How Much Nutrition Do You Really Need?

Bill Sardi discusses which nutrition chart you should rely upon, the RDA, RDI, AI, EAR or DV, or how much nuutrition do you really need?

It is so strange, in an era of overly processed foods and refined sugars, nutritionists continue to maintain the American diet is sufficient to meet the nutrient needs of Americans. This drivel continues despite the fact recent studies do not confirm the consumption of fruits and vegetables significantly reduces mortality rates for heart disease and cancer, the number one and two chronic diseases that drive mortality rates. Even the 9-13 servings of plant foods-regimen now recommended by health authorities still is an unproven measure.

If you are totally confused by the array of acronyms RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance), RDI (Reference Dietary Intake), AI (Adequate Intake), EAR (Estimated Average Requirement) and DV (Daily Value) used to inform Americans how much nutrition they need, join the crowd. For various reasons, all of these should be disregarded, as explained below. Read more

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Posted in: dietary supplements,nutrition

Walnuts Are Drugs, Says FDA

Walnuts are drugs, says the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which told Diamond Foods that walnuts may not legally be marketed in the United States without an approved new drug application. This is just the latest example of an out-of-control federal bureaucracy..

Seen any walnuts in your medicine cabinet lately? According to the Food and Drug Administration, that is precisely where you should find them. Because Diamond Foods made truthful claims about the health benefits of consuming walnuts that the FDA didn’t approve, it sent the company a letter declaring, “Your walnut products are drugs” — and “new drugs” at that — and, therefore, “they may not legally be marketed … in the United States without an approved new drug application.” The agency even threatened Diamond with “seizure” if it failed to comply.

Diamond’s transgression was to make “financial investments to educate the public and supply them with walnuts,” as William Faloon of Life Extension magazine put it. On its website and packaging, the company stated that the omega-3 fatty acids found in walnuts have been shown to have certain health benefits, including reduced risk of heart disease and some types of cancer. These claims, Faloon notes, are well supported by scientific research: “Life Extension has published 57 articles that describe the health benefits of walnuts”; and “The US National Library of Medicine database contains no fewer than 35 peer-reviewed published papers supporting a claim that ingesting walnuts improves vascular health and may reduce heart attack risk.” Read more

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Posted in: dietary supplements,FDA,walnuts

18 Best Dietary Supplements for Men

Men's Health reveals which dietary supplements can help a man needs keep his heart, immune system, and sex life in top shape.

The right supplements can help your heart, sharpen your immune system, and even improve your sex life. The wrong ones, however, can be ineffective or even harmful. "You run into problems because most men are 'prescribing' these things themselves," says Tod Cooperman, M.D., president of consumerlab.com, an independent tester of health and nutritional products. "Don't take supplements with abandon. They should be used carefully, because taking in too much of certain nutrients can cause problems."

We consulted with top doctors, reviewed the latest research, and waded through marketers' claims to bring you 18 of the best supplements for men. Use our guide—along with advice from your own doc, since many supplements can interact with other medications—to fine-tune your strategy. Read more

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Posted in: dietary supplements,nutrition

Erectile Dysfunction: 4 Supplements That Can Help

Many men nowadays experience erectile dysfunction because of their lifestyles or sometimes disease. Erectile dysfunction can be defined as not being able to have or sustain erection. Usually, middle-aged or elderly men experience erectile dysfunction. Though pharmaceuticals to treat this condition are heavily advertised,dietary  supplements are increasing in popularity due to their safety and relatively low cost. Four supplements in particular may have positive effects on erectile dysfunction.

DHEA or dehydroepiandrosterone is said to be effective when it comes to combating erectile dysfunction. Men who are having problems with erection usually have low blood levels of this hormone. An experiment was conducted among 40 men who have low DHEA level. Half of them were given 50mg of DHEA and the other half was given placebos. The results confirmed that this supplement for erectile dysfunction helps. However, there are still debates about the safety of using this supplement, so be careful and be informed before you take in this supplement.

Another supplement for erectile dysfunction is arginine. Arginine is an amino acid that affects the production of nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is necessary for men with erectile dysfunction problem. It widens blood vessels so that blood can flow easily, thus, causing an erection. There is not yet sufficient data about the level or degree of effectiveness of arginine. However, there are many researches that say that arginine will most likely help men with erectile dysfunction.

Combining one kind of L-carnitine, propionyl-L-carnitine, and acetyl-L-carnitine is the another supplement for erectile dysfunction. This supplement helps people who have erectile dysfunction related to low levels of testosterone. The amount of these supplements that one should take in is 2g for each supplement. These two supplements have more positive results when it comes to increasing testosterone level than medications for low levels of testosterone.

The last example of a  supplement that may help erectile dysfunction is pycnogenol, a substance found in Pinus pinaster, a kind of tree. If given 120 mg every day,  pycnogenol might just improve your sexual intercourse with your partner by giving you a stronger erection.

