Quercetin is quickly becoming the new “in” antioxidant and we can see why!
This plant-derived flavonoid is found in a number of fruits and vegetables such as onions, capers, apples, leafy greens and red grapes. Many researchers agree that the consumption of quercetin rich foods is associated with reduced risk for a number of chronic diseases. Additionally, it has been known to protect blood vessels, fight allergies, and decrease one’s risk for metabolic syndrome. And adding to that impressive list, a new study indicates that quercetin may have the ability to influence exercise stamina like researchers have never seen before.
The study, conducted at the University of South Carolina’s Arnold School of Public Health, examined participants who were split into two groups. Half of the individuals took 500 mg of quercetin twice a day and the other half took a placebo. After just seven days, the group taking the quercetin supplement had a 13.2% increase in endurance in addition to a 3.9% increase in VO2max (a measure of the body’s ability to use oxygen efficiently and one of the most useful tests for physical fitness).
All participants were healthy individuals but none of them were trained, leaving researchers to conclude that quercetin can positively influence one’s ability to shape up — and fast! Research leader, Dr. Mark Davis, enthusiastically noted that his team believes that “this could be a major breakthrough in nutrition.” He goes on to say that, “While there’s no magic pill to make people get up and move, or to take the place of regular exercise, quercetin may be important in relieving the fatigue that keeps [people] sedentary and in providing some of the benefits of exercise.”
More clinical trials need to be conducted before health officials can determine the mechanisms by which quercetin is able to increase endurance, however, pre-clinical data suggests that it may increase the mitochondria activity in both the brain and muscle cells, which is one of the most important biological mechanisms for increasing endurance, Davis said.
This study sheds new light on natural supplements for exercise enhancement and offers some exciting news for those who are currently taking, or interested in taking quercetin supplements. The findings are appealing to a broad spectrum of individuals in the health field and people are eager to give this new technique a “go.” Whether you’re an athlete, or just somebody looking to gain the upper hand in exercise endurance, this antioxidant compound might do just the trick.
We were thrilled to see plenty of excellent coverage of the red yeast rice story in the mainstream media last week! This ABC News report stood out in particular.
According to a report released today by the U.S. Census Bureau, the world’s 65 and older population will be roughly triple what it is now by the year 2050. The 65+ group will grow from 516 million this year to 1.53 billion in 2050, or about 1 in 6 people. Census estimates show that the number of people 65 and older has already increased by 23% since 2000 — more than double the growth rate for the general population.
Due largely in part to worldwide increases in life expectancy, these predictions might seem like great news. However, experts warn that the U.S. and other countries could face fiscal difficulties in providing for health care for rapidly aging populations.
“This shift in the age structure of the world’s population poses challenges to society, families, businesses, health care providers and policymakers to meet the needs of aging individuals,” said demographer Wan He in the Census report.
We all want to live long AND well, and we can expect to — live long at least. While it’s a fact that people ARE living longer, they’re not necessarily living better. Lifestyle diseases are becoming increasingly widespread, as nations become more industrialized and people live longer. These conditions are, for the most part, preventable and include (though this will vary depending on who you ask) heart disease, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s and certain types of cancer, among others. Avoiding some of these diseases is unfortunately not easy, due to a variety of modern environmental stressors. But there is lots you can (and should) do now to increase your chances of enjoying good health throughout your golden years. Who wants to plan for decades of poor or mediocre health? Start working now on achieving the best state of health you possibly can. And plan on living a long time, because chances are, you will!
Geneticist and anti-aging expert Aubrey de Grey is known for having said, “The first person to live to be 1,000 years old is certainly alive today …whether they realize it or not, barring accidents and suicide, most people now 40 years or younger can expect to live for centuries.”
This suggestion is perhaps a little extreme, but many scientists agree that not only is it theoretically possible, but statistically probable that many of us will end up living longer than we could have ever expected to. Hopefully, we will get to spend those extra years feeling healthy and happy to be alive!
Finally, the hard clinical evidence we’ve been waiting for, confirming the cholesterol-lowering benefits of red yeast rice, has surfaced in one of the nation’s most prestigious medical journals. The results of a breakthrough clinical trial reported this week in the Annals of Internal Medicine indicate that red yeast rice supplements may indeed be a viable, natural alternative to cholesterol-lowering statin drugs. Best of all, red yeast rice does not seem to cause the side effects that are problematic for many statin users.
