Taurine, more than an energy drink additive

If you have purchased an energy drink lately, you probably have read that it contains taurine. The interesting thing is that taurine is actually a mild sedative, it just so happens that it also aids in the movement of potassium, sodium, calcium and magnesium in and out of cells which great helps activate the body.

So what is taurine? It is actually one of the lesser-known amino acids. One can find it high in foods like meat and fish proteins.

Taurine functions in electrically active tissues such as the brain and heart to help stabilize cell membranes. It also has functions in the gallbladder, eyes, and blood vessels and appears to have some antioxidant and detoxifying activity. Taurine is found in the central nervous system, skeletal muscle, and heart; it is very concentrated in the brain and high in the heart tissues.

Taurine is known as an inhibitory neurotransmitter, and its main use has been to help treat epilepsy and other excitable brain states. Research shows low taurine levels at seizure sites and its anti-convulsant effect comes from its ability to stabilize nerve cell membranes, which prevents the erratic firing of nerve cells.

In Japan, taurine therapy is used in the treatment of ischemic heart disease with supplements of 5–6 grams daily in three divided doses. Low taurine and magnesium levels were found in patients after heart attacks. Taurine has potential in the treatment of arrhythmias, especially arrhythmias secondary to ischemia. People with congestive heart failure have also responded to a dosage of 2 grams three times daily with improved cardiac and respiratory function. Other possible cardiovascular uses of taurine include hypertension, possibly related to effects in the renin-angiotensin system of the kidneys, and in patients with high cholesterol levels. Taurine helps gallbladder function by forming tauracholate from bile acids; tauracholate helps increase cholesterol elimination in the bile.

Other possible uses for taurine include immune suppression (by sparing L-cysteine), visual problems and eye disease, cirrhosis and liver failure, depression, male infertility due to low sperm motility, and as a supplement for newborns and new mothers. Overall, the dosage used may range from 500 mg. to 5–6 grams, with the higher amounts needed for the cardiovascular problems and possibly epilepsy.

It has been established that taurine concentration is extraordinarily high in the developing brain, and falls of sharply thereafter. This occurs at a time when the presumed synthetic pathway, via cysteine sulfinate decarboxylase, has little measurable activity, suggesting that a dietary source of taurine is essential. Moreover, it has been found that high concentrations of taurine are present in breast milk.

Is taurine more than a Red Bull soft drink additive? You bet.

About the Author: R. Fredriksen is the Vice President of Nutrition Dome, a leading provider of Jarrow Formulas, Met-Rx, Pioneer Nutritional Formulas, Lipodrene and other quality supplements. For more information, please visit www.nutritiondome.com.

Vitamins and Stress

We all live with some kind of stress. Whether you are a stay-at-home mother or have a job that keeps you going longer than you feel you can keep up, all of these things cause stress. So how can we help our bodies cope with such stressors? Vitamins and foods that contain such vitamins is a start.

There are two types of stress, physical and emotional. Forumula supplements such as B vitamins with thiamin, niacin and riboflavin, are actually meant for physical stress, not emotional stress. Patients suffering from the acute stress of surgery or injuries need more energy and more nutrients to help them recover. The B vitamins are especially important for injury recovery because they play a key role in energy metabolism, helping patients get more of the energy they need from the foods they eat. These vitamins are found in foods such as whole grains and enriched cereals, lean meats and dairy products.

For emotional stress, taking stress formula vitamins won’t help relieve this stress or make you feel any calmer. But, there are other ways to relieve psychological stress.

When we are stressed emotionally our body faces many challenges, these include:

* Reduced levels of important micronutrients like vitamins A, B, C and E as well as minerals;
* Reduced levels of neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine;
* Increased levels of hormones like adrenaline and cortisol;
* Increased metabolic rate
* Increased levels of free radicals.

These biochemical changes can cause headaches, lethargy, irritability, high blood pressure, fatigue. Since vitamins A, B, C and E, are referred to as stress vitamins, they cannot be manufactured inside the body. Their intake in the form of supplement pills should help to minimize the ill-effects of stress. A stress vitamins pill is not a solution to stress.

All those these vitamins need to be replenished in the body, they don’t necessarily help you cope with stress in the beginning. To better face emotional stress and help your body move through it
you should first of all get plenty of rest. Eating a nutritious, balanced diet while drinking plenty of fluids with regular exercise is also a great benefit.

Studies have shown that food and stress are linked together. You would be surprised to know that some kinds of food that cause stress. On the other hand, there are also certain foods that reduce stress. What kinds of foods cause stress?

