National Blueberry Month: 5 Reasons to Celebrate

National Blueberry Month: 5 Reasons to Celebrate

There are dozens of reasons we love summer between cookouts, beach vacations, and all of the fresh fruits and veggies in season, but one little fruit is getting extra attention this month.  Refusing to be overlooked, the small-but-mighty North American fruit is taking over July with National Blueberry Month! Keep reading to find out why these little fruits pack a huge punch:

Blueberries are a classic summer food.  The blueberry season itself runs from May until October, but peaks in July just in time for summer salads, smoothies, and farmer’s markets! If the sweetness wasn’t enough to make you fall in love with one of America’s favorite superfoods, here’s a peek at the long list of benefits that make them more than deserving of their month of recognition:

They’re great for your bones

Can you guess how many vitamins the blueberry has that assist bone health? Most would stop at two or three. After all, they’re tiny! In fact, they contain seven: iron, phosphorous, calcium, magnesium, manganese, zinc, and vitamin K.  While iron and zinc help to maintain the elasticity of bones and joints, vitamin K has been shown to prevent bone fractures over time.

They help with weight loss & digestion

Blueberries have a surprisingly high fiber content within the jewel blue skin. In fact, adding one cup of fresh blueberries can add up to 4.2 grams of fiber to your diet with only 80 calories!  Getting enough fiber not only helps with regulating digestion and maintaining a healthy digestive tract, but it also helps you feel full and satisfied for longer which can help support a healthy weight and lifestyle.

They support your skin’s health

Your skin’s support system, collagen, relies on vitamin C to help prevent damage.  This damage comes from many things we come in contact with every day.  These including smoke, air pollution, and smoke (firsthand and secondhand), so they can be hard to get away from. Thankfully, the vitamin C found in blueberries can help assist collagen in smoothing out wrinkles and improving overall skin texture so that your skin looks as healthy as it feels!

They’re packed with antioxidants

Antioxidants are important. They help protect your cells against free radicals! In case you’ve never heard of them, they are molecules produced when your body breaks down food or is exposed to tobacco smoke or radiation.  They can start a chain of harmful chemical reactions that hurt the cells in your body.  Not to worry, blueberries are actually believed to be the highest antioxidant-containing food of all commonly eaten fruits!

Blueberry boosts your brain

As we age, our memory tends to decline and conditions such as Alzheimer’s and dementia become more common.  In recent studies, however, blueberries have been found to boost cognitive function and reduce the likelihood of these diseases.  We can thank the dense concentration of flavonoids, a group of plant chemicals that give fruits and vegetables their vibrant colors.  This chemical has been shown to increase brain activity and blood flow to the brain which makes it a powerful weapon in the fight to treat Alzheimer’s.

This is just a handful of the amazing list of health benefits offered by this power-packed fruit.  Check out your local farmer’s market, grocery store, or even your own garden to stock up while they’re ripe! Since washing the fruit actually softens it and makes it overripen more quickly, try opting for an organic option as their thin skin allows for chemicals and pesticides to seep into the fruit.  Add them to your smoothies, oatmeals, and yogurts this month and enjoy a healthy, fresh July!

Posted On July 13, 2017 from Unfranchise Blog

Learn about the Amazing Benefits of Opuvita

 Learn about the Amazing Benefits of 
Opuvita

An all-natural, preservative-free fruit fusion, Opuvita invigorates your body. Each sip supports numerous areas of health — your heart, brain, body weight, mood and more — to promote overall wellness from head to toe.*

Opuvita Superfruit Fusion is a crisp, refreshing fusion of Sea Buckthorn and Prickly Pear — each of which has been studied individually for its tremendous health benefits, and which have been brought together to deliver a complete combination of benefits for supporting total health and wellness.

Sea Buckthorn has been specifically studied for its contribution to the maintenance of healthy cholesterol levels. In addition, its wealth of nutrients contributes to digestive health. Prickly Pear has been shown to provide the body with astounding antioxidant, phytonutrient and flavanoid benefits, including cardiovascular support.

Rich in nutrients and phytochemicals, this super fruit union has been blended with other all-natural ingredients into one great-tasting medley of flavors that can be taken every day to promote whole body health and wellness. Opuvita Superfruit Fusion is an ideal choice for daily replenishment, refreshment and rejuvenation.

