Tag: antioxidants

nutrition

British Sea Buckthorn – Natural Antioxidants to boost your every-day detox – a simple solution to staying healthy this winter

britishseabuckthorn

2020 sees the start of our new blog series by our registered Nutritionist Dr Lucy Williamson. Here Lucy talks about the important role of antioxidants in combating the stress of busy lives and how using British Sea Buckthorn can provide an answer.

The British Sea Buckthorn Company are starting 2020 fully organically certified and with hopes of a juiced berry product to add to those already available here.  Having enjoyed frozen berries directly from the British Sea Buckthorn Company in Essex this winter, my family have so far had the healthiest winter on record! Juicing the berry will produce a concentrated source of all its nutrients – read on to find out why its antioxidants are a fabulous and natural way to boost your health this winter…

‘Detox’ – a familiar word in January!

After a little over-indulgence over the festive season there’s often a desire for a ‘detox’ to get the year off to a healthy start…  In fact, our everyday metabolism, in using oxygen, is constantly producing potentially toxic by-products known as free radicals, unstable compounds which if not removed from the body, lead to cell damage, a process known as Oxidative Stress. External stressors such as lack of sleep, illness, medications, poor diet and lifestyle and even hard workouts at the gym are also known to increase oxidative stress.  Research is now showing this potential cell damage, which is basically the ageing process, to be both a cause and a consequence of chronic illness – oxidation of cholesterol ‘packages’ within the blood stream causing damage to blood vessel walls leading to heart disease and oxidation of cell DNA being a precursor to Cancer. Obesity, Type 2 Diabetes and Cancer also result in a higher level of oxidative stress in the body. Detoxification is the process by which antioxidants remove these potential toxins from the body and so optimise our long-term health.1, 2

The Good News?

Our body is actually detoxifying all the time! This is a key role of our liver and kidneys with our skin, digestive system and lungs also playing their part. It’s essential that we eat foods that provide our bodies with the nutrients it needs to manufacture antioxidants for this process, such as Vitamins E (tocopherols) and A (Carotenoids). Unlike other nutrients, we can’t store antioxidants, so continuous manufacture is really important. Many foods, mainly of plant origin, also supply ‘ready-made’ antioxidants (also known as phytonutrients or bioactives). British Sea Buckthorn may be a small berry but it’s packed full of polyphenols and many other types of antioxidants!

How do Antioxidants protect against cell damage?

Many of the antioxidants in Sea Buckthorn produce their effect at the cellular level by altering how genes within the cell’s DNA are expressed, favouring the production of proteins required to make antioxidant enzymes. This process by which our gene expression can be altered by nutrition or other external environmental factors is known as Epigenetics and is currently the subject of exciting and rapidly growing research.

Generally, our body produces enough antioxidants to keep Oxidative Stress under control but if we’re exposed to stressors for a longer period of time which can happen for example during illness, with prolonged medicines, during intense physical exercise or from a lack of sleep, our antioxidant need is higher, therefore additional antioxidants from our food are beneficial. Boosting our antioxidants at this time of year especially, with antioxidant-rich food, is a great idea.

From a strong Immune system to help against ageing, Type 2 Diabetes and other chronic disease and a healthy glow, why not detox the natural way!

There are many types of antioxidants in our food, coming mainly from plants, giving them their colour to attract insects for pollination and protect them from stressors like UV light and disease. Berries, citrus fruit, brightly coloured vegetables, cocoa, coffee, tea, chocolate and red wine are all well-known (and rather tasty!) sources.

