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DIET PLAN The Atkins diet is the focus of these comments from the American Heart Association: "The Atkins diet holds the controversial belief that low fat is not the only way to go for a healthier lifestyle and weight control. Dr. Atkins blamed carbohydrates (grains, pastas, fruits, potatoes) for weight gain. He believed that if you reduced your carbohydrate intake then you would lose weight. Too many carbohydrates in your diet encourage your body to retain fat." When the body absorbs simple carbohydrates quickly, it causes an insulin response that speeds the conversion of calories to fat. The plan focuses on the consumption of nutrient-dense, unprocessed foods and vita-nutrient supplementation. It also restricts processed and refined carbohydrates (which make up to approximately more then 50 per cent of people’s diets). It encourages you to eliminate sugar from your diet as this contributes to a slower metabolism. The Atkins diet is designed to be a program on which you can maintain a healthy weight for a lifetime and it is highly suitable (but not restricted) to those who prefer eating animal protein. The diet offers people who have failed on a lowfat diet a healthy, effective and safe alternative. Instead of carbs and sugar, eaters are allowed plenty of fat and protein. Four Phases of Atkins Diet Plan There are four phases to the Atkins diet, they are: 1) Induction, 2) Ongoing Weight Loss, 3) Pre-Maintenance and 4) Lifetime Maintenance. During Phase 1 (Induction), you restrict carbohydrate consumption to 20 grams each day, obtaining carbohydrate primarily from salad and other non-starchy vegetables. In Phase 2 (Ongoing Weight Loss), you increase carbohydrate in the form of nutrient-dense and fiber-rich foods by 20 grams daily in the first week and then 30 grams daily in the next week until you gradually lose weight. Then you subtract 5 grams of carbohydrate from your daily intake so that you continue sustained weight loss. In Phase 3, known as ‘Pre-Maintenance’, you make the transition from weight loss to weight maintenance by increasing the daily carbohydrate intake in 10 gram increments each week. In the last phase of the Atkins Diet Plan (Lifetime Maintenance), you select from a wide variety of foods while controlling carbohydrate intake to ensure weight maintenance. There are mixed views on the Atkins diet amongst health experts and dieticians. Many experts are critical of low carb diets but have not totally discounted the Atkins diet as an effective method of losing weight. Although they do assert that it is too early to adopt the low carb diet, health experts do concede that it is worth exploring. One main criticism of the Atkins diet is that it does entail frequent meat consumption. However, followers argue that the program can be tailored for different preferences and metabolisms. After the first phase (known as the ‘Induction phase’) the Atkins diet plan can be modified. Despite the immense popularity of the diet, the Atkins diet plan continues to have many skeptics. Another criticism of the diet purports that a person is unlikely to keep the weight off over the long term. However, this claim could just as easily be applied to many low-fat or low-calorie weight loss plans, on which dieters are likely to feel hungry. New Mediterranean Diet Have you heard about the Mediterranean diet? Here’s the facts from American Heart.org, the official website of the American Heart Association. What is the "Mediterranean" Diet? There's no one "Mediterranean" diet. At least 16 countries border the Mediterranean Sea. Diets vary between these countries and also between regions within a country. Many differences in culture, ethnic background, religion, economy and agricultural production result in different diets. But the common Mediterranean dietary pattern has these characteristics: high consumption of fruits, vegetables, bread and other cereals, potatoes, beans, nuts and seeds. olive oil is an important monounsaturated fat source dairy products, fish and poultry are consumed in low to moderate amounts, and little red meat is eaten eggs are consumed zero to four times a week wine is consumed in low to moderate amounts Does a Mediterranean-style diet follow American Heart Association dietary guidelines? Mediterranean-style diets are often close to our dietary guidelines, but they don’t follow them exactly. In general, the diets of Mediterranean peoples contain a relatively high percentage of calories from fat. This is thought to contribute to the increasing obesity in these countries, which is becoming a concern. People who follow the average Mediterranean diet eat less saturated fat than those who eat the average American diet. In fact, saturated fat consumption is well within our dietary guidelines. More than half the fat calories in a Mediterranean diet come from monounsaturated fats (mainly from olive oil). Monounsaturated fat doesn't raise blood cholesterol levels the way saturated fat does. The incidence of heart disease in Mediterranean countries is lower than in the United States. Death rates are lower, too. But this may not be entirely due to the diet. Lifestyle factors (such as more physical activity and extended social support systems) may also play a part. Before advising people to follow a Mediterranean diet, we need more studies to find out whether the diet itself or other lifestyle factors account for the lower deaths from heart disease. Blood Type Diet A blood type diet is a nutrition plan based around your blood type. This kind of diet became popular with the release of Peter D’Adamo’s book Eat Right 4 Your Type. The book continues to be a bestseller. D’Adamo claims that the diet will not only bring about weight loss — but can assist with allergy and infection resistance, and will achieve overall good health. What is a Blood Type Diet? Most of the population has blood type O. Here the prescribed diet is low-carbohydrate, high in proteins (such as meat and fish), and low in dairy products. The author suggests specific foods to avoid; such as avocados, brazil nuts, and oranges. Type O should also engage in lots of exercise. Blood Type A should avoid red meat, eat plenty of fish and vegetables, with a low dairy intake. Light exercise only. Blood Type B should avoid chicken and bacon, eat plenty of meat and dairy, some fish, and plenty of fruit and vegetables. Blood Type AB combines the A and B diets. Is This Diet For Real? The author claims that much of the recommendations are based on scientific evidence – but perhaps it is too early to make this claim. Metabolism and/or sugar/insulin sensitivity are probably key factors in deciding diet – not blood type. Two people can have very different metabolisms and have the same blood type. One could be sensitive to carbohydrates or sugar, whilst the other needs a high carbohydrate diet. Weight loss and other health improvements may occur on this diet – not so much because of blood type combinations, but because of a healthier diet! The author encourages people to cut down on processed and refined foods. Good advice for anyone regardless of blood type. The book also includes low calorie diets that will probably bring about weight loss in anyone (once again, regardless of blood type). Sample Meal Plans for the Blood Type Diet Type B Menu Type O Menu Breakfast Fluidizer cocktail Rice bran cereal with banana and skim milk Grape juice Breakfast 2 slices toasted Ezekiel bread with butter 6 ounces vegetable juice Banana Herbal tea Lunch Sandwich – thin slice of cheese, thin slice of turkey breast, two slices of bread, mustard or mayonnaise Green salad Herbal tea Snack Fruit juice sweetened yogurt Herbal tea Dinner Broiled Fish with steamed vegetables Fresh fruit Herbal tea or coffee Lunch Organic Roast Beef, 6 ounces Spinach Salad Apple or pineapple slices Water Snack 1 slice of cake Herbal tea Dinner Lamb and asparagus stew, steamed broccoli, sweet potato. Mixed fresh fruit Herbal tea (beer or wine allowed) Type A Menu Type AB Menu Breakfast Water with lemon Oatmeal with soy milk and maple syrup Grapefruit juice Coffee or herbal tea Breakfast Water with lemon, 8 ounces diluted grapefruit juice, 2 slices Ezekiel bread, Yogurt-Herb Cheese, Coffee Lunch Greek salad Apple 1 slice sprouted wheat bread Herbal tea Snack Lunch 4 ounces sliced turkey breast, 2 slices rye bread Caesar salad 2 plums Herbal tea Snack Tofu Cheesecake Iced herbal tea 2 rice cakes with peanut butter 2 plums Green tea or water Dinner Tofu Pesto Lasagna, Broccoli, Frozen yogurt Coffee or herbal tea (red wine if desired) Dinner Tofu Omelet Stir-fried vegetables Mixed-fruit salad Decaffeinated coffee (red wine if desired) More recipes ideas can be found here. Banned Foods Any diet containing a long list of banned foods can be difficult to follow. Eat Right 4 Your Type and the various blood type diets included encourage a predominantly meat and fish diet, while grains, potatoes, cereals, breads, pasta are not encouraged. Interestingly, certain vegetables and fruits are also banned. Blood Type Diet According to Dr. Peter DÁdamo, author of Eat Right For Your Type, a chemical reaction occurs between your blood and the foods you eat. This reaction is part of your genetic inheritance. This reaction is caused by a factor called Lectins. Lectins, abundant and diverse proteins found in foods, have agglutinating properties that affect your blood. So when you eat a food containing protein lectins that are incompatible with your blood type antigen, the lectins target an organ or bodily system and begin to agglutinate blood cells in that area. Fortunately, most lectins found in the diet are not quite so life threatening, although they can cause a variety of other problems, especially if they are specific to a particular blood type. For the most part your immune systems protect you from lectins. Ninety-five percent of the lectins you absorb from your typical diets are sloughed off by the body. But at least five percent of the lectins you eat are filtered into the bloodstream and different reactions in different organs. Your blood type diet is the restoration of your natural genetic rhythm. Your blood type diet works because you are able to follow a clear, logical, scientifically researched plan based on your cellular profile. Each food groups are divided into three categories: Highly beneficial ( food that acts like Medicine), Foods allowed (food that are no harm to the blood type) and Foods not allowed (food that acts like a Poison) Simpler List Type O Diet Profile Allowed Limited High Protein: Meat eaters Meat fish vegetables grains beans legumes Food to avoid for Weight Loss purpose wheat corn kidney beans Food that help with Weight Loss kelp seafood salt fruit Type A Type B Type AB vegetables tofu seafood Vegetarian grains beans legumes fruit meat (no chicken) dairy grains Balanced omnivore beans legumes vegetables fruit meat seafood dairy tofu Mixed diet in beans moderation legumes grains vegetables fruits navy beans lentils cabbage Brussels sprouts cauliflower mustard greens liver red meat kale spinach broccoli meat dairy kidney beans lima beans wheat vegetable oil soy foods vegetables pineapple corn lentil peanuts sesame seeds buckwheat wheat greens eggs venison liver licorice tea red meat kidney beans lima beans seeds corn buckwheat tofu seafood dairy greens kelp pineapple Blood Type Diet - Type O Type Os thrive on intense physical exercise and animal protein. Unlike the other blood types, Type Os muscle tissue should be slightly on the acid side. Type Os can efficiently digest and metabolize meat because they tend to have high stomach-acid content. The success of the Type O Diet depends on the use of lean, chemical-free meats, poultry, and fish. Type Os don't find dairy products and grains quite as user friendly as do most of the other blood types. The initial weight loss on the Type O Diet is by restricting consumption of grains, breads, legumes, and beans. The leading factor in weight gain for Type Os is the gluten found in wheat germ and whole wheat products, which interferes with insulin efficiency and slow down metabolic rate. Another factor that contribute to weight gain is certain beans and legumes (lentils and kidney beans) contain lectins that deposit in the muscle tissues making them less "charged" for physical activity. The third factor in Type O weight gain is that Type Os have a tendency to have low levels of thyroid hormone or unstable thyroid functions, which also cause metabolic problems. Therefore it is good to avoid food that inhibits thyroid hormone (cabbage, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, mustard green) but increase hormone production (kelp, seafood, iodized salt). Several classes of vegetables can cause big problems for Type Os, such as the Brassica family (cabbage, cauliflower, etc.) can inhibit the thyroid function. Eat more vegetables that are high in Vitamin K, which helps the clotting factor which is weak in Type Os. The nightshade vegetables can cause lectin deposit in the tissue surrounding the joints. Because of the high acidity stomach, Type Os should eat fruits of alkaline nature such as berries and plums.. Type Os should severely restrict the use of dairy products. Their system is not designed for the proper metabolism. If you are a Type O of African ancestry, you should eliminate dairy foods and eggs altogether. Characteristics of Type O - Best on High Protein Diet 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Thrive on intense physical exercise and animal proteins Do not do well with dairy and grain products Hardy digestive tract The leading factor in weight gain for Type Os is the gluten found in wheat germ and whole wheat products. Type O have a tendency to have low levels of thyroid hormone and unstable thyroid functions, which cause metabolic problems and weight gain. 6. Type O have high stomach-acid content, can digest meat easily. Protein Comments Most Beneficial The more stressful your job or demanding your exercise program, the higher the grade of protein you should eat Beef, Lam, Mutton, Veal, Venison Food allowed Food not allowed Type Os can efficiently digest and metabolize meats Any meat except for those Bacon, Ham, Goose, Pork listed not allowed Cold-water fish are excellent for Type Os. Many seafoods are also excellent sources of iodine, which regulates the thyroid function. Any fish or seafood except for those listed not allowed Barracuda, Pickled herring, Catfish, Smoked salmon, Caviar, Octopus, Conch Butter, Farmer, Feta, Mozzarella, Goat cheese, Soy Milk All other dairy products and yogurts Canola oil, Sesame Oil Corn oil, Peanut oil, Cottonseed oil, Safflower oil Cod, herring, Mackerel Dairy Type Os need to severely restrict the use of dairy products and eggs Fat Type Os respond well to oils Nuts These foods should in no way take the place of high-protein Pumpkin seeds, meats, and they are high in fat Walnuts especially if you are overweight. All kinds except those listed not allowed Brazil, Cashew, Peanut, Pistachios, Poppy Seeds Beans Type Os don't utilize beans particularly well. They tend to make muscle tissue slightly less acidic and inhibit the metabolism of other nutrients. All kinds except those listed not allowed Beans - copper, kidney, navy, tamarine. Lentils domestic, green, red. Grains Type Os do not tolerate whole Essene Bread, Ezekiel wheat products at all. Bread Amaranth, Barley, Buckwheat, Corn, Gluten, Graham, Wheat (Bulgur, Durum, Sprouted, white and whole, Olive Oil, Flaxseed oil Aduke beans, Azuki beans, Pinto beans, Black-eyed peas Rice, Kamut, Kasha, Millet, Rye, Spelt Brassica family: Cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, mustard greens These vegetables inhibit the thyroid function for Type Os These vegetables help blood clot, Type Os lack several clotting fractors and need vitamin K to assist in the process Vegetables Germ and Bran) farina, Oat, Seven-grains, or any products such as flour, bread and noodles made with these grain products Kale, collard greens, romaine lettuce, broccoli, spinach These vegetables irritate the digestive tract and the high mold count can aggravate Type O hypersensitivity problems. Alfalfa sprouts, shiitake mushrooms, fermented olives These vegetables can cause arthritic conditions in Type Os Nightshades: eggplant, potatoes This vegetable affect the production of insulin, often lead to obesity and diabetes for the Type Os. Corn This fruit agglutinate all blood types but Type Os. Tomatoes Artichoke, Chicory, Dandelion, Garlic, Horseradish, Kale, Leek, Okra, Onions, Parsley, Parsnips, Red Peppers, Sweet potatoes, Pumpkin, seaweed, turnips All kinds except those listed not allowed avocado Dark red, blue and purple fruits tend to cause an alkaline reaction the digestive tract, and therefore balance the Plums, prunes, figs high acidity of the Type Os digestive tract to reduce ulcers and irritations of the stomach lining. Fruits These fruits contain high mold counts which can aggravate Type Os hypersensitivity problems (allergies) Melons, cantaloupe, honeydew These fruits are high in acid content which may irritate the acidic stomach of Type Os Oranges, tangerines and Grapefruit, most strawberries, blackberries, berries Rhubarb Fruits are not only an important source of fiber, minerals and vitamins, but All kinds except those listed not allowed they can be an excellent alternative to bread and pasta for Type Os Type Os are extremely sensitive to this fruit. Spices coconut and coconutcontaining products Rich source of Iodine to regulate the thyroid gland Kelp-based seasonings, iodized salt Soothing to the digestive tracts of Type Os Parsley, curry, cayenne pepper White and black pepper, vinegar, capers, cinnamon, Cornstarch, Corn syrup, Nutmeg, Vanilla Irritants to the Type O stomach Condiments Seltzer water, Club soda and tea Beverages chocolate, honey, cocao Ketchup, pickles, mayonnaise, relish beer, wine Coffee, Distilled liquor, Black Tea Food Choice Table Good Choice Reasons Vegetables - green leafy Vitamins, Minerals, Antioxidants, fiber Onions, Green Onions, Chives, Garlic Cabbage, Broccoli, Cauliflower Tomatoes (both raw and cooked) Bad Choice Reasons Most Tuber vegetables (potatoes, High glycemic index tapioca) Antibacterial, antiviral, anticarcinogenic Prevents estrogen dominance (which causes cancer) High Vitamin C and lycopene for CA prevention Tubor vegetables in Beta Carotene - good moderation - (carrots, beets, antioxidant Carbohydrates sweet potatoes) Whole Fruits - Vitamins, Minerals, Antioxidants, fiber Fruits (banana, Watermelon) High glycemic index Lemon, Lime Keeps the body alkaline Fruit Juices High sugar content, low fiber Soybean Products in moderation Pineapples Blueberry, grapes Whole Grains Oats, Barley Pasta made with duram wheat Cancer prevention Bromelain Protects the Heart B-Vitamins, Insoluble fiber Soluble fiber, Lower White Rice Cholesterol Low to medium glycemic White Flour index High glycemic index High glycemic index Basmati Rice Good Choice Legumes Nuts Deep water fish Protein Organic Eggs Best Biological Value Protein for Human Red Meats Nuts Monounsaturated fatty acid (lower chol), fibers Dairy Good Choice Avocado Olive Oil Polyunsaturated Oil (when not heated) Fat Low glycemic index Reasons Bad Choice Soluble fiber Peanuts High in Monounsaturated fats High in Omega 3 Fatty Coastal Fish Acid Reasons Monounsaturated fatty acid (lower chol) Monounsaturated fatty acid (lower chol) High in Omega 6 fatty acid Shellfish Bad Choice Margarine Deep Fried Food Chips Saturated Fats-Palm Polyunsaturated Oil when Heated Soft Drinks Desserts Sugar Reasons Aflatoxin (carcinogen) Toxic Metals Acid forming, Carcinogenic, Increase Hormone Allegen, Hormone Increase Carcinogenic Reasons Hydrogenated Oil carcinogenic Hydrogenated Oil carcinogenic Hydrogenated Oil carcinogenic Increase Chol Hydrogenated Oil carcinogenic Acidic, high sugar High in sugar, high in hydrogenated fats Empty calories, Increase TG, Inc Chol, Dental Caries Anti-aging Food Pyramid This is the world's most advance Food Pyramid specifically designed for anti-aging. In addition to optimum nutrition for cellular fortification, it curtails sugar imbalance, control oxidative stress, aids in detoxification, and prolong lifespan. It is the best anti-aging diet available, and it has been proven clinically to work. My thanks to Dorine Tan, RD, MPH, ABAAHP , clinical dietitian for her collaboration in this work. Here is a summary : 1. Start with 10-12 glasses of room temperature pure filtered water a day. Begin in the morning with 2 glasses of water to purify and hydrate your body from the overnight dehydration. Bring a water bottle around with you during the day, and drink water whenever you feel thirsty. 2. Your carbohydrates intake should comprise primarily of whole grain cereal, barley, and oats. These are low glycemic index food that converts into sugar once inside your body at a slow and steady pace. Reduce high glycemic carbohydrates intake such as rice, wheat, bread, pasta, and rice which converts into sugar quickly once taken in and cause a rise in blood sugar level. Sustained intake of high glycemic food leads to obesity and adult onset diabetes and is a leading cause of aging. You don't have to avoid all grains, as it is a good source of energy. The key is to take good grains and avoid bad grains. 3. 8-10 portions of vegetables should be taken. Choose above ground green leafy vegetables. Generally speaking, the more colorful the vegetable, the more anti-oxidant is inside and the better it is for you. Avoid vegetables that grow underground such as potato, yam, and carrots because they behave like high glycemic index type carbohydrates and leads to sugar imbalance. 4. Low glycemic index type fruits should be taken, such as apple or blueberry. Always take whole fruits and avoid fruit juices which are high in sugar and low in fiber. 5. Legumes , organic eggs, and nuts are excellent source of protein. One to two eggs a day can be taken in without significant rise in blood cholesterol if you are healthy. 6. At least 8 oz of cold water deep sea fish such as salmon or tuna should be taken per week. This will provide the body with the necessary omega 3 fatty acid as well as protein. Stay away from fresh water or costal water fish which can be contaminated. Free range chicken is a good source of protein also and can be taken twice a week. 7. Red meat such as beef should be restricted to once or twice a week , together with dessert such as ice cream and cakes. Try to take in beef that comes from cattle that are grass fed instead of grain fed in their diet. 8. Olive or Canola Oil should be used in preparation of food. It contains mono-unsaturated fat . Stay away from polyunsaturated fat that comes after processing, such as corn oil, safflower oil, and sunflower oil. The commercialization processes changes the structure of the fat and makes it harmful for the body. Avoid trans-fat that is found in margarine, cookies, and pastries as much as possible. It is the worse type of fat, much worse than the saturated fat you find in red meat. " Sugar and Aging Introduction Common table sugar represents about 20 to 25 percent of the daily caloric intake of the average American. This translates into the equivalent of half a pound a day and over 5 tons in a lifetime. In the early 1800's, the average sugar consumption was 12 pounds per person annually. This increased to 124 pounds in 1980 and to 152 pounds in 1997. It is estimated that 75 percent of all sugar we consume comes from processed food. Studies have linked a high sugar intake with an increased risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and premature aging. Is this pure coincidence, or is the association real? Sugar in the Body and Diet Sugar is a generic term used to identify simple forms of carbohydrates, which includes fructose, glucose, galactose, maltose and sucrose (white table sugar). The type of sugar and its rate of breakdown can affect the body greatly. For example, table sugar (sucrose) is considered nutritive as it contains calories, although it does not contain vitamins, minerals or fiber. Another sugar type known as glucose has the ability to break down quickly in the stomach and later be pumped across the intestinal wall directly into the bloodstream. This process rapidly raises blood-glucose levels, which causes the blood sugar level to spike. On the other hand, fructose, which is sugar derived from fruits, gets into the body and is slowly absorbed in the gut. It is then converted to glucose in the liver. This makes fructose a "time-release food" as it delivers calories at a gradual rate. A complete understanding of sugars and how they affect our body is critical to the study of how sugar influences aging. Sugar vs. Carbohydrates Carbohydrates are merely different forms of sugars linked together in polymers. Most people will consider sweets and pasta as carbohydrates. Most are not aware that fruits and vegetables are also considered carbohydrates as well. In reality, sugar, sweets, pasta, vegetables and fruits are all carbohydrates. This confusion is compounded when one considers that a carbohydrate diet consisting mainly of green leafy vegetables is good for anti-aging. On the other hand, a carbohydrate diet consisting primarily of white rice, potato, pasta, cakes, ice cream, and bread is a negative fountain of youth. While both “good?and “bad?carbohydrates are classified in the same general group, the effects on the body are totally different. To put matters into proper prospective, any discussion on carbohydrates must clearly address the specific kinds of carbohydrates in question. Starch vs. Carbohydrate Starches are the most basic form of carbohydrates. It is found in all fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes. Starch is broken down in our digestive tract into small molecules of glucose, which are then absorbed and transported into cells for energy production. Many fruits and some vegetables contain significant amounts of glucose and fructose, as well as a disaccharide called sucrose (ordinary sugar), which contains both glucose and fructose. Our bodies have been accustomed to metabolizing about 300 grams of glucose (mostly from starchy foods) every day for thousands of years. We have always consumed some fructose, often in the form of fruits and honey. Until about 200 years ago, the average daily intake of fructose was only eight grams a day. As ordinary sugar (sucrose) from sugar beets and sugar cane began to be readily available, the daily intake of fructose raised 10 fold to 75 grams a day. The problem is further compounded since the 1970s, when high fructose corn syrup was introduced as a substitute sweetener. About 9% of the average dietary calorie intake now comes from fructose. When sucrose is ingested, it reacts with water to generate glucose and fructose in equal amounts. Each 100 grams of sucrose produces 53 grams of glucose and 53 grams of fructose. Sucrose is called a disaccharide for this reason. The ingestion of 100 pounds of sugar (sucrose) per year translates into 125 grams per day and 66 grams of fructose. With about 8 grams added on from fruits and honey, the total average intake per day now becomes 74 grams. Our body is used to metabolizing only eight grams of fructose a day. The nearly 10-fold overload has caused many health problems, which we will discuss below. Carbohydrate Breakdown and Storage Carbohydrates break down into glucose, which is the primary fuel the body needs to keep it operationally functional. Certain organs require more fuel than others to run. The brain utilizes almost two thirds of the circulating carbohydrates in the bloodstream to keep it functioning. Any excess carbohydrates not needed are stored as glycogen (a storage form of glucose). Glycogen is stored in the liver and the muscles. When the brain needs fuel, the glycogen in the liver is broken down and transported to the brain for energy. How much carbohydrate can you store? The total storage capacity of the body for carbohydrates is limited. An average person stores about 300 to 400 grams of carbohydrates in the muscles, which cannot be utilized by the brain for energy. Only 60 to 90 grams are stored in the liver for glucose conversion, equivalent to about two cups of cooked pasta or three typical candy bars. This is all the body has in reserve to keep the brain working properly. Once the glycogen levels are filled in both the liver and the muscles, excess carbohydrates are converted into fat and stored in the adipose tissue. Hence, excess carbohydrates become fat. In modern day society, it is sugar that makes a person fat much more that the amount of fat a person consumes. How Much Carbohydrate and Food Energy Is Needed? The key function of carbohydrates is to provide energy for the body. Julius Robert Mayer, a German physician, initially discovered the concept of food energy in 1842. The energy values of a food can be determined by burning a set amount of food and measuring the amount of heat produced. The common energy value is expressed in kilocalorie and is based on the burning of 100 grams (or 3.5 ounces) of the food. It is determined that approximately 900 kcal is generated per 100 gram of fat and 400 kcal per 100 gram of carbohydrate and protein intake. There are only four macronutrients we consume on a daily basis - water, fat, protein, and carbohydrates. Out of these, only carbohydrates are nonessential to the human diet. One can survive for long periods of time without carbohydrates provided that protein and fat needs are met, for these two are ultimately broken down to form building blocks of carbohydrates as food energy for the body. An intake of 300 grams of carbohydrates yielding 1,200 kcal would provide 50 percent of an average daily requirement of energy in an average American diet. A 2,500-calorie diet with 20 percent of energy provided by protein (about four ounces or 120 grams) will generate about 500 calories of energy. The amount of protein needed to sustain normal bodily function can be readily supplied in four ounces of meat. The average American consumes more protein than is needed. Classification of Carbohydrates There are three common ways to classify carbohydrates: A. Simple versus Complex Carbohydrates B. Paleocarbs versus Neocarbs C. High versus Low Glycemic Carbohydrates A. Simple versus Complex Carbohydrates All carbohydrates are broken down into sugar inside the body. It is the rate and the amount of this dissolution that determines the level of sugar in the blood. Complex carbohydrates such as green leafy vegetables, brown rice, potato, whole grain products, legumes, and fruits break down slowly, thus causing a gradual rise and fall in blood sugar. Generally speaking, most complex carbohydrates are considered good for health. On the other hand, simple carbohydrates such as cakes, white rice, and ice cream break down quickly once inside the body. This causes rapid spikes in blood sugar levels and subsequent valleys when the sugar is absorbed. Most simple carbohydrates are detrimental to our health. This simple and easily comprehensive classification of carbohydrates is however incomplete. While most simple carbohydrates are harmful, some complex carbohydrates, such as potato starch, is also not good for health because of their relatively fast rate of breakdown. B. Paleocarbs vs. Neocarbs Another way of looking at carbohydrates is to return to the principles of the "evolutionary diet." The author and champion of the "Paleolithic diet", Robert Crayhon, M.S., divided carbohydrates into two basic groups, paleocarbs and neocarbs. Paleocarbs are carbohydrates that have existed since the beginning of time. They include fruits, seeds, and vegetables that primarily grow above the ground. Generally speaking, these are "good" carbohydrates as they provide the body with needed antioxidants, fiber, nutrients, and calories in a slow-release fashion. Neocarbs are carbohydrates introduced within the last 10,000 years when modern agriculture first started. These include grains, legumes and flour products. Some neocarbs like legumes are grown above the ground and are nutritious. Others are grown under the ground. These include potato, yam and carrots, which are high in sugar and therefore not optimum for heath. Other neocarbs, like rice and flour, while grown above the ground, are refined and converted into sugar quickly once inside our body. Neocarbs are generally considered negative for aging. As early humans were hunters, it is estimated that as much as 65 percent of calories from the diet were derived from animal products such as lean meat and fat. Agriculture was only started about 8,000 to10, 000 years ago. The modern day diet, which consists of a constant supply of highly refined simple carbohydrates (neocarbs), has resulted in postprandial hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia, and subsequent diseases including obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. A sensible diet should include lean meats, fish, seafood and complex paleocarbs such as green leafy vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds. This is commonly termed as the evolutionary diet. Such a diet is consistent with the Mediterranean diet, which contains 60 percent carbohydrates, out of which paleocarbs should be the majority. C. High vs. Low Glycemic Index Foods Another way to classify carbohydrates is the use of the glycemic index. This index is a measure of how a given food affects the blood-glucose levels. Each food is assigned a numbered rating. The index measures the entry rate of a carbohydrate into the bloodstream. The lower the rating, the slower the digestion and absorption process and the better it is for the body. This means a healthier and more gradual release of sugars into the bloodstream. Conversely, a high rating implies that blood-glucose levels are increased quickly, which stimulates the pancreas to secrete insulin to normalize blood-sugar levels. This rapid fluctuation of blood-sugar levels is unhealthy because of the amount of stress placed on the body. The glycemic index of an individual carbohydrate serves only as a general guide. Nevertheless, this classification gives us a general understanding of which types of food breaks down faster and is therefore harmful to health. Similarly, the index also provides an indication of which kinds of foods breakdown slowly and are thus essential for anti-aging. By using the glycemic index alone, one could misinterpret that a cup of low fat ice cream is healthier than a baked potato. This is because the glycemic index of low fat ice cream (glycemic index of 50) is actually lower than that of a baked potato (glycemic index of 85). This is obviously an incorrect conclusion. Close scrutiny of the index is needed because the glycemic index rating of a sugary food is lower than that of a starchy food. The primary factors that determine the glycemic index are the structure of simple sugars in the food, soluble fiber content, fat content and the level of food processing. Generally speaking however, selecting carbohydrates with a low to moderate glycemic index is an important part of an anti-aging program. The lower the index, the slower the rate of absorption. Here is a table of the glycemic index of some common foods: Glucose Wheat bread, gluten free Rice, Calrose Potato, baked Cheerios Potato mashed Soft drink, Fanta Pizza, cheese Sweet corn Banana Sweet potato Ice cream, low fat Carrots 96 90 87 85 74 70 68 60 55 54 54 50 49 Grapefruit juice 48 Grapes 46 All-bran 42 Spaghetti, white 41 Apple 38 Mars M&Ms (peanut) 32 Peanuts 15 Yogurt, low fat, artificially sweet 14 What is "Normal" Blood Sugar Level? The 1997 American Diabetes Association considers the blood glucose level of 126 mg/dL or higher to be diabetic; 111?125 mg/dL as impaired glucose tolerance and levels less than 110 mg/dL to be normal. The paleolithic diet, which consisted of lean meats, vegetables (complex carbohydrates) and small amounts of whole grains, nuts, seeds and fruits, is estimated to have generated blood glucose levels between 60 and 90 mg/dL. Following the mainstream range of "normal" blood sugar, one can easily be mislead into thinking that a blood sugar of 110 is acceptable while in reality, it is far from optimum. One of the greatest challenges in anti-aging medicine is to reset laboratory reference levels to an anti-aging range. The current laboratory standard is established based on a pathological disease state and not on optimum health. What is "normal" under routine laboratory standards is therefore high for anti-aging purposes. For many laboratory test the threshold reference standard for "normal" needs to be lowered for those interested in anti-aging. While it is fair to comment that most people with a fasting blood sugar level of under 120 mg/dl are generally non-diabetic, those interested in optimizing their health should consider maintaining a fasting sugar level of no higher than 90 mg/dl. Effects of High Blood Sugar The effects of high blood sugar include: a. b. c. d. e. Increased risk of diabetes Increased risk of cancer Increased free radical formation Increased in advanced glycation end products (AGEs) Increased risk of cardiovascular disease A. Increase in Diabetes A rise in sugar consumption over the last century has concurrently resulted in a rise in the incidence of Type 2 adult onset diabetes mellitus (AODM) or non-insulin dependent diabetes (NIDDM). By the year 2025, the number of people with diabetes mellitus is estimated to grow to 260 million, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). This type of diabetes that afflicts adults has risen 33 percent in the past decade alone. Three out of every 50 adults are now affected with the serious, but still curable, diet-linked condition, according to studies by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Diabetes is a disease resulting from insulin imbalance. The pancreas releases insulin as carbohydrates are ingested. Carbohydrates cause a rise in blood sugar. Insulin's job is to move the sugar from the blood stream into the cell for metabolism. Insulin also helps converts almost half of your dietary carbohydrates to fat for storage. The higher the level of sugar intake, the harder the pancreas has to work to produce the insulin required to normalize the blood sugar. An overproduction of insulin leads to a decrease in the number of insulin receptors in the cell (with an accompanying decrease in the removal of insulin and glucose from the blood). This is known as insulin resistance. The blood sugar level remains high as a result and this is the hallmark of diabetes. In a prospective study of 65,000 US women, researchers concluded that diets with a high glycemic index (such as wheat, rice, and potato) increase insulin demand and thus cause hyperinsulinemia among patients with AODM and normal subjects. Hyperinsulinemia can increase the risk as well as exacerbate AODM. Chronic hyperinsulinemia is a result of a high sugar intake. It is not only associated with AODM but also to a host of other medical conditions jointly known as Syndrome X, characterized by hypertriglyceridemia, obesity, hyperglycemia, and hypertension. As many as 80 percent of individuals with AODM also suffer from obesity. Obesity often precedes AODM and is now recognized as a major risk factor for AODM. It is also estimated that there is at least one undiagnosed case of AODM for every diagnosed case. While some forms of diabetes are hereditary, there is very little doubt that a direct relationship exists among the glycemic index, AODM, and obesity. Insulin is also called the "hunger hormone". As the blood sugar level increases following a carbohydrate meal, the corresponding insulin level rises with the eventual lowering of the blood sugar level. When the blood sugar level drops, hunger is felt. This often occurs a few hours after the meal. Cravings for sweets frequently form part of this cycle, which can lead to snacking, often for more carbohydrates. If the cravings are not fulfilled, sensations such as hunger, dizziness, moodiness, and a state of “collapse?can result. Furthermore, high insulin levels prohibit the release of serotonin, a neurotransmitter in the brain that informs the body to slow down eating. Without serotonin, there is a tendency to overeat, which then leads to a spiral of excessive sugar intake. A viscous cycle of hyper-insulinemia resulting in insulin resistance is set up. This in turn creates a "carbohydrate addict" whose craving for a higher sugar intake continues to increase. The key to controlling diabetes is to reduce the blood sugar level without depriving the body of fuel. Refined sugars such as food items with a high glycemic index are extremely harmful to diabetes patients. In addition to restraining such carbohydrates, almost every successful diabetes management program incorporates weight management as a cornerstone of therapy. A reduction in the total simple refined carbohydrate intake coupled with an increased total energy output through exercise is a powerful combination to combat diabetes. By moderating such refined carbohydrate intake, one can increase fat burning as an optimal and efficient source of almost unlimited energy. The key is to restrict the intake of refined flour and bread. AODM patients, those with a family history of diabetes and the elderly who are deficient in antioxidant defense systems, could also derive benefits by using an appropriate intake of antioxidant supplements such as Vitamins C and E. Other nutritional supplements such as L-glutamine and taurine, which inhibit excessive fatty acid oxidation, can also be considered. Chromium supplementation has long been found to be useful for weight loss and blood sugar control. Lesser-known supplements such as ubiquinone and gymnema sylvestre have also been reported to be useful in the prevention and treatment of diabetes. In summary, a successful program to keep blood sugar normalized therefore requires four pillars: a. Calorie restriction (carbohydrate restriction) - consume more paleocarb and less neocarbs; consume more foods with a low glycemic index and avoid high glycemic index foods. b. Nutritional supplements - Vitamins C, E; amino acid glutamine; chromium polynicotinate c. Weight reduction as needed to achieve a body weight at or slightly below the ideal body weight. d. An active exercise program to burn up to 2,000 kcal per week. The message is clear - sugar promotes diabetes. B. Increase in Cancer In 1931, the great Nobel laureate in medicine Otto Warburg, Ph.D. first discovered that cancer cells have a fundamentally and totally different energy metabolism compared to healthy cells. In his Nobel thesis, Dr. Warburg postulated that malignant tumors frequently exhibit an increase in anaerobic glycolysis - a process whereby glucose is used as a fuel by cancer cells with lactic acid as byproduct. This is drastically different from normal tissues that use oxygen as the primary source of fuel. The large amount of lactic acid produced by this fermentation process of glucose from cancer cells is transported to the liver. The lactic acid generates a lower and more acidic pH in cancerous tissues as well as overall physical fatigue from lactic acid buildup. The patient therefore becomes tired easily. Furthermore, this anaerobic (fermentation) pathway for energy metabolism in cancerous cells is highly inefficient. The chemical process of energy production by this pathway yields only two moles of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) energy per mole of glucose as compared to 38 moles of ATP in the complete aerobic oxidation of glucose in normal cells. By extracting only about five percent (two vs. 38 moles of ATP) of the available energy in the food supply and the body's caloric stores, the cancer is, in effect, "wasting" energy. Hence the patient becomes tired and undernourished. This vicious cycle increases body wasting. This is one reason why 40 percent of cancer patients die from malnutrition or cachexia. Researchers support the concept of how "sugar feeds cancer". For example, a study using a mouse model of human breast cancer showed that tumors are quite sensitive to blood-glucose levels. Sixty-eight mice were injected with an aggressive strain of breast cancer. They were then fed diets to induce either high blood-sugar (hyperglycemia), normal, or low blood-sugar (hypoglycemia). There was a dose-dependent response. The lower the blood glucose level, the greater the survival rate. It was shown that after 70 days, eight of the 24 hyperglycemic mice survived compared to 16 of 24 normal glycemic and 19 of 20 hypoglycemic mice. This suggests that the restriction of sugar intake is the key to slowing the effects of breast tumors. Internationally acclaimed Russian scientist Dr. Vladimir Dilman wrote in The Annals of the New York Academy of Science that breast cancer patients put out 22% more insulin than healthy controls; that colon cancer patients had 29% more triglyceride in their blood. Furthermore, epidemiological studies showed that patients with colon, renal, and endometrial cancers had over twice the chance of giving birth to high-birth-rate babies, one of the hallmarks of disturbed sugar metabolism. An epidemiological study in 21 modern countries including Europe, North America, and Japan that keep track of morbidity and mortality revealed that sugar intake is a strong risk factor that contributes to higher breast cancer rates. It is easy to overlook the important connection between sugar and its role in tumorgenesis in the clinical setting. The fact that tumor cells thrive on sugar has practical considerations. Consider the million-dollar positive emission tomography device, or PET scan, which is regarded as one of the ultimate cancer-detection tools. PET scans use radioactively labeled glucose to detect sugar-hungry tumor cells. A comprehensive cancer therapy program should therefore take into consideration a low sugar diet as part of the treatment protocol. A strict controlled supply of glucose, regarded as the cancer’s preferred fuel, would slow down the effects of cancer. Some specialized cancer treatment centers in effect use this very concept by inducing a low blood sugar level for a short period of time to "starve" cancer cells without depriving the brain of the much needed sugar. Coupled with relevant therapies including chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery, tumor cells may be contained. The goal of a cancer prevention diet from a sugar perspective is to control blood glucose within a narrow range to help starve the cancer cells and bolster immune functions. Generally this means almost a 90% reduction in sugar intake. The message is clear - sugar feeds cancer. C. Increase in Free Radicals and Reduced Antioxidants Many studies have shown that a direct correlation exists between sugar and free radical formation. A study from the University at Buffalo, published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism in August 2000, showed that excess sugar in the bloodstream stimulates the production of free radicals. In this study, researchers gave 14 healthy men and women who had fasted for 12 hours a drink containing 75 grams of glucose. The sugar content is equivalent to that in two cans of soda. Researchers then took blood samples from all participants before the glucose challenge and again at various intervals thereafter. There was no change in the free radical production in samples taken from controls. Subjects who drank the sugar water were found to have a significant increase in free radical production at one hour and more than doubled at two hours. At the same time, levels of alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E), a powerful antioxidant, fell about four percent by two hours and remained depressed at the third hour. Diseases that result from free radicals include many age related illness such as atherosclerosis, dementia, cancer, arthritis, autoimmune disease, etc. Excess sugar generates free radicals indirectly. Excess sugar is converted into triglycerides and cholesterol in the liver. The excessive cholesterol and free fatty acid (FFA), when released in order to generate energy for the body, causes the production of free radical metabolites that inhibit glucose utilization by the muscle. The message is clear - sugar increases free radicals and accelerates age related diseases. D. Increase AGEs The theory of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) concerning the relationship between sugar and the aging process dates back many years. It is commonly known that people with diabetes die prematurely. AGEs are substances formed when blood sugar (glucose) attaches itself to proteins in the body's tissues. This results in cross-linked hard yellow-brown AGE compounds. Negative effects of AGEs include thickened arteries, stiff joints, feeble muscles, and failing organs. This is especially evident in elderly people. Diabetics suffer a very high incidence of nerve, artery, and kidney damage because their high blood sugar levels greatly accelerate the chemical reactions that form AGEs. The message is clear - sugar accelerates aging. E. Increase in Heart Disease Between 1910 and 1970, coronary heart disease escalated from a yet-to-be recognized problem to one of the most deadly diseases of the past century. Due to better consumer education, the intake of animal fat and butter dropped significantly while the intake of cholesterol remained unchanged in the past fifty years. The intake of refined carbohydrates (mainly sugar, fructose from corn syrup and white flour) however, increased significantly. The irony is that the increasing incidence of cardiovascular disease closely parallels the increasing consumption of sugar and not with the consumption of animal fat (saturated fat) or of total fat. Studies in the past 30-40 years have shown that substituting saturated fat (animal fat) with polyunsaturated fats (such as vegetable oils) lowered serum total cholesterol levels. Clinical trials subsequently suggested that this dietary change might reduce the incidence of coronary heart disease. As a result, diets high in polyunsaturated fats were widely recommended for the prevention of coronary heart disease. Instead of fat, carbohydrate was promoted as the ideal substitute. The perception grew that carbohydrates were harmless. We now know that this is indeed a fallacy. The high incidence of refined carbohydrates has raised serious health concerns. Epidemiological studies repeatedly confirm that in populations where sugar intake is high, there is a correspondingly higher risk of developing heart disease. The Masai tribe of East Africa and the Eskimos of North American have a diet consisting mainly of milk and meat that is high in fat. Yet they have a very low incidence of heart disease. In the past, coronary disease was considered rare amongst the black population in South Africa. However, during the past few decades, their consumption of sugar has increased greatly and so has the incidence of coronary artery disease. In Iceland, heart disease (and diabetes) was almost unheard of until the 1930s, although the Icelanders diet is tremendously high in fat. Surgeon Captain T.L. Cleave, who wrote the classic study The Saccharine Disease, provides ample evidence that the coronary artery disease epidemic today could be traced to increases in refined carbohydrate intake. It takes about 20 years of continuous insult of sugar to produce pathological disease such as heart attacks and diabetes. Known as the Cleave's Rule of 20 years, the arrival of modern day atherosclerosis, diabetes, and other degenerative disease reflects the concurrent rise in refined carbohydrate intake 20 years earlier, as in the case of many modern civilizations. In Yugoslavia and Poland, the development of high heart disease rates since the mid 1950s was associated with a concurrent quadruple increase of sugar intake and occurred despite a fall in animal fat intake. The inescapable conclusion is that coronary artery disease was a rare illness in the 19th century. It was a disease started in 1912, and arrived right on schedule in accordance to Cleave's Rule of 20 years (when the cola revolution was started in the 1890s and the introduction of four mills to produce refined flour). The fact is that a high sugar intake is linked to an increased risk of heart disease. Simple sugars are the primary source of high triglycerides, a type of blood fat, and very low-density lipoproteins (LDL), which are an independent risk factor for atherosclerosis. Sugar lowers good HDL cholesterol and raises bad LDL cholesterol and blood pressure levels. It is estimated that a high sugar intake may account for as many as 150,000 premature deaths from heart disease in the US each year. Studies have been conducted to support this. In one research trial, 18 male subjects received normal food followed by a rigorously specified diet in which protein and carbohydrate requirements were met by amino acids, essential fat, and glucose. The average concentration of cholesterol in the initial period, on normal food, was 227 mg/dl. After two weeks on the restricted glucose diet, it had dropped to 173. Two weeks later, the level was at 160. When the diet was altered by replacing 25 percent of the glucose with sucrose (while all other dietary constituents kept constant), the average cholesterol level rose from 160 to 178 within one week and to 208 within two weeks. The researchers carried the study one step further. The sucrose was replaced with glucose again. With this change, the cholesterol concentration dropped back to 175 within one week and the decline continued. It finally leveled off at 150 mg/dl, which was 77 mg/dl less than the initial value. This research finding links the consumption of sucrose (table sugar) directly to increased cholesterol. The exact mechanism is still under research. In addition to glucose, fructose also raises blood triglyceride level. In a clinical trial conducted at the University of Minnesota, researchers followed 24 healthy adults who received one of 2 diets assigned randomly for a period of 6 weeks and then switched back to the other diet for 6 weeks. One diet provided 17% of energy as fructose and the other diet was sweetened with glucose and was absent of fructose. Both diets contain common foods and contained nearly identical amounts of the macronutrients. The researchers found that in men, the fructose diet raised plasma triglyceride levels by 32%, although there was no effect seen with the women being studied. Elevated triglyceride blood level of in itself is a strong and independent risk factor for heart attack among middle-aged and elderly men. In fact, studies have shown that blood triglyceride level was a stronger risk factor than total cholesterol alone. It is not known why women appear to be immune to this other than postulations that the high level of estrogen acts as a protective factor. The exact mechanism is still under investigation. How about cholesterol and fat as risk factors for cardiovascular disease? For decades, we were told that cholesterol was the culprit in atherosclerosis, and for good reasons, since arthrosclerotic plaque is found to be rich in cholesterol. The logic that dietary cholesterol in diet leads to serum cholesterol appeared to make perfect sense. Over the past 40 years, our knowledge of the origin of atherosclerosis has increased exponentially. Many studies have failed to show that a change in the amount of cholesterol in the diet had any significant effect on the incidence of heart disease. In fact, the correlation between diet cholesterol and serum cholesterol level is indeed weak. Furthermore, cholesterol is an important macronutrient necessary for hormonal synthesis and cell membrane stabilization. A low cholesterol level (below 150 mg/dl) has been linked with an increased cancer risk. Cholesterol in its natural form when made by the liver is an antioxidant and thus of great benefit to the body. It is only when oxidized cholesterol is eaten that the cholesterol becomes bad. Based on false logic, it was believed that diets concentrating on lowering total serum cholesterol level would reduce coronary heart disease risks. This belief is valid if the cholesterol being lowered is LDL cholesterol only. Unfortunately, most popular low-fat, high-carbohydrate diets lower both HDL cholesterol as well as LDL cholesterol. No cardiovascular risk reduction is achieved as the LDL:HDL ratio remained constant. It must be remembered that cardiovascular risk is inversely related to HDL cholesterol level and directly proportional to LDL cholesterol level." In other words, the higher the HDL cholesterol, the lower the risk, and the higher the LDL cholesterol level, the higher the risk. To make matters worse, such "low-fat, high carbohydrate" diets are often high in the wrong type of carbohydrates. Instead of taking in complex paleocarb type carbohydrates such as green leafy vegetables and whole grains, the less informed consumer often ends up eating foods such as pasta, soda, processed foods, and fast foods. These types of food are rich in sugar and refined carbohydrates, which actually lower the important "good" HDL cholesterol. This is further complicated by the fact that consumers are often unclear as to what constitutes fat. There are different kinds of fat as there are different kinds of cholesterols. Monounsaturated fat such as olive oil is good. Natural unhydrogenated polyunsaturated fat, such as nuts and seeds, is good as well. Coldwater fish, such as salmon, for example, contain an abundance of this kind of fat with its active component omega-3 fatty acid, which is cardio protective. These two kinds of fats have been shown to reduce cardiovascular disease risk by 19 percent and 38 percent respectively in clinical studies. Saturated fat is somewhat more complicated. It is derived from animal and diary products that are commercially raised. Unfortunately, commercially raised animals, such as poultry, are laced with hormones, antibiotics, and are grain fed. They have a higher level of saturated fat in their meat. Saturated fat from this source has been linked to a 17 percent increase in cardiovascular disease risk in some studies. Saturated fats from free-range animals are the preferred way. The amounts of saturated fat in organic eggs, for example, are much lower than that in commercial eggs. The worse kind of fat is trans fat. This fat is produced when polyunsaturated vegetable fats are artificially hydrogenated, a process that increases the firmness of the oil and its resistance to oxidative damage. Trans fat is commonly used in cakes, donuts, fast foods, and fried foods. Trans fat has been linked to the highest risk of cardiovascular disease. Studies have shown that replacing 2 percent of energy eaten in the form of trans unsaturated fat with unhydrogenated, unsaturated fat, such as nuts, olive oil, and flaxseed oil, drops heart disease risk by 53 percent. With each passing day, as the consumer becomes more educated, the mislead thinking that “fat and cholesterol-in-diet" equals to " fat and cholesterol-in-blood? and therefore "fat and cholesterol-indiet" equals to "cardiovascular disease" hypothesis is rapidly losing support. While the "death by dietary fat and cholesterol" hypothesis could be losing faith among advocates, the "death by dietary sugar" hypothesis is gaining ground as the world wakes up to the harmful effects of sugar. The message is clear. Cholesterol is not bad for you, and certain types of fat are good for health. Sugar, on the other hand, should be avoided as much as possible. What You Should Do Sugar and simple refined carbohydrates are harmful to health and detrimental to anyone interested in anti-aging. In fact , the chances of you getting sick on a high sugar diet is far greater than if you smoke. An aggressive reduction in sugar intake is advisable if your family has a history of diabetes or cancer, or if you want to lead an anti-aging lifestyle. If you have to eat dessert, consume it during the day and not just before bedtime. Sugar, taken before bedtime, also reduces growth hormone release and increases cortisol, the "bad" hormone. Trying to restrict intake of foods such as sugar in coffee and bread is a good first step. After your body has been detoxified by restricted sugar intake, you will feel lighter, more energetic, and better. Treat sugar as a drug - stay as far away as possible. A decreased sugar and refined carbohydrate intake should be part of an overall anti-aging Mediterranean diet that focuses on three main pillars: a reduction of calories by 30 percent, an increase in green leafy vegetables intake to 60 percent, and a reduction of sugar intake by 90 percent. Specifically, the consumption of lean meats (such as wild game or non-grain fed, free-range domesticated animals), fish (such as cold water fish such like salmon which contains omega 3 fatty acids), vegetables, whole fruits, raw nuts and seeds, legumes, and whole grain cereal are recommended. Notably absent from this diet are dairy products, refined cereal, refined grains (neocarbs), trans fat (margarine and fried foods) and concentrated sweets. An adherence to these dietary guidelines will not only address obesity but may also prove helpful in dietarylinked diseases such as diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular illnesses and is one of the best kept secrets of anti-aging. Beef, Chicken, and Fish Introduction Technology has resulted in the change of the nutrition of meat. In the past, cattle herds grazed in open fields of natural grass and chickens were allowed to run free. Nowadays, these fields have all disappeared and replaced with industrial buildings. Animals are now under the care of professional farmers who breed and feed them for commercial purposes only. In order to maximize efficiency, most modern farms confine their animals in small areas so that the farmers can deliver their food and remove their waste with minimal effort. Such confinement systems are thought to minimize the cost of cattle and chicken and make the business more efficient and profitable. Instead of allowing animals to roam freely in green pastures, they are confined so that the pastures can be used to plant and harvest crops. Maximum efficiency is such a priority that even livestock feed has been designed to reduce costs and to make animals grow fatter faster. It is important to note that humans will in turn consume both nutrients and toxins consumed by animals. We will examine three commonly consumed types of meat and their implications on anti-aging. Beef Cattle Diet Grass is the traditional diet for cattle. In recent decades, the use of grain to feed cattle is preferred due to its lower cost and faster harvest time. The most popular are wheat, maize, rice, barley, soybean, and cane sugar. While grains are cheap and provide an easy source of energy, the rapid rise in blood sugar from grains intake causes the pancreas in humans or animals alike to overwork in an attempt to lower blood sugar by increasing insulin production. This leads to an increase in blood insulin level and ultimately to insulin resistance and diabetes. In animals, a diet rich in grains promotes rapid growth and weight gain. Excess calories are transformed into fat and stored as adipose tissue. Grain fed cattle therefore have a higher level of saturated fat than grass fed cattle. The craving for fat laden beef is carried to the extreme with Kobe beef, a special type of "gourmet" beef that comes from cattle fed with beer (which comes from grains). Cereal grains also contain low and undetectable amounts of vitamin C, B12, and other vitamins and minerals. They act as anti-nutrients by competing and displacing nutrients that are associated with a decreased risk of heart disease and many forms of common cancers. The grain fed diet leads to increase in the amount of fat in the meat, as excess sugar from grain is converted into fat. In the case of beef, the fat and cholesterol is around and inside the meat. The fat is in the meat and on the skin in the case of poultry. Both the saturated fat and oxidized cholesterol, through free radical pathology, have been identified as causes of atherosclerosis, heart attack, high blood pressure, cancer, and other life-threatening degenerative diseases. Essential Fatty Acid Ratio Beef from grain fed cattle is also high in saturated fat, which is not subject to lipid peroxidation and free radical pathology. Such beef, unfortunately, also contains a high level of PUFA and cholesterol, both of which undergo auto-oxidation. This results in free radical generation and contribute to a wide variety of free radical related diseases including atherosclerosis, cancer, and arthritis, just to name a few. Polyunsaturated fat (PUFA) is a prominent component of grains such as corn. Omega 3 (N3) and omega 6 (N6) essential fatty acids (EFAs) are two important subgroups of PUFA. Both are essential for normal growth and may play an important role in the prevention and treatment of coronary artery disease, arthritis and cancer. N3 in particular is critical for cell membrane stabilization. A proper balance of N6 to N3 EFA ratio is an important determinant of optimum health. In the past 100 years, there has been a rapid and unprecedented change in the diets of both men and animals. Modern agriculture increased production by emphasizing grain feeds for domestic livestock. Grains are rich in N6 EFAs compare to N3 EFAs. The result is an overall increase of N6 EFA and decrease of N3 EFA in the diet. N6 and N3 EFAs should be clearly distinguished because they are metabolically and functionally distinct. Although both are important, they have opposing physiological functions. Researches have now shown that the proper balance of N6 to N3 EFA ratio is more important than the ratio of PUFA to saturated fat for determining optimum health. Taking in grain fed beef leads to an imbalance of the N6 to N3 ratio in favor of N6 EFAs. The products of modern agriculture frequently have much lower N3 EFA levels. Our modern day diet is heavily dependent on grains, grain fed beef, refined carbohydrates, and processed