6 Simple Health Hacks

Live Longer with Glucosamine

Any bodybuilder worth his or her weight in protein knows about how well glucosamine works for your joints by preventing the breakdown of joint cartilage. But according to new research from Swiss and German biologists, glucosamine may also help extend your life! Researchers found that high doses of glucosamine inhibited the conversion of glucose into energy. Low-carb diets and supplements that inhibit carbohydrate metabolism have historically been found to be good for life extension. The concentration of free radicals went down in mice with the added glucosamine, which reduced the speed at which their cells aged. The human equivalent dose that the scientists used is about 1 gram per 10 kilograms of body weight per day.

Pycnogenol For Endurance

For cross-training athletes with performance-related goals, Pycnogenol (derived from the pine bark of a tree) may just be the best thing since sliced bread. Researchers got 32 male athletes to perform a triathalon 10 times in 30 days. Crazy? Yes. Effective? Also yes. They gave the subjects 50 milligrams of Pycnogenol at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, for a total of 150 milligrams per day. The men in the supplement group improved their time by 10 minutes and 48 seconds. The understanding here is that the supplement is extremely effective provided the athlete also has a firm grasp of nutrition, training, and hydration.

Vitamin D & Metabolic Syndrome

Vitamin D is the “sunshine vitamin” and is associated with calcium absorption and helping muscles, nerves, and immune system work properly. Recently, however, scientists were looking for a link between vitamin D deficiency, atherosclerosis, and metabolic syndrome. The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in obese children and adolescent was 46.6 percent. While this doesn’t imply causation, there’s definitely a correlation. As it turns out, low levels of vitamin D were also related to thicker layers of the arterial walls in the heart, which could indicate atherosclerotic disease.

Asparagus Helps Battle Cancer Cancer

Not only is this long, lean veggie rich in fibre, folate, and vitamins A, C, E, and K, but it also might be helpful in the battle against colon cancer. French researchers exposed human colon cancer cells (in a lab environment) to a methanol extract of asparagus. They found that the extract not only induced the healthy cells to produce more cancer fighters but also reduced the number of cancerous tumour precursors by more than half! As per the research, the human equivalent of this dose is about 2.3 milligrams of asparagus extract per kilogram of bodyweight per day.

Spend Time Outside to Lose Weight

With the explosion of social media, the advent of the home office, and the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it can be easy to get so caught up with work that you forget to step outside. But what if it could trim your waistline? Neurologists at Northwestern University surmise that exposure to sun earlier in the day (versus the afternoon) helps our biological rhythms run more smoothly. These rhythms control hormone secretion, which in turn helps appetite control and efficient insulin function.

Fight the Flu With Goji Berries

Goji berries were all the rage last year in the health-food world because of their essential amino acid ratio, zinc content, and 21 trace minerals. Recently, researchers have discovered another benefit: reducing the severity of the flu! According to this newest research, goji berries are the best nutritional source of zeaxanthin, a compound stimulates the immune system. Animals given the goji berries had a higher concentration of molecules that are responsible for fighting infection than animals given a control food. The human equivalent to offer this protection would be roughly 20 to 30 grams of goji berries per day.