Vitamin Benefits » Bad Cholesterol

Facts About Vitamins – Some Very Disturbing Facts About Vitamins

admin — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 02:22:37 +0000

The first facts you should know about vitamins are that vitamins are not all created the same. Some are made of all natural ingredients and a lot are made of very toxic ingredients. Yes, it is true… and a very very scary fact.

I hope you are sitting right now because this is a fact that is probably going to shock you. You’ve heard of the all dangerous “trans fats”, right? Well, that is exactly what some vitamins have in them! It’s absolutely crazy.

A lot of companies use “Partially hydrogenated soybean oil” (a “trans fat”) in vitamins because it is cheap… provides a nice appealing texture… and it increases the shelf life of the vitamins.

Wow! They are now taking trans fats out of McDonalds foods and instead, they’re putting them in our vitamins! That makes a lot of sense, doesn’t it?

Trans fats have been linked to so many problems. They have a bad affect on the thyroid… make you tired… and slow down your metabolism. I used to wonder years ago why I would almost fall asleep every time after eating a Burger King salad. I thought salads were good for you. I could be wrong, but I am guessing they put some kind of bad fat in that, too!

Anyway, a fact you probably already know, trans fats are most known for their link to heart problems. They have been shown to raise your bad cholesterol and lower your good cholesterol… which obviously, is not the best thing for your heart.

Make sure you look at the ingredients in the vitamins. If it says it is made of “partially hydrogenated” anything, drop the bottle and run! Make sure ALL of the ingredients in the vitamins are natural.

By: Hope Pope

Discover The Health Benefits of Olive Leaf Extract

admin — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 18:16:47 +0000

These days more and more people are discovering the health benefits of olive leaf extract, and it’s no surprise either as this amazing herb can deliver some incredible health benefits.

To start with it is one of the best natural substances found to prevent infections, due to its antioxidant and antiviral properties, even rivaling modern day antibiotics, but without the toxic burden they place on the body and immune system.

This means you will suffer less from the flu, colds and viruses that we all seem to get more of these days, and give your immune system a boost in the meantime. One of the most amazing health benefits of olive leaf extract is that it can lower high blood pressure.

This is also known as hypertension and is one of the most prolific causes of premature death today, especially as many people don’t realize they have it. Prevention is always better than cure and the foundation for good health.

Olive extract is very versatile and can also lower your bad cholesterol levels, boost your overall energy levels and help the body to detoxify, a crucial element to maintaining optimal health.

With millions of dollars going into research, we are going to see many more excellent discoveries from this super herb as more of the health benefits of olive leaf extract become clear.

Oleuropein is the active ingredient responsible for olive extracts powers and the best way to benefit is to take a high quality nutritional supplement with other synergistic herbs and vitamins. For example olive leaf combines well with green tea extract, enhancing its ability to boost the immune system.

When different ingredients are put together they create synergy, which means you get the direct benefits of each nutrient and the benefits from their interaction with each other.

When choosing a product make sure the olive extract is produced from 20% oleuropein, as any less and you will not gain the maximum benefits, and an enteric coating is also vital to ensure the impact is not lost to the stomach acid.

So there you have it, the many health benefits of olive leaf extract that can have a positive impact on your current and future health, so why not make a point to include it in your daily routine.

Visit my website today to learn more about how to choose a quality olive extract supplement.

By: Ric Hawkins

Green Tea Health Benefits –learn What This Amazing Product Can Do for You

admin — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 13:20:43 +0000

By the time you finish reading this, I hope that you, like me, will become captivated by this magic ingredient! It has been used for over 4000 years in Chinese medicine, and green tea health benefits have been proven in many areas.

Green tea is made by lightly steaming fresh tea leaves, while black tea is made from the same leaves but these are dried and roasted and therefore lose a lot of their medicinal power.

One of the major green tea benefits is that it is a powerful antioxidant, helping to reduce the damage done by free radicals.

Studies have concluded that it can help to prevent many forms of cancer, in part by inhibiting cell replication, a main feature of cancer.

These are truly amazing green tea health benefits. How many other natural products do we know that can actually prevent cancer?

Cholesterol lowering is another feature. Regular intake of green tea, or preferably, a green tea extract combined with other nutrients, has been shown to lower your LDL or bad cholesterol while maintaining your HDL or good cholesterol. This helps prevent hardening of the arteries and in doing so significantly reduces your risk of a heart attack or stroke.

More green tea benefits are helping to reduce the effects of aging and enhance your natural skin tone. Now this is one benefit we would all like to see! The list goes on and on.

The good news for all you dieters out there is that green tea benefits your weight loss too, by the fact that it contains EGCG, a very powerful antioxidant, over 100 times more powerful than vitamin C no less!

This functions by helping to naturally boost your metabolism, helping you to burn off more fat, without moving a muscle. Quite a desirable property to have I’m sure you’d agree.

Now despite these wonderful green tea health benefits, as I mentioned earlier, they can be even more effective when combined with other nutrients, in extract form, such as a supplement. Green tea in extract form is decaffeinated, so you get all of the benefits without the worry.

When the right ingredients are combined together, they have a more powerful effect than if used alone, and this is called synergy. This is a very important fact, not to be overlooked, if you want to get the most green tea benefits.

So in closing, I hope you enjoyed this short article on green tea benefits and are motivated to find out more about this and other health giving ingredients, and if you would like to learn more about the products which I personally take, why not visit my website.