• Many packaged foods contain agents that stimulate or cause stress. The irony is that foods containing people get tempted to consume these foods for various reasons. Some of the food items that are commonly known to cause stress are as follows:
• Caffeine: This is commonly found in coffee, tea, colas and chocolates. Caffeine increases stress levels by stimulating the central nervous system. Excess intake of caffeine will result in hyperactive mood and cause irritation and stress.
• Alcohol: Alcohol, if taken in large doses, disrupts sleep. It will also cause malfunctioning. It has the potential to create interpersonal problems with family, friends and coworkers. This creates plenty of sources for stress.
• Sugar:Sugar may be sweet to taste, but it won't be very sweet for the body. It quickly raises the energy levels in the body in a short-period. But the ultimate effect is negative. This is because the body handles sugar by releasing insulin into the blood to reduce sugar level. Even after the body has handled the sugar intake, the insulin release may persist, and cause a fall in the energy level.


Foods that reduce stress are:

• Proteins: Proteins maintain the body's muscles and strengthen them and this goes a long way in fighting stress. Some examples of protein-rich foods are meat, chicken, fish, eggs, cheese, milk, beans, and soya.
• Carbohydrates: If carbohydrates are taken in unrefined form boost positive energy levels and thus, help to combat stress. Some examples are whole grain bread and pasta, brown rice, vegetables, fruits, etc.
• Potassium: Potassium helps to prevent blood pressure. Corn, potatoes, avocadoes, leeks, fish, natural yogurt, chicken, and bananas have plenty of potassium in them.
• Iron: Iron helps in transporting oxygen via the bloodstream. Iron deficiency can lead to poor intellectual capacity and this in turn weakens the body's stress-response levels. Some foods that are rich in iron are eggs, lean meat, dried fruits, wholegrain cereals, peas and potatoes.
• Zinc and copper: Zinc helps in speeding the metabolic process of proteins. This ensures that proteins are not converted to fat. Some studies say that a lack of copper in the body may harm the heart. Foods like chicken, liver, kidney, oysters, banana, rice, beans, pears, and soy have these minerals.

There is no denying stress in our lives but there are things we can do to help ourselves, so what are you waiting for?

About the Author: R. Fredriksen is the Vice President of Nutrition Dome, a leading provider of Jarrow Formulas, Met-Rx, Pioneer Nutritional Formulas, Lipodrene and other quality supplements. For more information, please visit www.nutritiondome.com.

Eating for your mood

Do you find your mood fluctuating more than ever, feeling fatigued, irritable, light-headed along with highs and lows? If so, it is possible that by just changing your diet and eating foods that help stabilize your blood sugar as well as help your body, you will find yourself feeling better.

To start, take a look at how you respond to feelings of lethargy. Do you grab a soda, eat something sweet or drink caffeine? If so, your blood sugar levels may temporarily rise but then will follow so dramatically that you will be left worse than before you started. Then , the cycle starts again as you reach for more sugar. When your blood sugar first drops, if you can avoid the quick fix and try some foods that will slowly lift your levels, you might be surprised of the result. To start, eat breakfast in the morning. When you eat, try mixing foods with fiber and protein along with foods that are starch, the more slowly foods are digested and released into your system.

Once you stop stressing your body with the sugars, now you can add foods to your diet that help support your adrenal function, the part of your body that helps support stressful moments. Foods that include proteins like eggs, fish, lean meat, poultry, dairy products or soy, will slow down the rate at which sugar is released into your bloodstream.

There are also certain herbs and vitamins that help balance blood sugar. These include Vitamin C and B5 along with B3 and B6. Herbs are licorice, ginseng and astragalus.

What about a balanced diet, you might ask? Review studies have not shown that taking daily multivitamin supplements will prevent any chronic disease. However, taking supplements will help ensure you are getting enough of nutrients that may be missing from your diet.

Eating a healthy, well-balanced diet should provide you with all of the individual nutrients you need. Not everyone has a good diet so some of those nutrients might be deficient. For example, a person who hates fruits and vegetables might not get enough vitamin C and someone who refuses to eat dairy products will frequently need extra calcium.

Taking a daily multivitamin is an inexpensive and easy way to be sure you are getting the vitamins and minerals you need. A few individual dietary supplements have been shown to have positive benefits for your health too. Adding these extra supplements may be beneficial:

Calcium
Many people don't eat enough calcium-containing foods. This can add to a person's risk of developing osteoporosis, or weakened bones. The recommended amount of calcium for most adults is about 1200 mg per day.

Vitamin D
Some of the vitamin D you need comes from the food you eat, but most of it is made by your body after exposure to sun. Vitamin D is important for calcium absorption and the two nutrients are often combined into one supplement. An average adult needs about 400 IU of vitamin D.

Fish Oil
Omega-3 fatty acids will help prevent cardiovascular disease. Fatty fish is the best dietary source of omega-3 fatty acids, though plants such as flax contain omega-3 fatty acids. Studies suggest that 0.5 to 1.8 grams of fish oil per day is an effective amount.

