Vitamin D is not just beneficial, it’s a necessity | Letter

Great to see vitamin D on your front page at last (Vitamin D ‘proved to cut risk of colds and flu’, 16 February). Those of us in the British Society for Ecological Medicine, a group of doctors who take the nutritional aspects of our patients’ treatment very seriously, have been banging on about the benefits, and indeed the necessity, of vitamin D for decades. Indeed, the society’s president, Dr Damien Downing, published a book about it back in 1988 entitled Day Light Robbery – The Importance of Sunlight to Health.

I would just like to add two points: first, vitamin D is vital not only to the health of the immune system, thereby in fact reducing the likelihood of cancer as well as of infections, it is also essential for mental health. In young people with depression and in older people with onset of dementia, we find desperately low levels of vitamin D. Vegans are particularly at risk, because in the British climate they have virtually no source of vitamin D at all.

Second, with regard to the proposal to add vitamin D to our food: it is crucial that this be the real thing, vitamin D3, cholecalciferol. Too often, what is added to foods and cheap multivitamins is vitamin D2, ergocalciferol, which is synthetic and far less useful.

Thank you again for publicising this excellent research.
Dr Jenny Goodman
Barnet, Hertfordshire

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Vitamin D is not just beneficial, it’s a necessity | Letter

Vitamin C Superior To Vaccines

Vitamin C Superior To Vaccines

11 Fruits and Veggies High in Vitamin C

Oranges, also called sweet oranges, are among the world’s most popular fruits and popular for their vitamin C content. Juicy and sweet, oranges make the perfect snack and add a special tang to many recipes.

Studies have shown that consuming vitamin C can’t actually prevent colds.  However, I am sure some of you have experienced yourself that the consumption vitamin C-rich fruits when you have colds or flu can actually reduce the duration and severity.

Renowned for its concentration of vitamin C, a medium orange 131 g contains 69.7 mg vitamin C, equivalents to 116% Daily Values (DV), which is actually less compared to that of many other common fruits and veggies.

Compare: 100 g contains 53.2 mg vitamin C and 88% DV

Ridiculous Measurements

The followings are 12 fruits and veggies containing vitamin C. Most writers compare the vitamin C contents of fruits and veggies by using per serving quantities, which may vary greatly as some serving can be so large that it is hard to be considered as standard serving.

The large serving quantities used seemed to have purposely been designed so that the fruits and veggies used to compare their vitamin C contents with that of oranges always show higher levels of vitamin C.

For that reason, I also include vitamin C content and DV for a hundred gram of each item so that you can draw your own conclusions.

Papaya

Papaya, is a lozenge tropical fruit, often seen in orange-red, yellow-green and yellow-orange hues, with a rich orange pulp.

This deliciously sweet with musky undertones and butter-like consistency fruit was reputably called the ‘fruit of the angels’ by Christopher Columbus.

The fruit is packed with all sort of nutrients that act as antioxidants and anti-inflammatory.

A one-cup serving (145 g) of ripe papaya delivers 88.3 mg of vitamin C, equivalents to 144% Daily Values (DV).

Compare: 100 g contains 60.9 mg vitamin C with 101% DV

Pineapple

If you have a chance to visit Thailand, try eating some pineapple before or after breakfast as the sweetest pineapple you might have ever tasted is grown in this country. In most major cities of the country, it is sold in early morning until late night by local street peddlers.

Pineapple contains bromelain, a digestive enzyme that helps digest food especially proteins. It helps promote overall digestion and reduce bloating.

Bromelain acts as a natural anti-inflammatory and antibacterial that can help you recover faster from sore throats or coughs. A study has shown that bromelain may have the potential in treating asthma.

A cup, chunk (165 g) pineapple contains 78.9 mg vitamin C with 131% DV.

Compare: 100 g contains 47.8 mg vitamin C with 79% DV.

