Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Bioflavonoids

Bioflavonoids are water soluble pigments found in plants and fruits. The color of tomatoes, grapes, apples etc. are those pigments. They are found in the surface areas of fruits and leaves mainly for protection.

Unlike humans, plants have no shelter nor clothing. They are exposed to all kinds of weather and harmful microorganisms. They also don't have shampoos or soaps to clean themselves from germs and other harmful microorganisms.

Nature has provided plants with defenses from all kinds of threats and it can be found in the areas of and near the skin. Different colors or pigments have different compositions.

Humans can also benefit from the protections these pigments give to the plants. Bioflavonoids contain antioxidants like quercetin which can protect LDL(low level density lipoprotein) or 'bad' cholesterol from oxidative damage. Aside from that, other micronutrients which the human body can benefit are also present.

The following are some characteristics of bioflavonoids when ingested by mammals.
- it strengthens capillaries and other connective tissues.
- tissues are protected from inflammation.
- they are anti-histaminic
- they are anti-viral agents
- they have anti-tumor properties

Some health conditions can benefit from these like:
- chronic venous insufficiency
- hepatitis
- hemorrhoids
- skin ulcers
- allergies
- atherosclerosis
- bruising
- cataracts
- diabetes
- glaucoma
- macular degeneration of the eyes

Knowing these, you can enjoy a lot more from eating fruits and vegetables. Others suggests that eating 4 to 5 servings of different fruits and vegetables in a day can provide you with the antioxidants you need as well as other micronutrients that these bioflavonoids possess.

If you cannot have these four servings because of your work schedule or activities, you may consider taking antioxidant supplements.
I recommend Advanced Antioxidant with Red Wine Extract because it combines water soluble and lipid soluble antioxidants in one formula. The active content with bioflavonoids of this product is Red Wine Extract.

Monday, May 21, 2007

Amazing Vitamin: Vitamin E

By: Hamoon Arbabi

Vitamin E is one of the most important vitamins for people, so we should pay particular attention to this amazing vitamin and consider to some benefits of it.

1) Vitamin E and Skin Care

Skin and lip protection are also well-known health benefits of vitamin E. Vitamin E helps retain moisture in the skin and prevents dryness, itchiness, and chapping. It also protects against UV radiation and speeds up wound healing. It can be applied topically and is a main ingredient in most creams, lotions, and sunscreens.

Vitamin E prevents acne via antioxidant protection. Several clinical investigations have elucidated the relationship between vitamin E and acne.

In addition to this study, a report in Clinical & Experimental Dermatology detected a direct link between blood levels of vitamin E, and acne. In this investigation, researchers compared the blood levels of vitamin E in 100 newly diagnosed, yet untreated acne patients to 100 age-matched, healthy volunteers without acne. Overall, the healthy, acne free group had higher amounts of vitamin E in their circulatory system than the acne sufferer group.

Based on these findings, investigators concluded that low vitamin E blood levels could cause or aggravate an acne outbreak.

2) Vitamin E and Diabetes

Vitamin E is one of the most important vitamins for people with diabetes. The role of vitamin E in the diet of the diabetic is to improve insulin activity and acts as a blood oxygenator by performing as an antioxidant. The onset of Type 2 diabetes is seen more often in diabetics that have been shown to have low blood levels of vitamin E. Vitamin E improves glucose tolerance in non-diabetic elderly and adults with Type 2 diabetes (NIDDM).

Damage caused by free-radicals in the blood stream is associated with a deficiency of Vitamin E. The lining of the vascular system can be damaged by the lack vitamin E. This damage to the vascular system may be prevented by the antioxidant activity of vitamin E. Increasing the vitamin E level in diabetics can protect the diabetic from diabetic cataracts.

3) Vitamin E and Hair Loss

Vitamin E is effective in increasing peripheral circulation through oxygen uptake with benefits to the scalp. It is also possible vitamin E helps the body's immune function which in turn stimulates hair growth.

Vitamin E for hair loss should be treated with a little caution. As increased vitamin E intake can cause adverse reactions when combined with some medications it is wise to consult with a medical practitioner before taking large quantities if you regularly take medication for other health conditions.

Interestingly vitamin E was used in the fur industry to promote healthy fur in animals and it is still used today in certain supplements for pets to contribute to healthy fur.

4) Vitamin E and Heart Disease

Vitamin E prevents cholesterol from being converted to plaque, which thickens the blood vessels and leads to stroke and heart disease. Vitamin E can also prevent blood clots that lead to blocked arteries and heart disease, although the American Heart Association suggests that more research is needed before they will recommend vitamin E supplementation to prevent heart disease. It also thins the blood and improves blood flow even with plaque buildup on the artery walls. Studies show that vitamin E from foods can reduce the risk of stroke in postmenopausal women, although further studies are needed to support this claim.

Vitamin E is one of the antioxidant vitamins. These vitamins have the ability to neutralize harmful free radicals in the body that can cause serious disease such as cancer.

Hamoon Arbabi, If you want more information about Vitamin E and other vitamins, please visit Supplement Encyclopedia in http://www.suppedia.com.

