Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
Macular Degeneration part 2 Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND In my last blog I began the conversation on macular degeneration. Today I’ll be finishing that important topic. Let’s start with the most common risk factors for macular degeneration. One of the largest risk factors for …
Macular Degeneration part 1 Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND Macular Degeneration is more common than you might think. In fact according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology age related macular degeneration is one of the leading causes of vision loss in those age 50 and …
Grape Seed for our vision?
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
A simple internet search for grape seed will show you how amazing grape seed really is! In fact most people know some of the benefits of Grape Seed. But what they may not know is just how amazing it is for our eyes. Let’s get going, shall we?
Grape Seed extract contains powerful antioxidants. These antioxidants are called oligomeric proanthocyanidins complex’s (OPCs). This is important because so many of the benefits of Grape Seed extract come back to this point. Additionally it is important because there have been studies that have found the antioxidants found in Grape Seed to be much stronger than other antioxidants. In fact in 1 study people who took 300mg of grapeseed extract saw an increase in blood antioxidant activity in only 5 days! Moving on to how this correlates to eye health a study in 2012 found that having a healthy level of antioxidants can protect our eyes from oxidative damage. (1)
Let’s start with a familiar topic, cataracts! Studies have found that Grape Seed extract can help to delay cataract formation by protecting cells from oxidative damage. (2) Another study found that Grape Seed extract can slow the progression of cataract formation. (3) One last study that I’ll mention before moving on found that Grape Seed extract may slow or even prevent cataractogenesis (process of formation of a cataract) or even secondary cataract formation. (4)
Since I’ll be reviewing so many conditions that affect the eyes I’ll only be reviewing these as they relate to Grape Seed extract. One of those I’ll be reviewing in full soon is macular degeneration! Please look out for my blog on macular degeneration soon. According to the Macular Society oxidants in the eye, which may contribute to the development of macular degeneration can be reduced by antioxidants. (5) As I mentioned earlier in this blog Grape Seed extract is an amazingly powerful antioxidant! The next topic, which I’ll be reviewing soon is glaucoma. Now in one study Grape Seed extract was found to protect the retinal from damage in those with glaucoma. (6)
Diabetic retinopathy is a concern that all diabetics face. Now I do want to point out that it is important to make sure that your diabetes is under control to help reduce the damage that the high sugars can cause. For more information please check out my series on diabetes! Now moving on studies have found that Grape Seed extract may protect you from diabetic retinopathy. (7) Studies have also found that Grape Seed can help to protect the retina from injury due to diabetes and elevated blood sugar. (8)
Overall to sum things up studies have found that Grape Seed extract can help protect our eyes especially by reducing oxidative stress in our eyes. (9) Now where can you find Grape Seed in the Invite health line of products? Invite Health has a formula called Grape Seed Extract with 250mg of grape seed per capsule! Grape Seed is also found in the Daily Multi with Grape Seed. Lastly there is Grape Seed extract in all of Invite’s Resveratrol products. For help picking out the best products for your needs feel free to reach out to an Invite nutritionist!
Our next topic will be Macular Degeneration!
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HEPATITIS~ THE TYPES, THE SUPPORT AND CAN IT BE PREVENTED? By: Allie Might, FMC, INHC, ATT Hepatitis is a disease that we’ve all heard about and it also triggers fear for many when it’s discussed. It is often associated with hypodermic needle drug users, …
Complete Eye Support with Macula Advanced! Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND When someone calls and asks about a product for eye health one of the first things I recommend is our Macula Advanced. Personally in my opinion Macula Advanced really hits all the marks. Not …
Invite Health Gummies
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
I wanted to take the time to talk about the new products Invite has recently released. You may have noticed something about them! They are in a gummy form. Now I know what you’re thinking – But Dr. Claire I thought you always said gummies aren’t very good for you? What makes Invite Health gummies different? Well that is exactly what I’m going to be blogging about today!
Let’s start with the colors in the gummies. Invite Health doesn’t use any artificial colors. So what do we use instead? In our gummies you will find Beta carotene and Black carrot extract used as colors. But does this point really matter? Well according to the Cleveland Clinic artificial colors such as red dye 40 can have side effects such as hyperactivity, irritably and can even trigger depression. There can also be allergic reactions such as skin irritation, hives and even asthma. Artificial colors can also trigger migraines. (1)
Invite gummies do not contain any artificial sweeteners. Studies have found many side effects to artificial sweeteners. So many that I couldn’t possibly begin to list them all! The most common side effects are to the digestive system, neurological system and even our heart health. (2) Now you may notice a small amount of sugar in the gummies. Why not use stevia? Well it’s simple. While stevia is a great choice for our powders when they tried them in a gummy form the extensive testing Invite does on all its products found that the results were not consistent with the type of product that is in keeping with Invite Health standards.
What else sets Invite gummies apart from other brands of gummies? There are no artificial flavorings used. So what does Invite use instead? We use natural flavors from sources such as orange, strawberry, blackberry, raspberry and even peach. Once again I’ll bet your asking why this is important. Studies have found that artificial flavors can have side effects. (3)
Another ingredient that is often found in gummies is palm oil. There is no palm oil in our gummies. Palm oil contains quite a bit of saturated fats. (4) This is that fat that is associated with an increase in blood LDL or “bad cholesterol” and this can increase the risk for cardiovascular disease. (5) For more information please check out Allie Might’s blog on the different types of fats, it is entitled “Fats – The skinny you need to know.”
Now what about the doses. Aren’t all gummies so low dose as to be just fancy candy? Absolutely not! In the suggested dose of the new digestive probiotic gummy you will see it provides 5 Billion CFUs. That is exactly the same amount of CFUs as some of our other probiotics such as Probiotic Maintain. While at a glance the new collagen may seem low in how much collagen it has but it important to remember that it is a Marine based collagen and the peptides are smaller than a Bovine source would be. Thus the amount is a very reasonable amount. (6)
Lastly Invite gummies are free of both gelatin and gluten. These make them a great option for anyone who is looking for a gelatin or gluten free option. And before you ask – yes they are both KOSHER and HALAL! But HOW DO THEY TASTE? I mean they look great on the surface but a gummy that tastes bad is just plain sad. Well I have tried them and can say that they get the Dr. Claire yummy award. They taste great and have a great texture.
Invite knows that sometimes you might get tired of taking so many pills. Or you may be going on a trip where it would be impossible to take powders. Invite’s new gummies are easy to add in to any supplement protocol or even just stand alone. As always feel free to contact an Invite nutritionist with any questions.
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