Archive for September 2015
Hello,
It’s Jobee Knight at Nutrition Breakthroughs. I came across a useful chart of office stretches that can be done at one’s desk. It may come in handy if you ever find yourself with stiffness, aches or low back pain. Feel free to forward it on.
Best of health,
Jobee Knight
Nutrition Breakthroughs
Maker of Natural Sleep Remedies and Joint and Pain Relief products
Shared by Nutrition Breakthroughs
Vitamin E is a health-giving, disease preventing vitamin that is found in many foods such as almonds, leafy greens, sunflower seeds, eggs, sweet potatoes, avocados, olive oil and rice bran oil. Studies are showing that vitamin E benefits include strengthening the heart, assisting in preventing eye disease, boosting immune function and enhancing muscle health.
The top three antioxidant vitamins are Vitamin E, C and A. An “antioxidant” is a nutrient that counteracts and neutralizes the harmful effects of oxygen in the body. These “oxidative” effects contribute to aging and disease and are caused by an unhealthful diet, air pollution, smoking, drinking, and also by the normal processes of digestion and metabolism.
Vitamin E is a key player in the fight for a healthy heart. A study from the New England Journal of Medicine found that men who consumed higher amounts of vitamin E had a lower risk of heart disease. This benefit occurred with 60 to 100 international units (IU) per day, although the amount often used for disease prevention is 400 IU daily.
The health of the red blood cells is vital as they carry oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body. In a study from the journal “Nutrition Research”, the breakdown of red blood cells was decreased by 38% in adults that took 300 milligrams of vitamin E daily for four months. Levels of vitamin E in the blood increased significantly and cellular oxygen stress was lowered by 47%.
The University of Hong Kong did a study on how vitamin E benefits immunity, which showed that there’s a specific requirement for vitamin E in immune cells. The vitamin was demonstrated to strengthen immunity and help immune cells to flourish. Another aspect of vitamin E is that it has the potential for preventing or delaying prostate cancer in men, according to the book “Vitamin E: New Research”.
It isn’t surprising that Vitamin E is vital to the health of the muscles and enhances the ability to exercise, because the heart is essentially muscle tissue and vitamin E is known to strengthen it. In a study from the Medical College of Georgia, it was found that exercise causes muscle cells to burn a lot more oxygen than usual, causing “oxidative” stress in muscles. Their finding was that vitamin E is essential to rapid muscle cell membrane repair and it can also help prevent muscle-wasting diseases.
Vitamin E foods such as nuts, leafy greens, sunflower seeds, eggs, sweet potatoes, avocados, olive oil and rice bran oil are great ways to get more of it and vitamin E supplements are also beneficial to overall health.
This natural health news is provided by Nutrition Breakthroughs, a provider of health articles and effective natural remedies since 2001. Nutrition Breakthroughs makes the original calcium and magnesium based sleep aid Sleep Minerals II, which contains highly absorbable forms of calcium, magnesium and vitamin D, all formulated in a base of vitamin E-rich rice bran oil.
Article source: http://www.nutritionbreakthroughs.com/blog/2015/09/20/vitamin-e-benefits-health-studies-and-top-vitamin-e-foods/
Hormones are magical chemical substances that act like messengers in the body. After being made in one part of the body, they travel to other areas where they help control how cells and organs do their work. For example, steroid hormones are fat-soluble molecules made from cholesterol.
Among these are estrogen, testosterone and progesterone. Males and females make all three, but in different amounts. Ideal hormone balance occurs when the body has just the right amount of each hormone available to operate at peak health. Research studies are discovering factors that can create hormone imbalances, as well as offering solutions to balance hormones.
One chemical substance famous for disrupting hormone balance is Bisphenol A (BPA). It is a chemical found in hard plastics and the coatings of food and drink cans which can behave in a similar way to estrogen and other hormones in the human body. It is also used to make water bottles, baby bottles, eyeglass lenses, DVD’s and more.
One study from the UK found that BPA reduces testosterone levels in men. Another study from Massachusetts found a link between BPA and infertility in women. It has also been linked to diabetes and heart disease. A few key ways to avoid exposure to BPA is to not eat or drink foods or beverages from cans, and to avoid drinking water from plastic water bottles — unless the labeling says it is BPA free.
Research from the University of Chicago has found that sleep deprivation can have a pronounced effect on one’s hormonal health. The pituitary gland in the brain is known as the “master gland” as its hormones control the thyroid gland, adrenals, ovaries and testes. The pituitary is markedly influenced by sleep. During sleep, beneficial hormonal factors are activated, but these are greatly reduced by sleep deprivation. On a positive note, the alterations that occur during a sleepless night can be completely reversed during recovery sleep.
A study from the journal “Obstetrical and Gynecological Survey” shared the many beneficial effects that omega 3 fats can have on women’s hormone balance. These healthy fats are found in salmon, sardines, fish oil capsules, olive oil and fresh vegetables. Omega 3’s can reverse PMS and increase fertility in women. The researchers also mention evidence showing omega 3’s can prevent menopause symptoms, postmenopausal osteoporosis and heart disease.
According to Dalene Barton-Schuster, Senior Herbalist, studies have shown that extreme exercise results in hormonal disruption. She says “Regular, moderate exercise has been shown to strengthen muscles, build stamina, increase flexibility, increase circulation, reduce stress and prevent depression and anxiety — while also promoting regular detoxification of excess hormones and toxins in the body.”
