Posts Tagged ‘Cancer’
Pomegranate Compared to Resveratrol
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The benefits of resveratrol for extending life appear to be very similar to the benefits demonstrated for caloric restriction for senior health. Both of them work to promote longevity, because they change the way our genes are expressed. Both turn off the senescence genes and turn on the youth genes that promote cellular vitality. Medical research has shown that pomegranate protects against age-related diseases such as atherosclerosis, cancer, and type 2 diabetes by altering gene expression in a way similar to the action of resveratrol. Pomegranate extracts work in a multifold manner to prevent atherosclerosis and to undue the effects of atherosclerosis that has already attacked the arteries. Pomegranate juice has been shown to reduce total cholesterol and LDL levels which effectively increases cardiovascular health by reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Pomegranate has an amazingly broad spectrum of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, it is no surprise that it has shown excellent results in preventing certain cancers and reversing the progress of already existing cancers. Folks treated with pomegranate extracts, juice, and oils have experienced beneficial results for breast, colon, and prostate cancer.
Curcumin Can Preempt Senior Illnesses
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In the US cancer is the second leading cause of death. As we age the risk of contracting cancer increases. Seniors who are concerned about their senior health are wise to take preemptive steps to lower their risk of developing cancer. It turns out that in terms of cancer prevention there is a multimodal cancer-preventing agent known as curcumin. Curcumin is derived from the Indian spice tumeric. In 2010 the multimodal cancer-preventing capabilities of curcumin were reported in more than 230 published studies. Curcumin provides several active components which contribute to its cancer-preventing and anti-inflammatory power. The studies revealed that curcumin can target ten different factors that cause cancer to develop. In the case of hormone-negative breast cancers, curcumin has been shown to induce programmed cell death of those cancers. This is good news for senior women. Curcumin has shown similar success in the case of prostate cancer which is a threat to senior men. It turns out that curcumin can provide help to prevent prostate cancer from starting. In the case of prostate cancer that has already begun curcumin can interfere with the growth of that cancer in multiple modes. This is very good news fro senior men who are concerned about taking preemptive steps to protect their prostate health.
Prostate Health and Vitamin D3
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At this time of year we are living in the dark days of winter in the Northern Hemisphere. The amount of sunlight that shines on our uncovered skin is but a fraction that we experience during the summer months. This lack of sunlight can have unwanted effects on men’s prostate health, because the vitamin D that our bodies make in response to the ultraviolet light in sunlight is greatly reduced. Although it is called vitamin D, it is really a hormone that interacts with more than two thousand genes in our bodies. In terms of our health vitamin D has been shown to support the prevention of certain cancers including cancers of the prostate, breast, pancreas, and colon. Many medical studies performed to date indicate that it is better to have more when it comes to the level of vitamin D in the blood. For men prostate cancer is in third place behind heart attacks and lung cancer in terms of the number of disease initiated deaths. Exposure to sunlight that allows our bodies to make our own vitamin D3 has been shown to reduce the risk of developing prostate cancer by more than 65% for men who had the highest exposure to sunlight. In the winter months the lack of sunlight can be compensated by supplementing with vitamin D3 which is readily available. This is good news for seniors who want to take preemptive aging steps to foster their prostate health.
Don’t Forget the B Vitamins!
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The health publications often point out to us the importance of taking the A, C, and D vitamins, but what about the B vitamins? The labels on the multivitamins list various B vitamins in their ingredients, but they don’t tell you what health benefits they bring to the seniors who take them for their health. It turns out that some of the latest research on vitamin B6, B12, and folic acid (vitamin B9) has uncovered numerous health benefits that improve our health and the health of seniors in particular. Major benefits conferred on seniors by the Big 3 Bs include contributing to the prevention of cardiovascular disease, to the reducing the risk of cancer, and lowering the risk of osteoporosis. Complementary benefits of the B vitamins for seniors include contributing to improved mental ability, to decreasing the risk of developing macular degeneration, to boosting the energy level, to elevating the mood level, and to mitigating allergies. A final benefit that is like the frosting on senior’s health cake is the research that indicates that one member of the Big 3 Bs improves longevity. The B vitamins are particularly important for senior women, because they reduce the risk of breast cancer by 38% and other cancers by 25%. The Big 3 Bs definitely improve cardiovascular health for both senior men and women by lowering the level of homocysteine.
