post Category: Health Supplements post Comments (0) postDecember 17, 2008

Multivitamins come in all shapes and sizes and should you browse through any drugstore or super market, you will know that multivitamins also come in all prices. Knowing what vitamins suit you best is something that takes time and research, particularly if you are supplementing in response to a deficiency brought about by a disease of illness. In this case it is worth consulting a physician and nutritionist to get the best nutrition plan based on solid scientific evidence. Of course an off-the-shelf multivitamin may not contain all the required nutrients in sufficient quantities or it may contain substances that you do not want to take. The best way to start choosing the best multivitamin for you is to decide if you need an individual approach or not.

Get Professional Advice and Get Informed

The first step should always be your physician, but you could also see a dietician and do some research prior to visiting the doctor’s office, in this way you will know the right questions to ask. Although due to the lack of training in medical school, there is a gap in understanding in the medical community concerning herbs and nutrition so it may be useful to present the reasoning behind your desire to supplement. If you know the predicted pharmacological action of the supplement, this would also be useful so the doctor may be better able to determine the relation to your illness. Most healthcare professionals will tell you to take a standard pill, which may not be the best multivitamin for your health so some evidence based research is required to find the best vitamins, herbs and minerals for your situation.

Follow the Mass Market Approach or Create Your Own Nutrition Plan?

Generally most people will take a multivitamin daily and these can come in specialized formulas for women, older people and other special needs groups. It is worth noting that the formulas usually contain somewhere near the Daily Values amount of each supplement, which is probably not the most suitable to your condition if you are looking to achieve enhanced effects or replace an induced deficiency. This mass market approach is fine for people who just want to make sure that they have not missed anything in their diet but some nutritionists insist that dosages must be far in excess of the FDA set daily values to achieve the desired result. This of course should be taken on research and advice for each individual case. Remember, more is not always better.

Choose a Method of Delivering the Nutrients

Multivitamins also now come in many forms such as gel, capsule, chewable caps, drinks or tablets. It is worth noting that from a pharmacologist’s point of view the delivery method of the multivitamin has no differences whatsoever to the effect or the biologically available amount of the multivitamin, and the best multivitamin is one that does not interfere with your drugs. There is a difference if it is delivered intravenously, but please do not try this at home! To find out if a supplement has any interactions with your medication, consult your doctor and see the resources on this site.

Getting children to take their pills can be a pain so there are also many flavored and shaped multivitamins that may not be any better for them than pills but will be infinitely better for your stress levels.

Time release multivitamins may have some small clinical value in allowing the supplement to be available to the bloodstream for longer; however most scientists agree this does not have much more than gimmick value.

Taking your Multivitamin - Get Used to it!

Compliance is a huge issue when choosing a vitamin regime, according to statistics, less than 30% of people who have bought vitamins, multivitamins or other supplements forget to take them as regularly as they first intended and vitamin bottles end up expiring on bathroom shelves.

Multivitamins are best taken with food, which helps the absorption of the nutrients. Taking a multivitamin with meals can also help with compliance, if you get into the habit of taking a multivitamin with your breakfast, the routine may stick.

Yet Another Miracle Cure

If you are considering starting to take a multivitamin on a regular basis, then you have probably heard of the benefits that certain nutrients can bring to the body. Although it does seem that practically every day new research is presented telling us the preventative or curative effects of certain nutrients against a huge variety of diseases from cancer and diabetes, to weight loss and cholesterol. It is always worth actually reading these published results yourself if you are considering following the indications of these studies as the dosages or the situations may not be repeatable, particularly with the mass market multivitamins. There is plenty of specialist advice available on the internet, just make sure you get your information from a number of sources to ensure a balanced view. Government sites are generally reliable.

Not a Replacement for a Good Diet!

Lastly, it is probably worth reminding you that supplements are not a replacement for a good balanced diet and the best multivitamin can not have everything your body needs and of course, a nice meal always tastes better than a pill.

Iris is a Canadian trained physician who has been involved in the nutritional world for over 15 years and has a major interest in traditional Chinese medicine. Iris currently works as a medical advisor to Mitamins, the custom made Health Supplements company.

Mitamins Health Directory
Informative health information and custom nutrition formulas for a huge array of health concerns from Allergies to Osteoporosis.

