The Secret to Clean Arteries

Paraoxonase-1, better known as PON-1, is the secret to clean arteries. This enzyme plays a critical role in protecting arteries from plaque build-up by enhancing the removal of cholesterol from the walls of arteries. PON-1 is attached to high-density lipoproteins (HDL).

PON-1 does more than just cleanse arterial walls of plaque, it also protects against lipid oxidation. Oxidized fats and cholesterol are more prone to stick to artery walls, creating unstable plaques. Unstable plaques rupture, causing rapid occlusion of blood flow to vital organs such as the heart and brain.

PON-1 helps to stabilize plaques by inhibiting chronic inflammation and platelet activation—factors that can all lead to plaque rupture.

As humans age, PON-1 levels markedly decline, thereby reducing the ability of HDL to protect against heart attack and stroke. This phenomenon helps explain the onset of accelerated atherosclerosis; where within a period of only a few years, an aging person’s healthy arteries rapidly occlude with plaque.

The age-related reduction in PON-1 may also explain studies showing that statin drugs lose their benefit in certain aging populations, since the effects of statins are no longer sufficient to protect against the multiple factors involved in the development of atherosclerosis in the elderly.^1-3

How to Boost PON-1 Activity

1. Pomegranate

The most recent research indicates that pomegranate and its extracts can significantly elevate levels of PON-1 activity in the body. Pomegranate does this through a number of distinct biomolecular pathways that include combating inflammation and LDL adhesion and favorably modulating gene expression.

Pomegranate extracts reduce oxidation and inflammation largely through their effect on PON-1 activity, intervening at each step in the development of atherosclerosis.⁴

2. Resveratrol

Strong evidence has recently emerged for several compounds with known cardio-protective effects that may also favorably increase your PON-1 levels.

Moderate consumption of wine, beer, and spirits is associated with an increase in PON-1 activity. Red wine polyphenols increase PON-1 activity and reduce LDL oxidation.

Resveratrol is the best-known of the red wine polyphenols. It exerts powerful control over the PON-1 gene, increasing PON-1 expression in human liver cells and protecting against atherosclerosis in animal models.⁵

3. Quercetin

Quercetin is another polyphenol found in red wine and many other plant sources. It also up-regulates PON-1 gene expression, protecting against fat and cholesterol oxidation.

Quercetin possesses numerous mechanisms that help stabilize and preserve PON-1 activity against oxidative stress.⁶

References

1. Okumachi Y, Yokono K. Anti-aging medicine: the evidence to the value of the antihypertensive drugs, hypoglycemic drugs and statins. Nippon Rinsho. 2009 Jul;67(7):1372-6.
2. Kekes E. Combined antihypertensive and antilipemic therapy as one of the pillars in the poly-pharmacologic preventive strategy for patients with high cardiovascular risk. Orv Hetil. 2008 Sep 28;149(39):1827-37.
3. Gouedard C, Koum-Besson N, Barouki R, Morel Y. Opposite regulation of the human paraoxonase-1 gene PON-1 by fenofibrate and statins. Mol Pharmacol. 2003 Apr;63(4):945-56.
4. Aviram M, Dornfeld L, Rosenblat M, et al. Pomegranate juice consumption reduces oxidative stress, atherogenic modifications to LDL, and platelet aggregation: studies in humans and in atherosclerotic apolipoprotein E-deficient mice. Am J Clin Nutr. 2000 May;71(5):1062-76.
5. Do GM, Kwon EY, Kim HJ, et al. Long-term effects of resveratrol supplementation on suppression of atherogenic lesion formation and cholesterol synthesis in apo E-deficient mice. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2008 Sep 12;374(1):55-9.
6. Aviram M, Rosenblat M, Billecke S, et al. Human serum paraoxonase (PON 1) is inactivated by oxidized low density lipoprotein and preserved by antioxidants. Free Radic Biol Med. 1999 Apr;26(7-8):892-904.

Summer is Here … Protect Your Skin from the Inside Out

Excessive sun exposure can lead to premature aging of the skin; which means more wrinkles and discolorations. Although topical sunscreens remain the top choice of consumers, there is a new oral method for protecting your skin … Polypodium leucotomos.

