Tag: dietary supplement

Benefits Of Taking Heart Disease Supplements

Taking Heart Disease Supplements

Heart diseases remain some of the killer diseases in the world. Studies have revealed that heart diseases are lifestyle related and can be managed through taking supplements. According to innumerable studies, heart disease supplements can help you control heart diseases, cholesterol and high blood pressure. Health supplements are rich in energy and can help you become physically active because they have high energy levels.

One of the leading and researched supplements is omega-3. This product has been scientific research has proved that supplement rich in fatty acids can help maintain a healthy and functioning heart.  Although eating a balanced nutrition is good to your health, food cannot help people fix their heart problems. This is because many foods are grown in soils with little minerals. Health supplements with high mineral content can reduce the adverse effects of heart-related complications such as blood pressure, diabetes and heart attack.

Clinical trials have shown that people who take sufficient supplements with minerals and B vitamins have little chances of suffering from heart problems compared to people who have low mineral intakes. Because heart disease supplements have been developed from high mineral and vitamin contents, they can prevent incidences of heart diseases among people, especially the aging population.

Over the counter Electrolyte Supplements: Hype or Hope?

You probably wish you could turn back the clock to a mystical past in which you felt younger, stronger, and more vital. Whether you ever actually lived in that past is another story, but the folks responsible for marketing and distributing the growing array of over-the-counter health supplements sure are good at bringing it to life. If you’re considering buying one or more of the products you see on TV, online, or on the shelves at your local health-foods store, take a moment to consider whether these supplements are anything more than hyped-up sugar pills. Would you take over the counter electrolyte supplements during a diet?

Defining Health Electrolyte Supplements

Also known as “dietary supplements,” most of these products come in pill form and are readily available on the shelves of your local supermarket or health food store at a variety of price points. Some, like “B-complex” and “immune booster” pills, are little more than cocktails of everyday vitamins that retail for a few dollars per bottle. Others are more complex, containing a variety of obscure herbal compounds, and are correspondingly more expensive.

Electrolyte Supplements

In any event, the Food and Drug Administration defines the “dietary ingredients” in these supplements as anything that can be considered a vitamin, mineral, amino acid, or “extract.” As you can imagine, some perform their stated functions better than others.

Regulation and Fact-Checking Supplements

Since their active ingredients have the potential to cause serious harm when not taken properly, prescription medications are tightly regulated by the FDA. Not so with health supplements: the companies that market these products are not required to disclose the results of studies that test the efficacy of their constituent compounds. In other words, you’re taking the supplement at your own risk.

What Works, What Doesn’t

Most health supplement ingredients are not actively harmful; more often, it’s merely a question of whether or not they work. A quick rundown of some effective and not-so-effective supplements follows.

  • Joint health. The two most common joint health compounds are chondroitin and glucosamine, both of which occur naturally in human cartilage. Although initial claims that they actually help rebuild joint cartilage that wears down due to rheumatoid arthritis have been proven false, they do appear to reduce pain and inflammation in sufferers of the disease.
  • Heart health. These supplements contain everything from Vitamin E, garlic extract, and Omega-3 fish oils to green tea and red yeast rice. Only red yeast rice has been proven to reduce “bad” cholesterol, but that’s only because it mimics an active ingredient in popular prescription medications like Altoprev.
  • Memory. Most of the supplements that claim to improve cognitive function contain gingko biloba, a naturally-occurring plant extract. It has been conclusively proven to improve the memories of dementia patients and increase blood flow to the brain, but it carries the risk of side effects including bleeding, dizziness, and vomiting.

Even the most effective over-the-counter health supplements, like gingko biloba, have drawbacks that should not be taken lightly. Many more simply don’t do what they claim to. Before buying any non-prescription supplements, do your research, talk to other users, and make an informed decision on your own terms.

Tamera Mulkey is a freelance blogger, who writes about health topics. If you want to make a career in the health industry, Tamera recommends getting a master of science in nursing online.