[tags]multivitamin, choice, review, choosing, vitamins, minerals, herbs, custom multivitamin[/tags]

post Category: Healthy Aging post Comments (0) postDecember 15, 2008

When you become an aging baby boomer the last thing you want to experience is the side effects. The stiff joints, aching low back, fatigue and memory problems starting to creep up out of no where. The ability to multi task is slowly diminishing. The ease of bending to put on your socks and shoes and forget women’s pantyhose is a distant memory. You look in the mirror and wonder how you got here.

So stop right there. Take back control of your life. Some think it is easier said than done. Not so, take it one step at a time. Health over fifty becomes your own personal responsibility. What you eat is just as important (if not more) now than twenty years ago. Just because you strayed from eating properly until now doesn’t mean you should give up and just rely on medicine. You can find better ways to eat, exercise for your ability and eliminate some of those bad habits. Turn your life into a new hobby and put the failure thoughts out in the trash.

Instead of trying to tackle all aspects of your life, try one step in each category per week and let your motivation to succeed take over. Each week do one more positive thing to improve the enjoyment of the age you are. If you sit and whine about where you used to be those moments of now will pass you by. You’re not going to get younger in chronological aging but you can get more youthful in your movements, looks, thoughts and health issues.
Here are 10 Simple steps you can do starting today:
1. Park your car 3 spaces farther away than you do now and walk.
2. Eat fish 1 more meal per week than you do already.
3. Do stretching exercises or yoga (lots of discomfort
feels like bone but is tight muscles.)
4. Add 2 glasses of water per day to get closer to your needed body amount of at least 8 - 8 ounce glasses per day.
5. Eliminate the starch from one meal of your diet and exchange it for vegetables and fruits.
6. Drink 1 less alcoholic drink than you normally do.
7. Lower your cigarette smoking by 1 cigarette less each day until you can quit.
8. Forgive yourself or someone else of a wrongful deed.
9. Compliment yourself for doing 5 positive things for yourself each day before bed.
10. Get to bed at a decent time to achieve 7 to 8 hours of sleep.late shows on TV can wait for weekends or use the recorder to watch at a better hour.

Health over fifty does not need to be a chore. Do something to improve your life. Smile at the reflection in the mirror and you will start to smile at others as well. Your life isn’t just about everyone else and their needs. Your health, youthfulness, flexibility and quality is about you and what you are willing to do for the most important person in your lifeyou.

Enjoy!

More articles and blogs by this author can be found at http://www.aging-baby-boomer-guide.com. Marge Pickering Picone is a Nutrition Consultant for Professional Nutrition Services of Rochester, Inc. and the Founder of http://www.aging-baby-boomer-guide.com.

[tags]aging baby boomer, aging health, health over fifty, Control aging health[/tags]

post Category: Gain n Loss Weight post Comments (0) postDecember 13, 2008

If you want to increase muscle mass and gain weight, remember that in order to effectively bulk up, you will need to be persistent in your efforts. Increasing your caloric intake is an important part of gaining weight and building new muscle tissue. When you feed your body more food than it can burn, you gain weight. Weight training is also an important part of gaining weight and increasing your muscle mass. Weight training stimulates the muscles and promotes growth. The combination of weight training and proper diet is the best, most effective way to gain weight and increase muscle mass.

Failure to eat properly while weight training could result in loss of muscle tissue. Make certain you get plenty of protein, fats, and carbs and in large enough quantities to allow your body to gain weight. Supplements can play a role in building body mass if taken while adjusting your diet and training with weights. Meal replacement bars, powders, and protein drinks can be an excellent way to increase your daily caloric intake. In order to increase muscle mass, you must give your body approximately 500 more calories per day than the number of calories your body uses.

Exercise and diet are the most important things to consider when attempting to gain weight and increase muscle mass. Weight training and the adequate food intake will leave your body with no choice but to gain weight and add mass. Make sure to get enough rest between workouts to give your body time to recuperate and build new muscle tissue.

If you want to get the maximum benefit from your mass building routine, you must avoid the most common reasons that cause people to fail at building muscle and gaining weight. A quality mass building routine combined with proper nutrition and plenty of rest can produce results that you never dreamed possible. Consistency, smart eating habits, the proper weight lifting techniques, and lots of rest are the common elements shared by every successful body builder.