Article Source: http://www.ArticleBiz.com

Thursday, May 17, 2007

Antioxidants and Women's Health

By: Steven Godlewski

Women have a great number of potential health issues to be concerned about. This doesn't mean that men don't have concerns of their own; it just means that women seem to have a lot more things that can go wrong with their bodies than men do, including natural processes, such as pregnancy and menopause.

Breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and osteoporosis are just a few of the major concerns - but there are many more. While we have become more aware of women's health issues, and the prevention of many diseases and illnesses, the health problems that plague women persist, and seem to grow even greater and more urgent. This isn't surprising since over 40,000 women will die in the United States alone in 2006 from breast cancer.

Then, there are the other health issues that seem to plague women. These other issues may not be as deadly as others, but they are just as important. Depression and weight issues are at the top of that list. Women struggle with depression at an alarming rate. Again, men also get depressed, but studies have shown that this is a condition that affects women more commonly. Men also struggle with their weight, but they are traditionally better able to get and keep weight off then women are.

What many women don't realize is that depression and weight issues are often tied in with toxins in the body. These toxins cause numerous health problems, and they prevent other health issues from being resolved - including depression and the loss of excess weight. Unfortunately, these toxins tend to make matters worse, because the problems are not resolved even when treatment is sought. Women often start to think that something is seriously wrong with them when they don't respond as expected to treatment, when toxins in the body are the culprit all along!

Even though the body produces natural antioxidants that cleanse these toxins from our systems, the natural antioxidants simply can't keep up with the demands in the toxic world that we live in. Therefore, we must help the body rid itself of these toxins by using antioxidant products, and eating foods that contain natural antioxidants.

By detoxifying the body, you will find that depression usually goes away. Antioxidants also serve as diuretics, bring blood sugar levels into the normal range, and oxygenate the cells properly. Libido is restored and thyroid hormone action, which controls metabolism and ultimately weight loss, is also promoted. By detoxifying the body, a woman also protects against fibroid cysts in the breasts, and helps to prevent breast cancer.

Antioxidants have also proven to be instrumental in preventing endometrial cancers as well, and also help to prevent osteoporosis. All of these issues are of great concern to women, and therefore, women should use antioxidants on a regular basis for good health.

About the Author

Steven Godlewski is a self-made millionaire and is currently working with the staff at PillFreeVitamins.com He has an extensive background in nutrition as well as other health related fields. For more health-related articles or a FREE bottle of Liquid Vitamins see their website at: http://www.pillfreevitamins.com

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

The Delicious Path Of Antiaging Nutrition

By: Rebecca Prescott

Plant nutrients play a key role in anti aging. Fruit, vegetables, and plant extracts have an array of chemical constituents, called phytochemicals or phytonutrients, that are hugely beneficial to skin health and beauty.

In plants, phytochemicals confer characteristics like color, which can help the plant by providing an attractive beacon to passing bees to help in pollination. Or they offer a protective effect to the plant to prevent insects from harming it, or repel grazing animals. But they have often been found to have benefits for human health when analyzed in laboratories. It is these chemicals in plants that make fruit and vegetables so much more valuable than simply the macro nutrients like vitamin C.

Antioxidants are one class of phytonutrients, though there are many. Antioxidants work by supplying an extra oxygen molecule to those molecules that are missing one, called free radicals. If antioxidants don't supply the missing oxygen molecule to free radicals, the free radicals will take an oxygen molecule from another compound in the body, making one that was previously healthy and intact itself a free radical. Free radicals are not 'baddies', simply unstable chemical molecules, but the effect they have on the body is negative, as they can damage cells. Free radicals are produced as a normal by product of the metabolic processes of our cells, as well as by our immune system as it counteracts the effects of pathogens and the environment.

The trick is to keep the balance in the body where there is enough of a supply of antioxidants to cope with the body's production of free radicals.

Free radicals affect the skin in three main ways. They can alter the fatty layers in your cellular membranes. These fatty layers provide structure to the cell, and control which nutrients and other agents can pass in and out. They can alter the DNA within cells, which aside from the potential to develop into serious illnesses, can make your skin inclined to wrinkles and sagging before its natural biological time. Altered DNA creates a blueprint for collagen and elastin fibers that don't function as healthy, normal ones would. And to compound matters, the skin's pores need healthy collagen and elastin fibers to stay tight and small. So another undesired result is open, large pores.

Free radicals also lead to a process called the cross-linking of collagen fibers. This occurs in the skin's dermis, as a result of collagen and elastin fibers becoming hard, thick, and then binding together. Cross-linked fibers create wrinkles, skin sag, and cause your regular expression lines to become etched in your face as a permanent fixture. With healthy collagen and elastin fibers these expression lines would simply disappear once you moved your facial muscles in a different way. And enzymes that metabolize collagen are encouraged by free radicals, which, given the importance of collagen in youthful looking skin, is best minimized.

