Suplements and Vitamins

Memory Pills

There isn’t much scarier than when you realize you’re starting to ‘slip.’ It starts with not remembering the milk when you’re at the grocery store, and it progresses to not remembering to eat, much less to go to the grocery store. Can this degeneration be prevented? Is there such a thing as a memory pill to help preserve your mind?

Memory Loss And The Omega 3 Connection

Scientists have long searched for what may predict any number of brain disorders, including anxiety, bipolar, postpartum depression, clinical depression, mood swings, and Alzheimer’s disease. What they have found in study after study is that people who suffer from these disorders have an omega 3 deficiency, especially the essential fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (also known as DHA).

The lack of this essential fatty acid means that the brain’s signaling function – the means by which all cells communicate with each other – can’t fire properly. The signals become weakened, and symptoms of the above are the result.

You may have heard the term ‘Mommy Brain’, a term used to refer to the way new mothers seem especially forgetful. This is not because of the change of having the baby, but rather because of the way a fetus is able to draw all the resources it needs from its mother. Omega 3 fatty acids are critical to the brain development and social development of a fetus, and therefore mothers who are not consuming enough omega 3s are at high risk to become deficient as their bodies feed their fetus’s needs. The result? Mommy brain.

Getting The Right Dose

So how much omega 3 does it take to really create memory pills? The research supports getting 1 gram per day of DHA-rich omega 3 supplements.

Not all supplements are rich in DHA, though, and it’s easy to be confused by the labels on most supplements.

There is no regulation around what constitutes a dose of omega 3, and as a result, lots of well-known brands are high in ALA, GLA, or EPA – three essential fatty acids that are important to be sure, but not the ones we are looking for.

To be effective memory pills, your fish oil supplement needs to contain at least 50% DHA, or 500 mg.

There are other things to watch for when you are selecting an omega 3 fish oil supplement. To learn how to judge the quality of a supplement and what toxins to watch out for, visit my website. There I’ll tell you which fish you want to avoid at all costs as a source of fish oil, and which fish are a good and healthy alternative. Hint – your grandmother may not have been right! Find out why by visiting my site.

Synergy in Vitamin and Mineral Supplementation

Most people who take Vitamin and mineral supplements self-prescribe to what they think they should take, not even what is fashionable. As well as being a waste of money, this is likely to do more harm than good. Why? Because taking an extra dose of one Vitamin can lower levels of another. Falling short of a particular mineral can prevent the absorption of another, seemingly unrelated one. A dose of an isolated Vitamin or mineral that is too high can produce the same symptoms as a deficiency of another nutrient. This is what nutritionists call synergy and it explains why taking extra calcium to build stronger bones may backfire on you. Too much calcium in the body can cause a deficiency in iron, zinc, magnesium and phosphorous by preventing their proper absorption. All these minerals are vital for good bone health and their ongoing deficiency can lead to osteoporosis – the condition you were trying to prevent by taking calcium supplements.

Vitamin D, which is also known as the sunshine Vitamin, since the body needs exposure to sunlight to make it, enhances the absorption of calcium, but too much can cause a potassium deficiency. Vitamin A is an antioxidant that is said to help to prevent premature aging. It does help to maintain the surfaces of the body,including the skin, but too much increases the body’s need for another antioxidant, Vitamin E, which protect against heart disease.

Vitamin C remains the most popular of the self-prescribed supplements: an estimated ten million Britons take it every day. Research papers now prove that it has powerful antioxidant properties that protect against cancer and heart disease and show how it boosts the immune system to protect against infections and can even speed up wound healing. Yet not many people know that it works much better in the presence of Vitamin A or that, to use it properly, the body needs calcium. Ask any alternative cancer specialists what nutrients their patients should be eating and they will specify bioflavanoids. Though not a true Vitamin, these are a group of biologically active substances found in plants that are sometimes called Vitamin P.

As well as cancer-fighting properties, they also have an antibacterial effect in the body, where they promote healthy circulation, stimulate bile production for the breakdown of fats and lower blood cholesterol levels. Foods that are rich in flavanoids include apples, beetroot, blackberries, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, cherries, dandelions, lentils, lettuce, oranges, parsley, plums, peas, potatoes, rhubarb, rose hips,spinach, tomatoes, walnuts and watercress. But what you may not know is that they all work even better when taken with Vitamin C, and vice versa.

