Monday, August 28, 2006
The Digestive System
After food is masticated and swallowed, it is forced through the esophagus by a muscle contraction process called peristalsis. This is why food can still be eaten while upside down. A valve called the esophageal sphincter then opens to let food into the stomach. As food enters the stomach it is mixed with gastric acids and enzymes that help break down solids. The stomach also secretes a glycoprotein, called intrinsic factor, which helps with the absorption of Vitamin B12.Chyme (which is partially digested food, water, acids, and enzymes) then enters the small intestine through the pyloric sphincter. While passing through the duodenum (the fist ten inches of the small intestine) chyme is mixed with bile (helps break down fats), pancreatic juices, and the intestinal enzymes: maltase, lactase, and sucrase (helps break down sugars). As food passes through the small intestine, nutrients are passed through the intestine walls into hair shaped structures called villa. Villa widens the absorption surface for nutrients. The blood that absorbs the nutrients transports them to liver through the hepatic portal vein. Once in the liver, the nutrients are processed and toxins are filtered out.
Food that does not go through the villa is passed into the large intestine. While in the cecum (the first part of the large intestine), food that could not be broken down reabsorbs water and becomes feces. Feces is then passed through the colon to the rectum, where it is stored. Eventually, feces is released from the rectum through the exterior sphincter called the anus.
Vitamin Depot Online.com now carries Digest Rc, which promotes the release of bile from the liver to digest fat and protein.
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Acid Reflux
Hydrochloric Acid is the most important fluid your stomach holds to digest food. This acid turns food into a liquid for further digestion in the intestines. The walls of the stomach are protected from the acid by a mucus layer that coats them. Unfortunately, the esophagus does not contain such a layer. There is a valve at the base of the esophagus that stops stomach acid from coming up called the lower esophageal sphincter. When this valve weakens, stomach acid can splash upward into the esophagus. This splashing is called acid reflux. Constant acid reflux can damage the lining of the esophagus causing Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD). Over time esophageal ulcers can develop. In extreme cases Barrett's Esophagus can form, which is where the esophagus cells turn into stomach cells. This can cause deadly cancer of the esophagus. Vitamin Depot Online.com now carries Natural Esophaguard, which gives an account of relief from gastric distress.
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Blueberry Extract Formulation
Blueberries have been researched to contain one of the highest levels of antioxidants over all other
fruits and vegetables. These antioxidants are have capacity to destroy free radicals and mechanism
that improve memory and restore healthy neuronal function to aged brains. Researchers concluded
that the favorable effects of blueberries on brain function are similar to those seen with long-term
calorie restriction.
Blueberry extracts help maintain healthy blood flow through several mechanisms including healthy
LDL oxidation, normal platelet aggregation, and maintenance of endothelial function.*
When blood flow is interrupted to the brain (ischemia), significant andpermanent damage often results.
In rats fed blueberries, the size of the area of the brains damaged by ischemia was 50 percent less
than the control group.
Blueberry's most active constituents The two most active constituents found in this health-promoting
fruit are anthocyanins and pterostilbene. Blueberry anthocyanins are considered nature's most
potent antioxidants and have proven properties that reach well beyond suppressing free radicals.
Pterostilbene is another blueberry element that helps secure healthy lipid and glucose levels that
are already within healthy ranges.5 Even more exciting is that through its unique biological effects,
pterostilbene may help maintain healthy DNA structure.
Vitamin Depot Online.com now offers Blueberry Extract!
Friday, July 21, 2006
Avocado Extract Formulation
An Avocado contains Phytonutrients, which are thought to help fight many diseases. The Avacado contain potassium providing balance of electrolytes and thwart cramps. Moreover, Avocado acts as a "nutrient booster" by enabling the body to absorb more fat-soluble nutrients, such as alpha- and beta-carotene, as well as lutein.
High in carbohydrates, Avocadoes are useful in the treatment of malnutrition, anorexic conditions and bulimia.
Avocado may be very beneficial for good heart health. The fruit contains healthy fatty acids, which help to reduce LDLs (the "bad" cholesterol), while increasing HDLs (the "good" cholesterol). Resarch in a
Avocadoes are a natural laxative for those in need of treatment for constipation. High Fiber from the Avacado may also contribute to a more regular functioning bowel movement.
The Avocado also contains beta-sitosterol, a phystosterol, which is considered beneficial toward prostate health. According to a paper presented by Dr. John Birkbeck, Professor of Nutrition at Massey University in New Zealand, the sitosterol has been used in the management of a variety of conditions, including benign prostatic hypertrophy, as carried out in a trial reported in the British medical journal, The Lancet, and in fact is the basis of drugs sold in Germany for this purpose. There is also evidence that phytosterols may reduce the risk of malignant prostate disease at least in animal models.
Avocadoes are a supply of lutein, a carotenoid, or pigment compound, which is also found in other green vegetables like spinach, kale and broccoli, and it is believed to support healthy eyes. The lutein content is said to filter or absorb cell-damaging, high-energy blue light from the visible light spectrum, which may protect human cells in the eye's retina.
High in vitamin E, vitamin A and lutein content, Avocado acts as an antioxidant, helping to reduce the harmful free radicals that can occur in cells and contribute to cell and tissue damage. The protective qualities that enable lutein to protect plant cells from sunlight and oxidative stress may also protect human cells in the skin and other organs and tissues from these same free-fradical damaging factors.
