We put on weight when we regularly consume more calories than we use through our normal bodily functions or expend during our daily physical activities. Over 60% of adult Canadians are overweight or obese and obesity is one of the major risk factors for a number of diseases. Unfortunately, losing weight by eating fewer calories and burning more energy is easier said than done. Many of our lifestyle habits make it difficult to shake those extra pounds. When we are stressed, it’s easy to reach for the sugary pick-me-up, or skip out on a few extra hours of much needed

Watermelon is a plant species in the family Cucurbitaceae, a vine-like flowering plant which was originally domesticated in West Africa and grows wild in South Africa to this day. The first recorded watermelon harvest occurred roughly 5000 years ago in Egypt and is depicted in Egyptian hieroglyphics. A highly cultivated fruit worldwide, watermelon has more than 1000 varieties. Often thought of as the iconic summer fruit, the cold, sweet texture of a watermelon on a hot day is a fantastic way to keep cool. Since it is loaded with electrolytes and is 92% water1, it helps to keep you hydrated

At the end of each of our chromosomes there is a non-coding, repeating DNA segment called a telomere, which acts in a similar way to the protective cap on the end of a shoelace. Like the plastic or metal cap keeps the shoelace from fraying and unraveling, telomeres cap each strand of DNA to protect our chromosomes from damage. There is significant research showing the correlation between telomere length and lifespan. Prematurely shortened telomeres have been linked to increased risk of disease and decreased longevity. As we age, our telomeres will naturally shorten by 20 to 40 base pairs each

Many studies in recent years have reported that there are health benefits, including life extension, associated with moderate consumption of red wine. Why is this the case? What is it about red wine that makes it so beneficial? The answer is resveratrol, a plant compound that has been found to have numerous health enhancing properties. Resveratrol is found in as many as 70 plant species, including grapes, Japanese knotweed and peanuts. It has been suggested that dietary resveratrol acts as an antioxidant and reduces the damage of free radicals. Resveratrol also mimics the biological effects of a calorie-restricted diet and

True beauty is whole! Today, beauty and anti-aging practices are flourishing due to increased consumer demand for products and treatments that support youthful appearances and deter premature aging. Many of these approaches may be effective in their external application, and can provide results that makes us happy! However, these short-term external results often discount the internal aspects of health, which are required for sustainability.  Can we achieve youthfulness and beauty without compromising overall health? Can it be easy and sustainable? How do we avoid temptation of cutting corners and make an honest effort? And where do we start? With high

Cognitive function encompasses many domains such as attention, memory, reasoning, and language. Our brains continually change throughout our lives. Unfortunately, as we age our cognitive function declines. We may become more forgetful, or easily distracted, or struggle to concentrate on tasks as easily as we used to. This is all part of the aging process and these changes are completely normal, albeit they can cause frustration!   The normal aging process is different from dementia, which refers to a group of conditions, which cause significant impairments in memory, intellectual function, spatial awareness, language, and behaviour. Unlike the normal aging process,

When we talk about our health, we are often focused on the physical. However, we know that health encompasses so much more than this, and be truly healthy, we must look after our mental and social well-being. The last few months have come with a new set of challenges we have never experienced before. We have all experienced drastic changes to our daily routine. Most of us are not able to get out of the house for work or school, nor are we able to visit family and friends. For those with children, tackling work whilst also home-schooling and ensuring

February is heart health month so of course we start to see more posts on heart-healthy recipes and natural ingredients. One thing you might notice is that many of these natural compounds fall into the category of antioxidants. This is a broad term that includes any substance that that can prevent or slow damage to cells caused by free radicals. Free radicals are unstable molecules that are produced in our bodies as results of normal cell energy production or from external damaging influences (i.e. UV radiation, chemicals etc.). The cardio-vascular system is especially sensitive to the effects of free radicals.

While we usually associate fatty liver with excessive alcohol consumption, there is another form of liver disease known as Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease or NAFLD that develops in people who drink little to no alcohol. NAFLD can remain ‘silent’ for many years, with few signs or symptoms. The prevalence of NAFLD is increasing at an alarming rate. The risk of developing NAFLD in obese people is 75%. With almost 20 million obese Canadians, NAFLD is a growing health epidemic. Eating excess calories causes fat accumulation in the body. One of the locations fat is stored is in the liver. This

The upper dosage of Vitamin E, according to the NIH is 1,500IU for a 19+ year old Male/Female. AOR’s Total E provides roughly ~400mg per softgel of a mixed tocopherol and tocotrienol blend. For information regarding the benefits of supplementing with this Total E blend, please visit (www.aor.ca/products-page/total-e/) This is an interesting question, because I have noticed numerous new research articles that have been recently published about vitamin E. One such study by experts at the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University is titled, “Excess Vitamin E Intake Not a Health Concern”. The lead researcher, Maret Traber, an internationally

This month, I did a webinar with title of “Promoting Healthy Blood Sugar”.  In that AOR webinar, there are several suggestions of products that I thought and have seen clinical benefits in balancing blood sugar. As a result, I feel that the taurine product mentioned in the webinar, deserves a closer look. Especially, effect of taurine in blood sugar level can have correlations with high blood pressure. What is taurine? Looking at its molecular structure below, taurine is an amino acid which is different from other amino acids, specifically those that contain a sulfur group. What makes taurine special is

Over the last few years, the science has emerged to prove that there is actually a close relationship between the respiratory, immune and gastrointestinal systems. We now know that a disruption to your biome (those trillions of microorganisms that live in your intestinal tract) can trigger an oversensitivity to allergens in your immune system, which could ultimately make your allergies flare up even more as a result. So, how do we support our gut? One acceptable method is to eat lots of healthy foods that are rich in fibre, as well as fermented products, such as kombucha. Of course, in