Post-holiday syndrome and antioxidants
In Spain, it is estimated that around 30% of workers suffer from post-holiday syndrome, commonly known as the post-holiday blues, after returning to work following a lengthy holiday, which usually falls in September.
This syndrome is marked by a lack of concentration, energy and motivation, a feeling of sadness and apathy, and even headache and/or muscle pain.
To help you prevent and combat this health problem we are going to give you some tips, to make your return to work more pleasant.
The importance of antioxidants
Antioxidants like vitamins A, C and E, beta-carotene, etc., help to combat the biochemical changes that occur in the body as a result of stress, which can lead to anxiety or depression.
This is why it is important to have a daily intake of essential vitamins and minerals, as adequate levels of these are necessary for the body to produce serotonin.
Serotonin is a chemical substance that acts as a neurotransmitter and it is responsible for stabilising your mood. Low serotonin levels in the body can lead to depression, fatigue, negativity, irritability, mood swings, insomnia, difficulty falling asleep, lack of concentration, etc., symptoms of the post-holiday blues.
Tips on how to survive the return to work
Besides your intake of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, there are a number of tips that can help you to prevent and overcome post-holiday syndrome:
- Stay positive. Being optimistic and setting new goals and challenges will make the return to your daily routine more enjoyable and pleasant.
- Plan your work, check your emails in the order in which they were received, organise work items, etc.
- Boost your creativity with activities in your free time. This will help you to switch off from work and stimulate your mind.
- Follow a healthy diet and do sports as this will help you to be clear-headed and have a more optimistic outlook.
- Eat tryptophan-rich foods like nuts and seeds, fruits and vegetables, oily fish, lean meat, eggs, etc.
How to prevent arthritis
Arthritis is a problem caused by inflammation in the joints. It can occur in one or more joints. The two most common forms of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. In this article we tell you about the factors that can lead to arthritis and give you tips on how to prevent it.
In both cases, the main symptoms are joint stiffness and pain, which tend to worsen with age. However, their causes are different:
- In osteoarthritis, the cartilage that lines the bones of the joint breaks down.
- Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that affects the synovial membrane lining the joints.
Arthritis risk factors
Arthritis can have a number of causes, the risk factors are:
- Family history, as some types of arthritis are hereditary, and in such cases the genes are more vulnerable to environmental factors that can trigger arthritis.
- Age leads to the breakdown of the cartilage and a decline in the immune system.
- Sex. Women are more likely than men to suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, while men are more likely to suffer from gout, another type of arthritis.
- Previous joint injury. People who have suffered an injury to a joint are more likely to develop arthritis in that joint over time.
- Obesity/overweight. Being overweight puts greater stress on the joints, especially the knees, hips and spine, making them more prone to developing arthritis.
Remedies to prevent arthritis
It has been shown that following the recommendations below can help to prevent arthritis, or improve an existing condition:
- Lose weight and keep your weight at an appropriate level.
- Look after your joints to avoid injury, e.g. by warming up and stretching when doing sport.
- Maintain an adequate intake of vitamin D and calcium. If you have a deficiency, you should see a doctor, who will prescribe vitamin and mineral supplements.
- Strengthen the muscles around your joints, especially the ones around your knees, to reduce the risk of wear and tear on the joint and prevent injury.
- Exercise regularly to help increase your bone density and decrease joint wear and tear.
- Menopausal women may lose some bone density during this stage of life due to low oestrogen production, making them prone to osteoporosis. Therefore, they should see a doctor to be prescribed a hormone regulator.
- Avoid drinking alcohol and smoking, as both are bad habits that weaken your bone structure, thus increasing the risk of fractures.
- Beware of tick bites! Tick bites can transmit Lyme disease. If this disease is not detected and treated early, it can cause permanent damage to the joints or nervous system.
In addition to the above recommendations, taking food supplements like Keriba Sport is also beneficial as it promotes joint health thanks to the Pomanox (pomegranate extract), magnesium and vitamin B6 it contains, which means that it has an anti-inflammatory effect and inhibits the breakdown of cartilage.
Marathons and their impact on the human body
To maintain a healthy and active lifestyle it is good to do physical exercise. One of the most demanding forms of exercise, in terms of physical fitness and sporting performance, is the marathon.
Any marathon poses a physical challenge as it has an impact on your body but, do you know what happens when you take part in a marathon?
What happens to your body during a marathon?
When an athlete sets out to run a marathon, they must be prepared, and as part of this preparation it is important to know what effects such physical exertion can have on your body.