Protein Supplements: Not Just for the Boys

Ladies, if your goal is burning fat and building muscle, don’t forget to consume the protein your fitness goals require.  Protein revs up your metabolism, helping your body to burn calories, using food for fuel instead of storing it as fat.  Plus, protein consumption assists with lean muscle development.

If you need to keep your diet plan as easy and convenient as possible, consider using supplements to reap the benefits of protein.

Supplements Add Protein with Ease

You will find protein shakes for sale at the health food store, and that’s certainly an easy solution.  But the best protein powders are also simple to use.

Simply stir powdered protein supplements  into water or milk with a spoon or a blender.  You can buy different flavors, including vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry. Plus, using protein powders will be more cost-effective than ready-made protein shakes.

Don’t stop at adding your protein supplement to water or milk.  Blend in some fruit for a delicious smoothie.   Experiment with protein shake recipes until you find your favorites.

Protein is Key for Breakfast and Beyond

Breakfast and healthy snacks are essential to maintaining your metabolism and avoiding hunger.  If you’re too busy to prepare a protein-rich breakfast, a protein shake is a quick, portable (and refreshing) solution.  Protein is especially important at breakfast; without it, you’ll feel hungry or “crash” before lunch.

A protein shake makes a great snack, too.  In fact, studies show that your body (i.e. your muscles) will use protein more efficiently if you consume it consistently and gradually throughout the day. Plus, some of the best protein shake recipes feature high-quality branch chain amino acids that help general body recovery, especially after strenuous workouts.

A Positive Muscle Building State

In a positive muscle building state, your body burns fat rather than muscle.  Consuming protein, whether from supplements or your diet, will help you maintain this state.

To achieve a positive muscle building state, the International Journal of Sports recommends that you consume between 1.6 and 1.7 grams protein per kilogram of your body weight.   That amounts to  0.7 grams per pound, daily.  For an example woman who weights 140 pounds, multiplied by 0.7 grams, a good goal would be 98 grams of protein every day.

Try protein supplements for a quick and delicious answer to give your body the protein it needs to avoid hunger, burn fat, and build muscle.

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Health Benefits of Cod Liver Oil

Due to an abundance of evidence supporting omega-3 intake as an important factor for health, many health enthusiasts have begun to take various forms of fish oil supplements. Fish oil in general is one of the best-supported health supplements in terms of research, which is notable because most health products are characterized by a lack of supporting evidence.

Given these facts, it’s safe to say most people would benefit from some kind of fish oil, but it’s still unclear which is most beneficial to overall health. Relatively recently, cod liver oil has begun to gain momentum, as it seems to be a very good alternative to conventional fish oils.

Cod Liver Oil in Comparison with other Fish Oils

The first thing to note about cod liver oil is that it clearly comes from the liver, rather than various other parts of the fish. Liver in general is virtually the most nutrient-dense food available and it’s extracts follow suit. It is high in vitamin D, which is important for the regulation of hormones and increasing bone density, as it regulates the absorption of calcium. Moreover, due to it’s effect on hair-growth cycles, a link has been established between vitamin D deficiency and hair loss.

Cod liver oil is also high in vitamin A, which has various functions including determining visual acuity and many other processes in the body. The article What Does Vitamin A Do? Highlights some of it’s key functions and it’s general importance in diet.

Finally, cod liver oil is rich with omega-3s, which are the primary reason most people choose to take fish oil supplements. These are particularly effective because – as with vitamin A and D – omega-3s in cod liver oil occur in their natural form rather than a processed imitation. This makes the nutrients easier to absorb and eliminates the chance of missing out on key components of the nutrient.

In conclusion, fish oil supplements are generally a good bet as long as you get them from a reputable source, and cod liver oil is definitely worthy of consideration when choosing a fish oil supplement.

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Natadrol: Taking Your Body to the Next Level

The health industry has taken a more natural approach in recent developments. In the past, weight lifters and athletes who wanted to gain weight and strength in a short amount of time were usually limited to hormonal supplements. The dangers of hormonal supplements have shown to be plentiful and varied in nature. In an effort to protect the health of consumers, leaders in the health industry have stepped up their game with various Natadol supplemental programs to encourage a more natural approach to muscular enhancements.

