Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
Photo by Rawpixel on Unsplash Generally, we don’t think much about our blood until we’re forced to due to health issues. But eventually, the topic will come up in one way or another. Whether you get a paper cut, donate blood, or experience excess blood …
If you’re looking for a little extra brain power, what you eat may play a big factor. Research shows that what you eat is one of the most powerful influences on everyday mental processes. Here are some of the best foods to eat for a …
Now here’s something we can toast to! It’s well-known that consumption of red wine has great health benefits, but recent studies show that other alcoholic beverages in moderation might boost your overall health, too.
In a recent study, researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston found in that moderate alcohol consumption, defined as seven drinks per week, was associated with a 20 percent lower risk of heart failure in men and a 16 percent lower risk in women, when compared to people who didn’t drink at all.
For the study, the researchers looked at data on 14,629 people aged 45 to 64 who were participating in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study from 1987 to 1989. The researchers followed these participants until 2011, and interviewed them at the beginning and during three follow-up visits about their drinking habits. Each drink was defined as either one small glass of wine (about 125 milliliters), about 12 ounces of beer, or a little less than a shot of vodka or whiskey. After looking at rates of heart failure among the participants, the researchers found those who drank moderately, or about seven drinks per week, were least likely to have it.
“These findings suggest that drinking alcohol in moderation does not contribute to an increased risk of heart failure and may even be protective,” said study author Dr. Scott Solomon, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and senior physician at Brigham and Women’s. “No level of alcohol intake was associated with a higher risk of heart failure. However, heavy alcohol use is certainly a risk factor for deaths from any cause.”
Although research shows moderate alcohol consumption does indeed have its benefits, there’s a very fine line between healthy drinking in moderation and going overboard – so don’t use studies like this as an excuse to binge drink! If you have a history of addictive behavior, alcoholism or drug addiction in your family, or if you take certain prescription medications like sleeping pills, anti-depressants, or benzodiazepines (anxiety medications like Xanax or Klonopin), it’s crucially important to watch your drinking habits closely.
Resveratrol is a compound found naturally in the skins of red grapes and grape juice. It is commonly known as the “red wine antioxidant”, but this is due to its dark pigment rather than the alcohol content. Resveratrol is a phytoalexin, a natural substance that is released by plants to protect them from fungus and other microbes, from extreme temperatures, and from excessive dampness or drought. Resveratrol is found in small amounts in the following foods – the skin of the red grape, red wine, peanuts, and in Polygonum cuspidatum (a large perennial plant). This plant supplies the highest level of truly active Trans-Resveratrol. Red wine has known health benefits, mainly because of its antioxidant content. However, it’s important that red wine is drank in moderation, as with any alcohol. Alcohol is also corrosive to the stomach and toxic to the liver.
Need more information on Resveratrol? Click here!
Resveratrol is a major manipulator, but in a positive way that offers major health benefits, as resveratrol manipulates your genes. Resveratrol has been shown to slow aging of the important genes in your brain, your heart, and your muscles, which is crucial because these genes are responsible for the health and function of these organs throughout the aging process. Resveratrol also works as a powerful cellular antioxidant; mediating inflammatory pathways is helpful in the microscopic capillaries. Because of this, Resveratrol has demonstrated a major ability to help protect your heart, circulation, brain, kidneys, pancreas, thyroid and adrenal glands, and many other vital organs and body functions.
Broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables are well-known for their wide range of health benefits. But recently, scientists discovered that they may be helpful for the often mysterious symptoms of Autism as well. The Study According to a new study published in the journal Proceedings of …
It’s a common practice to take aspirin daily for a healthy heart. However, recent research shows that this method may have far more risks than benefits. According to a study published Monday in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 11.6% of the nearly …
Nobody wants to frown all day, but can it actually be better for your skin long-term? Whether you’re talking, frowning or smiling, a crease forms on your skin the moment you move one of your facial muscles. When it comes to your smile, the largest of the lines that form are the “nasolabial folds”-those big arcs of skin that stretch down from the sides of your nose to the corners of your mouth. Different ethnicities age differently, and your skin’s natural melanin concentration and oil production play a role in how quickly your smile grooves will start to leave their mark.
But here’s one factor you can control: ultraviolet radiation exposure from sunlight. “This is actually the number-one cause of winkles,” says Dr. Marc Glashofer, a dermatologist in New York. “The more sun your skin soaks up, the more its connective tissue breaks down, leaving it less firm and less elastic.”
