A name for a group of long-chain alcohols derived from the waxy coating of sugar cane is policosanol. Researchers at Dalmer Laboratories in Cuba isolated the first policosanol supplement and developed it. It is widely used to reduce high cholesterol, including total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and has become one of the world’s fastest-growing over-the-counter supplements.
A single study group in Cuba performed most of the trials documenting the effects of policosanol. Tests conducted by other organizations have also struggled to recognize any advantages, which is a significant downside to their use.
A mixture of high-molecular-weight alcohols are the components of policosanol, with the main ones being[3, 1]:
For most people, policosanol is SAFE when taken orally in doses of 5-80 mg daily for up to 3 years. Skin redness and rash, migraines, insomnia or drowsiness, irritability, dizziness, sore stomach, increased appetite, difficulty urinating, weight loss, bleeding from the nose and gum, and other side effects have all shown to be healthy.
Hypertension is defined as chronic high blood pressure and is a significant heart disease risk factor. Policosanol supplementation has been shown to substantially decrease both systolic and diastolic blood pressure in several studies. Besides, higher doses have been discovered to help minimize systolic blood pressure.
A pilot study conducted in South Korea by a group found that eight weeks of supplementation with policosanol lowered blood pressure in 25 volunteers.
In patients with type II hypercholesterolaemia, policosanol performed equivalent to or better than simvastatin, pravastatin, lovastatin, probucol, or acipimox, with fewer side effects. Also, it reduces several other cardiovascular disease risk factors by reducing LDL oxidation, platelet aggregation, endothelial injury, and proliferation of smooth muscle cells. In addition, policosanol reduces the progression and improves cardiovascular disease regression as measured by thallium-labelled scintigraphy of myocardial perfusion (TL-MPS) and Doppler-ultrasound.
Policosanol is used for conditions, including elevated cholesterol, leg pain due to impaired circulation (intermittent claudication), and narrowing of the blood vessels that serve the heart, affecting the stability of the heart and blood vessels. Issues like Leg pain due to low blood circulation (intermittent claudication). It seems that taking policosanol by mouth increases the distance of individuals with intermittent claudication so they can walk without discomfort.
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This product is a budget-friendly and beneficial option for anyone with health issues. So, it is no less than a fortune, indeed! We are available on Amazon now to serve your purpose from anywhere. Just be sure to follow relevant directions on product labels before using.
Sourced from Liist Studio Magazine https://liistudio.com/all-about-policosanol/47461/
]]>Key nutrients found in leafy, green vegetables help protect against high-energy blue light emitted from digital devices, and a new study suggests supplementing these nutrients may boost their protective quality.
Published in the open-access food science journal Foods, the University of Georgia study concluded that supplementation with macular carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin, increased macular pigment optical density (MPOD) and, in turn, improved subjects' headache frequency, eye strain, eye fatigue and other visual performance measures often associated with prolonged digital screen time.
Analyzing results of the 6-month randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, Blue Light User Exposure (BLUE) study, researchers examined 48 healthy adults with screen time of at least 6 hours daily, collecting data on their MPODs and other physical indicators. Researchers determined that subjects taking a 24 mg/daily macular carotenoid supplement yielded significant improvements in MPOD versus a placebo group that correlated with positive reporting on the aforementioned physical indicators.
"After six months of supplementation, we saw significant reduction around 30% in these symptoms and significant improvement in measures of visual performance and protection," stated lead author James Stringham, Ph.D., in a news release.
The study concludes that macular carotenoid supplementation may offer a "benign, nutrition-based therapy for reducing the incidence of many undesirable outcomes associated with excessive (screen time)." It also adds that more research into the 40-45 years age group and those younger than 10 is necessary to determine the effects of long-term squinting in pre-clinical presbyopia and the effects of a clear, crystalline lens with little appreciable macular pigmentation, respectively.
Although the ocular benefits of lutein and zeaxanthin on MPOD have been known for some time, these new findings add to researchers' understanding of how supplementation can affect physical indicators of excessive screen time usage, such as eye strain, fatigue, headaches and even sleep quality. The Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) and AREDS 2 determined nutrition could play a significant role in eye health, and concluded that lutein and zeaxanthin had a role in protecting against high-energy blue and ultraviolet (UV) light.
Of the 600 carotenoids found in nature, lutein and zeaxanthin are the only two deposited in high quantities in the eye's macula. Importantly, these antioxidants—commonly found in kale, collard greens and spinach—eliminate the free radicals produced by high-energy blue light exposure on the retina, and help absorb that damaging light.
Susan Summerton, O.D., a certified nutrition specialist with the Ocular Nutrition Society, explains this filtering effect is due to coloration—macular pigment is yellow due to the presence of lutein and zeaxanthin, and that allows it to attenuate blue light.
She explains that the xanthophylls (yellow pigments) can protect by absorbing the ionizing blue light and limit the excitation in the retina. This protects the vitamin A cycle in the eye that is required for photoreceptor regeneration of opsins. Lutein and zeaxanthin, therefore, protect melanopsin in the central retina—a photopigment key to non-image-forming pathways—which drives the "eye clock" for circadian rhythms.