Kiwi

This fruit is typically associated with New Zealand, maybe due to its similar name to the native bird of that country, but is actually the national fruit of China. Besides being a great source of vitamin C, it also contains fiber and a high amount of

Besides being a great source of vitamin C, it also contains fiber and a high amount of beta-carotene, vitamin E as well as magnesium.

A serving (about 2 fruits, 148 g) delivers 137.2 mg vitamin C with 228% DV

Compare: 100 g contains 92.7 mg vitamin C with 154% DV.

Chili peppers

Chilli peppers are one the most important veggies used in almost all Thai cooking which is thought to be the reasons why Thai people maintain good health.

Capsaicin, the chemical compound that makes chili peppers hot, promotes digestion and better blood circulation. It also helps relieve joint and muscle pain. Its antioxidant properties are thought to help detoxification.

A half cup, chopped/diced of chili peppers offer 107.8 mg vitamin C with 180% DV.

Compare: 100 g contains 143.7 mg vitamin C with  239% DV.

Green Bell Pepper

Green bell pepper contains bioflavonoids, carotenoids, and hydroxycinnamic acid, all of which are potent antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer. It also contains capsaicin as in chili peppers. Vitamin C and carotenoids are said to increase when the fruit ripens.

A cup of chopped green bell pepper contains 119.8 mg vitamin C with 199% DV.

Compare: 100 g contains 80.4 mg vitamin C with 134% DV.

Strawberries

Besides having high vitamin content, strawberries have many beneficial compounds, including fiber, bioflavonoids, terpenoids, phenolic acids, hydroxycinnamic acids, and hydroxybenzoic acids, all of which act as antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer. They are also exceptionally high in vitamins and minerals.

A cup (whole 144 g) of the superfruit contains 84.7 mg of vitamin C with 144% DV,

Compare: 100 g contains 58.8 mg vitamin C with 97% DV.

Broccoli

Brocolli is the most studied veggie for its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer properties that are attributed to glucosinolate contents.

It provides 132 mg of vitamin C and 220% DV for a NLEA serving (148 g).

Compare: 100 g contains 89.2 mg vitamin C and 148% DV.

Brussel sprouts

Brussel sprouts are cousins to broccoli and also packed with glucosinolates. They contain 74.8 mg vitamin C and 124% DV for every cup of 88 g.

Compare: 100 g contains 85 mg vitamin C with 141% DV.

Cauliflower

Cauliflower is another cruciferous veggie that has medicinal properties similar to Brussel sprouts.

1 head small 4” diameter (265 g) contains 127.7 mg vitamin C with 212% DV.

Compare: 100 g contains 48.2 mg vitamin C with 80% DV.

Kale

Kale or borecole in one of its kind, unique leafy greens rich in polyphenolic bioflavonoids as well as carotenoids such as lutein, zeaxanthin, and beta-carotene as well as many minerals and vitamins. Like other cruciferous veggies, it also contains glucosinolates.

A one-cup (67 g) serving of kale provides 80.4 mg of vitamin C with 134% DV.

Compare: 100 g contains 120 mg vitamin C with 200% DV.

Mango

The world production of mango is 18 million tons annually and considered a popular tropical fruit. Besides vitamin C, it also contains bioflavonoids, organic acids, beta-carotene and other carotenoids, B vitamins, and minerals such as copper.

It contains a 122.3 mg of vitamin C with 203% DV for every 336 grams (a fruit without refuse).

Compare: 100 g contains 36. 4 mg vitamin C with 60% DV.

Take Home Message

Each type of fruits and veggies offers diverse nutrients with its unique nutrient density. Therefore, in order to achieve balanced nutrients, it’s better to buy and serve different types of fruit and vegetables.

When buying fruits and veggies that are in season, make sure you always choose freshness and quality as top priority. You should let colors guide you (to get a different combination of nutrients), try something new (try new recipes and buy new fruits and veggies), and eat with the seasons (to make sure your body get a healthy mix of nutrients and phytochemicals).

