How to prepare your skin to handle the sun

Going for a vacation somewhere sunny? Or want to know how to prepare for the hot summer sun? The answer is Astaxanthin. According to the experts it takes 20 days for the body to build up a reserve. After 20 days, you'll have a built-in sunblock, and you will not get sunburn.
 
Where to get Astaxanthin, how much to take, and what are the recommended brands?

I recommend and have personally been using these two brands:

Healthy Origins, Astaxanthin

Nutrex, BioAstin, Hawaiian Astaxanthin

I take 12 mg per day. I get them from iherb.com. You can use the links above to order.

Discover the power of rye! Finnish ruis (rye) bread

Nordic Breads, Finnish Ruis Bread, 100% Whole Grain Rye

Nordic delights: The Scandinavian diet is among the healthiest and most delicious in the world

The Scandinavian Diet is among the healthiest and most delicious in the world

The skin beauty vitamin and much more

What You Need to Know About Vitamin K2, D and Calcium

Story at-a-glance

• Vitamin K2 is an important fat-soluble vitamin that plays critical roles in protecting your heart and brain, and building strong bones. It also plays an important role in cancer protection
• The biological role of vitamin K2 is to help move calcium into the proper areas in your body, such as your bones and teeth. It also helps remove calcium from areas where it shouldn’t be, such as in your arteries and soft tissues
• The optimal amounts of vitamin K2 are still under investigation, but it seems likely that 180 to 200 micrograms of vitamin K2 might be enough to activate your body’s K2-dependent proteins to shuttle calcium to the proper areas
• If you take oral vitamin D, you also need to take vitamin K2. Vitamin K2 deficiency is actually what produces the symptoms of vitamin D toxicity, which includes inappropriate calcification that can lead to hardening of your arteries
• If you take a calcium supplement, it’s important to maintain the proper balance between calcium, vitamin K2, vitamin D, and magnesium. Lack of balance between these nutrients is why calcium supplements have become associated with increased risk of heart attack and stroke. 
•  Vitamin K1 exclusively participates in blood clotting — that's sole purpose. K2 on the other hand comes from a whole different set of food sources, and its biological role is to help move calcium into the proper areas in your body, such as your bones and teeth.

Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin most well known for the important role it plays in blood clotting. However, many do not realize that there are different kinds of vitamin K, and they are completely different.

The health benefits of vitamin K2 go far beyond blood clotting, which is done by vitamin K1, and vitamin K2 also works synergistically with a number of other nutrients, including calcium and vitamin D.

Dr. Kate Rheaume-Bleue, a naturopathic physician with a keen interest in nutrition, has authored one of the most comprehensive books on this important topic, titled: Vitamin K2 and the Calcium Paradox: How a Little Known Vitamin Could Save Your Life

"I tuned in to the emerging research about K2 early in 2007," she says. "Not long before, I had read Nutrition and Physical Degeneration by Weston A. Price. When I learned about vitamin K2, I thought:

"Hey, you know what? I'm sure Price talked all about this in his book." I went to the book, looked through it, and didn't find any reference to vitamin K2. I was really stumped.

A little bit later in 2007, I read a brilliant article by Chris Masterjohn that links vitamin K2 to Price's work on Activator X.

Once I realized that link, the light bulb went on about how important this nutrient is, and how overlooked it's been for so long. It really provides the missing piece to the puzzle of so many health conditions, and yet it was being completely overlooked, despite the overwhelming amounts of modern-day research."

What's So Special About Vitamin K2?

Vitamin K is actually a group of fat-soluble vitamins. Of the two main ones, K1 and K2, the one receiving the most attention is K1, which is found in green leafy vegetables and is very easy to get through your diet. This lack of distinction has created a lot of confusion, and it's one of the reasons why vitamin K2 has been overlooked for so long.

The three types of vitamin K are:

1. Vitamin K1, or phylloquinone, is found naturally in plants, especially green vegetables; K1 goes directly to your liver and helps you maintain healthy blood clotting
2. Vitamin K2, also called menaquinone, is made by the bacteria that line your gastrointestinal tract; K2 goes straight to your blood vessel walls, bones, and tissues other than your liver
3. Vitamin K3, or menadione, is a synthetic form I do not recommend; it's important to note that toxicity has occurred in infants injected with this synthetic vitamin K3

Vitamin K1 exclusively participates in blood clotting — that's sole purpose. K2 on the other hand comes from a whole different set of food sources, and its biological role is to help move calcium into the proper areas in your body, such as your bones and teeth. 

 

It also plays a role in removing calcium from areas where it shouldn't be, such as in your arteries and soft tissues.

"K2 is really critical for keeping your bones strong and your arteries clear," Rheaume-Bleue says.

Now, vitamin K2 can be broken into two additional categories, called:

1. MK-4 (menaquinone-4), a short-chain form of vitamin K2 found in butter, egg yolks, and animal-based foods
2. MK-7 (menaquinone-7), longer-chain forms found in fermented foods.

There's a variety of these long-chain forms but the most common one is MK-7. This is the one you'll want to look for in supplements, because in a supplement form, the MK-4 products are actually synthetic. They are not derived from natural food products containing MK-4.

The MK-7 – these long-chain, natural bacterial-derived vitamin K2 – is from a fermentation process, which offers a number of health advantages:

1. It stays in your body longer, and
2. It has a longer half-life, which means you can just take it once a day in very convenient dosing

How Much Vitamin K2 Do You Need?

