Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Irvingia Gabonesis


In 2005, a study was done in Cameroon testing Irvingia gabonensis and its ability to influence weight loss.  The study examined 40 obese subjects aged 19 to 52 and divided them into two groups.  The first group received a placebo and the second group received 1.05 grams of Irvingia seed extract.  The participants consumed either the placebo or the Irvingia extract before every meal 3 times a day for 30 days.  
Irvingia Gabonesis Study
The studied interviewed subjects on their activity level and food intake prior to the study.  When the study began, the subjects were instructed to follow a low-fat diet of 1,800 calories per day and keep a record of what they ate seven days a week.  At the end of each week, the subjects were examined and tested for changes in body weight, body fat, and hip/waist circumferences.
Liquid Diet weight loss
Results of the Study
At the end of the 30 day trial, the Irvingia group had lost an average of 11.5 pounds while the placebo group lost an average of 2.9 pounds.  The Irvingia group experienced a decrease in blood pressure, total cholesterol, triglycerides, and LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol).  There was also a rise in HDL (good) cholesterol.

Participants lost an average of 11.5 pounds in 30 days by taking Irvingia Gabonesis.  Do you feel this African mango is a viable option for weight loss?

Monday, April 2, 2012

5 Games that Improve Concentration


The Coin Game:
Create a pile of assorted coins and a stop watch.  Choose five coins from the pile and put them in a sequence (Example: Two quarters, two nickels and a penny).  Tell your child to look carefully at the coins, and then cover the coins with a piece of cardboard.  Start the stopwatch and have them recreate the sequence of coins using coins from the pile.  When they are finished, stop the watch and remove the cardboard.  Write down the time it took the children and if they were correct.  If they did not do it correctly, have them repeat the game.  As the child improves, start to make harder patterns and provide them less time to look at the coins. 
Mind - Body Integration:
Have the child sit in a chair without moving and time how long the child can accomplish this.  As you repeat this activity, the connections between the brain and the body are strengthened, which improves self-control.
Memory and Concentration Games:
Games such as Memory or Simon says are fun ways to improve memory and concentration.  Memory motivates children to remember locations of pictures and Simon says helps them memorize sequences of visual and auditory stimuli.  Playing these games exercises the brain and strengthens their connections, which improves their functionality.
 
Relaxation and Positive Imagery
Having a child relax and visualize an activity helps the brain improve or learn new skills. For example, if you imagine your golf swing, the brain records the experience as a real experience.  This strengthens brain connections, leading to actual improvement.  Have the child imagine things such as paying attention in class and the brain will start to train it to pay attention in class.
Crossword Puzzles and Picture Puzzles:
Crosswords improve a child’s attention to words and ability to sequence.  When a child tries to identify problems with a picture or tries to find hidden objects, the child’s attention and concentration improve. 

Thursday, March 29, 2012

ADD Misdiagnosis


There are 900,000 cases of misdiagnosed attention-deficit disorder according to a study by Todd Elder.  Elder’s study, published in the Journal of Health Economics, looked at a child’s age in comparison to his peers to measure the likelihood of an attention-deficit disorder diagnosis.  Elder states, “If a child is behaving poorly, if he's inattentive, if he can't sit still, it may simply be because he's 5 and the other kids are 6".
ADD Misdiagnosis
ADD Misdiagnosis Study
Elder used a sample of nearly 12,000 children to examine if age plays a role in the diagnosis and medication rates between the oldest and youngest children in each grade.  He determined a child’s age using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study Kindergarten Cohort where he compared the children’s birthdates with the school’s cut-off date for that grade level.  His research found that the youngest children were 60 percent more likely to receive an attention-deficit disorder diagnosis than the oldest children in that same grade level.  The youngest children were also twice as likely to be prescribed stimulants.