Beauty is something that is always best achieved from the inside out; especially as we age and certain nutrients become depleted. That’s when the available pool of circulating antioxidants that would normally be available to protect and rejuvenate the skin has diminished and isn’t what it used to be. Replenishing nutrients from the inside can have a powerful anti-aging impact on the outside – on the skin that you see. It’s almost a conundrum but swallowing antioxidants has a better effect for rejuvenating the skin than applying them directly. This is because choosing a well absorbed-soluble antioxidant allows it to migrate through the circulatory system reaching, permeating through and nourishing the skin better when swallowed than when rubbed on.
The skin has 3 layers and the outermost – the one you see that is called the epidermis, actually consists of five layers of its own. Swallowing a nutrient penetrates these layers from the inside out but rubbing it on often doesn’t work. The innermost layer of the epidermis is where visible skin is made and it takes two-weeks for it to migrate its way out to the surface; by then its cells are usually spent. Swallowing the correct antioxidants nourishes these inner layers as they work their way outwards so that they retain vibrancy and look younger when they become visible. Unhealthy habits especially smoking, consuming a poor diet is lacking in nutrients, inclement weather, stress, and harmful UV rays from the sun over time cause harm to the skin. However, just as easily as those unhealthy habits may cause damage, a healthy routine can work to prevent that damage from recurring.
Collagen is the primary protein in connective tissue and is present in joint, bone, cartilage, tendon, ligament, muscle, and in hair, skin, and nails. Collagen works for skin care, directly helping with aging related issues that would normally seem untreatable. As we age, we start to experience bone and cartilage loss mostly around the mouth and nose. This will often cause our skin to lose elasticity and leave a ‘skeleton-like’ appearance. Numerous studies have been conducted to determine the effectiveness of hydrolyzed collagen – collagen where its units have been broken down to improve digestion and absorption. One study published in the “Archives of Dermatological Research” found that 10 grams of oral hydrolyzed collagen per day for 60 days improved the skin’s ability to absorb moisture, making it look healthier and controlling the appearance of wrinkles.†
Click here to read: Collagen Restores Youth to the Skin in Women; Beauty From the Inside Out
When it comes to fruits and vegetables, the color pigmentation is often the healthiest aspect. The more vibrant the fruit is in color, the more nutrients it contains. Plant pigments like berries, resveratrol, carotenoids, lutein and astaxanthin travel through our body and reach the skin and function as antioxidants by improving the look and health of the skin. The antioxidants found in berries are known to help improve collagen production as well. Berries are also high in vitamin C, vitamin E, riboflavin, and soluble and insoluble fiber as well, which are all crucial nutrients for skin health. Recent studies even show that these antioxidants are also known to protect the skin from UV damage – the number one cause of wrinkling and aging of the skin. Clinically proven serums for skin can also protect and repair skin creases and make them healthier overall. Reputed clinics such as bhmd (Beverly Hills MD) and similar ones have skin serums that can visibly change the skin’s appearance.
Read “Superfoods for Skin Protection” by Nicole Crane, BS, NTP by clicking here!
The kiwi fruit and black raspberries are both rich in phytonutrients and antioxidants that will help combat unhealthy free radicals, which may in turn delay the onset of aging. Studies have shown that the Kiwi extract found in Cocoa works to protect our genes and DNA and actually slows the aging process at the gene level. Cocoa will also protect, heal, and rejuvenate the skin improving hydration and the skin’s texture, density, and elasticity, reducing laxity, discoloration and improving the appearance and health of the skin. Recent research published on Science Daily has shown that black raspberries could even yield possible skin protective activities helping to minimize mutations caused by the suns dangerous ultraviolet radiation.†
Grape Seed Extract is an up and coming skin care supplement jam-packed with high levels of very powerful and beneficial antioxidants with shocking protective properties. The important ingredients that are found in Grape Seed are called Oligomeric Proanthocyanidins or OPCs; these are complexes of flavonoids-polyphenols that are found in the grape seed and they have been proven to have antiviral, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and ant allergic activities. The sagging and wrinkling of the skin is often the result of long-term free radical damage typically caused by sun exposure but also by smoking. Women specifically are always searching for new ways to prevent and treat this issue. Grape Seed Extract works to repair damaged skin by strengthening and protecting cell structures from the oxidative stress of free radicals generated by the sun or smoking. Grape Seed Extract even influences Vitamin C and Collagen production in our bodies, which will also assist us in rejuvenating already aging skin. Grape Seed Extract is an incredibly safe and effective supplement that promotes cell health and skin elasticity, making it seem more youthful, in a process that works almost like a natural face-lift. Grape seed extract is an anti-aging superstar that should be incorporated into everyone’s daily routine.†
Click to read more – Grape Seed Extract: Independent Research Studies