Avocado Benefits for Health

Avocado oil has been known as one of the most powerful and effective rejuvenating and anti-aging natural products. Produced by cold pressure from avocados, this natural remedy has amazing taste and can be perfectly digested by our body, providing it with a variety of healthy fats and other nutrients. Avocado oil benefits are really numerous! This oil is one of the purest and cleanest natural extracts, and it contains more vitamins, minerals, and other essential micro-elements compared to other popular natural oils. It plays a role as an effective product for cosmetics: using avocado oil for skin helps to moisturize and reduce wrinkles, and using avocado oil for hair can assist greatly in strengthening and nourishing hair follicles, prevent hair loss and make our hair look simply gorgeous.

Avocado oil is rich in proteins, carbs, micro-elements, amino acids, saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, lecithin, and essential oils. It has B1, B2, and B3 vitamins which improve our blood quality and support the function of our nervous system. Compared to olive oil, avocado oil has 5 times higher content of Vitamin E, essential for normal fat metabolism, preventing atherosclerosis and premature skin aging. Avocado oil Vitamin F content is 3 times higher compared to fish oil, so this natural extract assists us in stimulating detoxification and reducing the risks of suffering from high LDL cholesterol level. Avocado oil is one of the richest natural sources of minerals vital  for normal function of all our organs and body systems. It contains potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, phosphorus, iron, manganese, copper, iodine, zinc, cobalt, vanadium, molybdenum, barium, titanium, aluminum, borum, silver, tin, and other minerals.

Avocado Oil Benefits

Amazing health benefits of avocado oil are derived from extremely rich natural content of this natural extract. It can be used for normalizing the function of our cardiovascular system, preventing-elevated blood pressure and balancing cholesterol levels, improving blood vessel integrity and blood quality, reducing the risks of such health conditions as atherosclerosis, anemia, ischemia, heart attack, a stroke, and many others. It is a known remedy to improving the function of our digestive system and preventing stomach ulcers. According to the information published in the Journal of Nutrition in 2005, avocado oil can aid in nutrient absorption, especially in carotenoid absorption.
Anti-inflammatory benefits of avocado oil help in preventing arthritis, psoriasis, periodontal disease, and other common infections. According to the findings of Dr. John Birkbeck, professor of nutrition at Massey University, avocado oil has much better cholesterol lowering properties compared to olive oil, almonds, and wheat germ oil, due to very high content of phytosterols. “The oil because of its nutritional benefits is an excellent contributor to a healthy and balanced diet and is of particular benefit in diets which help to prevent coronary heart disease, diabetes and possibly prostrate problems,” Dr. Birkbeck wrote in his report.

Avocado Oil For Skin
Due to a high Vitamin E content in avocado oil, this natural product is considered one of the best for dry and aging skin care. Antioxidant properties of vitamin E assist in preventing negative effects of oxidation and improving skin quality on cellular levels. Omega 3 and essential fatty acids in avocado oil help moisturizing and hydrating skin, making it look healthy and glowing. Other important benefits of avocado oil for skin include faster healing of wounds or cuts, as well as the property of this natural product to create a barrier to retain water, preserve useful micro-elements, and make skin look healthy, youthful and bright. Adding a few drops of high quality avocado oil to your night creams, skin lotions or other skin care products is the best way to use avocado oil for skin.

Avocado Oil For Hair
It is hardly possible to find a better natural product for making our hair look live and shiny. Using avocado oil for hair can be a great natural solution for dry and brittle hair, because rich natural content of this extract can nourish and strengthen hair shafts and follicles, reduce dryness and bring extra vigor to hair. Natural essential oils in avocado oil assist in balancing sebum production and make this product an effective natural help to all those with oily hair. This oil is recommended to everyone who suffers from split ends and brittle frizzy hair. By adding 7-10 drops of avocado oil per every 100 g of your shampoo or hair conditioner, it is possible to harvest the most of the benefits of avocado oil for hair. It is also recommended to use this oil for scalp massages.

Other Benefits Of Avocado Oil
Avocado oil benefits as an effective cancer prevention solution were known before. However, a team of Mexican specialists have recently presented their findings at meeting of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and brought scientific evidence of the fact that avocado oil can be effective in blocking the formation of destructive rogue oxygen molecules. During the study conducted at Morelia General Hospital, it became apparent that excessive amounts these molecules start chemical processes which destroy healthy body cells, proteins, and even alter human DNA. Moreover, due to such factors as smoking, radiation,environmental pollution, and others, these molecules can be generated in excessive amounts causing tumors and other types of cancer. Thus, avocado oil can assist in destroying free radicals in mitochondria, substantially reducing the risks of cancer.