The optimal amounts of vitamin K2 are still under investigation, but it seems likely that 180 to 200 micrograms of vitamin K2 should be enough to activate your body's K2-dependent proteins to shuttle the calcium where it needs to be, and remove it from the places where it shouldn't.

"The most recent clinical trials used around those amounts of K2," Rheaume-Bleue says. "The average person is getting a lot less than that. That's for sure. In the North American diet, you can see as little as maybe 10 percent of that or less. Certainly, not near enough to be able to optimize bone density and improve heart health."

She estimates that about 80 percent of Americans do not get enough vitamin K2 in their diet to activate their K2 proteins, which is similar to the deficiency rate of vitamin D. Vitamin K2 deficiency leaves you vulnerable for a number of chronic diseases, including:

Osteoporosis	Heart disease	Heart attack and stroke
Inappropriate calcification, from heel spurs to kidney stones	Brain disease	Cancer

"I talked about vitamin K2 moving calcium around the body. Its other main role is to activate proteins that control cell growth. That means K2 has a very important role to play in cancer protection," Rheaume-Bleue says.

"When we're lacking K2, we're at much greater risk for osteoporosis, heart disease, and cancer. And these are three concerns that used to be relatively rare. Over the last 100 years, as we've changed the way we produced our food and the way we eat, they have become very common."

Researchers are also looking into other health benefits. For example, one recent study published in the journal Modern Rheumatology¹ found that vitamin K2 has the potential to improve disease activity besides osteoporosis in those with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Another, published in the journal Science², found that vitamin K2 serves as a mitochondrial electron carrier, thereby helping maintain normal ATP production in mitochondrial dysfunction, such as that found in Parkinson's Disease.
According to the authors:

"We identified Drosophila UBIAD1/Heix as a modifier of pink1, a gene mutated in Parkinson's disease that affects mitochondrial function. We found that vitamin K(2) was necessary and sufficient to transfer electrons in Drosophila mitochondria. Heix mutants showed severe mitochondrial defects that were rescued by vitamin K(2), and, similar to ubiquinone, vitamin K(2) transferred electrons in Drosophila mitochondria, resulting in more efficient adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production. Thus, mitochondrial dysfunction was rescued by vitamin K(2) that serves as a mitochondrial electron carrier, helping to maintain normal ATP production."

The Interplay Between Vitamin K2, Vitamin D, and Calcium

As I've discussed on numerous occasions, vitamin D is a critical nutrient for optimal health and is best obtained from sun exposure or a safe tanning bed. However, many are taking oral vitamin D, which may become problematic unless you're also getting sufficient amounts of vitamin K2. Dr. Rheaume-Bleue explains:

"When you take vitamin D, your body creates more of these vitamin K2-dependent proteins, the proteins that will move the calcium around. They have a lot of potential health benefits. But until the K2 comes in to activate those proteins, those benefits aren't realized. So, really, if you're taking vitamin D, you're creating an increased demand for K2. And vitamin D and K2 work together to strengthen your bones and improve your heart health.

... For so long, we've been told to take calcium for osteoporosis... and vitamin D, which we know is helpful. But then, more studies are coming out showing that increased calcium intake is causing more heart attacks and strokes. That created a lot of confusion around whether calcium is safe or not. But that's the wrong question to be asking, because we'll never properly understand the health benefits of calcium or vitamin D, unless we take into consideration K2. That's what keeps the calcium in its right place."

IMPORTANT: If You Take Vitamin D, You Need K2

This is a really crucial point: If you opt for oral vitamin D, you need to also consume in your food or take supplemental vitamin K2.

"There are so many people on the vitamin-D-mega-dose bandwagon, taking more and more of vitamin D. And it could absolutely be causing harm if you are lacking the K2 to complete the job to get the calcium where it's supposed to be," Rheaume-Bleue warns.

"We don't see symptoms of vitamin D toxicity very often. But when we do, those symptoms are inappropriate calcification. That's the symptom of vitamin D toxicity. And it is actually a lack of vitamin K2 that can cause that..."

While the ideal or optimal ratios between vitamin D and vitamin K2 have yet to be elucidated, Rheume-Bleue suggests about 150-200 micrograms of K2 will meet the need for the "average" healthy person.

The latest vitamin D dosing recommendations, which call for about 8,000 IU's of vitamin D3 per day if you're an adult, means you'd need in the neighborhood of 800 to 1,000 micrograms (0.8 to 1 milligram/mg) of vitamin K2, but the jury is still out.

"My earlier recommendation was not taking into account people who were doing high dose of vitamin D supplementation," Rheaume-Bleue says. "That's where it gets a little bit more technical. It seems that for the average person, around 200 to 280 micrograms will activate your K2 proteins and do a lot of good for your bones and your heart. If you're taking high levels of vitamin D... then I would recommend taking more K2."

The good news is that vitamin K2 has no toxicity. No toxic effects have ever been demonstrated in the medical literature.

"The reason why K2 doesn't have potential toxic effect is that all vitamin K2 does is activate K2 proteins. It will activate all the K2 proteins it finds. And if they're all activated and you take extra K2, it simply won't do that. That's why we don't see a potential for toxicity the way we do with vitamin A or D," she says.

