Max Biocare :: Obesity, Weight Management Products | Important Ingredients To Protect Your Health During Weight Management

Fish Oil

Omega-3 marine triglycerides are considered to be essential fatty acids - they are essential for human health, but cannot be manufactured by the body. It is therefore necessary to obtain these acids from food, with fish (particularly fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, herring and mackerel) providing an excellent source.

Due to the extra strain placed on weight-bearing joints, obese individuals are at a significantly higher risk of developing osteoarthritis. Studies have proven the omega-3 fish oils EPA and DHA to inhibit the production of pro-inflammatory substances (cytokines) responsible for the inflammation and gradual cartilage degradation caused by arthritis. In recent years, these studies have been supported by a considerable number of clinical trials in which patients suffering from the effects of arthritis have experienced significant improvements in outcome measures such as tender joints, morning stiffness, grip strength and the interval to fatigue onset.

Evidence has emerged for a protective effect for fish oils against cardiovascular diseases, with eicosapentaenoic acid having been shown to reduce the likelihood of major coronary events in patients prone to heart disease. Studies have also shown fish oil supplementation to mediate positive effects on length of gestation and possibly child visual and cognitive development during pregnancy.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is widely regarded as the most biologically active antioxidant in the human body. Through its ability to inhibit the oxidation of LDL-cholesterol ("bad cholesterol"), higher intakes of vitamin E have been linked with a lowered incidence of artherosclerosis and other related cardiovascular diseases in several large scale population studies.

Studies have also suggested that insufficient vitamin E intake during pregnancy may increase the risk of complications such as pre-eclampsia and babies being born underweight.

Acetyl L-Carnitine

Acetyl l-carnitine is a naturally synthesised amino acid produced in the body by the kidneys, liver and brain and present at high concentrations in skeletal and cardiac muscle. Acetyl l-carnitine plays an important role in lipid metabolism, assisting in the oxidation of long-chain fatty acids by transporting them from across the mitochondrial membrane in their esterified form. In doing so, acetyl l-carnitine is thought to help facilitate glucose metabolism. This function has been supported by recent studies, in which tissue glucose uptake in healthy volunteers administered acetyl l-carnitine was significantly improved.

Folic Acid (Folate)

Obese women face a significantly higher risk of experiencing complications during pregnancy. Regular supplementation with folate during pregnancy is associated with a decreased risk of infants being born with neural tube defects. Folate is also important for the production of myelin, which acts as an insulating sheath for neurons (nerve cells) and is essential for the transduction of messages throughout the nervous system.

Studies have also provided evidence for the crucial role of folate in the conversion of homocysteine to methionine and tetrahydrofolate, both of which are essential for the DNA synthesis and subsequent production of red blood cells (erythrocytes).