No matter how healthy you eat, getting all your nutritional needs fulfilled with your regular diet can be a challenge. Taking a daily multivitamin can help with that. Think of a multivitamin as your nutritional backup source for vitamins, minerals, and nutrients.
A few of famed fitness celebrity Jack Lalanne’s favorite supplements.
Cherry Fruit along with other deep red fruits can have anti-inflammatory effects, antioxidant powers and also protect the skin from collagen breakdown. These Super Fruits rank high on the ORAC scale (oxygen radical absorption capacity) which means they protect you from cellular damage and oxidative stress.
When you think about summer you think about outdoor fun…beaches, lakes, boating, hiking and all the BBQ’s and picnics that fill up your schedule. Though it is a great time to leave some of those daily responsibilities behind, there are a couple tips to keep in mind to stay protected from the sun while enjoying […]
In previous AllStarHealth blogs, we’ve made the point that Vitamin E isn’t really one vitamin, it’s a group of 8 distinct vitamins, all of which have distinct functions and most of which are present when you obtain vitamin E from whole foods. The best vitamin E supplements now reflect this and contain a full range […]
Antioxidants are among the most popular of all dietary supplements and include many familiar nutrients like vitamins C and E. Antioxidants have a wide-range of health benefits that all stem from their ability to neutralize unstable chemicals (known as ‘free radicals’) that damage delicate cellular structures by oxidizing them, just like bleach ruins fabric. Exercise also has a wide-range of health benefits that stem from the fact that it improves body strength and functions. But paradoxically, exercise and antioxidants may not go well together. Find out more in today’s AllStarHealth.com blog.
In a study reminiscent of the back-and-forth over whether beta carotene increases lung cancer risk in smokers or not, a study now suggests that curcumin too can increase the risk of lung cancer development when cancer-promoting factors like smoking, or a history of smoking, are present. As a possible mechanism for this effect, the researchers suggested that curcumin may promote cancer in smokers by accelerating the formation of free radicals in damaged lung tissue.
Vitamin E is a supplement category that really hasn’t caught up to the latest research, as we discussed in this blog post from January. As we explained then, vitamin E isn’t one compound but a family of eight compounds, 4 tocopherols and 4 tocopherols, each with specific and unique roles to play. However, most vitamin E supplements only contain one form, alpha tocopherol. The best vitamin E’s are those few that contain all eight compounds, but these remain a stubbornly small portion of the vitamin E supplement market. Customers and brands alike may not like the higher prices of full-spectrum vitamin E’s, but there’s growing evidence of their superiority. A soon-to-be published study adds more evidence for a special, protective role of gamma and the other tocopherols, all of which are definitely lacking in most vitamin E supplements and multis.
Dear AllStarHealth,
Why is it recommended that people who have high-cholesterol take Co Q-10? Co Q-10 doesn’t lower cholesterol. Or does it?
Thank you,
Heather B.
Boulder, CO
Dear Heather,
It’s true that Co Q-10 isn’t a dependable way to lower cholesterol, but if you have high LDL cholesterol levels, it’s probably still a good idea for you to take it anyway. Here’s why.
Dear AllStarHealth,
I’ve always taken vitamin E because there’s a family history of heart disease and a few of my nutrition books say it’s beneficial. But in the last few years I’ve come across conflicting information about vitamin E including some recent news stories that say it doesn’t help and can actually be harmful to use vitamin E supplements. So what’s the story?
