For vibrant good health and to help slow down the aging process you must address ALL of the following:
Failure to do so may put your general health or anti-aging goals at risk. It may also put you at risk of developing cancer or some other degenerative disease.
The highly sophisticated family of Total Balance nutriment supplements from Xtend-Life provides much needed support in dealing with these issues. It is also convenient and affordable.
There is a version to suit both men and women or all ages and budgets.
Adult customers report the following benefits:
But these are just a fraction of many other health benefits available with the Total Balance range. The real benefits may remain unseen and unfelt for years. Sometimes you may only become aware of some of the benefits when you remember that you didn’t get that ‘normal’ cold last year, or you have caught the flu like your workmates.
When you get to your 5th, 6th or 7th decade you may reflect why it is that many of your peers are suffering from a host of degenerative diseases and pain but you are not. Was it the Total Balance that has kept you healthy? Unfortunately that cannot be proved one way or the other, but there is lots of anecdotal evidence about Total Balance to support that it may just be…and there is a host of evidence to support the efficacy of a number of the ingredients that we use in Total Balance.
We only use the highest quality forms of natural ingredients that will give you best results. Just a few ingredients will not address the five main causes of aging listed above. Instead, you need many ingredients combined in a synergistic way and ensure that all mechanisms of action have been taken into account. This is why Xtend-Life’s research scientists have ensured that Total Balance contains ALL of the following:
Many of these ingredients are sensitive to stomach acids and lose their potency if put in a capsule. For example, the enzymes SAMe and Glutathione (just to mention a few) are sensitive to stomach acids. In order to overcome this and ensure MAXIMUM bio-availability, we use an expensive delivery system called enteric-coating which protects all of the nutrients against stomach acids as they pass through the stomach…
This enables all of the nutrients to be released in the upper intestine…not the stomach. This ensures that the nutrients get delivered to the right place every time…maximizing the product’s efficacy and ultimately, your health! It also avoids any stomach discomfort and enables you to take the tablets at any time.
If you are serious about your health and wellbeing…which also extends to your appearance, spend some time on this website. Go to the ingredient page for each different version of Total Balance. Try to understand how each product works. Compare with other products and most importantly, ask us any questions you like either by liveperson or if it is a question relating to possible interactions with prescription drugs, you can contact our Medical Nutritionist Joanna Machin directly at jo@xtend-life.com
They are simple molecules with an electron missing. In an effort to become ‘whole’ again they seek out other chemical structures in our bodies from where they can steal an electron.
After they ‘acquire’ an electron the chemical structure/tissue from where they ‘stole’ that electron is left seriously damaged!
Free radicals in small and controlled quantities are OK and indeed are helpful in everyday metabolism and they take part in normal reactions in the body. The problems start when the production of these free radicals increases and then get out of control.
Oxidation is unavoidable! So long as we breathe oxygen there will be oxidation in our body and thus the creation of free radicals will always continue!
In an ideal world with no pollution, perfect diet and no stress the level of free radical activity would be ‘normal’ and they would not be a serious problem and we would live to a ripe old age as the Hunza’s and other isolated groups of people used to.
BUT…that is not the case! Instead, we are subjected to air pollution, second hand smoke, lack of nutrients in our diet, artificial radiation, toxins in food and we are inadvertently exposed to a wide range of toxic chemicals in our daily lives. (Even in our furniture)!
Collectively this is bad news for those of us living in the ‘civilized’ world.
There are three ways to minimize the damage from free radicals:
But, it must be kept in balance. Three or four decades ago free radicals were not so much as a problem for two reasons:
‘Experts’ who suggest that it is possible to get enough anti-oxidants from diet to control excess free radical activity are just sticking their ‘heads in the sand’ and not facing reality.
Today we face a double ‘whammy’…the generation of free radicals at a rate which has never before been experienced by the human race, and the depletion of anti-oxidants from our food supply.
Examples of Anti-oxidants…
There are literally hundreds of anti-oxidants, all with varying levels of potency. For example, the common vitamins A, C and E are all anti-oxidants, but they are quite weak, likewise selenium. They are all necessary but they don’t hold a ‘candle’ to a really potent anti-oxidant such as L-Glutathione.