Building muscle is a slow process and it could possibly take several months before you see noticeable results. If you are determined and consistent in your muscle mass building routine and your eating habits, you efforts will pay off in time. Nutrition is also crucial in building muscle mass. The right amounts of protein, carbohydrates, and fats must be included in your diet in order to give your body the fuel it needs to add muscle tissue. The trick to building muscle is to find the combination of foods that allow you to add new muscle mass. Trial and error combined with sound dietary guidelines will allow you to find just the right nutritional plan for you.

The proper weight lifting techniques are a very important part of a muscle mass building routine. If you don’t work your muscles, they won’t grow. You will need to find the right amount of weight and the right weight lifting exercises for your body. Determination, trial and error, and a consistent effort will eventually give you the results you want. The most important thing is to stay focused and realize your reward is waiting for you down the line.

Michael is a former “skinny guy” who managed to pack on over 20 lbs of muscle. He attributes most of his success to the information about how to gain weight he learned from http://www.fastmusclegain.com

[tags]how to gain weight, build muscle, workout, exercise, weight training, muscle mass, routine[/tags]

post Category: Health Supplements post Comments (0) postDecember 9, 2008

Dietary Supplements

Some manufacturers are marketing supplements that have substances and effects similar to drugs. The FDA is attempting to impose drug status on these supplements and is being challenged in the courts by supplement manufacturers. In this article, I examine the legal debate surrounding the definition and regulation of substances - whether as a drug or a dietary supplement. First, I outline some key differences in the regulation of drugs and supplements and examine the two provisions of DSHEA that blur the distinction. Second, I describe recent attempts by the FDA to clarify the guidelines for defining supplements and their associated health claims, as well as court actions challenging these attempts. Third, I discuss future litigation and other regulatory actions regarding the drug or dietary supplement debate and its implications for marketers, consumers, and policy makers.

Supplements are not required by the FDA to have premarket approval or safety testing, as are necessary for new drugs and food additives. For example, prior to release, a new drug must obtain FDA drug approval through an extensive process that involves preclinical testing on animals, three phases of investigational new drug testing, a new drug application review, and postmarketing surveillance research. Conversely, product testing is not required for any supplement with ingredients that have been present in the food supply prior to October 15, 1994, or that have a history of use or other safety evidence in labeled conditions.

Many supplements were not required to submit evidence because the ingredients were found in food or had been used safely prior to the passage of DSHEA. For those supplements that do not meet these requirements, evidence of safety must be submitted to the FDA 75 days prior to market release. However, this safety information, which could include any citation to a published article may be of questionable quality potentially biased study conducted by the manufacturer, an in vitro rather than human. As a result, the FDA has been put in a policing. Furthermore, DSHEA has made market removal of unsafe supplements more difficult for the FDA.

To be a dietary supplement adulterated and attempt to remove it from the market, the FDA must prove that the product’s ingredient poses a significant or unreasonable risk of illness or injury, whereas previously, it simply had to show that the ingredient was not generally recognized as safe. In all cases, the FDA now bears the burden of proof on each element to demonstrate that a supplement is adulterated. Furthermore, the safety of a supplement can be judged only against its labeled conditions of use and not unintended or actual consumer uses. If no suggested uses are printed on the supplement label, the FDA must try to prove actual conditions of usage in its enforcement actions.

Dr. M. Cooper provides research and term paper assistance at http://www.TermPaperAdvisor and http://www.TermPapersMadeEasy.com on the world-wide web. Dr. Copper has a M.S. degree in data communications and a Ph.D in Computer Information Systems. He is a retired Army officer and a Vietnam veteran.

[tags]supplements, dietary supplements, health supplements, vitamin supplements[/tags]

post Category: Healthy Aging post Comments (0) postDecember 7, 2008

At one time, Pilates was a specialized form of exercise limited to a handful of professional practitioners. In recent times, Pilates has become one of the biggest exercise fads in America. Almost every town and city across this great country has a professional Pilates studio, staffed by certified instructors. Pilates, however, is not just another passing fad. Pilates is here to stay.

Practitioners of Pilates can experience countless benefits including improved posture, flexibility, and balance. This presents a remarkable opportunity for an aging population to perform a series of exercises that are both safe and effective. According to the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), the stretching and strengthening of core muscles through the practice of Pilates is an effective strategy for combating the effects of aging.

