What Does Ginkgo Do? Book Excerpt of the Week

Ginkgo is in THOUSANDS of products, not just energy drinks. What does it do?

In Chinese medicine, extracts from the leaves of the ginkgo biloba tree improve memory and concentration, treat anxiety and depression, and alleviate headaches, dizziness, and tinnitus (ringing in the ears).

HOW DOES GINKGO DO all these wonderful feats? TWO STRONG THEORIES:

Theory 1 – Ginkgo increases blood supply by dilating blood vessels, reducing blood viscosity, and decreasing the density of free radicals that wreak havoc on the body.

Theory 2 – The PLACEBO EFFECT! If someone told you “Take this, it will improve your concentration and calm your anxiety” your subconscious is already onboard!

Wait, what?!? GINKGO IS A LIE???

Tune in next week for the answer to that question (spoiler alert: it’s complicated)…

If you enjoy these excerpts, you should DEFINITELY check-out (library joke) my book: “Are You a Monster or a Rock Star: A Guide to Energy Drinks- How They Work, Why They Work, How To Use Them Safely” available on Audible and Amazon and wherever books are sold, in all formats.

To learn more about ginkgo and the other energy drink ingredients, stay tuned for next week’s book excerpt as we continue our page-by-page exploration through the Energy Drink Guide (now on Audible!!!).

Let’s connect!

What is Vitamin B12, really? Book Excerpt of the Week

For last week’s book excerpt from the Energy Drink Guide, we talked about what vitamin B6 does. This week, we move into the Vitamin B12 chapter. Before we can talk about what B12 does, we have to talk about where it comes from…bacteria!

Did you know ALL B12 comes from bacterial fermentation?

Vitamin B12 can be found in food sources like meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, and dairy because the animals are the vessel for this bacterial fermentation. Plants don’t make B12, and they only provide B12 if they’ve been contaminated with soil that contains it (e.g. from the animal gut to the poop to the soil to the plant).

Certain natural vitamins are superior to their synthetic counterparts, and vice versa — remember when we talked about synthetic vs natural folate and the bling rings? But with vitamin B12, all B12 compounds are made through fermentation of bacteria, fungi, or algae.

Whether this fermentation occurs in the stomach of a cow or in a lab doesn’t affect the active structure or function of the vitamin.

 

Okay, phew – so B12 comes from bacteria…and that’s fine…

…But we’re not done with the fear-mongering.

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DO NOT PANIC if you come across a website that suggests synthetic B12 is poison because it’s cyanide. The association is irrelevant, just like the association between Chloride and SODIUM Chloride. The context makes all the difference. Furthermore, the dosage makes the difference between a poison and a cure (paraphrasing the Father of Toxicology, Paracelsus).

To learn more about B12 and the other B-vitamins, stay tuned for next week’s book excerpt as we continue our page-by-page exploration through the Energy Drink Guide (now on Audible!!!).

Let’s connect!

 

Folate and the Exploding Pen – Book Excerpt of the Week

For the Book Excerpt of the Week we talk about what FOLATE DOES. Folate’s job is to move a single Carbon atom from point A to point B. It SOUNDS boring like how Boring Basic Biotin moves a Carbon Dioxide molecule from A to B. However the stakes are MUCH HIGHER with Folate.

Regardless of whether it came into your body as folate (the natural form from food) or folic acid (the synthetic kind from fortified food) this vitamin becomes the coenzyme tetrahydrofolate, THF.

THF is a key player in DNA synthesis, amino acid metabolism, and the formation and maturation of red and white blood cells.

<<THF = BFD>>

The cells along your GI tract are so constantly used they go through a lot of wear and tear. They need constant supplies of DNA so they can keep growing and multiplying fast enough to keep us healthy. Without THF, the cells can’t divide and conquer. Instead, they grow larger and larger until they explode and die!

Folate is added to energy drinks, but it doesn’t “give you energy”, its job is so much more important than that!

LEARN MORE about the science behind energy drink ingredients on my Insta page (@greeneyedguide) and at Facebook.com/GreenEyedGuide. You can get your copy of my book “Are You a Monster or a Rock Star: A Guide to Energy Drinks – How They Work, Why They Work, How to Use Them Safely” on Amazon and Audible and wherever books are sold!!!

http://www.audible.com/offers/30free?asin=B074R1GR94

❓Does your favorite energy drink have folate❓

STAY TUNED every Monday/Tuesday for more book excerpts and the science behind energy drink ingredients as we continue our page-by-page exploration through the Energy Drink Guide.

Let’s connect!