Anti-Aging Wellness: Supplements In the News

Everyday there is news that we should be aware of because it can affect our health. Unless we go out looking for it, we may not see these important pieces of information.  When I think about aging, or more specifically anti-aging, I think of the way we need to take care of our bodies.  Many things we are taught as we grew up, from our parents or other adults in our lives, in school, or as part of our own research.  But new things are discovered every day, and there are little things here and there that can make BIG differences in our health.

I plan to use this blog a couple of times a week to post relevant pieces of information that I see in the news.  Maybe you missed the article or news source and it will help you become aware/learn something new and helpful/make a difference in your own good health!  Of course I welcome any comments and discussions here.. let’s get conversations going here and we can help each other!

Here are two things that came across my desk this week:

Let me start by saying that we truly do need to appreciate what science brings us. We do not need to study science if we don’t have that desire. We don’t have to read scientific articles at all. But we should pay attention to the overall ideas, solid facts, recommendations, etc. that science can give us because it can HELP US. The aging process in our body happens throughout our lives. Ultimately it is best for us, and we will enjoy much better health and quality of life, if we take care of our bodies by following the discoveries that are made, making little changes in our own lives, and making a commitment to caring about our good health.

Not getting enough vitamin D from the sun?
Not getting enough vitamin D from the sun?


From USA Weekend (May 21-23): Most babies need a vitamin D supplement. The first thing that I think about is: WHY? What is different about a brand new life today from a few years ago, or 10, 20, 50 years ago? Why do babies need to take a vitamin D supplement?

I think that most of us are aware that vitamin D has been in the news lately in regard to adults being deficient. I have written before that in the past year or so I have had quite a few people asking me about taking extra vitamin D supplements because their blood work came back showing that they are low. The majority of adults that I have had tell me this are women, and I have no idea what the overall ratio of men vs women currently deficient in vitamin D is.

Back to babies. Are babies needing extra vitamin D because their moms are low in the nutrient during the pregnancy? The article states that breast milk is naturally low in vitamin D, and many formula fed babies also fail to get enough of it as well. While breast milk is so good for babies in different ways, here is one thing that science has discovered: babies that are breast fed here in 2010 should have daily vitamin D drops. And formula fed babies are unlikely to consume enough so that means all babies should take the vitamin D supplement.

FYI: “Vitamin D not only strengthens bone, it may boost the immune system and help reduce future risk of cancer, diabetes, and heart disease, research shows.”
(From USA Weekend May 21-23, 2010)

From Yahoo News (http://health.yahoo.net)

supplements

“Many Supplements Said to Contain Toxins, Make False Health Claims.” I have written about this subject (many times) and speak about it extensively with people who are concerned that they want to take nutrition supplements to build good health, and yet there will be articles like this published on a regular basis.

This article discussed the fact that there was a congressional investigation of herbal products that discovered 16 out of 40 brands that were tested contain toxins (pesticide residue – totally unacceptable).  In addition, brands are making false claims such as “ginkgo biloba product had labeling claiming it could treat Alzheimer’s disease” and “cure cancer or replace prescription medications”.  They found that “labels for some supplements claim to prevent or cure ailments like diabetes or heart disease — a clear violation of U.S. law.”

How do you know if you are getting ‘bad stuff’ in what is supposed to be ‘good for you stuff’?  This is an important question.  The way I have always answered it is that you have to trust the brand that makes the vitamins, herbs, and other nutrients.  This can not be over stated.

I hope that all of my readers understand by now that food supplements are not regulated by any governing authority.   The U.S. government regulates the ‘marketing’ of food supplements (that means they are not permitted to make claims) but not the manufacture of the supplements (the way they do pharmaceuticals).  What this means is a company can make a vitamin, put whatever it wants on the label in terms of ingredients and amounts of ingredients (yes, there are brands that mislead people with amounts of vitamins, minerals, etc. in the product), put whatever ingredients it wants in the bottle (high quality or very low quality), and then sell it.  Nobody is really watching to say, “Hey, that’s a junk product, or maybe even dangerous!”

This is not brought up to scare you.  It is just so important to do your homework and find a reputable brand.  There are several issues here:

Safety –  Nobody wants toxins or anything potentially harmful in a consumable product.  We are putting supplements into our body to build good health, not create other problems.

Efficacy –  The ingredients that are used to create food supplements such as plant sources, have potent parts of the plant that are important to be included in the supplement.  For example, I remember learning about echinacea and the fact that brands who make cheap echinacea products will put non-potent parts of the plant based ingredients in the product (using the part of the plant that is discarded from making quality supplements).

This kind of practice is not going to deliver results to the person taking the product.  It may not be harmful to us, but it’s not beneficial.  When we choose a brand we trust to make the products we consume, we are confirming that we will be feeding our bodies nutrition that is going to deliver results:  help us build good health.

Proof –  We can no longer ignore the fact that we NEED to take vitamin and mineral supplements in order to have ‘better’ health.  We now, for the first time ever,  have long-term (20 year) studies that have proven the fact that we are healthier when we take food supplements on a regular basis.  With the desire to live longer, and even more important have better ‘quality of life now and as we age’ – we need to realize that supplements can help us.  They can make us ‘feel better’ each day.

Lawmakers are currently proposing legislation to regulate food supplements better, but the fact about that is I have been hearing the very same thing, personally, for more than 10 years.  Just like we have to be in control of our own Good Health, we have to be in control of finding a trustworthy brand of food supplements.

Article from:  Yahoo Health News.

baking_soda

Last, this article is may teach you a few new things to do with one of our kitchen staples,  Baking Soda:
15 Unusual Uses For Baking Soda.

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