The older we get, the harder it is to lose weight. We need to put in more effort in order to lose the same amount of weight compared to when we were in our 20s. However, all is not lost. Here are 5 factors to consider for weight loss after you hit 50. I will also share with you what I do to maintain my weight while still enjoying the food I love.

1. Diet

> Caloric intake vs expenditure

If you consume more calories than your body uses, you'll gain weight. But it's not only that.. leptin and ghrelin are 2 hormones that control your appetite and fullness. If the ghrelin hormones don't function properly, you may always feel hungry and have increased appetite. On the other hand, if your leptin hormone signal is disrupted, you tend to eat a lot before feeling full.

Another hormone that plays an important effect on weight is the insulin hormone, which regulates glucose uptake from the bloodstream. Insulin resistance can make weight loss more challenging because it can lead to high blood sugar levels and increased fat storage.

What I do: I supplement with Lingzhi, because many research show it can keep my hormones balanced, so I don't always feel hungry, and I don't need to eat a lot before I am triggered to stop eating. Lingzhi has also been proven to successfully regulate my blood sugar level.

> Appropriate nutrients composition

Diets high in processed foods, sugars and unhealthy fats can lead to metabolic disturbances and weight gain. For some, when they reduce carbo intake, it helps with satiety and reduce insulin spikes.

What I do: I reduce my cravings for unhealthy snacks by supplementing with Yung Kien Pollen. I notice that when my body is sufficiently replenished with the appropriate vitamins and minerals, it naturally does not emit the "hunger signal".

2. Physical activity

The critical factor is regular, sustained activity, instead of intermittent bursts of exercise. Be mindful that you engage in enough physical activity to create a significant calorie deficit, and not over-estimate the amount of energy expended in doing certain types of exercise.

What I do: A brisk walk of 40 minutes every 2-3 days uphill and downhill does wonders for my heart health and leg muscles. It's free and I can do it any day, any time.

3. Metabolism

Our metabolic rate can be influenced by age, sex, body composition and genetic factors. Aim for a slow and steady weight loss to help minimise the effect of adaptive thermogenesis (which is when it's increasingly difficult to lose weight despite low calorie intake).

What I do: Lingzhi is my go-to as it regulates the functions of hormones and thyroid gland, which control metabolism.

4. Sleep and stress

Studies show that sleep deprivation can lead to increased calorie consumption, reduced energy expenditure and increased insulin resistance.

Chronic stress can lead to increased secretion of cortisol, a hormone that promotes fat storage, particularly in the belly area.

Behaviours such as eating in response to emotional cues rather than hunger or eating disorders eg. binge-eating, can sabotage weight-loss efforts. 

What I do: I am not tempted to eat unhealthy food and sweet snacks when faced with stressful situations. Meditation helps. Thinking calmly helps. Letting go of what I cannot control helps. Taking Lingzhi also helps, because of its calming properties. Many people have reported that Lingzhi helps them with their insomnia problem.

5. Medical conditions

Hypothyroidism patients have slower metabolism, making weight loss difficult. PCOS is associated with insulin resistance and obesity. Medications like antidepressants, antipsychotics and antiepileptics can lead to weight gain or hinder weight loss efforts.

What I do: Again, Lingzhi is well-known for its ability to regulate the thyroid hormones, as well as manage PCOS conditions. Lingzhi from Shuang Hor can penetrate the Blood-Brain-Barrier, making it a safe and effective choice for patients with epileptic and depression disorders.

Conclusion

Weight loss is a complex, multi-faceted process. That's why a one-size-fits-all approach is ineffective. Whatever strategies you adopt, they must be done gradually and the changes must be sustainable. This is certainly more successful in the long term than quick fixes.

Despite my age, I am indeed very blessed that I can still enjoy whatever food I fancy without worrying about the calories. Why? I believe that Lingzhi plays a huge role in helping me eat with moderation, get rid of toxins and modulate my hormones and metabolism.

What am I taking:

Lingzhi - Yung Kien I Ganoderma Powder

Pollen - Yung Kien Pollen Granular

(Source: Losing weight after 50, Starhealth 24 Dec 2023)

Please email me at askfuiping@gmail.com if you have questions.

How to Order Online?

Click on this link and follow the simple steps..

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Long-term treatment of rheumatic illnesses like arthritis using cortisone (a type of glucocorticoids) can cause osteoporosis. Cortisone is a steroid hormone and reduces allergic-like reactions. According to the German Society for Rheumatology (DGRh), as a preventive measure, you should accompany it with calcium and vitamin D. 

What is a good source of calcium and vitamin D? 

Click on this link to find out what other types of vitamins and minerals are in a grain of pollen:

http://www.pingofhealth.com/2012/07/what-is-deal-with-bee-pollen.html

Experts say cortisone drugs are usually well tolerated when used for short periods. But if used for more than 3 months, there may be side effects like decrease in bone density, which lead to osteoporosis. In 30-40% of patients treated with cortisone over a period of 4.5 years, recent or older bone fractures could be detected, DGRh estimates. 