Another Longevity Gene Activator?
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The longevity that results from caloric restrictions in diet have been studied for about seventy years. Caloric restrictions really extend longevity in all forms of life. Except for the difficult issue of trying to eat like folks at a monastery, this would be good news for seniors who are concerned about their senior health. It turns out that the folks who research new nutrients have discovered a set of nutrients that can safely stimulate the effects of caloric restriction. These nutrients mimic the the effects of caloric restriction. In addition to the previously known caloric restriction mimetics of resveratrol, pterostilbene, grape seed extracts, quercitin and black tea, researchers have discovered the flavonoid fisetin which is found in strawberries.
The flavonoid fisetin in a somewhat rare nutrient found in very small quantities in plants. In terms of benefiting senior health it is fosters senior health in a least six ways. It maintains healthy levels of the our cells’ internal antioxidant, glutathione. Fisetin is the only polyphenol that induces antioxidant activity with a two-fold benefit, because it protects against cancer and cardiovascular disease. It inhibits glycation in humans that would over the long term can result in Alzheimer’s disease and other types of cognitive deterioration. Among the flavanoids, fisetin holds a very high rank in terms of preventing DNA damage. Fisetin very effectively suppresses inflammatory responses that would otherwise open the door to cancer proliferation. Finally, fisetin provides mitochondrial support to the cells of our bodies and protects them against oxidative stress. This is very good news for seniors who are seeking preemptive aging information to promote their cardiovascular health and avoid cancer, because all of these nutrients are currently available in supplement form.
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The Big Four Lifestyle Changes for Senior Health
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Now that the Federal Government has passed Health Care Reform legislation this would be an appropriate time to take take a serious look at what each one of us can do to reform our individual health care practices. Seniors need to be particularly attentive to taking care of our senior health by the choices that we make in terms of the foods we consume, supplements that we take, and the exercise schedule that we follow. When you get right down to the nittygritty there is a lot that seniors and boomers can do to prevent or preempt diseases from ever getting started. This becomes more serious for folks the older we get, because of the special issues that affect senior health. We can choose our lifestyle so that we head in a direction with a high probability of attaining greater health or in an opposite direction with an equal probability of coming down with one of the big three diseases.
The big three killer diseases are cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. A small number of lifestyle changes can reduce the probability of seniors contracting one of the big three by 80%. Instead of raising your health insurance premiums these lifestyle changes will very likely keep them steady and in some cases may actually lower them. These lifestyle changes are attainable by most folks, but they do require sincere commitment. The alternatives for not embracing these changes are higher health insurance premiums for everyone, seriously degraded quality of life and early death. The big lifestyle changes can be reduced to four. They include eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, maintaining a healthy weight, and not smoking. As one motivation coach put it, “Where attention goes, energy flows, and the result shows”. Practicing the healthy four lifestyle changes will help seniors preempt cancer, promote cardiovascular health, and avoid diabetes.
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Why Is Topical Vitamin D Needed by Seniors?
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Recently the health reports in the media have contained a number of articles that promoted the benefits of vitamin D3 for seniors, because it contributes to inhibiting something like 27 age-related diseases. The preemptive aging benefits of vitamin D3 have been highlighted particularly for their ability to reduce the risk of disease such as cardiovascular disease and a number of age-related cancers particularly the hormonal based ones. As we age the ability of our skin to synthesize vitamin D3 from sunlight decreases so that by age 70 we only synthesize about 25% of the amount we did when we were in our 20′s. Fortunately seniors can access vitamin D3 in supplement form to make up the difference. This is good news for seniors who are concerned about their senior health.