Folic Acid
Folate is a B vitamin and folic acid is the supplemental form of folate. Folate is found in green leafy vegetables, citrus fruit and legumes. Folic acid supplementation is recommended for any woman who may become pregnant and may also help reduce homocysteine levels, which might help reduce the risk of heart disease. The recommended amount for adults is 400 mcg per day.

Chondroitin and Glucosamine
Researchers from the Glucosamine/Chondroitin Arthritis Intervention Trial found that participants with moderate-to-severe osteoarthritis pain found statistically significant amounts of pain relief with 1500 mg glucosamine combined with 1200 mg chondroitin sulfate supplements.

Antioxidants and Zinc
The Age-Related Eye Disease Study results showed that a combination of antioxidants and zinc taken as a dietary supplement reduced the risk of advanced age-related macular degeneration. The formula used in the study was:

* 500 mg of vitamin C
* 400 IU of vitamin E
* 15 mg of beta-carotene
* 80 mg of zinc as zinc oxide
* 2 mg of copper as cupric oxide

Probiotics
Foods like yogurt and fermented foods naturally contain bacteria called probiotics. These bacteria are similar to the friendly bacteria normally found in your digestive system. Probiotics are also available as dietary supplements and may be beneficial for people with irritable bowel syndrome and diarrhea.

Try changing your habits and replacing them with healthier foods and vitamins and you might be surprised how good you feel not only physically but mentally and emotionally as well.

About the Author: R. Fredriksen is the Vice President of Nutrition Dome, a leading provider of Jarrow Formulas, Pioneer Nutritional Forumulas, Lipodrene and other quality supplements. For more information, please visit www.nutritiondome.com.

Why Take A MultiVitamin

We all probably know somebody who takes vitamins. The question is whether taking vitamins is a fad or something needed for good health.

To start, we all know our bodies need vitamins and minerals and that our body alone cannot manufacture sufficient quantities to provide the foundation for all normal biological functions. Vitamins and minerals are necessary for normal metabolism, growth, and general well being. A single deficiency of any vitamin or mineral can endanger the whole body. Many people believe they are eating the 'right' foods, and getting the proper amount of essential nutrients in this way. And, of course, eating a balanced diet is one way to obtain the vitamins and minerals you need.

The problem is, few of us get a truly balanced diet. According to one U.S. Government survey of 21,000 people, not a single person obtained 100 percent of the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for each of ten basic nutrients. Processing, storing, or even cooking can reduce the vitamin content of foods. Foods can also be adversely affected by chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and soil conditions. Nutrients are also adversely affected by heavy smoking, alcohol consumption, and numerous health conditions including obesity and chronic illness.

Your multivitamin should contain a full range of vitamins and minerals to meet essential nutritional needs. For example, the average diet frequently provides less than the recommended daily allowance for zinc. A low-dose supplement (15 mg per day) can fill in dietary gaps. Statistics show that over 65% of American diets are deficient in Zinc. Zinc is considered the most important mineral for proper immune system function. Magnesium is also an important element available in multivitamin form, and is also in a majority of American diets. A lack of this essential mineral can lead to fatigue, abnormal heart rhythms, muscle weakness and spasm, depression, loss of appetite, listlessness, and potassium depletion.

If you don’t take vitamins then you want to make sure you are eating properly Here are some challenges you would have to meet:

Challenge 1: Inadequate Fruits and Vegetables

Solutions:

* Eat a serving of fresh fruit at lunch and dinner as dessert
* Include a variety of vegetables for lunch and dinner. Choose dark green, leafy vegetables (such as broccoli, spinach, Chinese bok choy and kale) as well as bright-colored vegetables (such as bell peppers, tomato, avocado, sweet potato and carrot)
* Use fruits as snacks. Bring to work fruits that are easy to prepare (such as grapes, apple, banana, berries or cut-up melons).

Challenge 2: Inadequate Calcium

Solutions:

* Instead of snacking on cookies, choose low-fat yogurt or low-fat cheese with fruits as snacks throughout the day
* If you are not a cow's milk fan, try other calcium-rich beverages such as calcium-fortified orange juice, calcium-fortified soy or rice milk, or goat's milk
* Try other calcium-rich foods such as tofu and canned fish with bones

Challenge 3: Inadequate Whole Grains

Solutions:

* Choose whole grain bread when making sandwiches
* Have a serving of whole grain breakfast cereal or a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast
* Snack on popcorn instead of chips on movie nights
* Toss in brown rice, wild rice or barley in your soup

Taking a multivitamin daily is important to ensure optimum nutritional status for a certain population - particularly among pregnant and lactating women, as well as those with specific chronic diseases. For people older than 50 (men and women), a multivitamin or calcium/D supplement may be warranted as foods alone may be not able to deliver adequate calcium and Vitamin D to meet the increased needs. Always speak to your doctor or dietitian before starting a new supplement.

