The green coffee bean extract weight loss concept really took off in 2012 when Dr. Oz featured this product on his tv show. As millions of people watch this show and believe every word coming out of Dr. Oz’s mouth, when he touted this supplement as a miracle fat-burner, demand immediately started to surge. And the next day the shelves at vitamin shops were empty.

One year later demand for green coffee supplements has not diminished. One reason for such enthusiasm is that based on past studies people were able to lose weight by just taking the pills, without changing their diet or exercising differently. The only auxiliary element is that it is recommended to maintain a food diary while taking the pills. This will enable you to be more aware of what food you eat, hopefully leading you to better nutritional decisions.

With the epidemic of obesity and diabetes in America and elsewhere, overweight people count by the hundreds of million. The problem is that in our modern world where advertisement continually bombard us with commercials showing beautiful slim and fit models or movie stars, being fat is not an attribute of perceived beauty, on the contrary. This is a paradox of our society that advertisement by food or drink companies tend to make us overweight with all the extra calories this leads to, while the image seen on most ads is that of thin people.

The result is that people are overweight but they like what they eat and do not want to change that. They do not want to go through the torture of dieting with all the restrictions this implies, as they cherish their pizza, hamburgers and doughnuts and could not live without them. And they do not want to go to the gym either as this involves making rigorous efforts on a consistent basis in order to achieve a suitable level of fitness where most body extra fat has disappeared.

Because of the above what all these people dream of is a miracle fat-burner pill that will make them lose weight without changing their diet or exercising more, in other words without efforts. And this is exactly what green coffee is promising. This is what some recent studies and experiments show.

The problem is that these studies are not exhaustive enough to yet prove that this is the case. There is a good chance that green coffee and in particular some of its best antioxidants like chlorogenic acid have a positive effect on weight loss. But in order to be sure more in-depth studies are needed.

Fish do not produce omega-3 directly, but accumulate it in their bodies. Either by consuming micro-algae that produce these fatty acids (like herring or sardines) or by eating prey fish that have accumulated omega-3 from these micro-algae (such as shark, swordfish or yellow fin tunafish).

Omega-3 acids strongly influence the behavior of some blood components called platelets, which are essential factors for blood clotting. The problem with the platelets is when they become too active. They congregate such as in a coronary artery and accelerate the process of atherosclerosis, the medical term for hardening of the arteries. Atherosclerosis is the leading cause of death from heart disease. The omega-3 fatty acids makes platelets less sticky so it is harder for them to accumulate in one area and cause a clot.

Coagulation is also influenced by substances called prostaglandins made of fatty acids from food. The functions of prostaglandins are both numerous and essential, such as temperature control and blood pressure regulation. A type of prostaglandin, thromboxane A2, stimulates coagulation (often at the wrong time in the arteries). The omega-3 fatty acids prevent its synthesis and stimulate the production of a rather inert form thromboxane A3, which is more or less inoperant. In this way, the omega-3 fight against fatal heart attacks.

They also reduce the synthesis of other chemicals derived from fats, such as leukotrienes, which have a crucial part in the initial inflammatory stage of an asthma crisis. Many studies show that omega-3 supplements can provide relief to such situations.

Although polyunsaturated oils as a means to prevent heart disease by lowering cholesterol levels, omega-3 is 2 to 5 times more effective in this regard than vegetable polyunsaturated oil. Omega-3s are particularly favorable to lower blood fats such as triglycerides associated with atherosclerosis. Unsaturated oils in turn, are able to decrease immune functions by a detrimental effect on the activity of a certain type of immune cells called T lymphocytes. These cells protect us from viruses and select and destroy cancer cells before they can proliferate. The omega-3 fats on the other hand do not reduce the functions of T cells and since they are more effective in preventing heart disease than polyunsaturated oils, it is infinitely more desirable to include them in our daily diet as a prevention.

Fish oil can also be beneficial to diabetics by increasing the sensitivity of cells to insulin hormones. In type 2 diabetes, cells become insensitive to the effects of insulin due to the lack of cellular receptors. The result is that the cell cannot metabolize sugar properly, which leads to a series of side effects, including heart heart diseases due to a high percentage of fat in the blood. Aside from the fact that they increase insulin sensitivity, omega-3s are also beneficial for people suffering from hypercholesterolemia by increasing the proportion of one part of the protective cholesterol called high-density lipoprotein (HDL). HDL helps remove excess bad cholesterol in the blood that transports it to the liver where it undergoes degradation that turns it into bile where it gets eliminated.

Omega-3 may also change another risk factor for heart disease, hypertension (high blood pressure), through two different mechanisms: first, by altering the production of prostaglandins, which would relax the arterioles (small arteries) and thus to lower the blood pressure or, on the other hand, its effect with calcium reduces tension.

