Living heart healthy can be easier with Isagenix products.

Today, on Go Red For Women day, our hearts go out to all those who’ve lost a grandmother, mother, wife, or daughter to heart disease or stroke.  

American Heart Month has been officially kicked off—recognizing heart disease as the No. 1 killer in the U.S. (and stroke as No. 3)—and we’re drawn once again to encourage you to get regular exercise, eat a healthy diet and maintain a healthy weight.

These are all vital components for protecting your heart. This is a time to share the ways to reduce risk of heart disease and stroke – a time to help save lives.  

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, another coronary event happens every 25 seconds.

It’s of no help that, by February, experts say most of us have forgotten our New Year’s diet resolutions and have returned to the same unhealthy, Western-style foods, which appeal to our wired taste buds, but also include the junk “foods” that raise blood pressure and clog arteries.

With the exception of a few communities secluded in the mountains of Colorado, experts say that by February most of us have given up on exercising daily, trading in the hour running on the treadmill for more time on the couch.

The more hours of TV watched per day, suggests an Australian study, the shorter your lifespan.

We don’t think achieving your heart-healthy goals has to be difficult, which is why we’re sharing ways that Isagenix products can help you protect your heart, and keep it pumping at its optimum, so you can live healthier and longer.

1.       Cut sodium, control calories with IsaLean® Shake.

There is no risk factor for heart disease more significant than high blood pressure, according to the American Heart Association. High blood pressure is linked to a high-sodium diet and being overweight.

Americans overeat and consume too much sodium from processed foods daily. By reducing calories and sodium in your diet, you can drastically reduce risk of high blood pressure. 

Make a simple healthy choice of having an IsaLean Shake in place of any fast-food meal and it’ll make quite a difference for your heart.

With less than 200 mg sodium per serving and less than 30 mg of cholesterol, IsaLean® Shake can serve as a meal replacement that is easy and quick to make, is high in protein and low in fat, and is definitely healthier than any hamburger and fries.

IsaLean® Shake also features high-oleic olive and sunflower oils along with alpha-linolenic acid from flax seed as its main sources of fats. Consumption of these sources of fats, as supported by studies on the Mediterranean diet, has been linked to better control of blood pressure and heart health.

2.       Eat a high-fiber diet with help from Oatmeal Berry SlimCakes® and FiberPro™

The average American receives less than half the amount of fiber than recommended, which puts her or him at significantly higher risk for heart disease.  The National Fiber Council advises women 50 years and younger receive dietary fiber in amounts as high as 25 grams per day, men 50 years and younger as high as 38 grams per day.

Fiber-rich foods help keep you feeling full, help you manage weight by curbing cravings and can help you keep blood cholesterol in check.

Eating a SlimCake, which contains 5 grams of fiber from whole oats, inulin and flax seed, provides you with soluble fiber and insoluble fiber.

In addition, adding a scoop of flavorless FiberPro in all your beverages can also help you control calories and help maintain healthy blood sugar by lowering the glycemic response from every meal. Tight blood sugar control is linked to improved heart health.

3.       Get enough heart-healthy fish oil omega-3s daily with IsaOmega Supreme®

Eating fish at least two times a week or taking fish oil supplements daily may reduce the risk of heart disease* because fish oil contains eicosapentanoic acid (EPA) and docosahexanoic acid (DHA).

These two types of omega-3s, according to the American Heart Association, can help prevent cardiovascular events, decrease the risk of arrhythmias, reduce triglyceride levels, slow the growth of atherosclerotic plaque and may slightly lower blood pressure.

IsaOmega Supreme is one of the most potent omega-3 supplements on the market today with high concentrations of both EPA and DHA. Taking two softgels of IsaOmega Supreme daily can support your overall heart function.

4.       Replace sugary sodas and fruit drinks with IsaFruits® and Isagenix Greens!™ 

The average American consumes 22.2 teaspoons of added sugar daily, which leads to weight gain and obesity, and raises your risk for diabetes and heart disease.

Unfortunately, sugar-sweetened drinks and foods surround most of us at every meal making it difficult to keep to a reduced-calorie diet.

You can still enjoy great-tasting fruit beverages by choosing naturally sweet IsaFruits® or Isagenix Greens!, each containing only 1 gram of sugar per serving, and providing a broad spectrum of nutrients, including antioxidants, from fruits and “green foods”.

5.       Don’t forget to take your Isagenix Antioxidants, which includes CoQ10

You may have heard that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can help you lower risk of heart disease, attributed in part to fiber and to antioxidants such as vitamins C and E. These antioxidant vitamins can keep cholesterol from becoming oxidized by neutralizing free radicals.

In addition, a rich supply of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is absolutely vital for a healthy heart but, unfortunately, as our bodies age, the natural amounts of coQ10 are diminished.

To be sure you’re getting enough vitamins C and E, and coQ10 daily along with a broad spectrum of other antioxidant nutrients, you can take Isagenix Antioxidants, 3 capsules daily.

6.        Enjoy regular “deep cleansing” with Cleanse for Life™

Taking a day or two off of eating food can be good for your heart, according to American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions in 2007.

The effects of intermittent fasting could only be augmented by “deep cleansing” such as performed with Cleanse for Life. The supplement includes antioxidants and health-promoting, detoxifying botanicals.