ADD Misdiagnosis
Get a Second Opinion
Studies like this highlight that we still have a long way to go in identifying and treating attention-deficit disorder.  I am personally shocked that a teacher’s opinion on whether or a not a child has attention-deficit disorder plays such a big role in diagnosis.  I think this reminds us that even experts can make mistakes so it is important to remember to seek second opinions and consider environmental factors before prescribing drugs to children.   

Hypersensitivity to Food and ADHD


Drugs are the common treatment for an ADHD diagnosis, but a new study says that the majority of ADHD cases can be solved through dieting.  A study lead by Dr. Lindy Pelsser of the ADHD Research Centre in the Netherlands recently published an article in the Lancet journal.  Pelsser believes the way society treats ADHD is wrong.  She believes that once a child is diagnosed with ADHD, parents and doctors should start looking for environmental causes rather than putting the child on drugs. 
Liquid multivitamins
Pelsser's study
Pelsser did a study involving children ages 4-8 with ADHD who were not currently on a diet, taking ADHD medication, or attending behavioral therapy.  The study placed the children on either a high-immunoglobulin G (IgG) or a low-IgG diet.  The low-IgG diet began on foods such as rice, meat, vegetables, pears, and water complemented by foods like potatoes, fruits, and wheat.  If ADHD signs continued, the diet began to remove complementary foods. The study found that after removing foods that incite ADHD behavior, most of the children stopped showing signs of ADHD.  The study concluded that 64 percent of children diagnosed with ADHD are experiencing hypersensitivity to foods. 
Best Energy Drink
Teachers and doctors who worked with the children were amazed at the results.  The children were calmer, less distracted, and less forgetful.  Pelsser states, “In all children, we should start with diet research."  It is only after a child’s behavior does not change that drugs should be considered an option.  It is also important to consult your doctor before altering a child’s diet.  "We have got good news — that food is the main cause of ADHD.  We've got bad news — that we have to train physicians to monitor this procedure because it cannot be done by a physician who is not trained", says Pelsser.
Do you feel that Peisser study concretely proves that food is the main cause for ADHD like she says?  Is dieting is the best way to reduce ADHD symptoms?  

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Do ADD Drugs Work


There are currently 3 million children in the United States who take medication for attention deficit disorder.   Over the past 30 years, drugs consumption for attention-deficit disorder has increased twentyfold.  At the end of 2011, ashortage of drugs like Ritalin and Adderall caused parents to panic because they believed these drugs were vital to their child’s ability to function.  Were these fears justified?
Attention-Deficit Disorder drugs
There is indisputable evidence that attention-deficit disorder drugs are effective in the short-term, but the long term success of these drugs is questionable.  A child’s body begins to adapt to attention deficit disorder drugs after a few weeks when common side effects like loss of appetite and sleepiness begin to subside.  After a while, a child’s body begins to develop a tolerance to the attention-deficit disorder drugs, limiting its effectiveness.  When the parents decide to take the child off attention-deficit disorder drugs, the child’s body has become dependent on these drugs and their behavior tends to worsen.  Parents routinely associate these behavioral outbreaks as a sign the medication is effective, but the response is due to the body’s dependency similar to irritability after quitting smoking.


 ADD Ritalin
Ritalin's Impact on ADD Children
In 2009, a study published its finding after studying 600 with attention deficit disorder split into 4 groups.  The study divided the groups by

1.      Receiving medication alone
2.      Receiving cognitive behavioral therapy alone
3.      Receiving medication and therapy
4.      Receiving nothing (control group)

The study initially saw children receiving medication perform better, but after 8 years there was no evidence suggesting that medication produced any academic or behavioral benefits.  To date, there is no credible study that has found any long-term benefits from taking attention-deficit disorder medication in terms of academic performance, peer relationships, or behavioral problems.