 

11 Fruits and Veggies High in Vitamin C

Don’t Forget the Vitamin K

You may already know the importance of vitamin D3 for overall health and especially for breast cancer prevention. In fact, women with breast cancer who have high levels of vitamin D are twice as likely to survive than women who have low levels. But did you also know that, along with D3, it is essential for you to also take vitamin K2? In fact, without K, vitamin D supplementation may be damaging to your health.

Vitamin K is Making a Comeback

K1 comes mainly from food or supplementation. There was a time when sufficient Vitamin K1 could be obtained from what we eat, just as enough Vitamin D could be obtained from exposure to the sun and other natural means. With commercialization of agriculture, however, K from foods like grass-fed meats, butter and green leafy vegetables has all but vanished.

Another important K─ Vitamin K2 ─ is manufactured in the intestines, but only if you have balanced gut flora. Experts say that millions of Americans suffer from leaky gut syndrome and other GI tract disorders which effect the balance of bacteria in the digestive tract. Ensuring Vitamin K2 absorption is another reason to also supplement with probiotics and prebiotics like raw cultured veggies.

Over 100 years ago, pioneering dentist Dr. Weston Price discovered the healing power of Vitamin K. Some vital functions Vitamin K is responsible for include:

-proper blood clotting;

-metabolism of bone;

-assisting in the transport of calcium to the soft tissues;

-decreasing inflammation;

-improving the body’s use of insulin.

And according to a 2004 Dutch study, vitamin K intake can lead to a 57% reduction in Coronary Artery disease. Both Heart Disease and cancer share several risk factors. Other studies have found that sufficient Vitamin K can result in a 26% reduction in all forms of disease-related mortality.

Why It is Important to take Vitamin K2 with D3?

Vitamin K often goes ignored by experts who talk about the benefits of supplementation. That does not negate its vital importance to the health of your body, however– especially when it comes to D3 absorption and how D3 is utilized in the body. D3 and K2 fit together like two pieces of an intricate puzzle since when you take vitamin D in supplement form, you are naturally creating an increased demand for K2.

The importance of taking K and D together lies in the process of protein generation in the body. By ingesting D3, the body will be signaled to make more vitamin K2-dependent proteins. These proteins are specifically designed to transfer calcium to areas in your body that need it most–and they need sufficient amounts of K2 to do this. When taken in tandem, D and K strengthens your bones, improves your heart function, helps to balance the hormones, boosts the immune system and may even help your body prevent breast cancer.

The amount of Vitamin K2 you should be taking depends on the Vitamin D levels in your blood. If you are unsure about your Vitamin D levels, talk to your holistic health professional or family doctor about getting a simple Vitamin D blood panel today.

Be proactive with prevention. Make sure that you are getting enough Vitamin D and Vitamin K every day!

Dr. Veronique Desaulniers, better known as Dr. V, is the founder of  The 7 Essentials System ™, a step-by-step guide that teaches you exactly how to prevent and heal Breast Cancer naturally. To get your FREE 7-Day Mini e-Course and to receive her weekly action steps and inspiring articles on the power of Natural Medicine, visit her at BreastCancerConqueror.com

Don’t Forget the Vitamin K

Food and Supplement Sources of Vitamin B12

It’s often said, for most people, that B12 is generally needed to be obtained as a supplement, rather than from food.

I’m not 100% sure I agree with that, but today I want to share some of what I have learned about the various B12 supplements available, as well as different food options to obtain this much needed vitamin.

B12 Supplements

It’s commonly written that the very best way to get B12 as a supplement, is via an injection. The vial is filled with a liquid that is injected directly into the muscle. Most of the time, the patients that get prescribed B12 bring the vials to their doctors for the injection.

Not that I am suggesting this, but I discovered that it is easy enough to get the needles for self-administration. Many people around where I live, when they want needles for steroids or B12, they often just ask a random pharmacy for needles for insulin injections. That’s all that is needed to be said in order to get a handful of needles for self-administration. I haven’t confirmed, but I have been told, that it’s not “OK” to self-administer B12, so this sneaky trick is needed if that is what one wants to do. Seems strange to me.

