Anti-glycation -- The new approach of anti-aging 抗糖基化 -- 新兴的抗老化

Advance glycation end products (AGEs) are the end product of a process refer to as glycation, in which a sugar molecule bonds to a protein without an enzyme to control the reaction through normal course of metabolism. An example is the skin of a grilled chicken versus a boiled chicken. The brown color on the grilled chicken skin is the evidence of AGEs, where the brown color does not present in boiled chicken skin. Glycation often involves sugar binding proteins such as collagen and elastin. Accumulation of AGEs stiffen collagen network and ultimately leads to apoptosis (death of cells). As a result, skin becomes wrinkled and dull when collagen damages and collapses. 

Glycation does not just occur in skin, it can happen in any part of the body. Formation of AGEs has been shown to contribute to the progression of age-related diseases and study had shown that the process is accelerated in the case of diabetes. Besides aging that cause AGEs to accumulate in body, diet is another significant source. Foods that are cooked till brown with high heat are likely to be the most damaging. For instance, baking, broiling, roasting and barbeque-ing. A very partial list of high AGEs food includes donuts, barbecued meats, cakes and dark colored soda.  

糖基化 (glycation) 是糖分和蛋白质在体内缺乏酵素的控制下所产生的反应，是一种老化过程，也属于正常的新陈代谢过程。而高级糖基化终产物（AGE）就是糖基化过程最后留下的物质。举个例，相比一只被烘烤的鸡和一只被蒸熟的鸡。烘烤的鸡皮是皱皮和呈现棕色，而被蒸熟鸡就不会。棕色的鸡皮就是糖基化终产物（AGE）。糖基化往往涉及与糖结合的蛋白质如胶原蛋白和弹性蛋白。AGEs  会累积在皮肤内，令胶原蛋白组织硬化和倒塌，导致细胞凋亡。因而引起皱纹和令肌肤失去光泽。

糖基化不仅使肌肤老化，它也产生在身体的任何部分。 AGEs 的形成已被证实会导致因年龄增长而引起的疾病。研究显示，糖基化的过程在糖尿病的情况下，会更加快速。除了年龄增长（老化），饮食也是糖基化另一个主要原因。用高温烹煮至深褐色的食物，是最具破坏性的。例如，烘烤和烧烤，其中的食物包括油炸圈饼，烤肉，蛋糕和深色汽水。 

Phosphorus -- the invisible additives 磷 -- 隐形的食物添加剂

Processed foods are a big part of our daily diet. We are so used to yogurts, cheeses, noodles, cereals, cakes, biscuits, deli meats, nuggets, hot dogs, sauces, fruit drinks and carbonated beverages, which are all high in phosphorus. Phosphorus has a wide function as food additives, from preserving moisture and color, anti-caking, to acidifier, leavening agent and stabilizer. Phosphorus additives can present in food in many forms and most people are not aware about it. What is the concern of having too much phosphorus? Studies have shown that dietary exposure to high levels of phosphorus could be increasing the cardiovascular disease.

Phosphorus is an essential nutrient naturally present in some food like egg yolk, dairy products and meat. It is an essential nutrient for bone and teeth, energy production and other metabolic processes. It is hard for you to know how much you are taking in since the amounts can vary between brands. Even the nutrient database is hard to trust because the data is based on food types, rather than brands. Labeling of Daily Value (DV) is based on 1000 mg while the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) is set at 700 mg for adults.



加工食品已是我们饮食中的一大部分，不管是乳酪，乳酪，面类，早餐谷粮，蛋糕，饼干，熟肉制品，鸡块，热狗，调味酱，果汁饮料和碳酸饮料，都含有大量的磷。磷是一个具有广泛作用的食品添加剂。它可用于保存食品中的水分和颜色，抗结块，也可以是酸化剂，膨松剂和稳定剂。磷，以多种形式存在于食物，但大多数人都没有意识到。但摄取有过多的磷有什么问题吗？有研究表明，饮食中摄取过多的磷可能会增加患上心血管疾病。

磷是人体必需的营养素，天然的存在于食物中，如蛋黄，乳制品和肉类。是保持骨骼和牙齿健康，身体产生能源和其他代谢过程中的一种必需营养素。要知道您每天摄入多少磷是相当困难的，因为不同的品牌存在着相当的差异。恐怕连营养数据库的质料也不能提供这一方面的质料，因为数据库是根据食物种类分类，而非依据品牌。即使是每日价值（DV）标签也是基于1000毫克，而成人的每日建议摄取量（RDA）只有700毫克。

Beware of grapefruit if you are... 请避免食用西柚，如果您...

