Thursday, January 29, 2009

Protandim® Increases Antioxidant Factor

Protandim® Increases Antioxidant Factor

01/15/2009

SAN DIEGO—Results of a new peer-reviewed study published online in the journal Free Radical Biology and Medicine demonstrated the synergistic impact of the active ingredients used in Protandim® dramatically increased the body's production of glutathione, a key antioxidant and anti-aging factor.

Protandim, a patented product developed by LifeVantage Corp., consists of five ingredients, namely, ashwagandha, bacopa extract, green tea extract, silymarin and curcumin. The new study confirmed Protandim's gene induction approach to antioxidant therapy provides much broader and more powerful benefits to the body than those provided by vitamins such as E and C, according to the Company.

The study, conducted at the University of Colorado, Denver and Ochsner Medical Center, showed even low doses of Protandim induced human cells to increase their production of many antioxidant enzymes, and other anti-aging factors.

Learn more...

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Fitness may shield the aging brain

Fitness may shield the aging brain

Last Updated: 2009-01-22 13:48:46 -0400 (Reuters Health)

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Staying physically fit with age may help protect people from mental decline by maintaining a healthy flow of blood to the brain, new research suggests.

A number of studies have found that regular exercise may help prevent or delay age-related cognitive decline and full-blown dementia, but the reasons are not fully clear.

For the new study, Canadian researchers looked at the relationships between physical fitness, brain blood flow and cognitive-test performance in 42 women between the ages of 50 and 90.

They found that those with the highest fitness levels generally showed better blood flow to the brain during exercise. This, in turn, was related to better scores on tests of memory, reasoning and other cognitive skills.

The findings are published in the journal Neurobiology of Aging.

"Our results suggest that the vascular benefits of exercise that have been reported previously in the heart and muscles are also conferred to the brain," senior researcher Dr. Marc J. Poulin, of the University of Calgary in Alberta, told Reuters Health.

"Basic fitness -- something as simple as getting out for a walk every day -- is critical to staying mentally sharp and remaining healthy as we age," said Poulin, who is also a scientist with the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research.

The study included 42 healthy postmenopausal women, some of whom regularly got aerobic exercise and some of whom were sedentary. All of the women took fitness tests on an exercise bike and had ultrasound scans to gauge their cerebral blood flow.

In general, fitter women showed better blood flow to the brain and greater responsiveness of the blood vessels to increased circulation.

"Our study identified strong and significant associations between physical fitness and cognition, and between physical fitness and vascular function in the brain," Poulin explained.

This, according to the researcher, suggests that the benefits of exercise on mental function are at least partly explained by its effects on blood vessel function.

The results, Poulin said, "provide a strong scientific basis for future studies to examine how exercise improves cognition in older adults."

"The implications are huge," he added, "given the aging population and age-related diseases like Alzheimer's disease and stroke."

SOURCE: Neurobiology of Aging, January 2009.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Heart Attacks getting less severe in the U.S.

Reuters Health reports this week that heart attacks are getting less severe. While we haven't improved on getting to the hospital any sooner after the onset of symptoms (still about 33% of people make it in under 2 hours) we have less heart muscle damage with a heart attack.

Before we start the party, realize a couple things. First, heart disease is still the #1 cause of death in the U.S. (followed by cancer and stroke, in that order). Second, we're getting MORE OBESE as a nation. So how can you reconcile these two, apparently disparate, facts?

Sedentary life leads to an "older" heart, which develops more "collateral circulation" -- smaller vessels that feed more heart muscle because of the lack of exercise. So our chunky, couch-potato, gaming, inactivity is giving us hearts that have more, smaller vessels. So our hearts sustain less damage per heart attack episode. That's no reason to celebrate.

I've mentioned elsewhere that I got to meet Jack LaLanne in Long Beach this year -- I followed him on the podium after he gave a 7:00 am lecture. Before he spoke he and his wife had walked on the beach for an hour. Jack is 94. He is proof that regular exercise and good nutritional habits count, and count big!