Olive Oil for Your Beauty

Do you want to know the secret behind olive oil that works like magic for your beauty? Well, here they are:

Olive oil and the skin
The ancient Greeks used to bathe with oil, using a special scraper to take off the excess. To moisturize dry skin, apply it daily directly to dry spots and stretch marks. You're not going to be using that much so use the best olive oil; extra virgin. Pure and Light olive oil has been chemically processed, avoid it.

This is how you do it: massage a small amount of olive oil into skin whenever you need softening and moisturizing, Apply extra oil to rough or cracked areas. Bath: Add several Tablespoons of olive oil to your bath, along with a few drops of your favorite essential oil, to soothe and nourish you.

Olive oil can also help relieve sunburn. Olive Oil contains polyphenol compounds that act as antioxidants to help prevent and repair damage to the skin done by accidental sun exposure. The skin damage is related to the destructive activity of free oxygen related radicals produced by skin cells. Polyphenolic components of olive oil have been compared to traditional antioxidants, such as tocopherols, used by the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industry to prevent skin damage. Results show polyphenols as having the highest activity as radical scavengers.

There are mentions in Greek texts about the protective effect of olive oil, a commonly used skin conditioner at the time. A few small scientific studies support this. But this doesn’t mean that it is safe to apply olive oil then sun tan lotion. No matter what you put on your skin, sun exposure will eventually age and damage the skin. Avoiding the sun, wearing protective clothing or at least using the newer UVA and UVB sunblocks would be better.

Olive oil as hair treatment.
This helps repair split ends, heals dandruff, and makes your hair shiny, silky, and lustrous. Massage a few tablespoons of olive oil into scalp and hair. Cover hair with a plastic bathing cap and leave on for 30 minutes or more, then shampoo as usual.
Olive oil also helps in treating baldness. Wash your hair regularly and treating your scalp with virgin olive oil.

Defend against Aging
Olive oil contains rich amounts of Vitamin A ,E, minerals and antioxidants, in particular squalene, an excellent emollient and antioxidant, compatible with skin and containing high levels of collagen--skin's own natural age-defier.
Antioxidants help slow the ageing process. Olives are high in polyphenols. These substances are water soluble so are mostly found in the waste water after olive processing. The oil retains a small amount of the polyphenols. Some of the polyphenols such as hydroxytyrosol have been found in higher concentrations in good quality oils while tyrosol and some other phenolic acids are found in poor quality oils. The difference between virgin and extra virgin is the acid content and organoleptic properties such as taste, so undoubtedly extra virgin has different polyphenols than virgin but as before the total amount of polyphenols are probably the same.

Posted by antiwidi at 08:58 38 comments Links to this post


Extra Virgin Olive Oil for My Sweet Heart
A new study shows extra virgin olive oil, which contains more antioxidants than more refined olive oil, may offer better protection against heart disease. Extra virgin olive oil is made from the first pressing of olives and contains higher levels of a class of antioxidants known as polyphenols than more refined olive oils that come from later pressings.


Researchers say these polyphenols may provide another way to reduce the risk of heart disease in addition to the heart-healthy benefits attributed to the monounsaturated fatty acids found in olive oil. Recent studies have suggested that the bulk of olive oil's heart-healthy benefits comes from good fatty acids (monounsaturated fatty acids), but researchers say polyphenols may also contribute to those benefits and further reduce the risk of heart disease.
Extra Virgin olive oil also produced another healthy antioxidant effect. It increased the level of substances in the body that prevent the oxidation of bad, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. Oxidation of this type of cholesterol is linked to the formation of clots in blood vessels, which could lead to heart attack or stroke.


For Extra Virgin Olive Oil, olives are hand-picked. Cleaned with pure water, then crunched and malaxated and finaly cold pressed. Extra virgin olive oil is derived from the first cold pressing of olives without refining. The oil is extracted from the olives by mechanical means (pressure) which do not modify it's basic properties. This results in a completely natural product which maintains the taste plus chemical and biological characteristics of the olive.


It is characterized by an acidity level of less than one percent. It is considered the finest and fruitiest olive oil and is therefore also the most expensive. It can range from pale champagne to greenish-gold to bright green in color. In general, the deeper the color, the more intense the olive oil flavor. Extra virgin olive oil's naturally intense taste is especially complimentary when drizzled over seafood just off the grill, to dress salads, the finishing of sauces and anywhere that richly flavored olive oil will enhance the finished dish.

