Ginkgo Biloba Benefits

What are the health benefits are long lasting and Ginkgo Biloba is also used known throughout the known world. There are many benefits of Ginkgo Biloba have seen, but unfortunately only a few, put under the spotlight.

The Americans and Europeans have with these results in the last 2 decades, but the Chinese have practically lived with him all his life. There are many applications of Ginkgo biloba.

Macular degeneration, glaucoma and retinopathy

Ginkgo Biloba has led to a significant increase in the LEDBlood supply to peripheral regions, in addition to the eyes. He adds that even the pressure. So there are strong possibilities, but even less evidence of healing.


Claudicating (arteries clogged legs?)

If taken by mouth and then Ginkgo Biloba been modest improvement in symptoms such as claudication was reported by a number of studies. These results are based on methods, with 120 mg of ginkgo per day, divided in 2-3 doses over a period of 6 months. Ginkgo Biloba has its advantages, no doubt, continue to play every day and walking is the best remedyanyone.

Impairment of brain function, Alzheimer's, dementia and age associated memory impairment (AAMI)

If you are diagnosed with multi-infarct dementia or a precursor of Alzheimer's disease, Ginkgo Biloba may help to recover from the diet of 120 mg to 240 per day. When you suffer a brain dysfunction that causes physical performance, difficulty concentrating, fatigue, confusion, distraction, depression, dizziness, headaches, anxiety and diminished.

The main reasonfor cerebral insufficiency that has happened because of the reduced supply of blood to the brain is mainly caused by blocked blood vessels. Therefore, a drug such as Ginkgo biloba and can be of great help, since it increases the blood circulation. AAMI is a completely different disease, which may have their place of Alzheimer's disease. Unfortunately, the treatment AAMI has not yet arrived, but since this is a condition of circulatory problems, so this plant could be useful for the treatment.

For more information go to WWW.MACULARDEGENERATIONASSOCIATION.ORG

Bok choy – What are Bok choy Health Benefits?

The lush green leaves of bok choy are ideal for salads and soups for their excellent taste. Besides being known for its great taste, bok choy also has several health benefits. It is a rich source of many essential vitamins like vitamin A, C,and K. Vitamin A is essential for proper functioning of the immune system, improvement of vision and proper growth of bones and teeth, while vitamin K plays a significant role in the coagulation of blood. In addition, Vitamin K facilitates the absorption of calcium and maintains bone density. Vitamin C is a well known natural antioxidant, which protects the body from the harmful effects of free radicals.

Chinese cabbage, also known as snow cabbage, is a Chinese leaf vegetable often used in Chinese cuisine. The vegetable is related to the Western cabbage, and is of the same species as the common turnip. There are many variations on its name, spelling, and scientific classification.Bok choy is a low calorie, high nutrient food. One cup of raw bok choy provides 63 percent daily value of vitamin A, 52 percent of vitamin C and 40 percent of vitamin K. It also has 7 percent DV of calcium, 5 percent of potassium and 6 percent of manganese.The phytonutrients present in bok choy are good for the eyes. This vegetable is a good source of beta carotene. A single cup of bok choy contains the entire recommended daily amount of beta carotene. Beta-carotene is essential for healthy eyes. It prevents night blindness. Studies have shown that this carotenoid could also prevent cataract. Beta carotene could also reduce the risk of macular degeneration.

Bok choy is an excellent vegetable for weight management because it only has 4 calories per serving and is fiber rich. It has more calcium and beta carotene than its other cabbage relatives and is also high in potassium, folate and Vitamins A, C and K. Bok choy is an excellent source of phytonutrients which, along with the powerful antioxidant combination of Vitamins A and C, help keep your body cancer free. Potassium is important for healthy muscle and nerve function. In addition, the high levels of Vitamin K and calcium promote strong, healthy bones.

