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General Information & Selected Studies

The Science of Anti-Aging®
Free radicals are highly reactive molecules that can destroy cell membranes and damage DNA. They are produced by smoking, pesticides, pollution, excess sunlight, and even exercise and your body's normal process of metabolizing the air you breathe and the foods you eat. Antioxidants are powerful compounds that neutralize free radicals and help you maintain a healthy, active life. While some antioxidants are produced by the body, there are others, such as vitamins C, E and beta-carotene, as well as polyphenolic bioflavonoids, which must be consumed in our daily diet.

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Antioxidant Basics
The body produces unstable molecules called free radicals in response to ultraviolet radiation, cigarette smoke, stress, lack of sleep, toxins and even normal metabolism and immune function. "Every time we take a breath of air, we have approximately 21 to 22 percent oxygen in the air and about 1 to 1.2 percent of that turns into a free radical," says nutraceutical consultant Alexander Schauss, Ph.D.

Although the unstable molecules get a bad rap, they serve an important function, including killing bacteria, viruses and cancer cells. However, when the body's balance between free radicals and antioxidants gets off-kilter, some healthy cells become targets, explains Schauss. The free radicals attack a healthy cell's DNA, creating defective proteins, or worse, mutant cells, leading to tissue and organ damage.
"Antioxidant" is a catchall term for any substance that stabilizes a free radical before it has a chance to do any damage.

"An antioxidant basically becomes a suicide substrate," says Anthony Almada, founder of Imaginutrition. He explained that an antioxidant steps in front of a tissue molecule and says, "Sacrifice me, and don’t hit the DNA!"

With the few exceptions, antioxidants mainly come from two places; food and normal body function. Some common food antioxidants include carotenoids, found in yellow-orange fruits and vegetables such as squash and carrots; lycopene, found in tomatoes; bioflavonoids, abounding in citrus fruits; and anthocyanins, occurring in berries, grapes and purple corn. Most people do not get enough antioxidants through their diet alone, so an antioxidant supplement is a logical way to fill the void.
(Natural Foods Merchandise, September 25, 2009)

Green Tea Extract May Delay or Prevent Alzheimer's
Long known to be beneficial, a new study finds a specific green tea extract may promote cognitive health. A 50% pure extraction of EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate), a flavonoid which is the most potent of four major catechins in green tea, was examined by Dr. Stephane Bastianetto at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University in Montreal. In the study, rats were fed food that contained the extract, compared to a control group whose food did not contain the extract. Results showed that rats that ate the green tea extract had an 18% reduction of free radicals in a key region of the brain involved with learning and memory. This region is severely damaged when Alzheimer's is present.

"This suggests regular consumption of green tea may protect against the deleterious effects of oxidative stress, delaying or preventing age-related memory deficits," said Dr. Bastianetto. According to Dr. Bastianetto, discovering green tea extracts ability to cross the blood-brain barrier in sufficient concentrations and actually reach the brain is significant. Studies have shown that EGCG may inhibit production of inflammatory molecules associated with rheumatoid arthritis, enhance the immune system, boost metabolism and burn fat as well as protecting against gum disease and reducing cavities.
(Natural and Nutritional Products Industry Center, March 13, 2010)

Study Suggests Tomato Lycopene May Support "Skin Health"
A recent study on lycopene conducted by the Department of Dermatology at the Charite-University of Medicine in Berlin, Germany gave promising results for those wishing to maintain healthy and beautiful skin. Results of this study, which focused on lycopene concentration in the furrowed and wrinkled foreheads of 20 subjects between 40 and 50 years old, demonstrated that high levels of antioxidants in the skin may be correlated to lower levels of skin roughness. Since the body does not produce its own lycopene, a diet rich in lycopene will help assure a high level in the skin.

Lycopene, a powerful antioxidant, is found in the greatest quantities in tomatoes. While health experts promote the value of eating a tomato-rich Mediterranean diet, dietary supplementation with a lycopene-rich tomato extract is a convenient and effective means to insure that the diet is supplying ample tomato lycopene for healthy, beautiful skin. "The researchers stated that 'lycopene can be assumed to represent an efficient protection system against the negative action of the free radicals in the skin,' and this is highly encouraging because it provides additional support for Lyc-O-Mato® tomato lycopene as a skin protecting and beautifying ingredient," explains Zohar Nir, V.P. of New Product Development and Scientific Affairs, for LycoRed, Ltd., manufacturers of Lyc-O-Mato. "Skin smoothness is highly valued from an aesthetic perspective," Nir continues, "but it is also an indicator of healthy skin. Increasing dietary levels of lycopene through daily supplementation with tomato lycopene is an easy way to insure the continued presence of high skin levels of these protectant antioxidants and to help protect the skin from photo-damage and environmental pollutants, and to preserve the skin's smoothness."
(Natural Products Insider, January 20, 2010)

New Vitamin C Discovery Shows Longevity Link
New research reports that vitamin C reverses abnormalities caused by Werner syndrome gene, including cancer, obesity, diabetes, heart failure and high cholesterol. The research suggests that treatments for disorders that cause accelerated aging, particularly Werner's syndrome, might come straight from the family medicine chest. In the research report, a team of Canadian scientists show that vitamin C stops and even reverses accelerated aging in a mouse model of Werner's syndrome, but the discovery may also be applicable to other progeroid syndromes. People with Werner's syndrome begin to show signs of accelerated aging in their 20s and develop age-related diseases and generally die before the age of 50.

