Dr. Louis Ignarro: Alpha Lipoic Acid

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA) is a fatty acid and a powerful antioxidant. ALA is one of the most imporant nutrients to consume daily. It can be found in every single cell in the human body, helping convert glucose into energy for the body to use. In addition, ALA neutralizes rogue electrons known as free radicals.

Free radicals are created by food oxidation, stress, and pollution. Unlike many antioxidants, ALA is both water and fat soluble making it particularly effective in the human body as it binds to free radicals, thereby neutralizing them.  ALA also seems to have the power to recycle other antioxidants after they have spent their effectiveness, making additional nutrients more effective.

Benefits of Alpha Lipoic Acid

• Anti-Aging Effects - The effects of aging are often the result of cellular damage due to oxidative stress. As a potent antioxidant, ALA can reduce or even reverse some signs of aging.
• Diabetes - ALA can help to improve glucose uptake, reducing the effects of insulin resistance. Additionally, ALA can help to reduce peripheral neuropathy, an often painful condition often suffered by diabetics.
• Heart Disease - ALA supports the proper functioning of endothelial cells. The endothelial lines blood vessels and is responsible for producing Nitric Oxide which improves circulation and cardiovascular health. Studies even suggest that ALA can reduce atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries.

How much Alpha Lipoic Acid should you take?

• 20-50 mg daily for antioxidant protection
• 300-600 mg daily for diabetes and cardiovascular dysfunction

What other nutrients are important?

Other antioxidants such as Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and Glutathione can become more effective when combine with ALA because of its recycling effect. The amino acid L-Carnitine also works in cooperation with ALA.

Dr. Andrew Myers: The Benefits of Exercising

Monday, July 18, 2011

Most people know that exercise is important for weight loss and preventing heart disease,  and there are a wide range of other scientifically proven benefits to exercising daily. Whether you like to walk, jog, bike, swim, or play an active sport, you can improve your health by maintaining a regular exercise regimen.  Twenty minutes a day, three times a week can be enough to improve your health.

Exercise is fundamentally important to losing weight because it is the best way to burn calories, which are simply a unit of energy. Eating less and exercising more is the formula for losing weight. An individual who consumes 2000 calories without using any energy will gain over half a pound of stored body fat. To lose a pound you must burn 3500 more calories than you consume. While this may sound intimidating, it can be easy to add twenty or thirty minutes of exercise, three or four times a week to lose weight and enjoy many other health benefits.

Thirty minutes of walking burns around 200 calories. Adding a thirty minute walk, three times a week to one’s normal lifestyle, and not changing anything else, will burn over 30,000 calories in a year which is nearly nine pounds. A single hour of walking, three times a week over the course of a year can generate close to twenty pounds of weight loss.

Exercise is necessary for the prevention of heart of heart disease. It can reduce blood pressure by causing the endothelial cells to produce sufficient amounts of Nitric Oxide. This relaxation effect reduces pressure. In addition, the Nitric Oxide generated reduces the build of arterial plaque, thereby reducing the occurrence of stroke and heart attacks. Cholesterol levels are also known to benefit from regular exercise such as walking.

Here are some less well-known reasons it is important to exercise:

• Exercise may prevent aging (http://bit.ly/eJcMZS)
• Exercise may lower risk of colon cancer mortality (http://bit.ly/r40735)
• Exercise lowers heart disease risk in children (http://bit.ly/iquuQi)
• Exercise prevents bone dysfunction syndrome (http://bit.ly/qcTGDJ)

We would love to know how you like to exercise. Visit our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/healthiswealth.net and post on our wall about your exercise regimen.

Dr. Andrew Myers: Bone Dysfunction Syndrome

Monday, July 11, 2011

What Is Bone Dysfunction Syndrome?

Bone Dysfunction Syndrome is a nutritional deficiency resulting in osteoarthritis and osteoporosis. This can lead to reduced mobility, reduced quality of life, increased risk of fractures, and chronic pain. Osteoarthritis does not cause osteoporosis, nor does the reverse seem to occur.

The shared link between the two is that they both occur primarily due to a chronic Vitamin D deficiency. Individuals who don’t receive adequate levels of Vitamin D are at a heightened risk of developing Bone Dysfunction Syndrome. People who do get sufficient Vitamin D reduce their risk of the occurrence of this syndrome.

The two most significant deficiencies are Vitamin D and Omega-3 fatty acids. Additional deficiencies include Glucosamine, Minerals such as Calcium and Magnesium. Supportive nutrients include Green Tea and Pomegranate.

Preventing Bone Dysfunction Syndrome

• Exercise - Regular exercise is cri tical to preventing Bone Dysfunction Syndrome. Exercise can strengthen muscles around afflicted joints, stimulate the bones to build new mass, and reduce chronic pain caused by inflammation.
• Diet - Limit intake of carbohydrates and simple sugars as these can lead to joint inflammation. Eat foods rich in calcium, magnesium, and Vitamin D.
• Key Nutrients:
      1)      Vitamin D – May reduce pain, improve muscle strength, and reduce the occurrence of osteoarthritis and osteoporosis.
      2)      Glucosamine – May strengthen cartilage, particularly in the knees.
      3)      Omega-3 Fatty Acids – Increases calcium absorption in the gut, increases calcium levels in bone, strengthens bones, and reduces joint swelling and stiffness.
• Go Outside: Vitamin D is free! Simply spend an extra 20 minutes outside in the sun every day. Even on cloudy days you can receive Vitamin D from the sun.

Dr. Louis Ignarro: Stats and Facts on Cardiovascular Disease

Monday, July 04, 2011

 

Quick Facts from NO More Heart Disease

• Cardiovascular disease has been the number one killer in the United States in all but one year over the past century.
• Cardiovascular disease claims more lives each year than the next six leading causes of death combined.
• Well over 60 million Americans have at least one type of cardiovascular disease, including high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, angina pectoris (chest pain due to insufficient blood flow through the heart), and stroke.  
• Every 29 seconds, an American has a coronary event such as a heart attack. A death occurs from these events every minute.
• Every 53 seconds, someone in the US has a stroke. A death from a stroke takes place every 3 minutes.
• More people visit their doctor’s office for hypertension, or high blood pressure, than for any other reason.
• Cardiovascular disease affects women as well as men. Women actually outnumber men in the prevalence of cases of heart disease and in related deaths with over half of the deaths from CVD occurring in women. 1 of every 2.4 deaths in women is caused by cardiovascular disease as compared to 1 in 30 from breast cancer.
• Up to 90% of all cases of impotence are now known to be directly related to “vascular insufficiency”.

Nitric Oxide's Role in Prevention  

• Hypertension (high blood pressure) is typically causes by constricted arteries that restrict blood flow and increase pressure. Nitric Oxide works to relax and widen arteries allowing blood to flow more easily and blood pressure to decrease.
• Atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) occurs over time as arteries thicken and lose elasticity. Fatty deposits,called plaque, accumulate on arterial walls, reducing the diameter of arteries and reduces blood flow. Nitric Oxide works to prevent plaque formation and increase elasticity of arteries.
• Heart attacks are often caused by blood clots and excessive plaque in the arteries. By helping to lower blood pressure and improve circulation, Nitric Oxide can offer protection against having a heart attack.
• Strokes are caused by blood clots in the vessels leading to the brain. Two of Nitric Oxide’s critical functions – preventing the formation of blood clots and keeping the arteries free of plaque – work specifically against the occurrence of stroke.

Learn more about Cardiovascular Disease and Nitric Oxide in NO More Heart Disease by Dr. Louis Ignarro.

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