The body can produce L-Glutathione (providing your internal systems are functioning OK and it is given the necessary precursors) but if possible it is desirable to supplement with it directly.
However, supplementation with L-Glutathione is not effective in most supplements for two reasons. One is that it has to be taken in the special ‘reduced’ form. This is a smaller molecular size as the ‘normal’ L-Glutathione will not pass through the intestinal walls into the blood stream. This reduced form is a lot more expensive than the normal L-Glutathione and few manufacturers use it.
The second reason is that it must be protected as it passes through the stomach before being released in the upper intestine. This is the only place that L-Glutathione when taken orally can be effective. This means that the supplement must be in the form of an enteric coated tablet and the nutrient released in the upper intestine.
Total Balance uses enteric coating technology AND the special reduced form of L-Glutathione.
Some of the other good anti-oxidants which whilst not as potent as L-Glutathione are still more potent that the common vitamins:
All of these, and more are in Total Balance…
Is the control of free radicals the answer in avoiding premature aging and degenerative disease?
No, not at all! Free radical control is only one part of it. If you don’t address three other important issues you won’t enjoy the freedom from degenerative disease that we all want.The other three critical issues that you need to be aware of are:
Fortunately the Xtend-Life Total Balance range addresses ALL these issues.
Glycation is even more dangerous to your health than free radicals! It is important that you understand what it is, how it is caused and how to protect yourself against it.In order to appreciate the problems associated with glycation there are some basic biological facts that you need to be aware of.
Firstly, the role that proteins play in your body!
Proteins are valuable biological molecules which are found in almost every part of your body and have a variety of functions. They are present inside the cells making the life of the cell possible. Without them you would not survive as these proteins are needed to carry oxygen and nutrients to the tissues.
Proteins are made up of strings of different amino acids. To function properly they need to be ‘free agents’. In other words they need to remain as singular molecules to move around and perform their tasks.
However, proteins have ‘enemies’ that they are exposed to every day. These ‘enemies’ are in the form of…glucose molecules, sugars, and similar chemicals known as aldehydes. All these molecules can be referred to loosely as glycating agents.
These ‘enemies’ try to attach themselves to protein molecules. When they do this it is the start of a dangerous situation. Why? Well, when the glycating agent attaches itself to a protein molecule the ‘combined molecule’ is a bit like a particle floating around with a bit of superglue stuck to it.
If that bit of ‘glue’ comes into contact with another protein then that combined molecule may then attach itself to that ‘free agent’ protein in a process referred to as ‘cross linking’.
The reason why this cross linking is so bad is because now instead of having two good proteins to help the overall health of your body and prevent premature aging, you now have what is referred to by bio-chemists as a ‘grotesque’ molecule known as an AGE which is short for Advanced Glycation End-products.
These AGEs are real troublemakers! They move around the body binding to cells and causing them to produce a number of poisonous chemicals plus other toxic by-products. AGEs also increase the formation of amyloid beta which is a toxic material found in the brains of older people and abundant in Alzheimers and dementia patients.
As well, AGEs stimulate the production of free radicals which in turn can create more aldehydes which in turn stimulates more glycation…and so, a vicious cycle can continue to accelerate UNLESS you are aware of it and do all that you can to slow down this process which causes aging and degenerative disease!
This process also contributes to heart disease by thickening artery walls. PLUS it will make you look old before your time because the skin proteins and collagen clump together, then collapse…result…wrinkles!
How can you protect yourself against Glycation and the formation of AGEs?
There are three actions that you can take:
The first action is self explanatory. The next two are fortunately possible thanks to recent scientific discoveries using a dipeptide known as Carnosine.
It has two unique abilities:
No other natural substance has yet been discovered that can perform this task, other than Carnosine. Vitamins such as C and E although helpful for free radicals do nothing to help prevent glycation! Same applies to other anti-oxidants.
You may be asking yourself why consumers in general are not being made more aware of glycation? The answer to this is that Carnosine is a very expensive nutrient and as yet still not common in supplements. We have been using it in Total Balance for eight years. In fact, we were one of the first supplement companies in the world to begin using it for this purpose.
Like so many nutrients there is no real evidence to support the premise ‘more is better’. The generally accepted effective dose rate is 50 – 150mgs per day. We use 100mgs in a daily dose of Total Balance. As with most nutrients carnosine works better when taken in synergy with a wide range of other nutrients.
