Hot Fun in the Summertime
Summer is here! Children are out of school, and many people are anticipating long weekends at the shore (or lake or pool) and that week off.
Taking care of your skin externally is understood to be important to prevent future skin cancer and onset of leathery, wrinkled skin.
But taking antioxidants is also important to disarm free radicals that are caused by sun exposure. Ultraviolet rays B and A have been shown to generate harmful reactive chemical species in cells.
When it is hot and humid, we require lighter foods and preferably foods such as fruits with a high water content. So if you aren’t eating enough berries as well as other summer fruits, consider the maqui.
MaquiBerry™ is the highest known antioxidant superfruit, with the highest ORAC value (27600), containing high concentration of polyphenols and anthocyanins. Anthocyanins are the most powerful antioxidant compounds with the strongest benefits towards whole health, exhibiting health support of inflammation-based issues. Anthocyanins are known to neutralize enzymes that can destroy connective tissues, promote cardiovascular health by preventing oxidation of low-density lipoproteins (LDL), protect blood vessel walls from oxidative damage, and support healthy blood glucose levels.
MaquiBerry juice has been initially shown to have higher polyphenol content and scored higher for total free radical trapping potential and total antioxidant reactivity in antioxidant capacity tests, compared to different commercial berries.
Anthocyanins in MaquiBerry are unique as 80% of all anthocyanins in MaquiBerry are delphinidin, the most important anthocyanidins found in dark berries. Delphinidin is reported to exert superior antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. The latter effect is important for prolonged sun exposure, since the redness and tingly heat you feel with sunburn is an inflammatory reaction.
A 2011 study has shown that MaquiBerry juice exhibited potent anti-inflammatory properties by inhibiting NFκB, a key regulator of inflammation response. It was also shown to reduce expression of COX-2 expression, an enzyme responsible for inflammation and pain.
A 2013 study showed that MaquiBerry’s delphinidin exerts immunostimulatory effects by activating NFAT and inducing IL-2 and IFN-γ production through SOCE-mediated Ca2+ signaling. Immune system function is often compromised during the first “burn” in the sun, which many people experience as the dreaded “sun blister” on the lip.
And there’s another summertime peril that you don’t feel: hikes in cholesterol from fried foods, a summer staple. One antioxidant-packed fruit is Citrus bergamot (“bergamot”), grown abundantly in southern Italy. Bergamot has a distinctive antioxidant profile. The juice and albedo of bergamot has a unique profile of flavonoid and glycosides, including naringin, neohesperidin, neoeriocitrin, rutin, melitidin and brutieridin. Naringin has been shown to be beneficial in animal models of atherosclerosis, while neoeriocitrin and rutin have been found to exhibit a strong capacity to prevent LDL from oxidation. Importantly, bergamot juice’s brutieridin and melitidin with an ability to inhibit HMG-CoA reductase.
Bergamonte® BPE Complex is uniquely standardized for several antioxidants and has been shown to be supportive of healthy cholesterol (and blood sugar, too). And since summer is all about the barbeques, grilling and picnics, we may not be aware that we are consuming a bit too much cholesterol along with the “healthy summer salads.”
Here is how research has shown Bergamonte®-BPE Complex helps you manage a healthy cholesterol and blood sugar profile:
Inhibits HMG-CoA Reductase: One study showed that brutieridin and melitidin act as direct HMGCoA reductase inhibitors. HMG-CoA reductase is an enzyme linked to the liver’s cholesterol production. Melitidin and brutieridin inhibit the liver’s ability to produce LDL, resulting in reduced cholesterol levels in liver cells, which then meet their cholesterol requirements by taking up cholesterol circulating in the blood, via LDL receptors. LDL receptors break down the circulating cholesterol, resulting in healthy LDL levels in the bloodstream.
Inhibits Phosphodiesterases (PDEs): Bergamonte® BPE Complex flavonoids mediate their beneficial effects on lipid and glucose homeostasis by PDE4 and PDE3B modulation. PDE4 plays a critical role in cAMP (cyclic adenosine monophosphate), which regulates energy metabolism, AMPK, triglyceride hydrolysis, and glucose metabolism. PDE3B is crucial for triglyceride and cholesterol metabolism, as well as glucose homeostasis. Dysregulation of PDE3B can cause development of fatty liver, common in metabolic syndrome and type-2 diabetes patients.
Activates AMPK: The flavonoids in Bergamonte® BPE Complex activate AMPK and stimulate glucose uptake. AMPK plays a central role in regulating healthy glucose, and lipid metabolism and energy production. AMPK activation can prevent abdominal fat accumulation, regulate glucose tolerance, normalize liver markers, and reduce oxidative stress and inflammation in the liver and heart. Bergamot flavonoids activate the glucose transporter GLUT1 in all cells and upregulation and translocation GLUT4 to the cell membrane in muscle cells.
In the latest human clinical study, researchers found Bergamonte® BPE Complex to be able to retain its powerful ability to regulate cholesterol and blood glucose levels also has a significant favorable impact on body weight and metabolic syndrome.
The study has shown favorable impact on hormones that influence metabolic syndrome and weight/body fat, specifically, a strong increase in leptin (12.30% with 650 mg BPE-C and 21.36% with 1,300 mg); decrease in ghrelin (6.89%, 650 mg, and 14.90% with 1,300 mg), and an increase in adiponectin (18.65% with 650 mg), and 21.76% with 1,300 mg).
Enjoy the summer – remember, everything in moderation – except fun, of course!