Thursday, September 22, 2005

ORAC Antioxidant Scores -Misconceptions and Misleading Information

Recently an antioxidant test known as ORAC has became popular. ORAC is an acronym which stands for Oxidation Radical Absorbance Capacity. ORAC is a way to measure how many oxygen radicals a specific food can absorb. The more oxygen radicals a food can absorb, the higher its ORAC score.

However, an ORAC score can be misleading, some manufacturers are touting "we have a higher ORAC score" trying to indicate they have a superior product.

In fact a spokesperson for Brunswick Labs (a leading ORAC testing lab) stated that ORAC scores do not indicate product superiority.

Here’s Why

Consider this for example, many antioxidants like Vitamin C don't get stored up in the body so the body uses what it needs at the time and gets rid of the rest. So in many cases a product, etc. that has a very high ORAC score is meaningless as your body can only use so much in the way of antioxidants each day and the rest is excess. Plus some antioxidants taken in excess can actually be harmful to the body. This is why a network of a number of different antioxidants is more beneficial than the same amount of a single antioxidant.

While it is important to take foods and supplements with a high antioxidant capacity that alone doesn't assure health a number of other factors like enzymes and phytonutrients and polysaccharides are also very important to your health.

For example many phytonutrients do much more than provide free radical protection; and so do enzymes and polysaccharides.

ORAC scores can be the result of what's caused spiking - this could be an additive that greatly boosts the ORAC score without providing any health benefits. In this case you must evaluate whether the ORAC score is strictly from the whole food product or some extra additive of little health value.

Also consider many ORAC scores are in-vitro or basically conducted in a test tube. A true measure is in-vivo or inside the body and because of reasons like poor bioavailabilty a high in-vitro ORAC score doesn't necessarily transfer to the same score in-vivo in the body.

Also consider that the body can typically only process a certain amount of ORAC a day (typically 7000-9000) so if a product is touting a super high ORAC way over that - in effect it's meaningless as the body can't utilize the remaining amount. In effect this is like Vitamin C the body will only process what it needs at that particular time and gets rid of the rest.

So basically if a company is promoting a product to be superior because it has a super high ORAC rating, well at the very least be very skeptical.
Goji Berries Himalayan Inner Mongolia Goji Juice Berry Festival
Himalayan Goji Juice while it has a high ORAC score it really has little to do with the great health benefits Goji provides. Those benefits are because of the unique goji polysaccharides and the fact that goji absorbs great energy from the sun. Goji grows at high elevations in the Himalayan Mountains and thus closer to the sun than any other health-nutrition food. This energy transfer potential is called the Schomberg effect. Thus Goji Berries growing at these high elevation have simply collect more of the sun's energy and when eaten transfers so much of this energy to the cellular level. That's why it called the most nutrient dense food in the world.

Click Here for the Story of the Inner Mongolia Himalayan Goji Berries Festival

Some Interesting Facts about growing Goji Berries

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Sunday, April 03, 2005

Nutrition for the Eyes and Vision Lutein, Bilberry Antioxidants

The eyes are exposed to many harmful substances on a daily basis - harmful substances like ultraviolet light, air pollutants, automobile exhausts, wind, dust and more.

Plus as we age we know we can't see or focus our eyes as well as we could as a youth. When we see wrinkles or gray hair or any of the other signs of aging our eyes are in effect aging like the rest of our bodies. And yet we often neglect our eyes and health vision. Most of us simply take healthy vision for granted. Giving it little thought except for the occasional visit to the eye doctor to get glasses. However, what are we doing on a daily basis to protect the health of our eyes?

Freelife believes the health of your eyes is a window into the health of your entire body.

Do we eat foods rich in carotenoids like blueberries and apricots. A cousin of the blueberry is the bilberry and it is especially good for the eyes and especially night vision.

Lutein is a carotenoid and is what gives Marigold petals and other healthy foods their naturally brilliant coloration.

Marigold petals, contain more lutein than any other food.

Lutein and it's sister carotenoid zeaxanthin tend to concentrate in the retina of the eye and protect it. Studies indicate that lutein protects the eye as well as a combination of these two substances. One of the things Lutein does well is filter high-energy blue light, a harmful form of UV radiation. Also it is especially effective at removing harmful free radicals.

Like any antioxidant, lutein works best to reduce free-radical stress when combined with a network of other antioxidants, like vitamins C and E.

Face it, in effect if we do not take the time to take care of our eyes we are in effect driving through life blind, pun intended.

According to nutritiondata.com the highest concentrations of lutein from most to least are:

* Kale
* Chard
* Watercress
* Spinach
* Turnip Greens
* Chicory Greens
* Mustard Greens
* Cress
* Radicchio
* Collard Greens
* Parsley
* Dandelion Greens
* Arugula
* Romaine Lettuce
* Summer Squash
* Fresh Basil

Other good sources of lutein are cayenne peppers and egg yolks.

Another very important antioxidant that Freelife highly recommends for the eyes and vision is bilberry.

Bilberry helps us keep the so-called "aging process" from destroying the blood vessel walls in our eyes, skin, joints, organs, and other parts of our body.

Also the active ingredient in bilberry helps to protect the body against the devastating effects of free radicals.

Other important nutrients for the eyes and vision.

Taurine is important for the regeneration of worn out tissues of the retina. This important sulfur-containing amino acid helps to regulate several nerve and muscle systems and is essential for muscle growth. systems and is essential for muscle growth.

N-Acetyl Cysteine This potent antioxidant can boost glutathione levels, and inhibits homocysteine and protects the eyes from ultraviolet light

Quercetin is a potent antioxidant known to support eye health by protecting the lens from damage.

Vitamin C helps the body resist damage by oxidation (damage from long-term exposure to oxygen and light)

Eyebright is a herb whose Aerial parts used to help reduce eye irritation.

I have been studying and involved with nutritional products for over 10 years now. I am quite impressed with Freelife's eyes and vision supplement called 4-Sight.

All of these amazing vision and eye nutrients are contained in this Supplement 4-Sight.

New Suggested Nutrition Guide Click Here!

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Wednesday, November 10, 2004

A Blend of the World's Best Antioxidants Like Bilberry, Citrus Bioflavonoids and More!

While adding antioxidants to your diet is essential for good health, only a complete antioxidant supplement will provide all of the benefits of free radical removal.

You see, there are many different forms of free radicals invading your body. Luckily, there are also many types of antioxidants - each performing its own unique role in the body - that can protect you from these destructive invaders. You simply cannot get complete results from taking one or two antioxidants alone.

With this in mind you need a full-spectrum antioxidant that gives you a complete blend of the world's most powerful antioxidants. There exists a remarkable formula that supplies a unique and potent collection of protective vitamins, minerals, botanical concentrates and amino acids - all in the correct proportion to complement each other and do you the most good. For example, grape seed extract has been shown to protect vitamin C, while vitamin C can help regenerate vitamin E.

This blend of the world's best antioxidants includes:
natural alpha and beta carotenes,
buffered vitamin C,
natural vitamin E,
selenium,
botanical factors (alfalfa juice, bilberry extract, citrus bioflavonoids, grape skin extract, ginger, quercetin, rutin, and turmeric),
the amino acid N-acetyl cysteine, and Freelife's Ultra Soy Complex® III with soybean isoflavones.

Blend of World's best antioxidants - Click Here!

You've got to check out the Amazing Himalyan Goji Juice -Click Here! - A breakthrough product for increased levels of energy, vitality and wellbeing. This is the product everyone is buzzing about. (Featured in Women's World, Entertainment Weekly and In Touch Magazine- Goji Juice Article -Click Here!)

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