The human body contains a number of nutrients which are naturally formed. These nutrients form the base of life as they are essential for boosting the life process like growth, reproduction, respiration, etc. Creatine is also one of these naturally formed nutrients. Amino acids and food present in the body are the main things responsible in the production of Creatine. So it is an essential compound based on amino acids.
Red meat and fish are a great source of nutrients containing Creatine. The Creatine which is produced in the body is transformed into a molecule called phosphocreatine. Phosphocreatine plays a vital role in energy accumulation in muscular tissues. The energy stores particularly in the muscles having voluntary function. At the same time it stores in the nervous system as well, because this system of the body consumes energy in a great bulk.
Creatine also promotes lean-muscle mass and decrease the wasting of muscles in patients who have undergone some surgery. If one is suffering from some cardiac disorders, it proves a great boon to the heart patient. It is due to the fact that Creatine has been found to lessen spasms of the heart and boost up the capacity to exercise more. Thus it gives pace to the functions of the heart. According to some research, this nutrient is also very useful in the treatment of neuromuscular disorders. Taking these benefits into account, FDA has put Creatine in the category of a food supplement.
Creatine is now being used a legal food supplement by sports persons to enhance their performance level. This supplement is useful particularly for those sportspersons who belong to the high energy level sports category such as wrestling, weightlifting, and sprinting. The intake of Creatine enhances the recouping of energy in a fast way. And the best thing about is that if one take excess of creatine, he or she neednt worry at all, as it the body absorbs only as much required and the rest is also helps the athlete to recover sooner even after using up all the energy. Taking too much Creatine is also not very harmful as the body can absorb only a certain quantity and the rest comes out with urine.
When it comes to a health supplement, the thing that causes deep concern is whether it is going to have any side effect or not. But the matter of joy is that Creatine has almost no side effects. So, one can go for this without being prejudiced in any way. The Creatine supplement comes in various forms like chewable tablets, capsules, and powder. But while purchasing, one must be a bit careful and buy it from some reliable medical store, may be online or offline.
Continue Reading March 24th, 2009
Currently soft drink companies are touting their products’ antioxidant qualities. But why add antioxidants?
Antioxidants are believed to help protect us against both cancer and heart disease. Studies have shown that there is a significant positive association between a higher intake of fruits and vegetables high in antioxidants, and reduced risk of chronic disease.
While dark chocolate, blueberries, and red wine get ample public attention, some independent food study shows that other foods, as well as coffee, could pack an even healthier punch. Maybe that is why the soft drink companies are adding antioxidants to their soda line, for they are just jumping on the antioxidant band wagon.
First off, antioxidants are a group of organic compounds that include vitamins A, C and E, for many natural foods derive their colors from the presence of these substances. Antioxidants are helpful because they neutralize oxidizing free-radical molecules that are normally absorbed through foods but could be carcinogenic over time.
Maybe the soft drink companies believe fortifying products with ingredients containing high levels of antioxidants helps give customers the tools necessary to maintain a healthful antioxidant status, which in turn could mitigate the risk of developing chronic diseases.
There are some negative effects of added antioxidants that consumers should remember. First, the “free radicals” that antioxidants act against perform a dual biological function. Free radicals are produced continuously in all cells as part of their normal functioning. In moderate concentrations, they are essential mediators of reactions by which our bodies eliminate unwanted cells. By eliminating free radicals from our body, we interfere with important defensive mechanisms for eliminating damaged cells, including cancerous cells. So antioxidant substances can also harm people. Whereas our diets typically contain safe levels, highly concentrated antioxidant supplements can be hazardous.
As us consumers are increasingly becoming more interested in drinks that offer health benefits above and beyond that for which they were initially intended? Keep in mind, just as long as these products provide added fortification in a natural way. Consider a variety of common foods, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and herbs, are naturally rich, not only in vitamins and minerals, or plant-derived chemicals that have inherent antioxidant protective properties that help fight against disease before you reach for that antioxidant enriched soda or soft drink.
Continue Reading March 18th, 2009
Vitamin supplements have been increasing in popularity and availability over the past 30 years. In North America it has become a multi - billion dollar industry. Vitamin supplements have been hailed as powerful antioxidants that fight against a wide variety of health conditions such as cancer and heart disease. They are also credited with causing reverse affects in the aging process, and enhancing athletic ability.
The question is, however, do these claims have substance - or is it a product of the giant corporate machine that preys on society’s fears, fuelled by the media. The media has a tendency to sensationalize certain ideas and findings, often misrepresenting them. This is one process by which consumer trends are created or molded.
If this is the case, the following question may be raised. Which food trends are inspired by factual information that is truly beneficial to health? In other words do certain products really deliver on promises made by industry or the media? If not, then who is to blame?