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine followed 62 individuals with high cholesterol for 24 weeks. All of the subjects had recently stopped taking a statin drug due to unpleasant side effects such as muscle pain. Half of the subjects received red yeast rice supplements and the other half received placebos. Additionally, all 62 patients were given counseling on how to make dietary and lifestyle changes to reduce cholesterol. The results: Thanks to proper diet and exercise, all patients saw a reduction in their cholesterol levels. However, the patients taking the red yeast rice had a 21% greater reduction in their LDL (bad cholesterol) levels after just three months! Furthermore, all but three patients reported no adverse side effects associated with their use of red yeast rice, despite their previous intolerance to statin drugs! These results parallel those of another study we reported on last year. Those researchers found that red yeast rice in combination with fish oil reduced LDL levels by 42.4% and resulted in a greater reduction in triglycerides when compared to a group taking a common statin drug.
However, these research findings do not come devoid of controversy. Many health officials have called into question the safety of red yeast rice products due to the lack of FDA oversight with regard to over-the-counter dietary supplements. They caution that this may make it difficult to know with certainty the contents of a given product. Some have warned that the amounts of monacolins — the cholesterol-lowering, statin-like compounds naturally occurring in red yeast rice — may vary among products. Further complicating the matter is the long and convoluted history of the FDA’s attempts to require manufacturers to remove a naturally occurring compound, lovastatin, from red yeast rice products. This compound, originally isolated from a strain of yeast, went from being a natural remedy used in Eastern medicine for centuries, to the first FDA approved statin drug in 1987. The FDA’s well-meaning, albeit misguided efforts to protect consumers from supplements containing what is considered a regulated drug, have been the source of great confusion among many health seekers in search of a safe, natural alternative to statin drugs.
While the FDA and health officials puzzle over just what to do with these new study findings, you might be wondering whether red yeast rice is an option for you, especially if you want to avoid or stop taking a statin drug due to its side effects. If you do decide to give red yeast rice a try, it’s important to keep your doctor in the know. Because they work in a very similar manner, red yeast rice and statins should not be used concurrently. Learn more about how to use red yeast rice safely before you make the switch, if you decide to.
It’s very important to purchase red yeast rice from a company you trust, to ensure that you are getting a safe and effective product. It should be tested and guaranteed to be free of heavy metals, pesticides and specifically, a contaminant known as citrinin, which was once found in certain red yeast rice products.
Source: Becker D, et al “Red yeast rice for dyslipidemia in statin-intolerant patients” Ann Intern Med. 2009; 150: 830-39.
We are pleased to announce our exciting new partnership with the Vitamin D Council!
The Vitamin D Council is a non-profit organization whose mission is to educate the public and professionals about vitamin D deficiency and its numerous associated diseases.
Stop Aging Now has been tracking the research on vitamin D for years and has long advocated higher vitamin D intakes than those that are currently recommended as part of the USRDA. As proud sponsors of the Vitamin D Council, we now donate a portion of sales to support their noble efforts to increase awareness of the growing prevalence of vitamin D deficiency.
Be sure to visit VitaminDCouncil.org where you will find a wealth of information about vitamin D.
Turns out, lycopene does a lot more than health officials thought possible! To those of us already immersed in the field of natural health, this news isn’t exactly groundbreaking, but the new research is exciting nonetheless.
For over eight years, we’ve been reporting on the health benefits that can be obtained from lycopene. While this antioxidant compound can be found in watermelons, grapefruits and red peppers, it is most commonly known for it’s high concentration in tomatoes. So it’s no surprise that London based scientists have formulated a concentrated lycopene supplement and nickname it “The Tomato Pill.”
According to their research, the lycopene based supplement can reduce the oxidation of LDL so significantly that within eight weeks, the results are better than those seen in studies using statin drugs. While more clinical trials are needed, British health officials such as Anthony Leed, trustee of the cholesterol charity Heart UK, maintain that “[This] represents an entirely new approach to the treatment of high blood cholesterol.”
What’s most exciting about this research is that members of the medical community are beginning to open up to, and closely examine, the possibilities for these more natural remedies. Hopefully, just as we Americans tend to follow European fashion and food trends, we will soon catch on to this in the States and begin further research.
For years now, health gurus and researchers alike have sung the praises of green tea. This beloved ancient beverage has been touted as an antioxidant miracle, capable of everything from burning fat to fighting cancer.
