The Health Benefits of Grape Seed Extract

Grape seed extract, as the term suggests, is a natural chemical extract made from the seeds of grapes.  Most often, the seeds left over from the commercial production of wine or juice are used; harvested, ground, and extracted.  Especially high in particular chemical compounds science terms OPC’s (oligomeric proanthocyanidins), grape seed extract increases the strength of weakened blood vessels, and is also one of the most potent antioxidants known.  And in terms of cost-efficiency, grape seed extract is one of the least expensive ways to get your daily dose of these highly beneficial compounds.   Additionally, grape seed extract contains a vast array of health-supporting ingredients including substantial amounts protein, lipids, carbohydrates, and polyphenols (which come mainly in the form of flavonoids, also known as bioflavonoids).  Read more . . .

Memory Loss and Aging

Is memory loss, senility, dementia, and Alzheimer’s Disease just the norms of getting old?  Is the best we can do to keep our brains functioning to do crossword puzzles, read, maybe learn a foreign language?  Perhaps not.  Recent studies show that diet and lifestyle play a much bigger role in memory retention than ever thought possible.  In fact, it could well be that our total lifestyle determines how our brain functions and what cognitive abilities we retain as we age past our “prime.”  Point of fact: Americans have one of the highest rates of brain-toxifying diets in the world–highest in saturated fats, trans fat, chemical additives, and refined sugar.  As science has shown, sugar can lead to glucose spikes and crashes, causing wildly fluctuating brain energy levels.  Fatty meats, cream and whole milk, lard, shortening, and butter contain artery-clogging saturated fats that restrict blood flow to the brain and lead to poor cardiovascular health related to cognitive decline.  Read more . . .

Antioxidants: Why We Need Them and How to Get Them

Today, many individuals routinely conduct their own research on the properties of various vitamins, minerals, herbs, and other natural substances that come to public attention said to improve the immune system, fend off viruses and disease, and cleanse the body of toxins.  (That may well be what led you to this resource center.)  And it is for this reason that most everyone today is familiar with those things called antioxidants.  But while most are aware that these mysterious substances are good for the human body, far fewer know why.  In the nutshell, science has identified “oxidation” of the body’s internal molecules as a prime causal factor in contracting a wide range of diseases--everything from cancer to arteriosclerosis to cataracts.  Fortunately, antioxidants–Vitamins C, E, as well as flavonoids and carotenoids–have been well documented as having the ability to inhibit oxidation of these molecules and thus assist the body in warding off ailments when used as preventative agents (as opposed to using them as curative or therapeutic).  Read more . . .