The media may be partly to blame for playing up on certain fears, facts or ideas. At the same time the corporations could be partly responsible as well. Where the real problem lies is in miscommunication. These problems would be solved if a reliable and effective stream of communication existed between the scientific community, the government, the media and the corporate world.
This is the objective these organizations should be striving for. Until such a system is put into place there will be no accurate way of telling whether the consumer can count on every benefit promised.
Now let’s get back to vitamin supplements. In order to find the facts we must go right to the source. In other words we have to look at results from scientific studies. A recent study, that included tens of thousands of subjects, showed that vitamin E and beta carotene supplementation did not lower the risk of heart disease or death from heart disease. Foods, however, that contain antioxidants are still recommended. (1)
Over the last twenty years there have been many similar studies with varying results. In fact they have been largely contradicting. And so to this day the subject remains controversial. If you look at the facts as a whole, you will find that vitamin supplements show no clear benefits in healthy people with well balanced diets.
On the other hand, in cases of malnutrition or other forms of vitamin deficiencies, vitamin supplementation subscribed by physicians has been proven to be beneficial and essential. Countless studies have proven that vitamins and nutrients from real food sources are much more effective.
In fact several key studies were done to determine why certain areas around the world had low incidents of heart disease and cancer. Evidence suggested that these low rates were attributed to diet. And in all these studies vitamin supplementation was virtually nonexistent. These areas of study have included the Mediterranean region, Japan, France, the Arctic, Africa and South America. It was found that these cultures contained diets with foods rich in natural antioxidants.
Some of these foods include fresh and cooked vegetables, wild greens, fruits, wine and variety of nuts. Compared to the American diet these diets contained higher contents of unrefined carbohydrates and/or higher fish contents and much lower quantities of red meat, hydrogenated fat and dairy products.
One reason why vitamin supplements have become so popular in North America is the type of lifestyle we lead. As a result of our busy, fast - paced way of life we find less and less time to prepare proper well balanced meals. Most of us, therefore, are not getting enough essential vitamins and nutrients from our diet. We are eating too much of the wrong foods and often feel tired and burned out.
Instead of improving our eating habits, we get sold on the pitch that we need vitamin supplements to increase strength and vitality. If we had well balanced diets in the first place, we wouldn’t have to throw away large sums of money on supplements, the vast majority of which are completely ineffective.
The wiser thing to do is try to incorporate some of these diet patterns that have been proven beneficial to health in the regions mentioned earlier. First of all we must increase fish intake and decrease consumption of red meat. Increase intakes of fruits, vegetables, whole unrefined carbohydrates and decrease amount of simple carbohydrates like sugar and products with white flour, saturated and hydrogenated fats - made from animal sources, margarines, creamy dressings and dips, and gravies. In other words, decrease the amount of processed food.
Furthermore, when combining a well balanced diet with regular exercise participation, the health benefits become tenfold. You will become more relaxed and able to sleep better. Your energy threshold will be increased, enabling you to perform at a higher level while feeling less tired. You will lose weight, your health and appearance will improve, and you’ll feel better about yourself.
Continue Reading March 11th, 2009
Myocardial infarction is a technical term used to describe an irreversible injury to heart muscle. It is normally used as a synonym for a heart attack and will be so used in this essay. Myocardial infarction is normally related to progressive atherosclerosis (blockage of the arteries.) Essentially the heart is slowly starved of oxygen and stops functioning properly causing irreparable damage and even death.
It is no surprise that much of the developed world suffers from heart disease because of diet and other lifestyle habits. In the United States heart disease remains the number one killer among adults and demonstrates similar statistics in many other modern countries. The surprise comes in knowing that the majority of heart disease is avoidable yet educated people continue to ignore the dangers and promote lifestyles conducive to cardiac damage. Though many factors contribute to heart disease the current essay will focus on one, in two parts. First we will consider the relation of fish consumption and myocardial infarction. Secondly we will consider the effects of dietary supplementation with omega-3 and vitamin E for those who had previously survived a heart attack.
Fish consumption and heart disease has been a topic of innumerable studies. One research project combined data taken from several such studies including the Chicago Western Electric Study, the Zutphen, Rotterdam and Swedish studies and the Study of U.S. Physicians among others. The goal of this research was to examine the relationship between fish consumption and the 30-year risk of death from coronary disease.
The participants of the study included 1,822 men between the ages of forty and fifty-five who were free of cardiovascular disease. For the first ten years annual examinations were given and mailed questionnaires and/or telephone interviews were used for the next fifteen years. Death certificates were used to classify cause of death for each patient.
During the 30-years follow up there were a total of 430 deaths from cardiovascular disease with 293 due to myocardial infarctions. Of the latter 196 were sudden, 94 were non-sudden and the remaining three could not be classified as either. Almost all of the sudden deaths were caused by myocardial infarction.