In a recent article, we reported on some new research findings, which indicate that one cup of tea is not as good as another. Researchers found that when green tea leaves are stored for periods of as short as six months, the antioxidant compounds they contain (called catechins) degrade, leaving little in the way of free radical-fighting power. Unfortunately, green tea is often subjected to extended periods of storage in warehouses and on store shelves, since the leaves themselves do not spoil. According to some sources, green tea may have a “shelf life” of up to six years!
From the personal perspective of a tea enthusiast, these findings are… kind of irrelevant. I regularly drink green tea, and enjoy the feeling of calm, focused energy and rejuvenation that it provides. (Lately, I’ve been loving a loose leaf Sencha that I picked up at my favorite tea shop in DC, called Teaism.) I recently learned from a co-worker that the calming effect I experience when I drink green tea may be due to the l-theanine it contains. L-theanine is an amino acid, which has been shown in studies to promote relaxation, and it is theorized that it may be responsible for altering the stimulating effects of the caffeine found in green tea. Whether this theory is correct or not, it makes me wonder if there aren’t also other aspects of green tea yet unknown to science that may be responsible for some of its health benefits.
All this aside, I currently take our Green Tea Extract PLUS since it’s standardized for guaranteed potency like the extracts used in clinical studies with fantastic free radical-fighting results. (Plus it packs the antioxidant punch of goji and pomegranate.) I certainly won’t stop drinking green tea for fear that it doesn’t provide antioxidants, but I like the extra insurance taking a standardized extract provides.
Did you know that seeing your dentist can be critical to the health of your heart? That’s because your gums can be a source of inflammation that spreads throughout your body and can lead to heart disease, stroke or even diabetes. Recent studies have even found the germs that start in diseased gums inside the plaques of atherosclerotic arteries. And the most dangerous form of LDL cholesterol, known as VLDL (very-low density lipoprotein) seems to be higher in people who have serious periodontal disease.
A: The reason red wine has such a high concentration of resveratrol is due to the types of grapes used to make it (such as Vitis vinifera and muscadine grapes). These grapes tend to be different than the ones you might find at the grocery store, and some people say they are not as tasty as the grapes typically offered in the produce section due to their glucose-fructose ratios.
The skin of the grapes used to make red wine remains present after the grapes are pressed, and during fermentation resveratrol is released into the solution. While grapes and many grape juices can be good sources of resveratrol, they do not undergo fermentation, which makes their concentration of the resveratrol significantly lower.
So what about the concerns associated with consuming alcohol? Excessive alcohol intake can have devastating health effects, however moderate consumption, limited to one alcoholic beverage a day for women and two for men, has been linked to lower rates of coronary heart disease. Because red wine has the ability to slightly thin the blood (as all alcohol does), low amounts of it can also improve circulation and increase HDL cholesterol (the good kind). It is thought that because red wine may allow the blood to move more freely, the resveratrol it contains is made more available to do things such as provide antioxidant protection to cells and inhibit LDL cholesterol oxidation, which is an important factor in preventing atherosclerosis.
The verdict on whether wine alcohol consumption is helpful or harmful is still undecided, and there is research evidence supporting both sides of the debate. It’s possible that its potential benefits may vary among individuals. For instance, studies have shown that resveratrol may have anti-cancer benefits, however alcohol may promote cancer. A considerable amount of research has shown that even moderate alcohol intake can promote breast cancer in women. Whether you choose to inbibe or stay sober, you can take full advantage of resveratrol’s health benefits with a standardized resveratrol supplement.
Resveratrol, the antioxidant compound that is the secret behind red wine’s health benefits, has gotten an enormous amount of press coverage in the last few months, as an explosion of new research has confirmed that resveratrol may indeed be a true anti-aging miracle. And it seems that people are starting to really pay attention! Resveratrol has quickly become one of our top-selling products.
Notably, resveratrol was recently featured in an in-depth segment on CBS’s 60 Minutes, in which Morley Safer reported on the remarkable advances in anti-aging science which have shown that resveratrol may help prevent the degenerative diseases of aging and effectively slow the aging process. If scientists are correct, said Safer, “we all may soon be taking a pill that could give us an extra decade or two of healthy old age.”
Here’s the clip, in case you missed it. [Via CBS News.]
We’ve been tracking the research on resveratrol for years now! We put together a quick summary of some of the best clinical research confirming the health benefits associated with this amazing compound.
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