It seems the Ideal® brand of xylitol is not being stocked in most grocery stores. A great alternative is a product called Xylo Sweet®. Most Health Food Stores, Whole Foods, and bulk food stores usually carry this brand. For a review of the Physique recipe click here.
It was a very successful weekend for Shaklee Powered Athletes. First, and foremost is Dr BJ Steketee, National Speedskater. BJ participated in the 1600, the 1000, and the Fastest Man on Skates – the 100. BJ set a new personal record in the 100, but its his performance in the distance events that is most impressive. Using Shaklee Sports Nutrition and the techniques outlined in the Athlete Education section of this blog, BJ had his first visit to the podium with his 3rd place finish in the 1000. He almost had a 2 podium day, but was 4th in the 1600. The entire Pinnacle Group is proud of BJ for his awesome performance.
On the running side, the annual Park to Park Half Marathon in Waynesboro, Va was also this past weekend. There were 3 runners utilizing Shaklee Sports Nutrition along with the techniques and all 3 had new personal records. When Shaklee says, “PURE SCIENCE = PURE PERFORMANCE” these results certainly prove their point!
If you are a swimmer or triathlete this is a cool App. It is a computer generated animation of the perfect free style stroke. Once you download it, you can look at the stroke from the side, front, back, from above, and from underneath. You can even remove the water to get a very detailed view of the stroke. You can speed it up, slow it down, and even freeze frame it.
Watch how the hand enters the water. See how Mr Smooth does the catch. Watch how he pulls with a high elbow and bent arm and pulls all the way back to the hip. Watch his relaxed high elbow recovery and synchronized kick. Enjoy! Click Here for the Link.
Coenzyme Q-10 or CoQ10 is getting a lot of press lately. CoQ10 is found in every cell of the human body and is essential for producing energy, especially in the heart, the hardest-working muscle in the body. CoQ10 levels are highest during the first 20 years of life then decline with age. At age 80, CoQ10 levels may be lower than at birth. In addition to its role in energy production, it also acts as an antioxidant, helping to protect arteries against the oxidation of LDL (the bad Cholesterol). So just what is the connection between CoQ10 and Statin Drugs?
Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words. HMG-CoA reductase is the enzyme that converts mevalonate to mevalonic acid. If you “inhibit” this reaction, ie. with a statin, you block the formation of everything below the word STATINS in the chart to the right. The good news is this blocks the formation of Cholesterol. The bad news is it also blocks the formation of CoQ10.(1)
Many of the “side effects” associated with statin drugs are now thought to be the result of the body just running out of CoQ10.(2) If you block the body’s ability to produce its own CoQ10 then its imperative that you provide it through supplementation. When not blocked by a statin, the body produces adequate amounts of CoQ10. It can also be ingested in small amounts from dietary sources, such as meats and seafood. However, the amounts ingested in foods do not approach therapeutic doses.(3) The only sure way to reach therapeutic levels is through a good quality supplement.(4)
Next post will be some of the conditions that respond to CoQ10 supplementation.
References:
1. Ghirlanda G, Oradei A, Manto A, et al. Evidence of plasma CoQ10-lowering effect by HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors: A double blind, placebo-controlled study. J Clin Pharmacol 1993;33:226-9.
2. Marcoff L, Thompson, PD. The role of coenzyme Q10 in statin-associated myopathy: a systematic review. J Am Coll Cardiol 2007;49:2231-7.
3. American Association of Clinical Endocrinologist medical guidelines for the clinical use of dietary supplements and nutraceuticals. Endocr Pract, 2003;9:417-70.
4. Weis M, Mortensen SA, Rassing MR, et al. Bioavailability of four oral coenzyme Q10 formulations in healthy volunteers. Mol Aspects Med 1994;15:s273-80.
“The next century will see a tremendous flowering of functional foods, engineered to promote health in many specific ways. One of the major components of today’s—and tomorrow’s—functional foods is FOS, the amazing nutrient that sustains and stimulates the helpful microorganisms on which our health depends.”
This is a quote from Robert Crayhon, M.S.,C.N., president of Design for Health, a nutrition and weight-loss clinic in New York City, host of the syndicated radio program “The Voice of Wellness” and author of the book you see here.
