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Top 10 Reasons to Take a Daily Multivitamin

AHA Publisher — Mon, 01 Aug 2022 07:00:29 +0000

Dr. Don Colbert – Are you one of the millions of Americans who take a daily multivitamin? Or, are you someone who thinks they are a waste of money? Beyond deciding whether or not to take one, there’s also the issue of quality. Not all multivitamin are created equal. Here are 10 reasons to consider a daily multivitamin and what sets the best multivitamin apart from others. 10 Top Reasons to Take a Daily Multivitamin 1. Current Food Supply and Crops We’d all love to believe our food supply is as healthy as ever. However, much of the soil in our country (and others) has been stripped of nutrients levels after years of conventional farming. While the push for organic farming and more sustainable methods has been great, our crops can still be lower in nutrients than we’d like. A daily multivitamin can make up for some of these deficiencies. 2. Weight Loss Plans Almost anytime you’re trying to lose weight, you reduce the amount, or types of foods you consume. And while this can be very healthy, you may miss out on key nutrients. For example, if you cut out dairy, you may not get quite enough Vitamin D3 through the foods you choose. Or, if you cut out red meats, you may lack adequate heme-iron levels. A daily multivitamin can bridge the gap so that you can choose healthy foods that help you meet your weight goals while getting in enough micronutrients. 3. Healthy Aging As we age, our cellular nutritional needs actually increase because many body systems have to work harder to maintain health despite aging tissues (1). Unfortunately, it becomes more difficult for our bodies to absorb needed nutrients. In addition, medications can further deplete our body of nutrients and/or affect absorption. A multivitamin can help us maintain adequate micronutrient intake for healthy aging. Additionally, a good multivitamin should be full of food-derived antioxidants, which fight the build-up of oxidative stress and free radicals (1). These charged molecules harm cells and expedite aging. Antioxidants in a daily multivitamin can offset deficiencies and fight oxidative stress. 4. Heart Health It’s no secret that the nutrients on your plate and in your supplements affect your heart. In fact, Vitamins B1, B2, B6, K1, Niacin (B3), CoQ10 and magnesium all play a role in cardiovascular health. What’s more, some micronutrients promote healthy cholesterol and blood pressure levels while supporting a lessened inflammation response in the body. In an age in which heart ailments are the leading cause of death of both men and women, we need all the heart-healthy nutrients we can get. Studies have found that multivitamin use may be associated with less heart ailments and better health (2, 3, 4). 5. Immune Function Many micronutrients play a role in healthy immune function. In fact, the most important micronutrients for a healthy immune system include vitamins A, C, D, E, B2, B6 and B12, folic acid, beta carotene, iron, selenium, and zinc (5). These nutrients can be found in foods and a good daily multivitamin. While you can certainly eat foods to provide many needed nutrients, most adults are found to be lacking in important immune-boosting nutrients like vitamin D. A good multivitamin can help. 6. Eye Health Micronutrients are also important for eye health. Vitamins A, C, E, Niacin (B3), and selenium support it. Lutein and Zeaxanthin protect the eyes from harmful light waves. In fact, studies have shown multivitamins containing a combination of vitamins, lutein, and zeaxanthin can reduce the risk of macular degeneration (7, 8). Macular Degeneration is an eye disease the causes vision loss and is considered the leading cause of blindness around the world (9). Additionally, researchers have found that taking a daily multivitamin may reduce the risk of cataract symptoms, another eye ailment that contributes to vision loss in older adults (10). 7. Bone Health Bone density gradually diminishes as we age. What’s more, going through menopause can put women at a higher risk of bone loss (11). Thankfully, a good multivitamin can provide micronutrients that support bone health, reduce risk of fractures, and even promote bone healing. These nutrients include calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, vitamin D, and K2 (12, 13, 14, 15). Bone health is supremely important throughout life. Make sure to get the nutrients you need for healthy bones. 8. Brain Function Beyond physical health, multivitamins may support mental health. In fact, some research shows that taking a daily multivitamin can preserve brain function and boost mental health as well. Interestingly enough, one study published by the Centre for Human Psychopharmacology at Swinburne University in Australia even found that daily supplementation with a multivitamin was able to support better memory in older men at risk for cognitive decline (16). Additionally, multivitamins may also support healthy moods and reduce depressive symptoms. One study published in Psychopharmacology found that daily multivitamin supplementation was linked to significant reductions in both anxiety and stress (17). Similarly, another study found that taking a multivitamin was effective at increasing alertness, improving mood and enhancing feelings of overall well-being (18). How can this all be linked to a daily multivitamin? Brain health, like other organs, depends on many micronutrients like antioxidants, anti-inflammatory nutrients, and healthy fatty acids (19). Since our crops, diets, and food supply often lack everything we need, a daily multivitamin can help. 9. Healthy Hair and Skin How can you support the health of your hair and skin? Many lifestyle and diet habits impact hair, skin, and nail health. The important nutrients include Vitamins B3 (Niacin), biotin, Vitamin C, Vitamins A, C, E, iron, zinc, and CoQ10 (20, 21, 22, 23, 24). In fact, adequate micronutrients can slow thinning of hair, improve the appearance of skin, and improve nail health. 10. Energy and Vitality Wouldn’t you love more energy and vitality? Focus on adequate iron, B Vitamins, and magnesium. In fact, these nutrients support energy production, better sleep, and cellular health (25). In addition, a healthy low-carb Mediterranean diet using Dr. Colbert’s Beyond Keto can improve overall health, energy, and vitality. Why Choose Dr. Colbert’s Enhanced Multivitamin? While many multivitamins on the market contain low potency of nutrients, man made chemicals, and artificial coloring and sweeteners, Dr. Colbert’s Enhanced Multivitamin is different. It contains the highest-quality active-form micronutrients ingredients, including methylcobalamin (the active form of Vitamin B12), and methyltetrahydrofolate (the active form of folic acid). These nutrients are efficiently absorbed and effectively used in the body. In fact, active forms of micronutrients are superior in many ways. Most importantly, your body does not have to try convert them to the active form. Importantly, many people cannot convert all inactive nutrients to active ones. Dr. Colbert’s Enhanced Multivitamin contains active Vitamin K2, active Vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9 and B12 (methylcobalamin), Vitamin A, C, D, E, and K, biotin, calcium, potassium, folic Acid (methyltetrahydrofolate), and iodine. Bottom Line A great multivitamin can support your entire body, and specific areas of health listed above. But choose wisely. Dr. Colbert’s Enhanced Multivitamin stands above others with active forms of micronutrients, high-potency, and natural ingredients. To read the original article click here.