The problem is that many patients don't notice the small bone fractures precisely because of the medicine they are taking. Therefore, the bone problems are frequently overlooked and not treated. As a result, the skeleton becomes more fragile, thus promoting further fractures. In the first 3-6 months of glucocorticoid therapy, bone density decreases by up to 12%. 

After the end of treatment, the fracture risk declines again, as it is directly related to cortisone intake. Therefore, DGRh recommends taking as much cortisone as necessary, but as little as possible, in combination with preventive measures against possible bone loss.

In other words, a rheumatoid arthritis patient is faced with a serious challenge - they take cortisone to treat their arthritis. But long-term consumption may lead to brittle bones and osteoporosis.

What is a preferred alternative to cortisone?

Yung Kien Ganoderma. Because research found that Ganoderma possess immune-modulating and anti-allergic capabilities and can inhibit the development of chronic inflammation like rheumatoid arthritis. Click on this link for more info on scientific experiments showing that Ganoderma is proven to prevent auto-immune diseases:

http://www.pingofhealth.com/2019/01/exclusive-inflammation-causing-auto.html

(Source: Beware of your bones with cortisone, StarHealth, 2 Jan 2021)

How to order Yung Kien Pollen and Yung Kien Ganoderma?

Click on this link to register and then you can proceed with your order.

http://www.pingofhealth.com/p/order-online.html

Email me at askfuiping@gmail.com if you need help. I am an Authorised Distributor.

Doing an annual blood test is an important way to keep track of your overall physical well-being. However, you may want to do it more often if you:

How to purchase?

Click on this link to register and then you can proceed with your order.

http://www.pingofhealth.com/p/order-online.html

Email me at askfuiping@gmail.com if you need help. I am an Authorised Distributor.

Click here to refer to Shuang Hor company website for Product Description and Price. Have an awesome day!

In November 2025, Ms Yu-Chi Cheng shared a presentation on the range of Ganoderma products offered by Shuang Hor and addressed 5 frequently asked questions. Below are her credentials:

These are the links:

Part 3 - https://pingofhealthexclusive.blogspot.com/2025/12/range-of-ganoderma-lingzhi-products.html

Part 4 - https://pingofhealthexclusive.blogspot.com/2025/12/which-lingzhi-product-to-choose-and.html

If you are already authorised, just click on the links above.

However, if you are not already a consumer of Shuang Hor products, but are interested to find out more, drop me an email at askfuiping@gmail.com. I am happy to answer your questions so you can decide whether you want to give Shuang Hor Ganoderma a try. 

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Related posts: 

The Blood Brain Barrier functions to keep harmful organisms and substances out of our brain. But it's a double-edged sword as it can also prevent useful drugs from crossing in. Let's find out more..

Our brain is one of the most complex organs in our body. It weighs about 2% of our total body weight, but utilises about 20% of our energy. There are more than 100 billion brain cells which communicate by electrical impulses known as synapses.

The brain is shielded from an influx of harmful substances by a layer of endothelial cells called Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB). It provides a natural protective function to impede the entry of harmful substances into the central nervous system (CNS). The BBB regulates:

• delivery of nutrients into the brain.
• removal of unwanted toxins.
• recruitment of leukocytes (WBC) to maintain normal brain homeostasis (balance).

- Nanoparticles bear naturally-occurring components to cross the BBB. They can evade recognition by the immune system and thus escape destruction in the event of inflammatory response.

Nanoparticles have been engineered to effectively transport drugs across the BBB by targeting receptors involved in endocytosis (a process by which a cell brings substances into itself).  

Many studies have been carried out, such as:

(a) An animal study using rats, described the delivery of an anti-epileptic peptide, galanin, that is capable of inhibiting glutamate release in the hippocampus (thereby reducing the onset of seizures).

(b) A study targets the alpha-synuclein protein, which plays a role in Parkinson.

(c) An animal study assessed the inhibition of alpha-synuclein fibrillation and protection from the progressive loss of dopaminergic neutrons, in relation to Parkinson.

(d) In another study, researches have proven that alpha-synuclein can be prevented from activating in microglial cells via scavenger receptor CD36-binding nanoparticles.

(e) In an animal study of Parkinson, lipid nano carriers loaded with GDNF (glial cell derived neurotrophic factor) plasmids were combined with micro bubbles for MRI-guided focused ultrasound mediated effects that led to a reduction in nerve cell death and helped alleviate behavioural changes due to the disease.