This health news is shared by Nutrition Breakthroughs, a provider of natural health articles and effective natural remedies since 2001. Nutrition Breakthroughs makes the original calcium and magnesium based sleep aid Sleep Minerals II, as well as Joints and More, the natural solution for joint relief, aches and pains, and stronger hair and nails.
Article source: http://www.nutritionbreakthroughs.com/blog/2015/08/26/studies-and-tips-on-balancing-hormones-naturally/
Vitamin C is one of the most famous vitamins as it benefits so many areas of health. It isn’t stored in the body and its highest sources are fresh vegetables and fruits.
Vitamin C strengthens bones and teeth, heals wounds, fights infections, smooths skin wrinkles (by helping to make collagen), and supports heart and eye health.
Especially for a healthy heart, vitamin C benefits have been the topic of research studies for its ability to lower blood pressure and increase the health of blood vessels.
A recent study from research scientist Dr. Caitlin Dow at the University of Colorado at Boulder, focused on 35 obese or overweight adults. These adults are often advised to walk for exercise, but they can find it a challenge to include it in their daily lives.
Dr. Dow’s research found that 500 mg. of time-release vitamin C taken daily, reduces blood vessel constriction as much as walking does.
Overweight and obese people were chosen for the study as they have higher levels of a certain vessel-constricting protein which makes their blood vessels less responsive to blood flow — thus increasing the risk of developing vascular or heart disease. Exercise has been shown to reduce the effects of this protein and to benefit blood vessels.
The University of Colorado study compared the daily use of vitamin C heart supplements to daily walking in a group of 35 sedentary, overweight individuals. Blood flow was measured before and after each alternate remedy.
The results: Daily supplementation of vitamin C (500 mg/day, time-released), reduced blood vessel constriction as much as the walking exercise did. They recommend that Vitamin C supplementation represents an effective lifestyle strategy for this condition.
In addition to this current study, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a review of 29 research trials on people with high blood pressure and concluded that vitamin C has a useful role in lowering it.
This health news is shared by Nutrition Breakthroughs, a provider of natural health articles and effective natural remedies since 2001. Nutrition Breakthroughs makes the original calcium and magnesium based sleep aid Sleep Minerals II, as well as Joints and More, the natural solution for joint relief, aches and pains and stronger hair and nails.
Hello,
Included below is a great chart showing the top 10 Vitamin D rich foods. Vitamin D is known as the “Sunshine Vitamin” as spending time outdoors in the sun is known to increase vitamin D in the body via the skin. Our ancestors spent a considerable amount of their time outdoors, but for the first time in history, large amounts of the world population spend most of their time inside their offices and homes.
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition recommends some regular sun exposure (usually 5–10 min of exposure of the arms and legs or the hands, arms, and face, 2 or 3 times per week) and increased dietary and supplemental vitamin D to guarantee getting enough and preventing a vitamin D deficiency. The foods highest in vitamin D are featured in the chart below.
Vitamin D supports healthy bones, reduces diabetes risk, strengthens the immune system, remedies insomnia and soothes skin conditions. One study on vitamin D supplements for people with insomnia was published in the journal “Medical Hypothesis”. The researchers followed 1500 patients over a 2 year period. A consistent level of vitamin D3 was maintained in their blood over many months.
This produced normal sleep in most of the participants, regardless of their type of sleep disorder. During the research, the authors discovered the presence of high concentrations of vitamin D “receiving sites” or “receptors” in those areas of the brain that are related to the onset and maintenance of sleep.
Vitamin D supports healthy bones. Vitamin D deficiency is a known cause of rickets (soft bones) in children and osteoporosis in adults.The pioneering nutritionist Adelle Davis writes about vitamin D in her book “Let’s Get Well”. She says: “Vitamin D increases calcium absorption…and controls the enzymes necessary to deposit minerals in bones and teeth. This vitamin can be produced on the skin by sunshine provided the oils have not been washed off (the skin).”
A study from the Journal of Investigative Medicine found that vitamin D has important functions beyond those of supporting calcium and bones in the body. It concluded that vitamin D is a boost to immunity and a deficiency of the vitamin is common in autoimmune disease – a disease where the body’s immune system attacks healthy cells by mistake. These include multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes and inflammatory bowel disease.
In the “Top 10 vitamin D Foods” chart below, the foods are shown with their amounts of vitamin D and what percentage of the recommended daily value (DV) they have. For example, 3 ounces of sardines provides 164 IU (international units) of vitamin D and this is 41% of the recommended daily intake of 400 IU. Daily values are developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to help provide a general guideline, however doses of 1,000 to 2,000 IU or more daily are not uncommon.
Good vitamin D foods include cod liver oil, sardines, salmon, mackerel, eggs, herring, raw maitake mushrooms, and vitamin D fortified milk and yogurt.
This health news is shared by Nutrition Breakthroughs, a provider of natural health articles and effective natural remedies since 2001. Nutrition Breakthroughs makes the original calcium and magnesium based sleep aid Sleep Minerals II, as well as Joints and More, the natural solution for joint relief, aches and pains and stronger hair and nails.
Enjoy the chart….
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