If You Need Calcium, Aim for Calcium-Rich Foods First

For those who are calcium deficient, Rheaume-Bleue recommends looking to food sources high in calcium, before opting for a supplement. This is because many high calcium foods also contain naturally high amounts of, you guessed it, vitamin K2! Nature cleverly gives us these two nutrients in combination, so they work optimally. Good sources of calcium include dairy, especially cheeses, and vegetables, although veggies aren't high in K2.

Additionally, magnesium is far more important than calcium if you are going to consider supplementing. Magnesium will also help keep calcium in the cell to do its job far better. In many ways it serves as nutritional version of the highly effective class of drugs called calcium channel blockers. If you do chose to supplement with calcium, for whatever reason, it's important to maintain the proper balance between your intake of calcium and other nutrients such as:

• Vitamin K2
• Vitamin D
• Magnesium

The Importance of Magnesium

As mentioned previously, magnesium is another important player to allow for proper function of calcium. As with vitamin D and K2, magnesium deficiency is also common, and when you are lacking in magnesium and take calcium, you may exacerbate the situation. Vitamin K2 and magnesium complement each other, as magnesium helps lower blood pressure, which is an important component of heart disease.

Dietary sources of magnesium include sea vegetables, such as kelp, dulse, and nori. Few people eat these on a regular basis however, if at all. Vegetables can also be a good source, along with whole grains. However, grains MUST be prepared properly to remove phytates and anti-nutrients that can otherwise block your absorption of magnesium. As for supplements, Rheaume-Bleue recommends using magnesium citrate. Another emerging one is magnesium threonate, which appears promising primarily due to its superior ability to penetrate the mitochondrial membrane.

How Can You Tell if You're Lacking in Vitamin K2?

There's no way to test for vitamin K2 deficiency. But by assessing your diet and lifestyle, you can get an idea of whether or not you may be lacking in this critical nutrient. If you have any of the following health conditions, you're likely deficient in vitamin K2 as they are all connected to K2:

• Do you have osteoporosis?
• Do you have heart disease?
• Do you have diabetes?

If you do not have any of those health conditions, but do NOT regularly eat high amounts of the following foods, then your likelihood of being vitamin K2 deficient is still very high:

• Grass-fed organic animal products (i.e. eggs, butter, dairy)
• Certain fermented foods such as natto, or vegetables fermented using a starter culture of vitamin K2-producing bacteria. Please note that most fermented vegetables are not really high in vitamin K2 and come in at about 50 mcg per serving. However, if specific starter cultures are used they can have ten times as much, or 500 mcg per serving.
• Goose liver pâté
• Certain cheeses such as Brie and Gouda (these two are particularly high in K2, containing about 75 mcg per ounce)

"An important thing to mention when it comes to cheese (because this becomes an area of confusion), [is that] because cheese is a bacterial derived form of vitamin K2, it actually doesn't matter if the cheese came from grass-fed milk. That would be nice, but it's not the milk that went into the cheese that makes the K2. It's the bacteria making the cheese, which means it doesn't matter if you're importing your brie from France or getting it domestically. Brie cheese, the bacteria that makes brie cheese, will make vitamin K2," she says.

Fermented vegetables, which are one of my new passions, primarily for supplying beneficial bacteria back into our gut, can be a great source of vitamin K if you ferment your own using the proper starter culture. We recently had samples of high-quality fermented organic vegetables made with our specific starter culture tested, and were shocked to discover that not only does a typical serving of about two to three ounces contain about 10 trillion beneficial bacteria, but it also contained 500 mcg of vitamin K2.

Note that not every strain of bacteria makes K2. For example, most yoghurts have almost no vitamin K2. Certain types of cheeses are very high in K2, and others are not. It really depends on the specific bacteria. You can't assume that any fermented food will be high in K2, but some fermented foods are very high in K2, such as natto. Others, such as miso and tempeh, are not high n K2.

Pregnant? Make Sure You're Getting Enough Vitamin K2

Last but not least, while vitamin K2 is critical for the prevention of a number of chronic diseases listed above, it's also vital for women who are trying to conceive, who are pregnant, and for growing healthy children. "K2 plays a very important role throughout pregnancy (for the development of teeth for both primary and adult teeth, the development of proper facial form, healthy facial form, as well as strong bones), then again throughout childhood to prevent cavities, and through adolescence as the skeleton is growing," Rheaume-Bleue says.
Vitamin K2 is needed throughout pregnancy, and later while breastfeeding. It may be particularly important during the third trimester, as most women's levels tend to drop at that time, indicating there's an additional drain on the system toward the end of the pregnancy. Since vitamin K2 has no toxicity issues, it may be prudent to double or even triple — which is what Rheaume-Bleue did during her own recent pregnancy — your intake while pregnant.

Astaxanthin, what is it and the reasons to take it

Astaxanthin (pronounced "asta-ZAN-thin") is a naturally-occurring carotenoid found in algae, shrimp, lobster, crab and salmon. Carotenoids are pigment colors that occur in nature and support good health. Beta carotene, for example, is orange. Astaxanthin,  dubbed the "king of the carotenoids" is red, and is responsible for turning salmon, crab, lobster and shrimp flesh pink. In the animal kingdom, astaxanthin is found in the highest concentration in the muscles of salmon. Scientists theorize astaxanthin helps provide the endurance these remarkable animals need to swim upstream. For humans, astaxanthin is a powerful antioxidant with broad health implications and unlike other antioxidants, such as beta carotene, zeaxanthin, vitamin E, C, D and selenium, astaxanthin never becomes pro-oxidant in the body. [23, 24, 25, 26]
Astaxanthin has been discussed by Dr. Mehmet Oz and Dr. Joe Mercola and recommended by many health experts. I take 12 milligrams every morning. I'd like to clarify one myth now: Krill supplements contain trace amounts of astaxanthin, not nearly what you need to achieve the therapeutic benefits discussed herein. Here are five reasons to take astaxanthin supplements every day:

1. Astaxanthin Can Help Relieve Pain and Inflammation

Astaxanthin is a potent anti-inflammatory and pain reliever, blocking different chemicals in your body that make you scream "ouch!" More than that, astaxanthin reduces the inflammatory compounds that drive many chronic diseases. Even though it's 100 percent natural, astaxanthin works like some prescription analgesics, but without the risk of addiction, GI bleeds or heartburn. More specifically, astaxanthin blocks COX 2 enzymes just like Celebrex, the blockbuster drug prescribed for osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid arthritis, acute pain and monthly dysmenorrhea. [1] In fact, astaxanthin works well with Celebrex -- it would be wise to take both together if you want to and if your doctor approves of astaxanthin.

Natural astaxanthin not only affects the COX 2 pathway, it suppresses serum levels of nitric oxide, interleukin 1B, prostaglandin E2, C Reactive Protein (CRP) and TNF-alpha (tumor necrosis factor alpha), and all of this has been proven. [1] Natural astaxanthin was shown to reduce CRP by more than 20 percent in only eight weeks; there is not a prescription drug known of that does that! [21] Even the American Heart Association claims CRP is a key indicator of heart disease. [22]

2. Astaxanthin Helps Fight Fatigue

Astaxanthin provides excellent recovery from exercise. [17] Just like salmon making the heroic upstream swim, astaxanthin can help athletes do their best. Pure natural astaxanthin is indicated for recovery of muscles, better endurance, enhanced strength and improved energy levels. [18, 19, 20]

3. Astaxanthin Supports Eye Health

Remember the famous song, "I can see clearly now, the rain is gone..." Well, I associate that song with astaxanthin. It has the unique ability to cross through a barrier and reach your retina. Well-designed clinical trials have shown that astaxanthin helps diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, eye strain and fatigue and seeing in fine detail. There are well-designed positive human clinical trials supporting eye health. [4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]

4. Astaxanthin Cleans Up the Cells

Astaxanthin is in a class of its own when it comes to antioxidant coverage, because it filters into every cell of the body. Its unique molecular lipophilic and hydrophilic properties allow it to span the entire cell, with one end of the astaxanthin molecule protecting the fat-soluble part of the cell and one end protecting the water-soluble part of the cell. You might think of it as giving your cell a full-body hug!

Natural astaxanthin is exceptionally powerful in singlet-oxygen quenching. A 2007 study analyzed several popular antioxidants and their antioxidant power. [10] This study found astaxanthin was 6,000 times stronger than vitamin C, 800 times stronger than CoQ10, 550 times stronger than green tea catechins and 75 times stronger than alpha lipoic acid.

5. Gorgeous Skin and Sunscreen Protection

 Astaxanthin has been shown to protect the body's largest organ. The studies are clear and consistent and show excellent results for helping with skin moisture levels, smoothness, elasticity, fine wrinkles, and spots or freckles. [12]

I have fair skin that tends to freckle, so I take astaxanthin, in part because it reduces damage caused by ultraviolet radiation from the sun. In fact, if you get a sunburn, which causes inflammation, astaxanthin penetrates the skin cells and reduces UVA damage. Think of it as an internal sunscreen. Other than skin benefits, I love astaxanthin because it relieves my minor aches and pains from yoga, hiking, kayaking and whatever else I get into in the name of fun!

Best Astaxanthin Sources

Wild Pacific salmon, especially sockeye salmon, have the highest astaxanthin content. However you'd have to eat about 6 ounces (165 grams) daily to get a 3.6 milligram dose. [11] Since studies show that doses greater than that provide anti-inflammatory benefits, I always suggest an astaxanthin supplement.

Shop wisely, because you want to make sure that your particular brand has undertaken all the special precautions to harvest it properly, purify it, encapsulate it and protect its potency right up to the expiration date on the bottle.  You can find astaxanthin supplements by many makers at health food stores nationwide.