Primary Benefits of Opuvita™ Superfruit Fusion*:

• Promotes cardiovascular health
• Helps maintain normal cholesterol and triglyceride levels
• Helps maintain healthy bodyweight
• Helps control water weight without impacting electrolyte status or blood pressure
• May help maintain healthy levels of serotonin, improving mood   
• Helps to promote lubrication of the digestive and respiratory tracts
• May help to maintain normal C-reactive protein levels
• Promotes healthy cells
• Helps maintain normal blood glucose levels
• Promotes healthy skin, hair and nails

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Resveratrol shows potential for blood sugar

Resveratrol shows potential for blood sugar

Three months of consuming a daily supplement of resveratrol may help with blood sugar control and improve blood pressure in type­2 diabetics, suggests data from India.

“The results of the present study support our hypothesis that resveratrol supplementation improves glycemic control and the associated risk factors in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus,” wrote researchers in Nutrition Research .
“The study also suggests that resveratrol could be used as an effective adjuvant therapy with a conventional hypoglycemic regimen to treat type 2 diabetes mellitus.”

Resveratrol, a powerful polyphenol and anti­fungal chemical, is often touted as the bioactive compound in grapes and red wine, and has particularly been associated with the so­called 'French Paradox'. The phrase, coined in 1992 by Dr Serge Renaud from Bordeaux University, describes the low incidence of heart disease and obesity among the French, despite their relatively high­fat diet and levels of wine consumption.
Other studies with only resveratrol have reported anti­cancer effects, anti­inflammatory effects, cardiovascular benefits, anti­diabetes potential, energy endurance enhancement, and protection against Alzheimer’s.

“To the best of our knowledge, this is the first clinical study to evaluate the effect of resveratrol as supplement in Indian patients with type­2 diabetes,” wrote the researchers. The potential mechanism behind the benefits is not clear, they added, and additional research is needed to elucidate the mechanism.
“Oral supplementation of resveratrol is thus found to be effective in improving glycemic control and may possibly provide a potential adjuvant for the treatment and management of diabetes,” they concluded.  

Isotonix Resveratrol

What Makes Isotonix® Resveratrol Unique?   

Poor cellular and cardiovascular health is becoming a worldwide epidemic. An unhealthy diet of processed, high-calorie, high-fat foods, pollution, smoking and sedentary lifestyles all contribute to poor cell and heart health. Scientists revealed The French Paradox, which states that even though the French drink, smoke and eat high-fat foods they have some of the lowest incidences of poor cardiovascular and cellular health. Scientists attribute this to the large amounts of red wine that the French consume or, more importantly, an extract found in red wine: resveratrol. Resveratrol is an ingredient with incredible clinical research, revealing that it supports cardiovascular and normal cell health. Because wine is so highly processed, the actual amount of resveratrol is quite low. One would have to drink at least three bottles of red wine a day to experience the effects of resveratrol extract. Additionally, the content of resveratrol in red wine is inconsistent and varies by type of wine, region and processing techniques. Resveratrol extract or more specifically, Resveravine®, which is a more concentrated form of resveratrol, ensures that the body reaps all of the benefits of resveratrol, without the ill effects from three bottles of wine.*

Isotonix® Resveratrol is an isotonic-capable supplement, made from three patented ingredients: Resveravine with 20% resveratrol extract, BioVin® Advanced with 5% resveratrol extract, and VitaBlue® (wild blueberry extract), designed to promote normal cell health. Isotonix Resveratrol works to maintain cell health, promote normal cell cycle activity, promote apoptosis (programmed cell death) in unhealthy cells, support the normal activity of the SIRT-1 gene, and promote cardiovascular health, by promoting healthy platelet activity, promoting vasorelaxation, and providing antioxidant protection of LDL particles. Resveravine is a combination of trans-resveratrol (20% purity) and viniferin extracted from vine stems, which work synergistically to enhance the effectiveness of resveratrol extract.Trans-resveratrol is the predominate isomer found in red wine grapes and juice, and Resveravine is 100 to 300 times more concentrated in trans-resveratrol than other products from grape skin. According to the Linus Pauli

Primary Benefits of Isotonix® Resveratrol*:

• Maintains cell health
• Promotes normal cell cycle activity
• Promotes apoptosis (programmed cell death) in unhealthy cells
• Promotes normal nuclear factor kappa B (NF-Kappa B – protein) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2 - enzyme) activity
• Promotes normal activity of the SIRT-1 gene (involved in calorie restriction, fat mobilization, mitochondrial function)
• Promotes cardiovascular health (promotes normal platelet activity, helps maintain normal vasorelaxation, provides antioxidant protection of LDL particles).
• Superior antioxidant and high ORAC value
• Promotes a healthy prostate gland
• Helps promote apoptosis in unhealthy prostate cells

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Curcumin supplements prevent type 2 diabetes

By David Liu, PHD

Saturday Aug 4, 2012 (foodconsumer.org) -- Eating curry or taking curcumin supplements helps reduce risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus, according to a new study published in the journal Diabetes Care. Curcumin is an ingredient found in turmeric which is used in curry, a food commonly used in India.

The study showed one of pre-diabetics who took curcumin supplements every day for nine months developed type 2 diabetes mellitus while 16 percent of pre-diabetics who took a dummy pill for the same period developed the disease.

For the study, researchers of Srinakharinwirot University in Bangkok recruited 240 people with pre-diabetes who were randomized into two groups with 120 each. One group were given six capsules of curcumin per day and the other  a placebo for nine months.

At the end of the study, 16 percent of placebo users developed type 2 diabetes  mellitus whereas none of the curcumin users developed the disease.  Subjects in the study group but not those in the control group were also found to have lost weight.

The Thai researchers believe turmeric has anti-inflammatory properties that help protect insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas from damage and improve their efficiency.  

Curcumin Extreme™with BCM-95

About 24 million people live with type 2 diabetes mellitus in the United States alone.  Another 20 million Americans suffer pre-diabetes, a condition in which a person has a problem with controling blood sugar, but not as severely as in the case of type 2 diabetes.

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From Shop.com

There are many curcumin products on the market, but Curcumin Extreme™ with BCM-95® has superior bioavailability and absorption. BCM-95 contains the natural spectrum of the turmeric rhizome and is 100 percent natural. Curcumin Extreme promotes liver detoxification, promotes healthy glutathione levels and normal cellular regeneration. Taking Curcumin Extreme every day can help detoxify impurities in your body that build up over time.* 

Curcumin Extreme also includes 167mg of broccoli seed extract, a powerful source of sulphoraphane glucosinolates. Sulforaphanes support the normal production of Phase II liver detoxification enzymes, including glutathione synthase, heme-oxygenase and catalase. Sulforaphanes also support gene transcription, the process by which genetic information is copied from DNA to RNA. They also support the body’s natural defense systems. Glutathione is the master antioxidant in the human body, which serves to preserve and protect the brain and other body tissues by protecting them from the damage of free radicals. Furthermore, glutathione recycles vitamins C and E, which are also powerful antioxidants.*

Primary Benefits of Curcumin Extreme™*:  

• Promotes normal activity of NF-KappaB
• Supports normal liver detoxification activity
• Supports overall liver health
• Promotes apoptosis in unhealthy cells
• Promotes normal cell cycle activity
• Helps maintain overall cell integrity
• Promotes normal cellular regeneration
• Helps maintain healthy glutathione levels
• Supports normal glutathione synthesis
• Promotes the normal production of detoxification enzymes
• Supports the body’s natural ability to produce detoxification enzymes
• Promotes normal levels of detoxification enzymes that scavenge harmful toxins in the body
• Helps to maintain neurological health as we age
• Helps to maintain good cognitive health as we age
• Promotes normal immune cell-brain (neuron) interactions in order to maintain cognitive health
• Promotes neurological health
• Protects neurons from the negative effects of free radicals
• Powerful antioxidant
• Protects the body from the negative effects of free radicals
• Promotes free-radical protection
• Promotes a strong immune system

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Acai benefits cholesterol levels: Rat study

Acai benefits cholesterol levels: Rat study

Acai benefits cholesterol levels: Rat study
By Stephen Daniells, 05-Jan-2010
Related topics: Research, Antioxidants, carotenoids, Phytochemicals, plant extracts, Cardiovascular health

The pulp of açai berries may counter the effects of a high-fat diet and reduce the risk of developing high blood cholesterol levels, says a new study with rats from Brazil.

Animals fed a high-fat diet and supplemented with açai pulp had lower levels of total and non-HDL cholesterol, compared to animals just eating a high-fat diet, according to findings published in Nutrition.

“This is the first study, to our knowledge, addressing the potential benefits of açai intake in the cholesterol profile,” wrote the researchers, led by Maria Lucia Pedrosa from the Federal University of Ouro Preto.