At any rate…

Another common way to get B12 is through the skin with some sort of adhesive patch. This is referred to as the “transdermal” method. Users often put a patch just behind their ear, so that it remains out of sight. This is also an area with a thin layer of skin which allows for more thorough absorption of the vitamin.

The third common approach to take B12 supplements is called the “sublingual” approach, which simply involves the dissolving of a tablet under the tongue. This is probably the most common approach, but considered by many to be the least effective since it needs to go through the digestive tract. It’s suggested that less is absorbed with this approach.

Now, going back to the injection method… all of the vials of B12 that I have ever seen use the cyanocobalamin form of B12. This is considered an inferior form because the body must go through a process before the B12 becomes usable, and it is also derived from cyanide, according to some sources. (1)

According to WebMD.com, “Cyanocobalamin is a man-made form of vitamin B12…” (2)

My mom has been seeing a doctor for an injection every time she has the need for a “B12 lift” as she calls it, for the past 15 years. She has been told she has pernicious anemia and will need injections of B12 for the rest of her life. She was also told that it is required to go to a doctor for the injection, and that she cannot do it from home. She has never measured her B12 levels, and has never tried to get to the source of the issue either.

This doesn’t feel right to me.

Anyway, moving along…

The other, more superior form, is called methylcobalamin. As Mike Adam states in his article on the topic, methylcobalamin “is the form that exists in nature, and it is pre-methylated, meaning it’s ready for your biochemistry to put to immediate use.” (1)

Foods with B12

Most of the foods that are considered the “top sources of vitamin B12” are foods that vegans and vegetarians are meant to avoid. They are typically animal foods, or by-products of animals.

In fact, according to a doc on VegetarianNutrition.net, “milk, yogurt and cheese, along with eggs, are the only vegetarian food items that naturally contain significant levels of vitamin B12,” and that some “plant foods may be fortified with B12,” and “these include rice and soy beverages, plant- derived meat analogs, ready-to-eat breakfast cereals, and nutritional yeast.” (3)

Does Colostrum have Vitamin B12?

Colostrum, often called “pre-milk”, is given to the baby through the breast during nursing, at least for those lucky enough to have been breastfed.

According to a PubMed abstract, “Colostrum obtained within 48 hours of delivery contains high concentrations of vitamin B12.” (4) Of course, that doesn’t necessarily have a lot of relevance for our ongoing needs of B12.

However, many people are supplementing their diets with bovine colostrum, which is said to be acceptable for even those that are lactose intolerant, as it contains only small amounts of lactose. (5) At any rate, besides having a myriad of important vitamins, bovine colostrum is also said to support the immune system, and contain all essential fats, carbs, and proteins. (6) It reached a new level of popularity when Daniel Vitalis revealed it to the world with his Surthrival line or products, but apparently has been being used for health reasons well before that.

In the 1950s, colostrum was used to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA), for example. (7)

Shiitake Mushrooms for B12

Another increasingly popular food, that is often referred to as a supplement, is that of the medicinal mushroom. A lot of times, these are taken in tincture form, or concocted into a tea, or as a combination of hot water and alcohol extraction.

Popular mushrooms that are making their way into the medicine and nutrition cabinet include: reishi, shiitake, and chaga.

According to the article, Vitamin B12 for Vegans Confirmed on THE POLYMATHIUM web site, “Viable Vitamin B12 for Vegans available for centuries as common component of Japanese daily diet… Shiitake Mushroom.” (8) Good news right?

In Conclusion

Either way, as most people know, Vitamin B12 is critical for optimal health. There probably is no “best way” to obtain it. And whether you get it from foods (vegan or otherwise), from supplements (or whole foods like mushrooms referred to as supplements), from fortified foods, from digging in the dirt, or any combination of these methods, it’s critical to have a full understanding of the symptoms of deficiency, and its value to health.

