Should you take a "multi" to combat inflammation?
If there is one factor that is causative of more health challenges than any other it is this: inflammation.
After all, from heart disease, to cancer, diabetes, or any other brain or degenerative disease you can think of, they all have inflammation at their root. Not to mention inflammatory immune responses to viral/bacterial infections, or reactions to food, or other substances introduced into the body.
If there is one factor that is causative of more health challenges than any other it is this: inflammation.
When it comes to multivitamins, we take them proactively to ensure our intake of vital nutrients before we become deficient. Or we may take them to bring up our nutrient levels.
This same logic can be applied to a broad spectrum natural anti-inflammatory supplement, i.e. something you take to ward off countless complaints and conditions before they occur... or after.
The concept of a broad spectrum anti-inflammatory to fill gaps in our health profile is a big part of what inspired the formulation of Opti-A.I. in 2001, back when we were just starting to hear about inflammation as a causative factor in the disease process. This formula has been further enhanced and is now called Opti-A.I. Extra.
It consists of 9 highly anti-inflammatory ingredients:
- C3 Curcumin TM -The first consideration when designing Opti-A.I. Extra was to choose a highly absorbed, and particularly anti-inflammatory curcumin. For this, after years of investigation we chose C3 CurcuminTM as it contains the highest amounts of the most active, anti-inflammatory curcuminoids and metabolites, and is the best studied, having over 80 trials done on it. It is actually considered the "gold standard" for turmeric, being chosen by the NIH for their trials. Among many others, these curcuminoids are natural cox II inhibitors blocking inflammatory prostaglandin E2, and are known to lower levels of C-Reactive Protein (CRP).
- BioCell Collagen TM - Secondly we wanted to broaden the anti-inflammatory effects into the connective tissue that surrounds and supports the cell, hence we included BioCell Collagen TM. This proprietary combination of Collagen Type II, Chondroitin, and Hyaluronic acid is not only anti-inflammatory, it is also hydrating and corrective for connective tissue including joints and skin to name a few. For more information on its benefits see: biocellcollagen.com/science-of-biocell-collagen. We have seen amazing results for years with our Opti-Joint TM, which utilizes this ingredient.
- Quercetin and Nettle Root - Next, we considered the immune protective and modulating effects of Quercetin and Nettle Root. People often think of their immune system as protective, but a runaway immune response is like having a fire in your body. Of course you want the immune response to be effective and sufficient...but you don't want it to be overactive. These two herbs, along with several others in the formula, help achieve this, i.e aiding immunity while reducing the associated inflammatory problems. Quercetin in particular is also very broad spectrum in its ability to block inflammatory eicosanoids such as prostaglandins, thromboxanes, and leukotrienes.
- Boswellia and Green Tea Extracts - Well known for their inhibition of key inflammatory mediators, the extremely broad anti-inflammatory of effects of Green Tea and Boswellia Extracts not only provide further protection for connective tissue, but also heart/cardiovascular, and blood sugar benefits as well. (Insulin-sensitivity and less of a tendency to gain belly fat is one of the benefits of reducing inflammation.)
Resveratrol, Rosemary, and Grape Seed Extract - As I have stated before when it comes to Resveratrol the problem isn't finding studies...it's that there are too many on everything from its anti-inflammatory, anti-aging, cardiovascular and blood lipid profile benefits, to its antiviral, antifungal, and highly antioxidant effects. Yet when it comes to antioxidant/anti-inflammatory effects Rosemary,is not to be out done. Its constituents carnosic and ursolic acid expand the anti-inflammatory effects by being highly antimicrobial, as well as inhibiting a potent series of inflammation-producing enzymes called lipoxygenases. Lipoxygenases produce what are called leukotrienes, which are involved in asthma and prostate inflammation, for example. Grape Seed Extract is well-known for its potent antioxidant effects, and its active constituents called OPC's are both fat and water soluble, hence are active in all of our tissues. As we have talked about several times in our blogs, inflammation and oxidation are like flame and the heat that comes with it, i.e. two sides of the same coin.
Using this broad spectrum approach, we addressed as many different inflammatory signals and pathways that we could with one capsule. Such an approach - covering multiple bases at once - typifies many of our Optimum Health formulations.
So next time you think ‘oh yeah, I should take my multivitamin/mineral’, remember you would also do well to supplement with a multi-anti-inflammatory!
Food for thought!
Be well,
John