Isagenix Nutritional Sciences

Solving childhood obesity through supportive parenting

By Isagenix Nutritional Sciences

Nearly 1 in 3 American children are overweight or obese. Because this is such a growing tragedy, the President of the United States of America officially declared September 2010 as National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month. This declaration brings national attention to a growing epidemic among youth in the United States.

According to The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 10.4 percent of American children ages 2 to 5 are obese, 19.6 percent of kids between 6 to 11 are obese, and 18.1 percent of adolescents ages 12 to 19 are obese. Pediatricians and gastroenterologists continue to link this obesity epidemic to an increasing number of children with diabetes, high blood pressure and liver disease. Experts blame:

What Dietary Supplements Should You Avoid?

By Isagenix Nutritional Sciences

A new article appearing in Consumer Reports magazine has compiled a list of a dozen ingredients commonly found in dietary supplements with “possible dangers” of side effects that include low blood pressure, heart-rhythm disorders, heart attacks, liver damage, kidney damage, cancer, or death.

As yet another confirmation of Isagenix’s commitment to the safety of its customers and the quality of its products, not one of the “dangerous ingredients” appearing in the report are found in any Isagenix products, nor does the company expect to use any of these ingredients in the future.

Seven Ways to Slow Telomere Shortening

By Isagenix Nutritional Sciences

The future of antiaging is nigh with minds like Bill Andrews, Ph.D., and Isagenix Founder and Master Formulator John Anderson on the scene of telomere biology research.

Telomeres are non-coding sequences of repetitive DNA at the end of chromosomes that are linked to human lifespan — and Dr. Andrews and Anderson are seeking out natural compounds that will turn on expression of telomerase, an enzyme that restores the length of telomeres.

Keeping telomeres long by reversing age-related shortening can potentially slow the onset of poor health and increase human lifespan.

However, as we await the latest developments in antiaging strategies such as inducing telomerase activity, there are a few lifestyle changes we can make to slow down telomere shortening as much as possible.

Why Nutritional Cleansing is More Important Than Ever

By Isagenix Nutritional Sciences

Situated at the summit of an auspicious mountain is the glorious Yumbulagang palace, the oldest palace in Tibet, with more than 2,000 years of history as a spiritual and healing center for kings and Dalai Lamas. Nowadays the palace is still a sanctuary for Buddhist monks and travelers alike who hope to take in the sublime views of the landscape below. The surrounding valley is so pristine and beautiful that legend has it that drinking water from a perennial spring found there will cure any disease.
You could say the palace is an ultimate place of purification where one can drink in pure spring water, breathe in pure air and enjoy health-giving foods grown from the nutrient-rich earth in the region. If you happen to be a monk living there, then you probably don’t need nutritional cleansing.

How to win her heart? Moderate amounts of quality chocolate

By Isagenix Nutritional Sciences

They say chocolate is the way to a woman’s heart, and they could be right – eating one or two servings of dark chocolate weekly is good for the hearts of middle-aged or elderly women.

A nine-year observational study followed 31,823 healthy Swedish women ages 48 to 82 and found that those who ate moderate amounts of high-quality chocolate had healthier hearts.

The women who gained the most heart-health benefits had eaten one or two servings of the dark chocolate weekly, followed by those who ate one to three servings monthly. Each serving of chocolate was typically between 19 and 30 grams.

On the other hand, the women who ate one or more servings per day received no benefit, which the researchers suggest was result of replacing other nutritious foods with the chocolate. So, enjoy dark chocolate, but in moderation and as part of a nutritious diet.

Men, take note – the quality of the chocolate matters.

Study – Low Muscle Mass Linked To Diabetes

By Isagenix Nutritional Sciences

Preserving muscle over time is key for reducing risk of diabetes.
Losing weight alone may not be enough to reduce risk of type 2 diabetes in people with low muscle mass and strength, especially if over age 60.