I am currently supplementing with the Methylcobalamin form of B12 sublingually. I am going to check my levels next month to be certain I am at optimal rates. I feel it’s important to measure your approach to nutrition to be hopeful you aren’t just contributing to expensive urine.

Cheers to your superior health!

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Raw Michelle is a natural health blogger and researcher, sharing her passions with others, using the Internet as her medium. She discusses topics in a straight forward way in hopes to help people from all walks of life achieve optimal health and well-being. SUBSCRIBE here to get more from Raw Michelle!

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Sources for this article include:
(1) [Natural News] Vitamin B-12 warning: Avoid cyanocobalamin, take only methylcobalamin, by Mike Adams
(2) [WebMD.com] Cyanocobalamin (Vitamin B-12)
(3) [Vegetarian Nutrition] Vitamin B12 in Vegetarian Diets
(4) [PubMed] Vitamin B12 in human colostrum and milk. Quantitation of the vitamin and its binder and the uptake of bound vitamin B12 by intestinal bacteria.
(5) [SovereignHealthInitiative.org] Answers to the Most Commonly Asked Questions About Bovine Colostrum
(6) How Surthrival 6 Hour Colostrum Is Different – A Review
(7) [DrAvard.com] Colostrum, by Rebecca Frey.
(8) [The Polymathium] Vitamin B12 for Vegans Confirmed

Food and Supplement Sources of Vitamin B12

Will the Real Vitamin C Please Stand Up: A Closer Look at the Most Controversial Vitamin

When you think of feeling better or fighting off sickness, the first thing that might pop into your mind is, “I’ll take some vitamin C”. You drink some orange juice, maybe an Emergen-C packet, or even take a few tablets of bottled vitamin C in order to chase away the symptoms of an impending cold, flu, or feeling of general fatigue and malaise. Taking between 50-2000 mg during a few days leaves you believing that, “Wow, that vitamin C really helped kick that sick feeling to the curb!”

Vitamin C, whether taken in low or high doses, coupled with its reported health benefiting properties, has been quite controversial for the past several decades and according to the University of California Berkley, no other vitamin has been so extensively researched since 1932. And as of today, despite all the studies, vitamin C still remains a mystery with a divided consensus. The question remains, does it help?

Believe or not, there are two schools of thought regarding water soluble vitamin C also known as L-ascorbic acid or ascorbate. Humans require a regular intake of vitamin C (30-95 mg daily depending on age) because our bodies do not produce nor store this vitamin, however excrete it very quickly.[1] Vitamin C is imperative for maintenance of all the body tissues, proper growth, and wound healing.

New data about the positive effects of vitamin C on the immune system have been introduced in the last several years.[2] Immune cells contain active vitamin C transporter molecules within their membranes that actively pump the vitamin into the cells when more vitamin C is necessary[3], especially phagocytes and T-cells. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a vitamin C deficiency results in a reduced resistance against certain pathogens, while a higher supply enhances several immune system parameters.[4]

On the other side, a Cochrane Collaboration review has concluded that vitamin C has shown no consistent effect on the duration or severity of helping the common cold symptoms after the initial onset.[5] Although, evidence suggests that it could be justified in people exposed to brief periods of severe physical exercise or cold environments.[6] Whereas, Dr. H.K. Bakhru states, “vitamin C helps prevent and cure the common cold and protects an individual against infections”.[7] It is evident that one community believes it does not help much with the prevention and dissipation of cold and flu symptoms and an increase of immunological factors while the other faction believes it does.

A recent controlled trial study showed that vitamin C deficiency has been linked with frequency and duration of colds coupled with immune system defects, and that there are measurable health advantages associated with vitamin C supplementation.[8] Taking into account that if vitamin C introduced into the body will increase immunity, the next question is which form of vitamin C should be taken?