Posted by antiwidi at 07:34 1 comments Links to this post


Fights Heart Disease with Olive Oil
Studies suggest that olive oil decreases rates of heart disease. No wonder the Greek physician Hippocrates, known as the father of medicine, referred to olive oil as "the great therapeutic”. It is unclear if any single component of olive oil is responsible for these health benefits or if it is a combination of olive oil and a diet high in vegetables, fruit and fish.

Recent studies by The U.S. Food and Drug Administration credited olive oil with decreasing the risk of coronary heart disease. Up to 80 percent of olive oil is made up of monounsaturated fatty acids, which resist oxidation (the process by which fatty acids are degraded) better than polyunsaturates. Monounsaturated fatty acids help keep HDL—so-called good cholesterol—levels up and LDL, "bad" cholesterol, down.


In addition, the presence of phenols, tocopherols, and other natural antioxidants in olive oil also prevent the formation of certain free radicals (highly reactive molecules) that may cause cell destruction within the human body.


Several studies in Mediterranean countries also have shown that the incidence of heart disease is lower than would be expected by blood cholesterol levels. Many feel that this discrepancy can be explained by the high amount of olive oil in the diet in this region. But what is it in olive oil which lowers heart attack risk? Researchers Larsen LF, Jespersen J, and Marckmann P at the Centre for Advanced Food Studies, The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Frederiksberg, Denmark decided to see if it was due to olive oil affecting the blood's basic ability to form clots. Less effective clotting would mean fewer heart attacks. The researchers compared the effects of virgin olive oil with those of rapeseed and sunflower oils on blood coagulation factor VII, which is a key factor in blood clot formation. In this study eighteen healthy young men consumed diets enriched with olive oil, sunflower oil, or rapeseed oil for a period of 3 wks. Levels of Factor VII were significantly lower in those who ate olive oil compared to sunflower or rapeseed (canola) oil. The study's conclusion was that olive oil may lower the procoagulant tendency of fatty meals which could explain the low incidence of heart attacks in Mediterranean countries.

More recently 10,000 patients at high risk for heart attack or stroke were followed for 4.5 years in the The Heart Outcomes Prevention Evaluation (HOPE) Study. People who received 265 mg (400) IU of vitamin E daily did not experience significantly fewer cardiovascular events or hospitalizations for heart failure or chest pain when compared to those who received placebo. 1.6mg, or 2.3 IU (International Units) of Vitamin E, a natural antioxidant, is present in one tablespoon of olive oil. One tablespoon of olive oil would provide 8% of the recommended daily allotment for vitamin E.


One thing that you can do to fight heart disease is by doing Mediterranean diet. The Mediterranean diet has been shown to lower heart disease but Mediterranean countries people eat as much as 40% of their calories as fats (mostly olive oil). For patients with low HDL levels and high triglycerides, the Mediterranean diet may lower heart disease best.

Olive oil is an integral part of the "Mediterranean diet" which is associated with sensible tasty portions and slower, more enjoyable eating. People who eat a "Mediterranean diet" have been shown to have a remarkable variety of health benefits. Olive oil can quickly satisfy hunger and lead to fewer total calories ingested at mealtime.

Benefits of Garlic for Health

Benefits of Garlic - garlic for health can make us healthy, apart from its benefits for health, beauty face, removing pimples, and smooths the skin and so many benefits of garlic this kitchen apart from cake recipe ingredients, well at this time after long time not update Fitr would like to invite all our readers to know what benefits Garlic that has not occurred to them.

The following can be read whatever the benefits of Garlic.
Garlic contains many nutrients. This plant serves to maintain health and ward off diseases, ranging from worms to cancer and other degenerative diseases. Another benefit to improve memory and immunity, and prevent premature aging.
Garlic's reputation as one of the important components in a variety of cooking spices and cure various diseases, is well known throughout the world.

Garlic originated from Central Asia, namely Japan and China. From both subtropical countries, the garlic spread throughout Asia, Europe, and finally to the whole world.
Garlic bulbs consist of a few cloves (3-12 cloves) are clustered together to form large bulbs, white and shaped like a top. The name for garlic is very diverse, namely garlic (UK), knoflook (Germany), suan (China), pills (Korea), ninniku (Japan), aglio (Italy), thoam (Arabic), ajo (Spanish).

Garlic has a Latin name Allium sativum Linn. All the word means smells and meaningful sativum cultivated. Sativum designation to distinguish it from other types of onions that grow wild, namely Allium longicurpis Regel.
Family or genus Allium sebenarnva there are about 500 species. More than 250 species of which include garlic-onions. Plant garlic can be found in the form terna (clustered), grow upright, and can reach a height of 30-60 cm.

