

Q: What nutrients can I use to improve skin health and increase muscle tone?
Sleep, good diet and exercise are crucial to skin health and muscle tone. Products containing the following ingredients will make your skin look younger, help you achieve a firm, toned body, and reduce your levels of stress and fatigue.
Astaxanthin: sourced from red micro-algae, this is one of the most potent antioxidants when it comes to neutralizing the free radicals responsible for the breakdown of collagen and elastin – the primary cause of skin aging! One study showed that 4 mg/day significantly reduced wrinkle appearance and improved skin elasticity and moisture.
Forskolin: this extract from Coleus Forskolii reduces body fat while maintaining muscle mass and bone density. 50 mg of forskolin per day has shown improvements in skin tone and reducing body fat without any additional loss of lean muscle mass.
Superoxide Dismutase (SOD): from Extramel melon fruit, SOD is one of our body’s most potent free radical scavengers. After one month of use, individuals reported a significant reduction in stress and fatigue.
Resveratrol and EGCG: found in French grapes and green tea respectively, these antioxidants slow human aging, reduce skin damage due to UV light, and boost metabolism.
Q: I have a history of diabetes in my family and my doctor tells me that my blood sugar is high. Is there anything that I can try before I take conventional medication?
In Type 2 Diabetes, our cells become resistant to the effects of insulin leading to a build-up of sugar in the bloodstream. This is often accompanied by weight gain, high cholesterol and triglycerides, and hypertension. Preventing or managing Type 2 Diabetes means engaging in proper lifestyle and dietary choices. Exercise that keeps the heart rate up is essential for treatment because it helps to make our cells more sensitive to insulin. Manage your diet by eating high fibre, low glycemic index foods, which will help to reduce blood sugar spikes by slowing the conversion of food into sugar.
Several nutrients have demonstrated a positive effect on healthy glucose metabolism.
Cinnamon has an insulin-like activity that helps increase the uptake of sugar from the blood. It improves the action of insulin and can prevent the development of insulin resistance in high risk individuals. When combined with a meal, cinnamon reduces the rate at which our stomach empties, resulting in a lower level of blood sugar after eating. Several months of use can also help reduce elevated cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
Chromium increases the sensitivity of our cells to insulin and can improve cholesterol levels. It can be found in brewer’s yeast, sweet potatoes, corn, whole grains, tomato, spinach, broccoli, onions, garlic, basil leaves, lettuce, fresh chili, green peppers, beets, mushrooms, rye, apples, oranges and bananas.
Bitter Melon helps to increase the liver’s ability to use glucose and prevents the conversion of non-carbohydrates into glucose. Bitter melon prevents the oxidation of glucose in the body –a process responsible for many of the complications associated with diabetes.
Dr. Suzanna Ivanovics, ND operates a naturopathic practice in downtown Toronto and is a consultant at The Big Carrot.
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