Bok choy or Chinese cabbage is a rich source of vitamin D, which facilitates the absorption of calcium and phosphorus, and thereby ensures healthy bones and teeth. Bok choy can provide you with sufficient amounts of folate and vitamin B6. Folate is mainly required for proper development of tissues and cells and is associated with lowering the risk of heart diseases. Vitamin B6, on the other hand, is crucial for carbohydrate, fat and protein metabolism and formation of red blood cells and antibodies.

The dark green leafy tops of bok choy are nutrient dense and help in the prevention of many diseases and health problems, including cancer and heart disease. Bok choy is a good source of potassium which helps to prevent high blood pressure. Because of its low glycemic index, bok choy can actually help decrease your risk of diabetes. The high level of carotenoids are very beneficial to your eyes and can prevent cataracts and age related macular degeneration. With all the amazing benefits of bok choy, this is one vegetable you can’t miss out on.

Beta carotene could also prevent development of malignant cells. Bok choy, like most other beta carotene rich vegetables, could prevent lung cancer. The phytonutrients found in bok choy are powerful antioxidants that are capable of strengthening your immune system For healthy bonesBok choy is a good source of calcium. Two cups of bok choy contains as much calcium present in one cup of milk. Calcium is needed for healthy bones and teeth. Consumption of bok choy could provide pregnant women adequate amount of calcium. Intake of this vegetable could reduce the risk of osteoporosis. Vegans could get their calcium supply from this vegetable.

For more information go to www.maculardegenerationassociation.org

“What are the Benefits of Taking Lutein?”

There are many benefits of taking lutein. Although is has become popular now, still people have many questions about it – how much of lutein do we need, what are its natural sources, and what is the best way to take this nutrient? Let’s find out right now.

What is Lutein and why do we need it?

Lutein is a carotenoid which forms the outer part of our eyes’ retina. As our eyes age, the macula that makes up the retina becomes to degrade and symptoms like blurred vision and blind spots begin to appear. This is known as AMD (age-related macular degeneration). The benefits of taking lutein allow us to fight back against AMD.

What are the benefits of Lutein?

Its primary benefit is protection against AMD and cataracts. It is very effective in preventing macular degeneration and studies have found that people who take it in the proper amount, have much lower incidences of AMD and cataracts. This translates into a crystal clear eye sight even in the later years of life.

Since it is also an effective antioxidant, it protects us against the harmful free radicals. It has been shown to significantly reduce the risk of colon cancer and bladder cancer, and is a possible anti-cancer agent.

Benefits of lutein included protection against heart diseases like Atherosclerosis too. This is a condition where the arteries become hard over a period of time. This happens when cholesterol begins to deposit on the inner surface of the arteries, and over time it hardens into plaque. Lutein lowers the cholesterol and helps protects the arteries from this disease.
It has also been found to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

What are the sources of Lutein?

It is most commonly found in green vegetables like broccoli, spinach, Brussels sprouts, garden peas, and turnip greens. Egg yolk is also rich in this nutrient. Most people however, are deficient in this nutrient. Their daily diet hardly contains 1-2mg, whereas the body needs around 6-10 mg to effectively fight against AMD and other age related diseases.

What to do then?

It might be easy to say – increase green vegetables in your diet. But that is not really practical for most people. The alternative is to take a nutritional supplement. Not only will it be easy – just taking a couple of capsules is easier than eating multiple plates of green vegetables; it also provide the added advantage of providing multiple nutrients.

The benefits of taking lutein can be multiplied manifold by a supplement that also contains Zeaxanthin and zinc (which provide enhanced resistance against AMD), and vitamin E (a powerful antioxidant which can help against cancer), and even turmeric extract (great in preventing Alzheimer’s disease).

Now that you armed with this knowledge, go out and find a supplement that can protect you against the unwanted effects of aging. Don’t underestimate the powerful benefits of taking lutein supplements – they can change your life!

For more information go to www.maculardegenerationassociation.org

Aspirin no help for sight loss in the elderly

Aspirin “could stop you going blind”, according to the Daily Express, which reports that taking aspirin daily can cut the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration by almost a fifth.