In addition, giving your body time to cleanse once or twice a week, as part of the Isagenix Cleansing and Fat Burning System, can help give you a fast start to losing weight and improving your health.

7.       For your Valentine, make it a box of IsaDelight® dark chocolates    

If you are a lover of dark chocolate, then there’s no doubt you are also a fan of its heart-healthy cocoa antioxidants. However, not all dark chocolates are the same.  

To make sure you’re getting the right kind of dark chocolate, choose one with a high ORAC score.

Just two IsaDelight dark chocolate pieces can produce an ORAC of 5,200 of which is the . The ORAC score is a measure of antioxidant strength.

To your heart it means IsaDelight has enough antioxidant cocoa flavanols to help protect your cholesterol from oxidation and help promote healthy blood pressure.

*Supportive but not conclusive research shows that consumption of EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. One serving of IsaOmega Supreme provides 1,200 grams of EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids. See Supplement Facts Panel for details on nutrition content.

Healthy aging depends on protection against oxidative damage.

When we use the term “free radicals” we’re not discussing the kind that listen to hardcore punk and paint graffiti on public property, but the kind that wreak havoc of all sorts on your body. As we get older, ultimately what slowly ruins our health, in fact, is the damage from free radicals, or oxidation.

What exactly are free radicals? They are atoms or molecules with unpaired electrons making them highly reactive. The reactivity of different compounds can vary, but they always lead to damage of all of what’s around you, including you.

Oxidative damage in our bodies is brought on by free radicals mainly by way of reactive oxygen (superoxide) released from the mitochondria and heightened by exposure to ”reactive oxygen species” from environmental toxins such as smog, chemicals, drugs and radiation.

Free radicals also breed free radicals causing chain reactions that can lead to more destruction in your body’s cells and tissues. A variety of free radicals attack various sites in the cells such as cell membranes, organelles and DNA.

For those  interested in living long, healthy lives, combatting free radicals is critical. It should be one of the greatest health goals because cumulative damage from free radicals, and resulting inflammation, have been implicated as factors in most age-related health problems.

Free-radical Fighting Strategies

Any nutritional program with efforts to protect health should entail active protection against free radicals. There are a variety of ways to accomplish the task, notably receiving plenty of antioxidants from the diet in forms of fruits, vegetables and high-antioxidant drinks and supplements.

Antioxidants in the diet are vital for terminating the oxidative chain reactions. These accomplish their task by donating electrons to free radicals, thus neutralizing them.

No one antioxidant can solely neutralize all kinds of free radicals. The antioxidants often act together in synergy such as vitamin C (ascorbic acid) with glutathione or vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) with vitamin A (beta-carotene) and Coenzyme Q10. They work in multiple sites and in different ways including regeneration to double efforts.

Along with the use of certain botanicals such as ashwaghanda or milk thistle and certain minerals such as selenium, the body is supported further by promoting activity of antioxidant enzymes or helping to spare antioxidants.

For most protection against free radical damage, it also becomes necessary to reduce exposure to pollutants as much as possible by breathing clean air, eating clean food and drinking clean water. In addition, oxidation is reduced by including appropriate nutrients in the diet that helps to promote detoxification.

Studies have also found that reduction of total calories in the diet or regular intermittent fasting (without malnutrition) helps reduce susceptibility to free radicals. Investigation into the effects of the lower caloric intake  on oxidative damage has found that it may result in less overall generation of free radicals from mitochondria and reduces damage to cell proteins, cell lipids and DNA.

What’s best is to use a long-term program, or total health and wellness system, that takes many of these strategies against free radicals into consideration such as reduced calories, high antioxidant intake, and nutritional cleansing.

If you have a question relating to nutritional cleansing, you can send it to nutrition@isagenix.net

Do you have a question about nutritional cleansing? Are you a new cleanser, but unsure how to use the products? Not to worry—we’ve put together some of the most common questions and answered them on this post. As you start a new year, we hope these FAQ will assist you and your Isagenix team.  

 
Q. Why do I need  nutritional cleansing?

 A. Toxins and stress in our modern environment subject our bodies to continual risk of poor health. Once you begin cleansing you’ll notice you’ll feel cleaner (like the feeling you get after a shower), and more energized. You’ll be healthier, too. Next time you look in the mirror you may also notice you are a few pounds leaner.

 Q. How does nutritional cleansing work?

 A. Over time, the human body has had to adjust to natural toxins in the environment, often with significant help from certain plants that provide special active components. Nutritional cleansing enlists a blend of these botanicals along with vitamins and minerals to support the body nutritionally for the modern world’s onslaught of new toxins*.

 Q. Why does Cleanse for Life™ Tropical Berry flavor have two sets of directions? What is the difference between Everyday Cleansing and Deep Cleansing?

 A. Keeping your body free of toxins is not too different from maintaining a home. To renew the beauty of your home, an annual “spring cleaning” does the job, but to keep your home safe and orderly, regular daily cleaning is necessary.

 Cleanse for Life Tropical Berry flavor can be used to serve both the function of giving the internal body a thorough wash-down and that of providing for its daily up-keep, which is why its label now features two sets of directions.

 The first set of directions highlights Everyday Cleansing and the second highlights Deep Cleansing. Everyday Cleansing consists of drinking 1-2 fl. oz. up to twice daily, first thing in the morning or between meals. Deep Cleansing consists of its use as an all-day drink for up to two consecutive Cleanse Days, drinking 4 fl. oz. with 4 fl. oz. of cold water four times daily as part of the Cleansing and Fat Burning System or Total Health and Wellness System.