Detailed dietary history was kept on each participant with daily fish consumption as the primary focus. Each participant was categorized into one of four groups. The first group reportedly consumed no fish. The second group consumed between one and seventeen grams of fish per day. The third and fourth groups measured consumption as eighteen to thirty-four grams per day and greater than thirty-four grams per day respectively.
Predictably the results demonstrated an inverse relationship between fish consumption and the occurrence of myocardial infarction. In particular the participants who ate at least 35 grams of fish per day had a 42% lower death rate from heart attack compared to those who ate no fish at all.
The findings of these combined studies were consistent with other data concluding that diets high in fish demonstrate a reduced occurrence of death from coronary heart disease. This is especially true in relation to deaths that are of a non-sudden nature. That is not to conclude, however, that fish consumption does not inversely affect the risk of sudden cardiac death. Other studies have verified that such a relationship exists. Those studies are, however, beyond the scope of this essay.
But why does fish consumption improve heart health? It could just be the fact that people who eat fish eat less of other harmful foods. To focus a little more closely on the beneficial causes of fish consumption it is important to consider at least one study that isolated omega-3 intake via dietary supplements regardless of diet. The interesting thing about this study is that it was concerned with the effects of omega-3 and vitamin E supplementation on patients who had already experienced a heart attack.
The GISSI-Prevenzione trial, as it is known, hoped to establish any relationship that might exist between omega-3 and vitamin E as combined agents in the fight against heart disease. It was a randomized trial involving 11,234 patients who had survived a heart attack within the previous three months at the time the study began. The participants were divided into four groups. Group one received one gram of omega-3 supplements daily. Group two received 300mg of vitamin E every day. Group three received both while the control group received neither. Each participant received clinical examinations with blood samples taken and were asked to fill out diet questionnaires at the outset of the experiment and at six, twelve, eighteen, thirty and forty-two months.
The data were analyzed using two methods. A two-way analysis was made comparing omega-3 supplementing and no omega-3, as well as vitamin E intake compared to no vitamin E. A four-way analysis was also conducted comparing the combination of omega-3 and vitamin E with omega-3 alone and vitamin E alone. The effects of the combined supplements were also compared with the group that took no supplements.
The results of the test demonstrated a 14% decrease in death from any cause for the two-way analysis and a 20% drop in death rate for the four-way analysis. Concerning only death due to cardiovascular disease, the two-way analysis showed a 17% reduction of risk while the four-way analysis revealed a 30% decrease. Though vitamin E is known to be a powerful antioxidant, the group that supplemented with the combination of omega-3 and vitamin E showed no life-expectancy advantage over the group that supplemented with only the omega-3.
The overall conclusion of the GISSI-Prevenzione trial was that supplementing with omega-3 provided long term benefits in lowering risk of death for patients who had experienced a myocardial infarction.
Continue Reading March 11th, 2009
Dr. Perricone noted that the berry has so many outstanding benefits, that you would hard pressed to find a more impressive and nutritious food on the planet. Blueberries were once noted as one of the most nutritious foods in the world, but even it pales when compared to the acai berry which has nearly 4 times the antioxidants of the blueberry.
You might be wondering what makes this fruit a super food. Well, its ability to do so much good for the body gives it this distinction. It can help slow aging, aid in weight loss, fight disease, boost the immune system and it also tastes delicious.
The acai berry can help slow down aging because it is so adept at fighting free radicals. Well, to be perfectly clear, the fruit does not, but the antioxidants that it contains do. Antioxidants are known for destroying free radicals. Free radicals cause us to age prematurely. When we can get rid of them, we can slow down the rate of aging. Subsequently, we will look younger and feel more energized then we might normally.
It has been found that this food also helps in weight loss. It is for this reason that you can now find it in supplements designed to help people lose weight. Some people, although not all, have trouble keeping weight off because they have a slow metabolism. Other individuals have poor overall health and so the body does not work as it should. As a result, individuals carry extra weight around their middles and may feel sluggish much of the time. Supplements using this fruit can help address both of these problems.
Fighting disease is another byproduct of consuming acai berry. Because it helps improve the immune system and fight free radicals, it works well in fighting disease both current and oncoming. Eating healthy food can significantly help an individual avoid getting a disease and also helps to deal with any that a person already has.
One of the best things about this fantastic food is that it tastes good. Some supplements or foodstuffs, although healthy for you, taste horrible. This is not the case here. In fact, it is quite delicious and the juice or powders tastes great mixed with other juices and in smoothies.
Is acai berry a super food? The short answer is yes. Even though it is small, it has a number of great benefits for the user. It can help people boost their metabolism, improve their health, fight disease and slow down aging. You would be hard pressed to find one food that has so many benefits. It is for this reason that it is considered a super food and is the primary reason why you should definitely include it in your diet.
Continue Reading March 11th, 2009
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