1. Treating toxic injuries and complaints of bronchitis.
Efficacy onion recovered to prevent and cure various diseases has been known since ancient Greece. Hippocrates advocated the use of garlic to treat wounds and grievances toxic bronchitis (inflammation of the lungs). In fact, in China famous for an old adage. If you have reached the age of 50 years and then eat the garlic for 50 days, you will increase the age of 50 years. The phrase is not true 100 percent, but suggests that garlic is important for health, so it can extend life expectancy.

2. Adding Vitality Body.
 In ancient Egypt, the slave who deployed in the construction of the pyramid is always equipped with a ration of garlic to stay healthy body condition. Similarly, in a wandering Viking who conquered various countries always take garlic as a complement to their logistics.

3. Retaining MemoriesEfficacy of garlic as a healthy traditional food has long attracted the attention of scientists. Dr. Saito, one of Japan's leading researchers on the aging process, have found that garlic can prolong the life span of mice maintained in the laboratory.
A study at the University of Tokyo noted that garlic is good for groups of elderly people. This plant is able to rejuvenate the brain and boost the immune system.
Garlic extract has been shown to suppress neuronal cell damage in the brain and can even stimulate the growth of new neuronal cells. From the experiments it is proved that the old rats fed garlic scored better in memory tests than those not given garlic.

4. Prevent CANCER.
 Ration of garlic was also produced more antibodies and lymphocytes, the white blood cells to fight infection. In addition, garlic is also efficacious to prevent us from cancer in old age, terutam risk of stomach cancer and colon.
Research conducted at the University of Minnesota also showed that the odds of getting cancer by 50 percent in older women who ate garlic. Prostate cancer cells grow only a quarter of normal speed when sufferers eat garlic.

In 1981, researchers from medicine research center at Tagore Medical College, India, reported the effects of raw garlic and fry are tested on 20 patients who had a history of heart disease. The results showed that the tendency of blood clots in blood vessels is reduced, which is indicated by an increased fibrinolytic activity.

5. Lowering Cholesterol.
 The greatness of the consumption of garlic as a suppressor of cholesterol are also recorded in several studies. Consumption of garlic and a half to one clove a day for a month can lower cholesterol levels by 9 percent. One of the most powerful anti-cholesterol substance in garlic is ajone, a compound which also prevents blood clotting.

Research conducted by Bordia, and published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 1981 revealed that garlic can lower cholesterol by 14 percent and increase the good cholesterol HDL (High Density Lipoprotein) by 40 percent after six months.
Meanwhile, epidemiological studies revealed that groups of people who consume 30-50 g of garlic a week had significantly lower cholesterol levels compared to groups of people whose level of consumption is not that big.

Garlic is also known to prevent heart attacks. The study involving 432 patients with heart disease showed that those who eat garlic (2-3 cloves per day) was able to survive longer.
This happens because the garlic is able to shrink blockages in heart arteries. Because of that, fans of the meat needs to include garlic (in the form of a spice or pickles) to reduce the adverse effects of animal fats.

6. Antibody
Several studies have shown that garlic is also very efficacious for parasite killing worms in the body. Garlic as an article in Aquarium Fish Antinematodal agent, November 1995, showed that garlic inhibits the growth of nematodes (worms) in the digestive tract Pterophylum scalare.

That's some of the benefits of garlic may be used and hopefully post Benefits of Garlic is beneficial for health.

Essential Yoga Diet

Essential Yoga diet means the diet that you are in need of to make your health toned up by all means. Actually there is no such diet referred to as the Yoga diet, you can go after your own sweet will. But you have to brood over the matter that the foods you are taking must have nutritive value and they are easily digested. As you are practicing Yoga you have to take such types of foods that can be easily assimilated and offer you the health benefits. To enjoy the health benefits of Yoga all you have to do is to opt for simple diet, nothing anything special. Whatever you take at hand can be the essential Yoga diet. Taker into account the matter that the diet you take is, in a word, balanced diet.

Diet and three Gunas

According to the ancient scriptures three Gunas, actually three vital energies, control the balance of our total body system. These three are Sattwa, Raja and Tama. Sattwa means absolutely pure. This quality makes a man divine, religious, pious, charitable; to be more precise, a godly kind of man. Raja Guna makes a man brave. He never dares to withstand any challenge. A true hero in the true sense of the term, always ready to fight with those who oppose. Tama Guna makes man lethargic, quarrelsome, a perfect glutton. He cares only for his own, bothers for nobody, hankers after money and earthly pleasures.

Now the sages in their inscriptions have mentioned the diet of those three types of men. Sattwik man prefers that food that is easily digested, such as milk, fruits and vegetables. The Rajasik man prefers wine, meat, starch and the Tamasik man opts for only those foods that are hardly digestible. Spicy palatable dishes are the only things they prefer most.