References:
1. Lee SJ, Bai SK, Lee KS, Namkoong S, Na HJ, Ha KS, Han JA, Yim SV, Chang K, Kwon YG, Lee SK, Kim YM. Astaxanthin inhibits nitric oxide production and inflammatory gene expression by suppressing I(kappa)B kinase-dependent NF-kappaB activation. Mol Cells. 2003 Aug 31;16(1):97-105. PubMed PMID: 14503852.
2. Kearney PM, Baigent C, Godwin J, Halls H, Emberson JR, Patrono C. Do selective cyclo-oxygenase-2 inhibitors and traditional non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs increase the risk of atherothrombosis? Meta-analysis of randomised trials. BMJ. 2006 Jun 3;332(7553):1302-8. PubMed PMID: 16740558; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC1473048.
3. Belknap SM. NSAIDs were associated with increased risk for mortality, regardless of time since first MI. Ann Intern Med. 2013 Jan 15;158(2):JC10. doi:
10.7326/0003-4819-158-2-201301150-02010. PubMed PMID: 23318332.
4. Iwasaki Tsuneto, Tahara Akihiko. Effects of Astaxanthin on Eyestrain Induced by Accommodative Dysfunction. Journal of the Eye VOL.23;NO.6;829-834(2006)
5. Nagaki Y., Hayasaka S., Yamada T., Hayasaka Y., Sanada M., Uonomi T. Effects of Astaxanthin on accommodation, critical flicker fusion, and pattern visual evoked potential in visual display terminal workers. Journal of Traditional Medicines 2002: 19 (5), 170 - 173.
6. Nagaki Yasunori et al. The Effect of Astaxanthin on Retinal Capillary Blood Flow in Normal Volunteers. Journal of Clinical Therapeutics & Medicines Vol.21;No.5;537-542(2005)
7. Sun Z, Liu J, Zeng X, Huangfu J, Jiang Y, Wang M, Chen F. Protective actions of microalgae against endogenous and exogenous advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) in human retinal pigment epithelial cells. Food Funct. 2011 May;2(5):251-8. doi: 10.1039/c1fo10021a. Epub 2011 Apr 21. PubMed PMID: 21779563.
8. Ishida S. Lifestyle-related diseases and anti-aging ophthalmology: suppression of retinal and choroidal pathologies by inhibiting renin-angiotensin system and inflammation. Article in Japanese: Nihon Ganka Gakkai Zasshi. 2009 Mar;113(3):403-22; discussion 423. Review. Japanese. PubMed PMID: 19348185.
9. Liao JH, Chen CS, Maher TJ, Liu CY, Lin MH, Wu TH, Wu SH. Astaxanthin interacts with selenite and attenuates selenite-induced cataractogenesis. Chem Res Toxicol. 2009 Mar 16;22(3):518-25. doi: 10.1021/tx800378z. PubMed PMID: 19193053.
10. Nishida Y. et. al, Quenching Activities of Common Hydrophilic and Lipophilic Antioxidants against Singlet Oxygen Using Chemiluminescence Detection System.
Carotenoid Science 11:16-20 (2007)
11. Iwamoto T, et al. Inhibition of low-density lipoprotein oxidation by astaxanthin. J Atherosc Thromb 2000;7:216-22.
12. Camera E, Mastrofrancesco A, Fabbri C, Daubrawa F, Picardo M, Sies H, Stahl W. Astaxanthin, canthaxanthin and beta-carotene differently affect UVA-induced oxidative damage and expression of oxidative stress- responsive enzymes. Exp Dermatol. 2009 Mar;18(3):222-31. Epub 2008 Sep
13. Yamashita, E. Beauty From Within: A Synergistic Combination Of Astaxanthin And Tocotrienol For Beauty Supplements (2002) Cosmetic Benefit of Dietary Supplements Containing Astaxanthin and Tocotrienol on Human Skin. Food Style 21 6(6):112-17.
14. A novel micronutrient supplement in skin aging: a randomized placebo-controlled double-blind study. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology Volume 4 Page 277 - December 2005
15. Suganuma K, Nakajima H, Ohtsuki M, Imokawa G. Astaxanthin attenuates the UVA-induced up-regulation of matrix- metalloproteinase-1 and skin fibroblast elastase in human dermal fibroblasts. J Dermatol Sci. 2010 May;58(2):136-42. Epub 2010 Feb 18.
16. Arakane Kumi. Effect of Antioxidant to Inhibit UV-Induced Wrinkles. Journal of Japanese Cosmetic Science Society Vol. 27;No.4; 298-303(2003).
17. Aoi, et al, 2003. Astaxanthin limits exercise-induced skeletal and cardiac muscle damage in mice. Antioxid Redox Signal. 2003 Feb;5(1):139-44.
18. Curt L. Malmsten and Åke Lignell. Dietary Supplementation with Astaxanthin-Rich Algal Meal Improves Strength Endurance. A Double Blind Placebo Controlled Study on Male Students. Carotenoid Science, Vol.13, 2008 ISSN 1880-5671.
19. Aoi W, Naito Y, Takanami Y, Ishii T, Kawai Y, Akagiri S, Kato Y, Osawa T, Yoshikawa T. Astaxanthin improves muscle lipid metabolism in exercise via inhibitory effect of oxidative CPT I modification. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2008 Feb 22;366(4):892-7. Epub 2007 Dec 17.
20. Ikeuchi M, Koyama T, Takahashi J, Yazawa K. Effects of astaxanthin supplementation on exercise-induced fatigue in mice. Biol Pharm Bull. 2006 Oct;29(10):2106-10.
21. Gene A. Spiller, PhD, Antonella Dewell, MS, RD, Sally Chaves, RN, Zaga Rakidzich. Effect of daily use natural astaxanthin on C-reactive protein. Health Research & Studies Center, Los Altos, CA. Study Report, January, 2006.
22. Pearson, Thomas; Mensah, George, et al. Markers of inflammation and cardiovascular disease: application to clinical and public health practice: A statement for healthcare professionals from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Heart Association.2003 Jan 28; 107(3) :499-511.
23. Beutner, S., Bloedorn, B., Frixel, S., Hernández Blanco, I., Hoffmann, T., Martin, H.-D., Mayer, B., Noack, P., Ruck, C., Schmidt, M., Schülke, I., Sell, S., Ernst, H., Haremza, S., Seybold, G., Sies, H., Stahl, W. and Walsh, R. (2001), Quantitative assessment of antioxidant properties of natural colorants and phytochemicals: carotenoids, flavonoids, phenols and indigoids. The role of β-carotene in antioxidant functions. J. Sci. Food Agric., 81: 559-568. doi: 10.1002/jsfa.849.
24. Spallholz JE. Free radical generation by selenium compounds and their prooxidant toxicity. Biomed Environ Sci. 1997 Sep;10(2-3):260-70. Review. PubMed PMID: 9315319.
25. Koren R, Hadari-Naor I, Zuck E, Rotem C, Liberman UA, Ravid A. Vitamin D is a prooxidant in breast cancer cells. Cancer Res. 2001 Feb 15;61(4):1439-44. PubMed PMID: 11245448.26. Pearson P, Lewis SA, Britton J, Young IS, Fogarty A. The pro-oxidant activity of high-dose vitamin E supplements in vivo. BioDrugs. 2006;20(5):271-3. PubMed PMID:

The worst food mistakes you can make for your skin

Americans spend billions on cosmetics and skincare annually. But are all these dollars wasted when we follow a diet that causes acne, premature aging and other skin conditions? It sure seems so. A typical American diet is full of foods and beverages that are bad for your skin. We have narrowed down the worst dietary mistakes we are making when it comes to our skin.

1. Packing In Simple Sugars

Nobody heads for a bag of carrots when they've had a bad day. They're going for the pint of premium ice cream in the freezer. But this choice might just make your bad day even worse if you take note of what's happening to your skin. Foods with added sugars spike your blood sugar and cause chronic inflammation in the body, which damages your collagen and elastin in a process known as glycation. The digested sugar permanently attaches to the collagen in your skin, and it happens each time you eat sugary foods like candy, ice cream, condiments and processed foods. Skin conditions like acne and rosacea can be exacerbated by glycation. This whole process is metabolically very damaging. " We recommend satisfying your sweet tooth with antioxidant-rich natural sugars, like those found in fruits, to neutralize the inflammation caused by sugar and insulin spikes.

 2. Eating Too Many Starchy, High-Glycemic Foods

High-glycemic index diets are linked to premature aging of the skin. Starches like white bread, pasta and white rice cause rapid spikes in blood sugar, which leads to inflammation in the body. This process produces enzymes that break down collagen and elastin, giving you sagging skin and wrinkles. What's more, studies have shown that swapping high-glycemic foods for their low-glycemic counterparts, like whole grains and beans, can improve acne, suggesting that high-glycemic foods actually spark breakouts. So the next time you're craving a piece of bread, you may want to think about opting for whole grains, which are low-glycemic, anti-inflammatory and rich in antioxidants.

 3. Forgetting To Count Beverages
 
The number one source of added sugars in the US diet is beverages. Just like in food, sugar found in liquids can contribute to premature aging, acne and other inflammatory skin conditions, especially since sugar in beverages like juice and soda are absorbed into the bloodstream very quickly. Sodas might just be the biggest culprit, since many dark colas contain advanced glycation end products (AGEs), which give them their dark color and have been shown to speed up the process of skin aging. 


Excessive amounts of alcohol also wreak havoc on your skin, since alcoholic beverages dehydrate your skin and therefore accelerate aging. Water in your cells is what keeps skin plump and dewy and reduces the look of lines and wrinkles. If you're not drinking enough water during the day on a regular basis and then you're having a couple of glasses of wine every night, you're really hitting your skin up twice there. Some people also get very flushed from drinking alcohol with sulfites. If you're concerned about the effects of dehydration on the skin, you may also want to avoid caffeinated beverages, which constrict your blood vessels, reduce circulation and cause dehydration.
 
The bottom line: Drinking plenty of water and eating a diet rich in fiber, protein and healthy fats, like those found in fish, to fend off aging and inflammatory skin conditions is recommended. And while the results of eating well may not manifest as quickly as a chemical peel or Botox, don't underestimate the power of nutrition. A lot of beauty is how you feel about yourself. You don't exude confidence when you eat candy and soda all day.

The difference between umami and MSG

Glutamate and Your Gut: Understanding the Difference Between Umami and MSG

The human tongue picks up five basic tastes: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami.
Umami is one of the first flavors that a newborn infant encounters.

That last flavor—umami—comes from two Japanese words that together mean “delicious taste.” Kikunae Ikeda, a professor at the Tokyo Imperial University, was the first to describe and identify umami in 1908.

Umami is distinctly different from sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. It makes the mouth salivate and leaves an aftertaste that many find pleasant but difficult to describe. You can find umami in tomatoes, parmesan cheese, shiitake mushrooms, bonito flakes, soy sauce, cured meats, and the seaweed kombu.

Professor Ikeda found that the amino acid glutamate is largely responsible for umami. He submitted a patent for glutamate salt, or monosodium glutamate (MSG), and began producing it in 1909.

What Is Umami?

Natural glutamate gives food its umami flavor. The following foods are high in glutamate and have that distinct umami flair when paired with other umami-rich foods:
msg

Synthetic MSG is harmful to your health. MSG may be found in processed foods and has been linked to inflammation, type 2 diabetes, infertility, and much more.

Ocean vegetables, especially kombu seaweed
Green tea
Tomato, especially ripe tomato
Potato
Chinese cabbage
Soybean
Cheese, such as parmesan or Roquefort
Sardines
Prawns
Clams

Interestingly, umami is one of the first flavors that a newborn infant encounters.