Aside from the benefits noted above, Pilates can also help with relief from stress and mental tension. It can also have a direct impact on maintaining strength and range of motion, both of which are especially important for our aging populace. Studies have shown that Pilates can also provide relief from back pain and other physical injuries, which are often a primary cause of pain and discomfort.

The wonderful thing about Pilates, and the reason it is so effective for people getting on in age, is that it is a highly effective form of soft exercise. Pilates can be performed at a pace dictated by the strength and stamina of the individual. It is not goal driven, in the way that traditional weight training or body building is. With Pilates, the effectiveness of the exercise is determined by the overall impact on the health of the practitioner. Pilates is all about achieving long term, tangible results.

The key to the effective practice of Pilates is to make the connection between mind and body. Concentration plays a significant role in Pilates. One of the core principles of Pilates is to establish control of the body through discipline and focused thought. Much like Yoga, controlled breathing plays a pivotal role in achieving results in Pilates. Pilates teaches a form of breathing called Lateral Breathing. This is performed by inhaling deeply through one’s nose, and allowing the inhaled air to expand one’s ribcage. This form of breathing is also called Thoracic Breathing.

Pilates is a highly effective approach to maintaining health and vitality, regardless of one’s age or stage in life. While the practice of Pilates is beneficial for many people, it is especially important for our aging population. Aging individuals often lose control of their coordination and muscles, and this can lead to a sense of frustration and mental anguish for people that have grown accustomed to their sense of independence. Pilates can provide people with the tools and techniques they need to age with dignity and a sense of well being. Pilates isn’t for everyone, but it could be ideal for you.

Natalie Brown is a certified Pilates instructor. When she is not stretching and stuff, she writes for pilatesinsight.com - a wonderful online magazine with information about Pilates training, Pilates equipment, Pilates DVD’s and more.

[tags]Pilates, Teacher, Training, DVD’s[/tags]

post Category: Healthy Aging post Comments (0) postDecember 5, 2008

Wouldn’t we all like to age gracefully (if at all for that matter!) and ward off the wrinkly signs and ill symptoms for as long as possible. Keys to longevity may be more accessible than we think, and it appears our diets play a critical role. Antioxidants are the knights in shining armor that subjugate the attack of free radicals in the body, the hazardous molecules that damage cells and procure aging and disease. Though antioxidants are produced naturally in the body, these decline with age, hence an increasing need to acquire them from the foods in our diet.

Before examining antioxidants more closely, it is important to take a look at the free radicals they serve to neutralize.

Free Radicals

Free radicals are created as by-products in our use of oxygen during metabolism such as the burning of food for energy. They are essentially oxidant molecules that are missing an electron and seek to restore themselves by targeting nearby cells in an attempt to recover this electron, potentially harming enzymes, DNA, proteins and cell membranes in the process. This damage can mutate cells and alter cell function, increasing the risk of numerous diseases and chronic conditions including arthritis, diabetes, cataracts, cancer, heart disease and stroke. Free radical damage is implicated in the onset of aging and its degenerative symptoms and diseases.

As well as generated within the body, free radicals come from environmental sources such as pollution, radiation, unhealthy foods, bacteria, viruses, cigarette smoke and UV light.

Antioxidants

Antioxidants serve to mitigate the harmful effect of free radicals by giving up an electron and stabilizing them in the process. Although we produce many of our own antioxidants within the body, food provides an essential source for these key players of our defense system. Vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients all have antioxidant properties. The most common examples include vitamins A, C and E, selenium and zinc, carotenoids, flavonoids, co-enzyme Q10, alpha-lipoic acid and glutathione.

As there are many different types of free radicals in the body a variety of antioxidants are required to protect against them. Antioxidants function best as a team, with each other and other nutrients and phytochemicals, which is why incorporating a wide range of plant foods into your diet is recommended. Phytochemical groups such as flavonoids and carotenoids correspond to the colour, taste and smell attributes of plants, hence eating a rainbow array of vegetables and fruits can offer a diverse selection of these potent antioxidants.

Antioxidant Rich Foods

Foods especially high in antioxidants include berries, plums, pomegranates, oranges, spinach, green tea, avocado, kale, broccoli, peas, onions, grapes and pure chocolate.

Scientists at the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) have developed a rating scale that measures the total antioxidant capacity of a given food. This is known as the ORAC score (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity).