What to eat?

As Yoga is related to 'Tapa' or meditation, to keep the mind under strict control, so that any disturbance can not distract the perfect diet is mentioned in the time of Yoga practice. The diet should be such that do not bring any discomfort to the body. Actually Yogis practice Yoga to bring the body and the mind under total control. Hence such foods should not be enlisted in the diet that cause absolute disturbance. The Yogis opine that if you take meager meal but in due time you can get elegant health benefits. You are sure to wonder that these Yogis lived for hundreds of years. Still today there are so many Yogis in the remote corners of the Himalayas whose age can never be detected. How do they live? Absolutely they sustain their lives with the aid of meager meal, with the constant practice of Yoga.

Go for vegetables

It is easy to say but difficult to take the foods referred to in the scriptures right now, at this internet age. Sattwik diet is preferable but you can not find enough satisfaction in it. It is better to take vegetables after your own sweet will. Take green vegetables in the form of curry (never spicy) or salad. Green vegetables have the proper nutrients; hence if you take them you will never be duped. Lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, beans, gourds, pumpkins, cauliflowers, cabbages, broccolis, carrots, beets, grains, cereals, Potatoes, red potatoes, to some extent bitter gourd, pea nuts can be taken in the form of salad, soup or curry. Salad must be taken twice a day, with lunch and dinner. The fibers containing in the vegetables clear your bowels and you can dodge many digestive problems.

Nutritional Value of Milk

Milk is absolutely a complete food. Those who are ready to practice Yoga, if possible, can take some milk. In this complicated WORLD, infested with lots of diseases and maladies, inflicted with GREEN HOUSE EFFECT AND GLOBAL WARMING, it is really impossible to think of leading a healthy life. But you have to. There is no option other than taking the stale materials especially in the countries of the third world. What you are now consuming is nothing but poison, the vegetables are grown with rampant use of manures and pesticides. Actually if you have any means to have pure milk you can consume it after your capacity and get back the essential vigor.

Egg or fish as essential Yoga diet

Actually these two are referred to as the non Sattiwik food. But they can give you proper health benefits. Egg is the only thing that can never be adulterated. Fish especially those packed with Omega Fatty Acids can be taken in limited quantity. If you are not vegan you are bound to take these two things. BUT IF YOU SUFFER FROM HYPERTENSION, DIABETES OR HEART AILMENTS YOU HAVE TO CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE OPTING FOR THOSE ITEMS.

Avoid fast food

There is no other way than to stop taking fast foods. Cheese, pizzas, burgers, ice creams, pastries, soft drinks may be mouth watering but the only thing they can do is to do harm to your digestive system. Again purees, samosas, halowa, golgappas, bhel-purees, chapattis, biriyani, anything fried must be forsaken. They contain no food value. They are absolutely tasty but hastily lead you to the verge of catastrophe. Make your children aware of the deadly effects of the fast foods. Rather encourage them to take bread, butter, fruits and nuts.

Take seasonal fruits

Yes fruits are absolutely mandatory if you want to enjoy the yoga health benefits. Fruits like apples, pears, bananas, mangoes, watermelons, guavas, grapes, pomegranates, oranges, musambis can be taken after your financial capacity. Do not take the juice of fruits; rather it is better to opt for them whole, cutting in to pieces. The fiber contents in the fruits help in digestive process. You can take dried fruits like cashew, nuts, pistachio, dates too in proper quantity.

Finally, for effective results

All you have to do is to curb your greed by all means. Greed is the main foe of you when you aspire for yoga health benefits. Take meager meals three or four times. Never take anything at a time. At any cost try to give up smoking, taking wine, or any other addiction if you have. You practice Yoga for health benefits so if you go all out for absurd things how can you hit the bull?

The Benefits of Ginger Chews

The Benefits of Ginger Chews. Some nutritional outgrowths can remedy you to maximise your vigor stretch you plank beside what spirit flings at you. According to the Equidistant for Distemper Restraint furthermore Prevention, 40 percent of Americans texture overly stressed. Accompanying these urges fixed to collect it is fit increasingly essential to rote what nourishments can promote restrain you spry furthermore plump of vim. The ginger in ginger munchs might be the organic key you are looking for to burgeon force, curtail trauma besides mend your generally vigor.