Age-related macular degeneration is a common cause of visual loss in the elderly. It occurs when the cells in the centre of the retina become progressively damaged. This damage eventually causes the loss of central vision, making reading and writing impossible for some people.

The research behind this study was robust and well-conducted, but the results have been incorrectly reported in the Daily Express. The large study, which lasted several years, found that aspirin had no significant effect on the risk of developing age-related macular generation, a point the researchers clearly highlight in their written results.



Where did the story come from?
This research was conducted by William Christen and colleagues from a number of institutions in the US, including the Harvard Schools of Medicine and Public Health, and the National Eye Institute. The study was funded by the US National Institutes of Health, and it was published in the peer-reviewed medical journal, Opthalmology.

The findings of this research have been completely misinterpreted by the Daily Express, which has claimed that aspirin could prevent blindness, and that risk of developing age-related macular degeneration was significantly reduced when using aspirin. In contrast, the study found non-significant results, a point made clear by the researchers themselves.



What kind of research was this?
This was a large, double-blind, randomised controlled trial, which was designed to investigate whether taking low-dose aspirin on alternate days affects the development of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The condition is a major source of sight loss in the elderly, and it causes the gradual deterioration of the central field of vision.

This was a well-designed piece of research, which has used the best study model to investigate this question. However, this study drew its data from a larger study on aspirin that was not looking specifically at outcomes of AMD. This may be a potential limitation of the study.



What did the research involve?
This piece of research used data on the population of another study, the Women’s Health Study. This study enrolled 39,876 healthy, female health professionals aged 45 years or older, and followed them for an average of 10 years. The trial was investigating how a low-dose of aspirin (100mg) taken every other day might lower the risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer. At the start of the study, women were given assessments of their medical history, family medical history and lifestyle. This included assessing the presence of AMD. Women were randomly entered into groups taking either aspirin or placebo pills.

In this subsequent study, the researchers included all participants of the Women’s Health Study who had not been diagnosed with AMD at the study’s start (39,421; 99% of the total sample). Compliance in aspirin use and medical conditions, including AMD, were assessed by questionnaire at various times during follow-up.

Those who responded “yes” to the development of AMD had this confirmed by checking medical and ophthalmology records. Risk of AMD was compared in those who received aspirin compared to placebo. Overall, across the 10-year study period, 73% of participants were followed-up.

This is a good study design, and it has assessed a large number of women over 10 years. It has some drawbacks in that investigating AMD was not likely to have been a primary goal of the Women’s Health Study. Also, the earlier stages of AMD can be symptomless, but the condition was initially identified by self-report. Numbers may have been underestimated due to some women not knowing that they had AMD.



What were the basic results?
The researchers found that after 10 years of treatment and follow-up, there were more cases of AMD in the placebo group than the aspirin group (134 and 111 respectively). However, this difference was not statistically significant (hazard ratio 0.82, 95% confidence interval 0.64 to 1.06).



How did the researchers interpret the results?
The researchers concluded that their large, randomised trial of female health professionals with 10 years of treatment and follow-up has found no large beneficial or harmful effect of low-dose aspirin on the risk of AMD.



Conclusion
This is a well-designed and well-conducted study, the results of which have been incorrectly reported in the press. This study found that low-dose aspirin had no effect in preventing age-related macular degeneration, a common cause of sight loss in the elderly.

There are a few points to note when interpreting this study:

•While the trial itself was well-conducted and followed a large number of women over a long-period of time, the research it was based on did not appear to be directly assessing AMD risk. It is likely that the study’s design may have had limitations in its ability to assess AMD. For example, AMD was initially identified by self-report. This may mean that it could have underestimated numbers of AMD cases because some women may not have been aware that they had the condition.
•The study findings are only applicable to women (although AMD is more common in women than men).
•When calculating risk, the researchers only adjusted for the influence of age and vitamin E and beta carotene use (which were given as part of the trial in addition to aspirin). Besides age and nutrition, other possible risk factors are family history, smoking and the eye’s exposure to sunlight. However, randomisation should have balanced these confounders, and other unidentified ones, between the groups.
•There are risks associated with taking daily or alternate-day aspirin, which should be weighed against the benefits. Elderly people, to whom this research will be most relevant, are most at risk of gastric irritation if they regularly use aspirin.
Despite the news headlines, this research has found no evidence of that alternate-day aspirin affects the chances of developing age-related macular degeneration.

