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A newly published study in Hypertension investigating the effects of antioxidants in blood flow and blood vessel function, which consisted of 87 healthy volunteers (42 between the ages of 24 and 26 years; 45 between 70 and 72 years), suggests different health outcomes in young versus old.
The study suggests that while antioxidant consumption would restore some of the blood vessel function in the older population, it could disrupt normal blood vessel widening in the younger population, and attributes these differences to the status of free radicals. Supplementation of antioxidants in the older population equates to larger availability of glutathione; whereas in the younger population it would equate to excessive availability of glutathione, leading to a reductive stress.
The study incorporated a powerful “cocktail” of potent antioxidants, those being alpha lipoic acid (ALA, 600 mg), vitamin C (1,000 mg) and vitamin E (600 IU). While there is no RDA (recommended dietary allowance) on ALA, 600 mg supplementation is normally associated with those having pathological conditions such as diabetes. The RDA on vitamin C stands at 90 mg for men and 75 mg for women over the age of 19 years, with all smokers needing an additional 35 mg; and for vitamin E the RDA is 22 IU from natural sources or 33 IU from synthetic sources for those over the age of 14 years. The antioxidant cocktail incorporated in this study not only was one of the most powerful mixes, especially given the fact that ALA additionally re-energizes the inactive vitamins C and E, but also the amount of the intake was relative to the upper limits of these antioxidants.
Aside from increasing the available vitamins C and E, ALA also increases the synthesis and intracellular concentration of glutathione, the most potent internal antioxidant, which declines with age. Amongst its diverse properties, glutathione is used by the human body to neutralized free radicals and regulate an important biological process called redox.
While increasing glutathione through such a potent intake of ALA might be beneficial for the “very short term” for the older population as it relates to the elimination of free radicals, improving the endothelial (blood vessel) function and providing too much glutathione is not beneficial for neither old or young.
Glutathione is found in sufficient amount in the younger population, although its levels decline with age. And while boosting glutathione is highly important to the health of older generations for eliminating oxidative stress, increasing glutathione in excessive amount results in an adverse health condition, referred to as reductive stress. According to the University of Utah School of Medicine, excessive levels of one antioxidant “reduced glutathione” may actually produce adverse health results, which might explain why the potent antioxidant cocktail did not produce favorable outcome for the younger generation.
Brain Health Conference Addresses Sports-Related Concussions
Nordic Naturals (Watsonville, CA) in partnership with the Brain Health Education and Research Institute (BHERI) has announced the 2012 Research and Education Conference “Advances in the Prevention and Management of Sports-Related Concussions” set for June 8-9 at the Bethesda Marriott in Bethesda, MD.
Noted experts from diverse fields including academia, professional sports and government will present cutting-edge research, new clinical evidence and advances in treatment regarding the critically important area of preventing, assessing, treating and managing sports-related concussions. Speakers include Joseph Hibbeln, MD; Michael Lewis, MD, BHERI founder; Victor Coronado, MD; Julian Bailes, MD; John Norwig, ATC; Joseph Maroon, MD; Hee Yong Kim, PhD; and Tim Walilko, PhD.
“According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), as many as 3.8 million sports- and recreation-related concussions occur in the United States each year,” noted Keri Marshall, MS, ND, Nordic Naturals’ chief medical officer. “This conference is a premier educational event for health care professionals, athletic trainers, coaches and military officers who want to learn the current recommendations for prevention, assessment and treatment of concussions and brain injury.”
Lewis founded BHERI following a career in the Army where he spearheaded the use of omega-3s for traumatic brain injury. “I started the Institute to educate people about the power of omega-3s in the prevention and treatment of concussions,” he said. “Partnering with Nordic Naturals has been a great fit for us because of our shared passion to see continued research and education about omega-3s and brain health.”
For more information, visit www.nordicnaturals.com/dc or www.brainhealtheducation.org.
Rodale Institute, Nature’s Path Establish Scholarship Fund
Rodale Institute has announced the addition of Nature’s Path (Richmond, BC, Canada) as the newest partner to Your 2 Cents, a program that unites consumers and natural product industry leaders in support of the next generation of organic farmers.
Nature’s Path will be making a donation in the name of Arran Stephens, founder of Nature’s Path. This contribution will establish the Ratana and Arran Stephens Scholarship Fund, awarding scholarships to students of organic agriculture. “I am humbled by this scholarship and honored that Nature’s Path is able to help aspiring organic farmers learn this important and worthwhile trade, and to help further the organic farming movement,” said Arran Stephens, founder, CEO and garden keeper at Nature’s Path Organic Foods. “We live by the motto of my father, ‘always leave the soil better than you found it,’ and our partnership with Rodale Institute and the Your 2 Cents program is another wonderful step in that direction.”
Your 2 Cents is designed to raise funds to support student scholarships for sustainable agriculture degrees, military veterans establishing careers in organic farming and new organic farmers, as well as establish research grants for farmers in the Your 2 Cents network. Companies contribute by donating two pennies per case of goods sold to the Your 2 Cents fund, which is governed by an advisory board consisting of representatives from companies partnering with Rodale Institute in the program. The advisory board reviews applications quarterly to allot funds for the education, training and establishment of new organic farmers who will feed America sustainably for the coming generations and beyond.
“As a person who has fearlessly and passionately devoted his life to the growth and success of the organic food movement, Arran Stephens has courageously stood up to adversity and lovingly toiled to secure a better future for all of us,” said Maria Rodale, CEO of Rodale Inc. “His talents have allowed him to bring organic food to the masses, and the creation of the Stephens Scholars as an extension of the Your 2 Cents program will continue that association of his name with a healthy, secure food future.”
For more information, visit www.rodaleinstitute.org/your2cents
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