Other phytonutrients in plants that are of importance to skin beauty are carotenoids and flavanoids. Flavanoids are great for the health of blood vessels. They strengthen the capillaries that supply important nutrients to the skin's cells, as well as supporting cellular membranes. Healthy cell membranes regenerate quickly, and slow the aging process. Carotenoids also strengthen cell membranes. It seems carrots are not just good for eyesight! And flavanoids help reduce inflammation, as well as increasing levels of glutathione, which is an antioxidant.

References: Erica Angyal, Gorgeous Skin In 30 Days (Lothian Books, 2005)

Article Source: Free Article Master

If acne is a problem for you, check out these acne nutrition tips and a selection of natural acne treatments for information on how to manage acne whilst supporting your health as a whole.


Monday, May 14, 2007

Anti-aging Skin Care Tips

By: Bill Nad

Anti-aging skin care tips often focus on how to look more youthful, with good reason. The outer surface of your body is constantly exposed to elements that cause premature aging, including sun and wind, environmental pollution, and inadequate moisturizing. To prevent premature aging tips include not only how to defend your skin from these elements, but also how to rectify damage that has already taken place. In addition, while curing wrinkles altogether is not realistic, there are ways to minimize the development of fine lines so that you look your best.

Avoid Ultraviolet Rays

If you love the sun, it is imperative to shield your body from harmful ultraviolet rays. Minimizing exposure to sunshine and wearing a sunscreen whenever you are outside are the top two tips for preventing your body from looking old.

You should use sunscreen every day, even when it is overcast. Clouds do not stop ultraviolet rays from reaching your skin. Today's moisturizers and makeup formulas usually incorporate a sunscreen of at least SPF 15. Make sure you use one of these as part of your everyday routine. After all, preventing wrinkles is far easier than curing wrinkles!

Use Moisturizers Daily

Using a moisturizer is one of the simplest anti-aging skin care tips, but it becomes increasingly applicable as the outer body surface ages. As you mature, your outer skin layer decreases its production of natural oil. Your complexion becomes drier, and you begin to see lines on your face. Moisturizers help prevent your body from losing moisture. The more hydrated your body's surface, the fewer lines will be visible.

Here is a hint: After you wash your face, do not dry it completely. Apply a moisturizer to your damp outer surface. This will help to seal in the water and intensify your moisturizer's effectiveness.

Hydrate Your Body

Hydration does not just come from the outside. You must keep your complexion hydrated from the inside. Drink lots of water throughout the day. Instead of a coffee break, take a water break. Coffee is a diuretic. Avoid it while boosting your water intake and you will reap twice the rewards!

Fight Free Radicals

Free radicals are unstable molecules that disrupt living cells in the body. They are spawned by radiation, herbicides, pollution, and cigarette smoke. When production reaches a particular level, significant cell damage occurs. This destruction accrues with age. The complexion becomes wrinkled and droopy when free radicals break down the elastin and collagen in your skin.

An essential tip is to avoid exposure to the situations that result in free radical development. Moreover, you can utilize antioxidants to neutralize free radicals, thus preventing cell and tissue damage. Vitamins C and E are antioxidants. Eating foods high in Vitamin C and E - or taking supplements - is another essential tip.

These tips are not difficult to implement. Start by avoiding ultraviolet rays, using moisturizer, hydrating your skin, and fighting free radicals. While curing wrinkles is not possible, reducing their emergence is easy. Follow these anti-aging skin care tips and you will have smoother, younger-looking complexion regardless of your age!

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Friday, May 11, 2007

Oxygen - the doubled edged sword

When we think of oxygen, what usually comes to mind is that it gives us life. And indeed it does!. We can live without water or food for several days but not with oxygen. We can survive only for a few minutes without it. But on the contrary, it is also a main ingredient for aging.

Iron rusts when exposed to oxygen. That's why water pipes made of iron are coated with a special material to protect the metal from coming in contact with oxygen. Scrape off the protective coating and for several hours you will notice the metal's color will slowly turn to brown. That's rust forming.

Slice an apple and a few minutes later, the flesh will turn brown.

But you may ask, why doesn't the apple skin react with oxygen destructively? The molecules which compose the apple's skin have tightly bonded electrons. They don't react with oxygen the way the flesh inside does.

There are atoms whose electrons are not tightly bonded to their nucleus. When they come in contact with oxygen, one of their electrons can be taken away from them because oxygen is like a magnet for electrons.

Oxidation is the term used for atoms which loses or gives up an electron to oxygen. Depending on the type of atom, it may become reactive or unstable( a free radical). The tendency of the atom now is to regain its stability by 'stealing' an electron from a nearby atom. A chain reaction occurs and it only stops when an antioxidant is encountered.

Free radical chain reactions occur frequently within our bodies. Without antioxidants, our cells will die rapidly, DNA would mutate which could alter the natural growth of cells, or put simply we will 'rust'.

Antioxidants are the 'defenders' to the harmful effects of oxygen when it combines with other molecules.

Thursday, May 10, 2007

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Welcome!

This blog hopes to encourage awareness on antioxidants as a key to better health.