Beat Stress
Ginger, also renowned as Zingiberis rhizoma, has been secondhand for centuries in eastern cultivation further manipulates a robust duty internal Chinese plus Ayurvedic pill. United utility of ginger is to boost diminish pressure. A contemplate published in the "Biological further Pharmaceutical Announcement" in 2004 demonstrated the effectiveness of ginger to strife accentuate. Exposes were arranged in a stressful location also given ginger. The follows showed that ginger supplementation can forestall an burgeon in cortisol -- a hormone which is released during you are stressed. So if you handle akin you are a petty stressed in your being, test adding ginger to your regimen.

Reduce Pain
United of the oldest functions for ginger is to contract suffering furthermore irritation of rheumatoid arthritis moreover osteoarthritis. A analysis published in 2004 in the "Exhibit-based Complementary furthermore Option Pill" inveterate this function besides deemed ginger an efficient remedy for these reservations. A winnow con published in 1992 in the "Gazette of Therapeutic Hypotheses" showed that 75 percent of persons who secondhand ginger quotidian reported inferior stab, irritation also irritation rightful to arthritis. Whether you permit arthritis or hardly, being of its adversary-inflammatory trademarks, ginger is a salubrious provision for everyone to consume regularly therefore inflammation is associated accompanying numerous disorders also distemper hardly rightful arthritis.

Nausea
Ginger has crave been secondhand to administer syndromes of indigestion moreover nausea caused by gesture disorder, dawn illness moreover brine malady. A clinical criticism published in the "British Annals of Anaesthesia" inveterate that using as small as 1 gram of ginger can considerably mend nausea, impulse further brine disorder. The explicit gears are obscure nevertheless could be kin to improved stock drift, strengthening the capital nervous computer further reducing sensations of trauma. If you regularly comprehend nausea, move or dawn affliction, ginger ability be the defeat illegitimate elixir.

Obesity
Ginger is usually worn as a unstudied cure for increasing force plus thus a nice substitute for caffeine. It is inferior well-notorious however for its ability achieves on oppress care. For instance, a con published in the "Periodical of the Pharmaceutical Elite of Japan" in 2005 showed that feeding carnals ginger for eight weeks resulted in essential pound privation lacking some permutation in legislature. Despite the read did nay conjecture as to reason this might be, it is believable suitable to the burgeon in epinephrine (adrenaline) that happens since ginger use which jumps atomic yet too acquits thick from jails to be secondhand as vim.

What Are the Benefits from Fish Oil?

Fish oil is the source of the "good fats" that help our bodies keep inflammation in check. It is one of the few natural nutritional supplements which even the United States FDA admits there are rock-solid science-based benefits. And the benefits from fish oil can not just fight inflammation and help maintain your cardiovascular health, they can also help you lose weight, fight infections, and keep your mind sharp.

The benefits from fish oil are so obvious that Big Pharma has tried to capture them in a patented medication called Lovaza. But Lovaza actually is not even the most bioavailable form of fish oil, and you don't need a prescription to use this amazing addition to your daily diet to support good health. Let's start with some of the uses of fish oil that you probably haven't heard about.

Fish Oil Can Help You Lose Weight

Dr. Kate Claycomb is a researcher at the USDA-ARS Grand Forks Human Nutrition Center in North Dakota in the United States. For a number of years she has been studying the interaction of fish oil with two hormones, insulin and adiponectin. Both of these hormones play an important role in how our bodies maintain our weight.

Most of us are familiar with insulin as the hormone that activates cells to receive glucose sugar from the bloodstream. It is actually about 300 times more efficient at activating cells to store fat. In a condition called insulin resistance, bloodstream glucose levels rise so high that cells shut down their sugar receptor sites to avoid being flooded with glucose. They do not shut down their receptor sites for fatty acids. The pancreas senses high blood sugar levels and responds by making even more insulin. Cells in the liver and muscles and fat mass sense high insulin levels and become even more resistant to sugar. In the meantime, however, the extra insulin makes fat magnets out of belly fat, priming them to store every available calorie. You don't actually gain weight unless you overeat, but most of us do.

Adiponectin is a hormone that causes cells to burn fat rather than sugar. It keeps the liver from releasing stored glucose into the bloodstream through a process called gluconeogensis. This interrupts the process of insulin resistance in addition to causing the body to burn more calories. Thinner people have more adiponectin in circulation. Fatter people have less.

Just in late 2011, Dr. Claycomb announced findings of years of research that confirmed that fish oil increases the amount of adiponectin in the bloodstream and interrupts the process of insulin resistance. Both actions reverse weight gain and support weight loss. One of the key findings of Dr. Claycomb's research was that these actions are supported by the eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) fats in fish oil. These are the fats that are found in fish oil that are not found in flaxseed oil or microalgae.

