An estimated 44 percent to 87 percent of Americans don’t get enough calcium, including children, who are falling severely short on this mineral critical for proper growth and development. Unfortunately, there are not usually...
Given the general state of our dietary habits, whereby processed foods take center stage in the lives of millions. A plausible argument to explain why many Americans fail to meet their calcium needs is...
Calcium is required for skeletal and cardiac muscle contraction, blood-vessel expansion and contraction, secretion of hormones and enzymes, and transmission of impulses through the nervous system. The body strives to maintain constant concentrations of...
High blood pressure. High blood sugar. Unhealthy cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Excess abdominal (belly) fat. If you were to look into a crowd of Americans, say, at a football game or large concert, and...
Cancer of the colon and its neighboring area, known sometimes as colorectal cancer, affects both men and women. Like breast cancer and prostate cancer, colorectal cancer is seen much more frequently than skin cancers...
Only heart attacks and lung cancer kill more men than cancer of the prostate, which every year claims more than fifty thousand lives in the United States alone. Prostate cancer kills one in four...
Here’s a staggering statistic: Women who are deficient in vitamin D at the time they are diagnosed with breast cancer are nearly 75 percent more likely to die from the disease than women with...
Ulcers Most gastric ulcers are caused by Heliobacter pylori bacteria, which adhere to the lining of the stomach wall. Results from a 2002 in vitro study published in the journal Critical Reviews in Food...
Cranberries are delicious, whether dried and sweetened or served in cranberry sauce, cranberry juice cocktail or cranberry muffins. But there are other reasons to love cranberries. Current scientific research reveals that the tart red...
The anticancer properties of green tea are largely the result of the ability of polyphenols to black the formation of carcinogenic compounds in the body. In addition, polyphenols trap and detoxify enzymes that produce...
For thousands of years, green tea has been popular throughout Asia for its pleasant, soothing taste and time-honored health benefits. Practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine have recommended green tea since 3000 BC, and green...
Fish – especially fatty fish – is an excellent source of EPA and DHA, and the American Heart Association recommends eating at least two servings weekly. However, some fish, especially larger, predatory species, may...
Cardiovascular Health Research shows that omega-3 fats can lower blood pressure, decrease LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels, increase HDL (“good”) cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke and other vascular disorders. When...
Fat has a bad reputation – many people associate dietary fat with obesity, heart disease and other chronic conditions. But not all fat is bad fat. Some fats, known as omega-3 fatty acids, can...
Soy contains phytoestrogens called isoflavones. Phytoestrogens are naturally occurring plant compounds that mimic natural estrogens. Because of their isoflavone content, soy products can play an important role in women’s health, providing relief from the...
Soy is one of the world’s largest and most important food crops. Because of their complete amino acid profile, soybeans can provide as much protein as meat, milk and other animal foods. Ounce for...
Many high-quality probiotic supplements are available today, but there’s one overarching consideration when selecting a supplement: probiotics are living organisms, and if they are to have any therapeutic value, they must be alive when...
Antibiotics are not the only threat to beneficial bacteria. Other factors that can deplete beneficial bacteria levels include poor diet, stress, disease, food allergies and sensitivities, high levels of toxins, too much sugar or...
The word bacteria may invoke images of something harmful or unsanitary – spoiled food, perhaps, or a dirty bathroom. However, many bacteria are beneficial to our health. Our bodies are teeming with trillions of...
Scientists around the world have discovered many ways that resveratrol may benefit heart health. In 1995, Canadian researchers reported that resveratrol could protect against heart disease by reducing platelet aggregation, an early step in...
OPCs combat many of the negative effects of the aging process, partly through their ability to enhance immune resistance. Strong immune systems contribute to capillary strength, increase peripheral circulation, reduce skin aging and support...
Grape seed extract and OPCs may provide several heart-health benefits. The antioxidant effects of OPCs have been shown to inhibit cholesterol oxidation, a key factor leading to hardened arteries and heart disease. In 200,...
You have probably heard about the health benefits of red wine and the studies that link red wine consumption to long life. What you may not know is that grape seed extract provides many...
CoQ10 shows promise for patients with Parkinson’s disease, a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects the part of the brain responsible for muscle movement and causes tremors in the arms, the legs and the jaw....
CoQ10 for Congestive Heart Failure and More Congestive heart failure (CHF), a condition in which the heart cannot pump enough blood to the rest of the body, is associated with increased oxidative stress and...
Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is found in every cell in the body (CoQ10 is also called ubiquinone, because it is ubiquitous). CoQ10 is a fat-soluble, vitamin-like substance that plays an important role in energy production....
Pantothenic acid is very common – its name comes from the Greek root pantos, which means “everywhere”. Pantothenic acid is involved in over a hundred critical body processes, including energy production and the manufacture...
Scientists are increasingly recognizing the critical role that vitamin K plays in building strong bones and maintaining bone health. In fact, three proteins that the body uses to form bone tissue – osteocalcin, anticoagulant...
Zinc and copper work together in the human body, so a good multivitamin should contain adequate quantities of both. A 15:1 zinc-to-copper ratio is considered ideal, with a range of 10 to 30 parts...
Multivitamin often include potassium at doses around 100 milligram per tablet, far below the recommended intake of 3,000 milligrams or more. However, individuals with varied, healthful diets usually don’t have a problem obtaining adequate...