Why Omega-3 Fatty Acids Are Important to Your Health

Are you like me with a goal to always be the #1 advocate for your own health? Then read this post. You have probably already heard about omega-3′s, which are “essential fatty acids” we all must consume for consistently good health. The problem is that our bodies do not make omega-3′s on their own, leaving it up to us to actively seek omega-3 fatty acids through our diet and supplements.

Foods That Fight Inflammation

Why Omega-3 Fatty Acids Are Important to Your Health

• Reduce inflammation in the body
• Lower lipids in the bloodstream
• Inhibit thickening of your arteries
• Improve the body response to insulin, which can regulate weight and metabolism
• Help prevent cancer cell growth

If you’ve been dealing with depression, chronic pain, heart disease, clotting issues or hormone imbalances, talk to your doctor about focusing on your intake of omega-3 fatty acids. I rely on this fish oil supplement as well as organic foods like walnuts, salmon and flaxseeds (which naturally have omega-3′s) to cover my bases!

Do you take a fish oil supplement? Have you noticed any benefits?

The Benefits of Berries

 By Ryan Saba

Berries have been shown to be some of the healthiest foods on the planet.  Low in calories, high in fiber, and containing vitamins and mineral your body needs to function optimally, berries are nutritional powerhouses.

Extremely powerful antioxidants, berries protect your body from inflammation.  With their high oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) values – a method of measuring antioxidant capacities – berries help to prevent negative effects on the body by turning off inflammation signals, making them a vital part of our diet. These little power foods may be simple but they have been shown to poses a variety of amazing benefit from protecting the heart all the way to enhancing vision. Try Isotonix Maximum ORAC 

Heart Protection
One of the primary benefits of berries is their ability to improve heart health and blood flow throughout the body.  One way this is done is by reducing the buildup of harmful plaque on blood vessel walls, which reduces the risk of arteries hardening.  By keeping arteries clean and avoiding the buildup of plaque, the heart can work more efficiently, reducing the potential of heart attacks and other heart disease related conditions. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Below is Dr. Steven Lamm a practicing internist, faculty member at New York University School of Medicine, and the Director of Men's Health for NYU Medical Center discussing Pycnogenol and its amazing benefits in Isotonix OPC-3

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Also, incorporation of berries into your diet has been shown to reduce oxidation of LDL – or “bad” – cholesterol. Oxidation, the process by which cells and tissue break down, is a key factor in heart disease because oxidized LDL can inflame arteries and increase the risk of heart attacks. Reducing the oxidation levels of LDL cholesterol not only improves overall heart function, but also reduces long term risks of heart disease. Learn more about an exclusive isotonic form of Pycnogenol in (OPC-3)

Powerful Antioxidants
Even though taste is often what we like most about berries, their color is what makes them so good for us.  The rich blues, deep purples and bright reds are a result of a group of phytochemicals called flavonoids. These pigments help to counter cell damage in our bodies caused by free radicals.  Over time, free radicals contribute to disease and are one of the primary factors in the aging process.

Antioxidant compounds protect our bodies from the oxidative damage that is caused by everything from poor diet, environmental toxins and even vigorous exercise.  By neutralizing free radicals, flavonoids may help to reduce the risk of cancer and aid in memory and other brain functions that begin to decline as we age.

Vision Enhancement
Various forms of berries contain lutein, a carotenoid important for healthy vision. Reduced eye function and the degeneration of vision are some of the most common problems associated with aging.  With the ability to protect against glaucoma and cataract progression, berries have been show to promote overall eye health. Berries have also been shown to enhance vision, especially at night, by supporting the regeneration of rhodopsin in the eyes.  This process helps the eyes to adjust better during periods of darkness and also reduces the permeability of the fine blood vessel walls throughout the eye. Berries have also been shown to protect against retinopathy, a condition the leads to impaired vision and blindness due to blood accumulation in the retina.

