Supplements may reduce the risk of breast cancer.
According to findings presented at the American Association for Cancer Research 101st Annual Meeting 2010, vitamins and calcium supplements appear to reduce the risk of breast cancer.
"It is not an immediate effect. You don't take a vitamin today and your breast cancer risk is reduced tomorrow," said Jaime Matta, Ph.D., professor in the Ponce School of Medicine in Puerto Rico. "However, we did see a long-term effect in terms of breast cancer reduction."
Matta said the findings suggest that the calcium supplements are acting to enhance DNA repair capacity, a complex biological process involving more than 200 proteins that, if disrupted, can lead to cancer.
"This process involves at least five separate pathways and is critical for maintaining genomic stability," said Matta. "When the DNA is not repaired, it leads to mutation that leads to cancer."
The study included 268 women with breast cancer and 457 healthy controls. Women were more likely to have breast cancer if they were older, had a family history of breast cancer, had no history of breastfeeding and had lower DNA repair capacity.
Vitamin supplements appeared to reduce the risk of breast cancer by about 30 percent. Calcium supplements reduced the risk of breast cancer by 40 percent. After controlling for the level of DNA repair capacity, calcium supplements were no longer as protective, but the link between vitamin supplements and breast cancer reduction remained.
"We're not talking about mega doses of these vitamins and calcium supplements, so this is definitely one way to reduce risk," said Matta.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
VitaMist Core Four
We all want to live a healthier lifestyle, but what does this really mean? And how is it possible?
We know that an unhealthy lifestyle can lead to obesity, heart disease, low energy level, depression as well as skin and hair problems. The trouble is, words like 'healthy eating', 'healthy lifestyle', and 'fitness program' sound complicated and just too difficult for everyday life. However, it is not! You can start by sneaking healthy habits into your current lifestyle. The following tips will help you gradually adapt to a healthier lifestyle.
So, here are three major problems we use as our excuses:
Problem 1: I don't know anything about healthy eating.
Health Tip: Following a balanced diet is not rocket science. You need a balanced proportion of protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals and fluids in your diet. The easiest sources are meat, fish, and vegetables for protein, grains for fiber and fruits and vegetables for minerals and vitamlarins. Eat reguly, don't skip meals, cook in low-fat oil and avoid junk food.
Problem 2: Health foods are tasteless.
Health Tip: There are a number of readily available tasty health-food recipes on the Internet. One great example: add tasty dressings or crunchy nuts to a salad and make it a complete meal. (Nuts are a great source of protein.)
Problem 3: We've all heard this - and used it! - I have no time to exercise.
Health Tip: You don't need to always hit the gym. Every time you bend to pick something, squat instead. Don't sit in one position for a long time. Stretch your body. Run up the steps to your office or walk a couple of blocks in the lunch break.
In the 21st Century, supplements are a crucial part of any healthy lifestyle, so make sure you add a minimum of the VitaMist Core Four to your routine.
In Health,
Clive R. Spray
VitaMist's Core Four
With the VitaMist Core Four We have put together the 4 key sprays that fit into everyone's supplementation program.
VitaMist® Multiple combines essential vitamins and minerals into one, easy to use, convenient product. Although most nutritionists may still recommend getting your nutrients from a well-balanced diet, it is now generally accepted that this is no longer possible and so all Americans are urged to take a daily multiple vitamin supplement.
VitaMist Colloidal Minerals provides more than 70 different minerals that originate from pure and natural sources, in each and every dose. VitaMist Colloidal Minerals contains those minerals that we need in minute, or trace, amounts. These minerals can no longer be found in our depleted, nutrient starved soils, but we need them for the optimum functioning of normal cellular processes within the body.
A healthy immune system is the key to a healthy body, and VitaMist C+Zinc provides two nutrients that are essential for building and maintaining a strong immune system. Vitamin C is a nutrient that the human body is unable to store, so a regular supply must be obtained from our diet and our supplements. The combination of vitamin C with zinc, together with the unique delivery system, makes VitaMist C+Zinc a pivotal member of the Core.