Some of us might have a habit of drinking grapefruit juice, especially among those who are on diet. Grapefruit is one of the nutraceutical food that shows benefit in reducing the risk of some disease like cancer. However, when you are on medication, you should be aware of grapefruit due to its possible interaction with drug. It is believed that furanocoumarins (a compound that is naturally present in grapefruit) is responsible for this interaction. Grapefruit blocks the enzymes in the intestines that normally break down many drugs. As a result, drug will be rushed into bloodstream, which at worst can cause toxicity, leading to serious side effects. Grapefruit effect does not happen in every drug, but it does affect some popular and widely known medications such as cholesterol drug, blood pressure drug, anti-anxiety and some other drugs.

Just one glass of grapefruit juice is enough to exhibit the maximum blocking effect. For many cases, interaction can be avoided as long as the two interacting agents are taken separately after several hours of interval. For grapefruit, this is not the case, because the effect can last for more than 24 hours, perhaps up to 72 hours. Therefore, grapefruit should be avoided throughout the whole course of medication. 

Are there other fruits that might have the same effect? 

Besides grapefruit, furanocoumarins also present naturally in pomelo and Seville oranges, citrus fruits (lemons, limes and orange) are generally safe.  

我们当中，可能有些有饮用西柚汁的习惯，尤其是用西柚减肥法的。西柚属于营养保健食物，能减少患上一些疾病的风险，如癌症。可是，如果您是需要长期服药的，您可能要特别留意了，因为西柚会产生药物反应。研究人员相信 furanocoumarins 是造成药物反应的成分。西柚阻挡肠道内的酵素，使它们不能分解药物。因而，造成血液内的药物分量提高。在最坏的情况下，可能会引起药物中毒，导致严重的副作用。虽然，西柚并不是对每一种药物都会产生药物反应，但它却影响着一些热门和家喻户晓的的药物，如降胆固醇药，降血压药，抗焦虑等等的药物。

一杯柚子汁的分量已足够造成阻挡作用。一般情况，只要避免一起服用两个有药物反应的药物和食物，将它们相隔几个小时才服用，就可以避免药物反应。但西柚却不能。因为其效果是可持续超过24小时，可能长达72小时。因此，在整个服药期间，都要避免食用西柚。

除了西柚， 还有那些水果也有着药物反应？

柚子和塞维利亚桔子也有天然的 furanocoumarins 。而柑橘类水果（柠檬，酸柑，橙）则属于安全的。

Dr. Oz推荐的天然成分 Natural Ingredients recommended by Dr. Oz

Dr. Oz is an influential figure in recommending supplements. Recently, Dr. Oz has put his stamp of approval in some well-known botanical, he and Dr. Roizen said turmeric, saw palmetto and garlic are generally safe and have scientific backing. Let's take a look at some of the natural ingredients recommended by Dr. Oz:

1. Turmeric, a well known spice in Indian and Middle Eastern cuisine and also a natural yellowish coloring. Turmeric is able to subside inflammation of ulcerative colitis when taken with standard medications, according to Dr. Oz. Other benefits on turmeric's anti-inflammatory properties including bone and joint health. 
2. Aloe vera, conveniently available, helps in soothing, cooling and moisturizing irritated skin. Dr. Oz and Dr. Roizen suggested that it may even be more effective for healing mild skin burns than some prescription preparations!
3. Saw palmetto, rich in fatty acids and phtosterols. Both Drs recommended that it can be used to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia.  
4. Garlic, help to improve conditions of high blood pressure and cholesterol and may slow down hardening arteries. Garlic is recommended by the Drs in controlling these conditions. 
5. Krill oil, contains more omega-3s than fish oil, may also be 'stronger and faster' said Dr. Oz. Also, may be more effective than fish oil at fighting disease.
6. Astaxanthin, Dr. Oz: "the No. 1 supplement you've never heard of that you should be taking". Taking regularly help in improving eye and cardiovascular health while reducing signs of aging and serving as an anti-inflammatory.   
7. Raspberry ketones, the aromatic components in raspberries. Have been linked with weight-loss, increasing body metabolism by regulating adiponectin (a protein that controls the metabolism). In turn, help body to burn fat faster. 
8. Ginseng, a well known holistic medicine providing numerous health benefits including immune health, reduce stress and energy booster for people who suffer from fatigue. 