Sometimes the simplest things offer the best benefits.  Berries are some of the most powerful (and delicious) disease-fighting foods available. Introducing them into your diet – ideally two or three types each day – can improve various areas of health and overall well being.

Are All Multivitamins Created Equal?

A multivitamin easily serves as one of the critical foundation products for optimal health. It is no secret that our diets today are significantly lacking the basic vitamins and minerals needed by our bodies. Not only are our diets deficient, but our soil is diminished of the key nutrients it once carried.

Because a multivitamin can help fill the nutritional gaps that our diets leave open, it is important to choose one that provides the right ingredients at adequate amounts, while also being delivered in a way to provide the maximum benefits. All multivitamins are NOT the same; certain aspects should be considered when choosing a product.

Try Isotonix MultiVitamin 

One of the most important factors to consider when choosing a multivitamin is the delivery system. Many products in the form of tablets and capsules exist on the market today, but do these provide the most effects? Optimal nutrient absorption is easily attained when ingredients are delivered in an isotonic form. Isotonic solutions help control the rate at which nutrients move from the stomach to the small intestine, allowing for the appropriate amount of time for proper absorption. Ideally, multivitamins should be delivered in a way where little nutritive value is lost and efficiency of nutrient absorption is at its best.

In addition to the product’s delivery form, it also helps when the nutrients themselves are in a form which allows for maximum absorption and usability. For example, some of the B vitamins are available in forms which allow some conversion steps to be eliminated and optimal utilization to occur. Specifically, the liver must convert cyanocobalamin, the form of B12 most commonly used in supplements, into methylcobalamin, before it can be properly utilized by the body. By supplementing with methylcobalamin in your daily multivitamin, this step can be eliminated.

This is also the case with folic acid. Folate (or folic acid) must go through a series of chemical conversions before it becomes metabolically active to be properly utilized. Folinic acid is an active derivative of folic acid and does not require the action of certain enzymes, again eliminating this step the body would usually have to complete.

Some minerals, like iron, also offer more bioavailable forms. Combining highly bioavailable ingredients with an advanced delivery system gives a unique advantage for your multivitamin.

It is imperative to choose a multivitamin which contains each of the key vitamins and minerals. Not only are these nutrients necessary components for numerous processes within the body and assist in the normal functions of our bodies, but deficiencies in these key vitamins and minerals can have detrimental effects on your health. Vitamins A, C, D, E and each of the B vitamins each help contribute to the basic micronutrient foundation. A multivitamin should contain each of these.

Additionally, including a variety of minerals such as calcium and selenium in your multivitamin can help establish a more rounded multivitamin complex. A formula that simply contains the vitamins and minerals is not enough; you must ensure your product contains 100% or more of the recommended daily values (also known as DVs). A multivitamin helps lay the basic foundation for your dietary supplement regimen, but it must contain the key nutrients at effective amounts.

Isotonix MultiVitamin

Exemplary quality control is a critical component when choosing any dietary supplement, not just a multivitamin. High standards and adhering to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) are mandatory for ensuring the highest level of quality control is being performed. Only choose health and nutrition products that are produced under strict GMP standards and feel confident knowing this high quality control system helps guarantee your product meets specifications and ensures consistent manufacturing with regard to purity and performance.

Now more than ever, good health begins with the practice of good nutrition, and a multivitamin has become a key component of this practice. Directing a careful eye towards not only the quantity of ingredients in multivitamins, but also their quality, is one of the surest steps towards a healthier lifestyle.

Posted on February 7, 2013 by Crystal Shelton

Acai counteracts oxidative stress, lengthens lifespan in fruit flies

Source from: Emory University

Bewildered by the array of antioxidant fruit juices on display in the supermarket and the promises they make? To sort out the antioxidant properties of fruits and berries, scientists at Emory University School of Medicine turned to fruit flies for help.

They found that a commercially available acai berry product can lengthen the lives of fruit flies, when the flies' lives are made short through additional oxidative stress. Under certain conditions (a simple sugar diet) acai supplementation could triple flies' lifespans, from eight to 24 days. Acai could also counteract the neurotoxic effects of the herbicide paraquat on the flies.