Research has found that glutamate is the most abundant amino acid in breast milk, making up more than 50% of the amino acids in breast milk. The naturally high concentrations of glutamate (umami) in breast milk support newborn gut tissue. Glutamate is an energy source for cells that make up the lining of the gut.

In adults, umami is equally important. Studies show that glutamate drives our digestion, sending signals to the stomach, small intestine, and liver. In fact, just like the tongue, cells in the stomach can also sense umami.

Besides its role in digestive health, glutamate is also an excitatory brain chemical. It plays an essential role in learning and memory. The body uses glutamate to produce another brain chemical called GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), which is a calming and inhibitory brain chemical in the adult brain.

Sometimes the body loses the ability to convert glutamate into GABA. A build-up of glutamate with a deficiency of GABA has been linked to serious disorders, like:

Autism
Alzheimer’s disease
Stiff man syndrome
Diabetes

Glutamate’s role in brain development and brain health points to why MSG (synthetic glutamate salt) has such a bad reputation.
The Problem with MSG

MSG is a synthetic reproduction of natural glutamate. As free (unbound) glutamate, it is added to foods to enhance flavor and mimic natural umami. Like most synthetic isolates, MSG has its fair share of problems.

For example, in animal studies researchers have shown that MSG contributes to inflammation, weight-gain around the midsection, and type 2 diabetes. MSG also destroys liver tissue, leading to fibrosis, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and pre-cancerous lesions.

MSG may also play a role in the growing problem of infertility in women.

MSG has been found to increase levels of free glutamate and GABA in the brain, provoking seizures and changes in behavior. Last year, researchers at Aarhus University in Demark published a study suggesting that a single dose of MSG (150 micrograms, or 3% of a teaspoon) is enough to generate headaches, elevate blood pressure, and make the muscles around the jawline more sensitive.

How to Spot Hidden MSG

There are a number of processed foods that contain MSG or high levels of free synthetic glutamate.

The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) requires that food manufacturers list added MSG in the ingredients as “monosodium glutamate.” However, there are many processed foods high in MSG or free glutamate—and they require no label.

When looking at food ingredient lists, watch out for:

Hydrolyzed vegetable protein
Autolyzed yeast
Hydrolyzed yeast
Yeast extract
Soy extract
Protein isolate
Natural flavor, which often contains synthetic free glutamate

Spring water in Finland

David Wolfe gathering spring water in Finland


Finland is known for its thousands of lakes. It also has clean, great tasting water.

Water

That water is a carrier of information, especially structured water, has been pretty well established, both on a physical level as well as an intuitive level. Water, even if the actual molecules of a substance are not there, as we have learned from homeopathy, can still hold a positive or negative vibration. For example, even if we have filtered out chlorine and fluorine, which are poisons to the system, the water structure still holds their vibration. Until these messages in the water are erased, they may work in a negative way in the system. Such approaches as distilling or the Grander water technology appear to be able to erase all the negative information in the water, which includes the negative information of pesticides, herbicides, chlorine, fluorine, and pathogenic bacteria that have put their vibration into the water. Then, as with the Grander technology, we need to establish a healthy vibration. That healthy vibration is why mature distilled water and the Grander water have been successful in bringing health to people. This healthy vibration information carried in the water is not only for the human body, but actually can help transform the water information in ponds, lakes, and rivers back into a healthy information system that will bring those dead, contaminated waters back to life. This ancient and recent understanding about water has also been made graphic by Masaru Emoto in The Hidden Messages of Water. He found that healthy, life-giving, healing water makes beautiful hexagonal crystals, whereas pathogenic water will either not crystallize, such as with chlorinated water, or will make partially deformed crystals.

Some, such as the great medieval physician Paracelsus, pointed to the incredibly important effects of water for healing. For millennia, water has been seen as a healer. The healing mystery of the mikvah (spiritual purification pool) existed for centuries before John the Baptist, the famous Essene teacher who used the River Jordan as a mikvah and who popularized the practice in a way that was incorporated into the Christian tradition as baptism. These uses of water for healing relate to the transformative powers of water to wash away negative vibrations, or karmas, and rebalance our system. The great researchers of water, such as Viktor Schauberger and Johann Grander, have established a 3-part understanding of water that clarifies its importance:
(1) Water is a carrier of information, both of energy and of specific vibrational information.
(2) Water retains that information. Through distilling, we have the ability to erase this information.
(3) Water can transfer information.

Johann Grander, the inventor of Grander Water, established a very important technique, or system, that not only brings new information in, but prior to that, erases all harmful information that is in the water.

Because 20–40% of the bottled water in the U.S. is actually tap water (as noted by the Natural Resources Defense Council), this may not be as good a choice as the bottled water label suggests. Carbon-filtered water may vary from marginal to excellent.