Sea Buckthorn antioxidants include Flavanoid polyphenols, Carotenoids (used to make Vitamin A) including Lycopene (also in tomatoes and thought to be key to the benefits of the Mediterranean diet), exceptionally high levels of Tocopherols (Vitamin E) and Superoxide Dismutase. Vitamins E, A and C in sea buckthorn are also used by our body cells to make our own antioxidants as well as their own roles as Vitamins. In preventing cell damage from oxidative stress mentioned above, these antioxidants ensure the many cells that make up our different body systems, function correctly. Of particular importance are the cells which line our blood vessels known as endothelial cells. These have an essential role in keeping blood pressure down and maintaining healthy blood vessel membranes; cell damage here increasing the risk of blood clots, heart disease and stroke in later life. Vitamin E is particularly important in the correct functioning of these cells and also our skin cells. The cells of our immune system have many different functions in fighting infection and controlling inflammation. Exposure to oxidative stress greatly reduces their ability to do this; antioxidants however ensure cell damage here is kept to a minimum and therefore promote best possible functioning of our immune system.  Superoxide Dismutase is a powerful enzyme antioxidant required and made by nearly by all living cells to protect them against cell damage from superoxide, a toxic, free radical produced in many metabolic reactions. British Sea Buckthorn provides a fabulous source to boost our supplies!

Sea Buckthorn vs Supplements?    

 

Research shows us that nutrients often work together to benefit each other. British Sea Buckthorn is a fabulous example with its multitude of nutrients all working together to enhance their overall effect. Vitamins E and A in particular are well known to work in synergy with each other increasing their protective function. Bioactives in whole food containing Polyphenol antioxidants are currently thought to increase the polyphenol antioxidant ability. Taking these nutrients out of their natural food and using as supplements may not be how nature intended. Research in mice has shown that too high a dose of a single antioxidant can lead to heart muscle damage.3

Polyphenol Antioxidants – Gut Health, Obesity and beyond

Our gut microbes – beneficial bacteria present in our large intestine, are known to be essential in the activation and absorption of polyphenol antioxidants. Current research is studying the products of this microbial polyphenol digestion (fermentation), which appear to promote further beneficial bacteria in our gut. A healthy gut microbiome is now known to have many long-term health benefits including reducing the risk of inflammatory disease, allergy, some types of cancer including bowel cancer, Type 2 Diabetes, overweight and obesity. Epidemiology, the study of population groups over a period of time, shows us that those with a higher intake of polyphenols have a reduced risk of obesity. Of course this may in part be due to a diet rich in polyphenol antioxidants being healthier overall, but some types of polyphenol antioxidants are known to reduce our ability to absorb sugars and store fat.4

Nutrient-rich and protecting biodiversity too…

The best food choices not only nurture human health but support the biodiversity of our ecosystems, from healthy soils to thriving flora and fauna with essential roles to play in maintaining nature as it should be. The British Seabuckthorn company nurture these principles and over the next few months we’ll be sharing with you all the need-to knows about this fabulous novel food. Busy, active lifestyles require nutrient-rich foods – there may be little spare time in the day to discover new natural, sustainable & functional food. As a registered Nutritionist, I’m happy to be on this journey working with the British Sea buckthorn Company to share the good news on this nutrient-rich crop with all its potential health benefits, responsibly farmed in Essex! Add these bright orange berries of happiness into your breakfast bowl, as dried berries into your nutty mix, drizzle rays of golden sea buckthorn oil over winter salads or with yogurt as a warm porridge topper and enjoy a cup of sea buckthorn tea too!

References:

  1. Williamson G (2017) The role of polyphenols in modern nutrition. Nutr Bulletin 42: 226-235
  2. Croy C et al (2018) The Role of Polyphenols in Human Health and Food Systems: A Mini-Review Frontiers in Nutrition 5, 87
  3. Rajasekaran NS et al. (2007) Human aB-Crystallin Mutation Causes Oxido-Reductive Stress and Protein Aggregation Cariomyopathy in Mice Cell; 130:427–439
  4. Williamson G (2013) Possible effects of dietary polyphenols on sugar absorption and digestion. Mol Nutr and Food Research 57: 48-57
nutrition

British Seabuckthorn – a small berry with a big story to tell for Millennials!

britishseabuckthorn

To explain all about the benefits of our sea buckthorn, we’ve teamed up with Registered Nutritionist Dr Lucy Williamson –

Busy, active lifestyles require nutrient-rich foods especially when combined with the stress of professional careers and demands of family life. There may be little spare time in the day to discover new natural, sustainable & functional food, planetary-health values which are becoming key in making great food choices. As a registered Nutritionist, I’m happy to be on this journey working with the British Seabuckthorn Company to share the good news on this nutrient-rich crop with all its potential health benefits, responsibly farmed in Essex!