Also, for maximum benefits the carnosine should be incorporated in an enteric coated tablet such as Total Balance so it is released in the upper intestine. This is because carnosine is a di-peptide consisting of two amino acids and hydrochloric acid in the stomach splits the structure of the carnosine thus reducing it’s effectiveness.If you wish to do all you can to protect yourself against glycation and the damage it can cause then you should supplement with Carnosine every day. (In the correct form) Remember that it takes time to build up the protection and to undo damage which has already occurred in your body.
Because it works best in combination with other nutrients it is best not to take Carnosine on its own. Besides, glycation is only one of the components in the four main causes of aging and degenerative disease.
You must also address:
Fortunately the Xtend-Life range of Total Balance addresses all four concerns.
If your body's methylation is not working at an optimal level it will translate into many different health problems and will accelerate your aging process!
In simple terms it is a process in which certain chemicals called ‘methyl groups’ are added to various constituents of proteins, DNA and other molecules. These are needed to keep them in good ‘working’ condition.
For example, if the antidepressant, ‘feel-good’ brain chemical serotonin is not methylated it will become inactive which in turns leads to depression! This is just one of the many ‘chemicals’ in the body that need to be methylated and if they are not can lead to serious health consequences.
Probably the most important methylation process is when it is applied to homocysteine! Homocysteine is a by product of an important amino acid methionine and is what remains when methionine is used to methylate your proteins and DNA. Homocysteine needs to be methylated to convert it back to methionine. If this process does not happen your body is in for some serious trauma.
Homocysteine is implicated in:
But the above is only part of the methylation ‘story’….
Methylation of certain parts of your DNA can switch off unnecessary genes and prevent abnormal DNA division. This means that these abnormalities are not passed on to future generations of cells…a most important component in successful aging.
As we age the methylation processes in our bodies start getting ‘tired’ and become less efficient with a resulting build up of homocysteine, DNA damage and the development of other flow on effects such as depression.
Therefore, if you don’t take steps to ensure balanced methylation then any hope of a long life free of degenerative diseases is only a remote possibility.
As with everything related to successful aging, methylation must be balanced. Too much can be as bad as too little. Fortunately your body will balance your methylation processes providing that you give it the ‘fuel’ to perform the task.
There are three groups of compounds that are helpful in methylation with varying levels of efficacy. They are the B Vitamins, B6, B12 and folic acid, Tri-Methyl-Glycine TMG, (also known as Betaine), and SAMe.
The B Vitamins are important but more in the capacity of co-factors rather than being a solution for methylation in their own right. This is because as we get older these vitamins tend to become a bit ‘sluggish’ and as such progressively less effective.
By far the most effective methylating agent is SAMe which stands for S-Adenosyl-Methionine and is a natural chemical found in all living cells. It is formed in the body by combining the amino acid methionine and ATP (adenosine triphosphate). The science confirming the effectiveness of SAMe as the best methylating agent is indisputable.
It can be taken as a supplement but it is not readily available for two reasons. One is that it MUST be taken in enteric coated form because SAMe is particularly susceptible to stomach acids and two that it is very expensive. We use it in all versions of Total Balance and in Neuro-Natural which are enteric coated.
Do not forget that Methylation is only one important component. There are four others:
All versions of Total Balance address these issues.
As well as your body having to deal with free radicals, glycation and methylation it also has to fight against chronic inflammation! This is an ongoing battle which is being waged every second of the day.As with the other three concerns… (free radicals, glycation and methylation), the cause of inflammation cannot be narrowed down to one thing only. All four issues are interrelated!
If it is not controlled, inflammation will wreak havoc in your body. In fact, some scientists believe that chronic inflammation is the cause of most age related damage. This is because excessive inflammation causes toxic chemicals which eat away body tissues, thus leading to heart disease, dementia, arthritis and diabetes just to mention a few.
For example, let’s take MDA (malondialdehyde). MDA is a dangerous chemical byproduct formed in your body as a result of the action of free radicals on the fatty membranes of your cells. It is a major factor in the production of AGEs from glycation. This same chemical, MDA, is also implicated in inflammation.
This perhaps helps show you how nothing works in isolation!