"When the vitamin A cycle is off, you have a circadian mismatch. We end up using more carotenoids with chronic exposure to blue light," Dr. Summerton explains.
"Blue light alters the central retinal hypothalamic pathways to ruin how the eye clock mechanism works."
In other words, that's why blue light exposure at nighttime is correlated with wakefulness and a delayed or poor sleep cycle. Blue light, in the 420-480 nm wavelength spectrum, affects the levels of the sleep-inducing melatonin, disrupting the body's natural circadian rhythm.
Source from American Optometric Association
]]>What are the benefits of taking probiotics? Bacteria have a reputation for causing disease, so the idea of tossing down a few billion a day for your health might seem — literally and figuratively — hard to swallow. But a growing body of scientific evidence suggests that you can treat and even prevent some illnesses with foods and supplements containing certain kinds of live bacteria. Northern Europeans consume a lot of these beneficial microorganisms, called probiotics (from pro and biota, meaning "for life"), because of their tradition of eating foods fermented with bacteria, such as yogurt. Probiotic-laced beverages are also big business in Japan.
Some digestive disease specialists are recommending probiotic supplements for disorders that frustrate conventional medicine, such as irritable bowel syndrome. Since the mid-1990s, clinical studies suggest that probiotic therapy can help treat several gastrointestinal ills, delay the development of allergies in children, and treat and prevent vaginal and urinary infections in women.
Self-dosing with bacteria isn't as outlandish as it might seem. An estimated 100 trillion microorganisms representing more than 500 different species inhabit every normal, healthy bowel. These microorganisms (or microflora) generally don't make us sick; most are helpful. Gut-dwelling bacteria keep pathogens (harmful microorganisms) in check, aid digestion and nutrient absorption, and contribute to immune function.
Not all probiotics are the same. Different strains of the bacteria have different effects. For example, one strain may fight against cavity-causing organisms in our mouths and don't need to survive a trip through our guts.
Research has been promising for these friendly critters. Potential benefits of probiotics have been seen in the treatment or prevention of
The best case for probiotic therapy has been in the treatment of diarrhea. Controlled trials have shown that Lactobacillus GG can shorten the course of infectious diarrhea in infants and children (but not adults). Although studies are limited and data are inconsistent, two large reviews, taken together, suggest that probiotics reduce antibiotic-associated diarrhea by 60%, when compared with a placebo.
More common than diarrhea is the opposite problem — constipation. In a search for studies on the benefits of probiotics in treating constipation, researchers found that probiotics slowed "gut transit time" by 12.4 hours, increases the number of weekly bowel movements by 1.3, and helped to soften stools, making them easier to pass. But the jury is still out on specific recommendations when it comes to the benefits of probiotics for constipations.
Probiotic therapy may also help people with Crohn's disease and irritable bowel syndrome. Clinical trial results are mixed, but several small studies suggest that certain probiotics may help maintain remission of ulcerative colitis and prevent relapse of Crohn's disease and the recurrence of pouchitis (a complication of surgery to treat ulcerative colitis). Because these disorders are so frustrating to treat, many people are giving probiotics a try before all the evidence is in for the particular strains they're using. More research is needed to find out which strains work best for what conditions.
Probiotics may also be of use in maintaining urogenital health. Like the intestinal tract, the vagina is a finely balanced ecosystem. The dominant Lactobacilli strains normally make it too acidic for harmful microorganisms to survive. But the system can be thrown out of balance by a number of factors, including antibiotics, spermicides, and birth control pills. Probiotic treatment that restores the balance of microflora may be helpful for such common female urogenital problems as bacterial vaginosis, yeast infection, and urinary tract infection.
Many women eat yogurt or insert it into the vagina to treat recurring yeast infections, a "folk" remedy for which medical science offers limited support. Oral and vaginal administration of Lactobacilli may help in the treatment of bacterial vaginosis, although there isn't enough evidence yet to recommend it over conventional approaches. (Vaginosis must be treated because it creates a risk for pregnancy-related complications and pelvic inflammatory disease.) Probiotic treatment of urinary tract infections is under study.
Probiotics are generally considered safe — they're already present in a normal digestive system — although there's a theoretical risk for people with impaired immune function. Be sure the ingredients are clearly marked on the label and familiar to you or your health provider. There's no way to judge the safety of unidentified mixtures.
In the United States, most probiotics are sold as dietary supplements, which do not undergo the testing and approval process that drugs do. Manufacturers are responsible for making sure they're safe before they're marketed and that any claims made on the label are true. But there's no guarantee that the types of bacteria listed on a label are effective for the condition you're taking them for. Health benefits are strain-specific, and not all strains are necessarily useful, so you may want to consult a practitioner familiar with probiotics to discuss your options. As always, let your primary care provider know what you're doing.
Sourced from Harvard Health Publishing. Harvard Medical School
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If you have any questions related to this event, please contact us via e-mail, purenaturescanada@gmail.com
]]>If you have any questions related to this event, please contact us via e-mail, purenaturescanada@gmail.com
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