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When we think about antioxidants in the body, many people will think immediately of Vitamin C and for good reason.
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Whey Protein: More Than Just Muscles – InVite Health Podcast, Episode 198
Invite Health Podcast, Episode hosted by Amanda Williams, MPH.
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When it comes to whey protein, most of the time we think of working out. Everyone has heard about people going to the gym and having their protein shake ahead of their workout or perhaps post-workout. But we know so much more now about whey protein and how it can be beneficial in terms of enhancing our overall longevity. There’s so much science out there that really is supportive to the way that whey protein is actually working.
What is whey protein isolate?
When it comes to whey protein, it’s important that we understand the difference between an isolate and concentrate formula. There is really a difference. When we think about whey in general, we’re looking at all of the essential amino acids, so that’s going to help in terms of proteins. We have this broad spectrum of essential amino acids that provide that building block that the body needs for daily functioning. The isolate is a form that is specifically processed to actually remove the fat, casein, and lactose out of that. All it’s doing is leaving those essential amino acids, so those are separated from the other components. So when we’re supplementing, taking the isolated form is really quite beneficial. We’re just getting the power of those amino acids.†
PROTEIN & THE BENEFITS OF ITS AMINO ACIDS, PART 1 – INVITE HEALTH PODCAST, EPISODE 100. Listen now >>
For the average adult, somewhere between 50 to 70 grams of protein per day is what we need to obtain. Not at all one sitting, though, because the kidneys need time to process the protein itself. But the protein has to be coming from the right sources. When we think about supplementing with a whey protein isolate, this is a really nice way for you to obtain a nice amount of those essential amino acids. With our Whey Protein Powder, you will see that it provides 13 grams of protein, and that’s a really nice amount.†
The Benefits of Whey for Fitness
Oftentimes, when people think about what whey s doing, they just think about utilizing it for pumping iron and getting bigger muscles. We know that whey protein supplementation can help to support lean body mass and increase and enhance performance when it comes to exercise. A study done at Auburn University looked at the impact of whey protein supplementation on athletes. The researchers gave a group of athletes from the university whey protein isolate for 8 weeks and looked at different markers and their body compositions. At the end of the 8 weeks, they were able to find that the group that received the whey protein did really well in terms of overall body composition.†
For more research about the impacts of whey on muscle development, tune into the full podcast episode.
Additional Benefits
A study that came out of Australia found that whey protein isolate actually helped to improve Vitamin B12 and folate status in adults who were getting older. If we have low B12 and low folate, various body functions, including our red blood cell production and basic central nervous system functions, are impacted. Having adequate levels of B12 and folate makes a huge difference in terms of how we feel as we get older. In this particular study, researchers gave older adults whey protein isolate and found that after they started taking it, their B12 and folate levels improved.†
Whey also can make a huge impact on our intracellular glutathione levels. If we can be taking a whey protein supplement that can help our body with the natural production of one of the most important antioxidants we have, then that’s pretty darn relevant. Ohio State University released a study that looked at damage done by oxidative stress. One of the things that they focused on was the cysteine in particular. Cysteine is the rate-limiting amino acid for the synthesis of glutathione. Being able to determine that the whey protein isolate can increase glutathione synthesis and protect cells against oxidative damage is really important.†
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We talk about how different things start to happen to our body as we start to get older and how our body doesn’t absorb nutrients or manufacture antioxidants the way that it did when we were younger. Taking whey protein isolate will not only be beneficial for maintaining healthy body mass, but also, we now know it’s helping to support vitamin status, natural antioxidant production, and more.†
Thank you for tuning in to the Invite Health Podcast. You can find all of our episodes for free wherever you listen to podcasts or by visiting www.invitehealth.com/podcast. Make sure you subscribe and leave us a review! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at Invite Health today. We’ll see you next time on another episode of the Invite Health Podcast.
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These Nutrients May Help You Quit Smoking – InVite Health Podcast, Episode 196
Invite Health Podcast, Episode hosted by Jerry Hickey. Ph
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Today we’re talking about supplements that can help you quit smoking. It’s doable.
Smoking harms nearly every organ in the body. There’s more than 16 million Americans currently living with a disease directly linked to their smoking. For every person who dies because they were a smoker, at least 30 go on to live with a smoking-related illness. This includes a whole bunch of cancers, heart disease, heart attacks, strokes, brain damage, lung diseases, eye diseases, and immune system issues. There’s also erectile dysfunction, wrinkles, and thinning hair.