The nose-to-brain route of administration could be a way to improve the delivery of drug-loaded particles to specific regions of the brain. Delivery via this route bypasses the BBB and enables direct delivery to the brain. The complication with this strategy is that:

(i) It requires the nanoparticles to have augmented properties, such as protecting the molecules within them from being destroyed or damaged in the nasal cavity; and 

(ii) Nanoparticles need to get through the nose's mucosal barrier.

The clinical translation of nanoparticles (ie. nanoparticles approved for brain targeting and treatment) is difficult and demanding as it requires substantial time and effort.

(Source: Infiltrating the BBB, StarHealth 15/1/2023)

Yung Kien C Ganoderma

The good news is Shuang Hor has successfully developed a product called Yung Kien C Ganoderma (YKC), which is effective for brain diseases. This is achievable because the ganoderic acid component in YKC has very small molecular structure and thus can pass through the BBB into the brain tissues. As such, YKC has a good effect on brain diseases such as seizures, epilepsy, Alzheimer and Parkinson. It is a breakthrough for Shuang Hor.

In an experiment, mice whose brain have been induced with Alzheimer are fed with YKC. The result shows YKC can improve the diseases that cause degeneration of brain neurons. 

How to purchase?

Click on this link to register and then you can proceed with your order of YKC 

http://www.pingofhealth.com/p/order-online.html

Email me at askfuiping@gmail.com if you need help. I am an Authorised Distributor.

Click here to refer to Shuang Hor company website for Product Description and Price. Wish you a good day!

Immune system - do you believe that the stronger it is, the healthier you are?

The answer is No. In fact, the best immune system is one that is properly regulated.

Here is a 1-minute video that explains why.

Details here (exclusive for my consumers and business partners only): 

https://pingofhealthexclusive.blogspot.com/2023/08/ganoderma-on-allergies-and-autoimmune.html

Email: askfuiping@gmail.com with your questions. I will do my best to help.

During my 5th visit to Yung Kien Factory in Tainan, Taiwan, we were first shown a short video prior to the guided site visit. Below is a transcript and screenshots of the video.

Yung Kien Factory, Tainan

Doublecrane is the world's leading Lingzhi brand. For the past 30 years, we have dedicated ourselves to research and development into Lingzhi efficacy, and insisted that every step of the process, from strain R&D, cultivation, patented production, to marketing, is done by ourselves. This is to ensure that every Doublecrane Lingzhi product is of supreme quality on the global level for our customers.

With that goal in mind, Tainan was chosen as the location for the Yung Kien plant for the region's pleasant climate. The plant meets the specification of pharmaceutical plants and adopts international standards for procedures. 

It is the largest professional Lingzhi production plant in the world. The 2-hectare plant is responsible for the production of all of Doublecrane's Lingzhi and related products from start to finish. From raw materials to production, our unique key technologies lock in the Lingzhi's active ingredients, to create effective and safe products.

Doublecrane upholds the corporate philosophy of manufacturing products of the highest quality. We have a Bio-Tech R&D Institute staffed by professional biotech and food scientists, and equipped with various advanced analysis equipment, including:

> Evaporative Light Scattering Detector (ELSD), measuring Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharide content to ensure sufficient active polysaccharide ingredients in all Lingzhi products.

> High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) - measuring Ganoderic acids or Lucidenic acid content to ensure product efficacy.

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There are 3 categories of people and they usually ask 3 questions.

If you are curious to find out what they ask, check out my 40-seconds video..

Related posts:

https://www.pingofhealth.com/2025/02/sub-health-between-good-health-and.html

https://www.pingofhealth.com/2023/04/exclusive-lingzhi-helps-modulate-and.html

https://www.pingofhealth.com/2020/03/5-reasons-why-lingzhi-is-special.html

During an online seminar in May 2025, Ms Yi-Syuan Tsai shared a topic from a Handbook titled Repository of Application Methods of Ganoderma.

Ms Yi-Syuan Tsai is a Dietitian with Double Crane Group in Taiwan. Below are her credentials: 

Answer: Yes. 3 testimonies are highlighted.

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During an online seminar in March 2025, Ms Chun-Ching Wu (Ginny Wu) shared a topic from a handbook titled Repository of Application Methods of Ganoderma.

Below are the credentials of Ms Ginny Wu:

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There is a grey area between being healthy and being sick, called "sub-health". This is a state of low quality health, where usually no abnormalities are detected by medical equipment, but the person feels:

• frequent fatigue
• difficulty sleeping
• easily catching a cold
• easily tensed, stressed or anxious
• regular sore throat
• poor appetite.

Click on this link to register and then you can proceed with your order of Lingzhi and Pollen.

http://www.pingofhealth.com/p/order-online.html

Email me at askfuiping@gmail.com if you have questions. I am an Authorised Distributor of Shuang Hor.

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Shuang Hor has made great technological advancements, particularly in developing and improving the Ganoderma range of products, especially Target Lingzhi, which is able to give us better results in a shorter period of time. In April 2024, Shuang Hor has organised a much needed seminar to help us understand better how to select Ganoderma products. 

