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Abby's Magazine - Volume 4 Issue 4 | Page 47 6. VITAMIN K2 Vitamin K may very well be "the next vitamin D" as research con nues to illuminate a growing number of benefits to your health. While most people get enough vitamin K from their diets to maintain adequate blood clo ng, they're NOT enough to offer protec on against more serious health problems. For example, research over the past few years suggest that vitamin K2 can provide substan al protec on from prostate cancer, which is one of the leading causes of cancer among men in the United States. And research results are similarly encouraging for the benefits of vitamin K to your cardiac health: In 2004, the Ro erdam Study, which was the first study demonstra ng the beneficial effect of vitamin K2, showed that people who consume 45 mcg of K2 daily live seven years longer than people ge ng 12 mcg per day. In a subsequent study called the Prospect Study, 16,000 people were followed for 10 years. Researchers found that each addi onal 10 mcg of K2 in the diet results in 9 percent fewer cardiac events. K2 is present in fermented foods, par cularly cheese and the Japanese food na o, which is by far the richest source of K2. 7. MAGNESIUM According to the featured research, magnesium also plays an important role in DNA replica on, repair, and RNA synthesis, and dietary magnesium has been shown to posi vely correlate with increased telomere length in women. Other research has shown that long-term deficiency leads to telomere shortening in rats and cell cultures. It appears the lack of magnesium ions has a nega ve influence on genome integrity. Insufficient amounts of magnesium also reduce your body's ability to repair damaged DNA, and can induce chromosomal abnormali es. According to the authors, it's reasonable to hypothesize that "magnesium influences telomere length by affec ng DNA integrity and repair, in addi on to its poten al role in oxida ve stress and inflamma on." 8. POLYPHENOLS Polyphenols are potent an oxidant compounds in plant foods, many of which have been linked to an -aging benefits and disease reduc on. Here are but a few examples of these potent an oxidant compounds: Grapes (resveratrol) — Resveratrol deeply penetrates the center of your cell's nucleus, giving your DNA me to repair free radical damage. Research da ng back to 2003 showed that resveratrol, a powerful polyphenol and an -fungal chemical, was able to increase the lifespan of yeast cells. The findings showed that resveratrol could ac vate a gene called sirtuin1, which is also ac vated during calorie restric on in various species. Since then studies in nematode worms, fruit flies, fish, mice, and human cells have linked resveratrol to longer lives. Resveratrol is found in grapes, and there are numerous products on the market containing resveratrol. I recommend looking for one made from Muscadine grapes, and that uses WHOLE grape skins and seeds, as this is where many of the benefits are concentrated. Cacao — Quite a few studies have confirmed the potent an oxidant proper es, and subsequent health benefits, of raw cocoa powder. Dark, organic, unprocessed chocolate has been found to benefit your glucose metabolism (diabe c control), blood pressure, and cardiovascular health. Green tea — Polyphenols in tea, which include EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate) and many others, have been found to offer protec on against many types of cancer. The polyphenols in green tea may cons tute up to 30 percent of the dry leaf weight, so, when you drink a cup of green tea, you're drinking a fairly potent solu on of healthy tea polyphenols. Green tea is the least processed kind of tea, so it also contains the highest amounts of EGCG of all tea varie es. Keep in mind, however, that many green teas have been oxidized, and this process may take away many of its valuable proper es. The easiest sign to look for when evalua ng a green tea's quality is its color: if your green tea is brown rather than green, it's likely been oxidized. My personal favorite is matcha green tea because it contains the en re ground tea leaf, and can contain over 100 mes the EGCG provided from regular brewed green tea. 9. FOLATE (AKA VITAMIN B9, OR FOLIC ACID) According to the featured study in the Journal of Nutri onal Biochemistry, plasma concentra ons of the B vitamin folate correspond to telomere length in both men and women. Folate plays an important role in the maintenance of DNA integrity and DNA methyla on, both of which influence the length of your telomeres. It is useful for preven ng depression, seizure disorders and brain atrophy. In fact, folate deficiency can lead to elevated homocysteine levels, which can be a major contributor to heart disease and Alzheimer's disease. One unfortunate and