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Sp ecial Rep or t

Super Foods
You adhere to the old adage, you are what you eat. So you make it a point to consume lean protein and darkly colored fruits and vegetables. But does your diet include these super foods? If your goal is to stay younger and healthier longer, it really should.
Wine Polyphenols
Despite a high cholesterol diet, the risk of Frenchmen dying from heart disease is nearly 50% less than for Americans and other Europeans.3-5 The predominant reason is that the French drink far more red wine than the rest of us. Wine which contains powerful antioxidants and other factors quercetin, resveratrol, proanthocyanidins (from seeds), anthocyanins (which give purple and red grapes their color) classified as polyphenols, that protect the heart and vascular system.1,6-8 The super-antioxidants found in grape seeds are particularly powerful and provide a broad spectrum of protection.9,10 Scientific studies document their multiple benefits which include antibiotic, anti-tumor, anti-diabetic, anti-ulcer, pro-heart and arteries, and anti-brain aging.9,11,12 All of which is why wine especially red wine tops our list of super foods to include! Grapevines have been cultivated for over 6,000 years in some of the most challenging environments on earth where they survive intense sun; long periods of drought; assaults from fungi, parasites, and other diseases. To help cope with these challenges, grapevines produce a host of protective substances many of which are now finding a place in human health and longevity. To combat the stresses of harsh environments, grapevines produce chemicals known as phenolic acids, stilbenes, and flavonoids.1,2 When these molecules clump together, they produce potent antifungal and antioxidant substances called polyphenols. Scientists are continually learning more about how these polyphenols and other grapevine chemicals are absorbed in the human digestive tract to serve crucial antioxidant and lifepreserving functions. We get these polyphenols in very high concentrations from red wines, which have long been used for medicinal purposes. But it wasnt until the late 1990s that the true source of their benefits was explored. It turns out that when red wine is made, the juice rests in contact with both the grape skins and seeds (a step thats absent in white wine production). And the resulting benefits are apparent in the French paradox.

The Anti-Aging Powers of

Life Extension Foundation


For more than 32 years, the Life Extension Foundation has sought to help people like you live healthier longer. To that end, weve spent over $100 million on innovative anti-aging research, and made it our business to provide our members with products, services, and information to help them make better health decisions. Based on the research we fund and the information we report, weve formulated some 350 different premium-quality, science-based nutritional supplements to help you achieve and maintain optimal health and assembled an integrative team of Health Advisors to help you in customizing personal regimens of diet, exercise, and nutritional supplements. With our help you can feel younger, stay healthier, and live longer. So call a Life Extension Health Advisor at 1-800-226-2370 to get started today.

Blueberry Flavonoids

Blueberries have appropriately been labeled a super fruit, possessing the ability to block and even reverse many of the consequences of aging. It was first suggested 10 years ago that blueberries protect brain function and cognition. Since then, research has also revealed multiple additional health

Sp ecial Rep or t

Pomegranates clinically validated cardioprotective effects are the reason pomegranate juice is referred to as hearthealthy. 26

benefits provided by the flavonoids in blueberries, which have been found to possess potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and gene regulating characteristics. Consuming blueberries is now associated with living longer and aging slower. See figure 1. Blueberry flavonoids have been shown to improve: weight loss,17 high blood pressure,18 high triglycerides,19 high blood sugar levels.20-22 They also lower the risk of a heart attack, stroke, cancer, and loss of cognitive function. Thats a lot of benefit! And, like cranberries, blueberries also contain compounds that promote urinary tract health by preventing E. coli bacteria, responsible for most urinary tract infections, from attaching to the bladder wall.23 Most scientists now agree that while the antioxidant function of blueberries is extremely important, it doesnt even begin to stack up to the more complex effects of blueberry flavonoids on overall cell and tissue survival.24,25

Pomegranate Punicalagins and more

There are a number of reasons to include pomegranate in your diet. For starters, an abundance of clinical data has established that pomegranate provides unrivalled protection against cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer and Alzheimers

disease and supports skin, joint, dental, and liver health. Pomegranates clinically validated cardio-protective effects are the reason pomegranate juice is referred to as heart-healthy. 26 Some of its flavonoids help protect blood vessels against atherosclerosis27 while other polyphenols have anti-inflammatory effects that further protect blood vessels from damage, prevent thickening of the arterial walls, and lower blood pressure.26 Pomegranate punicalagins, polyphenols unique to the pomegranate, slow prostate cancer cell growth.28 Ellagic acid and other pomegranate polyphenols disrupt cancer development at multiple stages29-31 and inhibit growth of disease-causing bacteria, fungi, and parasites.32-34 The polyphenol pomegranatate35 fights weight gain, high glucose levels, and systemic inflammation to provide protection against type 2 diabetes. Pomegranate flower extract slows the rate at which free sugar is absorbed into the bloodstream by inhibiting the alpha-glucosidase36 digestive enzyme. And pomegranate seed oil offers potent chemoprevention against breast, prostate, and other common human cancers; facilitates the repair of aging skin; supports immune function, and reduces inflammation.29,37-39 Whew! All that from one funny looking fruit.

Sp ecial Rep or t
Cruciferous vegetables are powerful anticancer agents especially broccoli, which contains so many life-extending nutrients.
Figure 1.