It is impossible to say enough about the importance to the human body of vitamin B12. As a component of the Core - 4, B12 helps provide the essential vitamin B12 everyone needs to stay at their peak. Vitamin B12 is known to be involved in the synthesis of DNA and red blood cells and it is vitally important in maintaining the health of the insulation sheath (myelin sheath) that surrounds nerve cells. Our absorption of vitamin B12 declines markedly with age and many age-related disorders have been attributed to a deficiency of this crucial vitamin.
We know that an unhealthy lifestyle can lead to obesity, heart disease, low energy level, depression as well as skin and hair problems. The trouble is, words like 'healthy eating', 'healthy lifestyle', and 'fitness program' sound complicated and just too difficult for everyday life. However, it is not! You can start by sneaking healthy habits into your current lifestyle. The following tips will help you gradually adapt to a healthier lifestyle.
So, here are three major problems we use as our excuses:
Problem 1: I don't know anything about healthy eating.
Health Tip: Following a balanced diet is not rocket science. You need a balanced proportion of protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals and fluids in your diet. The easiest sources are meat, fish, and vegetables for protein, grains for fiber and fruits and vegetables for minerals and vitamlarins. Eat reguly, don't skip meals, cook in low-fat oil and avoid junk food.
Problem 2: Health foods are tasteless.
Health Tip: There are a number of readily available tasty health-food recipes on the Internet. One great example: add tasty dressings or crunchy nuts to a salad and make it a complete meal. (Nuts are a great source of protein.)
Problem 3: We've all heard this - and used it! - I have no time to exercise.
Health Tip: You don't need to always hit the gym. Every time you bend to pick something, squat instead. Don't sit in one position for a long time. Stretch your body. Run up the steps to your office or walk a couple of blocks in the lunch break.
In the 21st Century, supplements are a crucial part of any healthy lifestyle, so make sure you add a minimum of the VitaMist Core Four to your routine.
In Health,
Clive R. Spray
VitaMist's Core Four
With the VitaMist Core Four We have put together the 4 key sprays that fit into everyone's supplementation program.
VitaMist® Multiple combines essential vitamins and minerals into one, easy to use, convenient product. Although most nutritionists may still recommend getting your nutrients from a well-balanced diet, it is now generally accepted that this is no longer possible and so all Americans are urged to take a daily multiple vitamin supplement.
VitaMist Colloidal Minerals provides more than 70 different minerals that originate from pure and natural sources, in each and every dose. VitaMist Colloidal Minerals contains those minerals that we need in minute, or trace, amounts. These minerals can no longer be found in our depleted, nutrient starved soils, but we need them for the optimum functioning of normal cellular processes within the body.
A healthy immune system is the key to a healthy body, and VitaMist C+Zinc provides two nutrients that are essential for building and maintaining a strong immune system. Vitamin C is a nutrient that the human body is unable to store, so a regular supply must be obtained from our diet and our supplements. The combination of vitamin C with zinc, together with the unique delivery system, makes VitaMist C+Zinc a pivotal member of the Core.
It is impossible to say enough about the importance to the human body of vitamin B12. As a component of the Core - 4, B12 helps provide the essential vitamin B12 everyone needs to stay at their peak. Vitamin B12 is known to be involved in the synthesis of DNA and red blood cells and it is vitally important in maintaining the health of the insulation sheath (myelin sheath) that surrounds nerve cells. Our absorption of vitamin B12 declines markedly with age and many age-related disorders have been attributed to a deficiency of this crucial vitamin.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Nutrition Supplements with VitaMist
Proper nutrition is an essential part of maintaining good health and fitness, so here are some basic guidelines we should all be following. A well balanced diet, in conjunction with consistent regular exercise, is key in being healthy, fit, and feeling good about yourself.