vegetable oils. This combination has an estimated N6 to N3 EFA ratio of 20 or 40 to 1. For optimum anti-aging health, a diet rich in green leafy vegetables, and small amount of lean meat and fish, with a N6 to N3 EFA ratio of 4 to 1, is recommended. It is obvious that we are what we eat. It is also important to note that our animals too, are what they eat. Unfortunately, like us, their grain fed diet is not the best. Antibiotics The diet of cattle includes antibiotics. The major purpose of feeding antibiotics to cows, sheep and other livestock is to promote growth. Animals that receive antibiotics in their feed often gain 4 to 5 percent more body weight than animals that do not receive the drug. More than 5,000 tons of antibiotics are added to livestock feed every year. This adds up to about half of the amount manufactured in the United States. More than 70 percent of beef cattle and beef calves get daily drug doses during their lifespan. A report from the National Research Council has acknowledged that there is a link between the use of antibiotics in food animals, the development of bacterial resistance to these drugs, and human disease. This is despite the fact that contracting the disease is rather low. Those at the greatest risk include infants, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems. Overfeeding of antibiotics in cattle raising poses serious effects on human health. Antibiotic resistant bacteria inevitably develop in the cattle, which can easily be transmitted to humans through consumption of meat or through human contact with living animals. This leads to a reduction in the efficiency of antibiotics in fighting infections and reduced levels of favorable intestinal bacteria, which could increase susceptibility to intestinal infections (such as acute gastroenteritis with fever, pain, and diarrhea). A depressed immune system also results which could lower resistance to infections and increase allergic reactions. Antibiotic resistance could pose serious medical implications. For example, some strains of Salmonella bacteria, which can be transmitted to humans through food or contact with animals, are now resistant to commonly used antibiotics. Environmental Hormones Besides antibiotics, an array of natural and synthetic hormones found in meat is given to cattle and other livestock to promote growth and cause their meat to be tastier for human consumption. These hormones enter the human body via external sources and are therefore called environmental hormones. The Food and Drug Administration approve these hormones. For instance, diethylstilbestrol (DES), a sex steroid hormone which was prohibited from human use, could cause a 15 to 19 percent increase in weight (mostly fat) and a 7 to 10 percent improvement in feed efficiency (that is, weight gained per pound of feed) in beef cattle. However, when meat laced with DES is consumed, our endocrine balance is upset, even in minute amounts. These compounds are very potent and are measured in parts per trillion. In fact, the endocrine system produces its own hormones to control the various bodily functions such as the metabolic rate, growth and reproductive systems. When the system balance is disturbed, it promotes disease. It is now known that any amount of hormones beyond the normal level present in a healthy person is capable of inviting cancer and other serious health problems. Like in women, increasing levels of the hormone estrogen are related to cancers of the breasts, ovaries and cervix. Other implications include high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke. DES was consumed by 85 percent of all livestock in the United States until 1979 when the Food and Drug Administration finally banned it. Treating animals with varies types of hormones remains a widely accepted practice within the U.S. meat industry. Hormone pellets are regularly inbred in virtually all cattle. The cost was offset by the increase in pounds of beef produced. While DEA is now illegal, alternative compounds may cause similar problems including disparity of the endocrine system and increased risk of cancer. Unfortunately, detection of such insult may not be apparent for decades. When finally discovered, the damage may have been too great to reverse. Are you prepared to expose your body to such potential risks? Is there such a thing as healthy beef? Grass-fed cattle are a healthy source of beef. Grass-fed Beef Grass-fed beef is naturally leaner than grain-fed beef due to the lack of hormones and carbohydrates. The key is in the fatty acid composition of the meat as earlier discussed. Their balance is important for homeostasis and normal development. Grass-fed cattle have the recommended ratio of N6 to N3, which is closer to ratio Grass-fed beef contains natural minerals and vitamins and is also a good source of CLA (conjugated Linoleic acid), a fat that reduces the risk of cancer, obesity, diabetes and a number of immune disorders. Thus grassfed beef is considered a healthy source of protein and good source of N3 EFA. Unfortunately, grass-fed beef is not readily available. Beef that is labeled "organic" does not contain the same goodness as grass-fed beef although such cattle are not exposed to antibiotics, growth hormones, and pesticide-tainted grains. It may therefore appear to be a good source of beef. The best way is to find grass fed beef is through a farmer whom you know and share a grass fed cattle with some of your friends. One quarter of a cow is about 150 pounds and generally takes about two freezer shelves. Mad Cow Disease Mad cow disease, also known as Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), is a chronic, degenerative disease affecting the central nervous system of cattle. It is a rare neurological disorder. There is no test to detect the disease in a live animal. The incubation period that ranges from 2 to 8 years. The affected cattle may display changes in temperament, such as nervousness or aggression, incoordination, or decreased milk production. Once clinical symptoms appear, the course of the disease usually takes from 2 weeks to 6 months. There is no treatment, and affected cattle eventually die. Microscopic examination of brain tissue is the primary laboratory method used to confirm a diagnosis of BSE. The first reports of BSE appeared in England in 1986. It is linked to the practice of supplementing cattle food with bone meal prepared from slaughtered sheep. This linkage is contemplated because the symptoms are strikingly similar to that of the disease in sheep known as scrapie. When the brains of these cattle were examined, there was clear evidence of spongiform encephalopathy. BSE is a kind of disease that falls into a broader class of disease known as spongiform encephalopathy. In cattle, an encephalopathic condition means that the brain is pathologically damaged, and spongiform means that if one examines the diseased brain tissue, the diseased tissue is spongy - porous - no longer intact. BSE belongs to the family of diseases known as the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE's). There are also several human diseases that fall into this category of spongiform encephalopathies, and include: kuru, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, and Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker syndrome of humans. It is first postulated that some unidentified infectious agent passes this disease from one species to another. The most likely causative agent is a new kind of suspected infectious agent called a prion - the term prion is an acronym coined several years ago by the scientist, Stanley Prusiner. The acronym stands for: proteinaceous infectious particle. Prusiner's research into the best-documented spongiform encephalopathy, sheep scrapie, showed that the only identifiable thing, which could transmit this disease from animal to animal, was a new infectious agent never before identified. The disease appeared to be transmitted by pure protein, alone. Stanley Prusner was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine for this work in 1997. The BSE agent is much smaller than most viral particles. It is also highly resistant to heat, ultraviolet light, ionizing radiation, and common disinfectants that normally kills viruses or bacteria. It causes no detectable immune or inflammatory response in the host, and cannot be observed microscopically. There is no evidence that BSE spreads horizontally, i.e., by contact between unrelated adult cattle of from cattle to other species. Some evidence suggests that maternal transmission may occur at an extremely low level. While certain variants of viruses have been known for a long, long time - every such agent contains a genome that controls reproduction. No form of life on earth has ever been identified which can propagate its own form and is devoid of either DNA or RNA. Only viruses have RNA as a possible genome - all other known life forms have only DNA as their central genetic information. No mechanism known to date can explain how a protein alone can serve as a template for making many copies of the same protein, or for a protein alone to cause infection. It is clear is that prions are clearly infectious. When brain tissue from infected animals is treated to isolate the protein (prion) thought to cause scrapie, and the altered form of the protein alone (prion - PrP-sc) is injected into healthy animals, spongiform encephalopathy results. This transmission can be observed by injecting prion preparations from diseased sheep into mice - and the subsequent transmission of the disease from mouse to mouse by purification of prions from a diseased mouse and subsequent injection of healthy mice with these prion preparations. In addition to these experimental results, another human spongiform encephalopathy disease known as kuru has long been recognized and was first diagnosed among certain human tribes that are cannibals. The link from BSE to human disease is a form of human spongiform encephalopathy and is known as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). Like BSE, CJD is a rare, sporadic, degenerative disease in humans. It usually occurs during the middle decades of life. The course usually ranging from 3 to 6 months in duration, and is manifested by dementia accompanied by motor signs and blindness. CJD enters the human when another person's flesh is eaten. There have been cases of acquisition of this disease through organ transplantation (donor later found to have CJD), and receipt of human blood products (donor later found to have CJD). These patients have, just as the donor, the altered form of PrP within their brain tissue. CJD appears to run in families. It is not known, however, whether there is direct transmission of the disease (via an infectious agent) within the family, or whether there is transmission of genetic susceptibility to the disease. The best thing to do to avoid CJD is to avoid meat consumption. Chicken In the past few decades, there has been a substantial increase in chicken consumption. To a large extent, this is due to chicken being regarded as a healthy alternative to beef. This is because chicken is perceived to be more nutritious, low in fat, and white meat is healthier than red meat. Although it is true that some chicken cuts are more nutritious than beef, commercially raised grain fed chicken is not as healthy as one may think. In fact, chicken contains just as much fat and cholesterol as beef. More importantly, chickens are often not allowed to run due to space-constrained coops. They are further tainted with pesticides, antibiotics, hormones, The truth is, chickens we consume today (non-organic chicken farm raised) are very different from chickens some 50 years ago (organic fed, free range chicken) before the commercialization process began. The Chicken Run The neatly prepared breasts, thighs, and drumsticks on supermarket shelves are often derived from very stressed and diseased animals raised in chicken farms. These chickens are crammed into close coops and have insufficient fresh air and exercise. Due to the shortage of space and disease-spreading living conditions, these commercial chickens are regularly fed antibiotics and other drugs to render them disease-free. In fact, the Food and Drug Administration has authorized 2,000 chemicals, together with drugs for use in chicken feed. These drugs are usually added with "food" such as corn and soybeans and could even be cardboard, sawdust, used newspapers and even recycled animal feces. No medication and drugs could protect the chickens from the harmful effects of poor diets and pathetic living conditions. Many commercial chickens can suffer from several health problems such as cancerous tumors, kidney damage, physical deformities, and stunted growth, which remain undetected in their lifetime before being passed to us. Over 14,000 tons of poultry affected by cancerous tumors are killed yearly. Farmers usually process the diseased poultry into animal feed which are Plate of Poison To prevent the chickens from falling ill, toxins such as pesticides and fungicides are used extensively in the feed. These are eventually concentrated in the meat and are passed to us when we consume the affected chicken parts. These pesticides and herbicides are toxic to all human cells and bodily systems. They could cause damage to the central nervous, cardiovascular, endocrine and immune system. Over time, toxins accumulate in our body as fatty tissues. They weaken our immune system. With a weakened immune system, the aging process is increased. Although these chickens have met the U.S. Department of Agriculture criteria for human consumption, scientists have linked contaminated poultry to high incidences of diseases including an estimated four billion salmonella cases and Helicobacter pylori infections that occur annually. This is according to a report by the consumer watchdog group, Americans for Safe Food. Salmonella poisoning causes illnesses such as fever, diarrhea and vomiting. H. Pylori causes gastritis. Statistics have shown a connection between food-borne illness to about 9,000 deaths every year in a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. Is Chicken Better Than Beef? A T-bone steak derives 42 percent of its calories from fat. A chicken thigh or leg is considered as red meat and 56 percent of its calories are from fat, with the skin included. Removing the chicken skin reduces the fat content to 47 percent of calories. Chicken red meat is therefore a high-fat food with or without the skin. In fact, an average chicken provides more concentrated fat than the finest cuts of beef. Chicken fat is also very concentrated and could damage our arteries, much like beef. Chicken also has just as much cholesterol as beef and pork. Only chicken breasts with the skins removed are low in fat. This is the best way to eat Free Range Chicken A reduction in chicken consumption is one of the easiest ways to prolong your lifespan. If you must consume chicken, buy the birds that have been grown on a farm that allowed them to run and exercise and are fed organic food. These are called free-range organic chickens. These birds are fed organic feed free of pesticides, hormones, and antibiotics. Meat from such chickens are firmer and they are leaner as compared to commercialized non-organic grain fed chicken. Free-range organic- fed chickens and their eggs are completely different from commercially raised chickens and eggs. They are high in N3 EFA. In fact, the fatty acid ratio of N6 to N3 EFA is 2 or 3 to 1 in the free-range organic fed chicken and eggs as farm raised chicken. Fish Fish is generally regarded as a highly desirable source of protein and fatty acids. However, most fish nowadays has lost its nutritional values due to environment pollution. Supervising the growth of fish is nearly impossible due to its free movements across the waters. Fish consume much toxic wastes, which are polluted materials discharged into their habitats. These toxic wastes are usually industrial waste, sewerage, pesticides, and insecticides. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), dioxin, methyl mercury, and lead also occasionally appear in inland waterways, rivers, and polluted bays. These pollutants, especially PCBs and methyl mercury, could possibly end up in our bodies due to the consumption of affected fish. Fish also concentrate their toxins in their fatty tissues throughout their lifetimes, just like cattle, chicken, or humans. Large fish are especially exposed to toxins as they consume smaller fishes. Their toxin concentrations are probably 10,000 times more than their smaller counterparts. Fish can also carry disease-causing microorganisms. In fact, they are the cause of many food-borne illnesses. Researchers have suggested that contamination is so widespread that almost half of the world’s fish population is infected with toxins. The only practical solution is to choose fish that is least likely to be exposed to toxins and eat them as fresh as possible. Swimming in Toxins Fish in coastal waters, particularly those near large cities, have alarmingly high levels of toxin concentrations as they are exposed to tons of chemicals. Chemicals are then transferred to our bodies when we consume the contaminated fish. Even fish raised in commercial fishponds are not immune to toxins. Pesticides and herbicides from nearby fields often pollute their ponds. The most protected fish are generally the cold-water species fish like cod, haddock, perch, and salmon as they thrive in the open seas, which are furthest away from the polluted coastal waters. Methyl Mercury: Toxic History? In Japan, there was a tragic incident of human poisoning by toxic-laden fish when an unusual epidemic infected the entire population around Minimata Bay in the 1950s. Over 1,500 people died. They were poisoned by high doses of methyl mercury. It was found later that the toxin comes from fish who in turn got the toxin as such toxic chemicals from local industries was dumped into the bay. Chronic methyl mercury poisoning affects not only the brain and central nervous system but also the reproductive system and many other organs. Its earliest symptoms are neurological in nature, including numbness and tingling in the extremities, difficulty in walking and talking, poor concentration, weakness, and fatigue. These symptoms could progress to spasms, tremors, coma and finally death. Methyl mercury can trigger toxic effects in doses as low as 150 micrograms each day if consumed over a few months. This can come from over consumption of fish that are toxic over time. A consumption of most commercially available fish twice a week (approximately 8 ounces total) is quite safe. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), methyl mercury limit in fish ranges from 0.5 to 1.0 per million (or 0.5 to 1.0 microgram per gram of fish) in some countries like Finland, Sweden, and Japan. However, there is no ideal and practical way of calculating the amount of methyl mercury we consume from fish. Estimating the amount of methyl mercury is therefore a noble but fruitless exercise. With global warming and acid rain, larger lake fish like bass, pike, and lake trout may have levels higher than the official set range limit of methyl mercury levels. As acid rain dissolves the deposits of mercury found in rocks and soil, it erodes and washes these chemicals into lakes and seas. Bacterial action then transforms mercury into methyl mercury. As chronic methyl mercury poisoning creates internal health problems, it greatly speeds up the aging process. Its signs and symptoms have become apparent only after serious cellular breakdown has occurred. Supplemental Protection Some supplements are recommended to guard your body against the damaging effects of methyl mercury if you find it difficult to give up fish for good, or you have been consuming fish for more than a few times a week. Vitamin C and the amino acid cysteine are particularly important. They can help the detoxification of methyl mercury and eliminate it from your system. Vitamin E and selenium are scavengers of cell-damaging free radicals and protect your brain and central nervous system. These supplements, while lowering the damage from methyl mercury exposure, do not offer total protection from chronic methyl mercury poisoning. Poisoned by Preservatives Even though a fish may escape the toxin in pristine deep ocean waters, it may still experience chemical assault after being captured. In order to slow down the process of decomposition and preserve the freshness from the ocean to land, fishes are normally sprayed with preservatives such as polyphosphates and sulfites (to control mold and yeast), sodium benzoate (to kill bacteria), and polytrisorbate (to keep fish from becoming slimy). Although these preservatives are FDA approved, there is no law that requires the amount to be disclosed on food labels. These preservatives could very well be imported chemicals. The long-term effect on consumption of many of such chemicals in high doses is not known. Fish and Cardiovascular Disease . Fish are among the best source of omega-3 fatty acids (N3 EFA) among meats. In fact, many people have given up red meat in preference to cold-water fish like herring, mackerel, salmon, and tuna so as to increase their N3 EFA intake as these fatty acids can help prevent heart disease. Extensive research has shown that these fatty acids prevent blood clots and reduce triglycerides. N3 EFAs also helps to relieve arthritis by controlling the production of interleukin-1 and tumor necrosis factor. Both of these inflammation-promoting chemicals are produced by the white blood cells. N3 EFAs helps to boost the immune system and encourage the production of pain and inflammation-fighting prostaglandins. In summary, N3 EFA is good for you, and fish is a good place to get it. There are, however, better place to get N3 EFAs from without the toxins. In fact, N3 EFA is far more abundant in flaxseed and olive oil than from meat or fish intake. It has been noted that flaxseed and olive oil provides more N3 EFAs than the best cold-water fish. Other lower level N3 EFAs sources are pumpkin seed, soybean and walnut oils. If you want a supply of N3 EFA and you don’t like fish or monounsaturated fat such as olive oil, try taking fish oil supplements of about 1,000 to 3,000 milligrams each day, although a high intake of more than 1000 mg a day may carry a risk of harmless fishy burp and smell. Fish such as trout and herring are good sources of N3 EFAs. They also have 40 percent saturated fat, like that of beef and chicken. Cold-water fish like salmon actually contain 60 percent fat, much higher than beef. To reduce fat, one has to be selective in choosing the right kind of meat. Skinless chicken breast, for example, only has only 16 percent fat. Some fish like sole, haddock, and perch has only 10 percent fat. Protein levels of fish are similar to beef and chicken, which stands around 50 percent. Fish and Alzheimer's Disease A recent study in Lipids, a U.S. scientific journal, reported that eating fish appears to protect people against Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. According to a new University of Guelph study of 70 elderly Toronto people, (one-quarter of whom have Alzheimer's disease), it is found the healthy people had higher levels of a fatty acid from fish in their blood than the group with dementia. Shellfish: No Thanks If finfish creates health hazards, shellfish such as clams, lobsters, oysters, scallops, and shrimp are much worse. In fact, this kind of seafood has been criticized for their high cholesterol levels. They are in fact also storage tanks of toxins. Shellfish are actually scavengers, which are found in coastal waters. Their normal diets consist of industrial deposits, sewerage, and fish excrement. They have been traced to be the source for many outbreaks of gastroenteritis, hepatitis epidemics, and typhoid fever. Eating Fish Safely Here are some tips to healthy fish eating: a. Restrict your fish consumption to only two modest portions (about eight ounces) each week. This will provide the body with ample N3 EFAs. b. Cook your fish well before eating. c. Consume only fresh fish. Avoid frozen, canned, and packaged products as well as frozen fish dinners and fish sticks. d. Insist on cold-water species of fish such as fresh salmon, tuna, cod, haddock, herring, perch, and snapper (Look for tuna labeled "dolphin-safe.") as these fish spend their lifetimes in the open seas distant from contaminated coastal waters. e. Avoid fish species that stay in coastal waters as well as those that consume near the top of the food chain (and so ingest toxins from small fish). Such fish include bluefish, carp, catfish, striped bass and trout. Beef, Chicken, or Fish? It should be apparent by now that if you want to be very safe, it’s best to be a vegetarian. Taking eggs are acceptable if the egg is from organic chicken. If you want to continue taking meat from commercial sources, the following should be noted: a. Fish and chicken breast without skin contains about 35 percent less calories than beef or chicken thigh with skin. Therefore, eat fish or chicken breast without skin. b. Chicken thigh with skin has more fat than beef (50 percent vs. 45 percent). Fatty fish such as salmon has the most fat (61 percent) while perch has only 7 percent fat. Therefore choose your fish wisely. c. All three types of meat provide almost the same amount of protein (about 50 percent). d. Beef and chicken has almost the same amount of cholesterol. Fish, on the other hand, has about 20 percent less cholesterol. Summary It is clear that not only are we what we eat, but so are our cattle, chickens, and fish. The key to successful anti-aging diet perspective is to have a balanced and moderate amount of each of the important nutrients groups of protein, carbohydrates, and fat. The Mediterranean diet with a high intake of green leafy vegetables, olive oil (as a source of monounsaturated fat), and moderate amount of fish (as a source of protein and N3 EFA) is the best all around anti-aging diet that most can get used to. There is very little doubt that following a total vegetarian diet is best for the body. Not everyone wants to be a vegetarian. A proper selective intake of the right source of beef, fish, and poultry is acceptable from a nutritional viewpoint for those who are not. Meat, in the right amount, can be an important part of a healthy diet. Unfortunately, the vast majority of meat nowadays is derived from unhealthy animals. One of the main reasons is that they are almost never fed their natural diets and they do not get to exercise much. Commercially fed animals are not much different from the modern day human equivalent - the couch potato - obese and full of toxin. Would you want your body to be exposed to such "food" which should more aptly be called "toxins"? If you have to eat meat and want optimum health, consume free-range grass fed beef and free-range organic fed chicken and its eggs. Both provide lean meat rich in omega 3 essential fatty and low in saturated fat, comparatively speaking. Cold-water deep-sea fish such as salmon or tuna is the best type of fish to consume due to its high omega 3 essential fatty acid and low toxicity, though its fat level is quite high. Two servings (four ounces each) of such fish per week are ample from an anti-aging perspective. The rest of the diet in terms of meat substitute nutrients should consist of seeds, nuts and legumes. Oils - Different Types For Different Uses There are 4 different types of oils or fat. Monounstaurated fat - oilive or canola oil Polyunstaurated fat - sunflower or soybean oil Saturated fat - butter, coconut, or palm oil Trans-fat - hydrogenated fat used in cookies and commercial French fries. Olive Oil - The Best of the Bunch Olive oil is a wonderful source of omega-3 fatty acid. It belongs to a class of fat called monounsaturated fat which is the best kind for your heart. Many studies have validated the use of olive oil, especially virgin ones. In one study, researchers confirmed that adults who consumed 25 ml or 2 tablespoons of virgin olive oil a day for one week showed less oxidation of LDL ("bad") cholesterol and higher levels of antioxidant compounds, particularly phenols, in their blood. Antioxidants help to prevent oxidative damage. The latter is caused by free radicals, by products of our bodies, which can damage body tissues. Oxidation of LDL Cholesterol causes arteries to harden and can lead to heart diseases. In the Mediterranean countries, where the nation's diet is rich in olive oils, fruits, vegetables, and grains and low in saturated fat from meat, these countries have reported lower rates of heart diseases. In Italy and Spain, where their diet contains more than one third of their daily calories from fats high in monounsaturated fatty acids, they also have a lower rate of heart diseases. Monounsaturated fats is said to lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol of the body. But while all types of olive oil are sources of monounsaturated fat, virgin olive oil contains higher levels of antioxidants, particularly phenols and vitamin E, because it is less processed. Please note that olive oil should not be used to deep fry food as the heat will change the structure of the oil. Olive oil is best used uncooked. In another study, 16 healthy adults were asked to avoid phenol-containing foods such as coffee, tea, wine and vegetables for four days. On the fifth day of the study, the adults were asked to take 50 ml of virgin olive oil alone or with bread. During the study, they were to abstain from food with phenols for 24 hours. Subsequently, they ate their regular meals, supplemented by 25 ml of olive oil per day for one week. They were also told to avoid food high in fat content such as butter, margarine, cooking oil, nuts, baked foods and eggs. Blood samples, which were taken from these adults before and during the study showed that after taking the olive oil supplements, the level of antioxidant compounds, including vitamin E and phenols was higher after one week. Levels of oleic acid, the predominant type of fat in olive oil, as well as monounsaturated fatty acids was also higher. These changes were associated with a slower LDL oxidation rate. In this study, it was showed that including 25ml of virgin olive oil in our daily diet reduced the risk of high cholesterol. This was because virgin olive oil not only lowered cholesterol level; it also increased the resistance of LDL to oxidation because of its richness in oleic acid and antioxidants. Different Oil For Different Purpose For deep frying, use saturated oil is best. Coconut and palm oil fall into this category. Corn, safflower, sunflower, soybean, and peanut oil are high in poly-unstaurated fat with a higher omega-6 than omega-3. These should be used uncooked as a salad dressing. But the better oil for salad dressing is olive oil, because of the high omega-6 contents in other type of vegetable oils. The overabundance of omega-6 fats in the diet can cause an imbalance of the omega-6 and omega-3 ratio, and leads to many health concerns. Canola oil has gone through a long road of genetically modifying, purifying and processing to get to the consumable state it is today. It is perfectly safe for consumption today and it does offer many health benefits. For the general public, canola oil is more affordable than olive oil for the health benefits it offer. Due to its high smoking point, it is great to use for high heat cooking. For stir frying, rice bran oil, grape seed oil, or canola oil. For medium heat, use light olive oil, almond oil, walnut oil or sesame oil. For salad dressing, use extra virgin olive oil. For stir frying, use olive or canola oil. Avoid trans-fat at all circumstances such as margarine and hydrogentated fat present in cookies and frech fries. These are carcinogenic. Eggs - Good for your body Introduction The egg's image as a wholesome food has been tarnished in recent years, ever since a link was established between high blood cholesterol level and high incidence of cardiovascular disease . Egg is a rich source of dietary cholesterol and it is labeled as a "bad food" . Many have resorted to eating just the egg white to avoid the implications of heart disease, while others have rejected the intake of eggs altogether as a prescription to well being. Contrary to popular belief that the egg is something to avoid, numerous research and long term studies have shown that eggs are a great dietary source of many fundamental (e.g. protein, choline, cholesterol) and non-fundamental (e.g. lutein, zeaxanthin) components that are essential for optimal health. In fact, many in the fore-front of anti-aging research believe that moderate egg consumption of one per day should be an integral part of a complete anti-aging diet. Nutrient (unit) Whole Egg Egg White Egg Yolk Calories (kcal) Protein (g) Total lipid (g) 75 6.25 5.01 17 3.52 0 59 2.78 5.12 Total carbohydrate (g) 0.6 0.3 0 .3 Fatty acids (g) 4.33 0 4.33 Saturated fat (g) 1.55 0 1.55 Monounsaturated fat (g) 1.91 0 1.91 Polyunsaturated fat (g) Cholesterol (mg) Thiamin (mg) Riboflavin (mg) Niacin (mg) Vitamin B6 (mg) Folate (mcg) Vitamin B12 (mcg) Vitamin A (IU) 0.68 213 0.031 0.254 0.036 0.070 23.5 0.50 317.5 0 0 0.002 0.151 0.031 0.001 1.0 0.07 0 0.68 213 0.028 0.103 0.005 0.0069 22.5 0.43 317 Vitamin E (mg) Vitamin D (IU) Choline (mg) Biotin (mcg) Calcium, Ca (mg) Iron, Fe (mg) Magnesium, Mg (mg) Copper, Cu (mg) Iodine, I (mg) Zinc, Zn (mg) 0.70 24.5 215.1 9.98 25 0.72 5 0.007 0.024 0.55 0 0 0.42 2.34 2 0.01 4 0.002 0.001 0 0.70 24.5 214.6 7.58 23 0.59 1 0.004 0.022 0.52 Sodium, Na (mg) Manganese, Mn (mg) 63 0.012 55 0.001 7 0.012 It is clear that eggs are an excellent source of calories (75 calories), cholesterol (213 mg), protein (6.25 gm), and a variety of important nutrients for the body. Calories One egg provides about 75 calories. Based on an average American diet of 2,000 calories per day, one egg will provide 3% of the daily energy's need. The calories provided by the egg are packed with a variety of important macro and micronutrients. This is in contrast to the empty calories commonly found in snacks such as cookies or pastries that are made primarily from refined sugar. In other words, these calories from eggs are good calories dense in nutrients. Protein On average, sedentary people require 0.8 grams of protein per 1 kg of body weight. This works out to about 56 grams of protein a day for a 70 kg (150 pound) person. Those who are physically active or those with greater protein need, such as children, dieters, and the elderly, require more at 1.2 to 1.5 grams of protein per 1 kg of body weight. One egg provides about 6.25 grams of protein, or about 10% of daily protein needs. Half of the protein in an egg comes from the egg white, while the other half from the egg yolk. In fact, egg protein is of such high quality that it is used as the standard by which other proteins are compared. Eggs have a biological value (efficacy with which protein is used for growth) of 93.7%. Comparable values are 84.5% for milk, 76% for fish, and 74.3% for beef. The egg is, therefore, an excellent source of protein and one of the best proteins money can buy. Carotenoids Carotenoids are substances found in vegetables. They gather in high amounts in the retina and the macular region of the eye. Carotenoids are excellent antioxidants and protect the eyes from free radical damage originating from ultraviolet rays of the sun. Carotenoids called lutein and zeaxanthin (yellow or RED carotenoid, respectively) are found in abundance in the egg. Studies have shown that a higher dietary intake of these two carotenoids lowers the risk for cataracts by up to 20 percent and age-related macular degeneration by up to 40 percent. Adult macular degeneration is the number one cause of blindness in individuals over 65 years old. Choline and Betaine Choline is a fundamental dietary component for all cells to function properly. It is a key component for the structural integrity and signaling functions of the cell membrane. It is also a major source of methyl-groups in the diet. In addition, choline directly influences nerve signaling, cell signaling and lipid transport/metabolism. A scientific review article published in the Oct. 5. 