Men should not be afraid or ashamed of having erectile dysfunction because nowadays, they have many options that can help them beat or overcome erectile dysfunction. A breakthrough new method gives any man harder erections simply, naturally and without drugs! To stop erectile dysfunction and start having stiff, powerful erections tonight, Click Here!

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Posted in: dietary supplements,erectile dysfunction

McCain Bill Threatens Access to Dietary Supplements

Beware of Senator John McCain's freedom-destroying dietary supplement regulatory bill. McCain described his bill as a “no-brainer.” For libertarians, it’s a “no-brainer” that it should be rejected for the dictatorial, power-grabbing, choice-limiting attack on the nutritional marketplace and individual freedoms that it is.

Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) has introduced a new bill called The Dietary Supplement Safety Act (DSSA) of 2010 (S. 3002), that, if enacted, would severely curtail free access to dietary supplements. Cosponsored by Senator Byron Dorgan (D-North Dakota), the bill would essentially give the FDA full control over the supplement industry.

Most of the industrialized world has incredibly restrictive laws governing supplements. People worldwide often purchase supplements from the U.S. because they are freely available at low costs.

All of this could change, however, if DSSA passes. DSSA would change key sections of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C), undoing protections in the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) of 1994, effectively eliminating free access to supplements. Read more

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Posted in: dietary supplements,health freedom,health rights,John McCain

Vitamin D: Miracle Nutrient for Your Immune System

Crohn’s disease is a chronic condition that causes inflammation of your gastrointestinal (GI) tract. The cause of Crohn’s is thought to be impairment in the way your immune system handles intestinal bacteria. Vitamin D is the miracle nutrient for your immune system.

A new study has found that Vitamin D can counter the effects of Crohn's disease.

Researchers found that Vitamin D acts directly on the beta defensin 2 gene, which encodes an antimicrobial peptide, and the NOD2 gene that alerts cells to the presence of invading microbes.

Both beta defensin and NOD2 have been linked to Crohn's disease. If NOD2 is deficient or defective, it cannot combat invaders in the intestinal tract. Read more

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Posted in: dietary supplements,immune system boosters,vitamin D

20 Anti-Aging Herbs and Spices to Add to Your Diet Now

Aging is inevitable; however, there are many herbs and spices that can support overall health and may leave you feeling younger than your years, according to Dr. Eric Braverman.

Among other things, the holidays are a time of national dysnutrition: the disease of excess. Dysnutrition happens even in the most developed countries when food is plentiful but the overall diet is based on eating all the wrong balance of foods. Sound familiar? The typical American diet that is high in simple carbohydrates -- white flour, white salt, and processed food -- is aging us. We are getting all the bulk without the nutrients, plus adding to our propensity for developing real food cravings. So whether you are a vegetarian or an omnivore, you can start to reverse aging by simply choosing to eat the right foods to keep you full of vim, vigor, and vitality, especially over the holidays.

The easiest way to make sure you are getting more nutrients into every meal, even when you are grazing at the office cocktail party or the neighborhood potluck dinner is by choosing foods that are loaded with spices. Every time you flavor your meals with herbs or spices you are literally "upgrading" your food without adding a single calorie. You are taking something ordinary and turning it into something extraordinary by adding color, flavor, vitamins, and often medicinal properties. Here's why: Read more

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Posted in: anti-aging food,dietary supplements,herbs,nutrition,spices

Iodine for Health

Iodine is not commonly taken as a dietary supplement, but people who do take iodine supplements report that they have a greater sense of well-being, increased energy, and a lifting of brain fog. They feel warmer in cold environments, need somewhat less sleep, improved skin complexion, and have more regular bowel movements.

There is growing evidence that Americans would have better health and a lower incidence of cancer and fibrocystic disease of the breast if they consumed more iodine. A decrease in iodine intake coupled with an increased consumption of competing halogens, fluoride and bromide, has created an epidemic of iodine deficiency in America.

People in the U.S. consume an average 240 micrograms (µg) of iodine a day. In contrast, people in Japan consume more than 12 milligrams (mg) of iodine a day (12,000 µg), a 50-fold greater amount. They eat seaweed, which include brown algae (kelp), red algae (nori sheets, with sushi), and green algae (chlorella). Read more

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Posted in: dietary supplements,iodine,Iodoral,Lugol's Solution

Vitamin D: How to Determine Your Optimal Dose

Vitamin D has recently been recognized as being necessary for humans to maintain optimal health and wellness to the point at which some consider vitamin D to be a “miracle substance” that prevents a number of diseases, including various cancers, coronary heart disease, diabetes and multiple sclerosis, as well as several autoimmune and neurological diseases. The recommended daily allowances are useless, so how do you determine your optimal dose?