Rhinitis
If a runny nose occurs when you run for prolonged periods of time, e.g. during a marathon, this is called exercise-induced rhinitis.
As you breathe in more, the nose becomes hyperactive so the mucous membranes inside your nose produce more mucus. This is often accompanied by a watery discharge.
You become shorter
During a marathon, you usually lose a few centimetres of height, because the back muscles tense up due to the strenuous conditions and fatigue, with some of the fluid between the intervertebral discs being lost.
However, this is only temporary. When the body's fluid levels are recovered, your height will be fully restored.
Muscle cramps
Cramps are one of the most common complaints during a marathon. These are usually caused by a neuromuscular problem, i.e. a malfunction in the reflex connection between the muscle and the spinal cord.
Cramps most commonly occur when you start out too quickly because the neuromuscular connection is not well established.
Foot complaints
After enduring months of training, the continuous impact on the feet during the marathon can lead to a decrease in the levels of red blood cells in the blood vessels in this area.
Therefore, when you finish the marathon it is vital that you eat iron-rich foods (beef, tofu, broccoli and other vegetables) to raise the levels of red blood cells.
It is also common to find that your toenails are purple because the blood vessels underneath the nail open up and leak blood between the nail and the toe, making it look black. This can be caused by wearing trainers that are too small, continuous contact between the toenail and the top of the shoe, or because the toenails have been used to grip tightly.
Loss of water
During a marathon you can lose between 2 and 5 kilos of water weight. You should recover the water you have lost little by little after completing the run. It is best to drink 0.5 litres of water per hour, until your urine returns to a pale colour.
Euphoria
Running increases endorphins, neurotransmitters that cause feelings of well-being, norepinephrine, which is responsible for alertness, and serotonin which helps regulate your mood.
Furthermore, the brain's cognitive function is increased and it enters an “alpha wave” state, which is associated with calmness and well-being.
Stiffness
Regardless of how well prepared you are to run a marathon, when you actually run in the race, the pace is usually higher and faster than when you train.
As the pace increases, the body builds up lactic acid in the muscles, which causes early fatigue. On top of this, there is the high number of kilometres that you cover, which cause micro-tears in your muscles as they go by. This all leads to stiffness on the following day.
For all these reasons, athletes and runners can benefit from the properties of certain food supplements such as Keriba Forte, whose pomegranate extract, magnesium and vitamin B6 content delays the onset of exhaustion and muscle pain, making you more efficient with less training, reducing tiredness and fatigue and boosting sporting performance.
How to manage blood pressure
Blood pressure is the pressure that the heart exerts on the arteries to carry blood to the body's organs. Peak pressure is reached when the heart contracts and the pressure is lowest when the heart relaxes.
When the heart meets resistance as it carries blood to the organs, due to various factors such as high levels of “bad” cholesterol in plasma, high blood pressure occurs. The heart increases its muscle mass, which is ultimately harmful because it does not translate into increased blood flow and can lead to coronary artery disease, angina pectoris, arrhythmias and even heart attacks and strokes.
What causes blood pressure to rise?
Blood pressure can rise for a number of reasons:
- Stressful situations
- Fluctuating heart rates
- Eating too much salt
- Overweight and obesity
- Sedentary lifestyle
- Hypercholesterolaemia
- Family history
- Smoking
All of these factors affect cardiovascular health, which declines, possibly causing serious problems like thickening of the blood vessels and increased cholesterol in the arteries, heart failure and it may lead to ischaemic stroke, kidney failure or broken blood vessels in the whites of the eyes.
How is high blood pressure treated?
People suffering from hypertension should carefully monitor their blood pressure in order to maintain good cardiovascular health. For this purpose, it is important to:
- Take oral medication. When deemed appropriate by your medical specialist.
- Follow a healthy, balanced diet, low in sodium and fats.
- Engage in physical activity at least 3 times a week, especially aerobic exercises (walking, cycling, swimming, etc.).
- Consume potassium (fruits and vegetables) as it eliminates sodium in your urine and helps to dilate your arteries.
- Consume dairy products to raise your calcium levels.
- Increase your intake of magnesium by following a diet high in vegetables, seeds, nuts, whole grains and greens.
By following these recommendations you can improve your blood pressure levels. Also, taking certain food supplements like Keriba Duo can help to improve the health of your heart as it has an anti-hypertensive effect, improves endothelial function and reduces “bad” cholesterol in plasma.