2000 issue of the Journal of the American College of Nutrition reports that the nutrient choline, when taken during pregnancy, may be key in the development of an infant's memory function and may improve memory capability later in life. Eggs are great dietary sources of choline, providing about 200 mg per serving. Betaine, also known as trimethylglycine, is produced by choline and the amino acid glycine in the body. Although both folic acid and betaine ease the remethylation of homocysteine into methionine, they are different in that folate-dependent remethylation occurs in all cells, while betaine-dependent remethylation reaction occurs only in the liver. Betaine lowers homocysteine levels in the body. Homocysteine is a well known independent risk factor of cardiovascular disease. A high homocysteine level is a sure prescription for coronary artery disease. Despite this, it should be remembered that folic acid is still the most effective agent in lowering plasma homocysteine concentrations. Cholesterol Eggs have been widely known for their high fat and high cholesterol content, providing about 200 mg of cholesterol per egg. Cholesterol from the egg comes exclusively from the egg yolk. Ever since the discovery that links high blood cholesterol to an increased incidence of cardiovascular disease, the logical conclusion is that any food high in cholesterol should be avoided since consumption of such dietary cholesterol may lead to an increase in blood cholesterol. The hypothesis that "high dietary cholesterol leads to high blood cholesterol" has become such a standard dietary claim that anyone who wishes to avoid or lower the chances of getting heart diseases has to restrict their intake of eggs. Few people have carefully examined the evidences to this hypothesis. The majority of studies conducted over the past two decades on eggs and cholesterol have shown that dietary cholesterol only has a weak link, at best, to blood cholesterol levels because there is only a relatively small change in blood cholesterol levels in response to changes in dietary cholesterol intake. For example, Harvard researchers report in the April 21, 1999 Journal of the American Medical Association that they could find no relationship of moderate egg intake (I per day) with heart disease. Two large prospective studies of 38,000 men and 80,000 women looked at heart attacks and strokes in 8 to 14 years of follow-up after asking about dietary habits. There was no statistically significant difference in risk among people who ate eggs less than once a week compared with those who ate more than one egg a day. The only increase in heart disease risk was seen in diabetics, both men and women. Eighty percent of diabetics are obese. It is thought that the increased risk is linked more to obesity, although the exact mechanism is not known. Researchers have further established that the average response to a 100 mg/day change in dietary cholesterol intake leads to a 2.5 mg/dl change in blood cholesterol levels. While some individuals are more sensitive to the effects of dietary cholesterol (15-20% of the population), the dose adjusted response factor in this group is still relatively small (3.2 vs. 1.6 for sensitive vs. resistant study subjects). For example, it can be estimated that reducing dietary cholesterol intake from 400 mg/day to 300 mg/day results in a plasma cholesterol reduction of 3.2 mg/dl in cholesterol sensitive individuals and as little as 1.6 mg/dl in cholesterol insensitive individuals. In a study by Schnoh et al in 1994, the diet of 24 adults was changed by addition of two eggs per day (400 mg of cholesterol) for six weeks. The researchers found that their total cholesterol levels increased by 4%, while HDL cholesterol levels increased 10%. The dose adjusted response to the change in dietary cholesterol was 2.4 mg/dl per 100 mg/day. This study showed that moderate egg intake should not be rigorously restricted in healthy individuals. In another study by Ginsberg et al in 1994, twenty-four young men were fed 30% fat diets with an addition of zero (128 mg cholesterol/day), one (283 mg/day), two (468 mg/day) or four (858 mg/day) eggs per day to the base diet. Each diet lasted eight weeks. The average blood cholesterol levels in the twenty-four subjects were 155, 161, 162, and 166 mg/dl for the zero, one, two and four eggs per day feeding periods. Plasma total cholesterol increased 1.5 mg/dl per 100 mg/day added dietary cholesterol. Even more important in this particular study was the finding that there was no evidence that changes in dietary cholesterol intakes altered the postprandial plasma lipoprotein profile (lipoproteins thought to be involved in the development of atherosclerosis) and thus did not alter the atherogenic potential of the plasma lipoproteins. The data indicate that in the majority of healthy young men, an addition of two eggs per day to a low-fat diet has little effect on plasma cholesterol levels. Ginsberg followed up with another study in 1995 with a controlled dietary cholesterol feeding study. This time in young women. The effects of feeding zero, one, or three eggs per day on plasma lipids and lipoproteins were measured. Results showed that the dose adjusted plasma cholesterol response was 2.8 mg/dl per 100 mg/day dietary cholesterol (a value higher than that obtained in males in the 1994 study). In women, however, the increase in total plasma cholesterol with dietary cholesterol occurred in both the atherogenic LDL cholesterol (2.1 mg/dl per 100 mg/day) and the anti-atherogenic HDL cholesterol (0.6 mg/dl per 100 mg/day). As found in the previous study in healthy young men, young women have the ability to compensate for an increased intake of cholesterol by adjusting the way cholesterol is handled by the body. The data shows that an addition of two eggs per day to the diet of healthy young women has little effect on plasma cholesterol levels in the majority of study subjects. In addition to the lack of significant correlation between dietary and blood cholesterol, many studies have shown that dietary cholesterol increases both LDL and HDL cholesterol concurrently, with essentially no change in the important LDL: HDL cholesterol ratio. For example, studies have shown that a change of diet by increasing ingestion of 100 mg cholesterol raises LDL cholesterol by 1.9 mg/dL and HDL cholesterol by 0.4 mg/dL. The LDL: HDL ratio change went from 2.60 to 2.61. Risk for cardiovascular disease remained the same. The average American diet derives over 40% of its calories from fat, and the type of fat consumed is usually saturated fat from animal sources such as beef and trans-fat commonly found in fast foods such as French fries. For people on such a "bad fat" diet, consumption of eggs should be reduced and monitored. For healthy individuals who derive only 30 percent of their calories from fat, a moderate intake of one egg a day should not be restricted. The use of dietary intervention as a way to reduce blood cholesterol level should therefore be undertaken with great care to take into consideration the high variability among individuals. Cholesterol is a much-needed macronutrient in the body. Too low a level is not good, and too high is also not good. Recent studies have linked a low blood cholesterol level of under 150 mg/dl to increased rate of cancer. Optimum cholesterol level in our body should be around 200 mg/dl, with a properly balanced total cholesterol/ HDL cholesterol ratio of lower than 4 to 1. Dietary cholesterol is, however, associated with a higher risk of gallstones whose primary component is cholesterol, hence the term; cholesterol gallstones. Excess cholesterol that is taken in through the diet will be absorbed into the blood stream. Some of the cholesterol is carried to the gall bladder, one place where it is eliminated. Dietary cholesterol's link with the occurrence of coronary heart disease or fatality is clearly weak at best. Clearly, the egg is not the demon it has been made out to be at moderate consumption of one per day for the healthy individual. Fiber Like all other animal products, eggs contain no fiber. Dietary fiber helps the body eliminate cholesterol and enhance bowel movement. Ironically, those products that are high in fiber like fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains contain no cholesterol and are low in fat (especially saturated fat). Environmental Contaminants Egg laying hens are usually raised in factory farm conditions, with administration of various drugs, hormones, and medicines in their feed. Many of these drugs are known to be carried over into the food chain via the egg. Eggs are high in the food chain, therefore the environmental contaminates, which the hen is exposed to, are carried over into the eggs. Allergies Egg protein is a leading cause of food allergies, along with cow's milk. The majority of the protein is found in the egg whites. Eliminating eggs from the diet is a good screening test in cases of suspected allergies. It is important that any such trial period be at least 21 days long to allow ample time for the allergen to be washed out of the body. Reappearance of the allergy when egg consumption is resumed will serve as confirmatory test of such allergy. Sulfur Eggs contain much sulfur, which is a strain on the liver and kidneys. This sulfur tends to make the blood acidic. The body performs best in a slightly alkaline environment. Naturally, the body tries to regain its alkalinity by dispensing alkaline (base) minerals such as calcium and magnesium to buffer the acidity. These two minerals are normally stored in bones, and their mobilization can contribute to mineral losing diseases such as osteoporosis. Vitamin C Almost all nutrients required for human well-being is inside the egg, with the exception of vitamin C. Chickens, like most mammals ranging from dogs to polar bears, have an endogenous ability to make their own vitamin C. Human beings, on the other hand, cannot, and need external supplementation from fruits and vegetables. Raw Eggs Raw eggs are far healthier than cooked ones, especially if the cooked egg is fried in a processed oil high in fat. The common concern on raw eggs are bacteria infection such as Salmonella, ever since it has been found inside a small number of eggs. Scientists estimate that, on average across the U.S., only 1 of every 20,000 eggs might contain the bacteria. Therefore, the likelihood that an egg might contain Salmonella is extremely small 0.005% (five one-thousandths of one percent). Statistically, the incidence of salmonella in non-organic eggs is one in 20,000. The chance of infection works out to once every 30 years based on the consumption of a dozen eggs a week. To protect the public at large, the Center for Disease Control in the United States recommends that eggs not be sunny side up. It is feared that all the bacteria will not be killed during frying. It was once believed that salmonella could only be carried over in cracked egg shells. However, recent research has shown that salmonella can be present when the shell has not been breached or cracked. It is interesting that Salmonella bacteria can live on the cardboard (that contain the eggs) for months. If there's any sign that an egg cracked in the carton, throw the carton out. Bacteria can sometimes accumulate on the shell. You should discard any eggs with shells - or, for hardcooked eggs, egg white surfaces - that don't look or feel clean, normally colored, and dry. A slimy feel can indicate bacterial growth and, regardless of color, powdery spots that come off on your hand may indicate mold. Salmonella can be destroyed by light cooking. Egg white will coagulate (set) between 144 and 149° F, the yolk between 149 and 158, and whole egg between 144 and 158° F. Egg products made of plain whole eggs are pasteurized (heated to destroy bacteria), but not cooked, by bringing them to 140° F and keeping them at that temperature for 3 1/2 minutes. Almost any bacteria is killed when an egg is bought to an internal temperature of 160° F. The odds are very small that you will get sick from eating raw eggs. If you want to be safer, use pasteurized eggs in any raw-egg food (like Caesar salad dressing, eggnog, homemade ice cream, as well as cake batters and cookie dough that the kids eat). These shell-less eggs are available in many supermarkets in pint and quart cartons. Some companies are also starting to pasteurize eggs in the shell, so check the label on the carton. Egg Storage Eggs can stay fresh for about three weeks if they are stored in the coldest part of the refrigerator (usually the bottom shelf) in their original carton. Raw egg whites can be stored in a refrigerator safely for up to 4 days and unbroken raw yolks, covered with water, for up to 2 days in a tightly sealed container. Hard boiled yolks can be stored in a tightly sealed container for up to 4 or 5 days as well in a refrigerator. The faster the egg is consumed, the less chance for spoilage due to bacterial growth. When properly handled and stored, eggs rarely spoil. Instead, the white becomes thinner, the yolk becomes flatter and the yolk membrane weakens as the egg ages. While these changes may affect appearance, they are not indicative of any spoilage and generally do not affect the egg's nutritional quality or its functions in recipes. If eggs are kept long enough, the natural tendency is for them to simply dry up - especially if they're stored in a moisture-robbing, frostfree refrigerator. Egg Tips Buy eggs that are clean, sound shelled, fresh, grade AA or A eggs from reputable source in refrigerated cases. Always refrigerate eggs at home. Note that egg shell color and yolk color has nothing to do with egg quality, flavor, nutritive value, or cooking characteristics. Poach eggs instead of frying to cut back on fat . Conclusion The egg is a highly nutritious and functional food. It contains one of the highest quality proteins you can buy. It is also low in sodium, and contains a large variety of vitamins and minerals. Egg protein has just the right mixture of essential amino acids needed by humans to build a strong body. Next to mother's milk, it is the second most nutritious food for human consumption. Repeated studies have failed to correlate the general dietary claim that a moderate consumption (one a day) has a direct and significant positive correlation with the risk of coronary heart disease or stroke in either healthy men or women. Reduction of blood cholesterol is best accomplished through a combination of reduced dietary sugar intake and exercise rather than a restriction of dietary cholesterol alone. Those that embark on a cholesterol restriction program often end up taking in higher amounts of carbohydrates like pasta and white rice, which are more deleterious to their health than cholesterol itself. In addition to its nutritive value, eggs are inexpensive, delicious, and easy to prepare. They should be an integral part of any anti-aging diet. BROWN RICE versus WHITE RICE Milling is the process that creates the difference between brown and white rice. The variety of rice may be identical, but milling removes the husk from the grain and turns the brown rice to white. This is why milling is often called "whitening". By removing the outer layer, which is also known as the bran layer, milling alters the nutritional value of the rice. It is in this bran layer where most of the nutrients are stored. The white rice that most of us eat comprises of mostly carbohydrates, with the nutrients stripped off in the milling process. Carbohydrates are broken down into sugar inside the body. While carbohydrates are a good source of energy (yielding 4 calories per gram), excessive carbohydrate intake leads to sugar imbalance and adult onset diabetes mellitus. Carbohydrate consuming is also addictive. White rice is a large part of the world's diet , and reduction is not a easy process. One way is to consume brown rice instead. The following chart shows the nutritional differences between brown and white rice. As can be observed, fiber is dramatically lower in white rice, as are the oils, most of the B vitamins, and important minerals. Calories Protein Carbohydrate Fat Dietary Fiber Thiamin (B1) Riboflavin (B2) Niacin (B3) Vitamin B6 Folacin Vitamin E Magnesium Phosphorus Potassium Selenium Zinc Brown Rice (one cup) 232 4.88 g 49.7 g 1.17 g 3.32 g 0.176 g 0.039 mg 2.730 mg 0.294 mg 10 mcg 1.4 mg 72.2 mg 142 mg 137 mg 26 mg 1.05 mg White Rice (one cup) 223 4.10 g 49.6 g 0.205 g 0.74 g 0.223 g 0.021 mg 2.050 mg 0.103 mg 4.1 mcg 0.462 mg 22.6 mg 57.4 mg 57.4 mg 19 mg 0.841 mg Bran contains several items of major importance - the two major are: fiber and essential oils. Fiber is not only filling, but is recommended in the prevention of major diseases in this country such as certain gastrointestinal diseases and heart disease. The National Cancer Institute recommends 25 grams of fiber a day, a cup of brown rice will give nearly 3.5 g, while an equal amount of white rice not even 1 g. The oils that are present in the bran also help to lower the risks of heart disease by decreasing the levels of serum cholesterol in our bodies. These are good oils that the body needs and not bad oils (hydrogenated vegetable oils) such as those found in French fries. Carbohydrate-rich diets can be helpful in weight control provided that the carbohydrate is complex and not simple. Simple carbohydrate such as sugar will lead to obesity, cancer, and a myriad of other diseases. We are much better off, then, to eat a well balanced diet low in fat and rich in complex carbohydrates. Brown rice completes the diet in a way that white rice cannot even begin to approach Fruits and Vegetables Reduces Cancer Risks Fruits and vegetables high in vitamin C are associated with a reduced death risk from all causes including heart disease and stroke. Even small increases in levels of vitamin C in the blood reduced the risk of heart disease and death in healthy adults. The risk of death was reduced by 50 per cent for individuals who had the highest levels of vitamin C in their blood compared to those with the lowest levels. It is important to note that the antioxidant vitamin C alone is not responsible for the lower risk of disease and death as observed in the study. Rather, an intake of vitamin C is a marker for an overall healthy lifestyle that includes a nutrient-rich diet, exercise and no smoking. In other findings, high blood levels of vitamin C were linked to a decreased risk for cancer among men and not women. Experts added that small dietary changes could have a profound effect on health. Just one extra serving of fruit or vegetable was linked with a 20 per cent lower risk of death from all causes regardless of age, blood pressure, cholesterol, smoking, diabetes and use of dietary supplements. The Lancet (March 3, 2001;357:657-663) explained that the results are based on a single measurement of vitamin C in the blood of nearly 20,000 individuals aged 45 to 79 in England and medical data over a four-year period. Information provided is courtesy of and compiled by the Academy of Anti-aging Research staff, editors, and other reports. Anti-Aging Perspective: A very significant study. About 80 percent of the supermarket budget goes to buy processed food. This study should be a wake up call for many to switch to organic vegetables and the need for vitamin supplementation. The blood levels of vitamin C appear to be a strong and specific indicator of high fruit and vegetable intake, and it may be all the other components of high fruit and vegetable intake that are protective for mortality, not just vitamin C. Taking vitamin C supplement alone without proper organic fruits and vegetables is not the solution. Taking fruit juices for the vitamin C can cause more harm than good due to the high level of sugar within the juice. Vitamin C is a strong antioxidant that fights free radicals. Free radicals are compounds responsible for many degenerative disease and aging. How much vegetables should you take? Minimum 10 servings a day is recommended for anti-aging. Eating the right kind of vegetables is important. Stay away from those that are grown below the ground (carrots, potato, yam) and staying with green leafy vegetables is the best. Generally, a weekly consumption of 10- 20 pounds of vegetables is recommended. Drinking vegetable juice is a good way to make sure you are getting the right amount of antioxidants if you are not a strong fan of eating vegetables. Beans Eating more beans can help lower your risk of a heart attack, according to many research studies. It has been repeatedly shown that soybean protein and dietary fiber supplements can reduce blood cholesterol levels. Consumption of legumes high in bean protein and fiber, such as red beans, black-eyed peas, pinto beans, might lower the risk of heart disease by lowering cholesterol levels. Peanuts, while a bean, are high in fat so a moderate intake is recommended. In an article published in the Archives of Internal Medicine ( Dec, 2001), a longitudinal study, covered over a 19 year period, showed that those who ate some form of legumes 4 or more times a week had a 22 percent lower risk of heart disease than those who reported eating these foods less than once a week. Given the fact that heart disease affects about 1.1 million Americans every year, and 25 percent of men and 38 percent of women who suffer a heart attack die within one year; it is obvious that beans should be part of an optimum anti-aging diet. Fiber - Friend or Foe? Introduction Dietary fiber, formerly unrecognized for its health benefits, has received much attention in the past decade. It is widely accepted as playing a significant role in reducing total blood cholesterol, thereby decreasing the risk of coronary heart disease. It has also been credited in helping to alleviate numerous bowel disorders, including colon cancer. Are these two hypotheses true? Basics of Dietary Fiber Dietary fiber can be divided into two basic groups, soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber dissolves in water, and insoluble fiber, as the term describes, does not. Both soluble and insoluble fiber provide bulk in the large intestine and encourage bowel regularity. However, there are important differences between the two. Soluble Fiber: The job of soluble fiber is to absorb water in the intestinal tract and slow down the amount of time needed to empty the intestine. Eating these fibers makes you feel full and may help in weight loss. These are also the fibers which are credited with helping to lower bad cholesterol levels in the blood. Examples of foods that contain soluble fibers include: Dried beans and peas. Lentils. Oats. Barley. Psyllium laxatives Sesame seed Fruit, especially bananas, apple pulp, citrus, grapes, apricots, cherries Vegetables, especially potatoes, cabbage, carrots Remember that fruits and oats are primary sources of soluble fibers. Psyllium is the most convenient and readily available form of soluble fiber supplementation. Insoluble Fiber: Insoluble fibers draw water into the intestinal tract, but rather than slowing down digestion, they actually speed it up and increase the amount and frequency of bowel movements. Examples of foods that contain insoluble fibers: Wheat bran Apple and pear skins Peas and carrots Bran cereals Whole-grain breads Vegetables. Pears Toasted whole-grain breads Browned potatoes Remember that vegetables and wheat bran are the primary sources of insoluble fiber. Fiber - Which Kind Do You Need? In order to achieve the maximum amount of benefit from fiber, you should try to get both types into your diet. Plant foods all contain both types of fiber - although some are particularly rich in one or the other. Think of vegetables and wheat bran as the primary sources of providing insoluble fibers. Think of fruits, oats, and psyllium laxatives as sources of soluble fibers. Following the anti-aging Mediterranean diet will give you both. Psyllium As the Source of Soluble Fiber Psyllium (Metamucil), a natural, water-soluble, gel-reducing fiber, which is extracted from the husks of blond psyllium seeds (plantago ovata), is a member of a class of soluble fibers referred to as mucilages. Psyllium's total dietary content - 86 percent - is made up of 71 percent soluble fiber and 15 percent insoluble fiber. This compares to 15 percent total fiber and only five percent soluble fiber for oat bran. The soluble fiber in one tablespoon of psyllium is equal to 14 tablespoons of oat bran, another soluble fiber. For this reason, in contrast to oats, psyllium is added in relatively small quantities to other cereal grains to make food products. Psyllium and Cholesterol Through the years, researchers have found that patients with mild to moderately elevated cholesterol levels can achieve a sustained reduction of about 10% in cholesterol level by consuming psyllium twice a week.N Numerous landmark studies have been conducted to validate this. One is cited in the December 1, 1996 issue of the publication <I>OBGYN News</I>. This study was led by Dr. James Anderson, professor of medicine at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine in Lexington. For six months, Dr. Anderson followed 248 patients who were all instructed to follow the AHA diet. Some patients were given Psyllium while others were given a placebo. The average cholesterol level for the study population was 229 mg/dl, with an LDL of 154 mg/dl. After six months, members of the Psyllium plus diet group lowered their total cholesterol by 8.6% and their LDL by 11.1%, versus those in the diet group who showed only a 4% reduction in both these levels. The researchers further note that the Psyllium worked best for those people with the highest cholesterol levels, with reductions of up to 25%. Another well-designed, controlled study followed more than 100 adults with high blood cholesterol (levels greater than 220 mg/dl). The study followed men and women who ate a high-fat diet (40 percent or more of total calories) as compared to those who ate a low-fat diet (no more than 30 percent of total calories). Researchers then compared the effects of adding 1 1/2 packets of Psyllium (Metamucil) twice a day on blood cholesterol levels with the effects of not taking the soluble fiber supplement. After eight weeks, supplementation with Psyllium showed a small but significant decrease in total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels, regardless of the type of diet. Total cholesterol levels dropped a weighted average of 4.7 percent; LDL cholesterol levels showed a 6.6 percent decrease. Soluble fibers appear to reduce blood cholesterol in two ways. First, they prevent the reabsorption of vital bile acids from the small intestine. To replace the lost bile acids, cholesterol is drawn from the body, thereby reducing its cholesterol supply. Second, the fermentation of soluble fibers in the intestine produces shortchain fatty acids which block the synthesis of cholesterol. Studies suggest that soluble fibers also may help control the rise in blood sugar following a meal and reduce insulin requirements in some patients with diabetes mellitus. By increasing the viscosity of gastrointestinal contents, soluble fibers retard gastric emptying, slowing the absorption of glucose in the process. Psyllium and Digestive System Function People also use Psyllium to treat chronic, not acute, constipation as well as acute diarrhea, diverticulosis (asymptomatic infection of large intestine), diverticulitis (infection/inflammation of lower large intestine), and irritable bowel syndrome. Psyllium is a laxative that promotes bowel movements by absorbing water and electrolytes, producing a bulk fluid that is easy to pass. It is contained in fiber supplements, such as Metamucil, Effer-syllium, Perdiem Fiber, Konsyl and Hydrocil, and in Kellogg's Bran Buds ready-to-eat cereal. For constipation, Psyllium is often taken as 1-2 teaspoons or 1-2 packets, 1-3 times daily. It needs to be mixed with water or juice, and should be accompanied by a lot of fluids throughout the day. Side effects are most commonly bloating, flatulence, and cramps. People with intestinal ulceration, bowel adhesions, or stenosis should use caution when taking Psyllium. For these people, Psyllium could cause more harm than good to their digestive system. Soluble Fiber - Friend or Foe? To many, soluble fiber is a close friend that keeps them away from constipation by increasing ease of bowl movement. This is especially true among many that have a high tendency of getting constipated easily. Those over 50 years old are particularly affected by slowing motility of the gastrointestinal tract and resultant constipation. Taking soluble fiber two to three times a day is a simple way to solve this problem. Many people with normal digestive functions still take Psyllium on the hypothesis that a faster and softer bowl movement improves transit time. This theoretically translates into less time the feces and its contaminants stay in the body. Ultimately, this is postulated to enhance bowl health and prevents the formation of polyps, some of which can lead to colon cancer. However, three landmark studies, including one carried out on more than 88,000 nurses and published in the New England Journal of Medicine, showed that a high fiber diet seemed to offer no protection specifically against colon cancer. Another study published in the British Medical Association journal Lancet (October, 2000) raises questions over previous studies showing the benefits of fiber in preventing colorectal cancers as well. This particular study was lead by the European Cancer Prevention Organization Study Group and found dietary fiber (by Psyllium supplement) can actually increase the risk of colorectal cancer. The efficacy of dietary supplementation of calcium and fiber on the recurrence of cancer was studied by researchers from nine European