Depression and stress

Millions of people around the world are adhering to low-fat, low-cholesterol diets in an effort to reduce the impact of disease-promoting calories. What they don’t realize is they’re also starving their brains of specific nutrients needed for memory and healthy cognitive function.

Every morning, many of us sip our coffee with no real thought given to the beans behind the brew. But coffee beans are extra-ordinarily complex fruits containing over 1,000 compounds - only a handful of which have ever been individually investigated by scientists. Not only is coffee packed with antioxidants, but it is the greatest source of antioxidants in the American diet.

Life Extension® introduced SAMe (S-adenosylmethinone) in 1997. Back then it was enormously popular in Europe, but unknown in the United States. The National Institute of Mental Health decided to fund a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial that would evaluate SAMe as an additive therapy in those suffering major depression who were resistant to FDA-approved drugs. Researchers at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital gave patients 800 mg of SAMe twice daily along with a...

Serotonin is a compound in the brain that promotes feelings of personal security, relaxation, and confidence. A serotonin deficiency can result in sleep disturbance, anxiety, depression, and a propensity to overeat, particularly carbohydrates like simple sugars. Startling research reveals that serotonin levels decline as we age!

Fortunately, the new understanding of how tryptophan is degraded in aging humans provides a basis for engineering a natural solution around this epidemic problem. First of all, we know from studies in patients with high levels of systemic inflammation that if sufficient niacinamide is given, the degradation of tryptophan in the body is significantly reduced.

In 2004, the FDA mandated that all antidepressants carry a “black box” warning on their labels following the discovery of a heightened risk of suicidal thoughts among children taking the pills. In December 2006, following a huge federal analysis of hundreds of clinical trials, FDA regulators for the first time acknowledged that the drugs can trigger suicidal thoughts among patients older than 18.

One of the hardest-working organs in the body, the liver detoxifies environmental contaminants and drugs, manufactures critical compounds needed for blood clotting, and manages cholesterol levels in the blood. Not surprisingly, these chemical reactions produce massive amounts of destructive reactive oxygen species in the liver, mainly in the cellular power plants known as mitochondria.

Protecting brain health is vital if the pursuit of a longer life is to have any meaning. According to current wisdom, some degree of cognitive impairment is all but inevitable as we age. That is, unless steps are taken to prevent it. Scientists in Texas recently noted, “As life expectancy increases worldwide, pandemics of cognitive impairment and dementia are emerging as major public health problems.”

For years, consumers have been learning of the benefits of reducing cardiovascular disease by ingesting omega-3 fatty acids. This message has made its way into the mainstream as cardiologists now prescribe omega-3 supplements to their patients.

Be it work, finances, relationships, or health issues, most of us experience stressful events at some point in our lives. But today, researchers are witnessing levels of stress that are virtually unprecedented.

Do you ever wish you could just recharge your batteries? Most of us do, especially as we grow older. Fatigue is a major problem in American adults, accounting for millions of office visits each year. The complaints are similar: groggy for much of the morning, can’t sleep well or long enough at night, lack the energy for daily tasks and even enjoyable diversions.

Vitamin D does far more than promote healthy teeth and bones. Its role in supporting immunity, modulating inflammation, and preventing cancer make the consequences of vitamin D deficiency potentially devastating. A growing number of scientists who study vitamin D levels in human populations now recommend annual blood tests to check vitamin D status.