Here is the secret: few people differentiate between the natural vitamin C which you find in fruits and vegetables (citrus, acerola cherries, greens), and synthetic ascorbic vitamin C present in most energizing drinks, vitamin packets, and vitamin C Bottles that you can buy at your local pharmacy or health food store. Because the two are usually marketed side by side as being one in the same, most people are led to believe that if the label says all natural vitamin C, it must be food based, therefore real and wholesome. However, there is a difference. As O. Hofmleker states,”in its natural form vitamin C has a different design than the synthetic vitamin. The natural vitamin C molecule never occurs in isolated form, but rather accompanied by complex nutrients which apparently are essential for vitamin C’s bioactivity. The synthetic ascorbate however, appears in an isolated form, often in overly high concentrations which the human body hasn’t evolved to properly utilize. Human biology has never evolved to accept synthetic vitamins”.[9]

Synthetic vitamin C was introduced in the 1930’s into the market causing all the rage. However, with its inception it pushed the focus of natural wholesome vitamin C found in foods to the back shelf making it a thing of the past. Since then the new trend has been this synthetic ascorbic acid reportedly being linked to all sorts of health benefits.[[10]–[11]–[12] ] It was also believed to be more readily available year round instead of its natural whole food counterpart. The interesting thing is after so many decades and numerous studies conducted, it has actually been shown that ascorbic acid causes potential damage to health. A recent study on vitamin C (Am J Clin Nutr; Jan 2008) showed adults taking the synthetic version had serious side effects and significant adverse effects on the antioxidant system. Dr. Victor Herbert, professor of medicine at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York has said, “vitamin C in supplement forms mobilizes harmless ferric iron stored in the body and converts it to harmful ferrous iron, which induces damage to the heart and other organs. In addition, unlike the vitamin C naturally present in foods like orange juice, vitamin C as a supplement is not an antioxidant.”[13]

So in order to take the most optimal vitamin C, you should kick the synthetic vitamin C (which is usually ascorbic acid derived from genetically modified corn) and start ingesting either real fruits and vegetables or food-based vitamin C supplements with the highest amount of real vitamin C and bio-available nutrients. Ideally, vitamin C should be ingested in its natural wholesome form in order to give its all encompassing health benefiting properties in the areas of cardiovascular and immunological health.[14] According to NIH, those fruits are fresh, raw cantaloupes, citrus fruits, kiwis, mangos, papayas, pineapples, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, watermelon, and cranberries.[15] In addition, peppers, kale, broccoli and peas are also great options.

Do yourself a favor and introduce natural vitamin C in the form of fruits and vegetables to your daily diet. It can be in the form of fresh squeezed juice, smoothies, or as fruit and vegetable snacks throughout the day. Your body will thank you. Not only will you be supplying yourself with a daily dose of natural vitamin C required for the proper running of your body and its systems, but you will be able to forgo the bottles, powder packets, and drinks filled with a synthetic vitamin that your body was not engineered to consume. The real vitamin C is in fruits and vegetables. Nothing else comes close to that nor can it mimic its intrinsic healing properties. Introduce the real vitamin C into your daily eating habits!

Interesting fact: Vitamin C is the most widely researched nutrient on the Internet.

[1] Padayatty SJ, Katz A, Wang Y, et al. Vitamin C as an antioxidant: evaluation of its role in disease prevention. J Am Coll Nutr. 2003 Feb;22(1):18-35.

[2] Pavlovic V. A short overview of vitamin C and selected cells of the immune system. Cent. Eur. J. Med. 2010 October;8(1):1-10.

[3] Strohle A, Wolters M, Hahn A. Micronutrients at the interface between inflammation and infection–ascorbic acid and calciferol: part 1, general overview with a focus on ascorbic acid. Inflamm Allergy Drug Targets. 2011 Feb;10(1):54-63.