Some of the negative effects of using hormonal drugs include damage to the genitals, hair loss, mood swings, depression, injury, and so on. Steroids, because of the list of negative side effects and the huge strength and weight gain that you get from taking them, have be made illegal in most professional and amateur sports organizations. Testing positive for steroids has to many athletes being discredited and humiliated in the public eye.

In an effort to encourage healthier alternatives, Natadrol supplemental products have been introduced into the market. The supplemental blend of recently discovered Tinospora Cordifolia and Curculigo Orchioides extracts give body builders and athletes a more lean appearance in their muscular development. This more vascular look and feel attracts many bodybuilders who are looking to gain weight, but maintain a lean emasculate system. Another benefit to the leaner look is also heightened sexual stimulation during intercourse.

While these products are groundbreaking and exciting for those in the know, it cannot enhance your body if you are not putting forth effort to reach your goals for your health. Maintaining a healthy diet, daily exercise, and plenty of water is the key to attaining a healthy body. Forget those three things and your supplements are useless. Doing these three things and taking supplements can help consumers blaze through their workout goals.

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Should We Be Concerned About The Side Effects Of Natural Health Supplements?

‘Natural’ and ‘herbal’ health supplements are big business. With so many of us on a mission to be slim, fit and healthy, it seems as if a new weight loss or dietary supplement is entering the market each and every week. In most cases, the marketing for such supplements is based upon the ‘natural’ and ‘herbal’ aspects of the products, and we’re led to believe that because the packets are adorned with these words, that they’re safe.

However, this isn’t always true. ‘Herbal’ products are not subjected to the same levels of testing as those that are classed as medicines. This means that not only is there little to any proof that the products actually do what they claim, but that they also might incite unwanted side effects that could be unpleasant or even dangerous.

For example, one of the most renowned herbal supplements ‘St John’s Wort’ is in most cases, safe. St John’s Wort is used as a natural and supposedly safe antidepressant, yet it does have side effects, and it can interact with a number of other supplements or medicines, reducing the effectiveness of the product itself.

Ideally, in order to avoid experiencing negative side effects through any medicine, weight-loss or dietary supplement, consumers should deter from purchasing any products that are new to the market. The lack of official testing means that consumers will do better to wait until a product has been around for a length of time, and any side-effects have been reported by other users of the product.

Another example of a ‘natural’ product that has been around for some time is the acai berry. The berry has been available for purchase in supplement form for a number of years now, while the berries themselves have been utilised by tribes of the Amazon rainforest for thousands of years. It is because of this that we can safely conclude that acai berry side effects are few and far between.

However, like with many nutrient dense dietary supplements, acai berry side effects can occur if the product is consumed in too high a quantity, or in succession with other supplements such as a daily vitamin pill.

It is the vitamin pill that most people deem to be completely safe. However, when certain vitamins are consumed in too large quantities, side-effects can occur (sometimes serious ones), meaning that acai berry side effects and even vitamin pill side effects can occur if proper precautions are not taken.

For example, excessive consumption of Vitamin C can result in gastrointestinal problems, while Vitamin A can cause similar problems as well as drowsiness. Niacin (Vitamin B3) can cause stomach problems and headaches and should be avoided by people with liver disease. A regular or large overdose of iron can cause a loss of appetite, stomach upset as well as problems with the heart, liver and pancreas.

The above is merely a brief list of vitamins and the side effects that may be experienced if large quantities of said vitamin are consumed. With this in mind, it is important to consider that when taking any dietary supplement, whether it is something marketed as a weight loss supplement or just a simple vitamin pill that your body may react badly if it is taken in combination with other high vitamin foods or supplements.

For instance, while acai berry side effects are largely non-existent, it must be remembered that the berry contains a very high concentration of a number of vitamins, so acai berry side effects may occur if it is consumed in combination with a vitamin pill or similar dietary supplement.

This post was written by James Harper on behalf of Which Acai Berry? James writes on a number subjects including health, fitness and diet.

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