Statins May Lower Your Energy Along With Cholesterol

Here’s an FYI that I found interesting. I just watched a segment on ABC news about a new study that said that statins like Lipitor may also drain certain people of energy. That does not mean you should quit taking your meds though.

If you are taking a statin to help lower your cholesterol and also feel tired and achy, or even have trouble remembering things, the best course of action is to talk to your doctor about it. Ask them about a CPK test, if a lower dose may work as well, or maybe even change brands.

This segment also mentioned some steps you could take on your own like taking Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) which is a powerful antioxidant. It helps the body convert food to energy, and its antioxidant ability protects us from free radical damage, similar to that of vitamin E. Co–Q10 is present in almonds, ocean salmon, sardines, spinach and certain meats.

If you choose to supplement your intake, research has shown that "soft gel" versions of CoQ10 supplements work better than dry powdered versions.

One thing they said to avoid if you have the symptoms is Grapefruit, which actually increases the statin levels in your system.

On the good side was Dark Chocolate. It has a long history of being noted for its antioxidant benefits, but a new study conducted by the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center pointed out a new benefit to cardiovascular health. This recent study reported that Hershey’s Extra Dark Chocolate has a positive impact on blood pressure and blood vessel function. The rich dark chocolate is comprised of 60 percent cacao.

Cacao or the cocoa plant is a small evergreen tree. Its seeds are used to make cocoa and chocolate. Studies have shown heart benefits surrounding cacao, including increased blood flow, less platelet stickiness and clotting, improved LDL cholesterol, and lower blood pressure. Doctors say these benefits are the result of the cocoa’s antioxidant chemicals known as flavonoids, which seem to prevent both cell and damage and inflammation.

Another thing you can do for yourself is to get more quality sleep time. The recommendations included going to bed before midnight and allowing yourself at least 7.5 hours to rejuvenate your body. One rule of thjumb to remember is go to bed when it’s dark and get up when it’s light out.

If you would like to watch it for yourself just google statins and low energy.

Latest Tips & Tricks To Protect Your Heart

Did you see the article in the New York Times Health Section on how to protect your heart? I was familiar with no smoking, low cholesterol and blood pressure, regular exercise and weight loss control. There were some new suggestions that caught my eye though.

As we learn more through research and why heart attacks happen, some of the ways to avoid them is different than it used to be. As an example diet and exercise controls are not as strict. The food tastes better, is cheaper and you don’t have to drown in a pool of sweat to get the benefits of exercise.

The risk factors have not changed though. Heredity, genetics, high cholesterol and blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, belly fat, and our sedentary lifestyles all play a part. There is a newer factor that is becoming recognized as even more important as a cause of heart attacks and that is C-reactive protein, or CRP.

It is a marker in the blood that is concerned with inflammation that, along with coagulation factors, is now increasingly recognized as the driving force behind clots that block blood flow to the heart.

Even if your cholesterol is normal, your risk of heart attack goes up if the CRP is elevated. Some doctors are starting to believe that when people have their cholesterol checked, they should also be tested for high-sensitivity CRP.

The new advice on what to eat actually was known before we were told to eat a low-fat diet. Doctors knew as far back as 1958 that heart disease was rare in the Mediterranean and Asian regions where vegetables, grains, fruits, beans and fish were the dietary the usual foods. The US diet on the other hand is filled with red meat, cheese and other foods rich in saturated fats, heart disease and cardiac deaths were epidemic.

What was missed at the time and has now become increasingly apparent is that the heart-healthy Mediterranean diet is not really low in fat, but its main sources of fat olive oil and oily fish as well as nuts, seeds and certain vegetables help to prevent heart disease by improving cholesterol ratios and reducing inflammation.

One study in 1999 on the value of a traditional Mediterranean diet found that within four years, the Mediterranean approach reduced the rates of heart disease recurrence and cardiac death by 50 to 70 percent when compared with the heart association diet. Several subsequent studies have confirmed the same approach to diet.

More than 90% of the people who try the Mediterranean diet stick to it. The food tastes great and you can buy it in any grocery store.

Some of the foods that help to reduce the inflammatory marker CRP are cold-water fish like salmon, tuna and mackerel; flax seed; walnuts; and canola oil and margarine based on canola oil. Fish oil capsules are also an effective supplement. Another good tip is to try cooking with canola oil and using more expensive and aromatic olive oil for salads.

Vegetables, fruits and red wine (or purple grape juice) are helpful also because the antioxidants help prevent LDL cholesterol from forming in the arteries.