[4] Ströhle A, Hahn A. Viatmin C and immune function. Med Monatsschr Pharm. 2009 Feb;32(2):49-54.[PubMed abstract]

[5] Douglas RM, Hemilä H. Vitamin C for preventing and treating the common cold. PLoS Med 2005;2:e168. [PubMed abstract]

5 Douglas RM, Hemilä H, Chalker E, Treacy B. Vitamin C for preventing and treating the common cold. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2007;(3):CD000980. [PubMed abstract]

[7] Bakhru H.K., The Complete Handbook of Nature Cure (Mumbai: Jaico Publishing House, 2014), 101.

[8] Johnston CS, Barkyoumb GM, Schumacher SS. Vitamin C supplementation slightly improves physical activity levels and reduces cold incidence in men with marginal vitamin C status: a randomized controlled trial. Nutrients. 2014 Jul;6(7):2572-83.

[9] Ori Hofmleker, “Vitamin Poisioning: Are We Destroying Our Health with Hi-Potency Synthetic Vitamins?”, https://www.organicconsumers.org/news/vitamin-poisoning-are-we-destroying-our-health-hi-potency-synthetic-vitamins, (accessed Dec. 21, 2016)

[10] Fotherby MD, Williams JC, Forster LA, Craner P, Ferns GA. Effect of vitamin C on ambulatory blood pressure and plasma lipids in older persons. J Hypertens. 2000 Apr;18(4):411-5.

[11]Romieu I, Sienra-Monge JJ, Ramirez-Aguilar M, et al. Antioxidant supplementation and lung functions among children with asthma exposed to high levels of air pollutants. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2002 Sep 1;166(5):703-9.

[12]Afkhami-Ardekani M, Shojaoddiny-Ardekani A. Effect of vitamin C on blood glucose, serum lipids & serum insulin in type 2 diabetes patients. Indian J Med Res. 2007 Nov;126(5):471-4.

[13] Jane E.Brody, “Taking to much vitamin C can be dangerous, study finds”, April 9, 1998,  http://www.nytimes.com/1998/04/09/us/taking-too-much-vitamin-c-can-be-dangerous-study-finds.html (accessed Dec.21, 2016).

[14]Asim K. Duttaroy, Aud Jørgensen, “Effects of kiwi fruit consumption on platelet aggregation and plasma lipids in healthy human volunteers”, Platelets (2004) 15(5), 287–292, doi: 10.1080/09537100410001710290.

[15] Zieve, MD, MHA, Isla Ogilvie, PhD,  A.D.A.M. Editorial team, “Vitamin C”, 2/2/2015, https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002404.htm, (accessed Dec.21, 2016).

Will the Real Vitamin C Please Stand Up: A Closer Look at the Most Controversial Vitamin

Migraines Have Been Linked To Vitamin Deficiency

Migraines Have Been Linked To Vitamin Deficiency

Study- Vitamin D Can Prevent 90% Of Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is a malignant tumor, which is a group of cancerous cells that can grow and spread to his surrounding tissues. Many factors contribute to causing breast malignancy, though heredity is a major one. It is the second most common cancer among women in the United States. About 1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime. For women in the United States, breast cancer death rates are among the highest cancer death rates, second only to lung cancer.

Vitamin D for Breast Cancer Prevention

Many studies have shown that there is a link between vitamin D and breast cancer. Women who have breast cancer tend to have low levels of vitamin D. Vitamin D may play a role in controlling normal breast cell growth and may be able to stop breast cancer cells from growing.

The body’s main source of the vitamin is from the sun which is converted into the hormone calcitriol in several different body tissues, including breast tissue. It is also obtained from food – such as oily fish and eggs. Supplements are also available to boost vitamin D intake.

So How Does it Work?

According to Dr. Cedric F. Garland from the University of California’s San Diego Moores Cancer Center breast can be cure with Vitamin D. Without enough Vitamin D, the structure collapses and the cells multiply, leading to cancer in many cases.

Carole Baggerly, the founder of GrassrootsHealth.com believes that 90% of ordinary breast cancer is related to vitamin D deficiency — which is 100 percent preventable!