The American Dietetic Association (ADA) recommendations for daily percentages for diet are as follows:
• Carbohydrates: 55 - 60%
• Proteins: 12 - 15%
• Fat: 25 - 30%
• Saturated Fat: <10%
Other important nutritional factors include 1) total calories consumed, 2) composition of ones diet, 3) meal size, and 4) frequency of meals. It is recommended that persons eat 4-6 "small" meals per day as opposed to 1-2 "large" meals. Smaller meals are easier to digest and eating more frequently helps to speed up the metabolism. Also, overloading on one type of food (carbohydrates, proteins, fats, etc.) is not recommended. As in life, balance is key. Following the above guidelines with regard to daily intake percentages will help with making certain you are not overloading on one food source.
Believe it or not, fat can be a good thing.......just make sure you keep it in moderation!! The body needs fat in order for the organs and nervous system to function properly. Without enough fat in their system, women can have problems with proper menstruation and men can have prostate problems later on in life. It is recommended that you consult a nutritionist to make certain that you are eating a diet that is healthy for you! Healthy body fat for men is 11%-17% and 18%-24% for women.
Let's get in the habit of healthy eating!
The American Dietetic Association (ADA) recommendations for daily percentages for diet are as follows:
• Carbohydrates: 55 - 60%
• Proteins: 12 - 15%
• Fat: 25 - 30%
• Saturated Fat: <10%
Other important nutritional factors include 1) total calories consumed, 2) composition of ones diet, 3) meal size, and 4) frequency of meals. It is recommended that persons eat 4-6 "small" meals per day as opposed to 1-2 "large" meals. Smaller meals are easier to digest and eating more frequently helps to speed up the metabolism. Also, overloading on one type of food (carbohydrates, proteins, fats, etc.) is not recommended. As in life, balance is key. Following the above guidelines with regard to daily intake percentages will help with making certain you are not overloading on one food source.
Believe it or not, fat can be a good thing.......just make sure you keep it in moderation!! The body needs fat in order for the organs and nervous system to function properly. Without enough fat in their system, women can have problems with proper menstruation and men can have prostate problems later on in life. It is recommended that you consult a nutritionist to make certain that you are eating a diet that is healthy for you! Healthy body fat for men is 11%-17% and 18%-24% for women.
Let's get in the habit of healthy eating!
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Eat Green for St. Patrick's Day
We don't mean filling up on green food coloring and green beer, but how about considering adding a new tradition - more green foods in your diet.
"Green foods across the board are healthy in terms of their vitamin, mineral, water and antioxidant content, and St. Patrick's Day is the perfect time to think about how you can incorporate more of them into your diet," says Erica Wald, RD, a wellness coordinator with the MFit Health Promotion Division at the University of Michigan Health System.
The key, as with any diet, is variety.
"You want to incorporate lots of different intensities of green all the various colors of green," she says. "The more varied the colors, the more varied your vitamin and mineral intake."
Wald also says that preparing them in a variety of ways, such as putting them in soups, stews and casseroles even serving them raw are great ways to incorporate more greens into your diet.
Here are seven healthy and delicious tips for eating green:
1. Increase your fiber with broccoli. Broccoli provides many health benefits, including both soluble and insoluble fiber; vitamins A, C and E (important antioxidants for staving off cellular damage from free-radicals); vitamin K for bone health; and a special antioxidant called sulforaphane, known for its powerful anticancer properties.
2. Vary your leafy greens. It's important to remember that leafy green vegetables, such as lettuces, come in varying shades of green. The lighter the green, the less vitamins and minerals they contain. The darker the green, the higher the concentration of vitamins and minerals. Spinach, a dark leafy green, contains lutein which is good for eye health. Collard greens also contain sulforaphane and beta carotene.
3. For bone health, look at vegetables like asparagus, green/herbal teas, spinach, kale, turnip, collard and mustard greens, broccoli, cabbage, endive and brussel sprouts.