Add these bright orange berries of happiness into your breakfast bowl, as dried berries into your nutty mix, drizzle rays of golden sea buckthorn oil over winter salads or with yoghurt as a warm porridge topper and enjoy a cup of seabuckthorn tea too!oxygen

Nutrient-rich and protecting biodiversity too…

The best food choices not only nurture human health but support the biodiversity of our ecosystems, from healthy soils to thriving flora and fauna with essential roles to play in maintaining nature as it should be. The British Seabuckthorn company nurture these principles and over the next few months we’ll be sharing with you all the need-to knows about this fabulous novel food.

The berries of sea buckthorn are a powerhouse of more than 190 nutrients, packed with antioxidants, vitamins & minerals, Omega oils, plant sterols and there’s plenty of fibre too. These nutrients all work in synergy with each other ensuring we get the maximum benefit to our health from this functional, natural food. And there’s potential for little waste in farming sea buckthorn – these nutrients are found in the berry, peel, pulp and seed – take a look here to search the different products available from different parts of the plant.

Top 5 Nutrients to talk about…

We want to share the good news on 5 sea buckthorn nutrients not only essential for every-day health and wellbeing & busy lifestyles but great for sports and longer-term health too. Stay tuned to this blog series over the coming months for further details on each.

Antioxidants

A brief bit of science! Our body is detoxifying all the time; our every-day metabolism involves each body system using Oxygen to function. This constantly produces a by-product called Reactive Oxygen Species, or ROS – toxic, unstable chemicals which have the potential to cause cell damage if not removed or detoxified. Cleverly we make our own antioxidants to do this but stress, lack of sleep, exercising muscles, pollutants, medications and many more factors often increase our demand for antioxidants. Cell damage is the start of the ageing process and the forerunner to many types of chronic disease so making sure we have plenty of antioxidants in our food is a priority! Sea buckthorn is packed with a wide range of antioxidants including flavanoids and beta carotene, a type of Vitamin A. On top of this, its exceptionally high levels of Vitamin E and C ensure we can make enough of our own antioxidants, like superoxide dismutase, great for healthy skin and hair but vital in protecting us from longer term health risks like heart disease. Sea buckthorn contains high levels of this antioxidant too – one of the reasons why it’s not only fabulous for our own health but is widely used for racehorses to counter the negative effects of strenuous racing. They develop a fabulous shiny coat too; the Greeks noticing this effect in horses grazing ancient sea buckthorn, named it Hippophae Rhamnoides, or ‘shiny horse’.

Vitamin C

When life is busy & active (with the added sleepless nights of parenting perhaps!) we use a lot of Vitamin C in our food to make antioxidants which can mean there’s less available for a strong immune system. Going into winter especially, we need a Vitamin C boost – 100g of sea buckthorn berries have 10 times the Vitamin C of an orange! Plenty of Vitamin C in our diet also ensures Iron in plants is bioavailable for us – without Vitamin C we can’t absorb plant-based Iron; unlike ‘haem’ iron from animals which is readily absorbed. A great, natural way to help protect against iron deficiency in teenage years, and beyond into pregnancy.

Omega 3

Sea buckthorn is a fabulous source of several Omegas; finding a good source of plant Omega 3, ALA, is always a winner as it’s generally low in our UK diet and we need a lot of it from plants to begin to get near the health benefits that come from the types of Omega 3 in fish, DHA and EPA. More on this in 2020…

What about Gut Health?

Don’t forget being a source of fibre, sea buckthorn helps nurture our microbiome to optimise Gut Health. These beneficial bacteria have many other longer-term benefits for our health too!