High levels of vitamin E used in the form of oil extracts in the Avocado contribute to promote moisture in skin thus the reason many of our ancestor’s use of this fruit to thwart aging effects of the sun and elements. There is some evidence that Avocado may be of some help in relieving symptoms of osteoarthritis when applied topically (see below for related article).
Further combating the ageing process, Avocado is said to help improve brain function. The reduces cholesterol and increased blood circulation not only helps to lower blood pressure but also improves blood flow to the brain, which is said to promote brain health, as hypertension is considered a risk factor for the decline in cognitive abilities.
Vitamin Depot Online.com now offers Avocado Extract Pills 30 capsules 600 mg!Monday, June 26, 2006
Silibinin may help prevent or slow lung cancer development
The June 21, 2006 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute reported the finding of Rajesh Agarwal, PhD and his colleagues at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver that the compound silibinin, derived from milk thistle, helps prevent the growth and development of lung tumors in mice.
Dr Agarwal's team injected 75 mice with urethane to induce lung tumors, and injected a control group with saline. The animals injected with urethane were provided with normal diets for two weeks, after which they were given diets containing 0.033 percent, 0.1 percent, 0.33 percent, 1 percent, or no silibinin. Ten mice from each group were examined 20 weeks following injection, when lung tumors in this model are in their early stage, while the remainder were examined after 29 weeks.
It was found that mice injected with urethane who received any of the silibinin-containing diets had fewer and smaller tumors than those who received unsupplemented diets at both stages of examination. At 20 weeks, the mean number of larger tumors was reduced by 93 percent among those who received 1 percent silibinin compared to injected mice given the control diet. A significant reduction in tumor size was also observed among the mice examined after 29 weeks, with a 50-83 percent reduction compared to untreated mice. Additionally, silibinin was associated with a reduction in tumor microvessel density of 89 percent compared to the tumors of mice who did not receive the compound, indicating an inhibitory effect on angiogenesis.
"Although the mechanisms by which silibinin interferes with lung tumor growth in preclinical models remains to be explored," the authors note, "these results raise the possibility that silibinin may have chemopreventive activity against lung tumor growth and progression in humans."
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Sulforaphane helps block metastasis
A report published in the May 22, 2006 issue of the journal Life Sciences revealed the findings of P. Thejass and Girija Kuttan at the Amala Cancer Research Center in Kerala, India that sulforaphane significantly prevented the metastasis of melanoma cells in mice. Sulforaphane is an isothiocyanate found in broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables that has been shown to help protect against chemically-induced tumors.
The current study utilized mice in whom melanoma tumor cells were injected. Five hundred micrograms per kilogram body weight sulforaphane was administered to one group of mice at the same time as the tumor cells were injected, while two other groups received the compound 10 days prior to and 10 days after the cells were injected. A control group of animals injected with tumor cells received no sulforaphane.
The control mice were found to have a significant amount of lung tumors compared to animals who received sulforaphane. Sulforaphane given simultaneously with the tumor cells was the most effective mode of administration, being associated with an inhibition of 95.5 percent of metastases, and an increase in lifespan of 94 percent compared to the control group. Preventive administration was the second most effective mode, which inhibited metastases by 90.51 percent and increased the lifespan of this group by 62.17. Giving sulforaphane after the tumors had developed increased lifespan by 37.85 compared to animals who did not receive the compound. In addition, sulforaphane was associated with a reduction in levels of lung tumor-associated compounds, such as lung hydroxyproline.
In-vitro research showed that sulforaphane inhibited the activation of matrix metalloproteinases, which are enzymes that degrade the cell membrane and facilitate the metastasis of tumors. The authors suggest that sulforaphane's antimetastatic activity may be mainly due to this action.
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Cancer-aging link found
A report published in the June 2, 2006 issue of Science revealed the discovery that checkpoint proteins, which prevent the division of defective cells that can lead to cancer, are also involved in limiting life span. The finding reveals an important link between cancer and the increased risk of the disease that occurs with aging.
A research team led by Professor Gordon Lithgow, who started the project at the University of Manchester and completed it at the Buck Institute in California, genetically programmed the roundworm C. elegans to lack checkpoint proteins, which resulted in a 15 to 30 percent increase in the animal's life span.
"We have discovered that proteins that prevent cancer in humans by ensuring that cells don't divide if they are damaged also determine lifespan in the nematode worm," Dr Lithgow stated. "Our research has shown that these 'checkpoint proteins' – thought only to operate in cells that divide – function in cells that no longer divide as well. The fact that they appear to have dual functions opens a new way to study the connection between aging and cancer. If we look at checkpoint proteins as a gear, we have known for a long time that they drive the cancer engine; now we know that they also drive the longevity engine. This discovery has exciting potential as an area of inquiry into potential cellular links between aging and cancer."
Dr Dale Bredesen, who is the Buck Institute's Scientific Director, added, "If we're smart about it, we might be able to design strategies where you could keep checkpoint proteins active in dividing cells and stop them working in cells that no longer divide, such as brain cells. Increasing the survival of brain cells or 'neurons' could provide a new avenue of treatment for neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's."