Tissue Impact of Aging


Brain Skin Slows response to sounds Wrinkling, thinning, roughness, sagging Retinal cell death from light-induced damage, abnormal increase in blood vessels leading to macular degeneration and loss of vision Increases bone loss

Effect of Blueberries
Restores responses to youthful speeds13 Improves overall appearance, restores skin thickness, smoothness, radiance, and firmness; reduces wrinkling14 Improves cell survival, reduces damage from light, reduces new blood vessel formation15 More active bone-reproducing cells, reduces post-menopausal bone loss16

Eye

Bone

Broccoli Glucosinolates

Cruciferous vegetables are powerful anti-cancer agents especially broccoli, which contains so many life-extending nutrients. An average serving of cooked broccoli has more vitamin C than an orange, as much calcium as an eight-ounce glass of milk, and a broccoli spear has three times the fiber of a slice of wheat bread. Broccoli also includes generous amounts of manganese, beta carotene, and vitamin K. And broccolis health benefits are not diminished by steaming.40 Surprisingly, heat actually appears to increase its benefits! Glucosinolates are the phyto-chemicals in broccoli shown to protect the human body against various types of cancer. In fact, people who eat four servings of broccoli a week slash their risk of colorectal cancer by more than 50%41 and may cut the risk of bladder cancer by 50%,42 compared to people who never eat it. And thats not all. Broccoli also helps prevent gastritis, stomach ulcers and stomach cancer (the second most common form of cancer)43 by killing helicobacter pylori, a tenacious bacteria that can infect stomach cells. When it does, it produces a toxin that can take two or three antibiotics to kill. Researchers who learned that eating broccoli sprouts helped heal stomach ulcers began to explore

the antibiotic potential of the sulforaphane glucosinolate, a well known antioxidant in broccoli. The results were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. It seems that sulforaphane extracted from broccoli seeds wiped out strains of H. pylori from 45 people and that included strains resistant to antibiotics.44 So now sulforaphane is being tested at several universities for its ability to stop the growth of human cancers. In addition to killing cancer cells outright, these natural, organic cancer-fighters in broccoli discourage cancer by stopping DNA damage. They enhance cellular defenses and prevent cancer from getting a toe-hold by detoxifying cancer-causing chemicals so they dont turn carcinogenic in the body. Because most cases of cancer can be prevented through diet and lifestyle, and because anything that kills pre-cancer and cancer cells is essential for cancer prevention, the science of broccoli is getting a lot of attention from cancer researchers and oncologists. But be aware that if you decide to take broccoli in supplement form, more is not better. The phytocompounds in broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables are quite powerful. These substances can induce cancer cells to die within hours. So stick to the recommended dose.

Sp ecial Rep or t
And keep in mind that broccoli sprouts provide a more concentrated amount of these phyto-nutrients than the mature plant you buy at the grocery store. Thats why high-quality supplements are made from sprouts. And the only way to be sure of a consistent dose of their cancer-fighting compounds is to take a standardized supplement.
References: 1. J Clin Lab Anal. 1997;11(5):287-313. 2. Drugs Exp Clin Res. 1999;25(2-3):57-63. 3. FASEB J. 2002 Dec;16(14):1958-60. 4. Lancet. 1994 Dec 24-31;344(8939-8940):1719-23. 5. JR Soc Health. 1995 Aug;115(4):217-9. 6. J Agric Food Chem. 2003 Feb 12;51(4):902-9. 7. Ann NY Acad Sci. 2002 May;957:308-16. 8. Ann NY Acad Sci. 2002 May;957:295-301. 9. Biofactors. 2004; 21(1-4):197-201. 10. Gen Pharmacol. 1998 May;30(5):771-6. 11. Mol Cell Biochem. 1999 Jun;196(1-2):99-108. 12. J Agric Food Chem. 2004 Dec 29;52(26):7872-83. 13. Neurobiol Aging. 2006 Jul;27(7):1035-44. 14. Recent Pat Biotechnol.2010 Jun;4(2):112-24. 15. Br J Nutr. 2012 Jul;108(1):16-27. 16. PLoS One. 2011;6(9):e24486. 17. J Agric Food Chem.2010 Apr14;58(7):3970-6. 18. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem.2007 Sep;71(9):2335-7. 19. J Med Food. 2011 Dec;14(12):1511-8. 20. Int J Obes (Lond). 2009 Oct;33(10):1166-73. 21. Georgian Med News. 2006 Dec;(141):66-72. 22. J Nutr. 2010 Mar;140(3):527-33. 23. J Agric Food Chem. 2004 Oct 20;52(21):6433-42. 24. Nutr Neurosci. 2011 May;14(3):119-25. 25. J Agric Food Chem. 2010 Apr 14;58(7):3950-6. 26. Nutr Rev. 2009 Jan;67(1):49-56. 27. Drugs Exp Clin Res. 2002;28(2-3):49-62. 28. Cancer Lett. 2008 Oct 8;269(2):262-8. 29. J Ethnopharmacol. 2007 Jan 19;109(2):177-206. 30. Semin Cancer Biol. 2007 Oct;17(5):377-85. 31. J Pharm Pharmacol. 2008 Feb;60(2):139-44. 32. J Food Prot. 2009 Dec;72(12):2508-16. 33. Planta Med. 2007 May;73(5):461-7. 34. J Ethnopharmacol. 1994 Aug;44(1):41-6. 35. Fitoterapia. 2006 Dec;77(7-8):534-7. 36. J Ethnopharmacol. 2005 Jun 3;99(2):239-44. 37. J Ethnopharmacol. 2006 Feb 20;103(3):311-8. 38. Nutrition. 2006 Jan;22(1):54-9. 39. Nitric Oxide. 2007 Aug;17(1):50-4. 40. J Zhejiang Univ Sci B. 2009 Aug;10(8):580-8. 41. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 1999 Oct;8(10):947-9. 42. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1999; 91:605-12. 43. Cancer Prev Res (Phila).2009 Apr;2(4):353-60. 44. Proc Natl Acad Sci U.S.A. 2002 May 28;99(11):7610-5.

So take the next step. Call a Life Extension Health Advisor now at 1-800-226-2370 toll-free. Find out what you need to be doing! www.LifeExtension.com

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