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Using Internet in Retirement Boosts Cognitive Function — New Research

AHA Publisher — Fri, 24 Sep 2021 07:00:13 +0000

Lancaster University via Newswise – Using the internet during your retirement years can boost your cognitive function, a new study has found. Researchers from Lancaster University Management School, the Norwegian University Science and Technology and Trinity College Dublin examined the cognitive function of more than 2,000 retired people from across Europe, and found that post-retirement internet usage is associated with substantially higher scores on tests. The study, published in the Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, uses data drawn from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) that collects information about the health, employment history and socio-economic status of older people. Focusing on a sample of 2,105 older people from Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Israel, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland who have been retired since 2004, researchers examined retirees’ cognitive function in both 2013 and 2015. They specifically focused on a word recall test, where individuals were asked to recall a list of 10 words immediately, and then again five minutes later. Results found that, on average, people who used the internet after they retired were able to recall 1.22 extra words in the recall test compared to non-internet users. However, retirees who used the internet were also more likely to be male, younger, better educated, and have been retired for a shorter period. They also appear to be in better health – even though they drink and smoke more*. Dr Vincent O’Sullivan, a co-author from Lancaster University Management School said: “Our results reveal that using the internet, post-retirement, leads to a marked reduction in the rate of cognitive decline. “Interestingly, this protective effect was found to be most significant amongst women, with female retirees who regularly surfed the internet able to recall 2.37 more words compared to women who didn’t go online. The results were also consistent among men, with retired internet users able to recall 0.94 more words than men with similar characteristics who didn’t use the internet. “We also found that retirees who used computers in their jobs before retirement were more likely to keep using computers once they retired, and hence had better cognitive function.” Researchers compared the cognitive function of retirees who used to work in jobs where computers were commonplace to retirees who worked in jobs where computers weren’t often used. For example, among teachers, computers became common in the workplace much later than sectors such as financial services. Their results revealed that people with pre-retirement exposure to computers were more likely to continue to use them once they retired. Among the overall results, the researchers also found a stark difference in the patterns of internet usage between European countries, with no more than 12% of retirees using the internet in Italy, compared to over 60% in Denmark. “Research has shown that retirement from the workforce is a critical period for cognitive function, which declines with age and can be a predictor for a range of key health outcomes among older people,” said co-author Likun Mao, formerly a PhD student at Lancaster but now at Trinity College Dublin. “Although there is a widespread belief that computer usage improves older people’s cognitive function – such as memory, attention, spatial abilities and problem solving – there has been mixed evidence from previous studies. “We were able to discern that pre-retirement computer usage does not directly influence post-retirement cognitive decline, and we ensured our results referred only to post-retirement internet usage.” Professor Colin Green, of the Norwegian University Science and Technology, added: “Within our study we estimated statistical models which controlled for individuals’ ages, education levels, occupational skills and years since retirement, so we are confident that our results are robust and relate only to the use of the internet, post retirement. “This sets it apart from other studies and raises the interesting question of what it is about internet use exactly, that drives this positive effect on cognitive function. Interacting with others online, finding out information in order to attend social activities or simple tasks like shopping online can all make life easier for retirees, but we are yet to understand which, if any, of these tasks actually go as far as improving cognitive performance.” To read the original article click here.