 Q. Where can I find instructions on  how to use the Cleansing and Fat Burning System?

  A. You can find instructions on how to use the Cleansing and Fat Burning System here (30-day supply) and here (9-day supply). You can find instructions on how to use the Total Health and Wellness System here.

 Q. Is Cleanse for Life safe for long-term use?

 A. Yes. It is absolutely safe. And healthy. You can use Cleanse for Life on a daily basis long-term. Deep Cleansing, which entails performing Cleanse Days, should be limited to no more than two consecutive days per week.

 Q. Can I use Cleanse for Life by itself for nutritional cleansing benefit?

 Yes. However, the product was designed to be used as part of one of our complete programs: the Cleansing and Fat Burning System (9-day, 30-day supply) or the Total Health and Wellness System (30-day supply).

 Q. Why was Ashwaghanda added to the product?

 A. Ashwaghanda (Withania somnifera), also known as Winter Cherry, is classified in Ayurvedic medicine as a plant that helps the body resist stress.* The plant helps reduce oxidative stress, supports liver health and detoxification, and has potential for slowing aging.*  

 Q. Why was Yellow Dock added to the product?

 A. Yellow Dock (Rumex crispus) leaves, sometimes used in salads, can help encourage bile production, serving the needs of the liver for ridding itself of toxins.* In larger doses, it can serve in helping with constipation.

 Q. Why were bilberry, blueberry and raspberry added to the product?

 A. Three berries that are well known for their antioxidant activity are now part of Cleanse for Life. Bilberry and blueberry, touted for supporting vision and mental health, also assist in strongly supporting detoxification.* Raspberry’s content of ellagic acid provides strong free-radical scavenging activity.*

 Q. Why does Cleanse for Life contain inner-leaf Aloe vera gel?

 A. Aloe vera gel consists of polysaccharides, glycoproteins, amino acids, vitamins and minerals. The gel can help soothe and reduce inflammation in the gut and colon, may enhance bioavailability of vitamins C and E and its natural antioxidant activity can help reduce oxidative stress.

 The gel’s polysaccharides have been studied for their ability to balance the immune system and their actions as natural detoxifiers, helping to move along biochemical processes in the liver to neutralize toxins.

 Q. Is Aloe vera gel a laxative?

 A. No. Unlike “aloe bitters,” a yellow sap that contains anthroquinones, the gel contains no laxative effect and is absolutely non-toxic. Note: Use of “aloe bitters” is not legal in dietary supplement drinks.

 Q. Why is Pau d’Arco used in the product?

 A. Pau d’Arco (Tabebuia heptaphylla) is an herb with a history of use in Paraguay for a wide variety of ailments. It nourishes cells within the digestive tract and can help the body resist infection.* The plant may help reduce inflammation and guard against damage from cumulative toxins.*

 Q. Why is Burdock in the product?

 A. Burdock root (Arctium lappa) has a historic use as a blood purifier and helps rid the circulation system of toxins.* This thistle relative offers components that help protect the liver.*

 Q. Why is Deglycyrrhizinated Licorice in the product?

 A. Deglycyrrhizinated licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra), or DGL, is commonly used for detoxification in Asia and helps offer protection to the liver.* Its antioxidant activity helps protect DNA against damage.* We use the deglycyrrhizinated version of licorice root so there’s no contraindication for people with high blood pressure.     

 Q. Why is there fructose in Cleanse for Life?

 A. Cleanse for Life includes a small amount of natural fructose (fruit sugar) because it provides a pleasant taste and feeds the body a steady stream of carbohydrates for energy. We do not use high-fructose corn syrup or any artificial flavors or sweeteners in any products.

 Q. Why are B vitamins in Cleanse for Life?

 A. A healthy amount of B vitamins is needed to support your metabolism to break down fats and carbohydrates. Daily B vitamins can also support your immune system and help maintain muscle tone, healthy skin, and steady energy.

 Q. I see you offer Cleanse for Life in liquid and powder. Which is more effective for nutritional cleansing?

 A. Both products offer the same potency from its ingredient.

 Q. Are there any contraindications when performing Cleanse Days?

 A. Because of the reduced calories, Cleanse Days should not be performed by women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. In addition, those on medication or with a medical condition should consult a physician before Deep Cleansing.

 Q. Should someone on blood thinners perform Cleanse Days?

 A. If you’re on blood thinners or any other medication, we strongly advise you seek supervision of your healthcare professional. Your physician will need to monitor your Pt levels if you choose to cleanse. Performing Cleanse Days may result in natural thinning of the blood. This is because you are drinking lots of fluids and limiting caloric intake. For more information, click here.

Q. Should athletes and “thin” people use Cleanse for Life?

A. Athletes and thin people can benefit from Cleanse for Life. We regard nutritional cleansing to be the “missing link” to many health benefits such as vitality, more energy and better absorption of nutrients.

 When preparing for competition such as endurance events, Deep Cleansing should be avoided because limiting caloric intake may deplete muscle glycogen. 

Q. I get headaches while Deep Cleansing. What can I do about them?

A. First-time cleansers may experience mild headaches (for up to a week) as a common caffeine withdrawal symptom from giving up coffee or caffeinated soda. If necessary, headaches can usually be alleviated by eating an IsaDelight® dark chocolate (approximately 10mg of caffeine per piece) or drinking a cup of green tea. 

