Healtiest Food Squalene
Statins Inhibit Squalene Synthesis
Statins (Lipitor, Mevacor, Zocor, etc) do not only inhibit the synthesis of cholesterol. Since squalene is a precursor to cholesterol, and statins cut off cholesterol synthesis prior to the formation of squalene, statins therefore inhibit the synthesis of squalene.
As is true for coenzyme Q10, this cannot be considered a "side effect." Inhibiting squalene, a cholesterol precursor, is the direct purpose of the statin drugs.
Yet squalene is much more than a precursor to cholesterol. In fact, only 10% of synthesized squalene is used for cholesterol synthesis. The other 90% is stored or used as an antioxidant.
Squalene as an Antioxidant
Squalene accumulates at the greatest concentrations in the skin, where it appears to play a vital role in quenching free radical oxygen (oxygen singlets), preventing the harmful effects of lipid peroxidation. Adequate concentrations of squalene in the skin prevent oxidative damage from ultraviolet light.
Squalene also appears to play a similar role in the retina, where it is known to play some kind of important function.
Squalene for Detoxification
Administration of squalene at high doses induces the detoxification and elimination of toxic pollutants such as organochlorines, theophylline, and strychnine in animals. The doses used are very high, and it is as yet unclear what the implications of this are for human health.
Squalene as an Anti-Cancer Agent
A significant body of evidence indicates that reasonable doses of supplemental squalene prevents the chemical initiation of some kinds of cancers, and promotes the regression of some kinds of preexisting tumors.
One animal study found that a 1% squalene diet reduced a certain type of colon cancer foci by 46%. Another study found that squalene as 2% of the diet made animals resistant to the toxic effects of whole-body gamma radiation.1
Squalene in Food
While the oils of olive, palm, wheat-germ, amaranth, and rice bran contain some squalene, none match the squalene content of shark liver oil, after (the latin name of) which squalene is named.
Shark liver oil, like cod liver oil, contains the same benefits as cod liver oil, such as vitamins A and D, and omega-3 fatty acids, but its high squalene content as well as its alkoxylglycerol content make it an even more prized supplement to a healthy diet.
Many people find that shark liver oil boosts their immune system and increases the health of their skin, and some researchers suggest it has cancer-preventative properties because of its high squalene content.
Squalene also does wonders for the skin topically, although shark liver oil is not practical to use for this because of its fishy smell. Some companies have isolated the squalene from shark liver oil to use topically.
Squalene: Another Hero, Fallen Victim
Squalene's benefits as an antioxidant and anti-cancer agent make it yet one more hero of the healthful body fallen victim to the use of statins.
Diposting oleh Healtiest People di 19:01 0 komentar
Spirulina Healtiest Food
The World's Healthiest Food
Rich in Beta Carotene and Phytonutrients
This tiny aquatic plant offers 60% all-vegetable protein, essential vitamins and phytonutrients such as the antioxidant beta carotene, the rare essential fatty acid GLA, sulfolipids, glycolipids and polysaccharides.
Its deep green color comes from its rainbow of natural pigments - chlorophyll (green), phycocyanin (blue) and carotenoids (orange) - that harvest the sun's energy. Easy-to-digest so nutrients are absorbed quickly.
The healthiest food is your best defense
The foods we eat are the first line of defense from the negative effects of lifestyle stress, pollution, radiation and toxic chemicals. Yet so many processed foods are nutritionally empty. They leave us vulnerable to poor health and low energy.
The good news is many essential nutrients recommended by experts to help protect our bodies are concentrated in Spirulina. It contains the most powerful combination of nutrients ever known in any grain, herb or food.
* World's highest beta carotene food reduces long term health risks.
Spirulina beta carotene is ten times more concentrated than carrots. So even if you don't eat the recommended 4 to 9 servings of fruits and vegetables every day (most people eat only 1-2, including french fries), get your natural beta carotene insurance from spirulina to help support your body's defenses.
* 60% easy-to-digest vegetable protein without the fat and cholesterol of meat.
People are eating less meat and dairy protein because they want to lower fat, cholesterol, and chemicals in their diet. Spirulina is the highest protein food with all the essential amino acids and has only a few calories to keep your waistline where you want it.
* A rare essential fatty acid is a key to health.
Gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) in mother's milk helps develop healthy babies. Studies show nutritional deficiencies can block GLA production in your body, so a good dietary source of GLA can be important. Spirulina is the only other whole food with GLA.
* Iron for women and children's health.
Iron is essential to build a strong system, yet is the most common mineral deficiency. Spirulina is rich in iron, magnesium and trace minerals, and is easier to absorb than iron supplements.
* High in Vitamin B-12 and B Complex.
Spirulina is the highest source of B-12, essential for healthy nerves and tissue, especially for vegetarians.
* Unusual phytonutrients for health and cleansing.
Scientists are discovering the benefits of polysaccharides, sulfolipids & glycolipids, and the rainbow of natural pigments that give spirulina a deep green color. Green (chlorophyll), blue (phycocyanin) and orange (carotenoids) colors collect the sun's energy and power growth. Chlorophyll is a natural cleanser and is often referred to as nature's green magic.
Use spirulina's longevity to benefit your health.
This superfood of the 1990s is not a synthetic laboratory brew. This immortal life form has been renewing itself for over 3.5 billion years. Through history, this remarkable aquatic plant has nourished people in Africa and America. Today, spirulina is consumed by health conscious people all over the world. If you are moving away from empty processed food and chemical vitamins to natural foods, start using spirulina, nature's longest living food.