“We observed that the addition of açai pulp in the hypercholesterolemic diet had a hypocholesterolemic effect by reducing cholesterol levels (total and non-HDL), which could be explained by a lower food intake and higher faecal excretion,” they added.

High cholesterol levels, hypercholesterolaemia, have a long association with many diseases, particularly cardiovascular disease (CVD), the cause of almost 50 per cent of deaths in Europe, and reported to cost the EU economy an estimated €169bn ($202bn) per year.

Super fruits from Central and South America

Açai berries (pronounced ah-sigh-ee) have long formed part of the staple diet of Indian tribes. With the appearance of a purple grape and taste of a tropical berry, it has been shown to have powerful antioxidant properties thanks to a high level of anthocyanins, pigments that are also present in red wine.

It is presently being sold in a number of countries, including New Zealand, Australia, South America, Japan, USA, and the Middle East

Commenting independently on the study, açai expert Dr Alex Schauss from US-based contract research organization AIBMR told NutraIngredients that the study does provide in vivo experimental evidence that açai pulp can improve mammalian lipid profiles in response to a high fat diet.

Regarding the safety data, Dr Schauss added that “açai does not appear to cause liver damage as evidenced by the fact that açai does not alter activities of several liver enzymes. This is important since liver damage is a common phenomenon when a drug is taken for a long period of time.”

Study details

Pedrosa and her co-workers used female Fischer rats and divided them into four groups: Two groups consumed a standard diet, and two groups consumed a high fat diet containing 25 per cent soy oil and 1 per cent cholesterol. One standard diet group and one high fat diet group received additional açai pulp at a level of 2 per cent.

After six weeks, the researchers noted an increase in blood levels of total and non-HDL cholesterol and a decrease in levels of HDL cholesterol in the high-fat diet only animals. Such changes were attenuated in the açai-supplemented high-fat diet animals.

The researchers did not directly examine the mechanism behind the effects but noted that the benefits may not be solely due to the polyphenol content of the fruit.

“These results suggest that the consumption of açai improves antioxidant status and has a hypocholesterolemic effect in an animal model of dietary-induced hypercholesterolemia,” concluded the researchers.

Future study

AIBMR’s Dr Schauss noted that future studies should focus on using a better high fat mouse model. “There is a published rodent diet that is close to a typical high fat American diet or McDonald diet that could be used,” he said. He also said that the length of intervention should be increased to six months, while the effects of açai pulp on lipids can be further investigated by looking at both liver and blood vessel morphology, signalling pathways, LDL levels and cardiovascular functions.

Source: Nutrition
Published online ahead of print, doi: 10.1016/j.nut.2009.09.007
“Diet supplementation with açai (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) pulp improves biomarkers of oxidative stress and the serum lipid profile in rats”
Authors: M. Oliveira de Souza, M. Silva, M. Eustaquio Silva, R. de Paula Oliveira, M.L. Pedrosa

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Pycnogenol pine bark extract shown to protect diabetics from swelling, circulation and vision problems

NaturalNews) A research study conducted by G D'Annunzio University in Italy evaluated the benefits of a popular form of pine bark extract in helping diabetics. Published in the Journal of Ocular Pharmacology and Therapeutics, findings revealed that people with diabetes can avoid developing retinopathy and maintain proper micro-circulation by supplementing with pine bark.

A total of 46 diabetic patients were involved in the randomized, controlled study. Twenty-four of them were treated with pine bark extract once a day for three months while the remaining 22 were given a placebo. All the patients had diabetes for at least four years and all were beginning to develop retinopathy. Seventy-five percent of patients in the pine bark group experienced improvement in their vision while none in the placebo group did.

Dr. Robert Steigerwalt, one of the lead researchers of the study, confirmed that not only does pine bark extract halt the progression of diabetic retinopathy, it can cause it to regress by sealing the leaky blood vessels in the eye that lead to the disease. Such results were witnessed in as little as two months. He also noted that diabetics in the early stages of the disease can prevent such complications from ever occurring by supplementing with pine bark extract.

Pycnogenol, the branded formula of the antioxidant plant extract derived from the French maritime pine tree, has proven itself time and time again to be a powerful protective nutrient, particularly for diabetics. When administered during the early stages of diabetes, many studies have shown that pine bark is effective at preventing and treating the diabetic retinal diseases.