In the wide world of supplements, vitamin D is the superstar. For the last few years, this humble nutrient has been featured prominently in allopathic and alternative circles alike. It has basked in the rays of media publicity, and has survived an onslaught of scientific scrutiny. And while such widespread publicity is often good cause for skepticism in the realm of health and medicine, vitamin D appears to be the real deal. Whether we`re talking about heart disease, cancer, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, or Alzheimer`s disease, the "sunshine vitamin" delivers benefits unseen before our time (1).

Given the remarkably powerful benefits of vitamin D, many find themselves wondering how to actually go about obtaining it. We know that vitamin D is good for us, but how much do we need, and where do we get it? Most people know that sunlight is somehow involved in vitamin D production, but is sunlight alone sufficient to produce the incredible results demonstrated by recent vitamin D research? What about supplements? There are so many different preparations - with doses ranging from 400 IU to 50,000 IU - that it can get a little confusing. Are such supplements necessary, and if so, how much should we be taking? Read more

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Posted in: dietary supplements,nutrition,vitamin D

When NOT to Take Vitamins

If you exercise strenuously and then go home and take some vitamins, those supplements may undo some of the benefits of your workout.

Taking vitamins after exercise may undo some of the beneficial effects of the workout, research suggests.

Some advocate taking antioxidants like vitamin C and E to help protect the body from harmful chemical by-products it creates in breaking into a sweat.

But German scientists now believe these "free radicals" may actually be good for us and even buffer against diabetes, PNAS reports.

And mopping them up with antioxidants may do more harm than good. Read more

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Posted in: dietary supplements,exercise,vitamin C,vitamin E,workout

Men Who Take Vitamin C Less Likely to Develop Gout

Men who take vitamin C supplements are less likely to develop gout, according to new research.

... Researchers at the University of British Columbia, in Vancouver, Canada, found that men with higher intakes of vitamin C were less likely to develop the condition than men with lower levels. Read more

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Posted in: dietary supplements,gout,vitamin C

The Inquisition over Vitamin Pills Begins

A National Institutes of Health (NIH) survey shows that 60% of Americans take dietary supplements or use alternative therapies. The NIH, in league with the drug companies, doesn’t like Americans spending $40 billion a year on alternative care. So the NIH is issuing "Time To Talk" kits to doctors, encouraging patients to "confess" to taking dietary supplements.

Oh, it was a bad week for modern medicine. But Tara Parker Pope of the New York Times didn’t think so. She wrote an article entitled "News Keeps Getting Worse For Vitamins." (Nov. 20, ‘08 NYT) But then again, we could slip a fast one by Tara any day since she doesn’t know how to read the pseudo-science now being used to denigrate dietary supplements. Hey, Tara, you didn’t say whether YOU take vitamins pills. Never mind surveys show the most educated are more likely to take vitamin pills, or other studies which show the typical American diet leaves most Americans deficient in vitamins C, D, E, B12 and folic acid.

Breast cancer cooking machines

The zinger was the report showing breast cancers just disappear if you leave them alone, stop clamping breasts in mammogram machines, stop zapping women’s breasts with radiation machinery (mammography) and stop lancing breasts with biopsy needles. (Archives Internal Medicine Nov. 24, ’08). Yep, the body’s immune system just engulfs these developing tumors. Read more

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Posted in: American Medical Association,dietary supplements,mainstream medicine,National Institute of Health,vitamin pills

Get Your Antioxidants from the Grocer

For your consideration: according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association some supplements are worthless at fighting disease. Of course, other recent studies indicate that vitamins C and D in particular have great benefits.

I've noticed that studies which show that dietary supplements are worthless or dangerous tend to come out right before a big push to restrict the public's access to them. Doctors and pharmaceutical companies don't much like the idea of self-care and health freedom. In their view, that's lost profit they could be pocketing. Nevertheless, the point that you should eat a healthful diet and not strictly rely on supplements for your nutrition is valid.

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Posted in: dietary supplements,vitamin C,vitamin D,vitamin E

How to Protect and Heal Your Liver

The liver can do 500 functions. This is one powerful organ, the one organ in the body that is capable of regenerating itself. The liver controls your health and longevity and your ability to bounce back from infection. Alan Graham and Alfred Lehmberg discuss the foods to eat, the foods to avoid, and the supplements to take to protect and heal your liver.

... Milk-Thistle, while we're here, is nothing less than extraordinary, considering it can detox your liver while it stimulates the production of new liver cells (for all you ex-drinkers, like me) and about a dozen other things to include being a powerful, immune-enhancing Cancer-fighter.

Silymarin, the group of active ingredients in Milk-Thistle, has been used by Medical Doctors in Germany for almost 60 years to treat all forms of liver disease like hepatitis & cirrhosis. Those Teutons drink a lot of beer & wine. Gee, Zorba lectures all over the world to other MD's... don't they share info? Does Zorba hear a different drummer? Uh, like Merck, you think?

FOODS to eat and foods to avoid: Read more

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Posted in: dietary supplements,foods,heal liver,protect liver