Something else to consider is a link between periodontal disease and increased risk of heart disease, most likely because gum disease causes low-grade chronic inflammation. So good dental hygiene, and regular periodontal cleanings, can help protect your heart as well as your teeth.

Reducing chronic stress is another important factor. A study of the effects of stress in more than 27,000 people, found that stress more than doubled the risk of heart attacks.

So remember not to sweat the small stuff, and it’s ALL small stuff. And getting enough sleep improves the ability to manage stress. Take a deep breath and relax or try meditation, prayer, yoga, self-hypnosis, laughter, taking a midday nap, getting a dog or cat, taking up a hobby and exercising regularly.

A final note on exercising. Did you know that a 1996 study found that just 15 minutes of exercise five days a week decreased the risk of cardiac death by 46 percent. A current British study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that building up short brisk three minute walks for a total of 30 minutes a day did as much cardiac good as one continuous 30-minute session.

Eat Your Broccoli

There was an interesting abstract in the 2008 issue of Cancer Prevention Research about a new study dealing with Broccoli. Greg Arnold a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Danville, CA commented on the possible health benefits of an antioxidant found in vegetables that may keep lungs healthy.

Many vegetables that contain health benefits, and some of the best are called cruciferous vegetables. These include broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, turnip, and radish. What sets them apart in promoting health are antioxidants called indoles .

An antioxidant in broccoli called sulfurophane has been shown to benefit prostate health and blood vessels in diabetics, but another antioxidant called Indole-3-Carbinol (I3C) has been found to benefit overall cell health, infant health, detoxification, bladder health, and heart health.

Recently a new study has found that I3C may help keep lungs healthy. Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer deaths worldwide. In the US, 215,020 new cases and 161,840 deaths were estimated in 2008, which accounts for 15% of cancer diagnoses and 29% of all cancer deaths. Cigarette smoke, which contains more than 60 carcinogens, is the cause of 90% of lung cancer cases.

Two of the most potent carcinogens in cigarettes are NNK and BaP. In the study, mice were fed a diet consisting of doses of I3C in varying amounts, or a placebo for one week. During this time, they were exposed to the NNK and BaP carcinogens.

Compared to the placebo group, those in the I3C group had less tumor growth. The lowest effective dose they used was equal to 800 mg per day of I3C in humans.

This led the researchers to say the results indicate the potential of I3C for lung cancer chemoprevention in current and former smokers.

Of course it is too soon to say with certainty that when your mom told you to eat your Broccoli because it’s good for you, that she could see into the future, but it sounds good.

Multivitamin Helps day-to-day Health With A Price Tag That Won't Cause A Coronary

In the health business one of the most confusing segments is the multivitamin. You see them on TV, in the drug stores and everywhere in between. The fact of the matter is that multivitamins are a business in themselves. Because there are so many choices, how do you know what is best for you.

Should you buy a lot at wholesale prices and take a handful at a time to make sure you get enough of everything, or buy the most expensive brand you see hyped on TV and assume because it costs so much it must be better for you. Maybe you should get the largest pill available that has some of everything, whether it helps or not.

Business is business and the strategies are different. Some over spend on advertising and under spend on the ingredients. Others use exotic sounding ingredients to justify higher prices.

That doesn’t mean that multivitamins aren’t important, because they are. We all need daily vitamins and nutrients in our diets, especially after you turn 50. With all the multivitamins on the market today, what is best for me. Every ones specific needs are different but generally speaking they need to contain all the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients necessary for good health, none of the ingredients that could cause harm or interact with prescription meds. And in addition it has relatively cheap. One online site that researches the products the promote in advance to give their visitors the best available products at the best price is supplementstogo.com

One of the newer and better products they list is High Performance Fitness 1ST Step For Energy. This is a Liquid Multivitamin which is also rich In Antioxidants and 71 Vitamins & Minerals. What is interesting about this product is it is an easily absorbable daily formula with all the basic vitamins, minerals, and nutrients you need for day-to-day health - with a price tag that won't cause you to have a coronary.

Most of the multivitamins you see today are capsules or tablets. The body only absorbs between 10% to 20% of the nutrients available in capsulated form, which means of every $100.00 spent on capsules or tablets, so about $90.00 is wasted. When a capsule or tablet is swallowed, it takes between 20 to 25 minutes to break down in the stomach. Even though most people take a capsule or tablet with water, the water passes quickly, leaving only the stomach acids to send the nutrients into the rest of the body.