These are the findings of new research from Dr. Preethi Srikanthan of University of California, Los Angeles, and colleagues who performed a cross-sectional analysis of 14,528 people from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III.
Dr. Srikanthan and colleagues concluded that age-related muscle loss, or sarcopenia, was associated with insulin resistance and that sarcopenia, independent of obesity, may be an early predictor of diabetes.

The association of sarcopenia and insulin resistance was strongest in those who were 60 years and older, the researchers warn.

Apart from these poor health outcomes, sarcopenia in older adults is also clearly associated with other health outcomes such as increased risk of falls, hip fractures, bone loss (osteopenia) and physical disability.

Why CoQ10 is a Critical Factor in Aging

By Isagenix Nutritional Sciences

Growing old is not so much about chronological age but a consequence of the biochemical processes that happen inside our bodies, the lifestyle choices we make, and how well we can protect our bodies from the toxic elements around us.

Scientists are only now beginning to understand this aging process. Aging is mainly influenced by forces within our bodies including a process called “cellular aging.” Cellular aging is the gradual course over time that leads progressively to the loss of our physiological reserves and functions.

Scientists also developed the free radical theory of aging, which is a theory that the origins of cellular aging are in part the result of the damaging effects of oxidative stress.

Oxidative stress—an imbalance of antioxidant defenses and free radicals—is a product of our environment but also a product of our own metabolism, which brings us to the mitochondrion.

Free Radical Theory of Aging and the Mitochondria

Why John Anderson & Dr. Bill Andrews Say We Can Put the Brakes on Aging

By Isagenix Nutritional Sciences

When people talk of “turning back the clock” or living in perpetual youth, it’s all too easy to write them off as quacks or having watched a little too much science fiction—but that’s not so when talking with molecular biologist Bill Andrews, Ph.D., who has studied aging at the molecular level for more than 15 years.

Dr. Andrews is one of the world’s authorities on the biology of telomeres, which are sequences of repetitive non-coding DNA segments found at the ends of chromosomes. Telomeres, commonly likened to the plastic tips on shoelaces (perhaps too simply, says Dr. Andrews), protect chromosomes from damage and decrease each time a cell divides and replicates. 

When Monster Munchies Attack

By Isagenix Nutritional Sciences

With a few tricks, there's no need to fear Halloween weight gain.

It’s a frightening time of year for your waistline. Junk food seems to lurk behind every door, at every party, and in every child’s trick-or-treat bag. But you don’t have to dress up like a mummy to restrain yourself from devouring your child’s candy corn. Here are a few Halloween tricks to stop cravings from creeping up on you.

Tip 1: Eat high protein and keep away haunting hunger.

The reason: satiety. You know that full feeling you get when you’ve just had a bit too much pumpkin pie? That’s satiety. And if you have protein earlier in a meal, satiety comes sooner. In fact, nutrition research over the last decade has found that eating meals higher in protein can keep you from overeating. The overall decrease in calories over time leads to weight loss, so be sure to get 20-30g of protein early in each meal: breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Sorting Out Sugar Alcohol Skepticis

By Isagenix Nutritional Sciences

You’ve probably noticed sugar alcohols before in chewing gum, candies, baked goods, ice cream and diet drinks. These products are also often labeled “sugar free”, “low in calories”, “diabetic-friendly”, and even “tooth-friendly”. Suspicious? We don’t blame you—when you see the words sugar and alcohol together, there’s plenty of reason to start asking questions. However, upon learning a little about these ingredients you’ll find they have unique benefits.

Sugar alcohol sounds worse than it is because chemists create names based on structures—it’s not the type of alcohol that makes you drunk! Sugar alcohols are so named because they are little carbon rings with OH (oxygen-hydrogen) groups on them, also called polyols. These polyols are naturally found in many plants and are easily recognized by the human body (in fact, human cells produce their own sugar alcohols such as sorbitol).

Fewer calories, greater flavor