AFP Health Reviews

Many people think that athletes are examples of health and that it is strictly related to their nutrition plans and a lot of exercise. Well, in some cases it is true, but there are still people who consider themselves as athletes and practice some totally inappropriate diet, what may finally end in serious health problems. The next time you will meet one of them, try to speak about following issues to make sure, that they know what and why they are eating.

Extra proteins will help you to gain more muscles

Professional nutrition plans for athletes prohibit more than 2.5 times higher protein intake than it is shown in RDA. The higher intake can be responsible for dehydration or even severe problems with liver or kidney. Furthermore there is no scientific proof that high-protein diet will effect in gaining extra muscles.

Athlete should intake fluid when he is thirsty

One of the most common problems in athlete’s life is the possibility of dehydration. Even when an athlete is not thirsty, he may need additional fluid to drink, for every lost pound of weight should be replaced with no less than two cups of water.

Nutrition plan for athletes before competition should not contain sugar

We must remember that sugar gives us energy, so small intakes of this carbohydrate will not only bring no harm, but even can be beneficial for the performance of the athlete.

Sport drinks are good only for those athletes who exercise a lot

Again, we speak about the danger of dehydration. While the total water loss due to exercises may wary depending on the type of exercises, conditions of the gym and the health status of the athlete, the possible problems caused by dehydration are so severe that there should be no restriction in drinking sport drinks, even by those who exercise for less than an hour a day.

You can lose weight when you exercise a lot

This is another common myth. Of course when we consider the water loss as loss of the weight, we may still believe in this superstition, thus endangering ourselves to dehydration. A true athlete, however, knows that every water loss must be replaced as soon as possible and the best and the safest way to loose some additional weight is by proper nutrition for athletes.

While we all want to have healthy and good looking bodies we must remember that not everyone can be an athlete. And when we finally become one of them,we should always keep in mind a single fact, only proper nutrition for athletes, free of popular, but false, beliefs and myths can let us not only stay for years in good shape but also win.

Taxifolin (also known as dihydroquercetin) is a flavonoid (health boosting chemical compounds that can be found in plants) that can fight cancer, treat diabetes and much more. In this article I will be providing a full breakdown of taxifolin, its main health benefits, the recommended daily allowance (RDA) and the best food sources.

1) DISCOVERY:

Taxifolin and the other flavonoids were discovered by the Hungarian biochemist Albert Szent-Gyorgyi in 1938. When he first made this discovery, Albert Szent-Gyorgyi believed he had discovered a new vitamin and gave the flavonoids the name vitamin P. However, further research revealed that humans could survive without flavonoids so they are not technically vitamins.

2) HEALTH BENEFITS:

Taxifolin has numerous health benefits in the human body. Like many flavonoids, it is a powerful antioxidant (a substance that can protect the body’s cells from the damaging free radicals which are released during oxygen related reactions). It is also an antihistamine (a substance that fights the negative effects of histamine and reduces allergic symptoms) and anti-inflammatory (a substance that prevents unnecessary inflammation within the body).

Another key benefit of taxifolin is its ability to fight disease. This powerful flavonoid can prevent cancer (a disease where the cells in your body start to grow in a rapid, out of control way), type 2 diabetes (a disease where your blood glucose levels become extremely high) and heart disease. Additionally, it can help treat mental disorders by improving memory and reducing the negative symptoms associated with brain diseases.

Taxifolin is also a very important nutrient for your blood. This flavonoid improves circulation, prevents atherosclerosis (a condition where hard plaques form in the artery walls and restrict the flow of blood), reduces blood levels of low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (a type of cholesterol that causes blockages in the artery walls and ultimately increases your heart disease risk) and reduces high blood pressure.

3) RDA:

Taxifolin is not classed as an essential nutrient so no official RDA has been established. However, the available research suggests that consuming between 50 milligrams (mg) and 1,000mg of this flavonoid each day will allow you to enjoy all the health benefits listed above.

4) FOOD SOURCES:

Milk thistle and red onions are both believed to be very good food sources of taxifolin. However, the exact amounts of taxifolin that these foods contain is not known. Taxifolin can also be sourced from concentrated supplements, acai palm and Siberian larch trees.