Fish Oil Can Help You Gain Muscle

Dr. John Berardi is Canadian fitness trainer and also a professor of physiology. He has coached Olympic swimmers in Texas and the Olympic hockey team in Canada. For over a decade he has advised all of his athletes to take 1 or 2 capsules of fish oil after workouts to enhance muscle growth.

The process of building muscle actually requires a certain amount of inflammation, but only for a short time. The muscles have to be exercised so that fibers break down and are replaced by stronger, thicker fibers over a period of about 48 hours. It is important not to interfere with the process of breaking down these fibers ("pain") while you are still in the weight room. But it is equally important to quench the process of inflammation after a workout so the muscle can take in water, glucose, and amino acids and begin to rebuild itself.

Fish oil stops inflammation during the recovery phase. It reduces muscle pain after workouts, and because it fights insulin resistance, it also helps muscles "pump up" as they are properly fed. For a short time after a workout, the muscles are about 50 times more sensitive to insulin, which helps them absorb both glucose, which combines with water to make the glycogen that "pumps" the muscle, and the amino acids to rebuild the fibers that power the muscle. Athletes who take fish oil put on muscle more easily.

Again, it is the EPA in fish oil that makes a difference building muscle. The fatty acids in flaxseed oil and microalgae do not work the same way.

Fish Oil Can Enhance Brain Health

Bipolar disorder is an especially difficult disease to treat. In bipolar disorder, the mood swings from depressed to manic and back again. Antidepressant drugs tend to trigger mania, and antipsychotic drugs tend to trigger depression. Medical science has made major strides in treating the condition, but sometimes drugs just don't work.

About 10 years ago, Harvard University researchers started using fish oil to help control the depressive phase of bipolar disorder. Over 100 clinical studies over the last 10 years confirm that fish oil has a role in managing the condition. It is more useful in treating depression than mania, but this helps people who have bipolar disorder stabilize with fewer meds.

But you don't have to have bipolar disorder to use fish oil to benefit your brain health. The docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in fish oil helps the brain produce brain-derived neurotrophic factor. This protects neurons in the brain from mechanical injury by high blood pressure and from chemical injury by free radicals. It helps neurons continue to make the chemicals that allow signals to pass from neuron to neuron in the brain, helping the brain filter extraneous sensations from important sensory data, and ensuring that information reaches the centers for executive judgment where decisions are made.

DHA is found in microalgae as well as fish oil. In fact, microalgae are a more potent source of DHA than fish oil. However, they also cost about five times as much as fish oil and they don't provide the EPA that prevents inflammation. That is the reason doctors recommend fish oil rather than microalgae for brain health.

Fish Oil for Cardiovascular Health

The best known application of fish oil in natural health is supporting cardiovascular health. Fish oil fights the inflammation that can lead to high blood pressure, heart attacks, and stroke.

A little inflammation is actually a good thing. Inflammation activates the immune system. Inflammation constricts blood vessels to prevent loss of blood when we are injured. Inflammation raises blood pressure when it begins to go too low.

The problem most of us have, however, is that we have too much inflammation rather than too little. The fundamental reason is the standard modern diet. Processed foods contain enormous amounts of omega-6 essential fatty acids, the kinds of fatty acids every cell in the human body can use to make pro-inflammatory hormones, and not enough omega-3 essential fatty acids, the kinds of fatty acids every cell in the human body can use to make anti-inflammatory hormones. Both kinds of fat are essential, but the problem is that most of us get about 20 times as much omega-6 fat as omega-3 fat. Even healthy plant oils (with a few exceptions, such as chia and flaxseed oil) contain more omega-6 fat than omega-3 fat. Using more healthy plant oils actually makes the imbalance worse and worse.

Fish oil provides the omega-3's that fight inflammation and help keep arteries open. Fish oil that is combined with a chemical called ubiquinol (a form of coenzyme-Q10) is even better. The ubiquinol is immediately available to help the cells in your heart and in the linings of your artery use oxygen efficiently. Then the omega-3's in fish oil help your arteries relax so more blood can flow and deliver the oxygen cells need.

The Low-Down on Lovaza

If you live in the United States and you watch television at all, it is hard to avoid advertisements for a prescription fish oil called Lovaza. This drug is a form of fish oil that has been sent through a chemical process called esterification to make it shelf-stable. Many over-the-counter brands of fish oil are sent through a similar process so they will keep. Your body has to break down the esters, however, to release the fish oils in both Lovaza and certain brands of fish oil.

There is absolutely no doubt that Lovaza will do what it is advertised to do, lowering high triglyceride levels. We won't tell you to stop using Lovaza if that's what your doctor orders. But if you aren't using Lovaza yet, please consider using fish oil from companies like Xtend-Life. Natural fish oil does the same thing as Lovaza, and it's about 50 times less expensive.

