Vitamin Information Center

Have you ever wondered why it is that so many Japanese women and other Asian women look so much younger than their years? It certainly is intriguing to know just what is it in Japanese skincare products that seems to delay or stop the aging process, and makes skin look so smooth, healthy, and young.

The Japanese have traditionally used Mother Nature’s gifts from the earth and the sea to nourish and beautify their skin. Let’s take a look at some of the natural beauty ingredients that the women of Japan have been using since ancient times.

Azuki. A kind of red bean, it is also known as adzuki or aduki. It is a centuries-old traditional beauty ingredient in Japan and in some other Asian countries. Women would place ground azuki in small silk pouches, which they would then rub on their face to keep it smooth and free from blemishes.

Komenuka Rice Bran. Another super ingredient in Japanese skin care tradition, it enjoys a reputation as excellent skin food. Its nourishment properties help keep the skin looking young and smooth by preventing wrinkles from appearing and by controlling the skin’s natural oil production.

Wakame Kelp. This is a kind of sea algae found in the waters of Japan and is one of the superstars in Japanese traditional and natural skincare. Its other health benefits are so many that it’s also used as an ingredient in many Japanese dishes.

One of the things that is so amazing about wakame algae is its remarkable ability to prevent the breakdown of hyaluronic acid, a substance that our body needs in order to maintain healthy skin and keep it supple, firm, and young. Having insufficient amounts of hyaluronic acid leads to dark circles under the eyes and to dry, unappealing skin.

Another characteristic of this Japanese seaweed derivative is the excellent protection it provides from harmful free radicals, which cause our skin to age prematurely. It is rich in minerals needed for skin health and beauty, such as calcium, potassium, and vitamin B. It truly is a beauty preserver, and an outstanding skin care product ingredient.

You don’t necessarily have to be Japanese in order to experience the beneficial effects of these traditional beauty products used in Japan. There are anti-aging products like face creams, eye creams, and firming masks that contain them, and which you can buy regardless of your race or skin color.

Despite great advances in medicine, cancer is still a very common disease. At current rates, more than a third of us will suffer from cancer during our lifetime and about one in four of us will die from it. According to the American Cancer Society, 7.6 million people worldwide died from cancer in 2007.

Research statistics report that 30 to 40% of cancers are directly linked to nutrition, which shows the importance of a healthy diet in cancer prevention. Meanwhile, scientists continue to investigate foods known to be anti-carcinogenic in order to develop strategies for both cancer prevention (chemoprevention) and treatment (chemotherapy). As Hippocrates said over 2000 years ago, “Let food be thy medicine.”

The problem with current chemotherapeutic treatments is that most are not completely selective for carcinogenic cells—they harm normal cells too—and decrease the quality of life for cancer patients. Scientists are hoping that by developing chemopreventive or chemotherapeutic agents based on natural micronutrients, they will be able to develop drugs that target cancer cells with less or no harm to normal cells.

Vitamin E is an important antioxidant micronutrient. Research shows that vitamin E not only improves skin health, boosts the immune system, protects against heart disease, aging and Alzheimer’s, but also has a role in protection against some types of cancer. Unlike some vitamins, which consist of a single compound, vitamin E consists of eight different compounds, four tocopherols and four tocotrienols. Our food contains all eight compounds. Tocopherols are most commonly found in nuts and vegetable oils, whereas tocotrienols are primarily derived from palm oil, oat, rye, wheat germ, barley and rice bran.

Even though the vitamin E family consists of 8 members, most research has traditionally focused on alpha-tocopherol. Alpha-tocopherol is the most abundant form of vitamin E in the plasma and tissue of humans as well as in vitamin supplements, while the seven other types of vitamin E were greatly ignored for many years. Recent research over the last few years has led to the conclusion that the eight vitamin E compounds have different anti-carcinogenic potencies which need to be considered.

The cancer preventive properties of vitamin E were first suspected when studies showed that people in the Mediterranean area who consume diets rich in vitamin E have a lower risk of colon cancer than people in Northern Europe and the U.S. (Eur J Clin Nutr. 1989; 43:49-55, Cancer Causes Control. 1995; 6:525-31.) More recently, the Melbourne Colorectal Cancer Study showed that dietary vitamins E and C were protective for both colon and rectal cancer, and that for both vitamins there was a dose-response effect of increasing protection. (Nutr Cancer. 2006; 56:11-21.)

Another clinical study supported a preventive effect of vitamin E in the development of prostate cancer. This study included over 29,000 elderly male smokers and showed that those taking vitamin E for six years had 32% fewer diagnoses of prostate cancer and 41% fewer prostate cancer deaths than men who did not take vitamin E. (J Natl Cancer Inst. 1998; 90:440-446.) The ongoing NIH sponsored Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT) is investigating selenium and vitamin E for prostate cancer prevention based on the encouraging results of earlier studies.

In the past few years most of the research has focused on structural variations of the natural forms of vitamin E with the aim of developing the anti-carcinogenic potency of these agents. The scientific community is hoping to take some of the synthetic derivatives to clinical trials, so it will be interesting to see if any of these compounds will be eventually developed into chemopreventive or chemotherapeutic agents.