Comments by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
Pycnogenol is one of the "miracle nutrients" we've been blessed with on this planet. Time and time again, it has been proven to offer truly remarkable health benefits to those people who taken the supplement.

Now, this research shows how beneficial pycnogenol can be for diabetics. It's an important piece of research showing how this tree-derived nutrient helps increase circulation that can ultimately help save lives.

It's not just an antioxidant, you see: It's also a potent circulation booster. Combined with other circulation-boosting herbs like ginger and ginkgo, it could be an extremely effective natural remedy for preventing diabetic neuropathy (degradation of the nerves) and retinopathy (degradation of the retina).


Pycnogenol is just One of the three main ingredients in Market America's OPC-3
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New Study: Pycnogenol® Reduces Heart Failure

05/16/2007
New Study: Pycnogenol® Reduces Heart Failure

May 16, 2007 – GENEVA, Switzerland – A study to be published in an upcoming edition of the journal of Cardiovascular Toxicology reveals Pycnogenol®, natural pine bark extract from the French maritime pine tree, helps prevent damage that high blood pressure causes to the heart. The study demonstrates Pycnogenol® counteracts the “wearing out” of the heart, which may aid the five million Americans living with heart failure. Previous studies have shown Pycnogenol® supplementation to be associated with improved cardiovascular health, such as cholesterol reduction, blood pressure control and prevention of thrombosis.

In hypertension, the over-worked heart gradually wears out, resulting in the weakening of the heart muscle and increasing of heart chamber volume. This process (known as cardiac remodeling) may eventually cause heart failure when the heart insufficiently supplies the body with oxygenated blood. The study showed that Pycnogenol® prevents the heart from getting worn out during hypertension. Cardiac chamber walls showed a significantly higher rate of collagen connective tissues than control groups.

“Alternative treatments such as Pycnogenol® are crucial components in the fight against heart disease,” said Dr. Ronald Watson, professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Arizona and a lead researcher of the study. “The effectiveness of Pycnogenol® supplementation is a great option for many people who want an alternative to prescription medications such as beta blockers or ACE inhibitors. This new study shows Pycnogenol® administers a therapeutic effect to limit the degenerative process in patients predisposed to congestive heart failure, such as the aged.”

The study was conducted at the University of Arizona, Tucson. Elderly female mice (18 months old) were randomly divided into four groups: control mice, mice receiving Pycnogenol® only, mice receiving L-NAME only (a substance which causes arterial constriction) and mice receiving both Pycnogenol® and L-NAME. Pycnogenol® and L-NAME were administered in tap water and the study was approved by the Animal Review Committee at the University of Arizona.

One group of hypertensive mice received Pycnogenol® in drinking water for four weeks and another group of hypertensive mice was left untreated. After five weeks, the hearts of the latter control group had significantly increased in size as a result of hypertension. In the Pycnogenol® treated group, hypertension and heart function parameters resembled those found in healthy control mice with healthy blood pressure.

“This study provides evidence that oral administration of Pycnogenol® reversed cardiovascular remodeling induced by L-NAME by blocking nitric oxide production, which leads to hypertension and finally cardiomyopathy,” said Watson.

After a detailed investigation of the heart tissue, Watson found Pycnogenol® supplementation to significantly enhance the connective collagen matrix of cardiac tissue. Whereas the chronic hypertension in mice led to a significant loss of connective collagen fibers, Pycnogenol® significantly increased the collagen presence, resulting in stronger cardiac chambers.

According to the American Heart Association nearly five million Americans are living with heart failure, and 550,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. The mortality rate for heart failure affects 80 percent of men and 70 percent of women within 12 years of obtaining cardiovascular diseases. According to Watson, cardiac remodeling is considered an important therapeutic target to battle this disease.

Watson presented the new research this month at the SupplySide East Educational Conference and Trade Show in Secaucus, NJ. Previous clinical research shows Pycnogenol® to battle coronary heart disease and stroke, high blood cholesterol and hypertension. Research shows Pycnogenol® to diminish the major cardiovascular risk factors simultaneously while offering a safe, natural approach.

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Pycnogenol and OPC-3™
You've known about the beneficial ingredients in our top-selling Isotonix® OPC-3 for years. New research continues to indicate that a key OPC-3 ingredient, Pycnogenol, may offer powerful, significant benefits to those who take it.*
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