Synergistic partners are rarely monogamous. To correct a deficiency in Vitamin A, you also need six additional nutrients: choline, zinc, Vitamin C, D and E, plus the essential fatty acids found in oily fish or evening primrose oil supplements. To restore normal levels of Vitamin C, you need the bioflavanoids, Vitamin A, plus calcium and magnesium. Those last two minerals are so closely linked that if you plan to take a supplement, you need to follow a ratio of 2: 1 in favour of the calcium. So if you are taking 800 mg of calcium, you need to take 400 mg of magnesium, too.

To correct a shortage of calcium in the hope of building stronger bones, you also need magnesium, boron, manganese, phosphorous, Vitamins A, C, D and F, plus essential fatty acids. To complicate the picture further, synergy may not affect the whole body but only specific cells, so the impact of what you are doing may be hidden. Smoking, for example, wipes out Vitamin C in the body, but this deficiency may be confined to the cells of the lungs. As you can see, when taking supplements you have to make sure that the Vitamin and mineral balance in your body is maintained.

Vitamin C – Your Body’s Best Friend

Today we are going to look at vitamin C (also known as ascorbic acid), which is a vitamin that we hear about all of the time, and we know that we need. But do you know exactly how this power-packing vitamin helps to keep us in good health? And do you know how to tell if you aren’t getting enough?

Vitamin C is a great immune-system builder. While some suggest taking larger doses of vitamin C when you have a cold, it is actually much more effective at preventing a cold than curing one. People that are dealing with issues that weaken their immune system, such as smokers, people who drink a lot of alcohol, or people under a lot of stress, need to be extra conscientious about making sure they are getting enough of this important vitamin.

An important thing to remember is that this is a water-soluble vitamin, meaning that our body does not keep reserves of it on hand. We are constantly flushing it out through our urine. We need to consistently ingest it in some form or another to make it available for our body. So just because you know you got a lot of vitamin C last week does not get you off the hook for this week!

Vitamin C is also one of the most powerful antioxidants available, and will help protect against harmful free-radicals roaming about in your system. If allowed to build up and take over, free radicals can be responsible for causing serious problems such as cancer, heart problems, or arthritis.

Lack of vitamin C can also be responsible for sore gums that bleed hyper-sensitively (so if you notice this, it should be a sure sign to get more vitamin C into your system), fatigue, depression, and of course scurvy. If you have wounds that do not heal very fast, that is another sign that you may be running low on vitamin C, as with adequate quantities of vitamin C, your body can repair and replace tissue fairly quickly.

Vitamin C doesn’t just help you on the inside. It also helps to produce collagen, so can keep your skin looking smoother, more elastic, and younger looking.

Convinced you should be getting more of this powerful vitamin? Look to add to your diet liberal quantities of tomatoes, strawberries, sweet potato, red pepper, raspberries, and mango. Other great sources that pack a lot of vitamin C are leafy greens, and, of course, oranges and other citrus fruits. Ingesting more vitamin C can be one of the easiest and most enjoyable ways to know that you are helping to keep your body in good health.

Omega-3 Benefits

Have you heard about the benefits of omega-3? They are also known as an Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) or fish oil. Whoa, a fatty acid that everyone has been telling me to stay away from. Well there is a difference.

The fatty acids that doctors want you to consume less of, are saturated fats. These are the ones that are solid at room temperature, such as butter and lard. The good ones are polyunsaturated fats, which are liquid at room temperature. Now omega-3 falls into this category as a good fat.

One of the first benefits that jump out at you, is that fat is needed to build cell walls. For example, if a cell uses saturated fats to build it’s cell wall, the cell walls will become rigid and have difficulty absorbing nutrients. They will also have difficulty discharging waste.

But if the cell uses polyunsaturated fats to build their cell walls, then the cell can absorb nutrients easier. Plus they can discharge wastes a lot easier.

So your cells need fats to build on. The fats that work best for your cells are polyunsaturated fats such as EFAs, olive oil or most oils that are liquid at room temperature.

Other benefits that can be derived from taking omega-3 are:

You can obtain omega-3 from cold-water fish such as salmon, sardines, cod and trout. If you select salmon to get your EFAs, make sure it is wild. Because of the way they are fed, farm raised salmon does not have the needed amount of omega – 3 than wild salmon has.

Conclusion – The main benefit you get from EFAs, is that the cell walls made of EFAs can absorb nutrients and discharge waste easier.

Calcium and Nitric Oxide Supplements

Most of you may be very well aware that the calcium is an important part of the strength of our bone and teeth. The calcium intake will act as a strong agent to ensure the proper growth of our bones. It is widely a concept that old age people need the calcium supplements as they were very prone to the weakening of their bones and teeth. But the studies suggest that it is very essential to have adequate amount of calcium supplements by all the age groups. Precisely it shows that you need not wait till your old age to have the intake of calcium.

