Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
MEN’S HEALTH: THE RECIPES THEY LOVE By: Allie Might, FMC, INHC, ATT Welcome to MEN’S HEALTH MONTH, or as it’s come to be known as, MOVEMBER. I wanted to take some time this month to discuss issues that affect men, such as hormones, hair …
Collagen for the Heart? Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND In my last blog I mentioned that I would be reviewing a few supplements for the heart that you normally don’t associate with heart health. The first such supplement is collagen! Collagen is an important building …
RESVERATROL: THE ANTI-AGING POWERHOUSE
By: Allie Might, FMC, INHC, ATT
Anti-aging means something different to everyone. Some of us associate anti-aging with skin care and physically looking younger than we are, while others think of maintaining a healthy heart and healthy brain function with anti-aging. So, with a variety of areas of anti-aging, is there one thing that is good for everyone? The answer is YES, and it’s one of my go-to supplements….RESVERATROL.
Why does Resveratrol sound so familiar? It’s because it is the component that makes red wine “healthy”. Resveratrol comes from the skin of the red grapes, which is how it is in red wine, through the crushing process. While the resveratrol is a powerful antioxidant, and alcohol consumption also has many negatives, so it’s not the best way to get Resveratrol. You can also get the same effect from eating whole, red grapes. However, you’d need to eat A LOT of grapes (or wine) which also isn’t good. While fruit is an important part of a healthy diet, too much of a good thing isn’t good. So, the alternative is to incorporate Resveratrol into a solid supplement regimen.
Resveratrol works on a cellular level to help protect one from oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is the result of an imbalance of free-radicals and antioxidants. According to an article from Medical News Today titled ‘How Does Oxidative Stress Affect the Body?’ , oxidative stress may be a contributing factor in such issues as, but not limited to, increased inflammation, heart disease and Alzheimer’s/Dementia. Resveratrol has been studied and shows that the natural phenols can help maintain healthy cells.
Due the benefits that Resveratrol has on the cells in the body, it can also be beneficial for the skin. This is mainly due to its effects on collagen and photo aging. Photo aging is defined by Yale Medicine and dermatologists as “the damage the sun does to the skin by several names, including photo aging, photo damage, solar damage or sun damage. It happens when ultraviolet (UV) light hits skin unprotected by sunscreen, causing DNA changes at a cellular level”. This can cause such issues as wrinkles, dark spots/freckles and broken capillaries, just to name a few.
‘Resveratrol as a Factor Preventing Skin Aging and Affecting its Rejuvenation’ from The National Library of Medicine-National Center for Biotechnology Information, discusses the effect resveratrol can have on promoting collagen production… This can help to rejuvenate not just the skin, but damaged cells throughout the body.
As you can see, Resveratrol has been highly research and studied for its effectiveness on many aspects of health and the aging process. Whether it’s protecting the heart or brain from oxidative stress, or protecting the skin form UV damage, Resveratrol is something that should be part of anyone’s healthy lifestyle.
Try our Resveratrol Max Hx which is our concentrated “super” Resveratrol supplying 98% trans-Resveratrol. We also have our classic Resveratrol which is much less concentrated supplying 25% trans-resveratrol, making it a great option for those on certain medications such as blood thinners.
PRO TIP: take your choice of Resveratrol at bedtime for maximum benefits!
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/265635#can-wine-improve-health
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324863
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283756654_A_convenient_mechanism_for_scavengingthe_free_radical__activity_of_resveratrol
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9326919/
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/resveratrol-the-hype-continues-201202034189
Heart Health Anatomy Made Easy! Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND The heart has been called the organ that never sleeps. Every day it beats on and on, keeping blood flowing throughout our body. Now I know when people think of heart health, the first …
Getting to know NAC (N-Acetyl L-Cysteine) Dr. Claire Arcidiancono During this time of year I often get asked “what can I do to help boost my immune system?” What can I do to help my lung health/ function? And perhaps the most common …
Immune Part Two:
Dr. Claire Arcidiancono
In our last blog we went over the innate immune system and how it works. In this blog we will be reviewing the adaptive immune system as well as inflammation. Lastly I will be doing a walk through the immune system as it faces an infection.
The adaptive immune system is also referred to as the acquired immune system. In contrast to the innate immune system the adaptive immune system is highly specific to each pathogen it meets. This type of immunity often lasts a lifetime. It is actually the reason that vaccination works to protect us from infections. (1)
To start with antibodies are a critical part of the adaptive immune system. To start with I want you to think of the word “antigen” as being another way of saying “bad guys”. The antibody which is a y shaped protein has a unique part called the epitope. This allows the antibody to “tag” different antigens so that other parts of the immune system can kill it. In some cases the antibody can neutralize the “bad guys” directly. For example in some cases the antibody may block part of the virus that is important for the viral reproduction. There are 5 classes of antibodies – these are referred to as IgA, IgD, IgE, IgG and IgM. While the bodies of each class of antibody are all the same the antigen binding site or the ends of the y shape are all different. This is what allows the immune system to recognize millions of different antigens. These antibody classes differ in where they are released and when. (2)
Antibodies travel the body in 2 different ways. They can be attached to a B cell or free floating. Now this is an interesting part of the adaptive immune system. After an antigen binds to an antibody attached to a B cell (which is known as a B- cell receptor) the B cell turns on if you will. (3) In other words it actually starts to reproduce antibodies that are just like the one that “caught the antigen” and/or it will start to produce what are known as memory B cells. Memory B cells basically circulate the blood stream looking for the antigen they match. If they encounter it then they will go through the process of triggering a response from the immune system. (4) Antibodies that are not attached to B cells are considered soluble and are found in secretions such as blood and other bodily fluids. (3)
In a similar way of working to B cells there are T cells. To sum up the concept of B cells and T cells I just want to say this – these are the type of cells that work with antibodies to create memory cells known as memory B cells and memory T cells and this is what allows long lived specific immunity. (5)
While the adaptive immune system can get much more complicated that just what I’ve presented here I really wanted to keep this blog on a level that more easy to comprehend for everyone. Moving on what is inflammation? The main signs of inflammation which include redness, swelling, heat and pain are all caused by the injured or infected cells releasing something called eicosanoids and cytokines. The eicosanoids produce fever, increase the blood flow to an area, and attract different types of WBC. (6) Common cytokines are responsible for communication between the different types of WBC. Cytokines can also release growth factors and even recruit other immune cells to the sites of infection. (7) Where does autoimmune fit into this picture? All cells except red blood cells have antigens that tell the immune system hey it’s me don’t attack! Don’t attack your own body silly! In autoimmune there is a dysregulation in this recognition process and the body doesn’t recognize itself as itself and thus attacks. (8)
In this last section I am going to include a picture of a pathogen being attacked by the immune system.
(9)
