Acetyl L-Carnitine: Promotes brain metabolism, memory and cognitive functions, especially mild memory problems associated with aging. It also has had some improvement with mild alzheimer’s. With alpha lipoic acid, it helps mitrochrondia metabolic burning of fat.
Alpha Lipoic Acid: Called a “universal antioxidant” that helps mitrochron fight cell-damaging free radicals. It works in fat and water – and regenerates or fills in for other antioxidants. If there was only 1 antioxidant to take, this is it! In addition to helping produce energy, it helps the liver, increases Q10 production for the heart and helps prevent organ damage for diabetics (a fuller discussion in the “Diabetes” article). The body produces it but, since liver is not a major part of diets anymore, it is very good to add it.
Coenzyme Q10 (vitamin Q): Your heart loves it! Q10 is a powerful antioxidant helping mitochondria produce energy from every cell in your body. It is especially concentrated in heart muscles producing energy for the heart. As the body ages (from the twenties on), it’s production of Q10 slows down – making it more important to add Q10 as we get older. Only small amounts are available from food so supplementation is advised. (Statin drugs for cholesterol reduce the liver’s production of Q10.)
Ginko Biloba: It is the most popular prescription drug in Germany and France for symptoms of aging associated with deteriorating memory. It appears to do this by increasing the blood flow in the extremities of the body – including the brain! It also helps leg circulation, macular degeneration, and impotence. As with garlic, it also thins blood and some multi’s put too much in. This is a nutrient to use with balance.
Glucosamime, & MSM: These are not intended to treat joint or arthritis problems! A joint repair formula adds additional nutrients to help those conditions. These nutrients are here to help maintain joints and help prevent future problems as joints undergo normal wear and tear during ones life. (Serious joint and arthritis problems are discussed more in the joint and arthritis articles.) Glucosamine helps joints actually repair themselves by stimulating cartilage cells to make proteoglycans and collagen (essential for joint function).
MSM also helps maintain the structure of connective tissue by forming cross-linkages through disulfide bonds. GAG molecules are linked together in chains by disulfide bonds from MSM. MSM also reduces inflammation in the joints and elsewhere that can cause damage to the cells. MSM also makes individual cell walls more permeable. This helps the cell more easily absorb nutrients and makes glucosamine be more efficient. These supplements support each other and produce better results working together in joint function.
Grapeseed: You can have the benefits of red wine without the alcohol. (Sorry, but the extract doesn’t provide the same social benefits as wine.) Grape seeds provide resveratrol, a phenolic compound of the bioflavonoid family. It reduces microvascular bleeding and enhances capillary strength. It also helps prevents oxidation of cholesterol. This produce the heart and brain benefits you have heard about from red wine. It slows artery deposits, strengthens blood vessels, helps varicose veins, night vision, and reduces inflammation. (However, taken in wine form, it is said to also double your horsepower.)
Green tea: This has long been known as a cancer fighter – and there is a growing amount of evidence to support it. Drinking enough tea can be difficult so it is easier to take it in standardized extract form. The polyphenols in it are also being shown to be neuroprotective and considered therapeutic agents for brain processes. It is even being used as a neuroprotective agent in treating alzheimer’s and parkinson’s disease. To help lose weight, recent clinical studies show green tea increases the amount of calories people burn. (Long live the diet!)
Lutein: This is a caotenoid, like bet-carotene, that can help keep a person’s eyesight healthy. It is the main pigment in the center of the retina. It has been shown to help reduce the occurrence and progress of macular degeneration, cataracts and even the age related increase in thickness of lenses. Most researchers believe people consume less lutein than they should (about 2-4 mg a day). Scientists are also cautious about taking too much so we use the proper amount.
Lycopene: This is also a carotenoid that is a red pigment found in tomatoes. It also helpseyesight but is much better known as preventing prostate and breast cancer (as well as other cancers). It also provides antioxidant support for the heart and immune system.
Milk thistle: Extensive research has been done in Europe. It is wonderful for the liver, helping chronic and acute viral hepatitis, cirrhosis and liver-toxic medicines. It also helps liver damaged by alcohol by helping remove the fatty deposits that build up, blocking the liver’s filtering ability. We provide a good maintenance amount for the liver, but serious conditions will require a greater amount than here.
Probiotics – L-acidophilus & Bifidus: These are the friendly bacteria that are so important in the human digestive tract. They are very important to health but sadly lacking in significant amount in most multi’s. Having a healthy digestive system is far more important than most people think for good health. A billion organisms is like having a good helping of live yogurt every day.
Veggie / Fruit Extract Blend – (Phenolic Compounds): These compounds are very common in the plant kingdom. Most people do not eat enough fruits and vegetables to give them the enzymes and phyto-nutrients they need. Their importance has reached a new high in recent years since phenolic compounds are essential for plants. They have the protective role of defending injured plants against pathogens and cell damage.
Our bodies were designed to, ideally, consume many different nutrients together. However, there are over 4,000 of these compounds. The answer is a blend of 30 veggie and fruit extracts to help provide an interactive base in which many of the other supplements work better in. We provide the equivalent of 2-3 helpings of veggies and fruit. This is a missing link to good supplements that most other multi’s lack.
Two Other Suggestions: (These are not in our formula because fish oil cannot be effectively mixed with other dry nutrients and DHEA is controversial to some.)
Fish Oil: If I had to pick 3 of the best natural foods I would recommend to everyone, one of them would be fish oil. Some scientists think that keeping inflammation down in the body is the most important thing we can do to prevent degenerative diseases. To do this, we need a proper balance of omega 6 to omega 3 essential fats in body. Modern diets produce 10+ times the omega 6’s we need. Eating more sensibly helps but we still need to add omega 3’s.
The cardiovascular and heart disease benefits of fish oil are well known! They also help cholesterol balance, rheumatoid arthritis, brain, joint, skin, menstrual pain, bipolar disease, osteoporosis, lupus and a host of other things (as an excellent nutrient should). There is not a practical way to add fish oil to a dry capsule, so we highly recommend adding 2-4 grams daily to your diet. It is a good idea to refrigerate liquid fish oil (do not use a cod liver oil form). Our link to Douglas Labs provides a quality fish oil at a 15% discount.
DHEA and 7-Keto DHEA: For those interested, we will have articles about the anti-aging effects of DHEA on our site. It is the basic steroid your body produces from cholesterol and uses to make testerone and estrogen as well as other anti-aging nutrients our body needs. The problem is that our body produces less as we age – to as little as 15% as much by the time we are age 60! There have been many excellent studies (and some very exaggerated stories) about the anti-aging benefits of DHEA – both positive and negative. We feel there are very good anti-aging benefits and well-being effects from taking DHEA in moderate amounts. However, we leave it as a separate supplement people can take as they choose. At 60 years old, I take 25 mg of DHEA a day in the morning.
7-Keto DHEA: This is considered to be a much safer version of DHEA because it does not convert to testosterone and estrogen. Some may prefer this form. 7-Keto may also provide some of the aspects of younger life, including weight loss, cardiovascular and neurological benefits. It is also a separate supplement discussed in our anti-aging articles. I also take 50 mg of 7-Keto a day, in the evening.
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