Q. I experience leg cramping while Deep Cleansing. What can I do to avoid the cramping?

A. Some cleansers will experience leg cramps if they are receiving insufficient mineral electrolytes—magnesium, calcium, potassium, sodium. These can be alleviated by taking IsaFlush® and IsaCalcium®, eating 1 or 2 IsaDelight pieces, and/or snacking on nuts, fruits or leafy green vegetables. If cramping continues or becomes chronic, please be sure to follow up with a visit to your doctor’s office. 

Q. I experience constipation while Deep Cleansing. How can I make sure to stay regular?

A. The key to avoiding constipation during a Cleanse Day is to keep dietary fiber intake high on Shake Days. Our recommendation is to gradually increase fiber intake to 25-30g daily in line with recommendations from the National Fiber Council. Getting enough is easily achieved by eating plenty of fruits and vegetables as well as taking advantage of products such as FiberPro and SlimCakes®. Regular water intake also works with fiber to help alleviate constipation. If constipation continues beyond a few days, please be sure to follow up with a visit to your doctor’s office.

On Cleanse Days, you may also wish to include some fiber by adding FiberPro to your Cleanse for Life drink throughout the day.

 Q. I feel cold when Deep Cleansing in winter. How can I stay warm?

A. Customers may feel cold while cleansing because they are drinking cold water and liquids regularly and avoiding regular amounts of food, which in itself produces a thermal effect during digestion. To alleviate feelings of coldness during cleansing in the winter months, consider drinking Cleanse for Life and accompanying water and herbal teas at warm temperatures.

 Q. I feel flu-like symptoms or feel like I may be becoming sick while Deep Cleansing. How can I avoid this feeling?

A. If you begin to feel like you are coming down with the flu, please stop your Cleanse Day, return to Shake Days, and be sure to follow up with a doctor’s visit. If it turns out you have caught a bug, you may need medical treatment  and steady nutrition for your immune system.   

Q. I experience “flushing” when I cleanse. Is this harmful? How can I avoid it?

A. Customers may experience “flushing” while on the program. This reaction is safe and may be related to an individual sensitivity to nicotinic acid, a form of niacin. Flushing can be avoided by taking the following products, which contain nicotinic acid, separately: Cleanse for Life, Ionix Supreme® and Natural Accelerator®. Because Natural Accelerator contains other ingredients that may result in a more pronounced flushing experience, it should be taken with food or replaced with Antioxidants.    

Q. I have experienced an allergic reaction while Deep Cleansing. What should I do?

A. If you experience an allergic reaction, please discontinue whichever product may have been associated with the reaction and be sure to follow up with a doctor’s visit. Please also report your reaction or any other serious adverse event to nutrition@isagenix.net 

Q. I feel dizzy, like I will pass out when I’m cleansing. Could this be because my blood pressure is too low?

A. Yes. Lower blood pressure may be a natural result of performing Cleanse Days. If you have low blood pressure or are on blood pressure medications, please have your doctor monitor you and make adjustments as necessary before and while cleansing. (Reviewed by Dr. Dennis Harper.) Dizziness can also be caused by blood sugar becoming too low (See next question.) 

Q. I have diabetes. Should I be worried about my blood glucose rising too high or falling too low?

A. Blood glucose levels should be monitored closely while on the program if you have diabetes. Not every individual will have similar results and you may need to make modifications as necessary. Please consult your doctor before adjusting medication. (Reviewed by Dr. Dennis Harper)

Q. How should someone who is diabetic and insulin dependent use Cleanse for Life?

A. We strongly advise anyone who is diabetic perform Cleanse Days only under close medical supervision. A physician will be able to help a patient with diabetes monitor glucose levels, modify medication and transition to short-acting insulin versus long-acting insulin when needed for cleansing. For more information, click here.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Millions suffer from vitamin D deficiency mainly during winter, especially older people.

Just as blizzards cover most of the U.S. and Canada in a blanket of snow, it’s time to put the spotlight on “vitamin D winter”. What is it? It’s the time period, centered around winter solstice (Dec. 21-22), when the sun’s UVB rays are simply too weak to make their way through the atmosphere and stimulate the skin to synthesize the sunshine vitamin.

With virtually no production of vitamin D, most of the population are left with dangerously low levels.

Earlier this December the Harvard Health Letter reported that, “millions of Americans, especially older people” suffer from low levels of vitamin D (year-round and mostly in winter), which includes 75 percent of those with cardiovascular disease.

Vitamin D is critical for keeping the heart healthy, keeping bones healthy, for avoiding statin-related muscle soreness, helping with control of blood pressure, helping to ward off infections along with help with other possible conditions.

Those at greatest risk of vitamin D deficiency, the Letter states, are the elderly, because less vitamin D is made with advancing age; African Americans, because melanin-rich dark skin acts as a natural sunblock requiring longer UVB exposure times; and obese people, because higher amounts of fat in the body absorb the vitamin, making it unusable.

According to researchers Dr. John Cannell and Dr. Bruce Hollis, depending on latitude along with other factors such as air pollution, ozone and weather, “vitamin D winter”  can last a while—if you live in Boston, for example, you can expect “vitamin D winter” to last four months and, in northern Europe or Canada, up to six months.