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Feel Sluggish? Here’s How to Get Your Energy Back

AHA Publisher — Wed, 26 May 2021 07:00:28 +0000

Lorie Johnson via CBN News – Do you feel tired all the time? If so, you’re not alone. Too many of us feel sluggish because we consume too many unhealthy foods and drinks. Other lifestyle choices can add to the problem. Over time the problem has gotten worse, according to best-selling author Dr. Steven Gundry who says certain energy traps rob of us our vitality and cause us to feel sick and tired most days, which is a threat to our health. “Fatigue and tiredness is an epidemic in this country,” he told CBN News, “Well over fifty percent of people actually complain of chronic tiredness and that includes Millennials. And that’s certainly not our experience in years past.” In his book The Energy Paradox: What to Do When Your Get-Up-and-Go Has Got Up and Gone, Dr. Gundry describes the changes to our modern lifestyle that have led to increased tiredness, moodiness, brain fog, or weight gain. “Two o’clock in the afternoon all systems seem to go on pause,” he explained, “You don’t feel like working or doing anything with the kids, want to lie down or reach for an energy bar or some other type of pick me up like a cup of coffee.” Unhealthy Gut Dr. Gundry says the primary cause of our low energy stems from an unhealthy gut. He said too many of us lack the good bacteria, called probiotics, that are necessary to adequately power our bodies. Probiotics can be consumed in a number of ways, such as in supplements, foods like yogurt and kimchi as well as beverages like kombucha. Additionally, those bacteria need to flourish by eating fiber-rich foods called prebiotics. Prebiotics can be consumed in supplement form and in many fiber-rich foods like fresh vegetables such as asparagus, onions, dandelion greens, and broccoli. The good bacteria “Actually actually communicate to the energy-producing organelles in all our cells called the mitochondria to make more energy, Dr. Gundry said, “So the probiotics that you manufacture by eating prebiotics literally turbocharges your energy.” Dr. Gundry went on to explain that an unhealthy gut often leaks, thereby further depleting our body’s energy reserves. “If you’re tired and fatigued you have leaky gut,” he said. That’s the condition where holes develop in the thin lining of the gut, allowing food and proteins to escape. When that happens, it causes an immune reaction, which triggers inflammation, a process that drains huge amounts of our precious energy. “Inflammation is actually our white blood cells, our immune system, our foot soldiers, if you will, attacking threats that come into our body primarily through the lining of our gut,” he said. Dr. Gundry says unhealthy foods such as sugar and processed foods can harm the gut. Don’t Overmedicate Dr. Gundry says too many medications can also harm the gut, particularly antibiotics. “Please, please, please try to avoid taking antibiotics for simple things like runny noses or scratchy throats,” he said, adding that antibiotics kill virtually all of the bacteria in the gut. Sometimes antibiotics are life-saving drugs that effectively treat deadly bacterial infections. However, too often they are used to treat viral infections and therefore have no effect at all except to destroy the good gut bacteria. Furthermore, Dr. Gundry warns about eating foods that have been given these drugs. “Try to avoid eating animals that have been raised with antibiotics with factory farms,” he said, “It turns out antibiotics kill off most of the good bugs in our intestines that actually protect us from leaky gut.” “We actually produce ATP, energy, from sunlight exposure,” he said. In order to feel energetic during the day, we need a good night’s sleep. However, blue light coming from our electronics can keep us from falling asleep. Dr. Gundry recommends turning them off hours before bedtime or at night, wearing glasses that block the blue light. Dr. Gundry warns against taking certain heartburn and acid indigestion medications longer than two weeks. “We now know that these actually stop the energy-producing organelles the mitochondria from working because they interrupt how mitochondria produce energy which is called proton pumping,” he said. More Vitamin D, Better Sleep Dr. Gundry says people suffering from low energy usually need more Vitamin D. He recommends a 5,000 IU daily supplement and more time outside. To read the original article click here. For more articles from CBN News click here.

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