Fit and Youthful Life

Guest Author: Steve Smith


Resveratrol is a polyphenol type flavonoid currently exciting great interest as a potential boon to health. Like other flavonoids and polyphenols, it is a very useful anti-oxidant in its own right, but resveratrol has attracted particular attention as a potential solution to the so-called “French Paradox”.

This is the term used to describe the phenomenon, which has long been a puzzle to medical science, by which rates of cardiovascular disease in France have remained low relative to those in the rest of the developed world, despite the widespread national consumption of a diet high in animal fat and cholesterol, and a firmly entrenched tobacco habit. Of course France also enjoys many of the benefits of the so-called Mediterranean diet through its high intake of fresh fruit and vegetables, oily fish and olive oil, but there are good reasons to think that the consumption of red wine may be the real explanation of the apparent paradox.

It is known in any case that the moderate consumption of alcohol has a significant protective effect on the cardiovascular system, reducing disease by as much as 20-30%, but conventional medical opinion is characteristically cautious in acknowledging that the resveratrol in red wine may have any benefits over and above those which would in any case be provided by the alcohol. However, the role of fat-soluble anti-oxidants in protecting the circulatory system from damaging free radical attack is well understood, and it would therefore appear that the resveratrol and other polyphenols contained in red wine can only be beneficial. Laboratory tests, moreover, have shown resveratrol to have significant anti-coagulant and anti-inflammatory effects.

For the purposes of obtaining your intake of resveratrol from wine you need to know that it’s contained principally in the skins of red or black grapes, and is consequently found in significant quantities only in those wines produced by an initial pulp fermentation which allows the developing alcohol to leach both colour and other substances, including resveratrol, from the skins. It follows that the longer this pulp fermentation is allowed to continue the more resveratrol the wine will contain. So the colour of the wine is a handy guide. Generally, the richer and darker the colour of the wine the more resveratrol will be found. Rose types and light reds may contain some, but white wines produced by a juice fermentation alone will provide little if any.

Usually it is the red wines produced in the sunnnier climates close to the Mediterranean, and the New World, which will be richest in resveratrol, and dark red wines of this type may provide as much as 2 mg of resveratrol in a small 5 oz glass. But unfortunately from a health point of view, these also tend to be the strongest in alcohol and the so-called “congeners” which accentuate hangovers.

But fortunately for those who dislike red wine, or are concerned about alcohol intake, other sources of resveratrol are available. The amount in foods varies widely, but the best sources are peanuts and red grapes, both of which may provide anywhere between 0.3 and 1.3 mg of resveratrol per cup. Bilberries and cranberries may also be a useful source.

Supplements of resveratrol are also now readily available, principally in the form of red wine or red grape extracts, which will also contain other anti-oxidant polyphenols. Manufacturers’ recommended doses will typically provide between 10 and 50 mg of resveratrol, which would require a very high, and potentially hazardous, level of wine consumption to achieve regularly.

That said, there is no known toxicity from taking resveratrol, as such, although its blood thinning properties will tend to inhibit the blood’s clotting ability and resveratrol is therefore not recommended for those taking anti-coagulant drugs such as warfarin, or certain types of anti-inflammatory including aspirin. Needless to say, however, toxicity problems of a different kind may occur if alcoholic drinks are used to excess as the principal or only source.

But as noted above, moderate consumption is generally recognised to be beneficial to health, particularly for the cardiovascular system. So the message seems to be: if you want to enjoy a couple of glasses of wine with your dinner then go right ahead. And have that age old pleasure enhanced by the knowledge that the resveratrol it contains is also doing you some good.



How French Women Stay Young

Guest Author: Lambert Klein


ease is the number one killer in the United States today. If you have certain risks factors, it is critical that you take measures to improve and maintain good cardio health. Keep reading to discover what you can do to naturally improve your heart function for a long and healthy life.

1. Lose weight. This should be at the top of your list to get into good physical health overall, but it is especially important to your cardio health. Overweight people are at a higher risk for developing diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and even certain types of cancer. Obesity will also cause your heart to pump harder which can lead to long term damage.