The Harvard Letter states that, while sensible sun exposure was appropriate for getting sufficient vitamin D during the summer, “if you live north of a line connecting San Francisco with St. Louis and Richmond, Virginia, don’t bother [trying to get sun for vitamin D] between November and March.”

“Furthermore, “ Dr. Cannell and Dr. Hollis add, “properly applied sunblock, common window glass in homes and cars, and clothing all effectively block UVB radiation—even in the summer. Those who avoid sunlight—at any latitude—are at risk of vitamin D deficiency any time of the year.”

For example, they add, “a surprisingly high incidence of vitamin D deficiency exists in Miami, Florida, despite its sunny weather and subtropical latitude.”    

Reversing “Vitamin D Winter”

How can you make sure you’re getting enough vitamin D, daily? Despite what people might think, vitamin D is found only rarely in foods (wild-caught oily fish and wild reindeer meat) and the amounts in fortified foods such as milk are not enough to reverse a vitamin D deficiency.

Current vitamin D recommendations of 400 IU daily, in fact, have become the target of a hotly contested debate that will be settled next year with a change in recommendations from the Food and Nutrition Board.

Consider that on a summer’s day, less than a hour in the sun between the hours of 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. is enough for skin to generate a whopping 10-20,000 IU of vitamin D—that’s 200 times more than what’s found in a glass of milk.

The Letter states that, at this time, supplements are the “simplest, safest way to get vitamin D” and suggests that supplementing with 800-1,000 IU daily is “a good goal.”

Dr. Cannell and Dr. Hollis disagree advising that the target is a lot more likely to be 1,000 IU per kilogram bodyweight to obtain desired blood levels (for an 150-kilogram obese person, that can mean up to 10,000 IU daily). In addition, they recommend a “loading period” with doses of up to 50,000 IU per day for a week.

To be absolutely sure you’re receiving enough vitamin D daily (particularly if you’re at high risk of deficiency), the Letter states that it’s worth getting tested for vitamin D by asking a doctor about testing or ordering a home test from a non-profit organization such as Grassroots Health.

However, according to Dr. Michael Holick, who is a leading vitamin D researcher from the Boston University Medical Center, “If a normal adult isn’t taking at least 1,500 to 2,000 IU from supplements and diet—and you can’t really get it from diet—we know you’re vitamin D deficient.”

Long-term protection from toxins can be achieved by living a nutritional cleansing lifestyle.

Every day we’re continually exposed to toxins in the food we eat, the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the items we touch. Learning more about these potentially harmful chemicals can be critical for making decisions to protect long-term health. As with any subject, toxins are best understood through a little history.

Toxins—or xenobiotics—have always been part of the natural environment. Many of them are made by plants, bacteria, and animals as defenses to keep predators at bay. The greater the abundance of toxins in a species, the more likely they will survive. This natural arms race has produced millions of different kinds of toxins including venoms and poisons.

Human exposure to toxins also depends on how food is prepared. The use of fire was a novel way to deal with food toxins. Heat breaks down many plant and animal defenses. Another example was fermentation, in which microorganisms produce a food that is edible. As our ancestors improved upon their culinary talents, they were able to expand their palates.

Humans would eventually enjoy a wide variety of foods spanning all parts of the world. As they did, new foods and food preparation techniques would introduce new toxins. Examples are the chemicals produced by heat, such as char, nitrosamines or acrylamide, which can each be carcinogenic.

The act of living itself also comes to us at a cost. Toxins are produced within the human body from simply being alive day to day. Toxins may, at times, be used to battle foreign bacteria or viruses. These can cause harm as they work to protect the body, but after their job is done, they are detoxified through biochemical processes.

Modern World

In our modern environment, pollution and food processing has increased our toxic load considerably. Humans have added thousands of new chemicals that pollute our air and water. These toxins can often end up in our foods, not just in plants, but concentrated in the animals that we eat. Food is also laden with chemicals in form of pesticides, processing agents and artificial ingredients.

Continual flow of pollutants into water sources increases our risk of exposure to toxins.

As our bodies are endlessly exposed to toxins, the toxins can overwhelm the body’s natural detoxification defenses. A slow accumulation of toxins in our bodies may eventually disturb our natural processes. 

It only adds to our toxic load when—in an age where portion sizes have grown out of proportion—we eat a lot more food than ever before. Most of the foods available are designed, not to support us nutritionally, but to appeal to the power of our taste buds. Our busy schedules have also made processed foods all the more convenient, adding to the waistline-expanding potential of sedentary lifestyles, and putting further burden on our bodies.

Human Body

The human body has had to adapt over the generations to removing varying toxic loads. Our bodies come equipped with powerful protections in forms of detoxification or cleansing systems. They are found throughout the body: in the stomach, the intestine, the liver and the kidneys.

The liver is a primary detoxification organ, metabolizing thousands of different chemicals we’re exposed to daily. Much of what we eat must pass through our livers. As the liver breaks nutrients down, it also metabolizes toxic substances. In most cases, these toxins are cleared from the blood, then eliminated through bile or urine. At other times, they can become stored in fat.  

In addition, each individual cell contains its own inherent protections from the daily stresses of simply living. These include powerful detoxification and antioxidant enzymes, which help maintain cellular integrity so that the cell may function appropriately.