The invited speaker was Ms Pei-Chin Chung, a Dietitian with Double Crane Group in Taiwan. Below are her credentials: 

This article is sourced and translated from Ganoderma Magazine (Issue 88). It is a report of a scientific study concluding that the combined therapy of Lingzhi triterpenoids and Gefitinib (sold under the brand name Iressa) improves lung cancer and reduces toxicity.

Lung cancer ranks among the most common primary cancer worldwide and is a leading cause of deaths amongst men and second amongst women. 

There are 2 types of lung cancer:

(i) Small cell lung cancer 

(ii) Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Advances in medical discoveries and technologies have improved the therapeutic methods for lung cancer. Gefitinib (trade name: Iressa) is a targeted drug commonly used to treat late-stage metastasis NSCLC and other cancer, like breast cancer. However, after 10 to 16 months of therapy, patients normally develop resistance to the drug thereby frustrating the treatment process.

Therefore, seizing the effective curative period of Gefitinib is crucial to the control of the metastatic cancer cells. At the same time, reducing the side effects of the drugs would enable the patients to be in a better state to fight the illness and reverse the situation. A joint study by the Dept of Oncology, Yantai Hospital of TCM and School of Medicine, Tibet University, found that the combination of Lingzhi triterpenoid and Gefitinib therapy increases efficacy and reduces toxicity. The study, which was headed by Wei Liu, is titled Ganoderma Triterpenoids attenuate tumour angiogenesis in lung cancer tumour-bearing nude mice, and was published in Pharmaceutical Biology in 2020.

The Experiment

Human lung cancer cells (A549) were cultured and then injected into immune-deficient mice (BALB/c). When the tumor grew to around 6-8 mm in diameter, the mice were randomly divided into 4 groups and administered for 14 days in the following manner:

(i) Saline group (control) - intragastric injection with saline daily.

(ii) GLT group - intragastric injection with Lingzhi triterpenoids (1g/kg daily).

(iii) GEF group - intraperitoneal injection with gefitinib (15mg/kg daily).

(iv) GLT + GEF group - combination of (ii) and (iii).

The mice were sacrificed and analysed on the 15th day.

The Results

It was found that the tumor volume of GLT, GEF and GLT+GEF groups were significantly lower than the Saline (Control) group. The inhibition rates of the tumors were GLT 37%, GEF 43% and GLT+GEF 52%. This suggested that although GLT and GEF may inhibit the rate of tumor growth individually, the combined effect is higher. The inhibition was due to the accelerated apoptosis of cancer cells and at the same time inhibiting tumor angiogenesis.

What is Angiogenesis?

Angiogenesis is the process through which new blood vessels grow from existing blood vessels. In order to survive, tumors need to continuously grow new blood vessels to link to existing blood vessels for oxygen and nutrients. This also explains how cancer cells tend to spread (metastasize) to the surrounding tissues and other parts of the body. Therefore, the density of micro-vessels (microvascular) in the tumor tissues will be key to the continuous growth of tumors.

The study made a histological (immunohistochemical) analysis of the tumor tissues of the various group. Quantifying the analysis showed that GLT and GEF groups had lower microvascular density (MVD) than the control group, indicating inhibition of tumor angiogenesis. However, the efficacy was much better when GLT was combined with GEF.

The Side Effects

The mice were weighed on the 1st, 8th and 15th day of the study. The results showed, after the 8th day, the weight of:

- The GEF group dropped significantly.

- The GLT group was stable.

- The GLT+GEF group maintained closer to that of normal healthy mice.

This indicated that the combined therapy of GLT+GEF reduces the side effects of GEF as weight is normally an indicator of well being.

In their observation of the mice, the study found that:

- The GEF group showed signs of agitation and drowsiness, reduced physical activity, decreased feeding and dull skin colour. This could be due to the effects of administrating GEF.

- The GLT+GEF group showed no obvious agitation and drowsiness, accessed water and food without difficulty, and exhibited improved skin color compared to the GEF group.

The results indicated that GLT played a role in alleviating the effects caused by GEF.

Conclusion

The study showed that Lingzhi triterpenoids do not affect the efficacy of Gefitinib but enhanced it.

Note: The study did not dwell into the details of the Lingzhi triterpenoids being used and what was the effective content. The dosage of 1g/kg used in the study was high, but one should note that the study is for a short duration and the researchers would like to know the results within a short span of time. A reasonable dosage is necessary for Lingzhi to take effect in this kind of situation

(Source: Shuang Hor Video Depository, 19/12/2021)

Please email askfuiping@gmail.com if you have any questions.

If you wish to order Lingzhi (Yung Kien C Ganoderma Tablet), please click on this link..

http://www.pingofhealth.com/p/order-online.html