Acai-The Superfood

You’ve likely never even heard of it. But studies have shown that this little berry is one of the most nutritious and powerful foods in the world! Açaí (ah-sigh-ee) is the high-energy berry of a special Amazon palm tree. Harvested in the rainforests of Brazil, açaí tastes like a vibrant blend of berries and chocolate. Hidden within its royal purple pigment is the magic that makes it nature's perfect energy fruit. Açaí is packed full of antioxidants, amino acids and essential fatty acids. Although açaí may not be available in your local supermarket, you can find it in several health food and gourmet stores (often in juice form). A new product featuring the unsweetened pulp is now also available, and I highly recommend that you choose this form of açaí.

Açaí pulp contains:

• A remarkable concentration of antioxidants that help combat premature aging, with 10 times more antioxidants than red grapes and 10 to 30 times the anthocyanins of red wine.


• A synergy of monounsaturated (healthy) fats, dietary fiber and phytosterols to help promote cardiovascular and digestive health.


• An almost perfect essential amino acid complex in conjunction with valuable trace minerals, vital to proper muscle contraction and regeneration.

The fatty acid content in açaí resembles that of olive oil, and is rich in monounsaturated oleic acid. Oleic acid is important for a number of reasons. It helps omega-3 fish oils penetrate the cell membrane; together they help make cell membranes more supple. By keeping the cell membrane supple, all hormones, neurotransmitter and insulin receptors function more efficiently. This is particularly important because high insulin levels create an inflammatory state, and we know, inflammation causes aging.

Why You Need More Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil—long recognized for their remarkable ability to protect against cardiovascular disease—may confer a wealth of additional benefits for human health, guarding against depression, cancer, osteoporosis, arthritis, and other crippling diseases of aging

Among the benefits:-

Heart (cardiovascular)

-Fish Oil Lowers Triglycerides (fats)

-Omega-3s Inhibit Inflammatory Compounds

-Fish Oils Rich in Omega-3s Fight After-Meal Surges in Blood Fats

-Omega-3s Slow Plaque Growth and Prevent Blood Clots

-Fish Oils Help Improve Endothelial Function (inner layer of blood vessels)

-Omega-3s Normalize Heart Rhythm, Prevent Sudden Cardiac Death

-Fish Oils and Omega-3s Counter Dangerous Metabolic Syndrome

Fighting Cancers

-Higher Omega-3 Intake Tied to Lower Cancer Risk

-Omega-3 Fats Induce Varied Cancer-Preventive Effects

-Omega-3s Fight Cancer in Laboratory and Animal Studies

-Omega-3s Show Potent Effects Against Prostate Cancer

-Omega-3s May Prevent and Inhibit Growth of Breast Cancer

-Omega-3s Shield Skin Against UV Light-Induced Cancer

-Omega-3s Enhance Effects of Cancer-Fighting Drugs

-Omega-3s Promote Healing From Cancer Surgery

Brain Foods

-Omega-3 Fats Fight Depression, Enhance Antidepressant Meds

-Improving Mood and Cognition Across Diverse Populations

-Omega-3s Support Healthy Brain Structure, Function

-Omega-3s Aid Brain Health by Fighting Inflammation

Bone Health

-Omega-3s Prevent Bone Loss

-Omega-3s Increase Calcium Absorption

-Omega-3s Maintain Bone Mass

-Omega-3s May Promote Dental Health

Joint Health & Reduce Pains

-Omega-3s Help Relieve Osteoarthritis Pain

-Powerful Pain Relief for Rheumatoid Arthritis

-Natural, Safe Relief—Without the Risks of Pharmaceuticals

-Omega-3s Fight Pain by Quelling Inflammation

Full excellent article review here

Dr H's comments:

In view of the diverse and undisputed benefits of omega 3 fish oil, it is very much advisable to consume fish in your daily meal...or probably supplement yourselves with quality grade omega 3 fish oil

fish oil

The Dangers of Chronic Inflammation

Just now I had a patient who asked me about the danger of 'keradangan darah' (chronic inflammation). apparently he got his blood tested somewhere and told that his 'inflammatory marker' (I presumed it is c-reactive protein) was somewhat high and it's not so good.

First of all, what is inflammation?

Imagine you had a fall and injured your ankle-then you got the pain, swelling, redness etc. that means your white blood cells go attacking the injured place and release a few inflammatory substances to help you heal from the injury. well, the process of inflammation is very much needed in our everyday's life, the problem arises when it is not under controlled and that will causes a lot of problems
The article below is simplified from Life Extension about chronic inflammation.you can read the full article here

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Chronic inflammation is involved in diseases as diverse as atherosclerosis, cancer, heart valve dysfunction, obesity, diabetes, congestive heart failure, digestive system diseases, and Alzheimer's disease.

In aged people with multiple degenerative diseases, the inflammatory marker, C-reactive protein, is often sharply elevated, indicating the presence of an underlying inflammatory disorder.CRP also can predict your risk of getting heart attack. Studies showed that people with high levels of C-reactive protein were almost three times as likely to die from a heart attack

What Causes Elevated C-reactive Protein?

• Cooking foods at high temperatures results in a "browning" effect, where sugars and certain oxidized fats react with proteins to form glycotoxins in the food.this leads to chronic inflammatory process


• Consuming low glycemic foods prevents the insulin surge that contributes to chronic inflammatory processes. It is also important to avoid over consumption of foods high in arachidonic acid (beef, egg yolk, dairy, etc.).
  

Reducing Inflammation

The following supplements are suggested:

• The docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) fraction of fish oil may be the most effective nonprescription supplement to suppress pro-inflammatory cytokines. Gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) is a precursor of PGE1, a potent anti-inflammatory agent


• DHEA is a hormone that decreases with age. DHEA has been shown to suppress IL-6, an inflammatory cytokine that often increases as people age. Typical doses of DHEA are 25-50 mg daily, although some people take 100 mg daily.


• Nettle leaf has been shown to suppress the proinflammatory cytokine TNF-a. Take 1000 mg daily.


• Vitamin E and N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) are protective antioxidants with anti-inflammatory properties. Vitamin E that contains gamma-tocopherol and tocotrienols provides the most broad-spectrum protection


• Vitamin K helps reduce levels of IL-6, a pro-inflammatory messenger


• Consuming at least 1000 mg per day of carnosine