Top 10 Power Nutrients: increase your odds of living to 100

Power Facts

• Both a water- and fat-soluble antioxidant.
• Involved in the conversion of carbohydrates to energy.
• Helps improve blood sugar metabolism and insulin sensitivity.
• Approved as a drug in Germany for the treatment of diabetic neuropathy.

Power Facts

• The basic building blocks of all proteins.
• Some can be made by biological processes; some must be provided through diet or supplementation.
• Amino acids that cannot be synthesized are called essential and must be obtained from food.
• Essential amino acids include lysine, phenylalanine, tryptophan, arginine, tryptophan and histidine.
• Non-essential amino acids include alanine, asparagine, aspartate, cysteine, glutamine, glycine, and proline.

Power Facts

• Antioxidants are molecules that pair their own electrons with “free radicals,” the rogue electrons that can damage cellular structures, neutralizing them.
• Antioxidants are considered possible preventive agents for aging, cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular dysfunction and Alzheimer’s disease.
• Antioxidants increase the effectiveness of nitric oxide, which dilates blood vessels and contributes to a healthy endothelium, which helps prevent cardiovascular dysfunction.
• Antioxidants are abundant in foods such as blueberries, açai berries, apples, pomegranates, strawberries, cherries, plums, sweet potatoes, carrots, pecans and green tea.

Power Facts

• In 1959, chromium was first identified as an element that enables the hormone insulin to function properly.
• Refined sugars, white flour and a lack of exercise can deplete the body’s levels of chromium.
• Chromium aids in weight management by promoting the maintenance of lean muscle and the loss of body fat.
• Recent research indicates that chromium picolinate can help to decrease cravings for carbohydrate-rich foods.

Power Facts

• The second most important nutrient in the cardiovascular system after nitric oxide.
• Biopsy results show 75% of cardiovascular patients are deficient in CoQ10.
• Statin drugs deplete the body of CoQ10.
• CoQ10 is found in every plant and animal cell and is concentrated in the human heart.

Power Facts

• A Harvard study found that over 84,000 people die each year from a deficiency of Omega-3 fatty acids.
• Experts estimate that nearly 80 percent of the population does not ingest enough Omega-3 fatty acids.
• Our cells are surrounded by fatty envelopes, and Omega-3 fatty acids help keep our cell membranes healthy, flexible and functional.
• The body uses Omega-3 fatty acids to produce natural anti-inflammatory substances called prostaglandins.

Power Facts

• There are no food sources of glucosamine.
• The cartilage-to-cartilage interaction that occurs in our joints produces less friction with movement than ice on ice.
• Aspirin and NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatories), which are commonly used to treat the symptoms of arthritis, may in fact inhibit the natural repair of joint tissue, thus leading to further damage.
• Our body’s natural production of glucosamine slows with age.

Power Facts

• Archeological evidence suggests that people consumed tea leaves steeped in boiling water as many as 5,000 years ago.
• The primary antioxidant in green tea (EGCG) is 100 times more potent than vitamins C and E.
• One cup of green tea (delivering 10-40 mg of antioxidant polyphenols) has antioxidant effects greater than a serving of broccoli, spinach or carrots.
• Green tea is tremendously beneficial.
• Green tea has the highest polyphenol content, while black tea has roughly two to three times the caffeine content of green tea.

Power Facts

• In ancient Greek mythology, the pomegranate represents life and regeneration.
• Pomegranate juice contains a higher level of polyphenol antioxidants than red wine, cranberry juice cocktail and blueberry juice.
• Pomegranate protects and enhances the functions and benefits of nitric oxide (NO) in the cardiovascular system.

Power Facts

• Vitamin D deficiency is a major public health problem, impacting people of all ages including both the young and the elderly.
• As many as half of older adults in the United States with hip fractures could have insufficient Vitamin D levels.
• Two studies have examined actual Vitamin D levels in obese subjects. One found dramatically lower levels. A South Carolina study found all of the obese subjects had levels below 2.2 ng/ml (deficient) while all of the non-obese subjects had levels above 8 ng/ml (normal).
• Researchers found that 36% of young medical students and hospital residents—people who work long hours and rarely see the light of day—were Vitamin D insufficient at the end of winter.

   

Source: http://healthiswealth.net/index.php?/nutrition/10_power_nutrients/