Worldwide, smoking cigarettes causes about 7 million deaths every year. It causes about half a million deaths in the United States every year. On average, smokers die 10 years earlier than non-smokers. Tune into the full podcast episode for more information about why cigarettes are harmful for your health.
Many adults who smoke want to quit. In 2015, about 68% of adult smokers wanted to stop smoking. In 2018, about 55% of adults who were smoking made an attempt to quit. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), quitting smoking is beneficial to your health at any age and smokers who quit before the age of 35 had mortality rates similar to those who never smoked. But at any age, at any point, you’ll feel improvements when you quit smoking.
Why is it so hard to quit?
Tobacco smoke contains nicotine, which gets into your brain very easily. It’s extremely addictive. Nicotine withdrawal often makes the process of quitting very difficult. When you’re addicted to nicotine, there’s both psychological and physical dependence, so when you try to quit, you get both physical and mental withdrawal symptoms. These include irritability, anxiety, and cravings. Withdrawal symptoms generally peak about 3 days after quitting and can persist for weeks or months, but they do subside.
Out of the smokers who try to quit on their own without assistance, only about 3 to 6% are successful long term. Some options for assistance include behavioral counseling and medications. Both of those increase the rate of quitting successfully. But when you combine them, it’s even a little bit better.
A meta-analysis of 61 studies from 2018 showed that among people who quit smoking with a cessation medication and perhaps some behavioral therapy, 20% were still not smoking a year later. For more information about drugs that can help with quitting smoking, tune into the full podcast episode.
Supplements can help you quit smoking
There are also supplements that can help with quitting smoking in conjunction with behavioral assistance and certain medications.
When you’re trying to quit smoking, if you get nervous and you’re eating too much, try 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP). It’s very good for calming you down and helping your mood. It’s also really good for keeping your appetite under control. You want a time-release option, like our Trim Hx® formula, because 5-HTP’s effects only last for about an hour or two. The effects of Trim Hx® can last six or seven hours and it helps you contain your appetite. That’s good because a lot of people who quit smoking start to eat more.
Another supplement that’s helpful, especially for jitteriness, is the amino acid L-theanine. A study from the Chinese Academy of Sciences used filters made out of tea that were high in L-theanine. They found that this decreased smoking in users by 57%. 32% of those tested stopped smoking at least temporarily. The green tea plant holds a lot of L-theanine in the early stages of budding. This amino acid helps the brain and improves GABA and dopamine levels. These are neurotransmitters involved with satisfaction, self-control, calming down and enjoying pleasure. L-theanine helps restore the feeling of pleasure that is often overtaken by smoking or drinking.
The most important supplement when you’re quitting smoking is N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC). It’s very good for breaking many habits. It’s good for compulsive behaviors such as gambling, biting your nails or pulling your hair. It’s good for addictive behaviors if you’re trying to quit smoking, drinking or even a drug. The Department of Psychiatry at the Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam did a study looking at relapse that was published in the European Addiction Research Journal. They gave very heavy smokers either placebo or 3600 mg of NAC a day. The smokers were asked to stop smoking and report on their cigarette cravings, withdrawal symptoms, and any smoking they did during the trial. The people on NAC faced milder withdrawal symptoms. They were also asked to smoke a cigarette and report on how rewarding it felt. They found that people on the NAC reported the cigarette to be less rewarding.
Another study published in the journal Redox Report looked at people who were going to behavioral therapy but were not seeing improvements. It was a 12 week trial where they gave the subjects either placebo or NAC every day. NAC strongly cut back on the number of cigarettes people smoked every day. Over 47% of the people on the NAC were able to quit smoking. So the behavioral therapy with the therapist wasn’t doing it, but when they went on the NAC, they were able to do it. Tune into the full podcast episode for more studies about the benefits of NAC.
Thank you for tuning in to the Invite Health Podcast. You can find all of our episodes for free wherever you listen to podcasts or by visiting www.invitehealth.com/podcast. Make sure you subscribe and leave us a review! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at Invite Health today. We’ll see you next time on another episode of the Invite Health Podcast.
Questions about these nutrients that may help you quit smoking? Leave a comment below for Jerry Hickey, Ph. now!