In your GI tract you have almost 3 pounds of bacteria. These bacteria have a tremendous influence over your health. Some of these bacteria are harmful and can actually make you sick, others are beneficial and promote health and protect us from toxins. The health of your Liver and Skin, the way you metabolize sugars and your cholesterol level is vastly determined by the health of GI tract and the number and types of beneficial bacteria that reside there.(1) People who consume a typical American diet, high in animal products and low in vegetable fiber, have fewer of these beneficial bacteria than someone who eats a more balanced diet. Because of this, a significant number of us , unless we make some changes, are more likely to develop the diseases associated with the wrong type of bacteria within our digestive system.(2)
Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) are sugars linked together in a way that our body cannot digest. Since the body does not have enzymes that can break the links of these sugars, the FOS pass untouched into the large intestine, where they can selectively feed the beneficial bacteria. We have already discussed the importance of the Bacteroidetes. The other main types of beneficial bacteria are: Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus acidophilus, and Lactobacillus bulgarius. FOS increases the number of bifidobacteria and bacteroidetes while starving the unfriendly bacteria, thus shifting the balance more in our favor.(3) The amount of FOS found in a teaspoonful of Optoflora Prebiotic has been shown to cause a fivefold increase in bifidobacterium.(4)
Optiflora also contains Inulin, a Resistant Starch, which works as a prebiotic in its own right. Go back a review the post on resistant starch {here} . When you combine Inulin and FOS , you create conditions within the large intestine for the bifidobacteria and bacteroidetes to flourish and remain strong. Optiflora, a daily functional food, designed for the future, but making us healthier today.
References:
1. Mitsuoka T. Bifidobacteria and Their Role in Human Health. J Indus Micribiol 1990;6:263-68.
2. Bouhnik Y, Ouarne FF, Riottot M, et al. Effects of prolonged ingestion of frutooligosaccharides (FOS) on colonic bifidobacteria, fecal enzymes and bile acids in humans. Gastroenterolgy 1994;106:A598.
3. Hidaka H, et al. Effects of fructooligosaccharides on intestinal flora and human health. Bifidobacteria Microflora 1986;5(1):37-50.
4. Hidaka H, et al. Proliferation of bifidobacteria by oligosaccharides and their useful effect on human health. Bifidobacteria Microflora 1991;10(1):65-79.
Over the years, Shaklee has fueled the dreams of many athletes. In fact, Shaklee-powered athletes have won over 100 medals at both the summer and winter Games.
This year they have extended their commitment to these world-class athletes by creating the Shaklee Pure Performance Team. This group of elite athletes, led by 2008 Beijing Games competitor and pentathlete Eli Bremer, has been handpicked from a variety of highly competitive sports.
Each of these athletes understands the importance of premium quality nutrition when it comes to competing at the highest levels possible. Safety and purity are of utmost importance to athletes of this caliber.
Their goal with the Shaklee Pure Performance Team is simple. They aren’t trying to make the superstars of sport richer through lucrative sponsorship deals, but rather to put premium nutritional products in the hands of those who believe in, and have come to rely on, their benefits – across both the popular and some of the more obscure, but equally competitive, sports that make up today’s modern Games.
Check out the Team Shaklee Athletes web site to learn more about the individuals that are on thePure Performance Team
An impressive Headline, but even more impressive when you know the background.
Point 1: Pam Otto is a Triathlete, not a runner, a quite accomplished triathlete, none the less, but still a multi-sport mindset. She trains like a multi-sport athlete and does not focus on any one sport. So Pam does not do the type of run specific training typically required to set a Personal Record (PR).
Point 2: Pam is a 40 year old elite age group athlete. Even though Pam usually runs half marathons as the final leg of a half ironman, one would expect that Pam’s PR in the half marathon would have been set when she was in her athletic prime of late 20’s early 30’s.
Point 3: Due to a hectic work schedule and numerous business commitments, Pam was only able to do minimal training for this race. She was able to consistently get in her long runs on the weekends, but the mid-week track sessions, usually required to run fast, were virtually nonexistent.
Considering these 3 points, what enabled Pam to set a new PR at 40 years of age and with minimal training? The answer is Shaklee Sports Nutrition!
All of the Shaklee Sports Nutrition products played an integral part in her success, but 2 products stand out as the key to her new PR: Vivix and Shaklee Energy Chews. Here’s Why:
There are several articles in the Athlete Education section on this blog that explains in great detail how Vivix aids athletic performance. The most specific article that would explain why Pam set a PR is titled: With Greater Mitochondria Capacity You Can Go Faster. You can review that article by clicking {here}. Pam has been using Vivix daily for about 12 months. It takes about 6 to 8 months to see the physiological changes described in the Vivix article. As the slide in this article shows, a 4 fold increase in mitochondrial output in an elite athlete that already has a high output to begin with, would explain why a PR was within her reach. Couple that with the fact that during her long runs, Pam has been using Vivix in her water bottle as described in this article: Vivix – Resveratrol and Exercise, and also during her race to reduce accumulated muscle inflammation and improve her focus, both contributing to the PR.