Nutritional Cleansing

Our ancestors found ways to enhance many of the body’s internal detoxification and cleansing systems. These nutritional cleansing methods, which have been around for thousands of years, are only now beginning to be understood. A common practice was the use of fasting along with herbal teas or special botanicals. The reduced food intake would allow the body to purify itself through rest and renewal. Botanicals such as aloe gel, licorice root and ashwaghanda root contain bioactives that encourage detoxification within the liver and in the individual cells.

Nutritional cleansing assists the liver, a primary detoxifier.

Age-old traditions of nutritional cleansing have now been combined with modern technologies. Isagenix is a company that has achieved this task with Cleanse for Life™, a drink specialized to support the liver, the immune system and cellular health with vitamins, herbal teas and other botanical ingredients. The ingredients were chosen to help protect the body from daily pollutants and promote their detoxification.  

As a dietary supplement, Cleanse for Life can be taken daily for nourishment to help deal with daily toxic load and stresses. Alternatively, when taken as guided in the Cleansing and Fat Burning System—a program rich in nutrition and low in calories—one can reap benefits of “deep cleansing” and a sound approach to weight management.

Balanced nutrition and nutritional cleansing are key strategies for coping with daily toxins, but there are others. Although there’s no way to avoid all toxins, one can reduce exposure as much as possible. It can be achieved by simple lifestyle changes such as choosing clean fruits and vegetables, drinking clean water, using non-toxic skin care and seeking out fresh air whenever possible.

Enjoying one or two dark chocolate pieces daily may protect DNA from free radical damage, confirms a new study.

White has traditionally symbolized the unblemished essence of youth. As color relates to chocolate, however, yet another study adds to a growing body of evidence that it is the darkness of chocolate that contains anti-aging potential.

The new study, reported from University of Milan in the British Journal of Nutrition, substantiated that eating one or two pieces of dark chocolate daily increased plasma antioxidant levels and improved DNA’s resistance to oxidative stress.

Dark chocolate reduced free radical damage on DNA as soon as two hours after intake with effects diminishing in a day’s time. In comparison, white chocolate was not found to display any similar advantages.

The Italian researchers commented that the latest trial’s results, and the findings of previous studies relating to dark chocolate’s heart-protective effects, are “encouraging”—given the obesity epidemic—because the sweet treat is widely enjoyed.

They gave 20 healthy men and women, who had followed a balanced diet for two weeks prior and continued the diet during the time of the trial, either white or dark chocolate for two weeks. Blood samples were collected at intervals before intake, at two hours after intake, and at 22 hours after intake of the chocolate pieces.

Choosing Quality Dark Chocolate

The dark chocolate pieces had been standardized to 860 milligrams of polyphenols of which 58 milligrams were flavonoids called epicatechins. Epicatechins can also be found in green tea and certain fruits.

Not all dark chocolate found in the marketplace can be expected to contain the same content of antioxidants used in the trial. Antioxidant amount can depend on actual content of cocoa (generally, the darker the better) and the cocoa’s quality.

Cocoa’s natural content of flavonoids, for example, can often be lost through “dutch” processing or other manufacturing methods.

For greatest antioxidant benefit, consumers should seek out brands of dark chocolate with known content of flavonoids as compared by measurements of antioxidant strength such as Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC).

The U.S. Department of Agriculture and other health authorities recommend receiving 3,000-5,000 ORAC units daily for best support against free radicals, which equates to eating only one or two pieces of dark chocolate per day.

Want to take advantage of heart-healthy and anti-aging benefits? News of this study comes just in time for a sweet holiday deal on quality, high-ORAC dark chocolates.

Unless more people lose weight, diabetes cases will double in 24 years.

Before today’s kindergartners reach their college years, the number of people with diabetes is expected to at least double and the cost of diabetes care to at least triple in the U.S.—that is if we are to believe the conservative estimates of a recent study and consequent media reports (see here and here).

As long as overweight or obese trends continue, then, according to the study, “between 2009 and 2034, the number of people with diagnosed and undiagnosed diabetes will increase from 23.7 million to 44.1 million” and “diabetes-related spending is expected to increase from $113 billion to $336 billion.”   

These numbers are a tragedy at our doorstep. A rise in diabetes ultimately means more suffering and more early deaths. The disease has already been recognized as one of the top 10 killers in the U.S. for more than half a century. It’s also responsible for bringing about blindness, kidney failure, birth defects and foot and leg amputations for thousands annually.

A broadened perspective paints an ever-grimmer picture of the future.  It would be naïve to focus solely on diabetes when the metabolic condition characterized by elevated blood sugar has been consistently linked as a risk factor to other diseases.

Each individual, for example, who is counted among the study’s reported diabetes doubling effect will also double his or her risk of developing coronary artery disease and peripheral vascular disease. Further adding to the tally, as reported previously, a combination of obesity and diabetes leads to a four-fold increased risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. If the rise in diabetes cases alone is believed to be serious and costly, then it’s difficult to imagine the damage resulting from a parallel increase of these other devastating diseases.

A forecast of epidemics that lie ahead, once again, must turn our attention to the area of preventive health. The effort to avoid this situation must begin now if it is to happen at all, especially when it can be accomplished through low-cost measures that can be applied by anyone.

Three Steps to Beat Diabetes Epidemic

Step 1: Getting Diagnosed

Beating diabetes starts with a short visit to the doctor’s office. Regrettably, many fail in achieving this step. An approximate 30 percent of people with type 2 diabetes are undiagnosed, according to the most recent data from National Health and Examination Surveys.

