THE SCIENCE OF HI-ORAC-8
REVERSE SKIN AGING NATURALLY: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: The skin is highly susceptible to free-radical-induced damage due to aging and exposure to environmental stressors. Skin damage that occurs from excessive exposure to ultraviolet light is known as photoaging.
Skin aging manifests as wrinkles, sagging skin, rough texture, decreased moisture content, impaired wound healing, and discoloration. Restoring the skin’s youthful appearance requires repairing free-radical-induced damage, providing antioxidant protection, restoring moisture content, supporting production of collagen, elastin, and keratin, and enhancing the skin’s healing mechanisms.
Research has validated that topical antioxidants—including idebenone, pomegranate, green tea, and vitamins E and C—fight photoaging, lessen fine lines, and may protect against skin cancer.
Carrot Extract Directly Reduces the Damaging Effects of UVR
Carrot Extract is a golden colored extract from carrots with extraordinary skin protection and conditioning benefits derived from the high quantities of oil soluble carotenoids that it contains. Carotenoids are a class of easily assimilated antioxidants, which are present in a wide range of fruits and vegetables but most abundant in carrots. Antioxidants protect human cells from harmful free-radical attack. Free-radicals are stray oxygen molecules that attack healthy cell walls and react with polyunsaturated fats to create a chain reaction of unlimited free-radical regeneration. Free-radicals are produced by a wide range of environmental pollutants, including UVR. If left unchecked by antioxidants, free-radicals damage both the structure and function of cell membranes, resulting in premature aging, cancer and an array of degenerative diseases. Carotenoids, when either topically applied or ingested, directly reduce the damaging effects of UVR. Specifically, carotenoids have been found to enhance the body’s immune response to UVR, decreasing skin damage from ultraviolet exposure. Carotenoids have even been proven to inhibit the proliferation of various types of cancer cells. Carrots contain over 600 identified carotenoids, making them an unparalleled source of antioxidants. Pure Carrot Extract is the most potent source of the highest concentration of carotenoids available. Suncare products with only Beta-carotene (a single carotenoid), although possibly beneficial, do not contain the wide range of antioxidants contained in Carrot Extract. In addition to carotenoids, Carrot Extract contains other powerful antioxidants such as tocopheryl, or vitamin E.
Pomegranate Naturally Enhances Skin Renewal
An ancient fruit with many modern health-promoting applications, pomegranate is best known for its strong antioxidant properties. This is due to its high concentration of
phenolic compounds, such as ellagic acid. In addition to its applications in supporting cardiovascular health and protecting against cancer, pomegranate has now demonstrated multiple benefits as a topical skin treatment.
Pomegranate may help reverse visible signs of aging by promoting a moderate thickening of the epidermis, while maintaining healthy epidermal cell differentiation. The fruit extract also prolonged the life of cells in the dermis known as fibroblasts. Fibroblasts produce the skin’s essential structural fibers, including collagen and elastin. Pomegranate thus promotes regeneration of cells in the two most important layers of healthy skin, the epidermis and dermis. As the skin ages, its ability to quickly heal cuts, abrasions, and other wounds is dramatically diminished. A study from India discovered that the high content of phenolic compounds in pomegranate greatly improves wound-healing activity, significantly reducing the number of days required for complete healing of skin wounds. A Japanese study found that ellagic acid potently suppresses lipid peroxidation in the skin, thus helping to guard against damage from ultraviolet radiation. An Israeli research team noted that pomegranate’s antioxidant activity was similar to that of green tea and much greater than that of red wine. The researchers also found that pomegranate demonstrates robust anti-inflammatory effects by inhibiting a biochemical pathway that fuels inflammatory changes. Pomegranate may also help to protect against skin cancers. Numerous studies have found that topically applied pomegranate seed and fruit extracts significantly reduce the incidence and number of skin tumors that form in experimental models of skin cancer by protecting against photoaging, supporting skin cell regeneration, promoting wound healing, and preventing cancerous changes, pomegranate provides broad-spectrum support for aging skin.
Green Tea Polyphenols: Powerful Antioxidant Protection
Emerging research demonstrates that green tea benefits the skin as well as the rest of the body. Green tea leaves contain polyphenols that are recognized as potent antioxidants and effective scavengers of free radicals. These include a variety of catechins, the most important of which is epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG). Numerous studies have shown that topical application of green tea confers broad-spectrum protection against photodamage, one of the leading causes of visibly aged skin. Polyphenols from green tea leaves have been found to protect against the adverse effects of overexposure to ultraviolet light. For example, in a study at Case Western Reserve University, volunteers had areas of their skin treated with a green tea extract. Thirty minutes later, they were exposed to simulated solar radiation at a dose high enough to produce inflammatory redness, or erythema. The portions of the skin treated with green tea extracts had a reduced number of sunburn cells, and immune cells just below the skin surface were protected from the effects of the radiation. Green tea extract also protected against radiation-induced DNA damage. The researchers concluded that green tea polyphenols are effective in averting many of the detrimental effects of sunlight, and may thus serve as natural photoprotective agents. The photoprotective benefits of topical green tea have also been reported in other studies as well. A study from Korea found that when EGCG is topically applied to aged human skin, it stimulates the proliferation of epidermal keratinocytes, which increased the thickness of the epidermis. EGCG also inhibited the death of the keratinocytes after a period of exposure to ultraviolet radiation, thus conferring important photoprotection. When topically applied or consumed orally, green tea polyphenols enhance cells’protective responses to inflammation and various chemicals that promote tumor growth. At the same time, these phytochemicals prevent ultraviolet B-induced oxidative stress and immune system suppression. By countering the effects of ultraviolet light and other cancer-inducing agents, green tea provides crucial protection to delicate skin tissues.