When we understand these principles [of hydration], we begin to better understand what we call the symptoms of dehydration. One is dyspepsia, also known as stomach pain. This results because the cells in the lining of the stomach need to be hydrated and flushed between meals to get rid of acids and to develop a certain level of alkalinity. When we are dehydrated, or we don’t drink before meals, we actually cause a thinning of the stomach cell membrane buffer zone and it does not adequately protect our stomachs from the acidity that is naturally secreted. Another symptom of dehydration is rheumatoid pain (or arthritic pain), which has to do with any sort of joint pain because the joints are lubricated by water. The water creates a small film of water that helps lubricate the interface of the joint. During dehydration this lubricating film of water evaporates and the joints rub right on each other. Back pain, particularly lower back pain, and sciatica are often the result of the intervertebral discs becoming dehydrated. These discs normally create a space cushion between the vertebrae by virtue of how much water they can hold. When the discs are dehydrated, 75% of the upper body weight that they cushion against begins to bear down on the intervertebrae spaces and put pressure on the intervertebral nerves. This often causes muscle spasms. Usually a few days after we rehydrate, the pressure on the nerves begins to alleviate. The relief of sciatic pain for example, may happen within an hour of rehydrating. Sciatica may be an important sign of dehydration. Heart pain, or angina, is another symptom. When the body is dehydrated the blood flow to the heart is reduced. Headaches and toxic build-up and contracted blood vessels are another symptom, along with dry tongue and constipation. One of the main causes of death in airplanes is dehydration, which causes clots in the legs, which then can migrate to the lungs as pulmonary embolisms.

Water acts as a universal solvent, and that is partly how it produces life on the planet. Water’s ability to act as a solvent is what makes nutrition work for all living substances. Plants absorb nutrients when they are watered, just like water dissolves nutrients so they can enter our bloodstream. This is basic information, but it becomes clearer, as research has shown, that water acts as a medium that transfers and relays the tiny frequencies of information of DNA from one cell to another. If our water is polluted, meaning what is entering us is polluted with a set of negative frequencies, such as pesticides and herbicides, the water can’t really relay accurate intracellular and extracellular information. So, if we are consuming water that is contaminated, it not only brings in poisons but it blocks adequate frequency information extracellularly and intracellularly to and from the DNA.

Water, particularly in the neurons, serves as a way of transporting neurotransmitters to the nerve endings to use for neural transmission. These waterways exist in the neurons and are called microtubules. When the cells of the brain are dehydrated, these microtubules become blocked. Proteins and enzymes work more effectively in water that has a minimal amount of viscosity. This is particularly tru...e for the receptor sites in cell membranes. When these receptor sites, which are three-dimensional molecular formations, become dehydrated, the water develops a higher viscosity, and proteins and enzymes are not able to work at the same level of efficiency both inside and outside the cell. In this way, the solvent power of water regulates all metabolic activities in the body.

Every function of the human body is connected to the osmotic flow of water within and among cells. This concept of osmotic flow, which means that energy moves from higher points of ionic concentration to lower points of ionic concentration across an energized membrane, is one of the main ways things move in a biological system. It is one of the primary methods of mineral and nutrient transportation at the cell level. It is also the way toxins are removed from cells. The benefits of water are best achieved if the body receives pure mature water on a consistent basis. Pure water is natural high-hydrogen-donor water, 7.2 pH or lower. With age, the body dehydrates if pure, mature, electron-rich water is not given on a regular basis. The work by F. Batmanghelidj, M.D., described in Your Body’s Many Cries for Water, shows that the ratio of water inside the cell to the water outside changes from 1.1 to 0.8 with age. As the water inside the cell decreases, the mineral concentration of the cell decreases as well, which means we begin to demineralize at the same time we begin to cellularly dehydrate. Along with this process is a decrease in our thirst sensation, so our thirst mechanism does not alert us that we are dehydrating. The only way we can usually reverse or prevent this process is to do the obvious: Drink at least two quarts (64 ounces) of pure water each day. The ratio of intracellular to extracellular remains 1.1 if we remain hydrated. That means even if we don’t feel thirsty it is important to drink. Drinking can actually make you feel thirstier. Once we understand these water principles, it becomes clear that carbonated water, caffeine, soda pop, coffee, beer, and alcohol actually dehydrate us. They rob the useful hydrogen from our cells, thus dehydrating us intracellularly.

Hydration, which requires a TDS of 200 or less, is much more effective when the water has a TDS of 50, or even lower. Healthy water increases alkalinity of the extracellular fluid and increases the acidity of the intracellular fluid. The biggest cause of DNA malfunction is dehydration, which is a lack of hydrogen ions. Hydrogen-deficient DNA is more likely to mutate, and therefore cause cancer. It... needs the high electron input to replicate accurately. If the cells are dehydrated, they are unable to supply that electron demand of the DNA. DNA strands are nucleic acids, and therefore inextricably tied to hydrogen molecules and acidic (hydrogen-replenishing) water. When we become toxic, we create an O2 starvation because the toxicity builds up in the cells and the electrical differential across the cells becomes weakened. The result is that the oxygen cannot get in with the activated water, because there is not enough electron-filled hydrogen inside the cell to draw the oxygen.

The secret to the chemistry of life is the flow of hydrogen-donating electrons and how it affects all intracellular processes. DNA needs the electron energy from the hydrated water to repair it. The flow of hydrogen into the cells from the natural water helps bring oxygen into the cell in the form of H2O. The flow of hydrogen, which is electron-donating, activates the cytochrome oxidative system i...n the mitochondria of the cell to make ATP. ATP is the source of biological energy. The biological transmutation principles, discoveries of Dr. Louis Kervan are all based on the flow of hydrogen, and therefore electrons. Once we understand this basic principle that water has to do with hydration (hydra), and that the hydrogen it brings into the system subsequently releases electrons into the system for all energy systems to work, we are then ready to understand the principles of water. Water that is high in hydrogen, and therefore electrons, works as a powerful antioxidant. Water in this context is the universal antioxidant.
Source: "Spiritual Nutrition" Gabriel Cousens, MD