It could take the form of aching, stiff joints… or a nagging, sore back. It could also take the form of embarrassing gut trouble. That’s why any doctor will tell you that keeping the inflammatory process in balance is, perhaps, the most essential cornerstone of healthy aging.

Unfortunately, certain unavoidable factors—like stress, sleep loss or air pollution—may be sabotaging your best efforts at balancing your body’s normal inflammatory responses.1-4 The truth is, you need all the help you can get in this ongoing fight. And luckily, research shows that just a few key botanicals can offer you just that—delivering multi-pronged support for a long, healthy and pain-free life.

For example, research shows that ginger acts against a wide range of pro-inflammatory cytokines—including IL-1beta, IL-2, IL-12, TNF-alpha and interferon (IFN)-gamma.5 The flavonoid luteolin delivers similar benefits, with animal studies showing that oral supplementation inhibits TNF-alpha production and reduces swelling—while preparations of stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) have been linked to as much as a 99 percent reduction of several inflammatory cytokines, including IL-1 beta and TNF-alpha.6-11

Holy basil leaf helps to suppress the production of the enzymes COX-2 and LOX-5—the latter is responsible for generating the leukotrienes linked to unhealthy cellular processes, as well as less than optimal lung, joint, skin and colon health. A special extract of bowellic acids (called 5-Loxin™) also is a powerful LOX-5 inhibitor.12-14 Meanwhile, the natural compounds tetrandrine and fangchinoline (both found in Stephania tetrandra) have been shown to suppress the activity of IL-6—one of the main causes of elevated C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation, in the blood—by up to 86 percent.15

The green tea polyphenol EGCG is also well known to support a healthy immune system, which is why this powerful antioxidant is included with all the botanicals mentioned above as part of VRP’s all-natural daily formula, Advanced Inflammation Control.16

The right nutrients can also offer critical support for joint comfort. The amino acid DL-phenylalanine, for example, promotes joint comfort by blocking the breakdown of enkephalins, your body’s natural pain reducers—in fact, studies reveal as much as a 75 percent positive response rate to D,L-phenylalanine among those supplementing with it.17 Turmeric extract containing 95% cucuminoids, on the other hand, has been shown to modulate COX, LOX and iNOS; providing balanced function of each of these enzymes, which is important when supporting the body’s normal inflammatory responses.18-19

Clinical trials also show that Boswellia serrata supplementation delivers improvements in knee comfort, flexibility and walking distance—while the natural enzyme Nattokinase aids in breaking down fibrin deposits that can interfere with healthy circulation.20-21 You’ll find all of these beneficial nutraceuticals combined in VRP’s daily formula Back in Action™.

Finally, enzymes like serrapeptase, papain, bromelain, amylase and lipase offer a comprehensive, natural way to support the body’s normal inflammatory mechanisms, and deliver improvements in a number of measures—including swelling, normal clotting processes, circulation plus increasing nutrient and oxygen supply—to promote rapid and greater comfort.22 As part of the comprehensive enzyme blend, called UniZyme™, VRP has combined all of these proteolytic enzymes with the botanicals amla and rutin—which help to enhance connective tissue repair and renewal.23-26


References:

  1. den Hartigh LJ, Lamé MW, Ham W, Kleeman MJ, Tablin F, Wilson DW. Endotoxin and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in ambient fine particulate matter from Fresno, California initiate human monocyte inflammatory responses mediated by reactive oxygen species. Toxicol In Vitro. 2010 Aug 27. Published Online Ahead of Print.
  2. Puustinen PJ, Koponen H, Kautiainen H, Mäntyselkä P, Vanhala M. Psychological distress and C-reactive protein: do health behaviours and pathophysiological factors modify the association? Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2010 Aug 14. Published Online Ahead of Print.
  3. Drager LF, Lopes HF, Maki-Nunes C, Trombetta IC, Toschi-Dias E, Alves MJ, Fraga RF, Jun JC, Negrão CE, Krieger EM, Polotsky VY, Lorenzi-Filho G. The impact of obstructive sleep apnea on metabolic and inflammatory markers in consecutive patients with metabolic syndrome. PLoS One. 2010 Aug 11;5(8):e12065.
  4. Irwin MR, Wang M, Ribeiro D, Cho HJ, Olmstead R, Breen EC, Martinez-Maza O, Cole S. Sleep loss activates cellular inflammatory signaling. Biol Psychiatry. 2008 Sep 15;64(6):538-40. Epub 2008 Jun 17.
  5. Tripathi S, Bruch D, Kittur DS. Ginger extract inhibits LPS induced macrophage activation and function. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2008 Jan 3;8:1.
  6. Kim JA, Kim DK, Kang OH, et al. Inhibitory effect of luteolin on TNF-alpha-induced IL-8 production in human colon epithelial cells. Int Immunopharmacol. 2005; 5:209-17.
  7. Kotanidou A, Xagorari A, Bagli E, et al. Luteolin reduces lipopolysaccharide-induced lethal toxicity and expression of proinflammatory molecules in mice. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2002;165:818-23.
  8. Ueda H, et al. A hydroxyl group of flavonoids affects oral anti-inflammatory activity and inhibition of systemic tumor necrosis factor-[alpha] production. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 2004;68:119-25.
  9. Klingelhoefer S, Obertreis B, Quast S, et al. Antirheumatic effect of IDS23, a stinging nettle leaf extract, on in vitro expression of T helper cytokines. J Rheumatol. 1999; 26:2517-22.
  10. Konrad A, Mähler M, Arni S, et al. Ameliorative effect of IDS30, a stinging nettle leaf extract, on chronic colitis. Int J Colorectal Dis. 2005;20:9-17.
  11. Teucher T, Obertreis B, Ruttkowski T et al. Cytokine secretion in whole blood of healthy subjects following oral administration of Urtica dioica L. plant extract. Arzneimitt. 1996;46:906-10.
  12. Uz T, et al. Aging-associated up-regulation of neuronal 5-lipoxygenase expression: putative role in neuronal vulnerability. FASEB J. 1998;12:439-49.
  13. Steele V, et al. Lipoxygenase inhibitors as potential cancer chemopreventives. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 1999;8:467-83.
  14. South J. America’s Inflammation Epidemic. The new “plague” of our times. Vit Res News. November 2006;20(11). Available online at www.vrp.com.
  15. Neyestani TR, Gharavi A, Kalayi A. Selective effects of tea extract and its phenolic compounds on human peripheral blood mononuclear cell cytokine secretions. Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2009;60 Suppl 1:79-88.
  16. Walsh NE, Ramamurthy S, Schoenfeld L, et al. Analgesic effectiveness of D-phenylalanine in chronic pain patients. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 1986 Jul;67(7):436-439.
  17. Menon VP, Sudheer AR. Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of curcumin. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2007;595:105-125.
  18. Rao CV. Regulation of COX and LOX by curcumin. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2007;595:213-26.
  19. Kimmatkar N, Thawani V, Hingorani L, et al. Efficacy and tolerability of Boswellia serrata extract in treatment of osteoarthritis of knee–a randomized double blind placebo controlled trial. Phytomedicine. 2003 Jan;10(1):3-7.
  20. Urano T, Ihara H, Umemura K, et al. The profibrinolytic enzyme subtilisin NAT purified from Bacillus subtilis Cleaves and inactivates plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1. J Biol Chem. 2001 Jul 6;276(27):24690-24696.
  21. Buford TW, Cooke MB, Redd LL, Hudson GM, Shelmadine BD, Willoughby DS. Protease Supplementation Improves Muscle Function after Eccentric Exercise. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009 Sep 2. Published Online Ahead of Print.
  22. Krishnaveni M, Mirunalini S. Therapeutic potential of Phyllanthus emblica (amla): the ayurvedic wonder. J Basic Clin Physiol Pharmacol. 2010;21(1):93-105.
  23. Han Y. Rutin has therapeutic effect on septic arthritis caused by Candida albicans. Int Immunopharmacol. 2009 Feb;9(2):207-11.
  24. Marzani B, Balage M, Vénien A, Astruc T, Papet I, Dardevet D, Mosoni L. Antioxidant supplementation restores defective leucine stimulation of protein synthesis in skeletal muscle from old rats. J Nutr. 2008 Nov;138(11):2205-11.
  25. Netti C, Bandi C, Pecile A. Anti-inflammatory action of proteolytic enzymes of animal, vegetable or bacterial origin administered orally compared with that of known antiphlogistic compounds. Il Farmaco. 1972;27:453-466.