The sudden cold snap that has hit the UK seems to have taken many people by surprise, including us!
But to help try and keep you all in good health over the next coming weeks, I would recommend strengthening your immune system!
As always I would recommend a good basic vitamin & mineral nutritional foundation, heavy on the antioxidant to help stimulate the immune system. In the Health Plus range there are really two ways to go here, firstly Protection Plus for a one-a-day single tablet for men, or All Purpose Multivitamin for women, which contain antioxidant nutrients including vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin C, Selenium and Zinc.
Once you have this basic foundation there are many other supplements you can take on top of these to really boost your immune system and improve general health and fitness! These include Co Enzyme Q10, Echinacea, Mushroom Complex and many other products found in our Antioxidant website section. But, of course if you don’t want to take a multivit then we would always recommend Vit C and Zinc.
And in other news, not totally related!
Study Unlocks Pycnogenol®’s Skin Health Mechanism!
A daily supplement of an extract from the French Maritime Bark, called Pycnogenol, may boost skin elasticity by 25% and skin hydration by 8%, according to a new study!
Twelve weeks of supplementation with Pycnogenol was associated with increases in skin elasticity and hydration, and an increase in the production of hyaluronic acid in skin by 44%, according to findings published in Skin Pharmacology and Physiology. These increases have now been associated with a 3% reduction in skin wrinkles, said the researchers from Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine (IUF) in Dusseldorf, Germany.
This is not the first time that Pycnogenol has been linked with skin health benefits, with the study being carried out on a group of healthy women aged between 55 and 68.
Sources:
Nutra Ingredients.com: http://www.nutraingredients.com/content/view/print/606714.html
With obesity and diabetes being quite high on the health news agenda recently, I thought I’d let you know about a couple of studies that make very interesting reading!
Low Vitamin D Status May Be Associated With Diabetes Development!
A study of obese and non-obese children in the USA has found that low vitamin D levels were significantly more prevalent in obese children – and were associated with risk factors for type 2 diabetes, including insulin resistance.
The study team measured plasma vitamin D levels, blood sugar levels, serum insulin, BMI and blood pressure, and the participants were asked to provide dietary information – including daily intake of fizzy drinks, juice and milk, average fruit and veg intake, and whether or not they routinely skipped breakfast.
The team found that 92% of the obese subjects had a 25 (OH) D level below the ‘adequate’ levels of 75 nmol per litre, whilst 50% were classed as deficient – with levels below 50 nmol per litre.
“Our study found that obese children with lower vitamin D levels had higher degrees of insulin resistance,” said Dr Micah Olson of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center – the lead author of the study.
“Poor dietary habits such as skipping breakfast and increasing soda and juice were (also) associated with the lower vitamin D levels seen in obese children,” revealed Olson.
High rates of vitamin D deficiency have been found in obese populations and past studies have linked low vitamin D levels to cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.
However the authors noted that the mechanics by which obesity and its related illnesses are related to vitamin D deficiency are not fully understood and needed more research!
Living in a more northerly hemisphere as we do, with less sunshine in winter months and kids propensity to not play out as much, we feel that a vitamin D supplement is well worth the investment!
Grapefruit compound may boost diabetic kidney health!
Naringenin, responsible for the bitter taste in grapefruits, lemons and tomatoes, has already been reported to offer potential benefits for people with diabetes, arteriosclerosis and hyper-metabolism.
A new study, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, adds to this body of science, and suggests that the compound may boost kidney health in people with diabetes, and it has been suggested that inflammation may contribute to its development.
It’s because of this effect on health and blood sugars that we have added Grapefruit powder to our Acai Berry Extract product to help people control blood sugar levels whilst helping them to lose weight effectively!
Sources:
Nutra Ingredients.com: http://www.nutraingredients.com/content/view/print/594785.html
Nutra Ingredients.com: http://www.nutraingredients.com/content/view/print/583599.html
Everyone at Bio Nutrition would like to wish you all a Happy New Year and look forward to a prosperous and healthy 2012!
Everyone at Bio Nutrition would like to wish it’s customers and friends, new and old a very Merry Christmas!
Sometimes memory, mood and mental health get forgotten (no pun intended!), but there are ways of helping these conditions nutritionally that, well stop them becoming a problem!
Low Vitamin B12 levels may increase the risk of reduced mental function!
We’ve known for a long time that vitamin B12 is essential for the proper formation of the brain in a foetus during pregnancy, but it would also appear from recent studies that it may also be just as necessary to slow down the loss of brain volume as we age.
The markers of vitamin B12 status were associated with lower scores on a cognitive test and a smaller brain volume for those with lower B12 levels. “Our findings definitely deserve further examination,” said the study’s lead author Christine Tangney, PhD.
This is not the first report of the potential benefits of B12 on brain shrinkage.
“Our findings lend support for the contention that poor vitamin B12 status is a risk factor for brain atrophy and possible white matter hyperintensity, which in turn may contribute to cognitive impairment,”.
Vitamin B12, also known as cobalamin, is mainly found in food of animal origin, including meat, milk and eggs, so can become very deficient in vegetarians and vegans. Although many supplements are now available which are made using a fermentation method and so are suitable for both these groups.
Vitamin B can slow cognitive decline!
A double-blind clinical study with people who have mild cognitive impairment (MCI) has found vitamin B can slow the ailment.
“In this small intervention trial, B vitamins appear to slow cognitive and clinical decline in people with MCI, in particular those with elevated homocysteine,” the researchers wrote in the University of Oxford-sponsored study.
The research team, led by Celeste A de Jager, focused on homocysteine levels – a risk factor in the onset of Alzheimer’s disease – which among the 70 year+ participants dropped by 30% compared to those on a placebo. The participants of the study each received a daily dose of 800µg Folic Acid, 500µg vitamin B12 and 20mg vitamin B6 for two years, whilst a second group received only a placebo.
The results produced quite significant findings and is yet again another triumph for the B vitamin group and how significant they are in our daily lives.
Multivitamins may boost alertness and mood for men!
Finally here’s a great story for all you women out there, who complain that your men just don’t listen to you. Maybe you need to increase their multivitamin intake!
A new study following hot on the heels of a report in Psychopharmacology, indicated that a daily multivitamin and mineral supplement may boost alertness and memory in men, especially older men!
Multivitamin and mineral supplements are the most commonly used supplements in industrialised countries to help ensure an adequate nutrient intake, and boost overall health. Most multivitamins contain a wide spectrum of nutrients, including antioxidants, B vitamins, and minerals such as magnesium, calcium and selenium – all of which have at various times been linked to improved health and helping to prevent a wide variety of conditions.
The study took place over an eight week period and involved men between the ages of 50 and 69, who were split into two groups, one set taking the multivitamin and the other a placebo. The effect of the supplement on mood and alertness was assessed using a range of questionnaires, and results showed an improvement in the multivitamin group according to the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales (DASS), but no benefits were recorded for the placebo group.
Yet another reason to make sure we get a good all-round multivitamin nutritional foundation, especially us men who unfortunately make up a very tiny proportion of supplement purchasers in the UK.
Sources:
BBC Health news: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-11569602
Nutra Ingredients.com: http://mobile.nutraingredients.com/research/low-b12-levels-may-boost-brain-shrinkage-study.html
Nutra Ingredients.com: http://www.nutraingredients.com/content/view/print/560690.html
Nutra Ingredients.com: http://www.nutraingredients.com/research/multivitamins-may-boost-alertness-and-mood-for-men-rct-data.html