4. Improve cholesterol with avocado, which is a good source of monounsaturated fats, which can help lower your cholesterol. Consider tossing your dark-green, leafy salad with a few slices of fresh avocado and balsamic vinegar for added benefit.
5. Alternate oranges with kiwifruit. Kiwifruit contain even more vitamin C than oranges and they're a great source of dietary fiber.
6. Snack on green apples. While green apples offer about the same benefits as red or yellow apples, Wald says green apples are a great source of soluble and insoluble fiber, which aid in digestion and heart health.
7. Drink tea green tea. If you like to drink tea, consider choosing green tea instead of black, oolong or other darker teas. Green tea next to white tea packs the biggest punch when it comes to antioxidants. It also contains flavonoids, a class of naturally occurring plant compounds that function as antioxidants.
Whether you like your green vegetables raw or cooked, there are many ways you can incorporate them into your meals.
All these foods are a great way to improve your diet. But whatever you do, don't forget you still need your VitaMist Sprays to make sure that you are getting all the vitamins you need every single day.
We don't mean filling up on green food coloring and green beer, but how about considering adding a new tradition - more green foods in your diet.
"Green foods across the board are healthy in terms of their vitamin, mineral, water and antioxidant content, and St. Patrick's Day is the perfect time to think about how you can incorporate more of them into your diet," says Erica Wald, RD, a wellness coordinator with the MFit Health Promotion Division at the University of Michigan Health System.
The key, as with any diet, is variety.
"You want to incorporate lots of different intensities of green all the various colors of green," she says. "The more varied the colors, the more varied your vitamin and mineral intake."
Wald also says that preparing them in a variety of ways, such as putting them in soups, stews and casseroles even serving them raw are great ways to incorporate more greens into your diet.
Here are seven healthy and delicious tips for eating green:
1. Increase your fiber with broccoli. Broccoli provides many health benefits, including both soluble and insoluble fiber; vitamins A, C and E (important antioxidants for staving off cellular damage from free-radicals); vitamin K for bone health; and a special antioxidant called sulforaphane, known for its powerful anticancer properties.
2. Vary your leafy greens. It's important to remember that leafy green vegetables, such as lettuces, come in varying shades of green. The lighter the green, the less vitamins and minerals they contain. The darker the green, the higher the concentration of vitamins and minerals. Spinach, a dark leafy green, contains lutein which is good for eye health. Collard greens also contain sulforaphane and beta carotene.
3. For bone health, look at vegetables like asparagus, green/herbal teas, spinach, kale, turnip, collard and mustard greens, broccoli, cabbage, endive and brussel sprouts.
4. Improve cholesterol with avocado, which is a good source of monounsaturated fats, which can help lower your cholesterol. Consider tossing your dark-green, leafy salad with a few slices of fresh avocado and balsamic vinegar for added benefit.
5. Alternate oranges with kiwifruit. Kiwifruit contain even more vitamin C than oranges and they're a great source of dietary fiber.
6. Snack on green apples. While green apples offer about the same benefits as red or yellow apples, Wald says green apples are a great source of soluble and insoluble fiber, which aid in digestion and heart health.
7. Drink tea green tea. If you like to drink tea, consider choosing green tea instead of black, oolong or other darker teas. Green tea next to white tea packs the biggest punch when it comes to antioxidants. It also contains flavonoids, a class of naturally occurring plant compounds that function as antioxidants.
Whether you like your green vegetables raw or cooked, there are many ways you can incorporate them into your meals.
All these foods are a great way to improve your diet. But whatever you do, don't forget you still need your VitaMist Sprays to make sure that you are getting all the vitamins you need every single day.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
VitaMist Weight Loss Products
Health Tip
Our Weekly Health Tip is often focused on weight management and we are frequently asked to cover this subject on our Saturday Morning Product Focus calls.
Recently, we came across some interesting research on the social aspects of weight gain and obesity. This new wave of research is showing that weight gain and a variety of other health-related behaviors have a social dimension, spreading through social networks as if they were contagious. Social networks are the vast webs of relationships we find ourselves in: friends and relatives; their friends and relatives; the friends and relatives of those friends and relatives, and so on.