"Our study clearly indicates that a healthy organism or individuals with no health problems do not require a large amount of vitamin C in order to increase their lifespan, especially if they have a balanced diet and they exercise," said Michel Lebel, Ph.D., co-author of the study from the Centre de Recherché en Cancerologie in Quebec, Canada. "An organism or individual with a mutation in the WRN gene or any gene affected by the WRN protein, and thus predisposes them to several age-related diseases, may benefit from a diet with the appropriate amount of vitamin C."
(FASEB Journal, January 2010)

Antioxidants Could Help Preserve Muscle Strength
In a study of older adults, dietary intake of vitamins C and E was linked with muscle strength, leading the researchers to suggest at a recent meeting in Atlanta that a diet high in antioxidants could play an important role in preserving muscle function in older adults. "Muscle strength is really a marker of aging," one of the investigators, Dr. Anne Newman of the University of Pittsburgh, told Reuters Health. "Muscle strength starts declining when people are in their 40's, but it decreases dramatically after age 60." This decline is "a major risk factor" for becoming frail and disabled, she said, but certain strategies may slow down the loss.

In previous work, Newman and her associates identified physical activity and, separately, dietary protein as important for maintaining muscle strength. For their current study, to evaluate the potential benefits of micronutrients, the researchers asked more than 2,000 men and women in their 70's about their long term eating habits. They also measured participants' grip strength at the outset and two years later.

At the Gerontological Society of America's annual meeting, the researchers reported a significant positive link between dietary intake of vitamins C and E and subsequent change in muscle strength regardless of participants' initial strength levels. At this point, it's not clear whether vitamins C and E specifically help preserve muscle strength, or if intake of these micronutrients is a marker of a healthy diet, Newman said. "Since they're in the food, they could be directly related, or they could be marking diets high in fruits and vegetables and low in sodium, all of which would have beneficial effects."

The average daily dietary intakes of vitamins C and E in the study were 144 milligrams and 11 milligrams, respectively. "For vitamin E at least, our cohort's intake was on average a little lower than the recommended daily allowance," Newman pointed out. "So while it's possible to get enough of this micronutrient in the diet, you have to pay attention and be sure to include foods rich in that vitamin."

The team is trying now to determine "the optimal level of physical activity and optimal nutrients in the diet that will preserve muscle strength," Newman said. Meanwhile, she added, the current findings provide "another reason for doctors to encourage patients to eat a balanced diet, rich in fruits and vegetables."
(Natural and Nutritional Product Industry Center, November 25, 2009)

Antioxidant Vitamins and Zinc Reduce Risk of Vision Loss from Age-Related Macular Degeneration
High levels of antioxidants and zinc significantly reduce the risk of advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and its associated vision loss. These findings from a nationwide clinical trial are reported in the October 2001 issue of Archives of Ophthalmology. The clinical trial, called the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS), was sponsored by the National Eye Institute (NEI). The National Eye Institute (NEI) is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and is the Federal government's lead agency for vision research.

Scientists found that people at high risk of developing advanced stages of AMD, a leading cause of vision loss, lowered their risk by about 25 percent when treated with a high-dose combination of vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, and zinc. In the same high-risk group, which includes people with intermediate AMD, or advanced AMD in one eye but not the other eye, the nutrients reduced the risk of vision loss caused by advanced AMD by about 19 percent.
(NEI News Release, October 12, 2001)

NCI Fact Sheet: Antioxidants
Antioxidants are substances that may protect cells from the damage caused by unstable molecules known as free radicals. Antioxidants interact with and stabilize free radicals and may prevent some of the damage free radicals otherwise might cause. Examples of antioxidants include beta-carotene, lycopene, vitamins C, E, and A, and other substances.

Antioxidants neutralize free radicals as the natural by-product of normal cell processes. Free radicals are molecules with incomplete electron shells, which make them more chemically reactive than those with complete electron shells. Exposure to various environmental factors, including tobacco smoke and radiation, can also lead to free radical formation. In humans, the most common form of free radicals is oxygen. When an oxygen molecule (O2) becomes electrically charged or "radicalized" it tries to steal electrons from other molecules, causing damage to the DNA and other molecules. Antioxidants are often described as "mopping up" free radicals, meaning they neutralize the electrical charge and prevent the free radical from taking electrons from other molecules.