The content above is merely for reference, not intended in treating any kind of diseases. For more recommendations, please visit Dr. Oz's website.  

Dr. Oz 在营养保健品界中，是一位具有影响力的人物。最近，他和另一位医生 Dr. Roizen 都认为姜黄，塞润榈和大蒜，大致上是安全和有科学依据的。接下来，让我们来看看一些 Dr. Oz 所建议的天然成分：

1. 姜黄，在印度及中东料理中被广泛使用的香料，也是天然的黄色素。根据 Dr. Oz, 当与药物一起服用时，姜黄可击退溃疡性结肠炎的炎症。姜黄的抗炎特性还带来其他的健康益处，当中包括骨骼和关节的健康。
2. 芦荟，一个普遍的成分，有助于舒缓，降温和滋润受刺激的肌肤。两位医生都认为，芦荟和一些处方药物相比，对轻度皮肤烧伤可能更有效！
3. 塞润榈，含有丰富的脂肪酸和植物甾醇。医生建议，它可用于治疗良性前列腺增生症。
4. 大蒜，有助于改善高血压和胆固醇，也可能会放缓动脉硬化的速度。在可改善和控制的前提下，医生推荐大蒜。
5. 磷虾油，比鱼油含有更多的Omega-3脂肪酸，Dr. Oz 认为是“更强和更快”的选择。此外，比鱼油更有效的对抗疾病。
6. 虾青素，Dr. Oz 说：“是您没听说过，最应该服用的保健品”。经常服用有助于提高眼睛和心血管的健康，同时减少的迹象老化，也具有抗炎功效。
7. 覆盆子酮，是赋予覆盆子香味的成分。提高身体的新陈代谢，调节脂联素（一种控制新陈代谢的蛋白质）有助于减轻体重，帮助身体更快地燃烧脂肪。
8. 人参，一个有着许多健康好处的传统草药，当中包括增强免疫系统，减轻压力和提神功效。

以上内容纯属分享，并非提议任何治疗方式。更多的建议，请浏览 Dr. Oz 的网站。

DNA diets 营养基因餐

Do you know that we are 99.6% identical to someone besides us, but the 0.4% is enough in differentiating us when it comes to risk of developing chronic diseases?

你知道吗，我们和身边的人有着99.6％的相似度？但谈到患上慢性疾病的风险时，那区区的0.4％已经足够将我们区分。

Nutrigenetics or nutrigenomics, a young and emerging area in the field of nutrition, is an area that explore the association between the nutrient-gene interactions and health maintenance and the risk of developing certain chronic disease. Although some argue that the scope of nutrigenetics should be on promoting healthy eating, improve upon standard guidelines as applied to individual, rather than preventing specific disease or curing disease. 

营养基因学，是一个颇新的营养学领域，探索着基因和健康之间的关系，是否某些基因会增加某些慢性疾病的风险等等的课题。有些人则认为，营养基因学应该用于推广健康饮食，提高个人专属的标准指引，而不是用于防止或治疗疾病。

However there are always exploitation behind everything. There are companies that are trying to cash in via DNA diets. All you need to do is to send your DNA to them, they run the analysis, tell you your genetic variations associated with increased risk of disease A, B, C and advise you on change in diet.

世事总难免被滥用。有些公司正试图利用‘营养基因餐’ 来捞上一笔。你只需要提供你的 DNA，他们将会替你进行​​分析。然后告诉你，你的基因遗传会增加你患上疾病A，B，C的风险，从而建议你改变饮食习惯。

Experts have expressed concern over this commercial interests as they are just staring to learn and know even less about the extent to which we can modify this risk through specific diet interventions. Secondly, you will most probably be getting four different results whereby your 'DNA sample' will be sent to four different DNA-based diet firms for analysis. Most importantly, the tests are not validated, test quality and result becomes a big question mark. If you happened to come across a 'personalized nutrition plan based on your own DNA', think twice.  