The results were recently published by the journal Experimental Gerontology, which awarded the paper its inaugural "Outstanding paper" prize. The lead author is Alysia Vrailas-Mortimer, a postdoctoral fellow in Emory University School of Medicine's department of cell biology.

Vrailas-Mortimer says she didn't start out focusing on acai. But acai worked better than several other antioxidant products such as vitamins, coenzyme Q10 and lutein.

"One thing that makes our work distinctive is that we tried commercially available supplements," she says. "We went to a health food store and filled up a basket."

She says she began the project with the help of undergraduate student Rosy Gomez, and narrowed her focus after initial success with acai. Vrailas-Mortimer took advantage of a discovery she had made working with Subhabrata Sanyal, assistant professor of cell biology. They had previously found that flies with mutations in the "p38 MAP kinase" gene have shorter lives and are more sensitive to heat, food deprivation and oxidative stress.

P38 mutant flies lived an average of only eight days when they were given a simple sugar water diet. However, their lifespans tripled when their diet was supplemented with acai. Ginger was used as a control for the diet supplements.

Acai also protected normal flies against oxidative stress, in the form of hydrogen peroxide or paraquat. Acai can protect against oxidative stress when flies are exposed to hydrogen peroxide before being given acai, but the protective effect does not hold up if the order is reversed.

The effects of paraquat on circadian rhythms are visible here.

Paraquat is an herbicide that has neurotoxic effects that resemble Parkinson's disease. Under the influence of paraquat, flies' sleep-wake cycles gradually become chaotic (see graph). Acai can also help soften the effects of paraquat on flies' circadian rhythms.

"I think this is important," Vrailas-Mortimer says. "We show that whatever is in acai that is lengthening lifespan, it can also keep the flies functioning better for longer when faced with paraquat exposure. It is maintaining quality of life rather than just preventing them from dying."

When flies were fed a more enriched diet of a standard cornmeal/molasses mush, the effects of supplementation with acai were more pronounced in males than in females. Males' lifespans were almost doubled with acai (20 to 40 days) but the effects on females were not as strong (30 to 34 days). On an enriched diet, male flies were more sensitive to paraquat than females as well.

Implications for human clinical trials of antioxidants

Isotonix Acai

Large clinical trials studying the effects of antioxidants such as vitamin C and E have not shown clear benefits on human health. Using fruit flies under oxidative stress as a model can be a way to dissect which components of acai are beneficial. Probing the effects on flies' circadian rhythms can be a way to quickly screen several compounds or regimens, since the effects are apparent even before most of the flies die.

Acai berries contain a variety of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds, such as anthocyanins. Sanyal says it may be better to study the components of acai together rather than in isolation.

"There may be a combinatorial effect, and if you separate the components from each other, you may lose the active principle," he says. "In addition, it seems to me that anti-oxidant therapy will not work after the damage has been done. So human clinical trials that don't take this into account are likely to have disappointing results."

---------------------------------------

Isotonix Açai is an isotonic-capable dietary supplement, made from a combination of açai berries, guarana, yerba maté, mangosteen, pomegranate, green tea and essential amino acids. The proprietary blend of Isotonix Açai works to increase energy, support immune functions, promote cognitive health and support weight control. The antioxidant properties set Isotonix Açai apart from most energy drinks on the market. Isotonix Açai will help the body stay energized and active while providing a sound antioxidant formula. Containing other antioxidant-laden ingredients like mangosteen and pomegranate, which have high ORAC values, Isotonix Açai is an asset to daily dietary supplementation. Click Here

How to Choose a Multivitamin

How to Choose a Multivitamin 
from Scientific Affairs

While it’s generally agreed that a balanced diet is the best foundation for health, some studies suggest that to receive the required amounts of all vitamins and minerals we would need to consume approximately 3,000 calories worth of very specific fruit and vegetable combinations on a daily basis. For anyone who is not free to cook—and eat—for the majority of the day, this is not a viable option.