Of 40 common fruits and vegetables measured by the USDA, top ranking scores were those of prunes(5770), raisins (2830), blueberries (2400 - highest of all fresh foods with other berries close behind), kale (1770), spinach (1260), Brussels sprouts (980), plums (949), alfalfa sprouts (930), broccoli florets (890), beetroots (840), oranges (750 ), red peppers (710 ) and red grapes (739).

Pure cocoa surpasses all these foods with a whopping score of 26,00 units, more than 10 times the prestigious blueberry (though one is likely to eat far less in quantity). The extraordinary goji berry from Tibet also has outstanding antioxidant capacity with a score of 18,500 units; hardly surprising as they contain 500 times more vitamin C than oranges and even more beta-carotene than carrots!

According to studies on animals and human blood at the Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts in Boston, high-ORAC foods may slow aging processes in the body and brain. Results found that high ORAC foods such as blueberries and spinach could increase the antioxidant power of human blood by 10-25%, prevent loss of long-term memory and learning ability in middle-aged rats, and protect rat blood vessels against oxygen damage.

Antioxidants and Aging

As we age, free radical levels rise and yet the body falls short in producing necessary amounts of antioxidants to meet this challenge. For example, cells generate more of the oxidants hydrogen peroxide and superoxide, yet levels of the necessary antioxidant glutathione required to neutralise these decline. The Free Radical Theory of Aging, first proposed by Harman in 1954, is supported by cross-species examination of animals with regard to life span, free radical damage and antioxidant defence. For example, the white-footed mouse lives about twice as long as the house mouse (8 versus 4 years), and is found to generate less oxidants and have higher levels of antioxidants. As Beckman and Ames write in The Free Radical Theory of Ageing Matures (1998), ‘Together, interspecies comparisons of oxidative damage, antioxidant defences, and oxidant generation provide some of the most compelling evidence that oxidants are one of the most significant determinants of life span.’

Very recent evidence comes from a study on dogs at the University of Toronto by Dr. Dwight Tapp and colleagues who found that ‘old dogs that were on an antioxidant diet performed better on a variety of cognitive tests than dogs that were not on the diet. In fact, the dogs eating antioxidant-fortified foods performed as well as young animals’.

Additional research by Dr. Rabinovitch and his team, studying aging at the University of Washington, Seattle, found that mice engineered to produce high levels of an antioxidant enzyme (catalase) lived 20 per cent longer and had less heart and other age-related diseases than controls.

In light of the role free radicals play in the onset of aging and disease, it is important to ensure our diets include a rich and diverse supply of antioxidants. These protective agents can be found abundantly in vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds and are particularly high in superfoods.

Copyright 2006 Sylvia Riley

Sylvia Riley is an author, writer and researcher in the field of natural health and nutrition.
Discover the worlds ultimate superfoods:
http://www.miracle-superfoods.com

[tags]anti aging, anti aging diet, anti aging foods, antioxidant, food, foods, antioxidant supplements, su[/tags]

post Category: Healthy Aging post Comments (0) postDecember 3, 2008

Nobody likes to grow old - or at least, nobody likes to look old - and while there is nothing we can do about the inevitable passing of one day into the next, there are many things we can do to limit the speed with which our bodies begin to look and feel older. HGH translates into ‘human growth hormone’, which is a complex protein produced by the pituitary gland to facilitate the replenishment of body tissue, encourage muscle growth, healing, and an array of other uses which keep your body - for lack of a better phrase - in good working order.

Intuitively, the time in a person’s life where the largest amount of HGH is secreted into the body is adolescence, when growth in every part of the body is at its peak. But this does not mean that HGH stops becoming necessary when a person has reached maturity; quite to the contrary, it continues to regulate the complex system of the human body, becoming an integral part of having strong bones, maintaining high energy levels, and regulating your metabolism. So taking an HGH supplement can accentuate your body’s ability to function, increasing circulation and blood flow to the brain, as well as giving you increased energy levels and increased healing function. But you don’t want to get scammed by mailing a money order for HGH to any old swindler who peddles you emails or junk snail mail trying to get you to buy the latest, greatest thing he’s coddled together in pill form in his basement, you want to go out and do the research on your own and find out what the best manufacturers and dosage amounts are for you.

