OT? Not Iodine Related but of Interest

http://www.avogenusa.com/articles.asp?id=253



Avogen is unique in nature. It is found only in avocado. Singularities in nature are quite rare and for that we want to pay close attention to those that occur. Resveratol from grapes is a well-known singularity, for example. It is found only in grapes.

As many of our plants, fruits and vegetables have undergone genetic erosion through cross-breeding and through directed molecular genetics, important nutrients are often unfortunately lost in the interests of greater shelf stability or resistance to pests or other utility.

The avocado has a wealth of natural products and has yet to undergo the genetic erosion of other botanicals, such that soybean has undergone, for example. As mentioned, nature repeats itself across many botanicals. We can find the same vitamins and oils and trace nutrients across many plant species and varieties.

Avogen is a lipid or oil that is found only in avocado. It is the molecular basis for the folklore of the avocado fruit. You might say it is what made the avocado famous for helping our skin.

Avogen keys on an essential phenotype found in the extracellular matrix (ECM). That technical description contains many implications beyond skin beauty. The ECM occurs throughout the body, for one. A way to image this is to think of cells as islands in an ocean of ECM. The ocean connects the islands and creates an ecosystem of signals that guides cell metabolism. The healthier the ECM, the healthier and more vital the cellular activity.

Avogen aids the ECM directly and simply. It is very noticeable in topical application – skin becomes softer and builds out – it plumps up. Inside, Avogen leads to a better functioning you all around. In non-technical language - you feel younger. Avogen is one of nature’s gifts.

Avogen is safe, very well tolerated and whether used topically or internally a once per day dosing is sufficient. Nothing will be gained by consuming Avogen more frequently.

U.S. Patents: 5,468,490 & 5,514,709 and Patents Pending.



Understanding The Extracellular Matrix (ECM)

The ECM is composed of an interlocking mesh of fibrous proteins and glycosaminoglycans and a basement membrane on which epithelial cells rest. What does that mean? A way to visualize this is to picture cells as floating islands and the sea they float in as the extracellular matrix or ECM.

The sea in the case of ECM is like a jelly that supports the islands and sends messages back and forth to the other islands.

The ECM is a dominant feature of our bodies – bone, skin, organs – the cells that comprise these are all surrounded by ECM.

This matrix is very important to the way we look and feel and as we age or are under health stress the ECM deteriorates in quality and quantity. As a result, cells themselves lose their proper structures and the communications between cells break down.

In the case of skin, the tone becomes uneven and waste product builds up in the ECM. The loss of ECM functionality results, for example, in thin skin that is inelastic and resembles crepe paper. Inside the body, the deterioration of ECM affects organs like eyes where vision is impaired or lungs where inelastic ECM leads to reduced respiration efficiency. In fact, every facet of the body can be adversely affected by deterioration of the extracellular matrix.

As the extracellular matrix goes wrong, it is characterized by excess cross-linking. Imagine various strings of fiber that have formed into rope-like strands – these are the collagen proteins of the ECM and as we age or are under environmental stress, the rope-like strands form knots and begin to bind up with other strands and the jelly-like substance between the strands (glycosaminoglycans) gets displaced by these over-crosslinked strands. The result is an inelastic tissue, thin and uneven. Aged skin for example might be described as one large sheet of very thin scar tissue.

In simple trauma of the skin, or internally, scar tissue forms as a mass of excessively crosslinked fibers. In one sense, the body has put up a wad of tissue in short order to protect vital organs. A way to think of this is like sand-bags to prevent a flood of unwanted invaders.

So, there are both natural and environmental causes of crosslinking excesses.

One of the key mechanisms that is in charge of keeping things in order in the extracellular matrix is a phenotype called lysyl oxidase. It organizes and shapes the extracellular matrix and has a lot to say about the communications between cells in the matrix. There are many key signaling functions that occur in the extracellular matrix and it is an area of great interest for understanding medical problems that occur as we age or from trauma.

Avogen supports the key mechanisms involved in regulating normal ECM activity and the result for you is quite simple and very important – you look younger and feel better.
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