For more information go to www.maculardegenerationassociation.org

Fish Oil Pills – What Are They and Why Should You Eat Them?

Fish oil pills are big business. In fact sales of fish oil pills, or what can be known as Omega 3 capsules or even as omega 3 supplements, are growing faster than any other nutritional supplement in history. Lets have a look at why and consider whether you should also be taking daily supplements of omega 3.

There are 2 essential fatty acids known as omega 3 fatty acids. These are called DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), and they are good fats. Contrary to what you may have heard about diet fats in your diet are not all bad.

There are some bad fats, in particular saturated fat which is primarily found in animal products such as red meat and chicken. However there are also good fats which are extremely important to your health. The omega 3 fatty acids called essential fatty acids are extremely important to your health and are not manufactured in your body. Therefore the only way you can get Omega 3 fatty acids into you is by taking fish oil pills, or eating a lot of fish.

Estimates are that the vast majority of people in the US have way too little essential fatty acids in their diet. Studies have shown that populations of people who eat lots of fish are healthier, and in particular have better heart health than so many of our citizens and studies have linked this good heart health to their high intake of fish and other seafood products.

There’s a wide range of health benefits from increasing your intake of essential fatty acids. These health benefits include improvments in heart health and these are now recognized by the American Heart Association which recommends minimum intakes of DHA and EPA for each of us every week. They suggest eating more fish or else taking Omega 3 capsules.

The health benefits include a reduced risk of death from heart disease and heart attack, lowering triglycerides, lowering blood pressure and reducing the build of plaque in the arteries. Other health benefits include an improvement in brain function and memory, a reduction in the risk of macular degeneration causing blindness in older age and a reduction in a range of inflammatory diseases such as arthritis and lots lots more.

There is also ample evidence that pregnant women should be taking Omega 3 supplements because DHA and EPA, and in particular DHA, is an essential part of brain development and that if pregnant women are DHA deficient this can negatively affect the brain development of the fetus. Equally it is important for breastfeeding women to supplement with DHA and EPA because these become available to the infant through the breastmilk, and are important to the infant for the same reason. Studies show that children with an adequate supply of Omega3 fats through their developmental years do better on IQ tests.

Clearly we should all be increasing our intake of DHA and EPA, but how do you do that? Eating more fish is one option. However fish is very expensive and there are only certain fish which have high levels of these essential fatty acids. And fish is generally contaminated with nasty toxins such as PCBs, mercury, pesticides and various heavy metals and the EPA tells us not to eat too much fish because of this.

However fish oil pills offer the perfect solution. These are small capsules of fish oil which can be taken easily. For children it is simply a matter of cutting the top off the capsule and tipping the oil onto their food. The best fish oil pills are entirely contamination free and a much more cost-effective than eating fish, and can safely be taken daily.

Note that not all Omega 3 capsules are as good as others and the best fish oil supplements contain way more of the active ingredient DHA than the worst

For more information go to www.maculardegenerationassociation.org

Adding Pumpkin to Your Diet Will Raise Your Nutrition

If you are looking to add more nutrition to your diet, look no further than pumpkins. These large orange squash are chock full of beta-carotene just like carrots, tomatoes and other similar colored fruit and vegetables. Pumpkins are an excellent source of vitamin C, fiber, and calcium. The seeds from pumpkins are full of zinc and unsaturated fatty acids that we need to maintain our health.

For the calories you are consuming, pumpkin gives you a lot of nutrition. Even if you ate it for fiber alone, it is known to fill you up so you can naturally curb your appetite without harmful pharmaceuticals. Fiber is also good for your bowels. This squash is also full of potassium.