专家对这个商业利益表示担忧，因为到目前为止，营养基因学仍然在了解的阶段，针对可否因改善特定的饮食习惯而减少罹患某些疾病风险，仍然不明确。不但如此，这些公司将会把你的DNA样本发送到四间以‘营养基因餐’挂号的公司进行分析，所以你很有可能会得到四个不同的结果。最重要的是，这些测试都没有被验证过，测试结果的可信度更成了最大的问号。如果你碰上了“根据自己DNA量身定造的营养计划”，请三思而后行。

Safe & effective for anti-aging - Rice ceramides 大米神经酰胺， 安全和有效的抗衰老

Do you feel that your skin is not as good as before, after age of 25? In fact, starting from age 20, our skin becomes thinner and more susceptible to environmental pollutants. Studies showed that ceramides content in skin declines with age and quantity of ceramides was lower in atopic dermatitis, dry skin and aged individual. What exactly is ceramide?

您是否有感觉到25岁后，皮肤已没有以前的好？其实，从20岁开始，我们的肌肤已经开始慢慢变薄，也更容易受到环境因素影响。研究显示，肌肤内的神经酰胺含量会随着年龄的增长而下降。而相对中，过敏性皮炎，皮肤干燥和老化的肌肤，神经酰胺的含量更是少。到底什么是神经酰胺？

Ceramides are the major constituent (40~60%) of Stratum corneum lipids (Stratum corneum is the outer most layer of epidermis). They play important roles in skin barrier function. Maintaining moisture under skin and preventing harmful substances from penetrating into skin. Ceramides is the key for healthy youthful looking skin. What will happened when ceramides content is reduced? Our biggest nightmare - appearance of fine lines and wrinkles!!!

神经酰胺是角质层脂质中（角质层是表皮的最外层）的最主要成分（占40〜60％）。在肌肤保湿层扮演着重要的角色。维持肌肤中的水分和防止有害物质渗透肌肤。神经酰胺是保持年轻肌肤的关键。当神经酰胺含量减少时，会对肌肤造成什么影响？细纹和皱纹的出现！这将会是恶梦的开始。

So where are ceramides from? Mostly synthetically made or animal origin. Comparatively to animal products, rice ceramides appear to be a safer option. Not to forget that it is grown naturally, consisting the goodness of nature minus the chemical from laboratory.


那么神经酰胺是取之于那里呢？大多是由化学物制造或取之于动物。相比于动物产品，取之于大米是一个更安全的选择。加上是天然生长的植物，比起‘制造于实验室’的制造品，多了一份大自然的益处。

Part 2: Men's nutrients - walnut? 男士营养 - 核桃?

In America, prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men,   next to skin cancer, and is the second-leading cause of cancer death in American men, behind lung cancer.

在美国，前列腺癌是男性第二最常见癌症，仅次于皮肤癌。也是美国男性的第二大癌症死亡原因，仅次于肺癌。

• The American Cancer Society estimates about 241,740 new cases and about 28,170 men will die of prostate cancer during 2012
• 1 in 6 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime 
• 1 in 36 men will die of prostate cancer

• 据美国癌​​症协会估计，2012年约有 241,740个新病例，而约有28,170人将死于前列腺癌 
• 每6 位男士中，就有1名被诊断出患有前列腺癌 
• 每36名男士中，就有1名死于前列腺癌 

The most beneficial antioxidant for prostate health is lycopene (a red carotenoid in tomatoes). Do keep in mind that a cooked tomato is more bio-available, up to 4 times of a raw tomato. Cook your tomato!

番茄红素（一种在番茄的胡萝卜素）是对前列腺最有益的抗氧化剂。食用时请记得将番茄煮熟，因为熟番茄比生番茄更能被人体运用，高出4倍！

Another men food that is worth exploring is -- Walnut. Previous studies indicated healthy young men eating 75grams of walnuts a day would not result in weight gain but would improve their blood lipid levels (triglycerides, LDL, HDL). 75grams of walnuts is equivalent to about 8 whole walnuts (of cause size matters).

另一个男士最值得探讨的食物是 - 核桃。以往的研究显示健康的年轻男士每天吃75克的核桃，并不会导致体重增加，而会改善血脂（甘油三酯，低密度脂蛋白，高密度脂蛋白胆固醇）。 75克的核桃相当于8粒核桃仁 （当然因核桃的大小而异）。

Published in Biology of Reproduction, a study conducted by University of California, Los Angeles, the research team revealed that eating 75grams of walnuts a day improves the vitality, motility and morphology of sperm in healthy young men aged 21-35. Whether birth outcomes can be improved, will require further research.

发表在 Biology of Reproduction，由美国加州大学洛杉矶分校的研究发现，21岁至35岁的健康年轻男士，每天吃75克的核桃仁，可提高精子的生命力，活力和形态。至于可不可以因此提高生育力则需要进一步研究。