Network analysis has roots in sociology, anthropology, mathematics, and several other disciplines. Dr. Nicholas Christakis, a Harvard Medical School professor, and James Fowler, a University of California political scientist, have applied the techniques from those fields to health-related issues. They started by painstakingly mapping out a social network based on information supplied by participants in the famous Framingham Heart Study.
Their work has piqued people's interest partly because of some unexpected twists. For example, their obesity study found that your friend's obese friend may increase your chances of becoming obese, even if your friend is not heavy.
How behavior could follow infectious patterns is uncertain, although Christakis and Fowler say subtle social messages of acceptance may get passed along from one person to another. Some say social network researchers are leveraging interesting correlations into causation. A related criticism is that network research has dressed up the time-honored observation that in social matters, like attracts like: clusters of behavior form because we are favorably disposed toward people who behave like we do. Regardless, viewing health-related behavior as a collective phenomenon is fascinating and opens up new avenues for research and experiments in intervention.
Our Weekly Health Tip is often focused on weight management and we are frequently asked to cover this subject on our Saturday Morning Product Focus calls.
Recently, we came across some interesting research on the social aspects of weight gain and obesity. This new wave of research is showing that weight gain and a variety of other health-related behaviors have a social dimension, spreading through social networks as if they were contagious. Social networks are the vast webs of relationships we find ourselves in: friends and relatives; their friends and relatives; the friends and relatives of those friends and relatives, and so on.
Network analysis has roots in sociology, anthropology, mathematics, and several other disciplines. Dr. Nicholas Christakis, a Harvard Medical School professor, and James Fowler, a University of California political scientist, have applied the techniques from those fields to health-related issues. They started by painstakingly mapping out a social network based on information supplied by participants in the famous Framingham Heart Study.
Their work has piqued people's interest partly because of some unexpected twists. For example, their obesity study found that your friend's obese friend may increase your chances of becoming obese, even if your friend is not heavy.
How behavior could follow infectious patterns is uncertain, although Christakis and Fowler say subtle social messages of acceptance may get passed along from one person to another. Some say social network researchers are leveraging interesting correlations into causation. A related criticism is that network research has dressed up the time-honored observation that in social matters, like attracts like: clusters of behavior form because we are favorably disposed toward people who behave like we do. Regardless, viewing health-related behavior as a collective phenomenon is fascinating and opens up new avenues for research and experiments in intervention.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
VitaMist Folacin
Our March Product of the Month selection is FOLACIN
For some reason, folic acid has to be one of the most underrated vitamins around, but it is a key member of the vitamin B complex, and it deserves some respect. Not a month goes by without some report appearing on the benefits of folic acid. Not only that, but recently these reports have stressed the additional benefits of vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 when used in combination with folic acid - just like the combination we have in VitaMist FOLACIN. Many of these articles have associated folic acid with a reduced risk of colon cancer and cardiovascular disease, and, in combination with vitamin B12, folic acid may even have a connection to Alzheimer's disease.
Back in 1992, the US Public Health Service recommended that all women of childbearing age who could potentially become pregnant should take 400 mcg of folic acid every day, either through diet or supplementation. Adequate amounts of folic acid reduce the occurrence of birth defects, such as spina bifida, which affects the spine and spinal cord, and anencephaly, a lethal disorder affecting the brain and skull.
Then in 1996, the FDA, a division of the US Department of Health and Human Services authorized the use on labels and in the labeling of food, including dietary supplements, of health claims on the association between adequate intake of folate and the risk of neural tube birth defects. This was followed in 1997 by mandatory addition of folic acid to all enriched cereal grains.