The Best Way to Get the Benefits of Fish Oil

There are several really good brands of fish oil on the market. Probably the best value, however, is a product made by a company in New Zealand called Xtend-Life.

Xtend-Life makes its fish oil from a sustainably harvested Pacific cold water fish called hoki. The fish are immediately cleaned and refrigerated after catch, and then the oil is extracted without the use of chemicals. Every lot is tested for possible contamination—and if there is any, the product is not used. And because the company cares about every customer getting the very best result, the company makes different combinations of fish oil with other supplements that benefit good health.

Fish oil is fundamental to almost every program of nutritional supplementation. Buy the best fish oil to get the best results.

Green Tea vs. White Tea

When discussing white tea vs green tea, it is important to realize that they both come from the same plant, the tea plant Camellia sinensis. The main difference between the two types of tea is that the white tea leaves are harvested at a younger age than the green tea leaves. They both undergo very little processing. White tea is not fermented at all, while green tea is partly fermented. By contrast, black tea is fully fermented. Because they are so gently treated, white tea and green tea retain their content of beneficial antioxidants.

Antioxidants

However, studies have shown that the young, white tea leaves retain antioxidants in higher concentrations than green tea does. Studies have shown that white tea has a concentration of antioxidants that is three times higher than in green tea. Essentially, white tea contains the same concentrations of antioxidants as the young and fresh tea leaf buds that are still attached to the bush. This makes white tea the tea with the highest antioxidant content, which for many is the main reason for drinking white tea. For comparison, one cup of white tea contains approximately twelve (12) times as much antioxidants as fresh orange juice.

Caffeine

White tea contains less caffeine than green tea, about 15 mg per serving compared to the 20 mg for green tea. If caffeine tends to make you jittery, white tea may be the better choice.

Studies of white tea:

1. "Past studies have shown that green tea stimulates the immune system to fight disease," says Milton Schiffenbauer, Ph.D., a microbiologist and professor in the Department of Biology at Pace University's Dyson College of Arts & Sciences and primary author of the research. "Our research shows White Tea Extract can actually destroy in vitro the organisms that cause disease. Study after study with tea extract proves that it has many healing properties. This is not an old wives tale, it's a fact."

White tea was more effective than green tea at inactivating bacterial viruses. Results obtained with the bacterial virus, a model system; suggest that WTE may have an anti-viral effect on human pathogenic viruses. The addition of White Tea Extract to various toothpastes enhanced the anti-microbial effect of these oral agents.

Studies have also indicated that WTE has an anti-fungal effect on Penicillium chrysogenum and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In the presence of WTE, Penicillium spores and Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast cells were totally inactivated. It is suggested that WTE may have an anti-fungal effect on pathogenic fungi.

Several findings in the new study are of particular interest:
* The anti-viral and anti-bacterial effect of white tea (Stash and Templar brands) is greater than that of green tea.
* The anti-viral and anti-bacterial effect of several toothpastes including Aim, Aquafresh, Colgate, Crest and Orajel was enhanced by the addition of white tea extract.
* White tea extract exhibited an anti-fungal effect on both Penicillium chrysogenum and Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
• White tea extract may have application in the inactivation of pathogenic human microbes, i.e., bacteria, viruses, and fungi.

2. Possible anti-obesity effects of white tea have been demonstrated in a series of experiments on human fat cells (adipocytes). Researchers have now shown that an extract of the herbal brew effectively inhibits the generation of new adipocytes and stimulates fat mobilization from mature fat cells.

Marc Winnefeld led a team of researchers from Beiersdorf AG, Germany, who studied the biological effects of an extract of white tea – the least processed version of the tea plant Camellia sinensis. He said, "In the industrialized countries, the rising incidence of obesity-associated disorders including cardiovascular diseases and diabetes constitutes a growing problem. We've shown that white tea may be an ideal natural source of slimming substances".

After treating lab-cultured human pre-adipocytes with the tea extract, the authors found that fat incorporation during the genesis of new adipocytes was reduced. According to Winnefeld, "The extract solution induced a decrease in the expression of genes associated with the growth of new fat cells, while also prompting existing adipocytes to break down the fat they contain".

White tea is made from the buds and first leaves of the plant used to make green tea and the black tea most commonly drunk in Western countries. It is less processed than the other teas and contains more of the ingredients thought to be active on human cells, such as methylxanthines (like caffeine) and epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) – which the authors believe to be responsible for many of the anti-adipogenic effects demonstrated in their study.