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.

Ageless Skin from a Pill? A Secret to Save Your Skin from Accelerated Aging

By Steven V. Joyal, MD

You want flawless, smooth skin.

You don’t smoke, you drink plenty of water every day, and you eat a diet low in refined starches and sugars. You consume adequate amounts of omega-3 fatty acids from fish, walnuts, and flax seed. You apply expensive skin cleansers and moisturizers that promise ageless, beautiful skin. Of course, you’ve heard about the dangers of excessive sun exposure and the veritable explosion in cases of diagnosed skin cancer within the past decade, so you are prudent when venturing outdoors. You wear sunscreen whenever you go to the beach or spend extended time outside, wear a broad-brimmed hat, and minimize time spent during earth’s peak period for solar radiation (generally between 11AM and 3PM in late spring,  summer, and early fall). You obtain the benefits of vitamin D from supplementation with low-cost cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) as well as ingesting foods (e.g. salmon, mushrooms) rich in this critical hormone-vitamin rather than subjecting your skin to age-accelerating solar radiation.

However, do you guard against incidental solar radiation?

Most people are completely unaware that over 80% of lifetime sun exposure occurs unintentionally. Furthermore, those unsightly brown and tan age spots that occur on exposed areas of the skin are caused by accumulated sun exposure over many years.

Unless you never the leave the house if not slathered in high sun protection factor (SPF) sunscreen or make-up, ultraviolet radiation is aging your skin (not to mention increasing your risk of skin cancer). And don’t think that just because you use a so-called “long-lasting” topical sunscreen that is “water-proof” you’re safe – close scrutiny of scientific data reveals that although newer sunscreen formulas offer enhanced resistance to the effects of sweat and swimming, these topical formulas must be re-applied frequently for maximal protection.

However, an amazing, natural plant extract, when orally ingested, offers the promise of additional protection against the damaging effects of incidental solar radiation exposure with a strong scientific portfolio of evidence.

Polypodium leucotomos is a type of fern native to certain tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas such as Honduras. Experimental studies with extracts of polypodium leucotomos have shown potent antioxidant effects. Other experimental studies show that Polypodium leucotomos extract reduces pro-inflammatory cytokines, chemicals that damage tissues when produced in excess. For over thirty years, extracts of Polypodium leucotomos have been used in Europe, Central, and South America to protect against the damaging effects of skin sensitizers and ultraviolet light therapy for the treatment of patients with psoriasis, an inflammatory skin condition characterized by silvery plaques on the skin. A clinical study showed that psoriasis patients’ skin had significantly less damage from ultraviolet light when these volunteers were given an extract of Polypodium as compared with those study volunteers given placebo. Another clinical study in patients with vitiligo (a skin condition characterized by areas of unsightly skin color mottling) showed improvement in areas of skin depigmentation when treated with ultraviolet light and 250 mg. three times daily of Polypodium leucotomos extract compared with placebo.

Make no mistake – supplementing with Polypodium leucotomos extract will not protect your skin from sunburn if you decide to spend ten hours at Fort Lauderdale beach after hibernating indoors for three months of winter. However, this natural ingredient is a wonderful adjunct to an over-all skin saving regimen that helps preserve youthful skin tone and texture. Although Polypodium will not reverse the appearance of heavily sun damaged skin, this fern extract offers the promise of lessening the impact of incidental sun exposure, now and in the future, on our skin. Since about 80% of our lifetime accumulated sun exposure is incidental, Polypodium extract represents a breakthrough strategy in the form of a dietary supplement that can help guard our skin from accelerated aging.

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.