Neuroscience shows children with attention-deficit disorders possess brain abnormalities, supporting the theory that attention deficit disorder is an inborn brain malfunction; however, we do not know if the cause of these abnormalities occurred at birth or through experiences.   In 1975, a study enrolled 200 pregnant mothers living in poverty and tracked the lives of their children.  By late adolescence, 50 percent of the group qualified for a psychiatric diagnosis and almost half of the children displayed behavioral problems at school on one occasion.  By 6th grade, 14 percent of these children met the criteria for attention-deficit disorder.

Ritalin ADD
Is Ritalin the Answer
Research shows the likelihood of a baby, in any socio economic group, having attention-deficit disorder is 8 percent, 6 percent lower than the study group.  The data shows a higher likelihood of children in poverty stricken areas to develop attention deficit disorder; however, no evidence suggests neurological anomalies at birth, I.Q, or infant temperament can successfully measure  the likelihood for attention deficit disorder.  Alan Srofue, professor emeritus of psychology at the University of Minnesota’s Institute of Child Development writes,
The illusion that children’s behavior problems can be cured with drugs prevents us as a society from seeking the more complex solutions that will be necessary. Drugs get everyone — politicians, scientists, teachers and parents — off the hook. Everyone except the children, that is.  If drugs, which studies show work for four to eight weeks, are not the answer, what is? Many of these children have anxiety or depression; others are showing family stresses. We need to treat them as individuals.

Do you think prescription drugs are the answer for attention deficit disorder symptoms?
For more information, visit Children’s ADD Drugs Don’t Work Long TermNo Long-Term Benefit of ADHD Meds, and ADHD Drugs Don't Help Children Long Term

Monday, March 12, 2012

10 Stress Reduction Tips
Get Organized
To do lists are a great way to add focus.  Do the important tasks first and take things one step at a time.  This will make sure that the stuff you need to get done is accomplished first.
Get A Hobby
It’s never too late to learn something new.  Picking up a new hobby is a great way to take your mind off your problems and add some excitement into your life
Express Yourself
Expressing yourself is a great stress reliever.  When you’re stressed, call or write a friend or family member.  Tell them about your feelings.  You can even start a blog. 
Get Active
Physical activity relieves mental and physical tension.  Try to engage yourself in physical activity each day.  This lowers your risk of depression and loss of mental functions. 
Laugh
They say laughter is the best medicine.  Try to find something to make you laugh every day.  When you’re feeling stressed, read a funny comic or watch a funny movie and laugh your problems away. 
Slow Down
In many cases, stress can be avoided by simply planning out your day in advance.  When you have a long list of tasks to-do try and pace yourself.  Do not try to accomplish everything in the last minute. 
Don't Worry
We tend to exaggerate the importance of things when they go wrong.  At the end of the day, today’s problems probably won’t be a big deal tomorrow.  . 
Quit A Bad Habit
Too much alcohol, caffeine, or cigarettes can increase your stress.  Limiting your consumption of these can go a long way in improving your health and reducing your stress. 
Sleep More
Try to get between six to eight hours of sleep every night.  If you’re restless in bed, increase your physical activity during the day.  This may help you improve the quality of your sleep. 
Give Back
Giving back to the community helps you feel connect to others and helps build yourself esteem.  Go out and make new friends.  Helping others helps you.

Thursday, March 8, 2012

ADD Drugs


There are currently 3 million children in the United States who take medication for attention deficit disorder.   Over the past 30 years, drugs consumption for attention-deficit disorder has increased twentyfold.  At the end of 2011, a shortage of drugslike Ritalin and Adderall caused parents to panic because they believed these drugs were vital to their child’s ability to function.  Were these fears justified?
Attention-Deficit Disorder drugs
There is indisputable evidence that attention-deficit disorder drugs are effective in the short-term, but the long term success of these drugs is questionable.  A child’s body begins to adapt to attention deficit disorder drugs after a few weeks when common side effects like loss of appetite and sleepiness begin to subside.  After a while, a child’s body begins to develop a tolerance to the attention-deficit disorder drugs, limiting its effectiveness.  When the parents decide to take the child off attention-deficit disorder drugs, the child’s body has become dependent on these drugs and their behavior tends to worsen.  Parents routinely associate these behavioral outbreaks as a sign the medication is effective, but the response is due to the body’s dependency similar to irritability after quitting smoking.