From their content of omega-3 acids fish can be divided into two categories depending on whether they store such fat in their muscles (herring, mackerel, salmon) or in the internal organs (cod). The second type gives a lower intake of omega-3, although cod oil contains about 20% of it. In other varieties of fish, omega-3 is about 30% of the total oil they contain. Sardines, sablefish, river trout, fresh tuna and canned (especially albacore), herring and anchovies are excellent sources. It was long believed that canned tuna would lose most of its omega-3 content in its packaging. But the opposite has been proven since. A can of 180g of tuna contains as much omega-3 as 3 to 5 capsules of fish oils and albacore has 2 times more omega-3 than white tuna. Nature tuna is better than tuna in oil, as 25% of Omega-3 oil mix with oil and you lose if you remove it.

Fish oil also improves skin health. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) are two essential fatty acids provided by fish oil supplements. But the EPA is directly related to the health of the skin. A study published in 2005 in the “Journal of Lipid Research” found that some of the benefits of this type of oils on the skin condition are: regulating the production of oil, increased hydration, less acne, fewer wrinkles, protect skin from damage caused by UVA rays (which cause wrinkles, lines and permanent damage to the skin).

In addition omega-3 improves brain function in babies. Studies have shown that the benefits of fish oil are numerous for babies when pregnant women consume fish oil supplements during pregnancy. These supplements promote brain development and eye health. In addition, women who took a supplement of this type of oil (but high quality) gave birth to babies with higher IQs and less learning disabilities. These babies were also less likely to develop mental retardation or cognitive delays.

No offense to fans of weight loss programs, our body needs fat to live! And if we synthesize some, others must be present in our diet to meet our needs. They are called essential fatty acids, which include omega 3. In case of deficiency, the health risks are numerous. So no question of missing on it!

It is interesting as it studies longevity data starting in 1963! Not often do we have such 47 years of data to analyze, and with a population of 2,000 people of 50 years of age and older, this offers good significance in the results. So the question was what are the most potent factors to determine longevity. This is as close as it gets to the ‘Fountain of Youth’.

The population in question lives in a small European town and they were regularly followed from age fifty with a life and health questionnaire. Many lived to 90 and older, but some did not. Statistical analysis was conducted to determine what the survivors had in common that the people who died earlier were likely not to have. So here are the 7 main factors for living to 90 starting at 50.

1. Do not smoke
2. Consume moderate amounts of coffee
3. At a good socio-economic status at the age of 50 (measured in terms of housing costs)
4. Engaged in good physical working capacity at the age of 54
5. Low cholesterol at age 50
6. Low blood pressure
7. Good cardiorespiratory function

So what is so interesting?

Everybody knows smoking is bad for you, but it turns out it is the most important factor for living long. More surprisingly the second most important factor is to drink coffee moderately. Coffee has a positive effect but not if you drink too much of it!

Next is your socio-economic status. This general factor likely means that people with more money have the means to get appropriate medical treatment when needed. They are less expected to do dangerous work or to be exposed to various risk factors. They are probably more educated and more aware of what is good for your health. Also white collars smoke less than menial workers. So this factor in itself summarizes other true factor, as it is more of a secondary factor in itself. But it is revealing to see that this is an important factor for longevity.

Physical activity is not a surprise, so make sure to have a regular exercise schedule if you want to live long. Cholesterol as well is bad for you, follow your level every year and take action to lower it if needed. Likewise low blood pressure is good for you. And your overall cardiorespiratory condition matters too, but this factor somehow is a consequence of the other crucial factors, such as smoking (bad for the lungs) and having too much cholesterol (bad for the heart).

This study is not a revelation in itself as we could have guessed some of these factors, but the point here is that this is a statistical study that really pinpoints what matter the most if you want to live longer. And as you can control most of these factors, take action if you need to make sure all 7 factors are on your side.

It depends on the type of aging problem under consideration, and these fall under a few broad categories as listed below.

Aging skin: this is the leading area where people feel that they are aging and seek anti aging solutions to stop the skin from aging at an accelerated pace. Anti aging creams, lotions amps; moisturizers, wrinkle creams, anti aging masks, anti aging spa treatments, all are solutions for the skin.

Another area of aging more specific to men is hair loss, partial or complete balding. Unfortunately this predicament may affect women too. There are various solutions for that and the most efficient is to do some hair implant. Preventive techniques also exist, in particular with the use of special shampoos and vitamin preparations.

Another consequence of getting older is related to your mental capabilities. Such issues range from mild memory loss to more severe illnesses like Alzheimer disease. One preventive solution is to do both physical and mental exercises on a continuous basis. There exist companies specialized for that. Indeed even physical exercise has been scientifically proven to have a positive anti-aging effect on our mental abilities.

More generally speaking, there is a branch of anti aging solutions dedicated to organic or natural products. Recent research has found that nature itself produces anti aging elements, and many people prefer to use that rather than the merchandise offered by the big pharmaceutical companies.

Some anti aging solutions relate to food and diet. As they say, you are  what you eat. There are food and ingredients with pronounced anti aging effects, such as antioxidants. Smoking has the opposite effect and quitting smoking is a simple way to gain a few years in life expectancy.

As mankind has searched for the Fountain of Youth since Antiquity, anti aging is a large part of health research and solutions to satisfy demand. Novel methodologies are constantly discovered and you should stay attuned to be aware of the best solutions for anti aging issues.