Keriba Duo: the best antioxidant for cardiovascular health
The body needs cholesterol to function properly. The first thing to be aware of is that there are two types of cholesterol: “Bad” low-density cholesterol (LDL), and “good” cholesterol (HDL) which carries cholesterol from other parts of the body to the liver, where it is eliminated.
A high level of LDL in your blood causes it to build up in the artery walls, which narrow and become clogged. This results in cardiovascular and coronary artery disease.
To help lower your “bad” cholesterol and reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases you can make changes to your lifestyle habits.
Lowering cholesterol
To help lower the LDL levels in your blood, it is advisable to:
- Follow a healthy diet: low in saturated fats, high in fruits and vegetables, whole grains and lean meats.
- Control your weight: have a healthy weight that is suitable for your age and height. Therefore, if you are overweight or obese, you need to lose weight.
- Do sports, 30 minutes every day is highly recommended.
- Control your stress.
- Avoid smoking and alcohol.
- Take supplements that help to lower cholesterol like Keriba Duo.
Natural food supplement to lower cholesterol
Keriba Duo is a food supplement composed of MEDITEANOX and POMANOX, natural extracts obtained from the fresh fruits of the olive and pomegranate, respectively.
Its active natural antioxidants hydroxytyrosol (Mediteanox) and punicalagins (Pomanox) help to:
- Reduce oxidised LDL cholesterol in plasma, which is associated with coronary artery disease.
- Maintain proper endothelial function, lowering the risk of high blood pressure.
- Prevent atherosclerosis.
- Support proper anti-thrombotic function by inhibiting platelet adhesion and blood clotting.
- Maintain an appropriate lipid profile.
For all these reasons, Keriba Duo is considered to be one of the best natural antioxidant food supplements for lowering cholesterol.
Thanks to the antioxidant properties of hydroxytyrosol and punicalagins, Keriba Duo by Probelte Pharma has been shown in numerous studies to have the necessary amount of MEDITEANOX® and POMANOX® in two capsules (recommended daily dose) to prevent the appearance of high levels of “bad” cholesterol (LDL) in the blood, while also boosting levels of “good” cholesterol (HDL).
The best foods for a healthy heart
Following a balanced diet has a positive impact on your health, especially for your heart. Diet plays a key role in preventing or improving cardiovascular diseases. There are certain foods whose nutrients and properties are beneficial for the heart and cardiovascular health. Check out this list of the best foods for a healthy heart:
- Walnuts. Thanks to its high omega-3 fatty acid content, this food is excellent for protecting the heart and preventing cardiovascular problems.
- Salmon. Thanks to its omega-3-6-9 fatty acid content, it helps to reduce cholesterol and triglyceride levels in your blood, improving its flow and the elasticity of your artery walls.
- Broccoli. This vegetable provides the body with folic acid, zinc, iron, calcium, vitamin K, antioxidants, etc., making it highly effective in reducing vascular events.
- Carrots. Its high provitamin A and vitamin C content makes it a powerful antioxidant.
- Strawberries. High in flavonoids, they help to dilate the arteries and control blood pressure.
- Vegetables. They provide high-quality protein with low fat content, which promotes healthy cholesterol levels in the blood.
- Brown rice. The amount of dietary fibre they provide slows down the absorption of fats and sugars in the gut, thus helping to lower your blood pressure.
- Olive oil. Because it contains fatty acids and antioxidants, e.g. hydroxytyrosol, a daily intake of EVOO helps to prevent the onset of cardiovascular diseases such as high blood pressure.
- Dark chocolate. Pure cocoa has numerous health benefits, including helping to restore flexibility to arteries and preventing white blood cells from sticking to the walls of blood vessels.
- Curry. The curcumin in this spice is a potent antioxidant with anti-inflammatory properties, which reduces the risk of heart failure and high blood pressure.
- Green tea. Its antioxidant and thermogenic power helps to protect your cardiovascular health by lowering high blood fat levels.
- Red wine. The ethanol and polyphenol content of red wine helps to lower the risk of atherosclerosis.
Natural remedies to lower cholesterol
Having high cholesterol is a serious health problem as it can lead to cardiovascular problems. If you want to lower your cholesterol, diet is a key factor in reducing it naturally.
How to lower cholesterol through your diet
To lower cholesterol naturally through your diet it is important that it is rich in:
- Fibre as it helps to slow down the absorption of cholesterol in your gut. You can get it from whole grains, fruits and vegetables.
