VitaminBaronKeeping An Eye On Your Health
Seven Super Supplements of the Season |
We at VitaminBaron.com are asked each year, "What were your best selling products for the year?" As promised, they are outlined below.
Acai
Because free radicals contribute so significantly to the onset of disease, dietary antioxidants are believed to be good external sources to counteract free radicals in the body.
Popular antioxidants include Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and antioxidants in green tea and olive oil.
Now a new study has found another powerful source of antioxidants in the form of a fruit called Acai.
This fruit is consumed in a variety of beverages and food preparations in Brazil and Columbia where it is used medicinally as an anti-diarrheal agent.
It has gained much attention due to its antioxidant capacity and possible role as a "functional food" or food ingredient.
Acai′s fruit pulp, called Euterpe oleraceae, has been reported to scavenge free radicals; thus reportedly having an extremely high scavenging capacity. This means that Acai, when taken as a supplement, will assist the body in ridding itself of harmful toxins.
Vitamin D3
It's D time again.
Today let us discuss two recent studies that illustrate again just how vital vitamin D is to our overall health.
Both of the new studies come from researchers at Tufts University - USDA Human Nutrition Research Center.
For the first study, reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, research indicates that a possible association between vitamin D deficiency and periodontal disease.
Results showed a significant association between low levels of vitamin D and an elevated risk of tooth loss due to periodontal disease.
In the second study, reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers note that a specific nuclear receptor in muscle tissue may facilitate improved muscle cell growth and muscle strength when vitamin D levels are high.
Both of these studies help confirm previous reports that adequate vitamin D intake may be an essential element in keeping muscles strong and gums healthy as we age.
We have seen quite a run of impressive studies about vitamin D over the past couple of years.
Here are some of the other vitamin D benefits:
• Depression during winter months was significantly reduced among study subjects who took high daily doses of vitamin D (5,000 IU) for a period of one year.
• In a study that analyzed the relation of vitamin D levels to insulin sensitivity in a group of adults with normal glucose tolerance, those with the lowest levels of D were more prone to develop symptoms of type 2 diabetes, including weaker pancreatic function and greater insulin resistance.
• Sufficient levels of vitamin D may cut the risk of heart disease in older people by as much as one-third, due to the ability of vitamin D to help prevent the buildup of calcium deposits in the arteries.
As noted before, the best source of vitamin D is a moderate amount of sun exposure each day.
However, it is impossible for most people to get enough vitamin D from the sun alone. In fact, for many elderly people the vitamin D deficiency problem is compounded because our skin becomes less effective in producing vitamin D as we age.
Contrary to what the milk add would have us believe, homogenized and pasteurized dairy products are not good alternative sources of vitamin D because of the many other health concerns those products raise.
Instead, try food sources like salmon and sardines, or cod liver oil, which provides more than 1,300 IU of vitamin D per tablespoon.
Or supplement daily with a good quality Vitamin D 3 gel or capsule.
Coral Calcium
The body absorbs coral calcium better than other calcium supplements in the market mostly due to the trace minerals also found in coral.
Ninety-eight percent of people over the age of 60 are totally calcium-deficient meaning, they are not consuming enough calcium to sustain current bone density.
Most of the body's calcium is stored in the bones, which can release whatever amounts are needed to maintain adequate blood levels; this causes bone loss.
Historically, calcium supplements have not always been safe: years ago calcium carbonate from bone meal or oyster shells, for instance, was used in some supplements; however it was later found to contain high levels of lead and other heavy metals.
Now with new technology and strict government laws calcium is very safe.
Almost every cell in the body, including those in the heart, nerves, and muscles, rely on calcium to function properly. Like many other supplements, coral calcium is beneficial to your body in many ways.
Coral calcium has special properties, mainly high trace mineral content, that make it worth strongly considering as a supplement to your daily diet.
Krill Oil
The benefits of krill oil, as found during research, show that supplementing with krill oil affects cholesterol.
The results were very positive showing that krill oil actually reduces bad cholesterol (LDL) by thirty-four percent and increases good cholesterol (HDL) by forty-three percent.
Fish oil percentages were not nearly as impressive, remaining in the single digits.
Fish oil and krill oil both have the beneficial Omega III fatty acids that are important to cardio-health reducing the risks of possible heart disease.
Aside from aiding in cholesterol levels, krill oil offers other benefits:
• Better concentration and memory.
• Controlling blood sugar levels.
• Aids in keeping joints healthy.
• Decreases the signs of aging.
• Promotes brain and nervous system health, function, and development.
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