Diabetes diagnosis is simply a matter of recognizing classic signs and symptoms—such as frequent urination or heavy thirst—and measuring for persistent elevated blood glucose. The diagnosis is often made via an oral glucose tolerance test. The test involves a fasting patient drinking a sugar (glucose) solution as blood sugar is monitored periodically. If, after two hours, blood sugar continues to be above 140 mg/dL, then impaired glucose tolerance is diagnosed; if the levels exceed 200 mg/dL, then diabetes is diagnosed.

Once diagnosed, a patient can start to take action to maintain or improve his or her health. Making lifestyle changes are the most effective way to manage diabetes, one being glycemic control.

Step 2: Glycemic Control

Glycemic control is the practice of keeping blood glucose levels within a healthy range. For a person with diabetes, tight glycemic control is vital for preventing further complications. The self-monitoring of blood glucose is not a difficult task. It can be performed easily enough with a portable, battery-operated glucose meter. A close eye on blood sugar helps a person assess the effects of diet, exercise and medication.

Glycemic control is essential for diabetes management and is helpful for prevention.

Glycemic control isn’t just useful to people with diabetes, however. It is good advice for everyone. Since glycemic control can be helpful in managing weight, it can also help guard against insulin resistance, which leads  to reduced risk of diabetes. 

At its core, getting off the blood sugar roller coaster involves exercise, losing weight, eating balanced meals that are lower in carbohydrates, keeping to low-glycemic index foods (think whole wheat bread and sweet potatoes versus white bread and Russet potatoes), and consuming plenty of dietary fiber daily.    

Step 3: Diabetes and Obesity Awareness

To make a dent in the end-figures of diabetes, a strong and continued message of awareness must resonate across the entire U.S. All that’s necessary is another look at the number above: 44.1 million people.

As much as possible, the primary call to action must be to lose weight. Being overweight or obese is the major risk factor in type 2 diabetes. As a matter of interest, earlier this year European researchers discovered a new molecule called CXCL5 that may be the cause of insulin resistance. It is theorized that the molecule is produced in overabundance only in cases of overweight or obesity.

Losing weight is no simple task. Our modern conveniences make it all too easy to live a sedentary lifestyle with calorie-rich foods like potato chips always within reach. Most people who attempt dieting often fail and, in addition, make the situation worse by not receiving adequate nutrition. 

Adopting a healthy weight management system is a matter of finding a disciplined, nutrition-focused program and a community of support. Isagenix is a company with the right approach.

Cleansing the day after stuffing oneself may help keep the weight off.

Happy Turkey Day! Thanksgiving is a time of tradition and that means gobbling up turkey, honey-baked ham, sweet potatoes and stuffing until you’re stuffed. What about all the extra calories? It’s a pitfall many of us fall into year after year. Not to worry, though—if you take a cue from a recent study, a Cleanse Day on Friday may just help.

Cleansing the day after feasting, in fact, may even put you right back on track to achieving all your health and weight loss goals.

The study, which was published in November’s issue of American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, presented a diet plan in which obese subjects alternated between “feed days” and “fast days.” Each “feed day,” participants were allowed to eat normally, then on “fast days” they cut calories to only a quarter of their energy needs.

(Sound familiar? Feed days—like Isagenix Shake Days except without the high-quality, nutrient-dense IsaLean Shake®. Fast days—a bit like Isagenix Cleanse Days except without the detox-promoting, health-energizing herbal properties of Cleanse for Life™.)

After a total of eight weeks, the modified alternate-day fasting plan helped the subjects lose considerable weight. What’s more is that the participants also had significant drops in total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides.

Dr. Krista Varady, who led the study along with other University of Illinois at Chicago researchers, told us, “I was surprised by how low some of the numbers dropped. What really got me interested in alternate-day fasting was its potential in mice for reducing risk of cardiovascular disease. It’s never clear how these things translate to humans.” 

Does she think the study shows one can eat to his or her heart’s content on one day as long as he or she doesn’t eat the next?

When asked, Dr. Varady offered this response, with some caution, “Yes, that’s the idea, but I think there is compensation on the ‘feed days’ as you continue. You’re shrinking the stomach on the ‘fast days’. By the time the ‘feed days’ come around, people are hungry, but they don’t eat as much.”

Dr. Varady explained that this feature of the program may be the reason why participants had a hard time the first couple of weeks, but soon after they “got the hang of it” and found it easy to do. 

Does she think the dietary approach will be popular? She said, “I didn’t think people would do it, but a lot of people have now called me and said they’ve been doing it for years. I don’t know if it will have mass appeal, but we’re hoping it offers a viable solution for some people who could otherwise not lose weight.”

We also asked Dr. Varady what her thoughts were on Isagenix’s nutritional cleansing approach as it’s helped thousands lose weight including many who’ve lost more than 100 pounds.

She said, “Wow, the products and dietary approach sounds really interesting. My team hasn’t looked at something like that yet. We’ll have to discuss how to collaborate on research.”

More awareness is needed on how lifestyle changes such as exercise can help reduce risk of diabetes.

Today is World Diabetes Day and November is National Diabetes Awareness month, so it’s time to answer the call of the American Diabetes Association in spreading the word about diabetes once again, which according to a recent survey, is a serious disease largely misunderstood.

