Antioxidants including Vitamin E can help hearts in four ways, health author Jean Carper writes in her column "Eat Smart" in the current USA Weekend publication.
First, antioxidants "detoxify" cholesterol. New Japanese research has found that oxidized LDL ("bad") cholesterol was four times higher in heart attack victims than in healthy people, Carper said.
A University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center study also has found that daily intake of Vitamin E in 400 to 800 international units "reduced oxidation in normal people up to 40 percent," she said.
Second, antioxidants "combat chronic inflammation." Inflammation is a newly-recognized villain in clogged arteries, heart attacks and strokes, Carper wrote. Research in New Zealand has found that daily use of Vitamin E cut inflammation by half in diabetics at high risk of heart disease.
Third, vascular function is improved. A Harvard study reported that intake of 300 international units of Vitamin E "restored good vascular function in heart patients in a month."
Fourth, Vitamin E discourages blood clots. "Vitamin E suppresses platelet stickiness, acting as an anti-coagulant to discourage the formation of clots that lead to heart attacks," Carper reported.
She said antioxidants such as Vitamin E also may discourage cancer, Alzheimer's disease, macular degeneration and cataracts, and "they may boost your immune functioning and prolong your life."
January 22, 2002 - Antioxidant Vitamin E Reported to Strengthen Immune System, Contributes to Reaching Age 100
Vitamin E may play a role in living to the age of 100, according to the Harvard Medical School.
The current issue of the medical school's publication, the Harvard Health Letter, reports on a dozen centenarian studies, including one based at Harvard that is now recruiting people from throughout the United States.
But it was a study in Italy, the Harvard publication says, that cites the role of Vitamin E as an antioxidant, fighting off free radicals in the body. Italian researchers reported that healthy centenarians had exceptionally higher blood levels of Vitamin E compared with healthy younger adults. The Italian study's authors proposed that "vitamin-rich blood may both strengthen the immune system of these centenarians and defend them against damage done by oxygen free radicals."
Free radicals are reactive molecules that, according to the Harvard Health Letter, "some researchers believe is the principal cause of aging." The Health Letter points out that the Italian study didn't address how the higher levels of Vitamin E occurred.
Harvard's ongoing aging study is called the New England Centenarian Study, started with only 46 people aged l00 and over in the Boston area, but now being expanded to include centenarians from throughout the U.S.
Other studies include data from Okinawa, where the average life expectancy is 81.2 years, the highest in the world; and active research in Italy, Sweden and Denmark.
"For the most part, results from these studies belie the myth that the oldest old are doddering and dependent," the Harvard Health Letter said. "In fact, one of the rewards of living a long life is that, for the most part, the 'extra' years are healthy years."
The Vitamin E Factor : The Miraculous Antioxidant for the Prevention and Treatment of Heart Disease, Cancer, and Aging - Research supports the contention that vitamin E appears to help prevent heart disease, boost the immune system, slow down Alzheimer's disease, decrease the risk of prostate cancer, keep HIV from developing into full-blown AIDS, and enhance male fertility--and this is just the beginning of the list of benefits, says author Andreas M. Papas. But it isn't enough to pop a multivitamin pill. You need to understand what form of the nutrient is best for you, and how much. Vitamin E is really eight different compounds. Synthetic supplements contain only one (alpha-tocopherol), while the whole "family" is important and can be found only in some natural supplements. The Vitamin E Factor decodes all this and shows you how to develop a personalized strategy for getting the most from this nutrient. This book contains everything you could want to know about this "master antioxidant" and "super nutrient" and a few items you didn't know you wanted to know--its discovery, the origin of the name alpha-tocopherol, anecdotes from its history, and elephant research, for example. If you're a chemistry buff, special sections explain and illustrate the science of vitamin E. If you just want the basics, some of the book will be more technical than you want, but each chapter has helpful "straight talk" and/or "recommendations" that summarize the major points clearly.