- Unsaturated fatty acids: Omega-3, omega-6, etc. found in walnuts, avocado, tuna, salmon, and so on, as they increase the “good” HDL cholesterol.
- Antioxidants: especially vitamin C vitamin E. High amounts of these vitamins are found in citrus fruits such as pineapple, kiwi and oranges, and in vegetables such as broccoli, spinach, etc.
But it’s not enough to add these foods, in order to lower your cholesterol, it is important to:
- Eat at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day.
- Eat red meat no more than once a week.
- Choose fish over meat; eating white fish 4 times a week, oily fish 2 times a week, white meat 3 times a week.
- Avoid eating sausages, it is especially important to avoid the fattier sausages like chorizo, salami, longaniza, etc.
- Eliminate sweet treats and ultra-processed foods.
- Minimise your intake of sugar and sugary products.
- Eat pulses at least 2 times a week.
- Grill, steam, bake, i.e. avoid fried and battered foods as they are high in calories and fat.
- Use raw extra virgin olive oil.
But diet is not everything. To help improve your cardiovascular health and lower the amount of “bad” cholesterol in your blood, you have to make changes to your lifestyle habits, for example:
- Lose weight, to achieve a healthy body fat index and weight.
- Don't drink alcohol and stop smoking.
- Engage in physical exercise every day, for at least 30 minutes: walking, swimming, cycling, weight training, etc.
Additionally, you can always help to lower your cholesterol with Keriba Duo, a natural food supplement based on Pomanox and Mediteanox, pomegranate and olive extracts respectively, which will improve your cardiovascular health preventing, among other diseases, high blood pressure and atherosclerosis, as well as lowering your plasma levels of oxidised LDL (“bad” cholesterol).
Natural food supplements. Does the extraction method matter?
What are food supplements?
Food supplements are a food product that is not designed to replace a healthy and balanced diet, but help to supplement it.
They are composed of a concentrate of nutrients such as vitamins and minerals, plant extracts, amino acids, enzymes, etc. that help to remedy nutritional deficiencies by acting at three levels:
- Preventing and correcting nutrient deficiencies.
- Helping to achieve optimal and adequate levels of certain nutrients of which we cannot provide the body with the necessary amounts despite following a balanced diet.
- Helping to supply cells with performance-enhancing substances.
How are the active ingredients of food supplements extracted?
It is very important to consider the method used to extract the active ingredients contained in food supplements because the naturalness and effectiveness of the product depends on it. Using ground plant powder is not the same as using a standardised dry extract in which the active ingredients have been extracted and purified many times over to obtain a high concentration.
There are various extraction methods and the quality of food supplements varies depending on which one is used, as the properties of the active ingredients may be lost. The most common extraction methods are:
- Mechanical extraction: this obtains the active ingredients dissolved in the plant's own fluids. Once extracted, they are called juice.
- Distillation: this separates the volatile components from the active ingredients that are less volatile or non-volatile. A heat source is used to obtain a liquid composed of two immiscible phases: essential oil (density is <1) and hydrosol (obtained from water distillation).
- Gas stripping: a selective and relatively simple process that eliminates the stripper gas by controlling the temperature and pressure exerted during extraction.
- Solvent extraction: this consists of mixing the part of the plant or fruit that contains the active ingredient with a solvent that is able to solubilise its active ingredients.
At Probelte Pharma we use a patented physical extraction method that uses ultrapure water, without using organic solvents or any other chemicals, in order to preserve the concentration and quality of the active ingredients.
Physical extraction by Probelte Pharma
Probelte Pharma has patented this purely physical extraction method that involves no chemical reactions.
Our physical extraction method consists of using only aqueous solutions with demineralised water to obtain the active ingredients, without any organic solvents, synthetic chemicals or radiation.
These purely physical extraction processes include:
- Centrifugation
- Chromatography
- Tangential flow filtration
This gives us a competitive edge over our competitors, who, in order to extract more active ingredients, use chemicals, irradiation and organic solvents such as ethanol or methanol for extraction.
At Probelte Pharma, using this patented chemical-free physical extraction method, we obtain extracts with a high concentration of active ingredients because we use whole, fresh fruits that are harvested at peak ripeness and not frozen.
This allows us to produce high-quality food supplements, containing natural extracts of pomegranates and olives, with a high concentration of active ingredients such as:
- Pomanox, with a high concentration of antioxidant polyphenol punicalagins from pomegranates. These are mostly obtained from the peel and pith, as this is where the highest concentration of antioxidants is found.
