LIFE EXTENSION NEWS

All About Antioxidants

The right diet can help fight aging. By the year 2020, an expected 70 million Americans-about one in five of us-will be 65 or older. While we may not be able to halt the passage of time, we do have some control over our biological age.

There is a clear connection between the foods we eat and the rate at which our bodies age. By living a healthy lifestyle and enjoying a diet rich in colorful foods, you can help keep your body feeling young and ward off some of the effects of time.

THE STRESS OF OXIDATIONWhile oxygen is essential for life, it's also one cause of aging. Unstable" oxygen molecules, called free radicals, initiate detrimental changes in the body that result in deterioration and aging.

To counteract the effects of free radicals, we need enzymes and vitamins. "When the number of free radicals exceeds our bodies' ability to subdue them, the power shift is called oxidative stress," says Cheryl Forberg, RD, author of Stop the Clock! Cooking. "This stress, or free radical burden, attacks healthy cells. Their accumulation ultimately results in a series of events that leads to oxidation and the process we call aging."

ANTIOXIDANTS TO THE RESCUE

We've all heard about the benefits of antioxidants, and one group of them packs a particularly powerful punch against aging. Pigments that give plants their bright colors are called phytonutrients.

Colorful fruits and vegetables "protect your genes and promote your health and longevity... Each [color] group contains important antioxidants that detoxify free radicals to protect your genes," says Marcia Zimmerman, CN.

Add the following foods to your diet, and graze throughout the day. "The afterlife of dietary antioxidants in our bloodstream is about six hours. Therefore, regular intake throughout the day optimizes antioxidant levels in the bloodstream," says Forberg. Who knew that an anti-aging regimen could be so delicious?

ASPARAGUS, BROCCOLI, & CABBAGE These green vegetables help repair genes, improve cellular nutrients, and detoxify the body. This family of veggies is packed with anti-aging nutrients, including lutein, quercetin, and beta carotene.

BERRIES The bluish-red pigments in blueberries, cherries, grapes, cranberries, and raspberries protect against both cancer and heart disease. An average strawberry contains about 200 seeds, each a concentrated source of ellagic acid. This antioxidant promotes healing and also fights cancer and heart disease.

GARLIC & ONIONS Garlic promotes heart health by lowering cholesterol, and compounds in onions may help with the liver's detoxification process.

GRAPES Purple grape seeds are loaded with antioxidants, and many juice companies are extracting these antioxidants and pouring them back into the juice. Recent studies show that regular consumption of grape juice may have significant cardiovascular benefits.

PLUMS Studies show that five dried plums a day can slow the oxidation process and decrease LDL cholesterol. The high levels of fiber promote regularity and maintain healthy glucose levels.

BROWN RICE & OTHER GRAINS Tan carbohydrates balance hormones. Whole grains have three groups of phytochemicals, which translates into antiaging antioxidant activity that exceeds most vegetables. Adapted from Greenwise

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High Fat Breakfast May Raise Heart Risks

Within an hour of eating a large high-fat, high-carbohydrate breakfast; the body starts making inflammatory chemicals associated with clogged arteries, a new study has found. These inflammatory factors stay high for three to four hours, and that's when many people sit down to another meal.

"This kind of eating probably keeps the average American in an inflammatory state all day. Thank God he sleeps at night," said

. Dr. Paresh Dandona, the study's senior author. This nearly continuous state of inflammation, he said, helps explain why obese people are at higher risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Dandona, chief of endocrinology at the State University of New York at Buffalo, and several colleagues studied nine normal weight adults who fasted overnight before eating a McDonald's Egg McMuffin, a Sausage McMuffin and two servings of hashbrown potatoes. (That meal came in at 910 calories, with 81 grams of car:bohydrates, 51 grams of fat and 32 grams of protein.) Dandona said many people regularly consume even less healthful meals.

The nine breakfast eaters were compared with eight normal-weight adults, each of whom was given a 10-ounce glass of water after an overnight fast. Researchers tested participants' blood before they ate or drank anything and then one, two and three hours afterward. The calorie-laden breakfast increased levels of free radicals, C-reactive protein and nuclear factor-kappa B, a protein that triggers the release of inflammatory chemicals.

"This substantiates what scientists have been saying all along: Don't. overeat," said Cathy Kapica, director of global nutrition for McDonald's Corp. in Oak Brook, ill. Results of the latest study appear in the April issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Adapted from FLORIDA TODAY

Speed up Your Fitness Results

Editors at Fitness magazine share three. surefire "truths" that will burn calories, boost metabolism and keep you motivated.

You need to use a challenging weight. Any form of resistance dumbbells, barbells, tubing, even your own body weight - helps you sculpt lean, sexy muscles. The catch: You need to use enough resistance to challenge the target area. Most experts agree you should feel some fatigue by the eighth rep. If you can breeze through 15 reps, it's time to add more . weight.

Intensity matters. Exercising in the low-intensity, so-called fat-burning zone feels comfortable. That's the problem: Going at an easy pace for 30 minutes offers some benefits, but you can get more out your workout in that same time by pushing yourself harder. Slow and steady has its place - especially for endurance training but for best results, incorporate intervals (bursts of higher intensity followed by recovery periods) into at least one weekly cardio workout. You'll teach your body to work harder and temporarily boost metabolism.

The fastest way to bum calories (and lose weight) is with aerobic exercise. A number of recent fitness books maintain cardio is a waste of time if you want to lose weight. But aerobic exercise is crucial not just for blasting fat but also for maintaining good health.

In a review of 262 studies, the American College of Sports Medicine concluded you need 20 to 60 minutes of cardio three to five times a week (plus two or three days of strength training) for optimal fitness and weight maintenance.

Hundreds of studies have shown cardio also is key in fighting heart disease, diabetes, cancer and other chronic ailments. Ibid

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Look For beta carotene, Not retinol

EXCESSIVE AMOUNTS OF FAT-SOLUBLE RETINOL or preformed vitamin A-has been linked to weak bones, even though adequate amounts of this vitamin are needed for bone growth. A 30-year Swedish study found that men with the highest levels of retinol in their blood suffered seven times the number of bone fractures as those with lower retinol levels. And intakes of 4,500 to 5,000 IU of retinol were linked to increased incidence of fractures in a Harvard study.

Fortunately, research finds no such relationship between plant sources of beta carotene and other carotenoids, which the body converts to vitamin A as needed. So eat plenty of brightly colored fruits and vegetables: sweet potatoes, carrots, spinach, kale, cantaloupe, and apricots. And look for carotenes and carotenoids in addition to preformed vitamin A in your daily multivitamin.

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Dietary Panel Calls For More Fish, Fewer Refined Grains

An Agriculture Department advisory group is urging the government to revise the food pyramid to emphasize more fish and fiber and fewer refined grains such as white bread. The group recommends that salmon consumption should be increased to two times a week

With two thirds of Americans overweight, the panel also is urging better portion control, noting that folks are inclined to overeat when there’s more food on their plate.

Another suggestion is that people should count calories as opposed to carbohydrates or fat. Burning more calories than the dieter takes in is more important than where the calories come from.

Turning their attention to exercise, the committee said adults should get 30 to 60 minutes of moderate to strenuous exercise daily. FLORIDA TODAY

Alternative Medicine’s Popularity Growing