Includes:
100 Trufil caps

Info Link:
A powerful antioxidant based on traditional ingredients with added Pycnogenol® and other phytonutrients in a Trufil™ capsule.

Ingredients per capsule:
Vitamin C 300 mg,
Vitamin E (Natural) 50 mg,
Pycnogenol 15 mg,
Grape Seed Extract 10 mg,
Bilberry Extract 10 mg,
Green Tea Extract 10 mg,
Turmeric Extract 10 mg,
Vitamin A 333 μg (1000 iu),
Selenium (Methionine) 100 μg,
stone ground brown rice flour.

Antioxidants are a wide group of nutrients. Probably the best known are vitamins A (and beta carotene), C, and E and some minerals. Recently, 'newer' plant-based nutrients have been making headlines with their excellent antioxidant properties; these will be covered below under Phytonutrients.

Antioxidants are valuable because they combat free radicals. Free radicals are incomplete molecules. They 'patrol' the body destroying enzyme or protein molecules or even whole cells. This doesn't sound too bad on a one-to-one basis, but take into account that each free radical can generate thousands more through chain reactions and you begin to get the bigger picture.

So, antioxidants help the body by quenching free radical production and by supporting the immune system so the body can cope on its own. Modern living, pollution, smoking, radiation, sunlight, all increase the production of free radicals.

Antioxidants and a healthy immune system help keep them in check. You have probably noticed on food packaging that many foods have antioxidants added. They are added to stop oxygen from reacting with the food and thus the food going off.

The most common is Ascorbic Acid or Vitamin C; it may even be listed as E300. A simple experiment you can do at home: cut an apple in half, leave one half and rub lemon juice on the cut face of the other half. Look at them in about half an hour. The untreated half has oxidised. The treated half is protected by the antioxidant properties of the lemon juice (citric acid and ascorbic acid).

The ACE Team

Vitamin A as a supplement comes in two forms: 1) as an oil capsule, usually fish liver oil fortified with vitamin A, and 2) a dry form vitamin A powder. It is fat-soluble and can be stored in the body. There is also Beta carotene, plant-based and considered the safer option as it is a precursor to vitamin A - that is, it is converted in the body to vitamin A as and when it is needed. As a supplement it commonly comes from algae.

Vitamin A in powder form (acetate) is a good high-strength source of vitamin A, easy for the body to absorb. Beta carotene, although natural, is less biologically active and is more expensive.
Good natural sources of vitamin A and beta carotene are: fish liver oil, liver, green/yellow vegetables, yellow fruits, carrots, milk/dairy products and eggs.

Vitamin C is probably the most common vitamin and the most important. It is water soluble and we can only obtain it from our food. Most other mammals can synthesise it in their bodies. Being water soluble, most vitamin C is excreted in 2-3 hours if not used. This would indicate a daily intake is needed.

Vitamin C in supplements should ideally be combined with bioflavonoids as these are present in 'natural' vitamin C and help its assimilation.
Good natural sources of vitamin C are: citrus fruits, berries, onions, potatoes, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes and green leafy vegetables.

Vitamin E, well known for its external uses on the skin, is made up of compounds called tocopherols, Alpha-tocopherol is the most biologically active. There are synthetic and natural forms of vitamin E. They are recognised by the prefix D or DL; D alpha-tocopherol is natural, while DL alpha-tocopherol is synthetic. There is little evidence to say which is better, but natural vitamin E is a lot more expensive. It's a fat soluble vitamin and unlike vitamin A, is not stored in the body for very long. Its antioxidant properties are specifically used on fat compounds.
Good natural sources of vitamin E are: wheat germ, soya, whole wheat, grains, vegetable oils, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, leafy greens, spinach and eggs.

Minerals, are just as important as some are involved in enzyme processes. The relevant ones here are Magnesium, Zinc, Copper and Selenium.
Good natural sources of magnesium are: apples, grapefruit, figs, lemons, nuts, seeds and dark-green vegetables.
Good natural sources of zinc are: steak, lamb chops, pork loin, Brewer's Yeast, wheat germ, eggs, pumpkin seeds and ground mustard.
Good natural sources of copper are: most seafood, dried beans, peas, prunes, beef and calf liver and whole wheat.
Good natural sources of selenium are: wheat germ, bran, tuna, onions, tomatoes and broccoli.

The reason the ACE team above are usually sold together in one formulation is because they are synergistic. That is, they work better together than separately.

The New Kids on the Block - Phytonutrients

In the past couple of years, newspaper health pages have been extolling the virtues of various 'new' antioxidants. As you will see, some of these are not new at all, in fact some have been in use for thousands of years.

Pycnogenol is a brand name for Maritime Pine bark extract. The Maritime Pine mainly grows on the Atlantic coast of France. It has the highest concentrations of flavonoids, and their subclass proanthocyanadins (the active compounds that are antioxidants), of all pine trees.

In the sixteenth century, French explorers were saved from scurvy by Quebec Indians after drinking a tea made from pine needles. Pycnogenol is said to be 50 times stronger than vitamin E and 20 times stronger than vitamin C.

Grape Seed extract is another product with an exceptionally high proanthocyanadin content. Many people have heard of the Mediterranean Diet, a diet rich in oily fish, garlic and vegetables... and also a lot of red wine! It is thought that the proanthocyanadins are passed from the seeds into the wine, hence the health aspect. Which brings us onto...

Red Wine extractwhich is exactly what it says it is. All the good stuff from the wine is extracted and then dried. You will find this in some supplements, although the Grape Seed is more common.

Bilberry extract comes from the fruit of the Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus), also known as Huckleberry and Whortleberry. It is native to Northern Europe, North America and Canada, and is similar to the blueberry. It is very rich in active constituents, with over 15 active antioxidant ingredients.

Green Tea extract comes from the dried leaves of the tea plant (Camellia sinensis). Black Tea is the same plant but has been withered, dried, rolled and fermented. Black Tea is more common in the West as a beverage, Green Tea being more popular in Asia. Both have been used for thousands of years in the East, as a remedy and as a beverage. Green Tea contains an ingredient called EGCG, which is reportedly 200 times more potent than vitamin E!