturated oils had a lower risk of stroke. For every 1 percent increase in the intake of monounsaturated diet, there was an 11% decrease in the risk of stroke. (JAMA, 1997; 278:2145-50.)

A relatively high-fat diet (fats primarily from olive oil and seafood) built around traditional diets in southern France (also called the Mediterranean diet) was developed as The Lyon Heart Diet and was found to be highly protective against both cancer as well as heart disease. This randomized, blinded trial was designed to see if a Mediterranean diet is more protective than a typical low fat, low cholesterol diet. 605 patients who had recovered from a first heart attack were randomly selected either to continue their present diet, or to start eating the Mediterranean diet.

In the Lyon Study the heart patients were instructed to eat more "real" bread ( i.e., traditional French bread), vegetables, and fish, while eating less meat (replacing red meat with chicken), to eat some fruit daily, and to use canola oil and olive oil as the sources of cooking fat. Both butter and cream avoided and replaced by a special margarine made with canola oil. Although this diet did not reduce blood lipids, there was a 70% reduction in cardiac deaths and coronary events within one year (rising to a 76% reduction after two years), which correlated with the omega-3 content of the diet. The reduction in the rate of heart attacks was noticeable after one month on the diet.

Although the Lyon study was designed to determine the effects of the diet on cardiovascular health, further analysis found that, after four years, there was a 61% reduction in the risk of cancer. (Arch Intern Med 1998; 158:1181-7). Blood samples were taken from the patients found that the Mediterranean diet increased the blood levels of antioxidants (vitamins E and C), and omega-3 fats while reducing omega-6 fats. Surprisingly, there were no changes in blood pressure or cholesterol with the diet in comparison to the control (normal diet) patients.

A study of 61,000 women found that women could reduce breast cancer risk by increasing their intake of monounsaturated fats such as olive and canola oils. With each 10 gram increase of monounsaturated fat in the diet, there was a 50% reduction in breast cancer. Conversely, eating oils high in omega-6 fatty acids (corn oil, safflower oil) gave a 69% increase in breast cancer risk (Arch Int Med 1988;158:41-5).

Can Proper Diet and Supplements Stop Established Cancers?

One of the most intriguing findings from the Lyon Heart Study was the dramatic reduction in new cancers. Most theories on cancer postulate that the development of cancer is a long process over a 10 to 30 period. Yet, the 61% reduction in cancer rates observed in the Lyon Heart Study suggest that even established cancers may be slowed or stopped by proper dietary methods.

One mechanism for lowered cancer rates may be the activation of NK (Natural Killer) cells by dietary components. NK cells serve to remove abnormally reproducing cells such as cancer cells from the body. Dr. Ronald Watson and colleagues at the University of Arizona found that flavonoids such as those found in pine bark (pycnogenol and grape seed extracts) stimulate the production of the cancer-fighting interleukin-2 and activate NK cells. (In Packer 1999, page 128). Another finding is the the tocotrienols, which are similar to vitamin E, can inhibit the growth of breast cancer cells.  (Guthrie 1997)
 

Minerals

Calcium/Magnesium

Calcium is deficient in most modern diets and most deficient in women who have had children. Calcium supplementation along with exercise is the best way to prevent calcium loss from the bones which leads to osteoporosis. Osteoporosis produces collapse of bone and fractures commonly of the pelvis. When people "shrink" with age, the shortening is due to vertebral compression fractures caused by osteoporosis. Bone density studies now can detect patients at risk for bone damage. Calcium and magnesium should be taken together in a ratio of 2 to 1 or 1,000 to 1,500 milligrams of calcium and 500 to 750 milligrams of magnesium.

Copper - Yes; Iron - No

Copper and iron are two essential trace elements. However, the body holds very tightly to iron and most people have an excessive amounts of iron in their body stores. This excessive iron can promote accelerated free radical oxidation in the body. Unless your physician prescribes extra iron, use vitamins that are listed as “iron-free”.

Copper, on the other hand, is bound rather loosely in the body and is easily lost by excretion. The RDA for copper is set at 2 milligrams per day. Many researchers are of the opinion that the RDA for copper should be about 4 to 5 milligrams per day. Copper is essential for the protective actions of copper ,zinc superoxide dismutase, an enzyme that the body’s primary defense which de-toxifies oxygen radicals.

Chromium Picolinate

This form of the mineral chromium is widely used by muscle builders. Human studies find that chromium picolinate decreases body fat and enhances lean body mass. It also lowers blood cholesterol and the blood sugar glucose. It is considered an antiglycosylation agent that reduces protein damage caused by the attachment of sugars. One study found that dietary chromium picolinate extended the lifespan of laboratory rats. After 41 months, 80% of the chromium treated rats were alive but all control rats had died.

Selenium

Selenium is an anti-oxidant that is a free radical scavenger. Dozens of studies have found that dietary selenium can helps prevent a wide variety of cancers, and may be useful in the treatment of cancer. Populations with high blood selenium levels have lower death rates due to cancer. LDS members (Mormons) have high selenium blood levels which is attributed to their diets. Cancer patients generally have low selenium blood levels. Selenium works in synergistically with the vitamin E family. One study testing the toxicity of selenium found that selenium extended the lifespan of laboratory mice.

Selenium overdose toxicity can occur and the dose of selenium should not exceed 100 micrograms (not milligrams) daily.

Resveratrol & Red Wine Protect Against Heart Disease and Cancer

Red wine helps protect the heart against disease. Its anti-oxidant phenols protect high-density lipoproteins from oxidations which initiate vascular plaque formation. Its bioflavanoids scavenge toxins and free radicals. Scientists at the University of Illinois at Chicago found Resveratrol, a phytoalexin found in red wine, red and white grapes grapes and in 72 other plant species, to be one of the most potent cancer chemopreventive agents after testing hundreds of foods. An 18-week study with mice found that Resveratrol, given twice weekly, reduced the number of skin tumors by 68% to 98%, depending on the dosage of Resveratrol. It also halted the spread of cancerous cells in leukemia.

Resveratrol can inhibit all three stages of carcinogenesis, specifically initiation, promotion, and progression. Resveratrol acts as an antioxidant and antimutagen, and induces phase II drug-metabolizing enzymes which remove carcinogens from the body (anti-initiation activity). It inhibits cyclooxygenase and hydroperoxidase functions (anti-promotion activity). Finally, promotes human promyelocytic leukemia cell differentiation which transforms such cells back into healthy, non-cancerous cells (anti-progression activity).

Alcoholic Drinks May Improve Brain Function with Age

Recent studies have found that moderate alcohol intake may be beneficial to cognitive functioning in women, although not necessarily in men. The Framingham Heart Study, a large scale, long term health study examined the relation between alcohol consumption and cognitive ability. 733 men and 1,053 women, aged 55-88 years, were questioned as to their weekly intake of alcohol and divided into groups of abstainers, very light, light, moderate, and heavy drinkers. Participants were administered eight tests which measure verbal memory, learning, visual organization and memory, attention, abstract reasoning, and concept formation. Women who drank moderately (2-4 drinks/day) showed superior performance in many cognitive domains relative to abstainers. For men, superior performance was found within the range of 4-8 drinks/day. These results were confirmed by prospective analyses of 24-year drinking history (Elias et al 1999).

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Copyright 1998-2008 by Dr. Loren Pickart. All rights reserved. No reproduction without written permission.
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