Pam has run the Disney Half Marathon the past 8 years and every time, with the exception of this year, around the 9 mile mark, her glycogen levels were depleted and her performance noticeably declined. When Shaklee Energy Chews are used correctly, they “encourage” the body to burn fat at the onset of exercise thus “helping” the body conserve glycogen. Pam used 1 Energy Chew at the start of the race, and another one 45 minutes later. This gave her the mental focus and clarity to run a PR and helped her conserve enough glycogen that she didn’t “bomb out” at the 9 mile mark, in fact, Pam ran negative splits, mile 9 – 13 in spite of 2 hills in this section. You can review how to correctly use Shaklee Energy Chews by clicking {here}.
Pam uses Shaklee Physique for recovery after every workout and Shaklee Performance, Energy Chews, and Vivix during her workouts for a complete Sports Nutrition Package. Way to go Pam! The entire Pinnacle Group applauds your success.
In a previous post on Bo Short’s trip to Bora Bora, I gave you a lot of testimonial with a little bit of science. This post is a whole lot of science with a little bit of testimonial.
It started about 6 years ago when my eye doctor determined my astigmatism was an all time high of minus 3.0 diopters. It remained relatively unchanged until November of 2008 when I started consuming a superantioxidant liquid nutriceutical on a regular basis. At that point my astigmatism “slowly” started improving.
I have the type of astigmatism that will improve somewhat with age anyway, but the changes that have occurred over the past year were greater than the subtle improvement seen with age and greater than what the studies below show would be typical from a superantioxidant nutriceutical.
Here’s where the science comes in. In a 6 year period my astigmatism improved from a -3.0 to a -0.75. This degree of improvement is unheard of and can’t be explained by the subtle changes seen with age or with any typical resveratrol product, in fact, my eye doctor said he has never seen this much improvement without surgery in all his years of practice.
So what changed? In a word, Vivix! If you review the studies below, you will see Resveratrol can elicit many positive changes within the eye. The products used in these studies were pharmaceutical grade and standardized for potency, but Shaklee scientist have documented that Vivix is 10 times more potent than standardized resveratrol products. The overwhelming amount of change seen after 1 year of Vivix would confirm that Vivix is significantly more potent than the products used in the studies below, and that there is more than just resveratrol at play.
The anti-aging effects that Vivix elicits through the 4 mechanism is always occurring in the background, so to speak. However, the antioxidants will also be used to perform specific reactions based on the body’s most urgent needs. When you consume a functional beverage, unfortunately, you cannot pick where the antioxidants will have their impact. They will go to where your body will need them the most. Many cases you will not “feel” where the benefit is occurring, but where they do go there will be a dramatic effect. In my case, it was in the eye. Makes we wonder where else there are effects occurring that I cannot feel.
When you combine the documented anti-aging effects of Vivix with its specific antioxidant profile, then there is no wonder that many positive and dramatic effects have been associated with the use of this product. As a scientist, I do not hold much stock in testimonials, but you can’t argue with the numbers, and a minus 3.0 to a minus 0.75 is way more than a clinically significant improvement.
References:
1. Zheng Y, Liu Y, Ge J, Wang X, Liu L, Bu Z, Liu P. Resveratrol protects human lens epithelial cells against H2O2-induced oxidative stress by increasing catalase, SOD-1, and HO-1 expression. Mol Vis. 2010 Aug 4;16:1467-74.
2. King RE, Kent KD, Bomser JA. Resveratrol reduces oxidation and proliferation of human retinal pigment epithelial cells via extracellular signal-regulated kinase inhibition. Chem Biol Interact. 2005 Jan 15;151(2):143-9.
3. Nagaoka T, Hein TW, Yoshida A, Kuo L. Resveratrol, a component of red wine, elicits dilation of isolated porcine retinal arterioles: role of nitric oxide and potassium channels. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2007 Sep;48(9):4232-9.
4. Anekonda TS, Adamus G. Resveratrol prevents antibody-induced apoptotic death of retinal cells through upregulation of Sirt1 and Ku70. BMC Res Notes. 2008 Dec 1;1:122.
About 8 weeks ago I went to my primary care provider for diagnosis of what I was pretty sure was a stress fracture of the 5th metatarsal (the pinky toe bone). The Xray was negative, which is usually the case in a new stress fracture, so he referred me to an orthopedic foot specialist. After initial examination and evaluation of my exercise history, she said, “I bet you have a low vitamin D level.” My first reaction was “oh no” that only occurs in people with poor nutrition and who do not get enough sunlight, but then, that would explain some of the confusing health symptoms that had been occurring over the past 12 months. Symptoms like unexplained bone pain, a slight rise in fasting blood glucose level, and the ease at which I could catch whatever was going around at the pharmacy.