For these reasons among others, it’s no surprise that a study conducted by The Council for Responsible Nutrition shows that a daily multivitamin is the first choice among dietary supplements. Adding to healthy eating with the missing vitamins and minerals not only helps prevent deficiencies related to disease; it also promotes optimal performance in everyday life. As a result, multivitamin supplementation continues to increase, as do the available choices. When it comes to making the right choice, the following points will provide solid guidance.

MultiVitamin

• Most multivitamins will contain approximately 100 percent of the RDA recommendations for 20-25 individual nutrients—in general, the most important of these are the B-complex vitamins, Vitamin D and Vitamin E, and these can certainly be present in higher amounts.
• Biotin is critical for B-complex absorption, but is often included in minimal amounts for reasons of cost—a quality multivitamin will contain 100 percent of the RDA.
• Zinc is regarded as increasingly important in recent studies, and obtaining the entire RDA from food can be challenging; a quality multivitamin should contain approximately 50 percent of the RDA to make up the difference.
• Iodine helps to ensure proper thyroid function, which is foundational to proper metabolism—a sound multivitamin formula will contain 100 percent of the RDA.
• Despite debate about iron supplementation, it is almost certainly advisable for pre-menopausal women; their RDA is set at 18mg, while men require 8mg.
• Selenium has demonstrated particular potential for men’s health, specifically prostate function, but intake must be moderate, regardless of gender—a balanced formulation will contain 75 to 100 percent of the RDA.

As the last two points suggest, varied vitamin and mineral needs have been shown in certain populations, such as higher amounts of B-complex for athletes, Vitamin D for adults over 65, and other categories based on individual genetics and lifestyle habits. Assessing those needs and taking the next step towards custom nutrition may prove useful for those individuals.

All of the above, however, will definitely prove useful in selecting a good general-purpose multivitamin. In times when many of us find ourselves struggling to reach the top of the food pyramid, this simple measure can deliver a much-needed nutritional boost.

Know the basics: Good nutrition plays a vital role in overall good health.

Know the basics
Good nutrition plays a vital role  in overall good health.

Good nutrition is essential to life long health.  A proper diet means replacing unhealthy foods with nutrient rich options. Fad diets often promise quick but short live results.  Instead, you can help ensure overall health with wise food choices that will soon become habits.
According to the US Department of health and human services, healthier eating habits could reduce cancer deaths in the United States by as much as 35%.  Adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet also helps reduce the risk of stroke.

Bottom line:  Eat right. Feel good.

Fruits and vegetables- Harvard studies have shown that for every extra serving of fruits and vegetables you add to your diet, you lower your risk of heart disease by 4%.  Center dishes around vegetables rather than meat. Colorful vegetables carry more nutrients.

Fats- Not all fat's our bad.  While essential fats help supply energy, saturated and trans fats can raise "bad" cholesterol.  Cook more often at home to avoid the trans fat found in commercially prepared foods.

Grains and fiber- Whole greens are better than refined grains, because they include plenty of the fire that promotes digestive health.  Incorporate fiber rich foods such as strawberries interbrand to hope reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.

Meats and beans- Choose lean beef, such as top round and sirloin, or skinless chicken.  Six ounces of fish per week has been shown to reduce the risk of dying from heart disease by 36%.  The US Department of agriculture recommends 5.5 ounces a day of food from the meats and beans group, which also includes eggs and nuts.

Salt- More than 75% of sodium comes from processed foods.  Replaced canned items with fresh fair.  Use herbs and spices to flavor meats instead of salt.

Dairy- Eat Dairy products such as low-fat yogurt and skim milk to sustain strong bones.
Although each person's calorie needs differ, the nutrient facts label provide a common difference.

Being more aware of what you eat will help sustain a healthy life style.  Be sure to schedule regular checkups with your doctor to discuss a balanced diet because each person's needs are different.