Because your body is mostly water already almost all of the nutrients in this liquid multivitamin are retained, and the vitamins and minerals are absorbed almost immediately.

It works for me.

What Is Vitamin E Good For?

I have seen where low blood levels of vitamin E are linked to greater physical decline as we get older. Since the economy is in the shape it is in, it looks like I will have to extend my working years, and will need to stay active longer.

I decided to look up who may need extra vitamin E to prevent a deficiency or in diseases where vitamin E plays a role and came up with a very brief summary:

Individuals who cannot absorb fat may require a vitamin E supplement because some dietary fat is needed in order to absorb vitamin E from your intestines. These include Crohn's Disease, and Cystic Fibrosis. They may need a special water-soluble form of vitamin E.

Abetalipoproteinemia is a rare inherited disorder of fat metabolism that results in poor absorption of dietary fat and vitamin E. These Individuals may be prescribed special vitamin E supplements by a physician to treat this disorder. Ataxia and vitamin E deficiency (AVED) is also a rare inherited disorder. It is caused by a genetic defect in a liver protein. These people have such severe vitamin E deficiency that without supplements they are unable to walk (ataxia).

Very low birth weight infants may be deficient in vitamin E. These infants are usually under the care of a neonatologist, a pediatrician specializing in the care of newborns, who, evaluates and treats the exact nutritional needs of premature infants.

A study was conducted in Tuscany Italy from 1998-2000, on people between 70-80, and the findings provided a solid base that low concentration of vitamin E contributes to decline in physical function in older people between 70-80.

Preliminary research has led to a widely held belief that vitamin E may help prevent or delay coronary heart disease. Researchers have reported that oxidative changes to LDL-cholesterol (sometimes called "bad" cholesterol) promote blockages (atherosclerosis) in coronary arteries that may lead to heart attacks.

Antioxidants such as vitamin E are believed to help protect cell membranes against the damaging effects of free radicals, which may contribute to the development of chronic diseases such as cancer.

Some evidence associates higher intake of vitamin E with a decreased incidence of prostate cancer and breast cancer.

A study of women in Iowa provides evidence that an increased dietary intake of vitamin E may decrease the risk of colon cancer, especially in women under 65 years of age.
Observational studies have found that lens clarity, which is used to diagnose cataracts, was better in regular users of vitamin E supplements and in persons with higher blood levels of vitamin E.

The number of things vitamin E was associated with surprised me, and also how in the studies already done researchers cannot yet confidently recommend vitamin E supplements for the prevention of any of the issues noted because the evidence on this issues are inconsistent and limited. Even though I should probably be able to get what I need daily in a balanced diet, with my family history I choose to continue to supplement my nutrition needs with a little E just in case.

Healthy Vs. Lousy Cholesterol

I read an interesting article that Lisa Nelson wrote in healthcentral.com about low density lipoprotein LDL and VLDL very low density lipoprotein. I must admit I have a terrible time remembering all the acronyms, or which is good and bad, so let me see if I got this straight.

First off I need to raise HDL, High Density Lipoprotein or as I like to call it “Healthy” Cholesterol and lower triglycerides, VLDL and LDL.

Let's begin with Food. If we eat too much it provides more energy (calories) than we need right away. The liver breaks down some the carbohydrates and protein and forms triglycerides (fat) and cholesterol.

Oil (fat) and water (blood) don’t mix, so the liver coats the fat (triglycerides) with a protein, cholesterol, and phospholipid shell. The final product is called a lipoprotein (lipo or lipid = fat).

Lipoproteins transport cholesterol, fat, and proteins throughout our systems. LDL (low density lipoprotein) and VLDL (very low density lipoprotein) transport mostly fat and cholesterol, but differ in the amount of each.

When the liver releases VLDL into circulation, enzymes in the bloodstream interact with the triglycerides within the lipoprotein and change the package from "very low density" to "low density". LDL is "less dense" than VLDL.

If you have high LDL levels, an oxidation process takes place that leads to plaque development in your artery walls, damage to vessel linings, and heart disease. Eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables rich in antioxidants, such as vitamin C and vitamin E may slow or inhibit this oxidation process.

So, what does this all mean?

LDL and VLDL are both "lipoprotein packages" in your blood. Both are considered bad types of cholesterol. I remember this by telling myself that L stands for “Lousy”

They differ in what each package carries.

LDL (low-density lipoprotein) "Lousy" cholesterol carries mostly cholesterol, some protein, and minimal triglycerides throughout your circulation. LDL should be less than 130 mg/dl, ideally less than 100 mg/dl.

