Vitamin Information Center

CHOLESTEROL
Cholesterol is a waxy substance found in the fats (lipids) in our blood. It is manu-
factured in the liver and also obtained from consuming saturated and trans fats.
Cholesterol is not all bad—the body requires it to produce sex hormones, maintain
cell membranes, and for a healthy nervous system. 12 | Chapter 1
Aside from diet, cholesterol levels can be elevated by family history, lack of ac-
tivity, and liver disorders, and cholesterol consumption increases the risk of heart
disease.
As with fats, there is good and bad when it comes to cholesterol. The good
cholesterol is HDL (high-density lipoproteins) and the bad is LDL (low-density li-
poproteins). LDL cholesterol can build up in the artery walls of the brain and heart,
narrowing the passageways for blood fl ow, a process known as atherosclerosis, the
precursor to heart disease and stroke.
HDL cholesterol is called good cholesterol because it picks up the LDL deposited
in the arteries and transports it to the liver to be broken down and eliminated.
To lower LDL and raise HDL levels, exercise regularly, minimize saturated fats,
avoid trans fats, and don’t smoke (smoking lowers HDL).

In human beings, coenzyme Q10 is the most common occurring form of coenzyme Q, needed by and found in every cell in the body. Perhaps its primary function is to ensure the production of adequate energy within the cell mitochondria, but coenzyme Q10 is also a powerful anti-oxidant, and is particularly important because it is the only fat-soluble anti-oxidant which can be manufactured within the body. Like other fat-soluble anti-oxidants, such as vitamin E, coenxyme Q10 is vital for the protection of fatty structures within cells from the damage and degeneration which may be caused by oxidative reactions and free radical activity.
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Flower pollen extract has an extremely rich history, first used in Sweden where it has shown tremendous health aid for both men and women. Flower pollen extract is entirely different from bee pollen. Flower pollen extract is made up of several strains of specific organic grass and flower plants, which is the reproductive fluid of the plant, which has spiky coating, dust, fungi, and other allergens removed. This liberates the potent nutritional portion that fertilizes grasses and plants, virtually eliminating any of the allergenic effects that are associated with raw pollen.

Flower pollen extracts are gathered directly from plants in the field, as the husks that contain bacteria, fungi, toxins, and pollutants that cause hay fever and other allergies are removed through an enzyme-based process. By using non-toxic methods, both the water and fat-soluble portions are obtained which are rich in vitamins, minerals, carotenoids, amino acids, enzymes, proteins, phytosterols, lipids, ribonucleic acids, peptides, and fatty acids. Surprisingly, flower pollen extract is unusually rich in all of these nutrients, as well as many others.

Flower pollen extract should not be confused with the bee pollen that is sold at health food stores, as flower pollen extract is harvested hours before the bees arrive and is collected from specific plants that are grown in specific greenhouses or fields. Bees go from plant to plant, making their pollen an eclectic mixture, so it is hard to create a therapeutic effect from a supplement of such uncertainty, but flower pollen uses very specific extracts.

Flower pollen has been suspected to be a non-hormone method of helping women who experience PMS, making it an important contribution to public health. In order to determine whether this assumption was true, first a small study was done for premenstrual syndrome. Although patients knew they were receiving an intended remedy, flower pollen extract showed a positive outcome. After these results, a second, much larger study was done on women with PMS. The results were very impressive. Thirty-two women aged 27 to 50 years old were studied after giving two months of active treatment. The results showed that overall symptoms were lowered significantly by about 27 to 57 percent. Premenstrual weight gain was also reduced by 50 percent compared to those women who were taking a placebo. These results show that using flower pollen extract as a herbal therapy can provide substantial symptomatic relief of PMS with minimal risk of adverse effects.

Another study followed researching the effects of flower pollen extracts on the symptoms of menopause, specifically hot flashes. The study was done on 64 menopausal women, each of whom were either given two tablets of flower pollen extract each morning, or two identical placebo tablets for three consecutive months. The study concluded that 65 percent of the patients in the active-treatment group showed a reduction in hot flashes, compared to 38 percent of the patients in the placebo group. These results concluded that flower pollen extract significantly reduces hot flushes along with certain other menopausal symptoms, as compared to a placebo.

If you are experiencing menopausal or PMS symptoms, Swedish pollen flower might be exactly what you are looking for to alleviate your symptoms so you can enjoy life more.
by Darrell Miller

If you have been involved at all with the health-food, fitness or body building scenes, you have probably heard the term “Blue Green Algae.” In fact if you do a search on the internet you will probably be faced with an overwhelming amount of information, not to mention the huge volume of “Blue Green Algae” products available. This article will examine the “Blue Green Algae” craze and whether it warrants further investigation or incorporation into your diet. Continue Reading…