By: Ric Hawkins

Richest Source of Vitamin E

admin — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 11:05:45 +0000

Richest Source Of Vitamin E

The name spirulina is derived from the Latin word for spiral and describes the micro algae’s cell structure of spiraling filaments. Spirulina is a form of blue-green algae and is one of the most nutritious foods known to man. It is an ancient food and is now a major constituent of food and health programs all over the world.

The foods we eat in our daily life are the first defense from the negative effects of lifestyle pollution, radiation, stress and toxic chemicals. But so many processed foods are nutritionally empty which leaves us vulnerable to poor health and low energy. The good news is many essential nutrients experts recommend to help in protect our bodies are found concentrated in Spirulina. It contains the most powerful combination of nutrients ever known in any grain, herb or food.

Spirulina is an exceptionally rich source of vitamins, minerals, and protein, and one of the few non-animal sources of vitamin B12. It is now being widely famous for its antibacterial, ant parasitic antiviral and anticancer properties, and has been used for ulcers, anemia, heavy-metal poisoning, allergies and radiation poisoning. Spirulina is a low calorie, low fat and cholesterol-free source of protein containing all the essential amino acids. It helps combat ‘free radicals’ which can lead to ailments like cancer, arthritis, cataracts. Moreover, the gamma-Linolenic acid (GLA) present in spirulina dissolves fat deposits, helps prevent heart problems and reduces “bad cholesterol” helping in weight-loss programs. Sulfolipids in spirulina are remarkably active against the AIDS virus. Regular intake of spirulina reduces kidney toxicity, improves wound healing, increases anti-viral activity, stimulates the immune system, and reduces radiation sickness.

Carbohydrates in spirulina may prompt immune cells to destroy cancer cells. Spirulina may also prevent tumor cells from attaching to body tissue. Phycocyanin, the antioxidant in spirulina appears to scavenge the free radicals that can cause cancer and the age-related brain inflammation that impairs memory and motor skills in older adults. Researchers say spirulina (Spirulina platensis) may ward off cancer and protect your brain from age-related mental decline.

Benefits Of Spirulina:

Spirulina contains most remarkable concentration of nutrients known in any food, plant, grain or herb. It’s the highest protein food- over 60% all digestible vegetable protein. It has the highest concentration of beta carotene, vitamin B-12, iron and trace minerals and the rare essential fatty acid GLA. These make spirulina a great whole food alternative to isolated vitamin and minerals. Spirulina boasts the highest amount of protein content of any food, many times higher than soy beans, at 60 plus percent. It is also packed with antioxidants and phytonutrients and is basically the best food and or supplement, pound for pound, available today. It is highly digestible and the most nutritious, concentrated whole food known to mankind.

Spirulina contains a rich spectrum of available proteins and is the richest source of beta-carotene and mixed carotenoids in the world. Spirulina is nature’s richest source of vitamin E.

Benefits of spirulina in the diet have expanded greatly and it is one of the most beneficial of all dietary supplements known today. At 60 to 70% protein, it is higher in protein than any other natural food. Spirulina is rich in vitamins and minerals and other nutrients. Because of spirulina powder’s extremely high concentration of nutrients, it is very satisfying, leaving one with little desire to continue eating after having some spirulina thus helping in weight loss.

Side Effects Of Spirulina:

Few side effects have been reported from the ingestion of Spirulina. There are no well-known drug interactions with spirulina.

By: johnsmith

Vitamin B6 Or Pyridoxine – What Role Does This Vitamin Play In The Human Body?

admin — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 12:05:24 +0000

Vitamin B6 is a water soluble vitamin and a part of the B-complex family. It is also commonly referred to as Pyridoxine or Pyridoxal Phosphate. Due to its rapid metabolism and solubility, it takes only 8 hours for it to travel throughout the body. Therefore, it is important that this vitamin be replenished regularly.

Vitamin B6 plays an important role in the production of healthy hemoglobin by making more iron available. It also directly participates in the production of the mood,sleep and Serotonin, the hormone that regulates the appetite. Just like the other vitamins in the B-Complex family, Pyridoxine participates in the metabolism process that converts fats, carbohydrates and proteins into a form of energy that the body can utilize. Vitamin B6 also plays a crucial role in the production of over 60 different types of hormones,neurotransmitters,enzymes and prostaglandins.

Some known advantages of Vitamin B6 is that it helps prevent the formation of painful kidney stones and adequate amounts of Pyridoxine actually promote a healthy immune system. Vitamin B6 is known to reduce the bad cholesterol levels in the blood and it is because of this function fatty that, plaque deposits do not form easily on artery walls. This vitamin also combines with Folic Acid and Vitamin B12 to reduce the risk of heart attacks.

Some common sources of Vitamin B6 include fish, milk, eggs, poultry, nuts, brown rice, whole grains, bananas, soybeans, carrots and avocados.

Medical experts recommend the average daily dose of Vitamin B6 to be 1.6 mg for women and 2 mg for men.This is one of the few vitamins that, if taken in excess can actually be toxic for health.Consumption of more than 2 mg of Pyridoxine a day can cause irreversible damage to the nerve endings and to the entire nervous system.Although up to 500 mg/day is considered high, this level still is considered safe.

Individuals who suffer from a Vitamin B6 deficiency can experience depression, tiredness, insomnia, loss of appetite, anemia, hair loss and dry or cracked skin on the tongue or lips.In severe cases it can lead to a complete breakdown of the central nervous system.If left untreated, those who are affected can become anemic, irritable or go into convulsions.

Individuals who consume excessive alcohol, babies, children, women who are pregnant or who are taking birth control pills, elderly people and teenagers are more vulnerable to developing a Vitamin B6 deficiency because all these factors affect the body’s ability to properly absorb this vital vitamin.

By: Mike Singh