In order to carry oxygen to your cells, your red blood cells use iron. Pumpkins help supply your daily-recommended requirement of this important mineral. Zinc will help prevent osteoporosis, a degenerative condition of the spine and hips. This mineral is also important in maintaining the health of your reproductive system, especially in maintaining fertility and sperm motility.

Lutein and zeaxanthin are important compounds found in pumpkin that help neutralize the free radicals that can damage the lenses in your eyes. This can help prevent macular degeneration and cataracts as you get older. Isn’t it amazing that this simple vegetable can protect your eyes, your bones, and your reproductive system? It is also good for your skin. How many vegetables can do all this and still taste great in both sweet and savory dishes?

When you add more of this healthy food to your diet, it does not matter if you use a canned pumpkin soup recipe or use fresh pumpkin. Both are healthy and full of nutrients your body needs to remain healthy. Pumpkin soup can be prepared so it is low in calories or you can make it rich in cream and other luxurious ingredients. It is a simple food that is elegant and rustic all at the same time.

Adding pumpkin to your meals provides you with all these great nutrients in one easy package. This overlooked source of nutrition is highly under appreciated. Do not use pumpkins just to decorate for Halloween or to make dessert during the holidays. Place the pumpkin out for everyone to see as a delicious food source.

This versatile food can easily be made into delicious savory dishes as well as sweet desserts. Pumpkin is easily added to your menu in any number of ways. There are many recipes to try so you do not use the same dish all the time. Do not think of pumpkins as decorative… eat them! Make soup! Make cookies! Make pudding!

Once you have integrated pumpkin into your menu, you will wonder how you ever did without this rich, flavorful vegetable. You will feel better, you will look better, and you will be providing your body with the nutrients it needs to remain healthy. Pumpkin will help you maintain your figure, give you calcium, and help you beat problems like osteoporosis. Pretty good for a decoration, isn’t it?

When you make classic pumpkin soup, be prepared for all your guests to be amazed at your culinary prowess. They will think you slaved hours over this incredible dish, when in fact it took less than a half hour. Go ahead and take your bows… no one will know your secret.

For more information go to www.maculardegenerationassociation.org

Perfectly Poached Eggs

Perfectly Poached Eggs

Eggs are probably the most versatile ingredient around. They’re a complete protein source and can act as a stand-alone meal, whether for a quick breakfast, or a lazy dinner. During busy workdays, I can still feel good about my food choices by whipping up an easy egg omelet with vegetables and brown rice on the side, rather than resorting to some take-out for dinner. Eggs emulsify foods like salad dressings and mayonnaise, and bind mixtures such as those you would make for meatballs. They set custards and are indispensable in baking. They’re not only culinary, but nutritional superstars.

One egg has only 70 calories fit into its perfect little protein package. It contains 4.5 grams of fat, 6 grams of protein, and about 200 milligrams of cholesterol. Many have shunned eggs in the past due to its cholesterol content, which is located in the yolk, but intake of saturated and trans fats in the diet can actually raise your blood cholesterol more than the dietary cholesterol located in the egg yolk itself. A systematic review in the Archives of Internal Medicine found inconsistent evidence linking egg consumption to coronary heart disease. An egg a day should be fine, as the American Heart Association recommends eating less than 300milligrams of cholesterol daily.

And the egg has more benefits that can’t be ignored. It is a good source of lutein and zeaxanthin, two types of carotenoids that lend themselves to eye health, like protecting against age-related macular degeneration, night blindness, and cataracts. Eggs are also one of the few food sources of vitamins D and K.

Eggs contain all nine essential amino acids that make up a complete protein. Along with other essential nutrients found in the egg, choline is a vital component in the structure of your cell membranes. Choline is a heavy hitter that serves many functions, including brain development, muscle control, and other cognitive processes like learning and memory. Like folate (which is also present in the egg), choline is needed to prevent neural tube defects during pregnancy. So all you to-be mommies out there, get crackin!

For more information go to www.maculardegenerationassociation.org