VLDL (very low-density lipoprotein) "Very Lousy" cholesterol contains minimal protein and mainly transports triglycerides.

To prevent VLDL and LDL from clogging your arteries, follow a diet to lower cholesterol and consume antioxidant rich fruits and vegetables.
That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

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If You Smoke Try A Multi Vitamin

A lot of studies and surveys have shown that a majority of adults do not get enough vitamin B-6 and vitamin E from the foods we eat. We take in way too many calories, and too much total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium. Women frequently eat too little folic acid, iron, calcium, and zinc. Taking a multi-vitamin daily helps maintain a healthy balance.

I just found out that although the basic nutritional needs of men and women who smoke are similar to those who don't use tobacco, conclusive evidence exists that smokers need much more antioxidant nutrients than non-smokers.

If you do smoke, chances are you need more antioxidant nutrients like vitamin C (ascorbic acid), and vitamin E. It used to be that beta-carotene was a plus for non-smokers, but recent clinical studies have found that beta-carotene can actually be harmful to smokers' health. Beta-carotene can be found in most multi-vitamins and an excess is risky for good nutritional health. If you smoke and are going to take a multi-vitamin, make sure it doesn't have beta-carotene as one of the ingredients.

Too many smokers have inadequate intakes of antioxidants. Smokers are reported to consume lower quantities of antioxidant nutrients than nonsmokers. Antioxidant nutrients have protective roles with regard to cancer, heart disease, cataract formation, cognitive (mind) dysfunction, and other diseases. Researchers believe there is a balance between antioxidant protectors and components that promote oxidation in the body. This balance seems to be related to health or disease. Some components of cigarette smoke promote oxidation that provides high levels of oxidant stress. Free radicals, which also promote oxidation, are derived from tobacco. Cigarette smoke has been estimated to contain 1,000,000,000,000,000 free radicals per inhalation. These free radicals can oxidize the fat components of the body which is very harmful.

Cigarette smokers have lower vitamin C (natural antioxidant) intakes and plasma vitamin C levels than nonsmokers. In people that have high intakes of fruits or leafy green vegetables, all replete with vitamin C, the incidence of cancer, heart disease, and cataracts is lower. Smokers who ate foods containing more than 200 mg vitamin C daily had serum vitamin C levels equivalent to those of nonsmokers who consumed 60 mg or more of the vitamin, according to a recent national survey. The most recent edition of the Recommended Dietary Allowances recommends that regular cigarette smokers take in at least 100 mg of vitamin C daily. Smokers have been found to have higher levels of vitamin C in the lung tissues than nonsmokers. This clearly reflects a positive defense mechanism against the free radicals from cigarette smoke.

Other studies have found that smokers have a 30 percent lower vitamin C level than nonsmokers. Researchers believe that nicotine may interfere with vitamin C absorption. Nicotine boosts metabolic rate, therefore increasing the rate that vitamin C is metabolized. Individuals who smoke need 100 milligrams of vitamin C (versus 60 milligrams for nonsmokers) every day.

The body's most effective antioxidant is vitamin E. Smokers have lower levels of plasma vitamin E than nonsmokers.

Smokers seeking nutritional supplements should look for a multi-vitamin that contains at least all of the following: Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid), Vitamin E, Vitamin B1 (Thiamine), Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin), Niacin, Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid), Zinc Picolinate, Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine), and the antioxidant Co-Q10. Some supplements add Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Powder, Inositol, Rutin, Citrus Bioflavonoid Complex, Choline Bitartrate and PABA.

So to summarize, if you smoke, or live with someone who smokes, make the right choices to safeguard your health against the risks associated with smoking. One important decision is choosing the right multi-vitamin. For sure, smoking depletes the body of important nutrients, and beta-carotene, negatively affects a smokers' health. Choose your multi-vitamins wisely.

P.S. If you are wondering where to get the best supplements, click Here.

R U Serious About Aging Gracefully and Antioxidant Supplements

All nutritional health supplements tackle the free radical component of aging through the use of antioxidants.

One of the most potent antioxidants on the market today is L-Glutathione. However, this is not a cure all ingredient. It needs to be backed up by a wide range of other powerful antioxidants. The synergy created as these age defying nutrients interact together at the molecular level create far more potent results in neutralizing more free radicals and bringing their production back more acceptable levels.

Here’s a list of the most potent antioxidants which you need backing up L-Glutathione in your supplement: N-Acetyl, L-Cysteine, Lutein, L-Carnosine, Green Tea Extract, Ginkgo Biloba, alpha lipoic acid, lutein, bilberry and grape extract.