Clean green energy is good for everyone
Spirulina is the most extensively researched food microalgae, well documented in numerous books, journal articles, and periodicals. Many people use Spirulina in their own self-care strategy for more energy, nutritional insurance, weight control and cleansing. Perfect in between or before meals for good nutrition without the heaviness of bulky food. Athletes discover more endurance and strength. Seniors find better nutrient absorption. Ideal and safe for children, pregnant and nursing mothers.
Easy to take anytime for more vitality
The experience of long time consumers and the scientific evidence suggest that 3 to 10 grams a day will provide significant health benefits. Daily use is most beneficial. Tablets are convenient anytime, between, before, or with meals. Many enjoy mixing Spirulina powder in a green fruit juice smoothie as an instant breakfast, or a vegetable juice smoothie in the afternoon.
Feel the power of Spirulina in your life
Feel good inside and look good outside. Add it to your daily diet to supplement the power of the good foods you eat. Lean on it when you can't eat, or don't eat, the foods you should. Do it soon and start feeling wonderful right away.
Diposting oleh Healtiest People di 01:55 0 komentar
Kamis, 2008 Januari 31
Chlorophyll
Chlorophyll
Chlorophyll gives leaves their green color
Chlorophyll gives leaves their green color
Space-filling model of the chlorophyll a molecule
Space-filling model of the chlorophyll a molecule
Chlorophyll is found in high concentrations in chloroplasts of plant cells.
Chlorophyll is found in high concentrations in chloroplasts of plant cells.
Absorbance spectra of free chlorophyll a (green) and b (red) in a solvent. The spectra of chlorophyll molecules are slightly modified in vivo depending on specific pigment-protein interactions.
Absorbance spectra of free chlorophyll a (green) and b (red) in a solvent. The spectra of chlorophyll molecules are slightly modified in vivo depending on specific pigment-protein interactions.
Chlorophyll is a green pigment found in most plants, algae, and cyanobacteria. Its name is derived from Greek: chloros = green and phyllon = leaf. Chlorophyll absorbs light most strongly in the blue and red but poorly in the green portions of the electromagnetic spectrum, hence the green color of chlorophyll-containing tissues like plant leaves. The ideal spectrum of light is between 400 and 700 nanometers.
Chlorophyll and photosynthesis
Chlorophyll is vital for photosynthesis, which allows plants to obtain energy from light. Chlorophyll molecules are specifically arranged in and around pigment protein complexes called photosystems which are embedded in the thylakoid membranes of chloroplasts. In these complexes, chlorophyll serves two primary functions. The function of the vast majority of chlorophyll (up to several hundred per photosystem) is to absorb light and transfer that light energy by resonance energy transfer to a specific chlorophyll pair in the reaction center of the photosystems. Because of chlorophyll’s selectivity regarding the wavelength of light it absorbs, areas of a leaf containing the molecule will appear green. There are currently two accepted photosystem units, Photosystem II and Photosystem I, which have their own distinct reaction center chlorophylls, named P680 and P700, respectively. These pigments are named after the wavelength (in nanometers) of their red-peak absorption maximum. The identity, function and spectral properties of the types of chlorophyll in each photosystem are distinct and determined by each other and the protein structure surrounding them. Once extracted from the protein into a solvent (such as acetone or methanol), these chlorophyll pigments can be separated in a simple paper chromatography experiment, and, based on the number of polar groups between chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b, will chemically separate out on the paper. The function of the reaction center chlorophyll is to use the energy absorbed by and transferred to it from the other chlorophyll pigments in the photosystems to undergo a charge separation, a specific redox reaction in which the chlorophyll donates an electron into a series of molecular intermediates called an electron transport chain. The charged reaction center chlorophyll (P680+) is then reduced back to its ground state by accepting an electron. In Photosystem II, the electron which reduces P680+ ultimately comes from the oxidation of water into O2 and H+ through several intermediates. This reaction is how photosynthetic organisms like plants produce O2 gas, and is the source for practically all the O2 in Earth's atmosphere. Photosystem I typically works in series with Photosystem II, thus the P700+ of Photosystem I is usually reduced, via many intermediates in the thylakoid membrane, by electrons ultimately from Photosystem II. Electron transfer reactions in the thylakoid membranes are complex, however, and the source of electrons used to reduce P700+ can vary. The electron flow produced by the reaction center chlorophyll pigments is used to shuttle H+ ions across the thylakoid membrane, setting up a chemiosmotic potential mainly used to produce ATP chemical energy, and those electrons ultimately reduce NADP+ to NADPH a universal reductant used to reduce CO2 into sugars as well as for other biosynthetic reductions.
Reaction center chlorophyll-protein complexes are capable of directly absorbing light and performing charge separation events without other chlorophyll pigments, but the absorption cross section (the likelihood of absorbing a photon under a given light intensity) is small. Thus, the remaining chlorophylls in the photosystem and antenna pigment protein complexes associated with the photosystems all cooperatively absorb and funnel light energy to the reaction center. Besides chlorophyll a, there are other pigments, called accessory pigments, which occur in these pigment-protein antenna complexes.
Chemical structure
Chlorophyll is a chlorin pigment, which is structurally similar to and produced through the same metabolic pathway as other porphyrin pigments such as heme. At the center of the chlorin ring is a magnesium ion. The chlorin ring can have several different side chains, usually including a long phytol chain. There are a few different forms that occur naturally, but the most widely distributed form in terrestrial plants is chlorophyll a. The general structure of chlorophyll a was elucidated by Hans Fischer in 1940, and by 1960, when most of the stereochemistry of chlorophyll a was known, Robert Burns Woodward published a total synthesis of the molecule as then known. In 1967, the last remaining stereochemical elucidation was completed by Ian Fleming, and in 1990 Woodward and co-authors published an updated synthesis