countries and Israel. They assigned 665 people to groups that randomly receive calcium, soluble fiber (3.5 to 5 grams of Psyllium) or a placebo. They were then examined with a colonoscopy after three years. Of the 665 that participated, 552 received the follow-up exam. At least one cancer developed in 16 percent of the calcium group, 29 percent in the fiber group and 20 percent in the placebo group. They say while the benefit of the calcium was not statistically significant, the increase in the soluble fiber group was. The findings of this study is consistent with two earlier American studies that suggest a low-fat, high-fiber diet may not be an effective strategy to prevent colorectal cancer recurrence in those who have a history of polyps. Dr. Bonithon-Kopp, author of the study, pointed out, "However, our findings should not prevent recommendations for high consumption of vegetables, fruits and cereals, because this approach has potentially beneficial effects on other chronic diseases, especially coronary heart disease." It is important to put such studies into perspective. So far, three major studies were published that looked at the relationship of dietary fiber and cancer. Only the early stages of the adenoma-cancer sequences were studied. It was found that soluble fiber did not have a benefit in preventing recurrence of small polyps. This should not come as a surprise. Soluble fiber's main action is in lowering of cholesterol and reduction of cardiovascular disease. Its colon cancer prevention properties have been under investigation and merely hypothesized for years without concrete evidence. The latest three studies provide good evidence that indeed the role of soluble fiber in preventing colon cancer is probably not well founded. For prevention of colon cancer, insoluble fiber is the diet of choice. Insoluble fiber is not what was supplemented in these studies. Subjects in the last study were given Psyllium, which consists of 71% soluble and 15% insoluble fiber. Furthermore, this last study did not address the issue of the progression of adenoma into full fledge cancer. Soluble fiber may still prevent the progression of these polyps into tumors. That type of study has yet to be done, especially as it relates to the malignant transformation of adenoma. It is well known that fiber's health enhancing activities is maximized in the presence of high volume of water, which acts to soften the bulk of the stool. It is also unclear in this study whether the participants have increased their water intake in conjunction with the soluble fiber intake. Should You Take Fiber Supplements? The average American diet is low in fiber (5-15 grams). For optimal anti-aging purposes, 25-30 grams of fiber is needed. This can be achieved by taking in half a cup of bran, one cup of legume, 2 cups of vegetables, 3 fruits, whole grain bread and cereal on a daily basis. If you are not, consider fiber supplementation together with digestive enzymes and higher intake of water to enhance gastrointestinal health. All fiber supplements are best taken one hour before a meal so as not to interfere with absorption of nutrients. If you are currently on soluble fiber for cholesterol control, there is no reason to stop,for the simple reason that soluble fiber lowers cholesterol. If your primary objective is to prevent colon cancer, then it is wise in view of the last 3 major studies to take additional vegetables and whole grain products such as wheat bran, which will provide you with insoluble fiber, instead of taking fiber supplements such as Psyllium as a way to prevent cancer. Regardless of whether you are taking soluble or insoluble fiber, do remember to make sure your water intake is at least 8-10 glasses a day, especially if you are on any fiber supplement program. If you have high cholesterol and want to totally stay away from Psyllium as a way to reduce cholesterol level, some natural alternatives to consider include garlic, niacin (in therapeutic dosages), and statin drugs (prescription required). The take home lesion is simple: take insoluble fibers, which come from whole foods such as vegetables, wheat, and grain products, for cancer prevention. For cholesterol control, take soluble fibers, which are abundant in fruits, oat bran, legumes, apple pectin, and guar gum. Take Psyllium as a supplement for cholesterol control and not for cancer prevention. For those who are using Psyllium to enhance bowel motility, you may want to reduce Psyllium intake and increase your digestive enzymes intake while maintaining a high water intake of 8-10 glasses a day. If you can get all the fibers from your diet alone, that is best. The Mediterranean diet (with a heavy focus on dense vegetables) provides both soluble and insoluble fibers from whole foods, not to mention antioxidants and other nutrients that have benefits of which are still undiscovered. ANTI-AGING SUPPLEMENTS - INTRODUCTION Supplementing your diet with vitamins, minerals and herbs will significantly increase your life span. These agents to diet cannot replace proper nutrition, but aid and abet a healthy life extension. Not all nutrients are anti-aging supplements per se. Anti-aging supplements address and prevent any possible deterioration in the cells that may accelerate the aging process. The fact that supplements could aid in preventing certain disease has not always been known. Between 1500 B.C and 1900 A.D, it was observed that certain foods prevented some diseases. Egyptians used liver to ward off night blindness. From 1890 to 1900 the relationship between the lack of certain foods and disease became established. For instance, polished rice (lacking in thiamine) caused beriberi. The years 1900-1948 were known as the golden age of vitamin discovery. Many techniques for perfecting the production of vitamins, such as isolation and synthesis, were pioneered. In 1933, the first commercial synthesis of Vitamin C occurred. Up until recently many fallacies existed about vitamins and minerals. Following here below are three such basic misconceptions in this field. First, vitamins are a catalyst and therefore are needed in very small doses since they can be recycled almost indefinitely. Second, vitamins are needed only to prevent deficiency diseases such as Vitamin C for scurvy and nicotinic acid for pellagra. Third, large doses are not needed and are dangerous. In fact, optimum doses of vitamins should be used in both prevention and optimum health . These doses vary from very small to very large (e.g. 10 mg nicotinic acid needed to prevent pellagra, but 1000 mg to prevent recurring chronic pelagra). Furthermore, there is no optimum dose for the whole population. It depends upon age, sex, type of illness, type of stressors. Another discovery found that vitamins have activity which appear to be unrelated to their properties as vitamins. RECOMMENDED DAILY ALLOWANCE Before advancing any further, a word on the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) will be forthcoming. The RDA is the measured amount or dosage of nutrient per vitamin and minerals recommend. The U.S. federal government sets these levels . The RDA indicates the amount of vitamins and minerals needed to prevent common deficiency diseases (such as rickets or scurvy) for the average person. The average person assumes that you are an adult under 60 years old who is in good health, has normal digestion, isn't overweight, leads a relatively stress-free life, has no medical problems, does not need any medication, and eats a good diet everyday of 2,000 calories per day (most older people eat less than 1500 calories per day). Needless to say, most of us don't fit into the definition of the average person defined by RDA. In fact, most adult women don't meet the RDA for zinc, Vitamin B, calcium, magnesium, and Vitamin E; likewise, most adult men don't meet the RDA for zinc and magnesium. Fewer than 29% of people eat 5 fresh fruits and vegetables a day. Furthermore, 20% of the people don't eat ANY fruits or vegetables at all. IS RDA SUFFICIENT FOR ANTI-AGING The question then naturally becomes Is RDA sufficient for anti-aging? We feel that in general, RDA is inadequate if your goal is for prevention of heart disease, cancer, cataracts, arthritis and other age related diseases. For optimal anti-aging intake, many health practitioners are recommending many times higher than the RDA on certain nutrients. At this point allow us a note on measuring vitamin levels. Ordinary blood tests are not adequate to tell us the true level or functional level of each vitamin. You can be "normal" based on blood level and lack the amount needed for optimum metabolic function, especially for anti-aging purposes. SOME ALARMING NEWS It's no secret that for the majority of the U.S. population, the diet is poorly lacking in essential nutrients. Half of all Americans past sixty years are deficient in Vitamin A, C, and E, even by minimum standard RDA. As we age our body run out of steam; therefore, we need more nutrients. Growing old itself can even be viewed as a vitamin deficiency disease of monumental magnitude. Worse, these deficiencies have virtually been ignored for the past century. To add to this perplexity, it has been learned that food cannot give us all the vitamins and minerals we need to slow down aging. Additionally, nearly all Americans are deficient even in the minimal RDA requirements, and are therefore exposed to premature death. Moreover, vitamins and minerals in anti-aging are remarkably safe and free of side effects if taken properly. Vitamins and minerals work together synergistically to slow down aging. There is no one anti-aging miracle vitamin or mineral. WHY DO YOU NEED SUPPLEMENTS? The answer posed to the question in the heading above is plain: You simply cannot get enough of some of vitamins and minerals in regular or anti-aging dosages, even if you eat a healthy anti-aging diet (50% fruits and vegetables, 25% protein, and 25% fat). The following information on several important vitamins and minerals shows why dieting alone cannot give you enough vitamins and minerals to promote anti-aging. For Instance, take Vitamin E -one would need a daily intake of 5,000 calories per day (mostly fat) in order to get 400 IU ; or take chromium - a daily intake of 5,000 calories per day to get the minimum requirement of 50 mcg per day.Zinc - a daily intake of 2,400 calorie per day is needed jus To get the recommended 200 mcg of chromium, you would have to consume more than 12,000 calories per day! t to reach its RDA; magnesium - intake of 2,000 calorie per day is needed to get enough magnesium; coenzyme Q-10 - intake of 1 pound of sardines or 2.5 pounds of pancreas to get 30mg of CoQ-10 (healthy people need 30mg and chronic patients need 50-150 mg). From this short catalog it is evident that taking supplements is a more reasonable and convenient way to provide you with the necessary optimum level of these nutrients. Supplements - To Take or Not? According to a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association (2002;287:3127-9), all grown-ups should take a daily multivitamin. Two leading doctors, from the Harvard University published this new report. This suggestion was put forth after much research was conducted. The research had proven that if we were to take a multivitamin each day, our chances of getting chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer and osteoporosis would be greatly reduced. Here are some conclusive evidences: 1. Supplementing with folic acid during the first trimester of pregnancy reduces the risk of birth defects known as neural tube defects. 2. When Vitamin D is taken with calcium, it reduces the risk of fractures in elderly women with thin bones (osteoporosis). 3. Supplementing with folic acid, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12 may help to prevent heart disease by lowering homocysteine levels. (This evidence is strong but not yet conclusive). 4. Vitamin supplements may reduce the risk of colon and breast cancer. This proposal of supplementing vitamins daily is still relatively new in the conventional medical arena. However, attitudes are beginning to change and more doctors are beginning to recognize its benefits. In the past, most doctors said that vitamin supplements were not necessary because they believed that the normal American diet provided all the essential nutrients to maintain good health and prevent diseases. Today, as the Harvard researchers point out, this opinion is no longer defensible with the rising number of chronic diseases. The fact that researchers have now proven that vitamin supplementation can prevent several common chronic diseases goes to show that the average American diet indeed does not provide the optimal amounts of nutrients. If we were to consume too much nutrient-depleted foods such as refined sugar and white flour, we will suffer from vitamin deficiencies. The latter can also arise from other factors such as inadequate intakes of vitamin-rich fruits and vegetables and nutrient losses due to processing, prolonged heating and long term storage of foods. While vitamin supplementation can help to correct certain deficiencies in our bodies, it is not an adequate substitute for a good diet. In other words, we must still maintain a good and healthy diet while taking in extra vitamins. Whole, unprocessed foods contain a wide array of beneficial substances besides vitamins, such as carotenoids, flavonoids, natural antioxidants and other unidentified compounds. The researchers therefore suggest that the best approach is to eat properly and to take a multivitamin. The researchers also highlight that as most multivitamins contain iron, it may not be suitable for many men, nonmenstruating women and a small proportion of the population with an inherited intolerance to iron (hemochromatosis). As such, these people should consult their family doctors on whether it is appropriate to include iron in their supplement. Over the last 50 years, the concept of antioxidants have arisen from hoax to science. It is now generally believed that antioxidants have the ability to serve as a rust protector for the body, putting a stop to a process called oxidation. Important molecules in the body, such as those that form the walls of arteries, become oxidized when they lose an electron. Once oxidized, they become unstable and easily break apart, leading to arthrosclerosis. Free radical. Free radicals are highly reactive molecules, or single atoms with unpaired electrons, looking for a mate to stabilize themselves. They steal an electron from the first molecule they encounter, perhaps a cell wall or a strand of DNA. Antioxidants are molecules that have extra electrons to donate to free radicals, thereby neutralizing them. As free-radical damage mounts, cells can no longer perform Optimumly. Tissues degradation begins, and disease sets in gradually. An excess of free radicals has been implicated in the development of cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and cancer, among others. Aging itself has been defined as a gradual accumulation of free radical damage. By age 50, it is estimated that a large part of our cellular protein has oxidative damage. Yet not all free radicals are bad. Benefits of Free Radical Free radicals are necessary for life. The body cannot turn air and food into chemical energy without a chain reaction at the mitochondria involving energy production and free radicals as its by-product. Free radicals are also a crucial part of the immune system, attacking foreign invaders. They help fight against bacteria. The production of free radicals and destruction of free radicals in a non-harmful manner is also the result of normal metabolic processes in the body. Endogenous and exogenous antioxidants mop some of them up. The body hopes to avoid excessive free-radical production, but it a certain amount is absolutely necessary for life. Positive studies on Antioxidants The job of antioxidants is to neutralize free radicals. Studies have indicate fairly consistently that having too few antioxidants is a bad for the body. As early as 1983, a study published in the British medical journal The Lancet, found that people with low blood levels of selenium were twice as likely to develop cancer compared with people with normal levels. In the late 1980s, a landmark study, the Harvard-based Physicians Health Study - which has recorded the lifestyles of some 50,000 male health professionals for the past 15 years - found that men whose diet is rich in vitamin were half as likely to develop heart disease compare to those with very low levels of dietary vitamin E. It is important to note that although these epidemiological studies suggest an association between antioxidants and good health, this does not mean that the antioxidants directly caused the improved health. Furthermore, it should not be concluded that taking antioxidants improves health in and of itself without a concurrent healthy lifestyle. Since the mid-1990s, numerous studies have suggested that nutritional supplementation commonly referred to as RDA ( recommended daily allowance ) should be increased. Skin cancer patients given daily selenium supplements were twice as likely to survive their cancer as those patients not given selenium, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reported in 1996. This was a well designed , multi-center, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study with more than 1,300 patients . The researchers were so impressed that the study was stopped after six years so that all patients could benefit from the selenium supplement. Other studies showed similar positive results. Vitamin E has been shown to postpone the onset of Alzheimer's symptoms in a small study published in the NEJM in 1997. It has also been shown to slow the onset of coronary artery disease in a study at the University of Southern California School of Medicine that was published in JAMA in 1995. Vitamin E also cut the risk of cataracts by half in a 1998 study published in the journal Ophthalmology. Vitamin C has its share of supporters as well. It has been shown to reduce oxidative stress in the retina and deter adult macular degeneration, among other benefits. Extra chromium has been shown to stabilize sugar imbalance, and extra reduced the risk of prostate, colorectal and lung cancer. Negative Studies on Anti-oxidants Over the years, various neutral and even negative reports about the benefits of antioxidant supplements also surfaced. One study found that Finnish male smokers were 18 percent more likely to develop lung cancer after taking a beta-carotene supplement. This was reported in NEJM in 1994. Three years later, The Lancet published a study of about 2,000 men receiving vitamin E alone, beta-carotene alone, both, or a placebo after suffering their first heart attack. The group taking both vitamin E and betacarotene was about twice as likely to die from a second heart attack or heart disease as the placebo group, and the vitamin E-only group was about 1.5 times as likely to die. Other studies showed similar negative results. Reputable studies in the mid 1990s show no evidence that vitamins C and E or beta carotene prevented colorectal cancer or arthrosclerosis. There was also no evidence that beta carotene alone prevented cancer or heart disease in more than 22,000 physicians over 12 years in one study. The one consistent finding is that smokers should not take high dose of beta carotene, with a 28 percent higher incidence of lung cancer as a result. Who is right? They are all right. Criticisms naturally flowed back and forth, with the pro-supplement physicians finding methodological errors in studies casting doubt on pills, and the anti-supplement wing finding similar problems in the work that seemed to contradict their findings. Most likely, all these studies might be absolutely right, pointing to the complexity of the matter - that we don't fully understand the intricate relationship between certain types of antioxidants and certain types of free radicals at different moments over the course of one's lifetime. Each antioxidants is different. They work in different places, at different times, and in different dosage. Blanket statements or broad conclusions drawn from any study on either camp will not stand up to scrutiny. It is important to take a step back and look at the whole process of oxidative stress in relation to the body as a whole for one to make sense out to the conflicting reports that may surface from time to time. The traditional cause-and-effect approach of medical and scientific studies works only marginally when baseline parameters of each antioxidant has yet to be formulated and verified. Just as extra free radical can be a detriment, extra amounts of antioxidants might be turning into prooxidants , fueling free-radical production and its damage. In other words , too much of something may not be good. The problem is that no one really knows how much is too much. Animals , for example, produce vitamin C in an equivalent human dose of about 5 grams a day. This amount is increased by four times during stress. Humans do not make vitamin C. A reasonable dose of 1 gram to 3 grams a day is extremely safe and non toxic. Most anti-aging researchers do not consider this amount excessive. Yet in the lay community where the RDA is only 80 mg a day, the perception of taking even 1 gram of vitamin C per day may appear excessive. Several studies have shown that people who did not get the RDA ( 80 mg) of vitamin C had an increase in freeradical damage to their DNA. Paradoxically, those who took mega doses (over 5-10 grams a day ) of C also had an increase in DNA damage, although it is used as an anti-cancer therapeutic agent in selected cases. Compounding this is the fact that free radicals have been shown to kill certain cancer cells and thus can be good for the body in . The picture is complex indeed. Recall some 30 years ago, our knowledge of cholesterol is quite simplistic. HDL cholesterol and LDL cholesterol has just be discovered. Their exact relationship is still unknown. Physicians were trained to lower cholesterol, and reduction of dietary cholesterol intake seems a logical and sensible approach. Today, we are aware of "good" HDL cholesterol and the "bad" LDL cholesterol. More importantly, we know that it is the ratio of the good versus the bad cholesterol that is the key to optimum health and not the absolute total cholesterol level. We also know now that blood cholesterol level is more directly related to sugar intake than dietary cholesterol intake. The similar story can be said about the good omega-3 fatty acid versus the not so desirable omega 6 fatty acid balance which only 20 years ago was not known to the best nutritionist. To make things worse, the more we know about these relationships, the more we realize how much we still don't know. The body is indeed the most miraculous machine on the planet. Although the theory of free radical and oxidative stress was first advanced in 1956, we are still in our infancy stage in its understanding and implication for anti-aging. Each study is trying to measure a specific parameter, but the very nature of the measurement is difficult to interpret due to our limited knowledge of how each vitamin works to begin with. Researches are often left with more empirical observations than conclusions. The danger lies when one tries to associate observations into conclusions. In the absence of better data, this is the best we can do, some researchers would argue. This is a normal process of any research, especially in a subject as complicated as this in its infancy stages. The smart consumer and physician should take a global view of the entire body of research and its various observations and deduce a overall logical conclusion rather than relying on any single research study to make any decision, as any such study by definition at this stage of our limited knowledge is imperfect. Conclusion It should be clear that free radicals are as good as they are bad, and antioxidants in very high doses (higher than optimum dose) may do the body harm. The question of whether to take supplements comes down to an intellectual one. Doctors are split on whether to recommend antioxidant supplements to their patients. The camps are broken down into those who believe there are not enough data to make blanket recommendations; those who feel that Americans (particularly children) have such a poor diet that they need a supplement to ensure adequate levels for basic function; and those who say that anyone can benefit from increased antioxidants regardless of how healthy the diet is. A smaller camp sees in the reports about negative effects of antioxidant pills reason enough not to take any. No amount of scientific data in the next few decades can convince the skeptical mind that requires absolute proof before taking action. Our knowledge is in nutritional medicine is growing exponentially. It is conceivable that supplements might do nothing at all because they can't get to where they are needed, or that antioxidants might not be the magic beneficial chemical in the food we eat after all. Whether to wait for more information, knowing that they will be conflicting from time to time, or to proceed on a prudent and cautious basis, depends on the amount of time available in one's lifespan. Prevention of oxidative stress takes time, especially if one lives in a polluted environment. Aging is a process that starts around age 25 . If you are past age 35 ( where you have entered the transition phase of aging ) , and especially if you are past age 45 ( where you have entered the clinical phase of aging), taking optimum amount ( not mega dose amount ) of nutritional supplements should be considered seriously. The Best Strategy is : 1. Start with a healthy Modified Mediterranean Anti-aging Diet. Fruit and vegetables are rich in antioxidants, but these plants contain hundreds of other chemicals. Any single chemical or combination of chemicals might pack the therapeutic punch. Nutrients from food enable the body to make its own antioxidants. A chemical produced by the body called glutathione is ultimately responsible for neutralizing free radicals, and the glutathione concentration in cells dwarfs that of the free-radical scavengers such as vitamin C and E. 2. Fortify with an optimum amount (not mega dose amount) of anti-oxidants in accordance with the optimum daily allowance through a balanced nutritional cocktail as an insurance policy to maintain a proper balance with free radical productions if you are over age 35. This two-step approach makes most scientific sense at this time. Supplement Facts Table Nutrien In the Reaso Functio t form of n n Equiv Optimu alent Side Research m Toxicity in Effects Dosage Food 5000 From Safe Headach I.U. Cod dosage es, dry liver oil up to skin, and is most 20,000 liver comm I.U. damage on in dosage over 25,000 I.U. Vitamin Vitamin A Natura Strong A l Antioxida animal nt; source Essential for healthy skin, mucous membra ne, and eyes Natural More Same as Hundreds 10,000 beta effecti above; of studies 20,000 cartoene ve also a including I.U. than strong one at synthe antiHarvard tic oxidant shows that 1 cup Non of toxic up carrot to juice 100,000 contain I.U. a s day Over 100,000 I.U. a day causes a yellowish source s those taking 11,000 I.U per day ( ¼ cup of carrot juice or 5 carrot sticks) have a 22% lower risk of heart disease than those getting less than 3000 I.U. per day. Vitamin Ascorbic No Key anti- A study of 1200 C acid- corn reason oxidant 11000 3,000mg free to that Americans ( up to waste supports show that 10,000 money collagen intake of mg have on formation 300 mg a been unprov , blood day add 6 safely en vessels, years to a taken for minera immune man’s life long l defenses and 2 period of ascob and years to a time. For ates or adrenal woman’s dosage ascorb function. life. above ic Reduce Cardiovas 3000 mg palmat down cular a day, e time with disease mineral unless common decreases ascorbic intake cold; by 40%. s are over Dr. Linus recomm 3000 Pauling ended ) mg a takes day 18,000 mg for years and attribute 40,000 I.U. tone on the skin which disappea rs when stopped 1 Non orange toxic as has water about soluble. 80 mg. So you need 15 orange s a day to get 1200 mg of vitamin C Some experien ce slight diarrhea after several thousand milligram s, while others are not bother by then times this amount. 