The Antioxidant Miracle: Put Lipoic Acid, Pycogenol, and Vitamins E and C to Work for You - A pill that strengthens your heart, sharpens your mind, keeps your body young, extends your life, prevents cancer, and keeps your skin wrinkle-free? Sounds like a joke or a dream, doesn't it? According to molecular cell biologist Lester Packer, these pills exist--they are antioxidants. "Literally thousands of studies have confirmed that antioxidants can help prevent numerous diseases and will not only enhance life, but in all probability extend life," he writes. In The Antioxidant Miracle, he describes breakthroughs in antioxidant research and prescribes the Packer Plan: his "state-of-the-art antioxidant supplement, diet, and skin-care regimen." According to Packer, five antioxidants "network" in our bodies with "special powers" that slow aging and fight disease: Vitamins C and E, glutathione, lipoic acid, and Coenzyme Q10. The first two are obtained through food, the others are produced by the body, but these levels decline as we age, so we need to supplement. Packer describes the benefits and actions of these special antioxidants and also recommends flavonoids such as ginkgo biloba and pycnogenol (made from the bark of pine trees), a number of carotenoids, selenium, and a variety of foods high in antioxidants. He spells out exactly what supplements you need and how much, with special modifications for smokers, diabetics, menopausal women, athletes, and people at high risk of cancer or cardiovascular disease.
Julian Whitaker, M.D. founder, Whitaker Wellness Institute; editor, Health and Healing: "Finally, a book by a renowned and active researcher that proves the value of nutritional supplements. The Antioxidant Miracle provides a shield protecting us from disease and ensuring health. The information in this book could save your life!" William Regelson, M.D.coauthor of the New York Times bestseller, The Melatonin Miracle: "For those of us seeking to combat the debility and diseases of aging, The Antioxidant Miracle is an essential tool."
Already the best-selling nutritional supplements in the marketplace, antioxidants are proving to be even more important and beneficial than was previously thought. Now, drawing on the latest breakthroughs in molecular biology and antioxidant research, The Antioxidant Miracle explains for the first time exactly how readers can take advantage of the antioxidant miracle and design a practical, personalized program for disease prevention and wellness promotion.
Imagine there was an easy way you could keep your heart strong, your mind sharp, and your body youthful. Imagine this program could keep you young, improve your sex life, prevent cancer and heart disease, and keep your skin supple and wrinkle-free. And perhaps best of all, imagine this was something readily available at your local drugstore or natural food store. These and other benefits are the miraculous results of antioxidants. Lester Packer is the world's foremost authority on these natural healers. In The Antioxidant Miracle, he explains for the first time exactly how you can design a practical, personalized antioxidant program for disease prevention and optimal wellness.
The Antioxidant Miracle is the first popular book to reveal the full range of healing benefits of lipoic acid, the most versatile and powerful antioxidant and nature's secret weapon in treating heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and liver disease. This breakthrough book also unveils the astonishing strength of the antioxidant network, the combination of vitamin E, vitamin C, lipoic acid, Co Q10, and glutathione that -- when taken together in the proper amounts -- battles disease and aging far more aggressively than supplements taken individually.
After an accessible explanation of the science behind antioxidants, Packer and bestselling health writer Carol Colman show you how to develop your own state-of-the-art supplement regimen designed to keep your body strong, your brain at full speed, and your antioxidant network working at its peak. They include specialized supplement programs for smokers, diabetics, people with a family history of cancer or heart disease, menopausal women, athletes, and picky eaters. You'll find out how to incorporate antioxidant-rich foods easily into your diet and develop your own plan for smooth, healthy, young looking skin. And you'll discover the benefits of "booster" antioxidants -- bioflavonoids like ginkgo biloba and Pycnogenol -- and others like beta carotene and selenium.
Lester Packer, Ph.D. (Berkeley, CA), is regarded as the world's foremost antioxidant research scientist. Head of the Packer Lab at the University of California at Berkeley, he is the senior scientist at the prestigious Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, where vitamin E was discovered. Carol Colman (Larchmont, NY) is the New York Times bestselling coauthor of The Melatonin Miracle and Shed 10 Years in 10 Weeks, among other successful books.