But you should be aware that all vitamin E supplements are NOT created equal. Many contain synthetic vitamin E, and many do not contain all of the various types of natural vitamin E that the body requires. Make certain that your supplement contains both natural tocopherols and tocotrienols in their natural forms if you want to get the most out of what vitamin E has to offer. Only products that contain the complete vitamin E family—tocopherols plus tocotrienols—provide the full spectrum of benefits of vitamim E.

The Anti-Aging Bottom Line: A careful examination of the research performed so far on vitamin E and cancer leads me to conclude that vitamin E possesses strong anti-carcinogenic properties. While food is by far the preferred source of vitamin E, it is practically impossible to get protective amounts of vitamin E from food alone. Therefore, I feel that taking supplemental vitamin E is absolutely essential to achieving vibrant health and longevity.

Higher-dose vitamin D supplements are now in demand. But consumers who take higher-dose vitamin D supplements and whose dietary intake of calcium is high may experience muscle cramping and other symptoms, which can be avoided by taking vitamin D in combination with muscle-relaxing magnesium - as provided in the new “30 Minutes of Sunshine™” dietary supplement by Lifespan Nutrition.

San Dimas, CA (PRWEB) March 28, 2008 — Americans don’t get enough sunshine and experts now suggest Americans need to supplement their diet to achieve optimal levels of vitamin D. 30-Minutes of Sunshine™ is the new vitamin D3 dietary supplement that does this safely and affordably.

30-Minute of Sunshine™, available from Lifespan Nutrition, is the all new mineral-balanced vitamin D3 supplement featuring 5000 international units (IU) of water-soluble vitamin D3 combined with magnesium citrate, vitamin B6 and ferulate from rice bran, all for less than 25 cents per day. Up to 5000 units of supplemental vitamin D3 is now recommended by The Vitamin D Council.

Health authorities recognize vitamin D deficiency is widespread and now advise the public to obtain 30 minutes of midday sunshine or about 5000 international units of vitamin D per day, for optimal health. [Expert Opinion in Pharmacotherapy 9: 107-18, January 2008 The Recommended Daily Value for vitamin D (400 IU) does not significantly raise blood concentrations of vitamin D to levels achieved by regular midday sun exposure.

This unique formula is designed to optimize vitamin D3 absorption and prevent muscle cramping that may be induced by high-dose vitamin D supplements that are now in demand.

Since vitamin D increases utilization of calcium and magnesium, and the American diet is overly rich in calcium (Americans consume about three times more calcium than magnesium), an unfavorable calcium-to-magnesium ratio may produce avoidable side effects.

Since calcium promotes muscle tightness and magnesium muscle relaxation, calcium dominance can produce symptoms such as muscle cramping and constipation. Other symptoms of excessive calcium include migraine headaches, heart flutters and anxiety reactions. In addition to dietary calcium, many Americans may be taking calcium supplements with vitamin D which may further exacerbate these symptoms. [Journal American College Nutrition 1994 Oct; 13(5):429-46

30 Minutes Of Sunshine™ provides 125 milligrams of elemental magnesium citrate per capsule along with water-soluble vitamin D3, both highly absorbable forms of these nutrients.

The 30-Minutes of Sunshine™ formula also provides an ample amount of vitamin B6 required for magnesium utilization, and rice bran ferulate, a natural antioxidant that may improve the ability of vitamin D to enter cells via enhanced sensitivity of the vitamin D receptor.

Vitamin D3 is the natural form of vitamin D, which is preferred over synthetic vitamin D2. Some vitamin D experts state that vitamin D2 is not suitable for supplementation or food fortification. [American Journal Clinical Nutrition 2006 Oct; 84(4):694-7

While natural vitamin D is free and amply provided by skin exposure to midday sun, most Americans are deficient, particularly during winter months or when living in northern climates. Many people living in sunny climates have also been found to be deficient. The best diet only provides a few hundred units of vitamin D and does not meaningfully raise vitamin D levels.

Concerns over excessive sun exposure and skin cancer are far outweighed by the benefits of vitamin D, which include improved cardiovascular, bone, muscle and cellular health and enhanced immunity. Now consumers have a way, using dietary supplements, to obtain vitamin D without concerns over excessive sun exposure.

Only recently have health authorities realized they have been unduly concerned over potential side effects from higher-dose vitamin D, given that an hour of midday full-body sun exposure can produce up to 10,000 units of natural vitamin D without side effects. Medical textbooks must now be rewritten.

A portion of the sale of 30-Minutes of Sunshine™ is donated to The Vitamin D Council. For more information about vitamin D and the 30-Minutes of Sunshine™ formula, including a free Family Guide For Vitamin D, please visit www.lifespannutrition.com or call Lifespan Nutrition at 1 800 247-5731.

For Immediate Release
Contact: Lucy Sardi 909 599-2009
Email: (lasardi1 @ aol.com)

Lifespan Nutrition
457 West Allen Avenue, Unit 117, San Dimas, CA. 91773 USA
www.lifespannutrition.com

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