In general it is very common today to use some calcium tablets or including more calcium rich eatables in the diet. This is the easiest way to avoid many calcium deficit illnesses. But you should be very selective enough to avoid the problems which can be caused by some of these calcium supplements.

Now can look what are the major calcium supplements. One of the most important sources of calcium is milk and milk products. So you should give greater preference to these items in your diet. But, even if milk is an essential calcium rich product it has some side effects. Better go for a balanced diet with the intake of milk.

Apart from dairy products fruits, green leafy vegetables, beans, seeds etc are also very good calcium supplements. So you have to make a diet according to these preferences. Take milk and other calcium rich eatables in a balanced proportion. It is very important to consider about these calcium rich products digestion and absorption. For that the vitamins like vitamin D, A etc are very important.

For the older people it is best to have some calcium rich tablets. These types of calcium supplements are very common today. But select the appropriate tablet for the correct dosage. It is preferable to have 100- 1300 mgs of calcium intake. You can even use both tablets and other natural calcium supplements like milk.

Sometimes it can cause some problems to your health also. So it is better to take these supplements with the advice of a doctor. One of the side effects of these calcium supplements are the chance of prostate cancer. Some recent studies even predict the chance of stroke. So be very careful to have expert advice before going for the calcium supplements such as some tablets and milk. You should first find which type of supplements will be better for your body then start including it in your diet.

Another important supplement you can use for the better physic is the nitric oxide supplements. Proper intake of these supplements along with light gym exercise can give you good proportionate muscles. The intake of better nitric oxide supplements are far beneficial than the usage of Steroids, because the Steroids can be very harmful to your health.

The regular and proper usage of nitric oxide supplements can work as a better digestion solution. It will speed up the proper digestion of protein and other products in our body. It will ensure the proper blood flow in our body.

Vitamin E – Deficiency Leads to Severe Conditions in The Long Term

Vitamin E is normally composed of tocopherols and tocotrienols. Most of these substances have biochemically corresponding activities, of which usually alpha-tocopherol is regarded as the active element that fits the body of a human’s necessity. Vitamin E insufficiency signs and symptoms are generally noticed in developing nations around the world and are also less frequent in western world countries. The vitamin insufficiency in developing countries is mainly as a result of fat mal-absorption.

Vitamin E necessity in line with the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) on an grown-up is 15 mg. Young children less than 3 years need 6 mg and youngsters amongst the age 4 and 8 demand close to 7 mg. Top of the bearable restriction is 1,000 mg on a grown-up.

Signs and symptoms of vitamin E Insufficiency:

The vitamin E deficiency signs and symptoms are usually observed in premature children, people who have hereditary irregularities and people who are not able to break down excess fat. Signs and symptoms of vitamin E insufficiency range from the subsequent circumstances.

Vitamin E insufficiency signs and symptoms in babies:
* Retrolental fibroplasia in early-born babies and several situations of intraventricular and subependymal hemorrhage in neonates;
* Reduction in bodyweight and postponed development;
* Weak eating routines;
* Developing issues that come with both mental and physical difficulties;

Vitamin E insufficiency warning signs in children:
* Chronic cholestatic hepatobiliary condition leading to neurological cutbacks;
* Spinocerebellar ataxia having loss in deep tendon reflexes;
* Truncal and arm or leg ataxia;
* Lack of vibrations and location sensory faculties;
* Ophthalmoplegia;
* Muscle weakness;
* Ptosis;
* Dysarthria;
* Slower development in children;

Vitamin E deficiency signs or symptoms in adults:

* Moderate hemolytic anemia;
* Nonspecific nerve cutbacks;
* Ailments associated with reproduction and the inability to conceive;
* Vulnerable red bloodstream cells;
* Brown spots;
* Cataracts;
* Specific Nerve destruction;
* Decrease in the libido;
* Muscle tissue, liver, bone marrow and thinking processes irregularities.

Vitamin E insufficiency may result in serious problems in your life. Therefore, take in a balanced diet and nutritious refreshments which contain minerals and vitamins. Peanuts, soybean, corn oil, sunflower plant seeds are abundant resources of vitamin E. Make sure to take vitamin C together with vitamin E since it stimulates vitamin E assimilation. Ladies at menopause, expecting mothers and those who take on birth control pills need vitamin E supplements. Keep in mind nutritional vitamins must be consumed simultaneously each day. Vitamin E has bloodstream thinning result, therefore talk to your physician before you take nutritional vitamins in case you are on warfarin or ginkgo. Certain foods abundant with vitamins can help you conquer vitamin E insufficiency signs and symptoms.