 ADD Ritalin
Ritalin's Impact on ADD Children
In 2009, a study published its finding after studying 600 with attention deficit disorder split into 4 groups.  The study divided the groups by

1.      Receiving medication alone
2.      Receiving cognitive behavioral therapy alone
3.      Receiving medication and therapy
4.      Receiving nothing (control group)

The study initially saw children receiving medication perform better, but after 8 years there was no evidence suggesting that medication produced any academic or behavioral benefits.  To date, there is no credible study that has found any long-term benefits from taking attention-deficit disorder medication in terms of academic performance, peer relationships, or behavioral problems.

Neuroscience shows children with attention-deficit disorders possess brain abnormalities, supporting the theory that attention deficit disorder is an inborn brain malfunction; however, we do not know if the cause of these abnormalities occurred at birth or through experiences.   In 1975, a study enrolled 200 pregnant mothers living in poverty and tracked the lives of their children.  By late adolescence, 50 percent of the group qualified for a psychiatric diagnosis and almost half of the children displayed behavioral problems at school on one occasion.  By 6th grade, 14 percent of these children met the criteria for attention-deficit disorder.

Ritalin ADD
Is Ritalin the Answer
Research shows the likelihood of a baby, in any socio economic group, having attention-deficit disorder is 8 percent, 6 percent lower than the study group.  The data shows a higher likelihood of children in poverty stricken areas to develop attention deficit disorder; however, no evidence suggests neurological anomalies at birth, I.Q, or infant temperament can successfully measure  the likelihood for attention deficit disorder.  Alan Srofue, professor emeritus of psychology at the University of Minnesota’s Institute of Child Development writes,
The illusion that children’s behavior problems can be cured with drugs prevents us as a society from seeking the more complex solutions that will be necessary. Drugs get everyone — politicians, scientists, teachers and parents — off the hook. Everyone except the children, that is.  If drugs, which studies show work for four to eight weeks, are not the answer, what is? Many of these children have anxiety or depression; others are showing family stresses. We need to treat them as individuals.

Do you think prescription drugs are the answer for attention deficit disorder symptoms?
For more information, visit Children’s ADD Drugs Don’t Work Long TermNo Long-Term Benefit of ADHD Meds, and ADHD Drugs Don't Help Children Long Term

ADD Misdiagnosis


There are 900,000 cases of misdiagnosed attention-deficit disorder according to a study by Todd Elder.  Elder’s study, published in the Journal of Health Economics, looked at a child’s age in comparison to his peers to measure the likelihood of an attention-deficit disorder diagnosis.  Elder states, “If a child is behaving poorly, if he's inattentive, if he can't sit still, it may simply be because he's 5 and the other kids are 6". 



Elder used a sample of nearly 12,000 children to examine if age plays a role in the diagnosis and medication rates between the oldest and youngest children in each grade.  He determined a child’s age using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study Kindergarten Cohort where he compared the children’s birthdates with the school’s cut-off date for that grade level.  His research found that the youngest children were 60 percent more likely to receive an attention-deficit disorder diagnosis than the oldest children in that same grade level.  The youngest children were also twice as likely to be prescribed stimulants. 



Studies like this highlight that we still have a long way to go in identifying and treating attention-deficit disorder.  I am personally shocked that a teacher’s opinion on whether or a not a child has attention-deficit disorder plays such a big role in diagnosis.  I think this reminds us that even experts can make mistakes so it is important to remember to seek second opinions and consider environmental factors before prescribing drugs to children.   


Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Introduction to ADHD


Attention deficit disorder (ADD) is the most commonly diagnosed behavior problem for children in America.  The advanced form of attention deficit disorder is attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD).  Estimates suggest that 3 to 5 percent of all children suffer from signs of ADHD such as reduced attentiveness and concentration, excessive activity, distractibility, and impulsiveness.  That’s one child for every classroom in the country. 
Steven Kurtz, senior director of ADHD and Disruptive Behavior Disorders Center, believes it is best to think of ADHD in three sections.  The first section is the inability to pay attention, second section is for hyperactivity, and the third section is for impulsivity.  A child who lacks the ability to pay attention, but is not hyperactive or impulsive is defined as a child with ADD.  To clarify, ADD refers to the inability to pay attention during boring or repetitive tasks.  A child with ADD should have no trouble focusing on things that excite them such as a video game or movie. 

ADHD is a disorder of the brain.  Research has been able to identify differences in people with and without ADHD through brain scans, but scientists are still learning about the causes of ADHD.  Here are a few common ADHD misconceptions according to PBS.com:

ADHD is caused by poor parenting- There is no evidence to suggest ADHD is caused by poor parents, but inconsistent or overly harsh parenting can amplify symptoms. 

Quiet kids can’t have ADHD-
ADHD is primarily associated with loud, hyperactive, behavior but one type of ADHD is an inattentive type.  Children with this type of ADHD are often quiet and inattentive because they are too lost in their own world. This form of ADHD is more common with females.

ADHD is not a real disease; it’s just an excuse for kids’ bad behavior- ADHD has been studied for over 100 years.  ADHD is a legitimate brain disorder, which affects how people process and organizes information and manages impulses. 


Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Liquid Energy- Maintaining A Healthy Heart


Maintaining a Healthy Heart Tip 1: Lose Weight
Two thirds of Americans are overweight.  Research has shown that losing as little as 5 to 10 percent of your body weight can lead to better blood pressure, lower risk for diabetes, and improved cholesterol levels.  Liquid Energy suggests losing weight naturally through the process of thermogenesis by using Power Melt.  Click here to see what makesPower Melt so powerful and how it can help you!

Maintaining a Healthy Heart Tip 2: Limit Bad Fat
Cut back on “bad” fats.  Small changes such as replacing fried chicken wings with grilled chicken strips and low fat dipping sauces can limit your LDL (bad cholesterol).  See the importance of limiting your bad cholesterol here.  A few other small tips that can be a big help include replacing butter with olive and canola oil (filled with good cholesterol), lean meats, poultry, fish, and beans instead of higher fat meats.  Pick non/low fat milk and yogurt and eat full fat  cheese sparingly.   Avoid trans-fat and saturated fat which increases LDL and make sure to avoid foods with hydrogenated oils in their ingredients.  Look out for this in snacks, crackers, baked goods, and margarine. 

Maintaining a Healthy Heart Tip 3: Eat 25 Grams of Fiber
A high fiber diet will lower the risk of heart disease; unfortunately, the average American diet only includes around 14 grams of fiber a day.  You can lower LDL by eating foods such as oats, beans, and citrus fruits.  For meals try to pick whole grains like brown rice and whole wheat pasta which boosts your total fiber intake and improves digestion while lowering triglycerides, another unhealthy fat in blood.

Maintaining a Healthy Heart Tip 4: Have Fish Twice a Week
Research suggests that eating fish, high in omega-3 fats, can reduce heart disease by 30%.  Fish lowers triglycerides and blood pressures and helps prevent irregular heart rhythm.  Are you having trouble fitting fish in your diet?  Try a supplement!  Liquid Energysuggests BIOMEGA 3.  Here is a video about the creator of BIOMEGA 3 discussing its benefits compared to the leading fish oil pills.  In a 2009 study in sports help, the Pittsburg Steelers vastly improved their cholesterol profiles by taking a daily fish oil supplement. 

