- Although the following three are not fruits or vegetables
and therefore not considered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the
study you sent, as far as I know the following are the strongest, most
powerful antioxidants out there. I'm seeing them help people with ailments
as diverse as arthritis, chronic back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, allergies/asthma,
and Alzheimer's. They are powerfully anti-inflammatory, and over 70% of
all diseases have a strong inflammatory component. They also strengthen
the immune system.
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- PINE BARK
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- Pine bark has been used medicinally by Native Americans
for hundreds of years, and in the mid 1900s, Dr. Jack Masquelier of the
university of Bordeaux in France found that pine bark contains oligomeric
proanthocyanidin complexes (OPCs) that boosted the activity of vitamin
C (now recognized as a primary anti-scurvy nutrient), which is also present
in the bark, and offered its own independent health-promoting properties.
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- Since Masquelier's discovery, pine bark extract has been
shown to protect cells from oxidative damage, treat venous insufficiency,
and boost the immune system. Rong, et al. (Biotechnol Ther 1994-95;5:117-126)
found that pine bark extract protected vascular endotherlial cells (cells
that line blood vessels) from oxidative damage. This suggests that pine
bark extract may help to guard against atherosclerosis, and thus cardiovascular
disease, as endothelial damage plays an important role in the pathology
of atherosclerosis. Some of pine barks purported immune-boosting and anticancer
effects may be due to its effect upon macrophages. Park, et al. (FEBS Lett.
2000;465:93-97) found that pine bark extract increases secretion of tumor
necrosis factor (TNF-alpha) by activating macrophages. TNF-alpha is a protein
that kills tumor cells. Pine bark has also been shown to be effective in
treating cryptosporidiosis, a diarrheal disease caused by the microscopic
parasite Cryptosporidium parvum.
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- RED WINE EXTRACT
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- Red wine extract has been shown to have a number of benefits
on the cardiovascular system. Halpern, et al. (J Int Med Res. 1998;26:171-180)
found that red wine extract prevents platelet aggregation by relaxing arterial
tissue. In a study by Fremont, et al. (Life Sci 1999; 64:2511-2521), a
red wine extract containing 50 percent proanthocyanidins prevented oxidation
of LDL in pigs. Auger, et al.(J Nutr. 2002;132:1207-1213 determined that
red wine extract reduced levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, and aplolipoprotein
B (the protein component of LDL), while also increasing the activity of
an antioxidant enzyme produced by the liver by a remarkable 67 percent.
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- In 2002, Sato, et al, (Free Radic Biol Med. 2001;15;31:729-737)
found that red wine extract improves post-ischemic heart function while
reducing the signal that prompts for heart cell death. Red wine has also
been shown to have potent anticancer effects in numerous clinical studies.
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- Caderni, et al. (Carcinogenesis. 2001;21: 1965-1969)
found that rats exposed to a cancer-inducing chemical were less likely
to develop cancer if they received red wine extract as part of their diet.
Meanwhile, Kamei, et al. (Cancer Biother Radiopharm. 1998;13:447-452) determined
that OPCs (oligomeric proanthocyanidin complexes) from red wine extract
suppressed the growth of human colon cancer cells. De Rovo, et al. (Int
J Dev Neurosci. 2000;18:359-366) found that red wine extract prevented
the death of rat brain cells exposed to cell-damaging agents. Red wine
extract did this better than vitamin E, and to the same extent of vitamin
C. De Ruvo attributes this antidegenerative effect the free radical scavanging
OPCs present in red wine extract.
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- GRAPE SEED EXTRACT
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- Grape seed extract has been shown to have numerous anti-aging
benefits. In a study involving rabbits fed a high-cholesterol atherosclerotic
diet, Yamokshi, et al. (Atherosclerosis 1999 142:139-149) found that the
rabbits that also received grape seed extract avoided a ten-fold increase
n their levels of peroxides (a marker of oxidation) that occurred in rabbits
that did not receive the grape seed supplement.
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- Yamokoshi's work suggests that the OPCs present in grape
seed extract trap reactive oxygen species (ROS) before they can oxidize
LDL. Additionally, Preuss, et al. (J Med. 2000;31:227-246) found that the
activity of OPCs present in grape seed extract on lowering LDL can be boosted
by coadministration of chromium in a niacin-bound form. Singletary and
Meline (Nutr Cancer 2001;39:252-258) found that lab animals fed grape seed
OPCx exhibited an 88 percent inhibition of tumor growth in the colon.
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- Previously, the University of Illinois researchers found
that topical application of grape seed extract inhibited skin tumor activity
by as much as 73 percent in mince. Grape seed extract has also been shown
to inhibit the growth of breast cancer cells, lung cancer cells, and stomach
cancer cell. At the same time, it has also been shown to promote the growth
and viability of normal lung and stomach cells. Grape seed extract can
help to protect neurons from damage caused by free radicals, and thus my
help to prevent neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease.
Bagchi, et al. (Gen Pharmacol. 1998; 30:771-776) found that OPCs from grape
seed extract offered protection against damage to brain tissue commonly
found with exposure to free radicals, including DNA breakage.
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- In fact, Bagchi found that grape seed extract was far
superior to vitamin C and beta-carotene in preventing DNA breakage (50
percent protection by grape seed extract, versus 14 percent by vitamin
C and 11 percent by beta-carotene). The OPCs present in grape seed extract
may also help the immune system.
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- Nair, et al. (Clin Diagn Lab Immmunol. 2002;9:470-476)
found that grape seed extract promotes the production of interferon (a
substance that activates out defenses against viruses) by TH1 cells, thus
suggesting that it may help to ward off viral infections.
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- http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nhnenews/message/7494
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