12 yrs of life extension to this vitamin Vitamin cholecalci Reduc Needed If you are 100 I.U. D-3 ferol ed for exposed to dosag optimum sunlight e to calcium regularly, preven absorptio chances t n and are you toxicity maintain don’t need of vitamin D healthy supplemen bones t Vitamin Natural E form Water dispersibl e dalphatoco pherol succinate Natura l form is more active, althou gh more expan sive than syneth ic forms Anti*In those 400 I.U. oxidant of 60 ( up to that years old, 800 I.U protects taking can be red blood 400-800 taken for cell, I.U. per normal arteries, day for 30 optimum eyes, days health ) liver, results in skin, improvem breast, ent of testes. immune Lowers function by LDL 10-50%. cholester *National ol Cancer Institute study show mouth and throat cancer risk decreased by 50% Cod liver oil is an excelle nt source Toxic if over 1000 I.U. for long period of time Continuo us overdose of 1000 I.U. can lead to headach es, kidney stones, and deafness , and death To get Toxic if Intake of 400 over over I.U. a 3000 I.U 3000 I.U. day can require cause s2 headach quart es, of corn diarrhea, oil , or increase 5 lbs of d blood wheat pressure germ , or 28 cups of peanut s( total 5000 kcal, mostly in fat) B1 Thiamin and lung cancer risk decreased by 50% in non smokers after 6 months . *Risk of not taking = risk of smoking *University of Texas study found that taking taking 800 I.U. of vitamin E for 3 months slashes LDL cholesterol oxidation and heart disease by 40% Energy Works with 100 mg metaboli other B sm, vitamins nervous syngeristic system ally brewer' Non s toxic yeast, Brazil nuts, barley cereals , cooked green peas, cooked soybea ns, None B2 riboflavin B3 Niacin and Niacinami de cooked aspara gus Energy Works with 50 mg cooked Non metaboli other B liver, toxic sm, Skin, vitamins Brewer hair, nail syngeristic 's ally; used yeast, in whole connection milk, with cooked canker collard sores, greens cataracts , raw spinac h, cooked broccol i and aspara gus Release Reduce 10-20 fried Non energy cholesterol mg liver, toxic; from and niacin brewer' some food; triglyceride and 100- s flushing support 250 mg yeast, with mental of cooked niacin; function, niacinam chicke nianami cholester ide n, de more ol ground gentle metaboli beef, sm, sex cooked hormone haddo formation ck, roaste d peanut s, peanut butter, cooked green peas, None Rare liver problems have been reported in intake of over several thousand mg baked white potato es, cooked aspara gus, cooked corn on cob, blackeyed peas, cooked collard greens B6 Pyridoxin e Amino Helps in 100 mg acid depression metaboli , motion sm; sickness nervous and heart system, disease steroid hormone formation , fluid balance B9 Folic Acid RNA and Harvard of DNA 16000 synthesis women ; and 9500 homocys men show teine those who metaboli ate 700 sm mcg of folic acid a day had 2/3 of risk of getting pre- Non Toxic Rare. At long term very high levels ( 2000 mg a day), seneroy nerve damage have been reported 800 mcg Gener NonVery high ally toxic; no dose of take side folic acid enoug effects can h from with mask the food 5000symptom as ra 10000 s of B12 reliable mcg deficienc source intake y and preniciou s anemia B12 Colbalami n cancerous ployps in colon compare to those taking only 166 mcg per day. (The average American over 50 years old only takes in 130 mcg of folic acid per day) Smokers need 3 times more folic acid to have the same effect as non smoker Blood 24% of 100 formation people 1,000 ; brain over 69 mcg and years old nervous are system; deficient; works 40% of with folic those over acid to 80 years keep old are blood deficient homocys due to teine decrease level low in secretion Found Non in all toxic founds of animal origin. B5 Lysine Pantothe nic Acid of intrinsic factor necessary for absorption ; Lack of B12 causes pseudo senility, with Alzheimer like symptoms One can have Normal blood test level and still lack B12 to carry out the functions Adrenal Used to to 100-500 function; reduce mcg healthy cholesterol skin, and energy triglyceride productio ; Work n together with B1, B1, and B3 to help make ATP Essential Dr. Linus 500amino Pauling 1000 mg acid believes as needed that lysine added for helps protectio growth maintain n and healthy tissue blood Greate Non r toxic; amoun very t found large in amounts primitiv ( several e diets grams a than in day) can moder cause n diet diarrhea Most Non people Toxic consu me enoug h lysine Over 2000 mg to 3000 mg have been linked to increase d risk of repair vessels. *A precursor of methionine and LCarnitine and therefore beneficial to the heart Choline Choline; PC Transpor Used in a 200-300 also smells t fat wide mcg per Phosphati like through variety of day dly fish; liver and neurologic choline / therefo blood; al and lecithin re use compone psychiatric (10-20% cholin nt of disorders PC) e neuro transmitt er Inositol Cell 100-200 membra mg per ne day structure; nervous system PABA A compoun d that is loosely considere d to be a member of the Vitamin B complex. Enhance the effects of hormone s by delaying their breakdo wn in the liver; helpful in promoting pregnancy and in connective tissue disorders such as scleroder ma and dermatolm 50 mg per day for mainten ance (500 mg to 12 grams for specific diseases gallstone s and cholester ol Found in soy bean, liver, oatme al, cabba ge, egg yolk Nuts , beans, wheat, orange ; in the form of phyate Nontoxic Diarrhea or nausea when over several grams a day No toxicity has been reported Large amount reduces the absorptio n of calcium, iron and Zinc. Found in grains and animal good 8 grams a day may lower blood sugar, rash, fever, and in rare occasio Bioflavo noids (water soluble plant pigment s) e.g. flavano nes in citrus, isoflavo nes in soy, anthocy anins in wine, flavans in apples and tea Calcium Citrus bioflavon oids such as isoflavon es, anthocya nins, flavons, Calcium Carbonat e (40% elemental calcium) . yositis; skin disease such as vitaligo and Peyronie’s Disease; Help People protect who eat vitamin C high levels and of improve bioflavonoi the ds have absorptio been n of found to Vitamin have an C. Also overall inhibit lower risk bone of getting tumor a wide promoter variety of s and cancer. human cancer cells; Calciu Bone French m and teth study of citrate formation 3270 is . Muscle women better contracti oave age absorb on 80 who ed, but Reduce took daily it only risk of 1200 mg contai kidney of ns stones elemental 21% by calcium eleme reducing plus 800 ntal absorptio I.U. of calciu n of vitamin D3 m; exalate show 43% ) n, liver damage 100-200 In No mg for healthy consiste mainten diet nt ance; 1 toxicity gm for other treatmen than a t bioflavo noid called cianidan ol which is NOT found in supplem ent 300 mg A Up to for men; glass 2500 500 mg of skim mg a for milk day for women; contain long maintain s 300 term calcium mg; a cause to cup of no magnesi yogurt problem um ratio contain unless of 1: 1 up to one has (For best 400 ulcer as absorpti mg too high on, split Tofu calcium the (not unabsor Do not take Tums as a form of Calcium as they neutraliz e the stomach acid needed for calcium absorptio n; Too calciu m lactate 13%; calciu m glucon ate 9%; Don’t take calciu m made of bonemeal or dolomi te which contai n lead For small less dosage number fracture of to 500 of people the hip ( mg at a who mortality time ) absorb rate of too much 20%) and calcium 32% less there fracture of may be the wrist, an arm, and increase pelvis in the *most risk of Americans forming only get stones in half the high calcium dosage they need There is for antino truth aging *less to the than 50% myth that of children dairy in U.S. get source the Calcium recommen “doesn’t ded daily absorb” allowance calcium deficiency affects both man and women need to start at early age to maximize bone mass early on in life. *buildup happens most soy bean drink) an vegeta bles often provid e enoug h calciu m, and absorp tion is better than milk. bed can much cause calcium “milk can alkali” cause syndrom constipati e on Vitamin D is necessar y for Calcium absorptio n. Supplem ent of 100-400 I.U of vitamin D a day is recomme nded for those on calcium supplem ent during adolescen ce. It is critical for girls to load up before puberty (10) and latest by age 25. getting calcium later in life can help prevent bone loss well after menopaus e and into old age * University of Minnesota found that intake of 2000 mg of calcium a day normalize cell proliferatio n of colon of men and women at high risk of colon cancer Iodine kelp Natura l source high in Metaboli sm of all cells and synthesis 150 mcg Iodized High salt dose and (several sea milligra iodine of thyroid hormone Magnes Chelated Better A strong Absorption 500 mgium absorp antidecreases 1000 mg tion; oxidant; with age; Mg Critical Even with oxide for low RDA is not Energy (300 mg) absorb productio for ed n (ATP); Magnesiu heart, m, only muscle, 25% of and Americans nervous meet that system standard. function; You need required 2000 in calories a secretion day to get and enough function Magnesiu of m Protect insulin; the heart Natures by calcium preventing channel coronary blocker; artery Keeps spasm and bone cardiac strong by arthrymias working ; Taking with 300 mg of Calcium; Mg daily vegeta ble supply is genera lly adequ ate Whole grain, nuts (almon ds, hazeln uts, peanut s), and seeds; The higher the fat and sugar intake, the more Mg neede d ms per day) can interfere with normal thyroid function and may lead to goiter in some cases Over Don’t 700 mg take Mg of daily if you element have al Kidney Magnesi problems um can or severe cause heart diarrhea failure Zinc Amino Better Supports acid absorp immune complexe tion function; s wound repair preserve vision; antioxida nt decreases blood pressure by 8-10% after 9 weeks Nut (contain high Mg level) lovers who eat nuts at least 5 times a week have half the risk of heart attack compare to those eating less than once a week. Duration of 30mg cold symptoms are shortened in 100 men and women taking zinc lozeners in a double blind study; Preliminar y research suggested that people with Alzheimer’ Oyster s, meat, eggs, seafoo d, tofu are good source s; supple ment need as insura nce High dose ( over 300 mg per day) can impair immune function Zinc can inhibit copper , Iron, Calcium, and Magnesi um absorptio n in high doses, so it is prudent to take minerals as part of a multimineral supplem ent. s disease should avoid zinc supplemen t, though this point has been controversi al. More recently, preliminary evidence in four patients actually showed improved mental function with Zinc supplemen tation Seleniu Amino Better Activates Selenium 200 Brazil Toxic if m acide absorp an level mcg; nut over complexe tion antioxida dropped most that 2500 s nt 7% after common comes mcg a enzyme age 60 multivita in a day; called and drop min do shell with hair glutathio 24% after not contain loss, ne age 75 contain 100 liver peroxida Double 200 mcg mcg ( damage se which blind study of due to , joint may of 1300 selenium the inflamm protect people . soil). ation the body found that Shelle after from those d brazil 5000 cancer; given 200 nut mcg a Strong mcg of only day antioxida yeastcontain nt; curbs based 12-25 AIDS by selenium mg as encourag per day for it is ing the seven grown AIDS years had virus to a 50% make a drop in protein to cancer repress death rate its own compare replicatio to placebo n; group. People with decreased levels of selenium is associated with higher incidence of heart disease , cancer, and arthritis University of Arizona study of 1700 elderly Americans show that those with low level of selenium are more apt to have polyps in the GI tract ( 33% compare to 9% in those with high level in anothe r part of brazil; also in sunflo wer seeds, meat, seafoo d like tuna, swordfi sh, garlic of selenium) 3000 older person on selenium in a Dutch study show reduction of lung cancer risk by 50% A large scale Finnish study showed that those with lowest level of selenium in their blood were 3 times more apt to die of heart disease *subjects taking 100 mg of selenium a day are less anxious, depressed , and tired Copper Amino Better it is part acid absorp of the complexe tion SOD s antioxida nt; needed to make Not needed as it is plentiful in regular diet As Plentif Toxicity People ul in is with meat, unclear. Wilson’s oysters Up to 3 Disease , nuts, mg a should legum day is not take es, consider Cu ATP and collagen Mangan Amino Better Needed ese acid absorp for complexe tion healthy s skin, bone and cartilage formation and well as glucose tolerance . Also helps activate SOD , an important antioxida nt enzyme insuranc e, up to 3 mg day is accepta ble; especiall y in people taking extra zinc supplem ent (which inhibit Cu absorpti on) 20 mg take as added insuranc e cereals ed safe , potato es, vegeta ble. Nuts , wheat germ, wheat bran, leafy green vegeta bles, pineap ple and seeds are good source s supplem ent at all. People drinking tap water (copper pipes) do not need more Cu. Cu improves absorptio n of Iron No People toxicity with liver or side cirrhosis effect in may not doses of be able 5-20 to mg; properly Excessi excrete ve mangane intake se so can lead these to rare people side should effects not take of Mangane dementi se a and supplem psychiat ent; ric Calcium, sympto Iron , and ms possible Zinc reduces the Chromi Chromiu Better Help Chromium 200 mcg um m absorp body picolinate for antipiconinat tion; maintain has been aging e (organic Cheap normal shown to (90% of form) er blood increase all inorga sugar fat loss America nic level by and lean ns are forms increasin muscle deficient such g insulin tissue in the as efficiency gain; * minimu chromi ; Helps Israel m um increasin research recomm chlorid g HDL show ended e are and those with dose of not as lowering adult onset 50 mcg effecti overall diabetes a day) ve as cholester taking 200 only 24 it has ol level; mcg daily mcg of to be Promote had their chromiu conver rise in insulin m in ted DHEA resistance 1000 first to level improve by kcal of the 62% in food organi women c form and 50% to be in men effecti ve absorptio n of mangane se. Best Most Absorptio source researc n is hes increase brewer have d by ’s demonst vitamin C yeast; rated no also in toxicity grains up to and 100 cereals times when the 200 not mcg refined dosage. .; Howeve broccol r, 1 i; isolated lobster case of tail , kidney liver, failure and after mushr 600 mcg oom per day have for 6 high weeks, levels and a Eating case of 33% of anemia , food in liver sugar dysfunct cause ion 3 times appear more after loss in 1200chromi 2400 um mcg for compa 4 re to months; those since taking only one in 10% of food in sugar Molybd Amino Better Needed Preliminar 50 mcg enum acid absorp for y evidence chelated tion proper suggest complex function that of certain molybdenu enzyme m, through and its metaboli involveme sm of nt in iron; detoxifying suliftes, may reduce the risk of sulfitreactive asthma attacks Legum es, dark green lefty vegeta bles, and grains. case each of toxicity and toxicity is not the same, it remains unclear if these problem s are caused by calcium picolinat e or not Very safe up to 1500 mcg per day, but it can interfere with Copper absorpti on; Excessi ve intake can lead to gout like sympto ms as it is needed to convert purine to uric acid 99 mg One High more as banad potassiu an a m ( 500 insuranc contain mg) can e than 500 produce as mg stomach replace Potass irration ment ium is comm only found in fruits easily Potassi Chelated Better Needed um form absorp to tion regulate water balance, blood pressure, and neruomu scular function; beneficia l in chronic fatigue syndrom e Boron Amino Better Assist Research 2mg acid absorp calcium suggest complexe tion and bone that boron s metaboli might be sm and linked with prevent decrease osteopor calcium in osis urine and may thus help with osteoporo sis Silicon Amino Better Plays a 2.4 mg acid absorp role in complexe tion making s and maintaini ng strong connecti ve tissue and used in osteopor osis Raisin s, prunes , and nuts Supplem entary levels do not lead to accumul ation I the body and thus lack of toxicity Regula r diet provid e 5-10 mg per day High dietary intake is not associate d with any toxic effect. Inhalatio n of large amount of silicon Vanadiu Amino Better Improve Improve 25 mcg m acid absorp glucose glucose complexe tion control in control in s people people with non with non insulin insulin depende dependent nt diabetes diabetes mellitus mellitus according to a study of 8 diabetics supplemen ted with 100 mg of this mineral daily for 4 weeks. Iron Not Strong Excess present Oxida iron have nt been linked to diabetes, cancer , increased risk of infection, lupus erythemat osus, and exacerbati on of Optimu m intake dose is unkno wn. Estima ted is 10-20 mcg a day ( in an industrial setting) can cause respirator y disease called silicosis. Very limited info about toxicity. High blood levels have been linked to manic depressi ve mental disorders . rheumatoi d arthritis. Absorption increased by vitamin C and decrease by calcium supplemen t, high fiber food, and caffeine Superox Liver Natura Antioxida Usually 100 mg ide concentra l nt coupled Dismuta te source enzyme with zinc, se and is copper or thought manganes to e in cells present to prevent the first oxygen line of free defense radical against change free radical damage in red blood cell Optimum Daily Allowance (ODA) The optimum daily allowance (ODA) represents a new reference level beyond the RDA, which many researchers in anti-aging believe to have disease preventive effects. These dosages are those frequently used in research studies and commonly practiced among those nutritionally minded professionals. ODA is often many times higher than the RDA and for a good reason. To prevent diseases caused by deficiency of nutrients such as scurvy or rickets, follow the RDA. For optimum health and to prevent diseases such as aging or cancer, consider the ODA. It is that simple. Here are just some examples of the differences: Vitamin C: RDA is 85 mg, ODA is 250 - 3,000 mg Vitamin E: RDA is 15 IU, ODA is 50 - 800 IU Magnesium: RDA is 350 mg, ODA is 400 - 600 mg Vitamin B12: RDA is 3 mcg, ODA is 10 - 100 mcg A complete list in shown in the accompanying table. The optimum daily allowance (ODA) and safe range assumes an completely healthy non-pregnant ( also not trying to get pregnant), non lactating adult who is not on prescription drugs and who intends to use nutritional supplementation to optimize heath rather than to avoid deficiency state diseases such as scurvy or rickets. Figures reflect a compilation of common intake levels among researchers and practitioners focused on nutritional medicine as a way to better heath and longevity. These figures are not reflective of recommendations set by any governmental agency, as none exist, with the exception of vitamin C and E, which the National Academy of Science has set as 2,000 mg and 1,500 IU, respectively, for the first time in year 2000 as the recommended upper limit. There is generally no benefit to exceeding the Optimal Daily Allowance, except to treat or prevent specific disease conditions under expert medical guidance (e.g. mega-dose niacin for elevated serum cholesterol). Safe Range The Optimal Daily Allowance is well within the upper limit of many nutrients that can potentially cause side effects. While the ODA of vitamin A is 10,000 IU, safe range is up to 20,000 IU. Beta-carotene has been safely taken at dosage up to 100,000 IU a day, although the ODA is only 25,000 - 50,000 IU. Some may experience slight diarrhea or gastric discomfort after taking several grams of vitamin C, while others are not bothered by ten times that amount. While the ODA for vitamin E is up to 800 IU, one must be mindful that intake of over 3,000 IU can cause headache, diarrhea, and increased blood pressure. Over consumption of magnesium in dosage of over 1,000 mg can lead to diarrhea that resolves when the intake is decreased. Rare liver problems have been reported in people taking niacin of several thousand milligrams, while the ODA is only 25-100 mg. Calcium at up to 2,500 mg a day for long term use has minimal side effects, unless one has an ulcer as excessive calcium unabsorbed can cause "milk alkali" syndrome. Since each person is different, always consult a knowledgeable professional in nutritional medicine prior to embarking on any supplementation program designed for anti-aging and health optimization. Precautions While nutritional supplementation is generally very safe, those with specific health conditions should consult their nutritionally minded physician first. If you are on a blood thinner, do not take excessive amounts of vitamin E, which has blood-thinning properties. If you have kidney disease or heart failure, magnesium can exacerbate this problem. Zinc in high doses (over 300 mg a day) can inhibit copper, iron, calcium, and magnesium absorption. People with Wilson's disease should not take copper supplements. If you are in general good health, taking nutritional supplements should not pose any heath hazards. Click Here to see Dosage Guide Conclusion Aging is a disease accelerated by vitamin deficiency and malnutrition of monumental magnitude ignored for the past century. This silent epidemic affects 80% of all adults. Nutritional supplementation in optimum intake levels is needed to ensure adequate levels for cells to carry out repair and rejuvenation processes. There is very little doubt that supplements in optimum dosage enhances life span and prevents diseases. The average American women lives to 76 years old, and men to 73 years old. The average person performs less than 1 hour of physical exercise a week and consumes an average of 2,000 calories a day. These calories are consistent with that you find in fast-food restaurants - high in fat, refined sugar, and low in fiber and dense carbohydrates. If you want to live an average life, follow what the average do. If you want to live longer and heartily well into the eighties and nineties, the reality is that you have to do things that the "average" person does not do. It is quite simple. Study after study over the past 40 years confirms that nutritional supplementation is a cheap insurance for longevity and cancer prevention if taken at the optimum dosage. Nutritional supplementation is a food. It is not giving your body something that your body does not have. It is to supplement your body's existing level and to ensure that the proper nutrient at the proper level is available for the body at all times. It is an accepted fact that people have different nutritional needs based on genetics, weight, gender, age, health status, physical activity, and ability to absorb nutrients. If you don't know what you need, the safest strategy is to err on the side of slight excess if you are in general good heath. Having a little extra of any nutrient won't harm you. But a brief deficiency can, and a chronic will. Taking optimal amounts of nutritional supplements is a cornerstone and key component of any comprehensive anti-aging program. You simply cannot get enough of these nutrients from your diet for optimum health, and having inadequate amounts can kill you. Men's Daily Optimal Daily Allowance VERY IMPORTANT Vitamin A (Anti-Oxidant) - 15000 I.U. ( 300% RDA) with no more than 5000 I.U. in Vitamin A palimtate and the rest in natural mixed beta carotene. You will not get overdosed or have toxic effects . More than 100 studies have shown that people with high levels of beta carotene in their diet have half as likely the chance of developing cancer and heart attack Vitamin C - (Anti-Oxidant) - 1000 mg ( 2000% RDA) in the form of Ascobic Acid ( no need to spend more money on other forms unless you have a sensitive stomach or taking more than 2000-3000 mg per day). A study of Americans show that intake of 300 mg of vitamin C per day adds 6 years to a man's life and 2 years to a woman's life. Cardiovasular disease decreased by 40%. Take this in split dosages as it is secreted within a few hours. No toxicitiy has been reported on long term intake of up to 20,000 mg a day. It is important to incorporate Ascobyl Palmitate ( the fat soluable form of vitamin C) , L-proline, and L-lysine. The three work synergistically to rebuilt damaged blood vessels and prevent arthrosclerosis. Vitamin E - (Anti-Oxidant) - 300-400 I.U. (1333% RDA) in the form of water dispersible d-alpha tocopherol ( the natural form) . This amount has been shown in repeated researches to be the optimum dose for anti-aging and cancer prevention. The risk of not taking Vitamin E is statistically equivalent to the risk of smoking . A large scale Harvard study of 87,000 nurses showed that those taking more than 250 I.U. a day for 2 years have 41% lower incidence of major heart disease . To take the equivalent of 400 I.U. in food would require 2 quarts of corn oil or 28 cups of peanuts a day. Vitamin E has a hormonal balance effect that is important to female. Males do not need as much. Selenium - (Anti-Oxidant)- 200 mcg ( 285 % RDA) in amino acid complex forms to enhance absorption. Selenium is a strong anti-oxidant and the level in our body falls with age. People with decreased levels of selenim is associated with higher incidence of heart disease, cancer, and arthritis. Magnesium - (Anti-Oxidant) - 300-600 mg ( 125% RDA) in chelated form for better absorption. Less than 25% of Americans meet even the low RDA standard. A 2000 kcal diet is needed if no supplement is taken. Critical for proper heart function, normalize arrhythmia, and helps to reduce blood pressure. Requirement is higher if you take intake of sugar and fat is high in diet. The calcium to magnesium ratio should be between 1:1 to 1:2. Vitamin B9 - (folic acid) - 800 mcg ( 200% RDA) - a non-toxic nutrient that protects our chromosome from DNA damage and cancer. A Harvard study of 16000 women and 9500 men showed that those getting the post folic acid has the lowest incidence of getting pre-cancerous polyps in the colon. Folic Acid also helps with depression . No noticable side effects at up to 10000 mcg. Vitamin B12 - 100 - 1,000 mcg (1666% RDA) - over 24% of people over 60 years old and over 40% of people over 80 years old are deficient due to decreased absorption with age. Deficiency also causes Alzheimer's Disease like symptoms. A must take for those over 50 years old as cheap and added insurance. Non toxic at 1000 mcg daily for many years or up to 100,000 mcg in a single dose. Chromium - 200 mcg (166% RDA) in chelated form for better absorption - Very little is contained in food and as a result , 90% of all Americans are deficient in the RDA of this trace element which is critical to normalize blood sugar. A Isreal research shows that daily intake of 200 mcg of chromium improves insulin resistance in Type II Diabetes by up to 50 % in weeks. Zinc - 30 mg ( 200% RDA) in chelated form for better absorption - 33% of healthy Americans over age 50 has zinc deficiency and don't know it. The percentage increase to 90% for those older . You need a daily calorie intake of 2400 kcal to get just the RDA . Zinc is critical for proper thymus gland and immune system function. Research has shown that daily intake of 30 mg of zinc reactive the immune system with dramatic improvements after 6 months in those with zinc deficiency. Calcium - 300-500 mg (30-50% RDA) in the form of calcium carbonate . In addition to keeping our bones healthy, calcium also fights cancer. Calcium carbonate contains 40% calcium , compare to others such as calcium gluconate which contain 9% elemental calcium. Don't take more than 500 mg at a time for best absorption. . Calcium should be balanced with Magnesium at 1:1 or 1:2 ratio. Citrus Bioflavonoids - 100 mg - potent anti-oxidants derived from plants that have metal binding (chelating) properties. Commonly found in grape seed. Omega 3 Fatty Acid - Not needed if you take 8 oz of fish a week. Otherwise 2,000-3,000 mg of fish oil ( each 1000 mg to contain 360 mg EPA and 240 mg DHA) may be considered. Most people taking fish oil has a tendency to develop a fishy " burp". Over 60 research studies ( most using 3,000 of fish oil a day) have shown that a variety of ailments from arthritis to heart disease can benefit from fish oil ( not cod live oil which contains high dose of Vit A and D which is toxic ) . 400 I.U. of Vitamin E should be taken simultaneously to potentiate the effect of fish oil. Garlic - 500 mg in concentrated form - equivalent to 1250 mg garlic bulk or half a clove of fresh garlic. Garlic has been used by healers for over 5000 years . Numerous studies have shown that garlic decrease triglyceride level by decreasing fat absorption. It also supports healthy blood pressure. Two of garlic's major compounds - allicin and ajoene - have been found to possess powerful actions that help the body boost its immune power. A natural herb that is non toxic. Saw Palmetto -160-320 mg -Saw palmetto is a small palm tree native to the West Indies and the Atlantic coast of North America. The active component helps maintain healthy levels of dihydrotestosterone ( DHT) in the prostate, and promote proper excretion of DHT from the prostate. Research have shown that 80% of all male will be afflicted with prostate enlargement , a common condition that is also a leading cause of prostate cancer, by the time a man is 80 years old. 1/3 of all male above 35 years old already have a predisposition to precanceous prostate lesions, and 50% of all male at age 50 have enlarged prostate. A healthy prostate will also ensure proper urinary and reproductive health. This herb is a non toxic and risk free prevention of this medical condition. Digestive Enzyme containing amyalse, lactase, and cellulase is important to promote gastro-intestinal health. Avoid Iron unless you are anemic. IMPORTANT Vitamin B1 - (thiamine) 100 mg (6666% RDA) - critical for mental function and nerve cell growth. Non toxi and waer water soluable . Vitamin B2 - (riboflavin) 50 mg (2940% RDA) - required for cell growth and release of energy, formation of red blood cell, and synthesis of antibodies. Vitamin B3 - (niacin) 190 mg ( 950% RDA) in the form of niacin and niacinamide - stabilise cell membranes , ensure proper circulation and maintain healthy skin. Aids in the function of the nervous system and helps to reduce cholesterol Vitamin B5 - (panthothenic acid) 400 mg ( 4000% RDA) - a non toxic nutrient needed to breakdown fat to covert into energy. An Anti-stress vitamin. Vitamin B7 - (biotin) 300 mcg (100% RDA) - essential for protein, fat and carbohydrate metabolism. Helps ultiization of other B complex vitamins. Iodine - 150 mcg ( 100% RDA) - important to maintain proper thyroid function Maganese - 20 mg (1000% RDA) - trace mineral essential for protein and fat metabolism Molybdenum - 50 mcg (66% RDA) - essential trace mineral for nitrogen metabolism Potassium - 99 mg - critical for normal cardiac rhythm Boron - 2 mg - enhance healthy bone and brain function and alertness Silicon - 2.4 mg - needed in formation of collagen and connective tissues Vanadium - 25 mcg - essential in formation of bone and teeth L-Lysine - 600 mg - an essential amino acid for proper growth in children and protein synthesis in adult Choline - 200 mg - responsible for proper neurotransmitter function , lecithin formation , liver function, and gall bladder regulation. Inositol - 100 mg - vital for hair growth and prevent hardening of arteries PABA (para-aminobenzoic acid) - basic constituent of many B complexes and anti-oxidants. Helps protect against sunburn and skin cancer Women's Daily Optimal Daily Allowance VERY IMPORTANT Vitamin A (Anti-Oxidant) - 15000 I.U. ( 300% RDA) with no more than 5000 I.U. in Vitamin A palimtate and the rest in natural mixed beta carotene. You will not get overdosed or have toxic effects . More than 100 studies have shown that people with high levels of beta carotene in their diet have half as likely the chance of developing cancer and heart attack Vitamin C (Anti-Oxidant) - 1000 mg ( 2000% RDA) in the form of Ascobic Acid ( no need to spend more money on other forms unless you have a sensitive stomach or taking more than 2000-3000 mg per day). A study of Americans show that intake of 300 mg of vitamin C per day adds 6 years to a man's life and 2 years to a woman's life. Cardiovascular disease decreased by 40%. Take this in split dosages as it is secreted within a few hours. No toxicity has been reported on long term intake of up to 20,000 mg a day. It is important to incorporate Ascobyl Palmitate ( the fat soluable form of vitamin C) , L-proline, and L-lysine. The three work synergistically to rebuilt damaged blood vessels and prevent arthrosclerosis. Vitamin E (Anti-Oxidant) - 400 I.U. (1333% RDA) in the form of water dispersible d-alpha tocopherol (the natural form). This amount has been shown in repeated researches to be the optimum dose for anti-aging and cancer prevention. The risk of not taking Vitamin E is statistically equivalent to the risk of smoking . A large scale Harvard study of 87,000 nurses showed that those taking more than 250 I.U. a day for 2 years have 41% lower incidence of major heart disease . To take the equivalent of 400 I.U. in food would require 2 quarts of corn oil or 28 cups of peanuts a day. Many in the fore front of anti-aging research are now recommending up to 800 I.U. a day , especially for women in peri- or post-menopausal period. Selenium (Anti-Oxidant)- 200 mcg ( 285 % RDA) in amino acid complex forms to enhance absorption. Selenium is a strong antioxidant and the level in our body falls with age. People with decreased levels of selenium is associated with higher incidence of heart disease, cancer, and arthritis. Magnesium (Anti-Oxidant) - 500-1000 mg ( 125-250% RDA . Less than 25% of Americans meet even the low RDA standard. A 2000 kcal diet is needed if no supplement is taken. Critical for proper heart function, normalize arrhythmias, and helps to reduce blood pressure. Requirement is higher if you take intake of sugar and fat is high in diet. The calcium to magnesium ratio should be between 1:1 to 1:2. Vitamin B9 (folic acid) - 800 mcg ( 200% RDA) - a non-toxic nutrient that protects our chromosome from DNA damage and cancer. A Harvard study of 16000 women and 9500 men showed that those getting the post folic acid has the lowest incidence of getting pre-cancerous polyps in the colon. Folic Acid also helps with depression . No noticeable side effects at up to 10000 mcg. Vitamin B12 - 100 mcg - 1,000 mcg (1666% - 16,666% RDA) - over 24% of people over 60 years old and over 40% of people over 80 years old are deficient due to decreased absorption with age. Deficiency also causes Alzheimer's Disease like symptoms. A must take for those over 50 years old as cheap and added insurance. Non toxic at 1,000 mcg daily for many years or up to 100,000 mcg in a single dose. Chromium - 200 mcg (166% RDA) in chelated form for better absorption - Very little is contained in food and as a result , 90% of all Americans are deficient in the RDA of this trace element which is critical to normalize blood sugar. A Israel research shows that daily intake of 200 mcg of chromium improves insulin resistance in Type II Diabetes by up to 50 % in weeks. Zinc - 30 mg ( 200% RDA) in chelated form for better absorption - 33% of healthy Americans over age 50 has zinc deficiency and don't know it. The percentage increase to 90% for those older . You need a daily calorie intake of 2400 kcal to get just the RDA . Zinc is critical for proper thymus gland and immune system function. Research has shown that daily intake of 30 mg of zinc reactive the immune system with dramatic improvements after 6 months in those with zinc deficiency. Calcium - 500 mg (50% RDA) in the form of calcium carbonate - Calcium is important. In addition to keeping our bones healthy, calcium also fights cancer. Calcium carbonate contains 40% calcium , compare to others such as calcium gluconate which contain 9% elemental calcium. Don't take more than 500 mg at a time for best absorption. Calcium Citrate is better absorbed, but only contains 11% calcium. Calcium should be balanced with Magnesium at 1:1 or 1:2 ratio. Citrus Bioflavonoids 100 mg - potent anti-oxidants derived from plants that have metal binding (chelating) properties. Commonly found in grape seed. Omega 3 Fatty Acid - Eating 8 ounces of fish a week is all you need to do. If not, then take 1000mg from fish oil to contain 360 mg EPA and 240 mg DHA. Most people taking fish oil has a tendency to develop a fishy " burp". Over 60 research studies have shown that a variety of ailments from arthritis to heart disease can benefit from fish oil ( not cod live oil which contains high dose of Vitamin A and D which is toxic ) . 400 I.U. of Vitamin E should be taken simultaneously to potentiate the effect of fish oil. Garlic - 500 mg in concentrated form - equivalent to 1250 mg garlic bulk or half a clove of fresh garlic. Garlic has been used by healers for over 5000 years . Numerous studies have shown that garlic decrease triglyceride level by decreasing fat absorption. It also supports healthy blood pressure. Two of garlic's major compounds - allicin and ajoene - have been found to possess powerful actions that help the body boost its immune power. A natural herb that is non toxic. Evening Primrose Oil - 500 mg-1000 mg (standardized to 9% GLA) - an essential fatty acid. Strong anti-inflammatory properties and useful for arthritis, PMS, and skin conditions. Most researches uses 3000-6000 mg a day. EPO is especially good to balance the hormonal system. Digestive Enzyme containing Lipase, cellulase, and amylase. Avoid Iron unless you are anemic. IMPORTANT Vitamin B1 (thiamine)- 100 mg (6666% RDA) - critical for mental function and nerve cell growth. Non toxic and water soluble . Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) - 50 mg (2940% RDA) - required for cell growth and release of energy, formation of red blood cell, and synthesis of antibodies. Vitamin B3 (niacin) - 190 mg ( 950% RDA) in the form of niacin and niacinamide - stabilizes cell membranes , ensure proper circulation and maintain healthy skin. Aids in the function of the nervous system and helps to reduce cholesterol Vitamin B5 (panthothenic acid) - 400 mg ( 4000% RDA) - a non toxic nutrient needed to breakdown fat to covert into energy. An Anti-stress vitamin. Vitamin B7 (biotin) - 300 mcg (100% RDA) - essential for protein, fat and carbohydrate metabolism. Helps utilization of other B complex vitamins. Iodine 150 mcg ( 100% RDA) - important to maintain proper thyroid function Maganese 20 mg (1000% RDA) - trace mineral essential for protein and fat metabolism Molybdenum 50 mcg (66% RDA) - essential trace mineral for nitrogen metabolism Potassium 99 mg - critical for normal cardiac rhythm Boron 2 mg - enhance healthy bone and brain function and alertness Silicon 2.4 mg - needed in formation of collagen and connective tissues Vanadium 25 mcg - essential in formation of bone and teeth L-Lysine 600 mg - an essential amino acid for proper growth in children and protein synthesis in adult Choline 200 mg - responsible for proper neurotransmitter function , lecithin formation , liver function, and gall bladder regulation. Inositol 100 mg - vital for hair growth and prevent hardening of arteries PABA (para-aminobenzoic acid) - basic constituent of many B complexes and anti-oxidants. Helps protect against sunburn and skin cancer Why take a "nutritional cocktail" of over 40 nutrients? Because it works. Here are the reasons: First, different nutrients work at different parts of the cell. Vitamin C, for example, is water soluble and protects us from free radical attacks outside the cell. Vitamin E, on the other hand, is fat soluble. It is able to penetrate the cell wall easily and combat oxidative damage intracellularly. Second, different nutrients complement each other in their duty. Numerous studies have shown that taking multiple nutrients in the optimal dosage is better than taking single vitamins. There is no one single major bullet in nutritional supplement. It is wise to obtain as broad a coverage as possible. Third, different nutrients have different target organs. Saw palmetto focuses on the prostate gland, while milk thistle focuses on the liver. Gingko has blood thinning properties, and Vitamin E improves circulation to the brain. Fourth, by combining the synergistic effect of multiple nutrients, the dosage of any single nutrient is decreased. It has been shown , for example, that the oxidative effect of combination of vitamin C, A, and E is much higher than when any single one of these vitamins are used. What does the nutritional cocktail do for your body? 80 % of us are going to die of cancer, stroke, or heart diseases. Any effective anti-aging supplement program must address the three issues. In addition, the nutritional cocktail must fortify our immunity and modulate our hormones to deter the aging process. Let us look at each issue specifically: Cardiovascular Protection - Our daily supplements must help to maintain the elasticity of the vascular system and help prevent cardiovascular complications. The following are key nutrients: Ascorbyl Palmitate, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, L-Proline, and L-Lysine. Cancer PreventionOur daily supplements must contain antioxidants to help reverse the damages of environmental free radicals that can cause cancer. The following nutrients in optimal doses are required: Vitamin A, Vitamin E, Vitamin C, Selenium, Grape seed Extract, Citrus Bioflavinoids. Immunity Enhancers - Our daily supplement must help us to defend ourselves against germs , bacteria, environmental pollutants, and external insults. Key nutrients in this area include: Vitamin C, L-Glutamine, Garlic, and Selenium. Energy Boosters - Our daily supplements must to provide natural sources of sustained energy throughout the day. The following are key ingredients: Vitamin B12, L-Glutamine, Inositol, Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine), and Vanadium. Skin Rejuvenation - Our daily supplements must help to maintain the collagen of the skin and make the skin look and feel tighter and smoother. Important nutrients responsible for this include: Ascorbyl Palmitate, Vitamin C, Calcium, Magnesium, digestive enzymes, and L-Glutamine. Hormonal Enhancers - Our daily supplements must help maintain and balance the hormonal system. The following are key nutrients: L-Glutamine, L-Proline , and L-Lysine, Evening Primrose Oil, and Vitamin E. Digestive Health - Our daily supplements must help to enhance the digestion and absorption of nutrients from food. The following are key nutrients: Amylase, Lipase, Cellulase, Bromelain, Lactase, and Digestive enzymes. Weight Management and Sugar Control - Our daily supplement must help balance our sugar level and prevent spikes that can lead to Diabetes. The most important nutrient in this category by far is : Chromium, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Digestive Enzymes. Water Introduction There is no question that a proper amount of water consumption will detoxify your body and add years to your life. Studies have shown that those drinking at least five glasses of water per day were associated with an approximately 50% decreased rate of heart attacks and stroke, compared with those who drank only two glasses of water per day. Knowing what is in the water is also an important part of an anti-aging program. Kinds of Water A. Distilled Water Distilled Water is water that has been vaporized and recondensed. If fractional distillation is used, all minerals and chemicals are removed. Removal of all dissolved solids in the water also removes any taste. Distilled water is the ultimate soft water. B. Pure Liquid Water This term is often used commercially to denote water in its purest form (distilled water). There is really no such thing as "pure liquid water." C. Tap Water (Public or Drinking water) Tap Water is water from a municipal or county water system that has been treated and disinfected. D. Fluoridated Water Fluoridated Water is water that has been treated in water plants so as to contain at least 0.8 mg but no more than 4 mg of fluoride per liter. E. Mineral Water While mineral waters typically contain at least 500 ppm (parts per million) of minerals, the term "mineral water" has no legal significance. The minerals present give water a distinctive flavor and many are high in sodium. It should be noted the Environmental Protection Agency only allows up to 500 ppm of minerals for drinking Water. Some mineral waters contain up to 2,000 ppms. F. Natural Water Natural Water is water obtained from a spring or well that is certified to be safe and sanitary. G. Hard Water Hard Water is water with a high calcium and magnesium concentration. Most water found in nature is hard water. H. Soft Water Soft Water is water with a low calcium and magnesium concentration. Typically, this is water that has been processed through a softener unit, using sodium or potassium chloride as a base in an ionic exchange filter. If the water was already soft to begin with and is quasi 100% softened, the water may still have relatively low sodium content. It is also important to remember that water with a high sodium concentration may also be quite hard. Most water softeners are sodium based (sodium chloride). Some are potassium based. Soft water is good for washing cloths and for bathing purposes. Long-term consumption can lead to excessive sodium or potassium, depending on the kind of softener. I. Spring Water Spring Water is water originating from a spring or well and must have a direct connection to a spring). It may be carbonated or not ("flat" or "still"). Brand names such as "Spring Pure" do not necessarily mean that the water comes from a spring. J. Boiled Water Boiling water kills the bacteria in raw water (if it is boiled for at least 20 minutes). But, the remains of these germs are carried into our body when the water is consumed. These dead germs furnish media for rapid and lusty propagation of germs already in the body. Boiling water does not remove any inorganic minerals or chemicals such as chlorine or fluoride. On the contrary, this process concentrates certain toxic metals. K. Rain Water The heat of the sun naturally distills rainwater. But it becomes contaminated as it falls through air filled with bacteria, dust, smoke, chemicals, and minerals. By the time it reaches the earth as rainwater, it is so saturated with decaying matter, dirt, and chemicals that its color becomes a yellowish-white. Snow is even dirtier. Neither should be consumed. L. Swimming Pool Water Properly maintained pools with adequate water circulation, filtration, and disinfection do not usually represent a hazard to bathers even when consumed in small quantities. If the main water supply becomes contaminated, the risk to pool users is minimal because parasites do not multiply in water. M. Acidic Water This is water that has a pH of 5.8 - 6.9. This is often formed either by distilled water coming in contact with air, or by special ionizing machines to make water acidic. Acidic water is good for external use and industrial purposes, but not for long-term human consumption. Acidic water is full of hydrogen ions. It is good for plant growth, crops, and livestock in that it will help keep a much lower mortality rate and cleaner environment, keeping in mind the acidic water retards bacteria and bacterial growth. It also kills bacteria on contact; helps heal cuts, blisters, scraps, or rashes; and provides excellent relief from mosquito bites. Once taken internally, it attracts minerals from our body. Drinking acidic water short term (less than 4 weeks) is good for body cleansing and detoxification. Long-term intake invariably leads to mineral deficiencies. N. Alkaline Water This is water that has a pH of more than 7.4 (often close to 7.6 to 7.8). Alkaline water can be the result of reverse osmosis or by special ionizing machines to make the water alkaline. Slightly alkaline water is best for consumption. Hydroxyl Ions (oxygen molecule with an extra electron) inside alkaline water donates its extra electrons to free radicals and is therefore a liquid antioxidant. Alkaline water also balances the body pH that is often acidic, especially among the sick. Our diet is often extremely acidic. Soft drinks, fast foods, and processed foods deposit acid waste in our bodies that build up over time and create an ideal environment for diseases and cancer cells to thrive. The accumulation of acidic byproducts in the body is believed to be a rapid accelerator of aging according to many researchers. Maintaining an alkaline pH (7.6 - 8.0) helps us to maintain an environment in our bodies that is NOT conducive to disease. After consumption, the antioxidant properties generally last approximately 18 - 24 hours, and the alkaline properties will last approximately 1 - 2 weeks. Water Contaminants Drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. The presence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that water poses a health risk. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets standards for approximately 90 contaminants in drinking water. Contaminants are divided into six categories: A. Microbes Microbes include coliform bacteria, E. Coli, cryptosporidium, and Giardia lambia. Most people think of turbid water as contaminated water. Turbidity has no health effects. However, turbidity can interfere with disinfection and provide a medium for microbial growth. Turbidity may indicate the presence of disease-causing organisms. These organisms include bacteria, viruses, and parasites that can cause symptoms such as nausea, cramps, diarrhea, and associated headaches. B. Radionuclides Certain minerals are radioactive and may emit radiation known as alpha radiation, photons, and beta radiation. Drinking such water in excess of EPA’s standard over many years may have an increased risk of developing cancer. C. Inorganic Contaminants Arsenic in excess of EPA's standard over many years could result in skin damage or problems with the circulatory system, and may be associated with an increased risk of developing cancer. Fluoride in excess of EPA standards of 4 mg/l can lead to dental fluorosis. In its moderate or severe forms, fluorisis may result in a brown staining and/or pitting of the permanent teeth. This problem occurs only in developing teeth, before they erupt from the gums. Children under nine should not drink water that has more than 2 mg/L of fluoride. Lead typically leaches into water from plumbing in older buildings. Lead pipes and plumbing fittings have been banned since August 1998. Children and pregnant women are most susceptible to lead health risks. Other inorganic contaminants include asbestos, cadmium, copper, and mercury. D. Disinfectants Some people who use drinking water containing chlorine well in excess of the EPA's standard could experience irritating effects to their eyes and nose. Some infants and young children who drink water containing chlorine dioxide in excess of the EPA's standard could experience nervous system effects. Similar effects may occur in fetuses of pregnant women who drink water containing chlorine dioxide in excess of the EPA's standard. E. Disinfection Byproducts People who drink water containing trihalomethanes (THM) in excess of the EPA's standard over many years may experience problems with their liver, kidneys, or central nervous systems, and may have an increased risk of developing cancer. F. Commercial Additions to Water There is a list of hazardous sweeteners, dyes, artificial flavors, and chemicals used for "fiz," etc., that compose colas and other artificial carbonated beverages popular among both adults and children. These chemicals are much more dangerous than the inorganic minerals in tap water. Toxic dyes include several aniline dyes, usually listed on the ingredient label as "artificial coloring," such as Amaranth (red), Bordeaux (brown), RED I (yellow) and Ponceau (scarlet). Combining sugar, molasses or glucose with ammonia, and heating to more than 350 degrees will yield caramel, a common ingredient in soft drinks. Excessive use of caramel is harmful to the body. Sugar is one of the most harmful ingredients used in the manufacturing of soft drinks. Sugar causes irritation and weakening of the mucous membranes of the body and robs teeth, bones, and blood of a great percentage of their minerals. What Kind of Water Should You Use? Different kinds of water are appropriate for different purposes. When dehydrated, any drinkable water is better than no water at all. When you want optimum health, choosing the right kind of water is important. For optimal anti-aging health, we’ve listed the kinds of water you should be drinking, from the best to the worst: The Best: Pure Filtered Water Second Best: Bottled Water Use Sparingly: Distilled Water Avoid: Tap Water Pure Filtered Water - The Best Filtering your own tap water is the most economical and long-term solution to your water needs. Knowing which type of filer or apparatus to use is more challenging. There are 3 common types of water filters: 1. Absorbent Filters Absorbent filters, made of charcoal, are designed to pick up and hold contaminates as water passes over them. Carbon filtering devices use carbon cartridges that have a porous surface. This allows the cartridge to absorb a variety of substances, including THMs, odors and disagreeable tastes. A filter's effectiveness depends on the amount of carbon in the unit and how long the water stays in the unit. The longer the water is in contact with the filter medium, the more time the carbon has to remove impurities. Those packed with a large volume of charcoal generally remove more organic material at the beginning of the cartridge life. Performance tends to decrease less rapidly over time than it does for those containers with a small amount of charcoal. Granular Activated Carbon In this type of filter, water flows through a bed of charcoal granules, which traps the particulate matter, adsorbs some chlorine, and removes tastes and odors. It is possible for the water to channel around the carbon granules, thus avoiding filtration. If the granules are not impregnated with silver nitrate (which is considered to be a poison), the granular beds may become breeding grounds for bacterial growth. This type of filter is primarily used for aesthetic treatment, since it can reduce chlorine and particulate matter as well as improve the taste and odor of the water. Granular Activated Carbon filters are not effective in reducing contaminants of health concern (cysts, VOCs, THM, endocrine disrupters, mercury, lead, or asbestos) because the water can channel around the carbon granules. Carbon Block Filter In this type of filter, carbon comes in a solid block. More carbon is used compare to the granular form, and the filtration effectiveness is better since water cannot pass in between the carbon granules. As the water passes through the block, chorine, pesticides, toxic chemicals and vital organic chemicals are removed. Carbon block filter is preferred compare to granular carbon. dirt, sediment, rust, algae, cryptosporidia, asbestos and particulate matter. Specific advantages of carbon block filters are: Chemical bonding: Activated carbon bonds to thousands of chemicals. In fact, carbon will bond to most chemicals known to man! When water is forced through the solid carbon block, it is forced to slow down and increase the contact time with the carbon, allowing the carbon bonding to take place to reduce certain chemical pollutants like toxics, pesticides, THM's, chlorine, bad tastes, odors, etc. Healthproviding trace minerals like dissolved calcium and magnesium do not bond to carbon and are allowed to pass through, thereby retaining the health quality and good taste of the water. Heavy metals like lead are adsorbed (or collected) by the carbon. Prevention of bacterial growth: Bacteria are strained out and remain on the outside of the carbon block. Therefore, because of the density and lack of oxygen and space inside the block, bacteria cannot breed in the medium and come out in the finished water. Silver-Charcoal Filters (Bacteriostatic) These are the same as activated charcoal filters. However, they use silver to inhibit the growth of bacteria while water sits in the filter. Silver ingested in certain doses can be poisonous to the human body. Therefore, it must be registered with the EPA as containing a poisonous substance. 2. Ion-Exchange Filters These filters can be made of a variety of materials. They all have tiny holes designed to catch and eliminate contaminants as water passes through them. De-ionization or de-mineralization is accomplished with such filters, which are designed to remove heavy metals, including lead. To remove parasites, such as potentially deadly cryptosporidia, a microfilter must have a guaranteed pore size of one micron or smaller, according to the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) Fiber Filters Fiber filters are comprised of spun celluose or rayon and are designed to take out turbidity (suspended sediment). The tightly wrapped fibers form a cylinder around a tubular opening. Line pressure forces water through the wrappings to the inner opening that leads to the faucet. The fibers trap silt. Filtered water passes to the opening that leads to the faucet. Ceramic Filters Ceramic filters use a process whereby water is forced through the pores of the ceramic filtration media, providing mechanical filtration only. This type of filter can reduce asbestos, cysts (if the pores are one micron or smaller), and particulate matter. Ceramic filters cannot reduce VOCs, endocrine disrupters, THM, mercury, or lead. 3. Reverse Osmosis Filtration System Unlike other types of devices that reduce impurities in the water, reverse osmosis removes water from the impurities. It does that by forcing water through a specially constructed, semi-permeable, nonporous synthetic membrane (usually cellulose acetate) that separates soluble and suspended particles from the water. The process removes a wide variety of substances from the water. More than 75 percent of minerals such as sodium, calcium and chloride may be removed from the water. Reverse osmosis also may be effective in removing fluoride, nitrate and some forms of arsenic. The membranes may last a year. Effective membrane life depends on quality of water entering the unit. Reverse osmosis units are expensive because of the number of accessories needed to operate them. They require in-line installation and a pre-filter to remove dirt and sediment. If a backflush system is employed to prevent a buildup of contaminants on the membrane, the purchase price increases. The product water passes through to a holding tank. The process is slow and wastes 3 - 9 gallons for every one-gallon of drinking water produced. It is, however, one of the most efficient filtering systems available. Before making the decision to purchase a water-filtering device, the water should be analyzed for impurities. The local health department or a private water-testing laboratory can perform these tests. Charges are based on the number and kinds of tests performed. If taste, odor, and THMs are the major contaminants, a device with a carbon filter could remove much of the objectionable odor and/or taste. Some carbon filter units remove more than 50 percent of the THMs. If sediment is present in high levels, a fiber filter may be needed. If a large number of impurities (excluding bacteria) or undesirable contaminants are present, a reverse osmosis unit may be the best type of filtering unit to purchase, although the cost of these units and the space needed for installation may preclude purchasing. Bottled Water - Second Best More than half of all Americans drink bottled water; about a third of the public consumes it regularly. Bottled water cost from 240 to over 10,000 times more per gallon for bottled water than they typically do for tap water Government and industry estimates indicate that about 25 to 30 percent of the bottled water sold in the United States comes from a city or town's tap water - sometimes further treated, sometimes not. Most bottled water appears to be safe, and the majority proved to be high quality and relatively free of contaminants. The quality of some brands are spotty, however, and such products may pose a health risk, primarily for people with weakened immune systems. To find out if your bottled water comes from your community, carefully check the bottle label and even the cap - if it says "from a municipal source" or "from a community water system", this means it's derived from tap water. In a major study comparing 1,000 bottles of different water brands by an independent agency NRDC, about 22 percent of the brands tested contained, in at least one sample, chemical contaminants at levels above strict state health limits. If consumed over a long period of time, some of these contaminants could cause cancer or other health problems. Many, but not all, brands of bottled water may provide a reasonable alternative to boiling tap water. Currently, bottled water companies are not required to test the water for cryptosporidium, though bottled water sources often are just as prone to Crypto contamination as any other drinking water source. The origin of the source water, the types of microorganisms in that water, and the treatment of that water before it is bottled vary considerably among bottled water companies and even among brands of water produced by the same company. Therefore, individuals should not presume that all bottled waters are absolutely free of Cryptosporidium. Distilled Water - Use Sparingly Distilled water is void of dissolved minerals and, because of this, has the special property of being able to actively absorb toxic substances from the body and eliminate them. Distilled water, being essentially mineral-free, is very aggressive in that it tends to dissolve substances with which it is in contact due to its acidic properties. When exposed to air, distilled water absorbs the atmospheric carbon dioxide and becomes acidic, with a pH of 5.8. Many metals are dissolved by distilled water. The more distilled water a person drinks, the higher the body acidity becomes. Drinking distilled water during body detoxification for a short period of time (less than 4 weeks) helps the body rid itself of unwanted minerals. It draws the poisons out of the body. Once this is accomplished, distilled water consumption should be discontinued. Soda pop beverages are the most toxic commercial beverages consumed and they are made from distilled water. Studies have consistently shown that heavy consumers of soft drinks (with or without sugar) spill huge amounts of calcium, magnesium, and other trace minerals into the urine. Long-term consumption has been linked to high blood pressure and increased risk of heart attack and stroke. The modern day diet consists of meat, sugar, flour, processed food, and alcohol. Such food turns acidic in the body. Stress, whether mental or physical, also can lead to acid deposits in the body. Cancer cells grow the best in an acidic environment. Drinking distilled water will add to this acidic environment, promoting premature aging due to the accumulation of acid waste products in the body. In an acidic environment, there is an associated loss of sodium, potassium, chloride, and trace minerals. Cells in the body strive to buffer this acidity to achieve neutrality, including removal of minerals from the skeletal system and the manufacture of bicarbonate in the blood. Long term distilled water consumption will inevitably lead to multiple mineral deficiencies. Unfiltered Tap Water - 6 Reasons to Avoid It Tap water is obtained either from surface water - water that run off from ponds, rivers, and lakes, and is collected in reservoirs- or from ground water, such as wells. Tap water contains calcium and magnesium. It can be considered "hard" or "soft", depending on its geographic origins. Hard water prevents soap from lathering and results in filmy sediment being deposited on hair, clothing, pipes, dishes etc. It can be annoying. Some studies have shown that the incidence of death from heart disease may be lower in areas where the drinking water is hard, although results have not been conclusive. Soft water can be naturally soft or it may be hard water that has been treated to remove the calcium and magnesium. Soft water has a tendency to dissolve the lining of pipes. Copper, zinc, and arsenic are toxic metals that can leak into softened water from copper pipes. Drinking unfiltered tap water could be hazardous to your health. Here are some specific reasons: 1. Safety Most tap water is safe. Occasional contamination is unavoidable. It has been reported that 10% of the serious gastrointestinal illness case in children requiring hospital visits are attributable to the drinking water, according to researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health. Adults with weakened immune systems are also at risk, including those with AIDS, cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy or radiation treatment, or the elderly. Contaminants in water above the level set by the EPA are often the cause. 2. Chlorination Seventy percent of Americans drink chlorinated water. Chlorine is added to most municipal water supplies. It destroys waterborne bacteria; including those that result in typhoid fever, cholera, and dysentery. Studies have shown that lifetime consumption of chlorinated tap water can more than double the risk of bladder and rectal cancer in certain individuals. It appears that the chlorine reacts with naturally found organic compounds to form "chlorination byproducts,” many of which are carcinogenic. Studies have also found that rectal cancer for both sexes escalated with duration of chlorinated water. In addition to cancer, research has linked chlorine-based chemicals to infertility and other reproductive problems. The chemical structure of some chlorine-based chemicals are similar to that to estrogen. These may act as a competitor to block the action of natural estrogen, or in some case, actually amplifying its effect. 3. Low Dose Industrial Toxins and Pharmaceutical Products Industrial toxins and pharmaceutical products in extreme low dosage escape the water treatment plant and may be found in tap water, although at a much lower level than that which causes pharmacological results. Many waters contained arsenic, nitrates, or other inorganic contaminants at levels below current maximum safety standards. Studies have shown that it is not infrequent to find waters containing synthetic organic chemicals such as the industrial chemicals toluene or xylene, or chemicals used in manufacturing plastics such as phthalate or styrene. Pharmaceutical products can have long half-lives. They accumulate, reaching detectable and biologically active amounts. Several commonly used medicinal drugs, such as erythromycin, naproxen, and sulpha-methoxazole, can persist in the environment for more than a year. Clofibric acid, the main metabolite of clofibrate, has an estimated persistence in the environment of 21 years and is still detectable in lakes and rivers even after its withdrawal from the market. 4. Fluoridation Over 50% of the US population drinks fluoridated water, ostensibly to improve dental health. The Center for Disease Control is advocating this based on data that is half a century old. Whether it is good for our health has been a hotly debated issue for years. Conclusive evidence to prove that fluoride actually works is lacking. On the other hand, a considerable amount of data exists to show that fluoride is a negative fountain of youth. What we do know is that is that population areas of high fluoride intake is associated with increased incidence of Down syndrome, cancer, osteoporosis, osteomalacia, mottled teeth, and death from all course. One study found that fluoride elevates cancer mortality by 17% in large cities. Over 60,000 cancer deaths in USA may be related to fluoridation each year according to some epidemiological studies. In many European countries where fluoride is banned, the rate of dental cavity actually decreases. For example, researchers studied more than 15,000 children in the formerly fluoridated German towns of Spremberg and Zittau and showed a 38 percent and 20 percent reduction in cavities respectively after fluoridation is stopped and the fluoride concentration in the water dropped from 1 ppm to below 0.2 ppm. What we do know is that fluoride causes cell death (apoptosis) in the human leukemia cells by activating certain enzymes that have been identified as a key mediator of apoptosis of cells in humans and other mammals, leading to DNA damage and cellular change. This is dose-dependent and time dependent. Studies have shown a significant increase in chromosome aberrations at the chromatid level, sister chromatid exchanges, and unscheduled DNA synthesis induced by sodium fluoride. In addition, fluoride has been shown to inactivate over 60 enzymes, disrupt the immune system, and inactivate vitamin C. In short, it is an anti-nutrient. Much of the reasoning behind fluoridating water was to prevent tooth decay. As far as dental care, it should be remembered that prevention of tooth decay rest primarily on sound nutrition. Tooth brushing and fluoride does not stop rampant tooth decay if the diet is unhealthy. Fluoride only hardens the outer surface of the enamel and may prevent calcium from being deposited when a tooth is re-mineralized. The key to good dental hygiene is to eat a proper diet and drink plenty of pure, non-fluoridated filtered water. Most people do not know that plain "fluoride" does not exist in our water. The naturally occurring form of fluoride, calcium fluoride, is not toxic - but this form is not used to fluoridate water. The chemicals used to fluoridate over 90% of the in the US are one of the silicofluorides (either fluosilicic acid or sodium silicofluoride, not sodium fluoride). Sodium hydrofluorosilicic acid is one of the most reactive chemical species know to man. Its toxicity is well known. This is added to our water to produce "healthy teeth.” Very little long-term research has been done on fluorosilicates, that which is what is poured into the drinking water. Equally sad, nobody really knows for sure what concentration of fluoride is considered toxic. Fluorides are the 13th most widely distributed element on earth, so it can turn up almost anywhere. Individuals have different levels of tolerance for toxins such as fluoride. Until more is known, it is only prudent to expect that some level of cell damage is present with fluoridated water. 