2. Stop smoking. This killer habit can put you at a much higher risk for heart attack and stroke. Smoking is one of the most preventable causes of heart disease there is. So if you smoke stop. If you don’t smoke, don’t start. If you live with a smoker, insist that they not smoke around you. Second hand smoke can do just as much, if not more, damage to your lungs.

3. Exercise. Your heart is a muscle. The best way to develop any muscle is through exercise. This includes your heart muscle. Exercise gets your blood pumping and makes your heart stronger. It also reduces cholesterol levels and helps to reduce stress.

4. Eat heart healthy foods. Foods that are rich in potassium are good for your heart. You should also try to avoid foods that are high in sodium because sodium will make you retain excess water and put a strain on your heart muscle. Studies have shown that foods that are rich in omega 3 fatty acids are good for your heart. Stop eating the high calorie, high fat junk foods and start eating a diet rich in fiber, fruit and vegetables.

5. Lower your stress levels. This can be easier said than done. We all lead busy, stressful lives. If you feel that you are under too much stress, investigate ways to decrease these stress levels. There may be some things you cannot change, but some things you can. If you are trying to be perfect in everything you do, stop. Nobody is perfect and trying to achieve perfection will cause unneeded stress in your life. Find something that you can do that will de-stress you. Some people like to exercise while others engage in their favorite hobby. Whatever you, do try to lower your stress level to protect your heart from the damage that ongoing stress can cause.

So there you have five great tips on how to improve and maintain your cardio health. Use these tips wisely and develop a few of your own. Keep your cardiovascular system healthy and lower your risk for heart disease.

Guest Author: Peter Clark


So your getting older and starting to notice those eye wrinkles that were so lacking just a few short years ago? And suddenly you’re on the net trying to find out which are the best eye wrinkle creams. What advice do I have for you?

Eye wrinkles are indisputably a part of growing old. As we get older we find that our skin elasticity, which was so good when we were younger, is no longer as good as it once was. If you don’t believe me then pinch the skin of your arm, pull it up and release it and see how long it takes to shrink back into shape. Then do the same with someone who is 20 or younger and watch the difference.

Eye wrinkles, or facial wrinkles generally, are a function of our age. With age comes poorer skin health, including reduced skin elasticity. And our muscles, both in our face and eyes and generally weren’t what they were and just don’t seem to hold us together as well as they once did. Both around our eyes and in other areas we sag where we don’t want to.

There are some good eye wrinkle creams on the market, designed to help us combat the effects of skin aging and sagging, and help improve those troublesome wrinkles which just seem to get worse.

But there is some bad news too. Whilst a good wrinkle cream will help disguise those marks that look so – old, there are also other things that you should do to help combat those wrinkles and signs of aging. And while it’s oh so easy to smear on a wrinkle cream around our eyes it takes a little more effort to put together a complete skin care regime that helps us maintain good skin health and good health generally as we age.

Firstly comes diet and exercise. Good skin care creams usually include antioxidants that help reverse some of the negative effects of free radicals on our skin. However one of the best ways to combat free radicals is to improve our diet to include fresh fruit and vegetables high in antioxidants. And to increase our exercise level to improve our overall health, which in turn has good effects of our skin health as well.

And there are very good facial exercises that take a few minutes a day that can do wonders for our facial skin health, including the skin health and muscle tone around our eyes.

Combine all this with one of the best eye wrinkle creams and you have a total skin regime designed to have maximum effect on those annoying skin wrinkles that seem to have appeared around your eyes overnight. There is no doubt that there are some effective anti wrinkle products around, but you need to have a multi pronged attack to have a maximum effect.

But don’t forget the eye wrinkle cream, that’s an integral part of your skin regime, and shouldn’t be overlooked. Find the best eye wrinkle cream that works for you and use it religiously, eat and exercise well and you should minimise the look of those crows feet and fine lines around your eyes, and be healthier as well.



Health and Vitality Now