Tag Archives: anti-oxidants

Stress-Busting Strategies For Optimum Beauty, Health and Longevity – Part 4

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Oxidative Stress – cutting life (and telomeres) short

Long-time Perricone readers and viewers of my PBS specials know that I have long taught the life-enhancing benefits of the anti-inflammatory lifestyle which also helps keep skin clear.. This is comprised of many facets, each one reinforcing and enhancing the benefits, both external and internal. Two of the cornerstones of the anti-inflammatory lifestyle are antioxidant foods and supplements to combat the destructive effects of oxidative stress. The free radicals that create oxidative stress also create inflammation. Since antioxidants also function as natural anti-inflammatories, the right foods and supplements are the perfect antidote to combat the inflammatory cascade, which is the most damaging result of oxidative stress.

The researchers that conducted the study on stress and cell aging, further stated that it was not clear exactly how stress affected the telomeres, but they suggest changes in stress hormone levels could have an effect. As we now know, stress and the hormones it produces are responsible for a great many health problems.

In future blogs we will address the stress hormones, especially cortisol. These stress hormones are also known as the death hormones, and for good reason. High levels of cortisol, for example, circulating in the blood stream, has disastrous effects, including the shrinking of the brain, unwanted weight gain, especially in the abdominal region and the thinning of the skin. Tomorrow we will discover another horror story—the effect of stress on the skin.

Avoid Boom and Bust Blood Sugar Cycles

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The best way to avoid the vicious boom-and-bust blood sugar cycle is to limit intake of high-glycemic carbohydrates and increase your intake of antioxidants, supplements (such as chromium) and anti-inflammatory foods proven to help stabilize blood-sugar — especially beans, nuts, seeds, healthful proteins, all members of the onion family (including garlic), and green vegetables.

New studies now indicate that we can add fragrant spices like cinnamon, cloves, and turmeric to the list.

Maximizing the Nutrients

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Studies have shown the minimum amount of fat required for optimal absorption of nutrients from salads is more than 6 grams of added fat. One tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil contains 14 grams of fat, more than enough to absorb all the nutrients in the salad. You can also drizzle a little olive oil over cooked vegetables such as broccoli or asparagus. Adding avocado slices or nuts to your salad will also give you a healthy serving of the right fats for optimum nutrition and nutrient absorption. In addition to a tasty salad, don’t forget to take your body supplements everyday!

All About Supplements

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Nutritional supplements have come a long way from the minimal, “one-a-day” multivitamins of past generations. Now we have highly targeted antioxidants, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals that can do everything from sharpening our brain power, repairing our bodies on a cellular level, increase the burning of body fat, regulate blood sugar and insulin, increase muscle mass, improve mood, restore memory and heighten the libido – all actions which decline with age. Many of these super antioxidants penetrate right into the cell where they combat free radicals and decrease inflammation. Because of this, the right supplements can keep us much younger than our chronological years.

Supplements of high quality can (in addition to the anti-inflammatory diet) create beauty from the inside out. Nutrients that possess anti-oxidant properties act as natural anti-inflammatories. I recommend a variety of nutrients that are designed to work synergistically to enhance the benefits of the anti-inflammatory diet. These nutrients offer anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, and fat metabolizing boosting benefits and help prevent and reverse oxidative damage on a cellular level, of critical importance as we age. Unfortunately, the same level of repair cannot be achieved through diet alone.

In addition to the recommended vitamins and minerals, a good beauty supplement should contain powerful anti-oxidants and nutrients such as:

  • Alpha Lipoic Acid
  • Vitamin C Ester
  • DMAE (Dimethyl Amino Ethanol)
  • Pycnogenol®
  • Coenzyme Q-10
  • Conjugated Linoleic Acid
  • GLA » L-Carnitine Fumerate
  • N-Acetyl Carnitine
  • Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acids
  • Carnosine
  • Benfotiamine
  • Astaxanthin

For a youthful face and body, and a happy positive outlook, the right supplements are indispensible.

Tier Two: Nutritional Supplements

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Antioxidants = anti-inflammatories

Dr. Perricone recommends a variety of unique nutritional supplements in addition to the complete spectrum of vitamins and minerals recommended by nutritional experts worldwide (B-complex, Vitamin E, Vitamin C Ester, Calcium, Magnesium, etc.). His research has shown that nutrients that possess anti-oxidant properties act as natural anti-inflammatories. These nutrients offer anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, fat metabolizing, and peptide boosting benefits and help prevent and reverse oxidative damage caused by free radicals on a cellular level, which increases in importance as we age.

Active ingredients recommended by Dr. Perricone include:

  • Alpha Lipoic Acid
  • Vitamin C Ester
  • DMAE (Dimethyl Amino Ethanol)
  • Coenzyme Q-10
  • L-Carnitine Fumerate
  • N-Acetyl Carnitine
  • Omega-3
  • Astaxanthin