Top Ten Spices That Defend You Against Aging

Herbs and spices are rich in antioxidants, and they are also potent inhibitors of tissue damage and inflammation caused by high levels of blood sugar.

When researchers tested extracts from 24 common herbs and spices, they found a direct correlation between antioxidant phenol content and the ability of the extracts to block the formation of compounds that contribute to damage caused by diabetes and aging.

Spices such as cloves and cinnamon have phenol levels that are 30 percent and 18 percent of dry weight, respectively, while herbs such as oregano and sage are 8 and 6 percent phenol by dry weight. Blueberries, which are widely touted for their antioxidant capabilities, contain roughly 5 percent phenol by dry weight.

Sources:

• Journal of Medicinal Foods June 2008; 11(2):275-81

Dr Mercola's comment's

Any molecule in your body is capable of causing damage, but probably the most damaging of all are glucose and other sugar molecules. They cause more inflammation that leads to heart disease than cholesterol could ever hope to.

How Does High Blood Sugar Cause Tissue Damage and Heart Disease?

Glucose and other sugar molecules cause glycation; a process in which the sugar bonds with proteins and form so-called advanced glycation end products, or AGEs. It’s a fitting acronym as it – along with oxidation -- is one of the major molecular mechanisms whereby damage accrues in your body, which leads to disease, aging, and eventually, death.

When sugar glycates it creates inflammation, which activates your immune system in a defensive maneuver. Macrophages are scavenger cells that are part of your immune defense system, and as such they have special receptors for AGEs, aptly called RAGEs (think: raging inflammation). These RAGEs bind to the AGEs and get rid of them. Unfortunately, this process can leave its fair share of battle scars.

Essentially, when you consume excess sugar you tend to produce and accumulate AGEs, which frequently lead to raging inflammation, which leads to damage in your arteries. The damage control ultimately takes its toll and you begin to form scar tissue, which inside your arteries is called plaque.

And, voila! -- Heart disease.

This is why there’s such a strong correlation between diabetes and heart disease – and shortened lifespan.

People with Type 2 diabetes get heart disease about 15 years earlier than non-diabetics, and also lose about 18 years from their expected life span, according to findings from hospital and death records of close to 9.5 million Canadians.

How Common Spices Can Protect Against Heart Disease and the Ravages of Aging

This study, published in the current issue of the Journal of Medicinal Foods, found a strong and direct correlation between the phenol content of common herbs and spices and their ability to inhibit glycation and the formation of AGE compounds, making them potent preventers of heart disease and premature aging.

The top 10 most potent herbs and spices are:

1. Cloves (ground)
2. Cinnamon (ground)
3. Jamaican allspice (ground)
4. Apple pie spice (mixture)
5. Oregano (ground)
6. Pumpkin pie spice (mixture)
7. Marjoram
8. Sage
9. Thyme
10. Gourmet Italian spice

This is not the first time scientists have declared culinary herbs and spices as potent anti-diabetic alternatives.

Cinnamon and cinnamon extracts have previously been shown to effectively lower blood sugar. As a matter of fact, cinnamon was found to increase glucose metabolism 20-fold, in one such study!

Interestingly, cinnamon lowers your blood sugar by acting on several different levels. It slows the emptying of your stomach to reduce sharp rises in blood sugar following meals, and improves the effectiveness, or sensitivity, of insulin. It also enhances your antioxidant defenses.

Researchers have even gone so far as to say cinnamon could play the role of an insulin substitute in the treatment of type 2 diabetes.

1 in 4 Americans Now Suffer From Pre-Diabetes or Some Form of Diabetes

The latest statistics on diabetes indicate that the U.S. now has as many as 24 million people with diabetes, or 8 percent of our total population. However, the statistics are even more grim when it comes to the prevalence of pre-diabetes (impaired fasting glucose).

Almost 26 percent of U.S. adults over the age of 20 are pre-diabetics, and more than 35 percent of seniors, 60 and older. In total, that’s 57 million Americans walking around with pre-diabetes, in addition to the 24 million that have already crossed the line.

That means that just over 26.5 percent of the entire U.S. population either has pre-diabetes, or some form of diabetes!

My personal experience with diabetes and review of the literature has made it VERY clear to me that virtually every case of type 2 diabetes is 100 percent reversible without the use of prescription drugs.

And let me assure you, the cure for type 2 diabetes has NOTHING to do with giving insulin. Giving someone insulin with type 2 diabetes is one of the WORST things that can be done. Any physician doing this for type 2 diabetes is suffering from profound ignorance of insulin physiology.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of physicians are still seriously confused about this issue, which is why most doctors cause diabetics to D. I. E.

How to Prevent Diabetes and Heart Disease, and Increase Longevity

First things first: For people with diabetes, the last thing you want to eat is a lot of grains, or any sugar for that matter.

Swap out your grains and sugar for high-quality sources of protein, healthy fat (which INCLUDES saturated fat) and vegetables according to your nutritional type, all of which is outlined in my Take Control of Your Health Program, and you’ll be off to a great start.

Add in regular exercise, the other essential key to preventing and reversing diabetes, and you’ll be even better off. These two measures alone will help you to shed excess weight, and a weight loss of 10 pounds can reduce your risk of diabetes by nearly 60 percent.

Last but not least, why not add some spice to your life?