You don’t ever want to be na

post Category: Healthy Aging post Comments (0) postDecember 1, 2008

Most diet programs allow you to lose weight by restricting caloric intake. The methods of restriction may include low fat diets, high intake of fruits and vegetables or low carb diets. If you are successful in losing weight and keeping it off with any of these programs you are destined to age at a fast rate.

Why?

Aging is the imbalance between wear and tear of the body and the rate of tissue repair. While wear and tear to some extent is out of our control the rate of tissue repair is not. The greater the repair rate of the body, the slower the rate of aging, vice versa, the slower the repair rate of the body the faster the rate of aging. Excess caloric intake is essential for a rapid repair rate of the body,but if your diet is set only to meet your basic metabolic needs it means that your rate of repair will be slow due to inadequacy of caloric intake. Therefore most diets will cause you to age faster.

To age slowly, you must have a non-restrictive diet but most non-restrictive diets will shunt excess calories into fat, so while you may age more slowly you will be getting fatter.

The Sabbatical Diet is a non-restrictive diet which selectively shifts the excess caloric intake into protein metabolism and tissue repair and is the only diet that slows the aging process while preventing obesity at the same time.

Dr. Robert Robinson MBBS. DM.(Int. Med.) is a specialist in Internal Medicine trained at the University of The West Indies. He has over ten (10) years experience in the management of patients with obesity and other chronic non-communicable diseases. He is the author of the book “The Sabbatical Diet” http://www.sabbaticaldiet.com

[tags]diet,lose weight,aging,overweight,obesity,body fat,lose weight,low carb,low fat,diabetes,calories[/tags]

post Category: Healthy Aging post Comments (0) postNovember 29, 2008

*Natural Health, All-purpose Organic Coconut Cooking Oil!*

I have seen it with my own eyes and feel it within my body. There’s better oxygen blood flow from head to toe. I am able to breath so much easier and along with Lose and Snooze it appears my muscles are toning faster. Since May of 2005, when I take an ounce of Lose and Snooze on a 3 hour empty stomach before bedtime, I’m still unable to touch fist to shoulder for 2 or 3 hours in the morning. I applied Coconut Oil as a hair and body ointment and Arthritis Pain in my right arm is much less after just a few days. The right arm was broken in a 1968 auto-truck accident.

This Natural Coconut oil is Non-Hydrogenated and is Cholesterol and Trans Fat-Free, and is rich in Medium-Chain Good Fats.

But what really surprised me is when, after taking a full, complete bath (in Buffalo water), there was almost NO BATH-TUB RING and the water was a bit sudsy.
Day 3: Please, let me say this. First thing in the morning, I made a Raw sugar or Stevia sweetened Pau D’Arco Tea, and added a teaspoon or more of Coconut Oil along with Dr. Tai’s Pain Specialist and WHAT A DIFFERENCE! For me , this is ‘THE ICING ON TOP OF THE CAKE.’

Day 5: Breathing is very easy, Heart is stronger with a pulse rate of 66, and I am up and ready for another Tuesday.

Lose and Snooze [-Collagen, -Aloe Barbadensis, -L_Carnitine, Vital Nutrition, Helps Restore Good Sleep Patterns With Time, Skin, Hair, Nails] enhances your body’s natural ability to burn fat and build muscle, but without any stimulants or drugs to artificially force an increase in metabolism. It works simply by supporting your body’s natural restorative functions, helping to restore your body’s natural ability to build muscle and burn fat while you sleep.

Affinity’s natural Lose and Snooze collagen product works with your body to promote it’s innate weight loss functions. The most productive time to lose weight is during deep sleep, when your body makes collagen.

Len Simon, says it like this, ‘Cellulite is FAT, so why not burn it with Collagen and AT THE SAME TIME, While Asleep, build lean muscle mass with L-Carnitene, while also Balancing body pH with Aloe Vera. This equation sounds simple enough to me. Welcome to Lose and Snooze!

The aloe leaf contains over 75 nutrients and 200 active compounds, including 20 minerals, 18 amino acids, and 12 vitamins.
Aloe is very effective in creating a healthy environment in your body. It is also effective in helping your body create its own collagen.

L-Carnitine

L-Carnitine is a vital amino acid. It is essential in helping your body to burn fat while building and healing.