Keep in mind that free radicals are ONLY ONE of the four primary causes of aging so there is a lot more that a supplement has to tackle to truly address the anti aging issue and protect you from degenerative disease. The others are Glycation, Methylation, and Inflammation.

Free Radicals and Oxidation

Free Radicals

Antioxidants have the ability to neutralize free radicals and so your body uses them to keep your free radical population to adequate levels and minimize the damage they cause. If your free radical levels are excessive they will accelerate your aging and basically cause havoc to your health.

Here are just some of the diseases linked to excess free radicals:

Various Cancers Arteriosclerosis, atherosclerosis
Heart Disease Stroke
Arthritis Diabetes
Alzheimer’s Emphysema
Ulcers Parkinson’s Disease
Cataracts Senility

What is Oxidation

Think of a potato that you just peeled and left sitting for 20 minutes on the kitchen sink. The exposed inside part of the potato has turned brown. This is an example of oxidation (chemicals inside the apple have reacted with oxygen in the air) and this is what oxidation does on a molecular level.

What that means to us is that oxidation creates free radicals, which are not good for us.

Actually oxidation takes place continuously inside all of us. Our normal breathing in of oxygen (respiration) creates oxidation which in turn creates free radicals. So, you can’t avoid oxidation or the creation of those nasty free radicals, they are continuous and inescapable. It’s nothing to worry about because they are necessary in many of your metabolic processes. The bottom line is simply to ensure that oxidative stress and the production of free radicals do not increase to the point of over production.

Things like smoking including second hand smoke, air pollution, electromagnetic radiation including sunlight and x-rays, stress, exercise, food additives, toxic chemicals, smoked and barbecued foods, lack of nutrients in our diet, pharmaceutical drugs, and even alcohol all create free radicals.

Civilization is impacted by these factors every single day. Thirty or forty years ago things were much different. Food was not processed as it is today and had far more nutrition with much greater antioxidant content. Pollution and toxins were not as high either.

So we need to make sure we take enough antioxidants to meet the double challenge of these destructive free radical promoters and an antioxidant depleted food chain.

That is why there is a wide array of antioxidant supplements on the market designed to counteract the effects of oxidation.

Anti Aging and Supplements

That word ‘anti aging’ has been used in all kinds of media for years now. Lately it seems that it has become just another marketing buzz word. Everywhere I look there is another commercial promoting some form of ‘anti aging’ product.

From a business marketing point of view the term ‘anti aging’ simply means looking and feeling younger in some way or to some degree and ‘anti aging’ has basically become nothing more than a valuable brand through which businesses can increase sales.

With nutritional science constantly evolving and promising ‘better and better’ results, people are spending increasing amounts of their disposable income in the hunt for stronger anti aging properties.

What do we mean by ‘anti-aging’? The term ‘Anti Aging’ has evolved to represent a number of different common meanings depending upon whether you’re dealing with the medical, scientific or business communities.

While we cannot reverse the aging process, we can get it to be more normal. When it comes to the word ‘reverse’ (certain) supplements can undo (to varying degrees) the effects of degenerative and age-related disease and technically speaking, make some people feel and look younger.

The market’s best nutritional health and vitamin supplements are also believed to be able to improve damaged DNA. This goes far beyond their abilities to simply limit oxidative damage to DNA with antioxidants. This actually repairs damage that has already occurred.

This is an area that leading industry experts are focusing on today. Find a way to clinically prove that supplements actually do repair damaged DNA. Presently science can slow down and normalize your aging process, and bring it back more natural.

We also need to remember that anti aging is relative to the times we live in and the way in which we are now aging. In other words it is linked to current environmental, emotional and dietary/nutritional stressors which are impacting our aging processes.

The bottom line here is that the daily effects of these stressors has resulted in a speeding up or pre mature aging process for an overwhelming majority of the population.

We read the ever increasing statistics for degenerative disease like diabetes, cancer, arthritis, Alzheimer’s, heart disease, stroke etc. and know that these diseases are happening at earlier ages.From the point of view of nutritional health, vitamin supplements CAN create significant anti aging benefits for the user.

Overall your supplements must be capable of using Antioxidants to reduce and control your free radical production, preventing Glycation which leads to Aging, balancing Methylation for Healthy DNA, and reducing Chronic Inflammation which contributes to degeneration.

The tricky part is that these components are all interdependent on each other. So it’s all about balancing the effects of all of these aging agents.