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Resveratrol
Italian scientists at Milan University, reporting in the British journal
New Scientist, said that a natural chemical produced by vines and concentrated
in both grapes and wine triggers a seven-fold increase in the activity
and effectiveness of an enzyme called mapkinase, which stimulates and
regenerates nerve cells. This chemical, called resveratrol, could help
stave off neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's
by allowing brain cells to grow small extensions through which they communicate
with neighboring cells.
For years we have heard of the French Paradox. How is it that the French
can eat a rich diet any yet have less heart disease than the typical American?
The answer is in the red wine. Resveratrol is the biological component
found in grapes and red wine that has been shown in clinical trials to
help the body inhibit tumor initiation, promotion and progression. For
centuries Asian medical doctors used the dried roots of Polygonum cuspidatum,
which contain resveratrol, to treat a wide range of conditions. It has
also shown great benefit for heart disease. Resveratrol has demonstrated
in numerous clinical trials the ability to reduce platelet aggregation
and increase HDL-cholesterol. The combination of resveratrol and other
bioflavonoids, vitamins C and E, and the trace mineral selenium may be
expected to have a highly synergistic effect in reducing pathological
platelet aggregation, stimulating healthy blood flow via the dilation
of arteries, and minimizing free radical damage to blood vessel linings.
In other words, Resveratrol helps block all three mechanisms of cancer
formation. Not only that, but according to researchers at Harvard, Resveratrol
mimicks the benefits of a restricted calorie diet and increases the life
span of cells in culture by 70%.
Tocotrienols
Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) is an antioxidant, a natural biochemical
substance that helps protect cells (including the heart and blood vessels)
against damage from harmful free radicals. However, a lesser known form
of vitamin E, called tocotrienol, is not only a more powerful antioxidant
but, unlike tocopherol, helps lower cholesterol and reduce abnormal blood
clotting. Studies have shown that tocotrienols may be twice as effective
as an antioxidant. In addition, other studies have found that tocotrienols
may help inhibit the growth of cancer cells.
Vitamin
K-2
Arterial calcification is characterized as a buildup of calcium in the
arterial walls. It is a process that can begin as early as the second
decade of life and continue throughout adulthood. Although calcium is
an essential nutrient in maintaining human bone integrity, the trick is
to keep it out of the arteries. Studies have revealed that adequate levels
of natural vitamin K2 may help in keeping calcium in your bones and out
of arterial walls.
Vitamin K works through an amino acid called "Gla," which stands
for gamma-carboxyglutamic acid. Gla is a part of the kind of protein that
controls calcium. Vitamin K is necessary for this protein to do it's work.
Vitamin K performs this feat by "carboxylation" which gives
proteins the adhesion they need to hold onto calcium. The proteins then
move the calcium around. If proteins don't get enough vitamin K, they
can't maintain the adhesion needed to move the calcium and the calcium
will drift out of the bones and into the arteries and other soft tissues.
According to a recent report by Shiraki, Shiraki, Aoki, Miura published
Mar 2000, "Vitamin K2 effectively prevents fractures and sustains
lumbar bone mineral density in osteoporosis."
Researchers at the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands, have
shown that natural K2 in supplement form can provide the same benefits
as Natto, a traditional Japanese food fermented from soybeans. Natto is
high in natural vitamin K2 and has been linked to significantly higher
bone mineral density and fewer osteoporotic fractures.
Their research showed that vitamin K2 as MK-7 (menaquinone-7), an all
natural source of vitamin K2, had a long half-life in blood circulation,
which may result in a relatively constant level in the blood, unlike vitamin
K1 and synthetic vitamin K2, which shows a typical rise and fall pattern
even if taken twice daily. Only the natural form of vitamin K2 remains
in the blood long enough to provide the same benefits the Japanese have
found from eating Natto.
In Japan, vitamin K2 is used as a therapeutic treatment for osteoporosis
and in the Caucasian population it also has shown a significant benefit
in the reduction of heart disease, due to its roles in calcium use and
promoting matrix Gla-protein activity, a potent inhibitor of vascular
calcification.
Beyond Any Multiple is the first and only multiple vitamin
to provide these important components in one easy to take supplement.
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