Maintaining a Healthy Heart Tip 5: Exercise for 30 Minutes
In 2009, the Journal of American Medical Association credited NFL player’s high level of physical activity with helping to reduce heart risks associated with being overweight.  You don’t need to be a professional athlete; you just need to do moderate exercises such as brisk walking to help keep your heart healthy. 

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Liquid Energy- Embryonic Stem Cells

For the first time, an embryonic stem cell study was documented in a scientific study.  The study involved two women with untreatable eye diseases who were injected with embryonic stem cells.  Both women claimed to have noticed dramatic improvements in their vision after the injection.  Steven Schwartz, chief of UCLA’s Jules Stein Eye Institute’s retina division, said, “it’s nowhere near a treatment for vision loss, but it's a signal that embryonic stem-cell based strategies may work."  Schwartz said he is “thrilled and excited” by the results of this study, but admits the results are preliminary, the sample size is small, it is difficult to measure vision improvements for low-vision patients.  The study, published in, The Lancet, states the stem cells were derived from an embryo and injected into the retinal tissue.  The patients originally had to take anti-rejection drugs so the eyes would not reject the foreign tissue. 

This picture has nothing to do with the text above


Prior to her July surgery, Sue Freeman, age 78, could not walk, shop, or cook alone due to macular degeneration, a disease that affects millions of Americans and with no treatment currently available.  After the injection of embryos in one of her eyes, Sue can shop, cook, walk, and even read all on her own.
The books she read were slightly less computer generated

The second patient, a 51-year-old woman who wished to remain anonymous, claimed she first noticed a change a few weeks after the surgery.  She looked at an armoire across the bedroom and noticed, "It has a lot of detailed carvings and I thought wow, I was missing those before”.  This anonymous patient could not read the extra-large letters on the eye chart designed for people with vision problems prior to her surgery.  Her vision was so bad prior to the surgery the patient was unable to see how fingers an examiner held up in front of her face.  After the surgery, she can now identify the number of fingers being held up in front of her face and read five of the letters on the eye examine chart.  In the Lancet’s commentary section, Dr. Anthony Atala, director of the Institute for Regenerative, cautioned that the report was preliminary, with a small sample size, and a short term follow up, but stated, “the results are impressive, especially considering the progressive nature of both diseases.” 

In her defense, Stacy had a different hairstyle

The stem cells came from an embryo created in a fertility clinic by a couple who chose not to use it to create a pregnancy.  Dr. Robert Lanza, chief scientific officer at Advanced Cell, said that the embryo was destroyed after deriving the stem cells but in the future doctors will have the ability to extract the embryo without destroying the stem cell.

While this is the first scientific study published about an embryonic stem cell trial, Geron was the first company to receive FDA approval for human trials using embryonic stem cells in 2009.  In 2011, they abandoned its research for financial reasons. 

There are many people who consider an embryo to be human life and object to embryonic stem cell research.  In the future, perhaps induced pluripotent stem cells may be the answer.  These can be made without destroying the embryo and are extracted from the skin of the patient making anti-rejection drugs unnecessary. 