Seniors who supplement with vitamin D3 can restore their blood levels of D3 to their youthful levels, but there is a problem. The vitamin D3 that is taken in supplement form is used by our bodies to help build and maintain strong bones. Our skin is the last organ to receive the vitamin D3 which is taken in supplement form. Fortunately for seniors there is good news to report on this matter. Vitamin D3 is available in topical form, so that it can be applied directly to the skin. Applied in topical form vitamin D3 will contribute to skin cell repair, growth and metabolism. It will help to destroy free radicals and stimulate the skin’s immune system. Applying vitamin D3 topically may provide a rejuvenating effect on aging skin.
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What Does Black Tea Provide for Senior Health?
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Green tea has been getting all the good press about its multiple health benefits which are especially supportive of senior health. Recent research has discovered that black tea provides compounds called theaflavins that complement the health benefits of the polyphenols in green tea. The theaflavins in black tea have grabbed the attention of the folks performing research on human longevity. The theaflavins help regulate the genes that produce inflammatory cytokines which have been implicated in promoting degenerative disease and aging. By interferring with inflammation at its initial stages, theaflavins provide a new way to block inflammation related diseases that include cancer and cardiovascular disease.
Beyond blocking inflammation, researchers have found that the theaflavins can contribute to reversing the effects of coronary artery disease. Additional research uncovered the mechanism by which the theaflavins operate to prevent the blood platelets from sticking together which is the first step in the process of cardiovascular disease. There is good news for seniors who are concerned about taking preemptive measures to foster their senior health against inflammation induced degenerative diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disease. Highly concentrated and purified theaflavins are currently available in supplement form for use by seniors as part of their preemptive aging regime.
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Can NAC Provide Cancer Chemoprevention?
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NAC is the acronym for N-Acetyl Cysteine which is a double-barreled health promoting compound. It has been known for forty years, but its multiple health benefits have only recently been identified and reported. It regulates the expression of scores of genes in those pathways that link oxidative stress with inflammation. In NAC’s second barrel it supports raising the level of an important antioxidant known as glutathione (GSH) which is particularly important for seniors who are concerned about fostering their senior health. With these dual effects NAC can provide a special role in the treatment and prevention of many common diseases. NAC can provide protection against avian and seasonal flu, improve insulin sensitivity in folks with metabolic disorders, battle the stomach infection Heliobacter, and block cancer development at nearly every step in the process.
Today the knowledge that there are strong links between oxidative stress and inflammation that lead to cancer make NAC an obvious choice for a compound that will provide cancer chemoprevention. NAC has many anti-cancer activities which aim at multiple targets resulting in layers of cancer protection against myriad cancers. It turns out that NAC is now available in supplement form. This information is very good news for seniors who are searching for preemptive means to promote their senior health by avoiding cancer in any form.
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Are Onions Really a Super Healthy Food?
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Onions and their close cousin garlic have been used since ancient Egyptian times as an integral part of healthy diets and natural medicine. During World War II British and Russian soldiers in the field regularly used onions to heal wounds, because of their reported antibacterial and antiseptic properties. Today we know more details about the health benefits of onions, because many of the phytonutrients have been recognized for their value in the prevention and management of conditions such as cancer and cardiovascular disease. Two of the most important chemicals in onions are flavanoids and organosulfur compounds. The organosulfur compounds provide the strongs flavors and the flavanoids color the onions red, yellow, or brown. An outstanding property of onions is their ability to aid in the prevention and management of a number of cancers including prostate cancer.
Another important health benefit provided by consuming onions is they contribute a rich source of bioavailable quercetin. Quercetin is a flavanoid that may be very beneficial for cardiovascular health. Research results suggest that quercetin may contribute to preventing the oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) thereby protecting against a major contributor of artherosclerosis. Recent research suggests that onions may protect against high blood pressure which is an important predictor of heart attack. This is good news for seniors who want to take preemptive aging steps to foster their senior health.
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