Antioxidants are abundant in fruits and vegetables, as well as in other foods including nuts, grains and some meats, poultry and fish. Food sources of common antioxidants include:

	Beta-carotene is found in many foods that are orange in color, including sweet potatoes, carrots, cantaloupe, squash, apricots, pumpkin, and mangos. Some green leafy vegetables including collard greens, spinach, and kale are also rich in beta-carotene.
	Lutein, best known for its association with healthy eyes, is abundant in green, leafy vegetables such as collard greens, spinach, and kale.
	Lycopene is a potent antioxidant found in tomatoes, watermelon, guava, papaya, apricots, pink grapefruit, blood oranges, and other foods. Estimates suggest 85 percent of American dietary intake of lycopene comes from tomatoes and tomato products.
	Selenium is a mineral, not an antioxidant nutrient. However, it is a component of antioxidant enzymes. Plant foods like rice and wheat are the major dietary sources of selenium in most countries. The amount of selenium in soil, which varies by region, determines the amount of selenium in the foods grown in that soil. Animals that eat grains or plants grown in selenium-rich soil have higher levels of selenium in their muscle. In the United States, meats and bread are common sources of dietary selenium. Brazil nuts also contain large quantities of selenium.
	Vitamin A is found in three main forms: retinol (Vitamin A1), 3,4-didehydroretinol (Vitamin A2), and 3-hydroxy-retinol (Vitamin A3). Foods rich in vitamin A include liver, sweet potatoes, carrots, milk, egg yolks and mozzarella cheese.
	Vitamin C is also called ascorbic acid, and can be found in high abundance in many fruits and vegetables and is also found in cereals, beef, poultry and fish.
	Vitamin E, also known as alpha-tocopherol, is found in almonds, in many oils including wheat germ, safflower, corn and soybean oils, and also found in mangos, nuts, broccoli and other foods.

Vitamin E: What is it?
Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin that exists in eight different forms. Each form has its own biological activity, the measure of potency or functional use in the body. Alpha-tocopherol is the most active form of vitamin E in humans, and is a powerful biological antioxidant. Antioxidants such as vitamin E act to protect your cells against the effects of free radicals, which are potentially damaging by-products of the body’s metabolism.
(National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements)

Lutein
Research indicates that because of its antioxidant properties, lutein consumption may play a role in maintaining the health of the eyes, heart and skin as well as the breasts and cervix in women. Additional lutein research is currently under way at a number of universities to expand on these findings.

Lutein and the Skin
Ongoing research by internationally recognized skin cancer experts from Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla, California, demonstrates the presence of lutein and other antioxidants in the skin, with the hypothesis that antioxidant levels can actually protect the skin from sun damage and the onslaught of the aging process. Further supporting evidence from a 1998 paper in the Journal of Dermatology found that lutein and beta-carotene seemed effective in protecting the cells from UVA damage.

Lutein and the Heart
Lutein is found in HDL, or 'good' cholesterol and researchers think it may prevent LDL cholesterol from oxidizing. Evidence from a 1994 study in Circulation suggested that one of the reasons the French have a low risk of heart disease is that they consume foods high in lutein content like spinach and collard greens.
(Lutein Information Bureau, 2003)

Antioxidant Properties of Edible Berry Anthocyanins
Anthocyanins are common components of fruits and vegetables, in particular berries, which provide pigmentation (color) and serve as natural antioxidants. Fruits and vegetables are rich sources of a variety of nutrients, including vitamins, trace minerals, dietary fiber and many other classes of biologically active compounds. Several studies have shown that berries, which are rich in anthocyanins, possess potent antioxidant, anti-aging, and anti-diabetic properties. Anthocyanins also protect DNA integrity, provide cardiovascular protection, improved brain function and mental clarity, healthy vision, urinary tract health and dermal health. Thus, the broad spectrum of current research supports the hypothesis that edible berries rich in anthocyanins provide a wide range of health benefits.
(Bagchi M, Sen CK, Kothari SC, Preuss HG, Stohs SJ, Bagchi D, Antioxidant and Anticarcinogenic Properties of Edible Berry Anthocyanins, The Original Internist, 10:6-14, 2003.)

Coenzyme Q10
Coenzyme Q10 (also known as CoQ10, Q10, vitamin Q10, ubiquinone, or ubidecarenone) is a compound that is made naturally in the body. A coenzyme is a substance needed for the proper functioning of an enzyme, a protein that speeds up the rate at which chemical reactions take place in the body. The Q and the 10 in coenzyme Q10 refer to parts of the compound’s chemical structure.

Coenzyme Q10 is used by cells to produce energy needed for cell growth and maintenance. It is also used by the body as an antioxidant, which is a substance that protects cells from chemicals called free radicals. Free radicals are highly reactive chemicals that can damage important parts of cells, including DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid.) DNA is a molecule inside cells that carries genetic information and passes it from one generation to the next.)

Coenzyme Q10 is found in most body tissues. The highest amounts are found in the heart, liver, kidneys, and pancreas. The lowest amounts are found in the lungs. Tissue levels of coenzyme Q10 decrease as people get older. Coenzyme Q10 was first identified in 1957. Its chemical structure was determined in 1958.
(National Cancer Institute, 2002.