Herbs and spices have very low calorie content, they’re relatively inexpensive, and they’re a great way to turbo-boost the natural antioxidant and anti-inflammatory power of your diet!

Tons of benefits and zero hazardous side effects. It doesn’t get any better than that, which is why I keep advocating for the return to a healthy whole food diet that is tailored for your individual biochemistry, rather than stocking up on a cabinet-full of (often synthetic) supplements.

Set up a good herb and spice cabinet and season your food liberally, and you could potentially double or even triple the medicinal value of your meal.

Dr mercola.com

How Tea Can Keep Your Mind Young

A four-year study has found that tea slows down brain-cell degeneration, and thereby keeps your mind sharp into old age.

Catechins, a natural compound in tea, protect brain cells from damaging protein build-up over the years, maintaining your brain‘s cognitive capability.

In addition, the caffeine in tea, unlike that in coffee, contains the natural protein theanine, which counters the normal side effects of caffeine such as raised blood pressure, headaches and tiredness.

Researchers studied the tea-drinking habits of over 2,500 Chinese aged 55 and older and gave them memory tests.

While two-thirds of the tea-drinkers maintained their memory test scores two years later, 35 percent of non-tea-drinkers had a decline in their memory test scores, which indicates cognitive decline.

Sources:

• Asia One April 15, 2008

• American Journal of Clinical Nutrition July 2008; 88(1): 224-231

Dr Mercola's comments:

I still believe that pure water should be your primary drink, but it’s becoming hard to ignore the numerous health benefits that high-quality tea has to offer.

This study is not the first to suggest that tea is good for your brain. In 2005 scientists also found that epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), a catechin polyphenol and a major antioxidant in green tea, decreases production of the protein beta-amyloid, which is related to Alzheimer's and can accumulate abnormally in your brain, leading to nerve damage and memory loss.

Researchers also believe green tea may be the reason the Japanese have lower rates of dementia and Alzheimer's. One study found that the more green tea seniors drank, the better their odds of avoiding cognitive problems. And drinking just two cups a day offered the most protection.

So adding a couple of cups of tea to your day may just be a simple way to get some extra protection for your brain.

The study above noted that all types of tea seemed to provide benefits, but personally I prefer matcha green tea. Because matcha tea is actually the entire ground tea leaf, it may contain over 100 times the EGCG provided from regular brewed green tea.

Tea’s Benefits Reach Your Entire Body

It’s not just your brain that stands to benefit from high-quality tea.
For centuries, catechins like those in tea have been known to:

• Neutralize the effects to your body of harmful fats and oils
• Inhibit bacteria and viruses such as HIV, hepatitis, and herpes
• Improve digestion
• Protect against oxidation in your brain and liver
• Help promote healthy gums

Meanwhile, drinking tea has been linked to:

• Improved mental alertness
• Lower blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels
• Reduced blood pressure
• Lower risk of breast, colon, lung, ovarian and prostate cancers
• Protection again type 2 diabetes
• Reduced risk of heart attack and stroke
  

Tea may also improve exercise performance, increase fat oxidation and prevent obesity, as it’s known to have a regulatory effect on fat metabolism.

What About the Caffeine?

Some people avoid drinking tea because of the caffeine it contains. Indeed, caffeine has been linked to many health problems, like increased blood pressure and levels of stress hormones. Still, caffeine is far less dangerous than fruit juice or soda and in small quantities should not be a problem, especially if it comes from tea.

The above study found that caffeine from tea contains a natural protein theanine, which actually counters the normal side effects of caffeine such as raised blood pressure, headaches and tiredness!

The exception here is women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. Caffeine is a stimulant drug that easily passes through the placenta to the developing fetus and is also transferred through breast milk, and can have devastating effects on the baby. So pregnant and breastfeeding women should never drink caffeinated beverages.

As for tea, if you’re looking for the one with the least caffeine choose green tea. It contains about half the caffeine as coffee. Black tea typically contains slightly more caffeine than green tea.

Finally, when choosing a green tea, be aware that previous research has found high levels of fluoride present in some teas. Fluoride is a toxic substance that can have profoundly negative effects on your body. So if you consume large amounts of green tea for health benefits, you might want to invest some time in researching a brand that is quite low in fluoride.
Dr Mercola.com

100 Great Tips for Increasing Your Gas Mileage

I know that most Europeans spend far more for gas than Americans, but with gas approaching $5 per gallon in the U.S. these tips are becoming even more important.

So Ecomodder’s list of 100 suggestions for cutting down on the gas you use could not have come at a better time. The very first one covers the usual set of suggestions -- reducing driving by carpooling, bicycling, walking, taking public transit, or moving closer to work. The other 99 are methods you might not have thought of.

Some of the possibilities include:

1. Remove unused roof racks to reduce aerodynamic drag
2. Track your fuel consumption
3. Choose a route with trees or buildings along the edge to prevent crosswinds
4. Avoid drive-through windows, which lead to excessive idling
5. Drive shoe less to modulate the accelerator to the finest degree
6. Avoid “warm-up” idling -- it wastes fuel
7. Not driving during peak traffic times
8. Minimizing your use of the brake pedal as much as safely possible
9. Avoid parallel parking (which causes you to do multiple reverse/forward maneuvers)
10. Shift automatic transmissions to neutral when stopped

For 90 more great tips, click the link below!

Sources:

• Ecomodder
• Dr Mercola.com