Using the example of MDA… If you reduce the free radicals in your body through the use of anti-oxidants then you will reduce the oxidation of your cell membranes which will in turn reduce the formation of MDA which in turn will reduce glycation and thus the formation of AGEs…and this will help reduce inflammation. In other words...cut the supply line.
However, it is not possible to control all the free radicals so no matter how many anti-oxidants you take MDA is still going to form…and will continue to attempt to produce AGEs which in turn can contribute to inflammation. So, this is why it is so important to take Carnosine in addition to anti-oxidants in order to minimize the formation of AGEs.
But…not all AGEs can be avoided and by extension not all inflammation can be avoided either, so you have to ensure that you address inflammation in ADDITION to the above mentioned three concerns!
To demonstrate this further…a component of inflammation is excitotoxicity. If allowed to ‘continue’ the result is the death of brain cells leading to strokes and dementia. Excitotoxicity occurs when brain cells get overexcited due to excess glutamate in the diet. MSG and other flavor enhancers are the culprits here and should be kept to a minimum in your diet.
Fortunately Carnosine can protect against excessive excitotoxicity.
Another seriously dangerous chemical associated with chronic inflammation is tumour necrosis factor (TNF). TNF actively promotes the degeneration of your brain and nerves! It is activated by a combination of free radicals and AGEs.
Some Doctors and marketers on the internet promote Omega 3 fish oil as the answer to inflammation. There is no doubt that the anti-inflammatory component of Omega 3 fish oils are certainly very helpful in reducing the impact of inflammation…but, it is only dealing with one component of the much broader picture of inflammation.
Take TNF as another example. To keep this chemical as low as possible you need to also be taking nutrients that will help such as a calorie restriction mimics. This is another subject on its own but the best known natural calorie restriction mimics is resveratrol.
Key nutrients that can work in synergy with Omega 3 fish oil to reduce inflammation and the damage from it are:
(All of these are present in Xtend-Life’s Total Balance)
One of the biggest challenges we have at Xtend-Life is trying to explain to customers how Total Balance works. Unfortunately most consumers have been ‘educated’ that free radicals are the biggest concern in any wellness or anti-aging program. Lately that ‘education’ has been expanded by marketers of fish oils, to include inflammation.
But…just addressing free radicals with anti-oxidants or inflammation with fish oils will NOT achieve what you want. It is only PART of the equation.It takes more that one nutrient to get a result in just one part of this very complex equation. Each part has to be addressed from multiple angles, and EVERY part of the equation also needs to be dealt with.
There is a reason why we have 75- 85 nutrients in our Total Balance range! Each nutrient is there for a reason and has been carefully integrated. The individual components of each nutrient have also been studied and sometimes the component of that nutrient other than the common active ingredient in it, is what is wanted for a specific function.
Hopefully this series of explanations about free radicals, glycation, methylation and inflammation will help give you a better understanding of what you need to do in order to give your body the best possible protection against degenerative disease and thus enjoy vibrant health as nature intended…
…but is so hard to achieve in modern times without a helping hand from products such as Xtend-Life’s Total Balance...
DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is the chemical inside the nucleus all our cells which carries the genetic instructions for making living organisms. Although around 99% of DNA structure is common to all humans the last 1% is unique to each of us. This is the reason why DNA is able to be used so effectively in crime detection.
Our DNA carries around 30,000 different genes, each one of which serves a specific function in the smooth ‘running’ of our body’s organs and systems. The bulk of our DNA is located in the cell nucleus although some is stored in the mitochondria.
“An important feature of DNA is that it can replicate, or make copies of itself. Each strand of DNA in the double helix can serve as a pattern for duplicating the sequence of bases. This is critical when cells divide because each new cell needs to have an exact copy of the DNA present in the old cell”.
What this means is that as your DNA degenerates, its replacement which is an exact copy of the one before will inherit the degeneration which took place during the previous period. In other words it will be a poorer copy of its predecessor. This is the essence of aging itself. The degeneration of DNA means that it will steadily lose its ability to communicate with RNA which acts as its messenger to direct and manage all the functions of the body until cells die off and ultimately death takes place.
This is why it is so important to do whatever you can to keep your DNA in the best possible order. It is possible to repair DNA and slow down its degeneration. All versions of Total Balance contain bio-actives to help towards that objective.