British Seabuckthorn is an exciting story of a nutrient-rich, sustainable food, and the British Seabuckthorn team are more than a little excited to share this with you! Follow us to find out more over the next few months, try our recipes and products and please fire feedback, ideas and questions our way!

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Sea Buckthorn – a rich source of antioxidants

britishseabuckthorn

Thoughts from our registered nutritionist, Lucy Williamson DVM BVM&S MSc

It’s almost a year since I began working with British Seabuckthorn – as a Registered Nutritionist with a particular interest in sustainable foods, healthy for people and planet, this journey is an exciting one… British Seabuckthorn (BSB), responsibly farmed in Essex, contains an abundance of nutrients vital for long-term health and wellbeing. Packed with antioxidants, natural prebiotics, vitamins, minerals, unsaturated oils and many other beneficial phytonutrients, it’s a berry with fabulous potential.

The best food choices not only nurture human health but support the biodiversity of our ecosystems too, from healthy soils to thriving flora and fauna with essential roles to play in maintaining nature as it should be. So, as the British Sea Buckthorn Company nurture these principles in continuing to work hard to develop a crop adapted to our rather unpredictable British climate, here are a few ‘need-to-knows’ about British Sea Buckthorn!

A rich source of antioxidants 

Our everyday metabolism uses oxygen. By-products of this process are known as free radicals, which can cause damage to cells in a process known as Oxidative Stress – a key factor in ageing and chronic illness such as heart disease, stroke and cancer. We produce antioxidants all the time in our body cells which, by removing these radicals, keep our cells healthy. Many of the antioxidants we make require Vitamins C and E and British Sea Buckthorn is an excellent source of both. Our recommended daily intake of Vitamin C is 45mg; British Sea Buckthorn often contains more than 400mg/ 100g so it’s a very rich source! (current regulations concerning nutrient claims state a food must contain more than 24mg/ 100g to be ‘high in’ Vitamin C, EU Regulation No 1047/2012) Oxidative stress is higher in Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes so antioxidant need increases here too as it does after endurance or high intensity sport. BSB also contains other, powerful antioxidants including Superoxide Dismutase and Flavanoid polyphenols which have an important role in nurturing our all-important gut bacteria too.

As well as eating a more plant-based diet, we’re encouraged to eat fish at least twice weekly in order to benefit from its Omega 3 unsaturated oils. Many years of firm evidence now show the links between a good intake of Omega 3 and protection against heart disease and stroke in particular due to its anti-inflammatory role. Fish contains particularly beneficial types of Omega 3, DHA and EPA. These aren’t present in plants but a good intake of plant

Omega 3 (ALA)

Omega 3 can be used by the body to make EPA and DHA. Too much Omega 6 in the diet can restrict this process but as sea buckthorn contains far more Omega 3 than Omega 6, it has real potential here too.

Seabuckthorn as a natural Prebiotic: Fibre

FIBRE is a type of carbohydrate that can’t be digested in the small intestine. Instead, it passes to the colon (large intestine) where it’s fermented by billions of gut bacteria to produce many compounds essential for our metabolism. Collectively, the genetic make-up of these bacteria is known as our ‘Microbiome’. With 150x our own genetic makeup, our microbiome is to be nurtured; in fact, our ratio of human cells to bacterial cells is 1:1 so we’re just as much bacteria as we are human! We now know these gut bacteria have key roles in our long-term health, from optimising our immune system to protection against certain types of cancer and weight control. In addition, fibre maintains our ‘digestive health’, helping food to pass more quickly through the gut. In 2016, Public Health England, advised increasing the recommended intake of fibre for children (18g/day) and adults (30g/day), as a result of firm evidence for its health benefits, collected over several years. Sea buckthorn, along with other fruit and veg (diversity is the key to good microbes!) is a great source of fibre and also flavanoid antioxidants mentioned earlier, both of which are an important energy source for our microbiome and our gut health.

With an abundance of nutrients, too many to mention here, I’m excited to be involved with the British Sea Buckthorn story as we work together towards a sustainable food choice with so many potential benefits to our longer-term health.