Sure enough, my vitamin D level was low. When you consider that I have taken a daily multi-vitamin since I was 12 and have taken Vitalizer with a 1000 IU of D3 for the past 9 months, this was not expected. When you review the medical literature, the prevalence of Vitamin D inadequacy in healthy adults is any where from 36 to 57 percent, and when you consider all adults, that number can climb up to 83%.(1-5)
Here is another startling statistic from the medical literature, 800-1000 IU per day of D only maintains your current level. If up to 83% of us are already low, our daily Vitalizer will only keep us from getting lower and not bring our level up to the recommended level of 50 nmol/L.
On you next visit to your primary care provider ask them to check your level because, like me, you may need treatment to raise your level. In the mean time, Shaklee scientists have developed a simple quiz to help you determine how much vitamin D you may need. You can access it by clicking here. Based on the results of this quiz, the amount of D that I would need to “maintain” an optimal level is 2000 IU.
When you consider that I have a very healthy diet, get plenty of exercise, adequate sun exposure, and supplement with a multi-vitamin containing 1000 IU of D, and still have suboptimal levels, then you can begin to realize just how prevalent deficiency can be. Take the quiz to get guidelines of how much you need and then check with your doctor and get your level checked.
References:
1. Singhellakis PN, Malandrinou FCh, Psarrou CJ, Danelli AM, Tsalavoutas SD, Constandellou ES. Vitamin D deficiency in white, apparently healthy, free-living adults in a temperate region. Hormones (Athens). 2011 Apr-Jun;10(2):131-43.
2. Burgi AA, Gorham ED, Garland CF, Mohr SB, Garland FC, Zeng K, Thompson K, Lappe JM. High serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D is associated with a low incidence of stress fractures. J Bone Miner Res. 2011 Oct;26(10):2371-7. doi: 10.1002/jbmr.451.
3. Zgaga L, Theodoratou E, Farrington SM, Agakov F, Tenesa A, Walker M, Knox S, Wallace AM, Cetnarskyj R, McNeill G, Kyle J, Porteous ME, Dunlop MG, Campbell H. Diet, environmental factors, and lifestyle underlie the high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in healthy adults in Scotland, and supplementation reduces the proportion that are severely deficient. J Nutr. 2011Aug;141(8):1535-42. Epub 2011 Jun 22.
4. Shea MK, Houston DK, Tooze JA, Davis CC, Johnson MA, Hausman DB, Cauley JA, Bauer DC, Tylavsky F, Harris TB, Kritchevsky SB. Correlates and prevalence of insufficient 25-hydroxyvitamin D status in black and white older adults: the health, aging and body composition study. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2011 Jul;59(7):1165-74. doi: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2011.03476.x. Epub 2011 Jun 13.
5. Holick MF. High prevalence of vitamin D inadequacy and implications for health. Mayo Clin Proc. 2006 Mar;81(3):353-73.
This is a science blog and testimonials usually do not make it here, but this is interesting.
Bo Short makes his living by his ability to communicate, and he can communicate with the best. During a recent trip to Bora Bora, the hectic travel arrangements and shear volume of travel prior to the trip left Bo’s stress levels off the chart. By the time Bo Short reached Bora Bora, he had a fever, was very fatigued and had almost completely lost his voice; not good if you are a professional speaker. On the return trip home, Bo had scheduled several meetings and business presentations making it imperative that he could communicate, which added to his already peaking stress level.
Since access to medical care was limited, Bo Short had to “rely” on a more non-traditional way to get his voice back. Thank goodness some of his travel companions were well stocked with Shaklee products. Upon consulting with a trusted Shaklee product advisor (his sponsor, Jennifer Glacken), he immediately started on a regimen of Shaklee NutriFeron and Shaklee Defend and Resist. By the time Bo Short got to his first scheduled meeting, his fever was gone, his energy level was up to normal, and his voice was back enough to “rock” the business presentation.
I have discussed NutriFeron in the previous post. As for Defend and Resist, we have discussed how Elderberry stimulates the immune system in the posts on Vivix (you can review by clicking here). Echinacea has numerous clinical trials confirming its ability to stimulate the immune system and reduce the severity of upper respiratory infections (like the one Bo Short had in Bora Bora).(1) Larch has many of the same properties of echinacea and raises interferon. Taking a combination of echinacea and larch seems to increase immune function, making the combination quicker in relieving symptoms.(2)
As you can see, there is science behind both these Shaklee products, making Bo’s testimonial believable and probably expected.
References:
1. Grimm W, Muller HH. A randomized controlled trial of the effect of fluid extract of Echinacea purpurea on the incidence and severity of colds and respiratory infections. Am J Med 1999;106:138-43.
2. Kim LS, Waters RF, Burkholder PM. Immunological activity of larch arabinogalactan and Echinacea: a preliminary, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Altern Med Rev 2002;7:138-49.