More understanding on how to stop diabetes is critical. Diabetes is one of the leading causes of death in the United States with more than 200 people dying of it every day. In fact, complications of diabetes kills more people than breast cancer and AIDS combined, and every 20 seconds somebody new is diagnosed with the disease.

If these rates continue, one-third of Americans born just a decade ago will  develop the disease at some point in their lives, a number that can climb up to one-half among ethnic minorities.

Diabetes is a condition that is primarily caused by abnormally elevated blood glucose levels (hyperglycemia). After eating a meal, food carbohydrates or sugars are broken down into glucose, which is then carried to your cells to produce energy. People with diabetes cannot efficiently transport glucose into their cells, which is what causes glucose levels in the blood to rise. Symptoms of diabetes include increased thirst and hunger, frequent urination, fatigue, blurred vision, slow-healing sores, and tingling in hands and feet.

There are two main types of diabetes, type 1 and type 2.

Type 1 diabetes, also known as insulin-dependent diabetes, is an auto-immune disease that occurs when the pancreas cannot produce enough insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is needed for glucose uptake into the cells, and is responsible for maintaining normal blood glucose levels. Type 1 is relatively uncommon, occurring in only 5-10 percent of those with diabetes.

 Type 2 diabetes, also known as non-insulin dependent diabetes, is characterized by elevated blood glucose levels, which consequently leads to elevated insulin levels. These factors result from insulin resistance, a condition in which cells do not adequately respond to insulin. It is unclear exactly why people develop insulin resistance, but being overweight and leading a sedentary lifestyle appear to play an important role. The majority of people with diabetes have type 2.

There are several risk factors that increase a person’s chance of developing type 2 diabetes. The primary risk factor is being overweight because excess fat interferes with insulin activity. Those with higher amounts of body fat are more likely to become insulin-resistant. Another risk factor is physical inactivity. Exercise not only helps control weight, but it also helps to increase insulin sensitivity. 

Other risk factors include age (over 45), family history, and race—people of Native American, Latin American, African, and Asian descent are all more susceptible to development of diabetes. In addition, conditions such as elevated blood glucose, elevated blood pressure, elevated cholesterol levels, and gestational diabetes (diabetes during pregnancy) are also risk factors associated with type 2 diabetes.

Complications can arise from having type 2 diabetes, many of them life-threatening. They include coronary artery disease, kidney damage, potential blindness, impaired circulation, skin infections, osteoporosis, hearing problems, and Alzheimer’s disease. Although there is no cure for type 2 diabetes, it can be managed through a healthy diet, exercise, blood sugar control, and in some cases, medication. 

What’s most important to be aware of is that type 2 diabetes can be avoided. Leading a healthy lifestyle that includes a diet low in fat and calories, as well as physical activity, can go a long way in reducing one’s chances of developing diabetes.

Good blood sugar management is achievable through a healthy diet rich in vegetables and lower in calories and fat.

In fact, a recent study published in The Lancet and reported in HealthDay News, once again confirmed that diet and exercise were successful in reducing risk for those most in jeopardy of developing type 2 diabetes.

The study, which lasted a decade and included more than 3,000 overweight and obese adults, showed that those who lost weight through reducing caloric intake and increasing physical activity cut their risk of getting diabetes by one-third, compared to those with no intervention.

In summary, better health can be achieved through lifestyle choices that includes a diet lower in fat and calories as well as exercising regularly. These efforts will not only help you achieve your weight loss goals, but also reduce the risk of developing diabetes in the long run.

For more information on how to best lower your risk of diabetes, please see the American Diabetes Association’s  “Diabetes PhD” (personal health decisions) risk assessment tool.

New study shows gut microbes may play a role in obesity.

Each one of us has billions of bacteria residing in our guts, and, according to a recent study, what we feed them daily through diet may be prompting whether or not we lose or gain weight.

Washington University researchers, who published their findings Nov. 11 in Science Translational Medicine, found that diet can make a dramatic difference on which kind of microbial community are flourishing—the obesity-linked versus the lean-linked flora types.

They demonstrated that when they transplanted lean-linked human gut bacteria into bacteria-free mice and then switched the mice from a low-fat, plant polysaccharide-rich diet to a high-fat, high-sugar “Western” diet, the dietary change resulted in altering the microbes “within one day” to an obesity-linked flora type.

Afterward, the researchers transplanted the obesity-linked microbes into a new set of germ-free mice. In spite of a low-fat diet, the second set of mice gained weight in form of body fat.

Probiotics and prebiotics

According to Harvard researchers, this study opens up new possibilities for targeted dietary, probiotic and prebiotic therapies to alter microflora in favor of one that promotes a lean body type.

The diet of choice would be one that was lower in fat and sugar while high in fruits and vegetables. In addition, supplementation with prebiotics and probiotics may be helpful. 

Dr. Nicole Kafka, a colon and rectal surgeon and Isagenix Scientific Advisory Board member says, “People usually don’t have enough bacteria or too many bad ones. Prebiotics and probiotics can help to correct improper bacterial balance in the gut.”

A proper balance, in turn, may help you avoid weight gain and lose weight.

Probiotics are supplements or foods, such as yogurt, that contain friendly bacteria, and prebiotics (such as offered in Isagenix FiberPro) are non-digestible ingredients found in fruits and vegetables that help stimulate growth of the friendly bacteria.