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Liquid Energy- Tyrosine

There are many amino acids that live in your body that work very hard behind the scenes.  The purpose of this blog article is to make “tyro seen”.  L-Tyrosine is an amino acid that spends his weekends in a factory helping to produce the neurotransmitters dopamine, norepinephrine, thyroxin, and triiodothyronine.  Dopamine sends messages from the central nervous system to the brain and produces the reward sensation your body feels when something good happens unexpectedly like finding this blog!  Due to its dopamine production, research has been done to study tyrosine and use this amino acid to improve mood disorders such as depression.  Tyrosine is believed to help combat neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and dementia.  Tyrosine is also known as the stress amino acid because it helps your body to cope with stressful situations.   
Wow, what a great blog!
Have you been feeling stressed and depressed recently?  If you have, it probably means you are a fan of the Indianapolis Colts or you’re in need of additional tyrosine in your diet.  When a stressful event, such as losing future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning, occurs, the body uses up its stores of tyrosine in an attempt to regulate your mood.  After depleting your body’s tyrosine stores, your body cannot produce the dopamine and norepinephrine which help to regulate your moods.
Is it time to become a Pacers fan?
 Tyrosine is also extremely effective in helping children with ADHD.  Tyrosine helps to regulate the transition between a child’s thoughts and behavior.  Studies have shown remarkable increases in mental performance and mood stability in children given dosages ranging from 200 to 500 mg a day. 
It's hard to read a blank page
 Tyrosine is extremely safe to take as a supplement and there are no known negative side effects.  For people suffering from mental problems, dosages up to 7 grams a day have been taken during studies with no problem.  Tyrosine can be found in protein, dairy products, wheat, and oats.  If you’re interested in supplementing tyrosine, we recommend you try Liquid Energy’s Get-Go-N Plus which contains 500mg of Tyrosine plus other essential B-vitamins which will promote enhanced energy and vitality.  It is one of the best sources of B vitamins, including tyrosine, due to the Biocellular Micellization process.

Lininger Jr, Schuyler W., D.C.; et. al. “L-Tyrosine.” The Natural Pharmacy: Complete Home Reference to Natural Medicine. 2nd Edition.
- PDR Health. Online Physician’s Desk Refrence. “L-Tyrosine.” http://www.pdrhealth.com

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Liquid Health- The Benefits of Selenium

When you’re a child, you cannot wait to grow up.  Unfortunately, what proceeds growing up is growing old.  Contrary to popular belief, senior living centers do not consist of attractive nurses giving sponge baths and hilarious denture related pranks.   The vast majority of senior living centers exist because muscular dystrophy has made it unsafe for seniors to live on their own.  As many parents know, and anyone who has lived with my old roommate Justin, living with people who cannot take care of themselves is no fun.  There are two primary ways you can avoid this fate.  The first is to beg Sean Connory for his method of never aging or you can follow Liquid Energy’s advice and try Selenium.
With selenium and a silly hat, anything is possible

What is Selenium?
Selenium is a trace mineral that is used in antioxidant enzymes that protects cells against free radicals produced during the normal oxygen metabolism process.  These free radicals, left alone, can damage cells and contribute to the development of chronic disease.  Selenium is also essential for the everyday functions of the immune system and can be found in almost every cell in the body.  The highest concentrations of selenium are in the kidneys, liver, pancreas, and spleen.
Don't let your cells look like this
Selenium Study:
There was a study done involving 891 men and women over the age of 65 who volunteered to have blood drawn to monitor selenium levels.  They were then tested on the strength of their hips, grips, and knees.  The government states the minimum level of selenium should be 1.25 micromoles per liter of blood, but the study’s averaged placed 0.95 micrometers per liter of blood.  Bad old seniors!  After analyzing the data, the study found that those with the lowest levels of selenium were 69 percent more likely to possess poor hip strength, 94 percent more likely to have poor knee strength, and 94 percent more likely to have poor grip strength.  This study requires additional research to conclusively prove selenium can reduce muscular dystrophy but there are hopes this study can encourage additional research that can conclusively link selenium to muscular dystrophy.

Where can I find Selenium?
You can find selenium in most meats, nuts, unrefined grains, brown rice, wheat germ, and oats.  The concentration of selenium depends on the richness of the soil in which the plants were grown.  The recommended dosage is 55 mcg for women and 70 mcg for men. If you are worried that your selenium intake is inadequate, you can always purchase dietary supplements at Liquid Energy online by taking BioFuel which provides 100mcg’s of selenium per day.

Daniells, Stephen. “Low Selenium Levels May Be Weakening Muscles – Study.” NutraIngredients USA. August 27, 2007. http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com

Supplement Watch. Supplement Library: “Selenium.” http://www.supplementwatch.com/

Whole Health MD. Reference Library: Supplements: “Selenium.” http://www.wholehealthmd.com