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[tags]Coconut oil,Truly Natural Health,Organic Hydration Care,Supplements Aging Body,lose and snooze,aloe[/tags]

post Category: Healthy Aging post Comments (0) postNovember 27, 2008

“Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is responsible for 90% of the visible signs of aging on the skin of whites,” says Dr. Michael J. Martin, former Assistant Clinical Professor in the Dept. of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at University of California, San Francisco.

Blacks’ skin, however, ages much slower.

Why are most dark-skinned blacks protected from harmful UV rays? Because compared to whites, blacks possess more melanin, the pigment that gives skin its color.

Melanin

Melanin offers protection against UV rays for blacks and other dark-skinned people. Conversely, fair-skinned people are much less protected and more susceptible to skin cancer. Furthermore, albinos’ skin offers no protection.

Although blacks’ skin produces more melanin than whites’, all skin has the same number of melanocytes, the cells that manufacture the melanin.

Melanocytes manufacture melanin from an amino acid, tyrosin, with the help of an enzyme, tyrosinase. In the bottom layer of the epidermis above the dermis, UV light stimulates the production of melanin in the form of insoluble melanosomes. These surround the epidermal cells, which move up to the surface of the skin. The result is a tan.

Blacks’ skin produce more melanin, even in the absence of sunlight, and their type of melanin, eumelanin, is more effective at blocking solar rays. However, white skin produces melanin only in the presence of sunlight and after the UV rays have penetrated the lower portion of the epidermis and have caused skin damage.

“Melanin also functions as an excellent free radical scavenger. It affects the delicately designed lipids that hold moisture in the stratum corneum (the outermost layer of the epidermis). If the skin loses its moisture, it becomes rigid and cracks,” says Sergio Nacht, PhD., Senior Vice-President of Enhanced Derm Technologies, Inc. in Redwood City.

UV Radiation and Skin

UV-A has the longest wavelength, is not filtered by the ozone and passes through glass. It reaches the earth all year long and the amount is comparatively stable. It can penetrate the skin down to the dermis, beneath the four layers of epidermis. It is responsible for most of the visible signs of aging, due to damage to collagen and elastic fibers of the connective tissue of the dermis.

UV-A radiation also plays a role in the development of sunburns and skin cancer. Tanning salon lamps emit a large amount of UV-A rays to generate tans, so the American Academy of Dermatology does not recommend their use.

UV-B radiation, which is partially filtered by the ozone, penetrates the skin to the bottom layer of the epidermis where the basal cells are produced. UV-B can break the molecular bonds, disturbing the dividing cells and altering their structure. Compared with UV-A, UV-B is responsible for most of DNAs damage. It also causes most sunburns. During a sunburn the reddening of the skin, erythema, is caused by dilation of capillaries.

More UV-B is present during summer months between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. and at latitudes closer to the equator. Furthermore, at high altitudes the air is thinner and cleaner, so UV-B radiation is more abundant.

UV-C, which is generally filtered by the ozone, has the shortest wavelength and the most energy, or intensity. It can sterilize hospital equipment and kill bacteria.

In addition, UV light that reaches the earth is scattered in all directions, and up to 85% is reflected from surfaces.

The Theory of Melanin for Environmental Adaptation

Originally, people of a particular race resided in a particular area. As time went on, their skin adapted to the environment. For instance, people who lived geographically close to the equator had darker skin, and people who lived far from the equator had lighter skin.

In Scotland, which lies at a northern latitude, descendants of the Britons have white skin. When their skin is exposed to the meager sunlight, the scant amount of melanin their skin produces is unable to block the sunlight. Therefore, their bodies are able to make Vitamin D with the help of sunlight. Vitamin D, a vitamin found in fish oil, is necessary to prevent rickets, a bone disease caused by too little calcium.

In contrast, in Africa, which is near the equator, blacks require intense sunlight to penetrate their dark skin to make Vitamin D. This is all well and good. However, when blacks lived in England during the Industrial Revolution, they were the first to develop symptoms of rickets, such as retarded growth, bowed legs and fractures because not enough sunlight was available.

Fortunately, in 1930, Vitamin D was discovered and dispensed as a supplement to add to the diet.

On the other hand, the skin of whites in Australia are in complete opposition to their climate. Consequently, intense UV radiation has been the major cause of skin damage and skin cancer Down Under.

About The Author

Diana Clarke is a teacher, freelance writer and founder of The Sun and Your Skin, a website on life and light at http://www.yourskinandsun.com.

dianaclarke2001@yahoo.com

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