Eat And Drink For Health And Vitality

The quest for youth, beauty and vitality remains alive and well today. Younger generations are taking preventive measures to delay the effects of aging and enhance overall quality of life. Maintaining health and beauty requires adoption of beneficial dietary habits and lifestyle changes, along with supplementation to boost immunity, repair damage and relieve pain.

Concern over aging is not just for those entering their “golden years.” Younger generations are hoping to delay the effects of the aging process as well. While baby boomers’ most serious age-related concern is their ability to pay for healthcare (53 percent), the fear of mental and physical deterioration, loss of attractiveness and the inability to cope of with new challenges is most common among twentysomethings (18- to 29-year-olds) and mid-lifers (35- to 49-year-olds).

Environmental sources of free radicals include radiation, ozone and nitrous oxide, heavy metals (i.e., mercury, cadmium and lead), smoke, alcohol, saturated fat, and other chemicals and pollutants. The body itself generates free radicals in performing essential bodily functions including energy production and immune activities.

Fortunately, the body also has the ability to create antioxidants to neutralize the free radicals and prevent extensive cellular damage. When free radicals are not neutralized by antioxidants, they inflict large-scale cellular damage which can cascade and lead to diseases. Antioxidants are needed to combat free radicals and prevent cellular damage.

Many substances are known antioxidants including certain enzymes, vitamins, phytochemicals and minerals, and include vitamin C, vitamin E, alpha-lipoic acid, coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), carotenoids, selenium, superoxide dismutase, melatonin, quercetin, catechins and zinc.

Consuming a diet high in plant sources of powerful antioxidants is an important step to deter aging, because nutrients from foods are often highly bioavailable and can act synergistically to increase their health benefits. Garlic contains several antioxidant phytochemicals and minerals including allicin, beta-carotene, quercetin, selenium and zinc, and may have a protective effect against stomach and colorectal cancers.

Catechins are potent antioxidant flavonoids, with the best known source being green tea; they include gallocatechin (GC), epigallocatechin (EGC), epicatechin (EC) and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). These antioxidants are being studied for their powerful abilities to combat free radical damage. In particular, EGCG has been researched for its reported protection against certain cancers and Alzheimer’s disease.

Green foods such as seaweed, sea vegetables, young grain grasses and shoots, broccoli, cabbage and other green leafy vegetables pack a nutritional punch due to their concentrated amounts of antioxidant carotenoids, vitamins and the enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD). SOD is produced by the body and neutralizes free radicals known as superoxide radicals, which cause damaging fat oxidation.

Pomegranates contain two powerful antioxidants--ellagic acid, derived from the fruit’s seeds and punicaligans, found in the juice.

Dietary supplements help prevent many diseases that particularly effect women including osteoarthritis and osteoporosis. A majority of women (70 percent) and men (60 percent) over age 65 are afflicted with some degree of osteoarthritis, a degenerative joint disease characterized by pain, stiffness and swelling of the joints and surrounding tissues. Osteoarthritis is commonly caused by physical wear and tear due to dietary and lifestyle choices, or injury, and can be influenced by genetics. Sufferers of osteoarthritis can benefit from dietary supplementation to help reduce pain and inflammation, repair tissues and prevent further degeneration.

Essential fatty acids, including omega-3s from fish oils, are known for their anti-inflammatory properties, which reduce cartilage-damaging enzymes responsible for joint damage. Chondroitin sulfateand glucosamine sulfate help relieve osteoarthritis by repairing existing damage and slowly building and nourishing cartilage which prevents deterioration and increases mobility. MSM (methylsulfonylmethane) is a sulfur compound that helps heal joint tissues by reducing inflammation, and eases pain.

In 2004, osteoporosis was estimated to affect approximately 96 million adults worldwide and the global market for osteoporosis-related products was estimated to reach $7.27 billion. Osteoporosis is a bone disease caused by excessive bone resorption, or diminished bone formation, resulting in low bone density, which causes bones to become susceptible to fracture. Osteoporosis affects more women than men, and as many as half of all women will have some level of osteoporosis in their lifetime. Calcium is vital for bone formation and prevention of bone loss, and is often combined in supplement form with vitamin D, which promotes calcium absorption and strengthens bones and teeth.

Take charge of your health with a lifestyle that includes a well-balanced diet and exercise, as well as supplements that keep skin smooth, bones strong, and the brain brilliant.