- Mediteanox, which contains high levels of the polyphenolic antioxidant hydroxytyrosol, which is found in olives.
Vitamin C for iron deficiency anaemia
Iron deficiency anaemia is a type of anaemia marked by a decrease in iron stores in the body, leading to a drop in the number of erythrocytes aka red blood cells.
Red blood cells are responsible for supplying oxygen to the body’s cells and iron is an essential mineral for transporting this oxygen. Therefore, when someone has anaemia the symptoms usually include tiredness, fatigue, weakness and pale skin, among others.
Iron deficiency anaemia is most common among people who need a higher intake of iron, for example:
- Rapid growth stages: infants, children, teenagers.
- Pregnant or lactating women.
- Fertile women with heavy periods.
- People with poor diets that are low in iron.
Treatment for iron deficiency anaemia
To resolve this problem, it is essential to follow a balanced diet that contains a large amount of foods that are rich in iron, and foods that help your body to absorb iron:
- Iron-rich animal-based foods: eggs, red meat, fish, seafood, liver, etc.
- Iron-rich plant-based foods: cereals, pulses, nuts, greens and vegetables.
- Foods that promote the absorption of iron: combining plant-based and animal-based iron-rich foods improves its absorption; foods high in vitamin C.
It is also important to avoid or limit your intake of foods that decrease the body's absorption of iron, such as whole grains, chocolate, coffee, red wine, tea and vinegar.
The importance of vitamin C for anaemia
Vitamin C, aka ascorbic acid, promotes the absorption of iron and is therefore essential in treating iron deficiency anaemia.
Good sources of vitamin C include:
- Peppers
- Parsley
- Broccoli
- Citrus fruits like strawberries, oranges, lemons, kiwis etc.
Health functions and benefits of magnesium
Magnesium is an essential mineral for humans as it plays a vital role in countless biochemical reactions in the body.
The highest concentration of magnesium in the body is found in the skeletal system, with smaller amounts found in muscle tissue, soft tissues (such as cartilage) and body fluids. This is why the help of a ghostwriter in Vienna (ghostwriter wien) can be indispensable, especially when you need to delve into complex academic studies such as biology. This type of partner can be a valuable resource to gain a better understanding and produce academic papers more effectively.
Functions of magnesium in the body
Magnesium is required in over 300 chemical processes that maintain your health and basic human functions, including:
- Muscle contraction and relaxation
- Nerve function
- Cardiac activity, ensuring a well-functioning cardiovascular system
- Blood pressure regulation
- Hormone interactions and production
- Immune system function
- Bone health, by supporting calcium and phosphorus fixation in the teeth and bones
- Protein, fat and nucleic acid synthesis
- Energy metabolism
Health benefits of magnesium
Magnesium provides the following health benefits:
- It reduces fatigue, as it is used by the body to generate energy, since it is directly involved in activating the exchange of energy where adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is present, i.e. cellular energy.
- It calms and relaxes certain neurotransmitters that affect your behaviour and mood, e.g. in the secretion of serotonin. So it relieves anxiety.
- It improves rest by helping to release hormones associated with a feeling of well-being, thereby helping to combat stress. Magnesium also regulates your biological clock, i.e. your circadian rhythms, which will help you get a good night's sleep.
- Digestive system: due to its properties that relax the muscles in the digestive tract, it helps to move stool and promote regularity and ease of bowel movements.
- It relieves muscle pain and spasms.
- Cardiovascular health, as it plays an essential role in muscle contraction. Therefore, magnesium and calcium help to support the cardiovascular system, regulating blood pressure to keep it at normal levels and controlling blood circulation.
- Bone health, since this mineral helps to prevent osteoporosis by promoting an increase in bone mineral density in men and women.
Foods rich in magnesium
To obtain the amount of magnesium you need every day from your diet, you should eat foods that are rich in magnesium, which are also usually high in fibre, such as:
- Pulses
- Whole grain foods
- Vegetables
- Seeds and nuts
- Dairy products
- Meat
- Chocolate
- Coffee
However, sometimes the body does not get the amount of this essential mineral that it needs, leading to tiredness, fatigue and poor performance.
This is a problem for athletes, and they usually need to take natural supplements that are rich in magnesium, like Keriba Sport to solve this problem.
This is a natural food supplement based on POMANOX ® (extract of the whole fresh fruit of the pomegranate, Punica granatum L.) magnesium and vitamin B6.