Coffee Bean Extract Reduces Free Oxygen Radicals 
Coffee Bean Extract is a new ingredient on the market. Coffee bean has strong anti-oxidant properties. Coffee contains polyphenols which act to help reduce free oxygen radicals in the body. Coffee Bean Extract is sometimes standardized to more than 50% Chlorogenic Acid which helps give it excellent Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) as well as Hydroxyl Radical Averting Capacity - two essential constituents
contributing to overall antioxidant levels. This active ingredient makes coffee bean an excellent agent to absorb free oxygen radicals; as well as helping to avert hydroxyl radicals, both which contribute to degradation of cells in the body. Green coffee bean extract is made from the green beans of the coffea Arabica plant. Clinical testing showed that, when compared to green tea and grape seed extracts, Coffee Bean Extract had more than double the rate of ORAC.
Cocoa: Antioxidant Strength More Potent than Blueberries
Chocolate is packed with natural compounds called antioxidants that scientists  have discovered can protect your body and promote good health. In fact, ounce for ounce, dark chocolate and cocoa have more antioxidants than do foods like blueberries, green tea and red wine. Surprised? Many people are. That's because they forget that chocolate is a plant-based food. "The main ingredient in chocolate is cocoa beans - the seeds of the fruit of the cacao tree," said Debra Miller, Ph.D., Senior Nutrition Scientist with the Hershey Center for Health and Nutrition, who has studied chocolate's health benefits extensively. "Because of modern manufacturing and the common form of the 'chocolate bar', most people today don't associate chocolate with its natural beginnings, but chocolate is essentially food of the earth." Scientists theorize that plants naturally produce antioxidants to help them survive harsh growing conditions and to protect them from environmental stress. These same compounds can aid the humans who eat the plants too. The health benefits of high-antioxidant foods have taken the scientific world — and the media — by storm. Recent studies suggest that the antioxidants in foods may reduce the risk of many kinds of illness, from heart disease to cancer. Antioxidants like those found in dark chocolate and cocoa have also been linked to some of the hallmarks of good cardiovascular health such as enhanced blood flow, healthy cholesterol levels and, in some cases, reduced blood pressure. Dark chocolate and cocoa contain high levels of cell-protecting antioxidant compounds. Two tablespoons of natural cocoa have more antioxidant capacity than four cups of green tea, 1 cup of blueberries and one and half glasses of red wine. Studies show that as soon as 30 minutes after eating one 40 gram serving of dark chocolate blood levels of the two main antioxidants in chocolate, epicatechin and catechin, are heightened. They peak two hours after consumption and are cleared from the body after about six hours. The kinds of antioxidants found in chocolate are called polyphenols, a large class of molecules found in fruits and vegetables like oranges, soybeans and berries. Dark chocolate and cocoa are particularly high in a sub-class of those compounds called flavanols, which are also found in red grapes and tea, hence the well-known benefits of red wine and green tea. The reason dark chocolate and cocoa rank so high is that the antioxidants are very concentrated. Consider this: more than 10 percent of the weight of the dry raw cacoa beans consists of polyphenols alone.
Vitamin A: Natural Skin Repair from Sun Damage 
Vitamin A repairs skin damage caused by the sun, according to a study published in Clinical Cancer Research (2004;10:1875–80). Sun exposure has both positive and negative aspects: Without enough sunlight, the body cannot produce adequate amounts of vitamin D, which is essential for proper absorption and use of calcium. And sunlight deficiency in the winter months is linked with seasonal depression. Too much sun, however, damages the skin, and increases the skin cancer risks. The cumulative effect of years of exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet rays can cause patches of severe skin damage that can progress to nonmelanoma forms of skin cancer (known as basal cell or squamous cell cancer). There are about one million new cases of nonmelanoma skin cancer in the United States each year. Vitamin A, an antioxidant nutrient found in foods such as eggs and fish, has been shown in many studies to prevent and reverse cancerous changes in cells in some parts of the body, including the skin.
Vitamin D May Offer Significant Protective Effects Against Cancers
Vitamin D has been the forgotten vitamin. Once the link between Vitamin D deficiency and Rickets was made in the 19th century the scientific community has ignored this powerful compound. However, recently interest in Vitamin D has resurfaced as the scientific community understands its true potential. Daily discoveries are being made that further our understanding of the health benefits of Vitamin D. Researchers suggest that vitamin D may offer significant protective effects against cancers of the colon, breast, prostate, ovary lungs and pancreas. As a result public health agencies are revising the guidelines concerning vitamin D. There are numerous other studies that indicate vitamin D deficiency may be associated with cancer risk, with rodent studies showing vitamin D3 therapy can delay the ability of a carcinogen to induce cancer.
Studies have shown that topical application of Vitamin E may directly reduce many harmful effects of UVR, enhance skin immunity and help heal sunburn.
Studies at the University of California,Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, suggest that a 10-dayperiod of a 5 percent vitamin E application sent the skin extra vitamin E protection. Another study showed a 2.5 percent vitamin E gel reduced skin damage caused by UV rays. Because antioxidants absorb radiation not neutralized by sunscreens, vitamin E increases their protection and lessens the damaging effects of solar UV radiation.
Still, vitamin E does more than protect skin from the sun. The vitamin also helps keep skin smooth and soft -- the greater the internal moisture, the smoother and softer the skin. Without sufficient internal moisture, skin cracks, deep furrows increase more rapidly, and the space between wrinkles decreases.
Studies show topical vitamin E improves skin moisture by offsetting dryness caused by aging and environmental factors.
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