Much has been written about how the sun’s burning ultraviolet rays harm our health and appearance. Yet despite the warnings, more than two million people in the US will be diagnosed with skin cancer this year alone. Rates of melanoma — the most dangerous form of skin cancer — have not only doubled over the past 10-20 years, but continue to rise 3% to 7% annually.¹

A recent study found that a new oral supplement sourced from the fern, Polypodium leucotomos, could potentially become an important anti-aging ingredient for the skin.²  Extracts from the fern have been used in South America for many years to protect against the damaging effects caused by excessive sun exposure.

This amazing fern also protects skin cells from the consequences of excessive ultraviolet radiation by reducing sun-induced injury.3 Additionally, it helps ease skin inflammation and blocks protein-destroying skin enzymes.^3,4

Polypodium leucotomos extract also contains a high percentage of potent antioxidants (phenolics) which block the formation of dangerous free radicals and the oxidative damage that results from excessive sun exposure.⁵

Remember, for long periods of sun exposure, you should defend your skin against premature aging with an oral extract from Polypodium leucotomos and a topical sunscreen to ensure complete sun protection.

References

1. Available at: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/470300_2. Accessed May 3, 2010.
2. Philips N, Conte J, Chen YJ, et al. Beneficial regulation of matrixmetalloproteinases and their inhibitors, fibrillar collagens and transforming growth factor-beta by Polypodium leucotomos, directly or in dermal fibroblasts, ultraviolet radiated fibroblasts, and melanoma cells. Arch Dermatol Res. 2009 Aug;301(7):487-95.
3. J Photochem Photobiol B. 2006 Mar 1;82(3):173-9.
4. J Dermatol Sci. 2003 Jun;32(1):1-9.
5. Ann Intern Med. 1971 Dec;75(6):873-80.

How to maintain healthy blood sugar with four supplements

Dietary intervention targets the underlying causes of high blood sugar and is a key step towards protecting yourself against the damaging effects caused by high blood sugar.

1. Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar combats blood sugar spikes after meals. Minimizing sugar spikes helps to restore insulin sensitivity…the hallmark of type 2 diabetes.

One study by Italian researchers showed that when healthy subjects consumed 4 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar with a meal, there was a 30 percent reduction in their glycemic response, or rise in blood sugar. Reducing your glycemic response is essential for beating diabetes.

2. Lipoic Acid

Glucose (blood sugar) destroys insulin receptors. Without the receptors, insulin can not work. Lipoic acid is a naturally occurring antioxidant that protects insulin receptors.

Recently, researchers revealed dramatic effects in improving insulin sensitivity in overweight adults suffering from type 2 diabetes. The antioxidant produced significant improvements in just four weeks.

Lipoic acid is also effective in treating diabetic neuropathy, which is characterized by numbness, tingling, and pain in the extremities. A large, randomized, placebo-controlled, multicenter, double-blind study involving 328 patients with type-2 diabetes revealed that it significantly improved symptoms.

Life Extension suggests taking 200 to 300 mg/day of R-lipoic acid (the “R” form is more potent).

3. Coenzyme Q10

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is a potent antioxidant that reduces oxidative stress. Diabetics experience a high degree of oxidation that causes cellular damage.

CoQ10 is required to convert fats and sugars into cellular energy. Yet, the natural production of CoQ10 declines in diabetics. The best form of CoQ10 to supplement with is called ubiquinol. This form is easily absorbed and significantly increases blood levels.

Life Extension suggests taking 200 mg/day of ubiquinol CoQ10.

4. Pyridoxamine

The pyridoxamine form of vitamin B6 protects the body’s proteins from glycation. Sugar (glucose) in the blood can bind to proteins, particularly when blood levels are high. This binding causes the formation of dysfunctional proteins, which accumulate with time and contribute to some of the signs of aging.

Scientific research suggests that if you want to help protect your body against glycation, nutrients that help prevent the formation of AGEs may be beneficial. The latest information shows that pyridoxamine may also be of significant help in preventing the formation of these aging molecules.

In fact, one prominent antiaging doctor described pyridoxamine as “the most potent natural substance for inhibiting AGE formation.” By preventing AGE formation and working as a coenzyme in chemical reactions, pyridoxamine can support healthy nerve, eye, cardiovascular and kidney function.

Life Extension suggests taking 50 mg/day of pyridoxamine.