Includes::50 Trufil caps Info Link:A powerful antioxidant based on traditional ingredients with added Pycnogenol® & other phytonutrients in a Trufil™ capsule. Ingredients per capsule: Vitamin C 300 mg, Vitamin E (Natural) 50 mg, Pycnogenol 15 mg, Grape Seed Extract 10 mg, Bilberry Extract 10 mg, Green Tea Extract 10 mg, Turmeric Extract 10 mg, Vitamin A 333 g (1000 iu), Selenium (Methionine) 100 g, stone ground brown rice flour. Antioxidants
are a wide group of nutrients. Probably the best known are vitamins A
(and beta carotene), C, & E & some minerals. Recently, 'newer'
plant-based nutrients have been making headlines with their excellent
antioxidant properties; these will be covered below under
Phytonutrients. Antioxidants are valuable because they combat
free radicals. Free radicals are incomplete molecules. They 'patrol' the
body destroying enzyme or protein molecules or even whole cells. This
doesn't sound too bad on a one-to-one basis, but take into account that
each free radical can generate thousands more through chain reactions
and you begin to get the bigger picture. So, antioxidants help
the body by quenching free radical production & by supporting the
immune system so the body can cope on its own. Modern living, pollution,
smoking, radiation, sunlight, all increase the production of free
radicals. Antioxidants & a healthy immune system help keep them
in check. You have probably noticed on food packaging that many foods
have antioxidants added. They are added to stop oxygen from reacting
with the food & thus the food going off. The most common is
Ascorbic Acid or Vitamin C; it may even be listed as E300. A simple
experiment you can do at home: cut an apple in half, leave one half &
rub lemon juice on the cut face of the other half. Look at them in about
half an hour. The untreated half has oxidised. The treated half is
protected by the antioxidant properties of the lemon juice (citric acid
and ascorbic acid). The ACE Team Vitamin A as a supplement
comes in two forms: 1) as an oil capsule, usually fish liver oil
fortified with vitamin A, & 2) a dry form vitamin A powder. It is
fat-soluble & can be stored in the body. There is also Beta carotene,
plant-based & considered the safer option as it is a precursor to
vitamin A
- that is, it is converted in the body to vitamin A as &
when it is needed. As a supplement it commonly comes from algae. Vitamin
A in powder form (acetate) is a good high-strength source of vitamin A,
easy for the body to absorb. Beta carotene, although natural, is less
biologically active & is more expensive. Good natural sources of
vitamin A & beta carotene are: fish liver oil, liver, green/yellow
vegetables, yellow fruits, carrots, milk/dairy products & eggs. Vitamin
C is probably the most common vitamin & the most important. It is
water soluble & we can only obtain it from our food. Most other
mammals can synthesise it in their bodies. Being water soluble, most
vitamin C is excreted in 2-3 hours if not used. This would indicate a
daily intake is needed. Vitamin C in supplements should ideally
be combined with bioflavonoids as these are present in 'natural' vitamin
C & help its assimilation. Good natural sources of vitamin C are:
citrus fruits, berries, onions, potatoes, sweet potatoes, cauliflower,
tomatoes & green leafy vegetables. Vitamin E, well known for
its external uses on the skin, is made up of compounds called
tocopherols, Alpha-tocopherol is the most biologically active. There are
synthetic & natural forms of vitamin E. They are recognised by the
prefix D or DL; D alpha-tocopherol is natural, while DL alpha-tocopherol
is synthetic. There is little evidence to say which is better, but
natural vitamin E is a lot more expensive. It's a fat soluble vitamin
and unlike vitamin A, is not stored in the body for very long. Its
antioxidant properties are specifically used on fat compounds. Good
natural sources of vitamin E are: wheat germ, soya, whole wheat, grains,
vegetable oils, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, leafy greens, spinach &
eggs. Minerals, are just as important as some are involved in
enzyme processes. The relevant ones here are Magnesium, Zinc, Copper and
Selenium. Good natural sources of magnesium are: apples, grapefruit, figs, lemons, nuts, seeds & dark-green vegetables. Good
natural sources of zinc are: steak, lamb chops, pork loin, Brewer's
Yeast, wheat germ, eggs, pumpkin seeds & ground mustard. Good natural sources of copper are: most seafood, dried beans, peas, prunes, beef & calf liver & whole wheat. Good natural sources of selenium are: wheat germ, bran, tuna, onions, tomatoes & broccoli. The
reason the ACE team above are usually sold together in one formulation
is because they are synergistic. That is, they work better together than
separately. The New Kids on the Block
- Phytonutrients In
the past couple of years, newspaper health pages have been extolling
the virtues of various 'new' antioxidants. As you will see, some of
these are not new at all, in fact some have been in use for thousands of
years. Pycnogenol is a brand name for Maritime Pine bark
extract. The Maritime Pine mainly grows on the Atlantic coast of France.
It has the highest concentrations of flavonoids, & their subclass
proanthocyanadins (the active compounds that are antioxidants), of all
pine trees. In the sixteenth century, French explorers were saved
from scurvy by Quebec Indians after drinking a tea made from pine
needles. Pycnogenol is said to be 50 times stronger than vitamin E &
20 times stronger than vitamin C. Grape Seed extract is another
product with an exceptionally high proanthocyanadin content. Many people
have heard of the Mediterranean Diet, a diet rich in oily fish, garlic
and vegetables... & also a lot of red wine! It is thought that the
proanthocyanadins are passed from the seeds into the wine, hence the
health aspect. Which brings us onto... Red Wine extractwhich is
exactly what it says it is. All the good stuff from the wine is
extracted & then dried. You will find this in some supplements,
although the Grape Seed is more common. Bilberry extract comes
from the fruit of the Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus), also known as
Huckleberry & Whortleberry. It is native to Northern Europe, North
America & Canada, & is similar to the blueberry. It is very rich in
active constituents, with over 15 active antioxidant ingredients. Green
Tea extract comes from the dried leaves of the tea plant (Camellia
sinensis). Black Tea is the same plant but has been withered, dried,
rolled & fermented. Black Tea is more common in the West as a
beverage, Green Tea being more popular in Asia. Both have been used for
thousands of years in the East, as a remedy & as a beverage. Green Tea
contains an ingredient called EGCG, which is reportedly 200 times more
potent than vitamin E!