Perhaps the most exciting development has been the relationship between homocysteine levels (associated with risk factors in heart disease) and folic acid, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12. For example, a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association concluded that intake of folic acid and vitamin B6 may be important in the prevention of coronary heart disease among women. The evidence is so strong that the American Heart Association has issued an advisory suggesting that those with a history of heart disease make sure that they consume the RDA of vitamin B6, vitamin B12, and folic acid.
Is there a downside? NO! All the current evidence suggests that there is no danger of consuming too much folic acid.
The ingredients (per 8 sprays):
Folic Acid 800 mcg 200% DV
Vitamin B6 4 mg 200% DV
Vitamin B12 6 mcg 100% DV
These ingredients are blended with bioflavonoids extracted from rose hips along with a delicious peppermint-orange flavor.
For some reason, folic acid has to be one of the most underrated vitamins around, but it is a key member of the vitamin B complex, and it deserves some respect. Not a month goes by without some report appearing on the benefits of folic acid. Not only that, but recently these reports have stressed the additional benefits of vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 when used in combination with folic acid - just like the combination we have in VitaMist FOLACIN. Many of these articles have associated folic acid with a reduced risk of colon cancer and cardiovascular disease, and, in combination with vitamin B12, folic acid may even have a connection to Alzheimer's disease.
Back in 1992, the US Public Health Service recommended that all women of childbearing age who could potentially become pregnant should take 400 mcg of folic acid every day, either through diet or supplementation. Adequate amounts of folic acid reduce the occurrence of birth defects, such as spina bifida, which affects the spine and spinal cord, and anencephaly, a lethal disorder affecting the brain and skull.
Then in 1996, the FDA, a division of the US Department of Health and Human Services authorized the use on labels and in the labeling of food, including dietary supplements, of health claims on the association between adequate intake of folate and the risk of neural tube birth defects. This was followed in 1997 by mandatory addition of folic acid to all enriched cereal grains.
Perhaps the most exciting development has been the relationship between homocysteine levels (associated with risk factors in heart disease) and folic acid, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12. For example, a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association concluded that intake of folic acid and vitamin B6 may be important in the prevention of coronary heart disease among women. The evidence is so strong that the American Heart Association has issued an advisory suggesting that those with a history of heart disease make sure that they consume the RDA of vitamin B6, vitamin B12, and folic acid.
Is there a downside? NO! All the current evidence suggests that there is no danger of consuming too much folic acid.
The ingredients (per 8 sprays):
Folic Acid 800 mcg 200% DV
Vitamin B6 4 mg 200% DV
Vitamin B12 6 mcg 100% DV
These ingredients are blended with bioflavonoids extracted from rose hips along with a delicious peppermint-orange flavor.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Health Tip of the Day
Fatigue is one of the biggest problems of modern life, but so many are trying to fix the problem in all the wrong ways.
Trying to "get" or "find" energy is like trying to grab a fistful of water. If you want water (energy) to sit in your hand, you have to first create the conditions under which it's possible - in the case of water, keeping your fingers tightly together and your hand cupped while open will do the trick - but trying to grab the water will not. It's the same thing with energy.
Energy isn't something you get or grab (caffeine is NOT the answer!), but rather the by-product of certain conditions that allow it to show up in your life. If your health and attitude and body and mind are all aligned in the right way, there's nothing else for you to do but to feel energized. It's the natural "side-effect" of a healthy life - it just comes with the territory.
Fatigue is one of the biggest problems of modern life, but so many are trying to fix the problem in all the wrong ways.
Trying to "get" or "find" energy is like trying to grab a fistful of water. If you want water (energy) to sit in your hand, you have to first create the conditions under which it's possible - in the case of water, keeping your fingers tightly together and your hand cupped while open will do the trick - but trying to grab the water will not. It's the same thing with energy.
Energy isn't something you get or grab (caffeine is NOT the answer!), but rather the by-product of certain conditions that allow it to show up in your life. If your health and attitude and body and mind are all aligned in the right way, there's nothing else for you to do but to feel energized. It's the natural "side-effect" of a healthy life - it just comes with the territory.
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