5. Aluminum Aluminum in drinking water has been linked to Alzheimer's disease. In a study where close to 2,700 individuals were followed for an 8-year period to identify new cases of probable Alzheimer’s, researchers found that that a concentration of aluminum in drinking water above 0.1 mg/l may be a risk factor of dementia and Alzheimer's disease. It is interesting to note that some water treatment facilities actually add aluminum sulfate to remove particulate and organic matter. The relationship between aluminum and fluoride is very interesting. The body does not readily absorb aluminum by itself. However, in the presence of fluoride ions, the fluoride ions combine with the aluminum to form aluminum fluoride, which is absorbed by the body. In the body, the aluminum eventually combines with oxygen to form the end product aluminum oxide or alumina. Alumina is found in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Studies have shown that rats fed alumina in diet results in short term memory loss, unsteady gait, and loss of structures of the neo-cortex and hippocampus, all symptoms consistent of Alzheimer’s disease. 6. Parasites Giardia (G. lambia) and Cryptosporidium (C. parvum) are waterborne protozoan cysts that may be present in some water supplies. When ingested, the cyst-shell is shed and the organisms infect the intestines, causing illnesses. Because Giardia and Cryptosporidium cysts are resistant to traditional disinfection agents such as chlorine and ultraviolet light, the organisms are often not removed by municipal water treatment. Ingestion of water infected with Cryptosporidium cysts causes Cryptosporidiosis, a disease characterized by symptoms such as diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, headaches, and low-grade fevers. Symptoms may last from one to two weeks before the body's immune system stops the infection. Young children, older adults, and those with weakened immune systems face greater risk of serious illness and possible death resulting from infection. Cryptosporidiosis was brought to national attention in 1993 when the city of Milwaukee’s water supply became contaminated with Cryptosporidium cysts, resulting in 400,000 cases of the disease and 100 related deaths. Ingestion of water infected with Giardia cysts results in Giardiasis (commonly know as "beaver fever"), one of the most common causes of diarrhea in North America. Infection is more common among children and may last for up to three weeks. Giardiasis may be effectively treated with antibiotics. There currently is no truly effective antibiotic treatment for cryptosporidiosis, but the disease will generally subside on its own. However, persons having compromised immune systems may have chronic cryptosporidiosis that may persist for months. Carbon block filters will remove Crytosporidium and Giardia cysts. Boiling water will also achieve the same. Look for filters that are capable of removing particles less than 1 micron in diameter. Reverse osmosis filtration devices will also remove Cryptosporidium oocysts from drinking water. If you have to take tap water, consider placing tap water in a glass or ceramic pitcher in the refrigerator, with the top loose to allow the chlorine to dissipate overnight before drinking. This also will allow volatile disinfection by-products to evaporate (though less volatile disinfection by-products may stay in the water). Overnight refrigeration of tap water in a loosely capped container also reduces the objectionable chlorine taste and odor. Magnetized Water Some decades ago, Russian scientists faced a major industrial problem. When water flows through pipelines of a boiler or an engine machinery, some deposits from the water cling to the walls of the pipes. Over time, the lumen becomes narrower and the delivery of water to the machinery is reduced. The efficiency, fuel consumption and mechanical strength of the machine is therefore reduced. While researching on this problem, scientists noticed that such undesirable deposits did not occur in those pipes with water that was magnetized. This started the magnetization of water for industrial use in countries where water source is less than desirable Scientists became highly interested in studying magnetism. Water is a transparent fluid that has no color, odor, shape or taste of its own. It takes the shape of its container and the color, odor and taste of other things mixed with it. It is a near-universal solvent. It has the property of being able to assimilate the properties of other things. Researchers found when a permanent magnet is kept in contact with water for a considerable time; the water gets magnetically charged and acquires magnetic properties. Such magnetized water has its effect even on the human body when taken internally and regularly for a considerable period. Use of magnets in Healing Ancient people have used magnetized water also without understanding its mechanism of action. Streams flowing over natural magnets in the shape of stones and boulders became magnetized and their water, when consumed by the people of that age, provided miraculous cures and energy. In India, the use of magnets in healing (called Indian Magneto-therapy) is an ancient therapy. Literature had described the use of magnets to stop bleeding thousands of years ago. In recent decades, there has been resurgence in the use of magnetic in healing of a variety of ailments, primarily in pain control of chronic degenerative diseases such as arthritis. How Magnet Works Magnet has two poles, North and South. It is based on Nature's law. Every cell in the human body can be viewed as a small magnetic unit. This property is present in all organs. Each cell produce its own magnetic field. Any disturbance in this magnetic field indicates a disorder. This equilibrium can be restored-with the help of magnets according to many researchers. Technically, magnetism works because it increases the speed of sedimentation of suspended particles in water (and other liquids) and enhances conductivity and the process of ionization or dissociation of atoms and molecules into electrically charged particles. (New Scientist, June 1992.) Physics shows that chemicals change weight under the influence of magnetic fields. So does water. More hydroxyl (OH-) ions are created to form calcium bicarbonate and other alkaline molecules. It is these molecules that help to reduce acidity. Normal water has a pH level of about 7, whereas magnetized water can reach 9.2 pH after exposure to a 7000 gauss strength magnet for a long period of time, reportedly enough to kill cancer cells. Human Applications Experience has shown that magnetized water contributes and helps in the treatment of many diseases. It is especially beneficial in treating digestive, nervous and urinary disorders. Generally speaking, water magnetized by the North Pole stops the growth of bacteria and works as antibiotics. Water magnetized by the South Pole takes care of pain, swelling and weakness. Water magnetized by both North and South Pole enhance overall general health. The degree of magnetization depends on three things: 1. The quantity of liquid put on the magnet. 2. The power of the magnet used for the purpose. 3. The duration of the contact of the liquid container with the magnet. These three factors will naturally determine the degree of magnetization. Although we can measure the power of a magnet, we have no method of measuring the degree of magnetization of water. In the absence of any definite measure, only experience can guide us. A simple way to magnetize water is to keep two liter jugs of water on the two poles of encased disc magnets of about 3000 gausses, normally for twelve to twenty-four hours. A simpler and more modern way is to have pass water through magnetic discs of up to 15,000 gausses momentarily to achieve similar effect. Health Benefits The reported health benefits of magnetized water are many, including: Acidity and Other Digestive Disorders: Magnetized water reduces excess acidity and bile in the digestive system. It helps to regulate the movement of the bowels expelling all accumulations of poisonous matter. Kidney Stones: The Use of magnetic water in urinary and kidney disorders has been documented. Magnetic water has been prescribed to persons suffering from renal calculus in scientific studies. An adult suffering from renal stone is advised one-liter magnetic water per day, while in case of child it is 500ml per day. Results have been very encouraging. Low Blood Pressure and Nervous System: Magnetized water is also very beneficial for nervous upsets and treatment blood pressure, specially low blood pressure. It gives a soothing and slightly sedative effect to nerves, helps in clearing clogged arteries, normalizes the circulatory system. Asthma/Bronchitis: Magnetized water is effective in the treatment of asthma, bronchitis, colds, coughs and certain types of fevers. Healing of Wounds: Magnetized water has been used as an external aid for washing swollen and sore eyes, wounds, eczema spots, etc. for quicker healing. In all types of eye infections, north pole magnetized water has healing and anti-biotic type properties. The use of magnetized water in treatment of chronic disease is still in the infancy stage of investigation. Magnetism is widely used in medical diagnostics, including Magnetic Resonance Scanning devices for detection of a variety of internal organ dysfunction , including cancer. There is very little doubt that our cells react like a tiny magnet without the body's universe. Disturbance of this balance may bought on dysfunction to the body that current test and investigative tools are simply not sensitive enough to measure. It will be decades before the science of magnetized water is fully understood. Those in mainstream medicine may discount magnetized water "quackery". Those in the forefront of magnetic research paints a different story. If one understands and accepts that each of our cells possesses a small magnetic field, as many research studies are now supporting, the logical conclusion that magnetic water has the ability to affect our cells must be taken seriously. At the end, the truth probably lies somewhere in between - magnetized water is not a magic panacea or cureall. It is also not a total quackery and most likely will turn out to be a health-enhancing medium. The Ideal Water The ideal water is one that has been filtered through a reverse osmosis system, or in the absence of that, a carbon block system to eliminate toxic chemicals as the first step. In addition, there are heavy metals that needs to be eliminated. One of the best media to accomplish this is patented filtration media called KDF. KDF can absorb heavy metals like lead, mercury, and arsenic that is commonly found in our pipes, especially those that are old. Look for a system with this patened material. For the water to be better absorbed into the body, a process called micronization is important. This can be done through magnetization of the water before drinking (at least 12,000 gauss of magnetic device is needed) . Magnetized water has many health enhancing effect as well. Lastly, our body is designed to be in a slightly alkaline environment. With the modern day high protein acidic diet, it is important that our water is slightly alkalinized to neutralize this acidic environment. This can be done by allowing water to be exposed to bio-ceramic beeds that release vital minerals in small quantity into the water to make it slightly alkaline before drinking. Lastly and most commonly overlooked, make sure you change your filter system regularly. Your water is only as good as your filter. The more expansive filtration systems often have a flow-meter that measures exactly the volume of water filtered and warn you when the filter's life is almost finished (commonly around 500 gallons per carbon block filter). This type is much more accurate than those that depend on water pressure differential to imply the degree of usage, especially if you live in a high rise where water pressure is not stable. How Much Water Do You Need? To maintain daily balance, our body requires an intake of over two quarts (8 glasses of 8 ounces each) of water for basic normal function. Depending on the kind of diet, about half to one quart each day is provided in the food we eat. The balance has to be taken in externally. A good rule of thumb is to drink 8 glasses of pure water (non-caffeinated drinks) a day in addition to your food. To achieve optimum hydration for anti-aging purposes, it is important to bath the body internally with ample water. About one quart (32 ounces or 4 glasses of 8 ounces each) of pure filtered water per day for every 50 pounds of body weight is the recommended minimum. This translates into 3 quarts (12 glasses of 8 ounces each) a day, or 50 percent more than that recommended for routine bodily function for the average 150 pound American. If you lead an active lifestyle or if you are exposed to a hot environment, the amount of water needed is substantially more. Likewise, your water intake should increase by one 8-ounce glass for each 25 pounds above your ideal body weight. If you are taking in liquids that act as a diuretic (such as coffee, tea, and certain sodas), you will need more water to compensate for the water loss due to these "dehydrating" drinks. A good rule of thumb is to drink one extra glass of water for the equivalent amount of these drinks you consume. Summary Drinking at least 12 glasses of pure filtered water daily is the best insurance against premature aging. The ideal drinking water for the human body should be slightly alkaline and should contain some minerals like calcium and magnesium. Water filtered through a good reverse osmosis system tends to be neutral to slightly alkaline and is recommended for regular use provided that minerals are supplemented with vegetables or nutritional supplementation. Make sure that the filter you choose is of good quality and removes contaminants such as cryptosporidium. If you do not have water processed through a good water filter, drinking bottled water is the next best option. Blood Type Diet - Type A Type As flourish on vegetarian diets Type As are predisposed to heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. It is particularly important for sensitive Type As to get their foods in as natural a state as possible: fresh, pure, and organic. When you get on the Type A Diet, you will naturally be thinner. If you are accustomed to eating meat, you'll lose weight rather rapidly in the beginning as you eliminate the toxic foods from your diet. And when you follow the Type diet, you can supercharge your immune system and potentially short-circuit the development of life-threatening diseases. When Type As eat meat, they experience sluggishness. Type As have low stomach-acid content, therefore they have a hard time digesting meat. Since Type As eat very little animal protein, nuts and seeds supply an important protein component. Type As also thrive on the vegetable proteins found in beans and legumes, except those mentioned for the "Avoid" list. These beans can cause a decrease in insulin production, which may cause obesity and diabetes. Tofu should be a staple in the Type A Diet. Dairy foods are also poorly digested by Type As, and can cause metabolic slowdown. Type As can tolerate small amounts of fermented dairy products such as yogurt, kefir, nonfat sour cream, and cultured dairy products. Vegetables are vital to the Type A Diet, providing minerals, enzymes and antioxidants. Type A are very sensitive to the lectins in potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams, cabbage, tomatoes and peppers. They aggravate the delicate stomach of Type A. Type A should eat more fruits that are alkaline, avoid mangoes, papaya and oranges for they are not good for your digestive tract. Characteristics of Type A - Best on Vegetarian Diet Comments Meats and Poultry Type As should eliminate all meats from their diet. Carp, Cod, Grouper, Mackerel, Monkfish, Pickerel, Red snapper, Rainbow trout, Salmon, Sardine, Sea trout, Silver perch, Snail, Whitefish, Yellow Perch Seafood Dairy Most Beneficial Most dairy products are not digestible for Type As Food allowed Food not allowed Chicken, Cornish hens, Turkey Beef, Pork, Lamb, Veal, Venison, Duck, Goose All kinds except those listed not allowed Anchovy, Barracuda, Beluga, Bluefish, Bluegill bass, Catfish, Caviar, Clam, Conch, Crab, Crayfish, Eel, Flounder, Frog, Gray sole, Haddock, Hake, Halibut, Herring, Lobster, Lox, Mussels, Octopus, Oysters, Scallop, Shad, Shrimp, Sold, Squid, Striped bass, Tilefish, Turtle Yogurt, Mozzarella, Feta, Goat cheese, Goat milk, Kefir, Ricotta, String cheese All other cheeses and milk Fats Flaxseed oil, Olive oil Canola Oil, Cod Oil of corn, cottonseed, peanut, liver oil safflower and sesame Nuts Peanuts, Pumpkin Seeds All kinds except those listed not allowed Beans These beans can cause a decrease in insulin production for Type As. Brazil nuts, cashews, Pistachios Beans - copper, garbanzo, kidney, lima, navy, red, tamarind Beans (Aduke, Azuki, Type As thrive on the Black, Green, Pinto, vegetable proteins found Red soy), Lentils and in beans and legumes Black-eyed peas All kinds except those listed not allowed Grains Type As generally do well on cereals and grains. Select the more concentrated whole grains instead of instant and processed cereals. Amaranth, Buckwheat Cream of wheat, Familia, Farina, Granola, Grape nuts, Wheat germ, Seven grain, Shredded wheat, Wheat bran, Durum wheat Bread & Noodles Type As have a wonderful selection and choices in grains and pastas Bread (Essene, Ezekiel, Soya flour, Sprouted All kinds except wheat), Rice cakes, those listed not Flour (Oat, Rice, Rye), allowed Soba Noodles, Pasta (Artichoke) English muffins, Bread (Highprotein whole wheat, Multigrain), Matzos, pumpernickel, Wheat bran muffins, Flour (white, whole wheat), Pasta (Semolina, spinach) Vegetables Type As are very Peppers, olives, Potatoes, sensitive to these vegetables. They have a strong deleterious effect on the Type A digestive tract. Fruits Sweet potatoes, Yams, All kinds of cabbage, Tomatoes, Lima beans, Eggplant, Mushroom These vegetables enhance the immune system of Type As Garlic, Onions, Broccoli, carrots, collard greens, kale, pumpkin, spinach Vegetables are vital to the Type A diet, providing minerals, enzymes and Antioxidants. Eat vegetables in as natural a state as possible (raw or steamed) to preserve their full benefits Artichoke, Chicory, Greens (Dandelion, Swiss Chard), All kinds except Horseradish, Leek, those listed not Romaine, Okra, allowed Parsley, Alfalfa Sprouts, Tempeh, Tofu, Turnip Most fruits are allowed for Type As, although try to emphasize more alkaline fruits can help to balance the grains that are acid forming in Type As muscle tissues Berries (blackberries, blueberries, boysenberries, cranberries), plums, Prunes, Figs All kinds except those listed not allowed High mold counts of these fruits make it hard for Type As to digest Melons, cantaloupe, honeydew Type As don't do well on these fruits Mangoes, papaya, Bananas, Coconuts These fruits are stomach irritant for Type As, and they also interfere with the absorption of minerals. Orange, Rhubarb, Tangerines The digestive enzyme in Pineapples, Cherries, this fruit is an excellent Apricots digestive aid for Type As These fruits exhibit alkaline tendencies after digestion which has a Grapefruit, Lemon positive effects on the Type A stomach Spices The right combination of spices can be powerful immune-system boosters for Type As Tamari, miso, soysauce, garlic, ginger Good source of iron, a mineral that is lacking in the Type A Diet Blackstrap molasses Avoid these because the acids tend to cause stomach lining irritation Vinegar, Pepper (black, cayenne, white), Capers, Plain Gelatin, Wintergreen These products should be avoided because Condiments Type As have low levels of stomach acid Beverages Ketchup, Mayonnaise, Pickles, Relish, Worcestershire sauce These beverages help to improve the immune systems for Type As Hawthorn, Aloe, Alfalfa, Burdock, Echinacea, Green tea, Red wine (1 glass / day) These beverages help Type As to increase their stomach-acid secretions Ginger, Slippery elm, Coffee (1 cup / day) These don't suit the digestive system of Type As, nor do they support the immune system Beer, Distilled liquor, Seltzer water, Soda, Black Tea Blood Type Diet - Type B The sturdy and alert Type Bs are usually able to resist many of the most severe diseases common to modern life, such as heart disease and cancer. In fact, a Type B who carefully follows the recommended diet can often bypass severe disease and live a long and healthy life. Type Bs are more prone to immune-system disorders such as multiple sclerosis, lupus, and chronic fatigue syndrome. The Type B Diet is balance and wholesome, including a wide variety of foods. For Type Bs, the biggest factors in weight gain are corn, buckwheat, lentils, peanuts and sesame seeds. These foods have different lectin that affect the efficiency of the metabolic process, resulting in fatigue, fluid retention, and hypoglycemia. The gluten lectin in wheat germ and whole wheat products also adds to the problems cause by other metabolism-slowing foods. It is important to leave off chicken for Type Bs. Chicken contains a Blood Type B agglutinating lectin in its muscle tissue, which attack the bloodstream and potentially lead to strokes and immune disorders. Type Bs thrive on deep-ocean fish, but should avoid all shellfish. The shellfish contain lectins that are disruptive to the Type B system. Type B is the only blood type that can fully enjoy a variety of dairy foods. Most nuts and seeds (especially peanuts, sesame seeds and sunflower seeds) are not advised for Type Bs., they contain lectins that interfere with Type B insulin production. Wheat is not tolerated well by most Type Bs. They contain a lectin that reuce insulin efficiency and failure to stimulate fat "burning". Rye contains a lectin that settles in the vascular system, causing blood disorders and potentially strokes. Corn and buckwheat are major factors in Type B weight gain, they contribute to a sluggish metabolism, insulin irregularity, fluid retention, and fatigue. Eliminate tomatoes completely from Type B diet. It has lectins that irritate the stomach lining. Fruits and vegetables are generally well tolerated and should be taken generously. Characteristics of Type B - Best on Balanced Omnivores Diet Comments Most Beneficial Food allowed These meats contains a Type B blood agglutinating lectin. Meat and Poultry These meats help to boost the immune system Chicken, Cornish hens, Duck, Goose, Patridge, Quail, Pork lamb, mutton, Venison, Rabbit Beef, Pheasant, Turkey, Veal Give up chicken, but use these meats instead Deep-ocean fish and white fish are great for Type Bs Food not allowed Cod, Salmon, Flounder, Halibut, Sole, Trout All kinds except those listed not allowed All Shellfish (crab, shrimp, lobster, mussels, oysters, crayfish, clam, etc), Anchovy, Barracuda, Beluga, Eel, Frog, Lox, Octopus, Sea bass, Snail, Striped bass, Turtle, yellowtail Seafood These seafood are poorly digested by Type Bs. They are disruptive to the Type B system. Dairy Type B is the only blood type that can fully enjoy a variety of dairy foods. That's because the primary sugar in the Type B antigen is D-galactosamine, the very same sugar present in milk. Cottage cheese, Farmer, Feta, Goat cheese and milk, Kefir, Mozzarella, Ricotta, Milk, Yogurt Fats The oils not allowed contain lectins that are damaging to the Type B digestive tract. Olive Nuts Most nuts and seeds are not advisable for Type Bs. They contain lectins that interfere with Type B insulin production Beans These beans interfere with the production of insulin for Type Bs. Lentils, garbanzos, black-eyed peas, Beans (pintos, aduke, Azuki, Black) Wheat reduce insulin efficiency and failure to stimulate fat "burning" in Type Bs Wheat (bran, germ bulgur, durum, whole and white), Shredded wheat, Cream of wheat or any products such as flour, bread and noodles made with these grain products Rye contain a lectin that settles in the vascular system causing blood disorders and potentially strokes. Rye and any products such as flour, bread and noodles made with these grain products These contribute to a sluggish metabolism, insulin irregulariry, fluid retention and fatigue. Buckwheat, Corn (cornflakes, cornmeal) and any products such as flour, bread and noodles made with these grain Grains All kinds American cheese, Blue except those cheese, Ice cream, string listed not cheese allowed Canola, Corn, Cottonseed, Peanut, Safflower, Sesame, Sunflower All kinds except those listed not allowed Cashews, Filberts, Pine, Pistachio, Peanuts, Pumpkin seeds, Sesame seeds, Sunflower seeds products Bread Vegetables Millet, Oatmeal (Bran, flour), Puffed Rice, Rice (bran, flour), Spelt All kinds Amaranth, Barley, Kasha, except those Seven-grain, Wild rice, listed not Couscous allowed Bread (Brown rice, Essence, Ezekiel, WASA), Fin Crisp, Millet, Rice cakes All kinds except those listed not allowed Bagels, Muffins (Corn and Bran), Bread (Multi-grain Rye, Whole wheat), Soba Nooldes, Wild Rice, Couscous This vegetable contain a lectins that irritage the stomach lining of Type Bs. Tomatoes This vegetable has insulin- and metabolism-upsetting lectins for Type Bs Corn The mold in this can trigger allergic reactions Olive These vegetables contain magnesium, an important Green leafy antiviral agent to help Type Bs vegetables fight off viruses and autoimmune diseases All kinds except those listed not allowed Artichoke, Avocado, Corn, Olives, Pumpkin, Radishes, Sprouts, Tempeh, Tofu, Tomato Pineappple has enzymes that help Type Bs to digest their food Pineapples more easily. Fruits Avoid these fruits for they interfere with your digestive system Coconuts, Persimmons, Pomegranates, Prickly pear, Rhubarb, Starfruit Bananas, Cranberries, Grapes, Papaya, Plums All kinds except those listed not allowed Sweet herbs tend to be stomach irritants to the Type Bs Spices Type B do best with warming herbs Barley malt sweeteners, corn syrup, Cornstarch, Cinnamon All kinds Ginger, horseradish, except those curry, cayenne listed not pepper allowed Allspice, Almond extract, Gelatin, Pepper (black and white) Avoid these spices also Condiments Beverages Ketchup Generally Type Bs don't reap overwhelming benefits from most herbal teas. Ginger, Peppermint, Raspberry leaf, Rose hips, Sage, Green Teas This is highly recommended for Ginseng Aloe, Coltsfoot, Corn silk, Fenugreek, Gentian, Goldenseal, Hops, Linden, Mullein, Red clover, Rhubarb, Senna, Shepherd's purse, Skullcap Type Bs because it seems to have a positive effect on the nervous system. This has antiviral properties. Distilled liquor, Seltzer water, Soda Licorice Blood Type Diet - Type AB Multiple antigens make Type ABs sometimes A-like with weak stomach acid, and sometimes B-like with genetically programmed for the consumption of meats. Type AB do best when their muscle tissues are slightly alkaline. Type ABs can't metabolize meat efficiently because of low stomach acid, so it is important to watch the portion size and frequency. Chicken has lectin that irritates the blood and digestive tracts of Type ABs also. Tofu is a good protein supplements for Type ABs. Nuts, seeds, beans and legumes present a mixed picture for Type ABs. Eat nuts and seeds in small amounts and with caution. Type ABs can tolerate dairy foods fairly well. But watch out for excessive mucus production. Generally Type ABs do well on grains, even wheat, but keep in mind that the inner kernel of the wheat grain is highly acid forming in the muscle for Type ABs. Type AB benefits from a diet rich in rice rather than pasta. Type ABs has a weaker immune system, so you will benefit from the vegetables, which are high in phytocheicals and the more alkaline fruits, which can help to balance the grains that are acid forming in the muscle tissues. Tomatoes do not impose any ill effects on Type ABs. Type AB should begin each day by drinking a glass of warm water with the freshly squeezed juice of half a lemon to cleanse the system of mucus accumulated while sleeping Characteristics of Type AB - Best on Mixed Diet in moderation Meat and Poultry Food allowed Comments Most Beneficial Food not allowed Type AB do not produce enough stomach acid to effectively digest too much animal protein. So the key is portion size and frequency. All kinds except Lamb, mutton, rabbit, turkey those listed not allowed Beef, Chicken, Cornish Hens, Duck, Goose, Pork, Patridge, Veal, Venison, Quail Tuna, Cod, Grouper, Hake, All Shellfish (crab, shrimp, Cured meats can cause stomach cancer Type ABs with low levels of stomach acid Seafood If you have family history of All kinds breast cancer, introduce snails (Helix pomatia) into your diet Mackerel, Mahimahi, Monkfish, Ocean Perch, Pike, Porgy, Trout, Red Snapper, Sailfish, Pickerel, Sardine, Shad, Snail, Sturgeon Dairy Cultured and soured products are easily digested for Type ABs Yogurt, Kefir, Non-fat sour cream, egg, Mozzarella, Goat cheese and milk, Ricotta Fats Use sparingly Olive Powerful immune booster for Type A and Type AB Peanut, Walnuts Nuts Type Abs tend to suffer from gallbladder problems, so nut butters are preferable to whole nuts. Also eat small amounts with caution. These beans are important cancer-fighting food for Type AB. They are known to contain cancer-fighting antioxidants. Beans Grains except those listed not allowed lobster, mussels, oysters, crayfish, clam, etc), Anchovy, Barracuda, Beluga, Bluegill Bass, Flounder, Haddock, Halibut, Herring, Eel, Frog, Lox, Octopus, Sea bass, Striped bass, Turtle, Yellowtail All kinds except those listed not allowed American Cheese, Blue cheese, Brie, Buttermilk, Camembert, Ice cream, Parmesan, Provolone, Sherbet, Whole Milk Oil (Corn, Cottonseed, Safflower, Sesame, Sunflower) All kinds except those listed not allowed Filberts, Poppy seeds, Pumpkin seeds, Sesame seeds, Sunflower seeds Lentils These beans slow insulin production in Type AB. Kidney beans, Lima Beans Beans (navy, pinto, red, soy) All kinds except those listed not allowed Beans (Aduke, Azuki, Black, Fava, Garbanzo) Blackeyed Peas The inner kernel of the wheat grain is highly acid forming for Type AB. Wheat is not adviced if Type AB is trying to lose weight. The inner kernel of wheat grain is alkaline in Type Os and Bs, it becomes acidic in Type As and AB. Millet, Oat bran, Oatmeal, Rice Bran, Puffed rice, Rye, Speltand sprouted wheat and any products such as flour, bread and noodles made with these grain products All kinds except those listed not allowed Buckwheat, Corn (any products such as flour, bread and noodles made with these ), Kamut, Kasha, soba noodles, Artichoke pasta Type AB benefits from a diet rich in rice rather than pasta All kinds of Rice and any products such as flour, bread and noodles made with these All kinds except those listed not allowed Artichoke, Avocado, All thype of Corns, Lima Beans, Black Olives, All kind of Bell Peppers, Radishes, Mung Bean Sprouts, Radish Sprouts Fresh vegetables are an important source of phytochemicals which have a Vegetables tonic effect in cancer and heart disease prevention, these diseases afflict Type AB more often as a result of weaker Broccoli, Beets, Cauliflower, Celery, Green Leafy Vegs, Cucumber, Eggplant, Garlic, Maitake Mushroom, Parsley, Parsnips, Sweet potatoes, Alfalfa Sprouts, Tempeh, Tofu, All types of Fruits immune system. Yams Emphasize the more alkaline fruits to balance the grains that are acid forming in Type AB muscle tissues All kinds of Grapes and Plums, Berries (cranberries, Gooseberries, Loganberries), Cherries Tropical fruits doesn't agree with Type AB. But pineapple is an excellent digestive aid for Type AB. Pineapples Oranges are stomach irritant for Type AB, they also interfere with th absorption of important minerals. But Grapefurit exhibit Grapefruits, Lemons alkaline tendencies after digestion. And lemons aid digestion and clearing mucus from the system. Vitamin C-rich fruits help preven stomach cancer because of the antioxidant properties of vitamin cup Sea salt and kelp should be used in place of salt. Kelp has immensely positive heart and immune system benefits Oranges Kiwi All kinds except those listed not allowed Kelp, Miso, Curry All kinds except those listed not allowed Spices Allspice, Almond extract, Anise, Barley Malt, Capers, Cornstarch, corn syrup, Gelatin, Tapioca Vinegar, Pepper (white, black, cayenne, red flakes) The ingredients are acidic Beverages Mangoes, Guava, Coconuts, Bananas This is a potent tonic and natural antibiotic for Type AB. Garlic, Horseradish, Parsley Type AB employed these herbal teas to rev up the immune system. Alfalfa, burdock, Chamomile, Echinacea, Green tea These herbal teas and beverages build protections against cardiovascular disease and cancer. Hawthorn, Licorice, Red wine (1 glass/day) These herbal teas aid in absorption of iron and preven anemia Dandelion, Burdock root, Strawberry leaf Coffee increase stomach acid and has the same enzymes found in soy. Coffee or Decaf Coffee (1 cup / day) and alternate day use green tea Distilled Liquor, Sodas, Black Tea