As fortified-foods are widely available, the expert panel recommended choosing a multivitamin with ingredients less than 100 percent of the daily value (% DV) to avoid toxicity.


A good multivitamin can give you reassurance that you are obtaining the proper amounts of vitamins and minerals needed for good health. Whatever your specific nutritional needs are, a multivitamin should be the foundation of any nutritional supplement or vitamin regimen and will significantly increase the effectiveness of the other supplements you take.

About the Author: R. Fredriksen is the Vice President of Nutrition Dome, a leading provider of Stimerex, Met-Rx, Pioneer Nutritional Forumulas, Lipodrene and other quality supplements. For more information, please visit www.nutritiondome.com.

Vitamins for Beautiful Skin

We all know vitamins and minerals are essential for proper function of every organ in the body, but what about our skin? The skin is no exception. Here are a few vitamins to focus on and why.

1. Vitamin A - Vitamin A is critical for normal life cycle of skin cells. Vitamin A deficiency causes skin to become dry, fragile and prone to wrinkles. If a person is Vitamin A deficient, no skin treatment will work properly. Vitamin A’s greatest skin benefits including helping with fine lines and wrinkles. As some have learned the hard way, attempting to hide fine lines and wrinkles behind layers of make up is a losing battle. Better to improve the condition of your skin with products containing retinoids. Prescription products like Retin-A and Renova utilize Vitamin A derivatives to great effect, but some people's skin may react with uncomfortable stinging, redness or scaling. Fortunately, "Retinol," a non-prescription Vitamin-A derivative contained in many over-the-counter products can provide much of the same benefits with less risk of irritation and sun sensitivity. However, due to the lower levels of retinoids in some consumer products, it may take a bit longer to see the desired result.

2. B-complex - The term B-complex usually refers to a group of vitamins that includes vitamins B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B5 (pantothenate), B6 (pyridoxine), B12 (cyancobalamine) and folate.

Vitamins B1 and B2 are critical for energy production in the cells. Overt deficiencies of vitamins B1 and B2 are known to cause special forms of dermatitis (along with many other problems). Mild deficiencies usually go unnoticed but still may produce some degree of skin damage.

Vitamin B’s greatest skin benefits include a healthy glow and moisture retention. Vitamins B-3 (niacin) and B-5 (pantothenic acid) have become popular additions to skin-care products because of their ability to assist in retaining moisture. B-3 is a relatively new ingredient on the marketplace but has demonstrated great promise, offering a milder alternative to acidic exfoliators like glycolic and salicylic acid, which some feel is too harsh for their complexions. B-5 is a more common skin-care additive, and is widely recognized for its (along with Vitamin E) moisturizing ability. It's also good for those with sensitive skin, as some creams made with Vitamin-E have been known to cause irritation.

3. Vitamin C, iron and copper - Vitamin C, iron and copper together are all three important for the synthesis of collagen, a key structural protein in the skin. Deficiency of each of these nutrients reduces skin resilience and ability to heal (in addition to other health problems). Vitamin C is abundant in fresh fruits and vegetables. Iron is found in whole grains and meat products. Copper is found in a variety of foods and its deficiency is uncommon except in people taking zinc supplements.

Vitamin C’s greatest skin benefits are in repairing sun damage.
This vitamin has been one of skin-care's hot sellers for the past several years due to its proven effectiveness as an antioxidant. Antioxidants are a critical natural defense against "free radicals," unstable molecules that age the skin as a result of pollution, smoking and sun exposure. Topical Vitamin C can protect the skin from UV damage caused by prolonged sun exposure by reducing the amount of free radical formation. However, while it can help safeguard against skin damage and reduce discoloration, it should be used in conjunction with, not in place of, a good sunscreen. Yet another benefit of Vitamin C is its ability to enhance the synthesis of collagen: a critically important skin protein that strengthens structural support and resilience of the skin.

4. Vitamin E – This Vitamin’s greatest skin benefits include the repair if dry, rough skin. Vitamin-E (alpha tocopherol) is another powerful antioxidant that is commonly used in lotions and creams for its moisturizing ability. Though some of the "miraculous" healing claims of Vitamin-E supporters have been exaggerated over the years, it is still widely recognized for its proven ability to help retain moisture in the skin.

5. Vitamin K – This Vitamin’s greatest skin benefits include repairing dark, under-eye circles. A good night's sleep is always recommended as well. Topical Vitamin-K is a good additional defense against discoloration under the eyes. It is often used as a treatment for spider veins. Topical Vitamin K enters through the pores all the way to the damaged capillary or artery and helps to clot the blood, thus stopping any seepage (often the cause of dark circles) and allowing the tissue to heal itself.

About the Author: R. Fredriksen is the Vice President of Nutrition Dome, a leading provider of Jarrow Formulas, Pioneer Nutritional Forumulas, Lipodrene and other quality supplements. For more information, please visit www.nutritiondome.com.