Striving4Zen

When thinking about apple cider vinegar and its potential benefits, it's important to keep in mind that it is not a whole food, but rather a liquid derived from processing. While vinegar can be both delicious and nourishing, it is still not possible to consider it as a whole food.

High acidity

First and foremost, vinegar is usually highly acidic. The acidity of vinegar is typically related to its acetic acid content, and this content can vary fairly widely from vinegar to vinegar. For some individuals, especially those with stomach or digestive problems including acid reflux, vinegar might not be a desirable food component to include in their meal plan because it can serve as an irritant. I've seen some websites that recommend use of vinegar precisely because of its acidity. These websites suggest that vinegar can be used to help offset problems with acid deficiency in the stomach or other digestive problems. I'm not aware of any scientific research that supports this recommendation.

Claimed benefit - blood sugar control

First, there are some studies linking vinegar to improved control of blood sugar following a test meal. About half of the limited studies in this area have been conducted on genetically modified rats and do not provide any immediately helpful information about humans and the way we eat everyday. The human studies in this area tend to focus on delivery of a test food or test meal-typically highly processed and devoid of any whole, natural foods-that has been augmented with a dose of vinegar. While these studies do show a trend toward improvement in blood sugar response in the range of 2-20%, it seems reasonable to assume that a key problem here is the poor quality of the test foods and test meals.

Several authors have mentioned delayed stomach emptying as a likely mechanism for the impact of added vinegar on blood sugar response. If that hunch turns out to be correct, the idea of poor quality foods makes even more sense. Our stomach tends to empty too quickly if it is filled with highly processed, low-nutrient, fiber-free foods. I would expect whole, natural foods with excellent fiber content and nutrient variety to be more effective in improving blood sugar control than vinegar added to a meal that is composed of poor quality foods.

Claimed benefit - enhanced calcium absorption

Second is the area of calcium absorption. This area has only been explored in animal studies so far, and both the doses and experimental conditions have been limited and difficult to match up with everyday consumption of vinegar on a salad or in a marinade. But the results of these studies showed the vinegar to increase the solubility of calcium within the intestinal tract of the test animals and to increase absorption in this way. Once again, I would question the value of these rat experiments for decision-making about whole, natural foods. From my perspective, the degree of calcium solubility in whole, natural foods that are properly handled and properly cooked is exactly what it should be.

Some websites tout the nutritional benefits of apple cider vinegar from a mineral standpoint. Based on nutrient database values, the amount of minerals in a tablespoon of this food is very, very limited and cannot be thought of as a significant contribution to any diet.

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Labels: Alpha Lipoic Acid, apple cider vinegar, calcium, digestion, world's healthiest foods

Alpha-lipoic acid, also called lipoic acid or thioctic acid, is a powerful antioxidant that helps cells convert glucose to energy, detoxifies the body, fights inflammation in the skin, and helps stabilize blood sugar.

Alpha-lipoic acid has been called a "universal antioxidant" because it is both water- and fat-soluble, and thus can penetrate tissues composed mainly of fat, such as the nervous system, as well as those made mainly of water, such as the heart, to protect them from free-radical damage. Alpha-lipoic acid also helps the body use other antioxidants, such as vitamin E, vitamin C, and glutathione, more efficiently. This nutrient also helps B vitamins convert proteins, carbohydrates, and fats into energy more efficiently.

Alpha-lipoic acid may be one of the most powerful antioxidants discovered to date. It helps increase the body’s supply of glutathione, the most abundant natural antioxidant, so that free radicals are escorted out of the body before they can cause damage to cells. Free radicals have been shown to impair the immune system, leaving the body vulnerable to infections, heart disease and cancer. Free radical damage is thought by scientists to be the basis for the aging process as well.

Alpha-lipoic acid is found in spinach, liver, and brewer's yeast, and the body is able to manufacture its own supply of this substance as well. However, the body doesn’t make a lot of alpha-lipoic acid, and most of it is used to help the mitochondria in cells convert glucose to energy. In order to benefit from the anti-aging and disease-fighting abilities of alpha-lipoic acid, you have to take a supplement.

There is no Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for alpha-lipoic acid, but studies have found that 100 milligrams taken twice daily is enough to supply extra free-radical protection throughout the body, and may help prevent or treat a lot of health problems, including Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, atherosclerosis, glaucoma, and HIV infection. Lipoic acid could also help those with liver disease; intravenous forms of alpha-lipoic acid are used in some hospitals to treat cases of acute poisoning that affect the liver.

However, alpha-lipoic has been most extensively studied for its role in preventing complications from both diabetic neuropathy and autonomic neuropathy. Diabetic neuropathy is thought to be caused by free-radical damage to the nerves, and causes unpleasant tingling, numbness, and pain in the body. Autonomic neuropathy affects the nerves that control internal organs, and is also thought to be linked to free-radical damage. Alpha-lipoic acid may be successful in treating these conditions because it is fat-soluble antioxidant, and therefore can penetrate the nerve cells to prevent further damage.

Alpha-lipoic acid comes in tablets and capsules, and is also available in combination products with other antioxidants, such as vitamins C and E. It has shown no serious toxic side effects at commonly recommended dosages, although it can cause stomach upset or an allergic skin rash in some people. If you experience any of these reactions, reduce the dose or stop taking the supplement.

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Labels: Alpha Lipoic Acid, antioxidant, supplements

Individuals who participate in excessive cardiovascular aerobic type activity, such as marathon running, who do not use optimal antioxidant protection will have very similar skin damage. I am particularly sensitive to this issue since I was one of the those who started exercising vigorously when it became popular in the late 1960s and have suffered some of the oxidative damage due to my ignorance of this issue.

Fortunately, God gave us bodies which do repair themselves. For those who do exercise vigorously, lipoic acid 200 mg, ascorbic acid 1000 mg, and glutamine 4000 mg taken 15 minutes prior to exercise will probably work for most people.

Labels: Alpha Lipoic Acid, Ascorbic Acid, exercise, Glutamine, wrinkles

Alpha lipoic acid is a very powerful antioxidant, anti-inflammatory agent. Since it is almost non-existent in foods, we need to take it as a supplement on a daily basis. Alpha lipoic acid is unique among antioxidants because it is soluble in both fat and water. This means that it can reach all areas of the cell to provide free radical protection. It also makes it exceptionally compatible with the skin due to its fat solubility.
Perricone readers know that I strongly discourage eating foods that contain sugar or other forms of sweeteners, as well as foods that rapidly convert to sugar when eaten. Unfortunately, many of these foods are our mainstays—such as breads, pasta, potatoes, cookies, snack foods and so forth.
As a dermatologist, one of the reasons that I so vehemently discourage this is because these foods are highly damaging to the skin. When we eat foods that raise our blood sugar such as those described above, we are setting ourselves up for the creation of Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs), which is the topic of my next book due out this fall. These AGEs are formed when a sugar molecule attaches to a protein. Collagen is the protein substance of skin, tendon, bone, cartilage, and all other connective tissue. As you might guess, the sugar molecule has a high affinity with the collagen protein. Once it attaches to the collagen it glycates the protein causing it to stiffen. This leads to wrinkled and sagging skin.

Labels: Alpha Lipoic Acid, Dr. Perricone, skin, supplements