His team found that women who had high levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D in their blood had around a 50% lower fatality rate, compared with women who had low levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D in their blood.

Natural Sources of Vitamin D

-Sunlight spurs the body to make vitamin D

-Fatty fish can be a good source of vitamin D

-Mushrooms have the capacity to produce vitamin D when exposed to ultraviolet light

-Eggs are a convenient way to get vitamin D

-One tablespoon of cod liver oil contains about 1,300 IUs of vitamin D, which is more than twice the recommended dietary allowance of 600 IUs per day

Sources:

v

–http://www.cancer.org/cancer/breastcancer/detailedguide/breast-cancer-risk-factors

–https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1470481/

–https://www.davidwolfe.com/vitamin-prevent-90-breast-cancer/

–http://www.prevention.com/food/food-remedies/foods-high-vitamin-d

Study- Vitamin D Can Prevent 90% Of Breast Cancer

Eat One Cup of Mushrooms to Eliminate Vitamin D Deficiencies, Cancer, and Thyroid disorder

Eat One Cup of Mushrooms to Eliminate Vitamin D Deficiencies, Cancer, and Thyroid disorder

15 Ways Vitamin C can Improve Your Health (And best natural sources)

15 Ways Vitamin C can Improve Your Health (And best natural sources)

Vitamin D supplements could halve risk of serious asthma attacks

Vitamin D pills can halve the risk of serious asthma attacks according to a major review of research into the impact the supplements have on the condition.

People with mild or moderate asthma who took the vitamin with their normal medicine had fewer attacks that required hospital treatment than those who went without, scientists found.

The risk of severe attacks fell from 6% to 3% in patients who had a vitamin D boost for six months to a year. The supplements cut the frequency of attacks too, with cases needing steroid treatment falling from one per person every two or so years, to one every four years.

Half of all asthma patients will at some point have an attack that needs treating with oral steroids such as prednisolone, while a quarter will end up in hospital emergency departments. One in eight will have such serious attacks that they are admitted to hospital for further care.

“There were some pretty striking positive findings,” said Adrian Martineau, a professor of respiratory infection who led the review at Queen Mary, University of London. “Asthma attacks cause 185 hospital admissions and three deaths each day in the UK, so this is a major problem for society.”

More than five million people in the UK, and 334 million globally, are affected by asthma which causes wheezing, coughing, tightness in the chest, and shortness of breath.

The review for the Cochrane library drew on results from seven published trials on 435 children, and a further two trials on 658 adults. Most of the patients had mild to moderate asthma, meaning they had symptoms at least two days a week, but their daily routine was not seriously affected. Nearly all kept taking their normal asthma medicine on top of the vitamin D supplements.

While the trials found that a daily dose of 25 to 50 micrograms reduced the risk of serious attacks, the evidence was largely from adults. “We need more trials specifically focusing on children and also specifically focusing on adults with severe asthma to see if those patient groups could benefit,” Martineau said.

In July, Public Health England recommended that everybody in Britain over the age of one consider taking a 10 microgram daily supplement of vitamin D, particularly over the autumn and winter when sunlight levels are low. The body makes vitamin D when sunlight falls on the skin, but people who cover up outside, and those who are housebound can struggle to make enough.

It is not clear how vitamin D helps asthma patients, but supplements may work by boosting the immune system’s defences against respiratory infections, such as the common cold, which are the main triggers for serious asthma attacks. The vitamin also seems to keep inflammation under control.

“You can think of vitamin D almost as a designer drug because it has these two actions, the first being to boost immunity to infections and the second to dampen down inflammation,” said Martineau.

One question scientists hope to answer in the next few months is whether supplements only benefit asthma patients with low levels of vitamin D. “At the moment we just don’t have the evidence to say who are those who are going to benefit and how low their vitamin D has to be in order to benefit,” Martineau said. “We don’t want people to stop taking their asthma medication and start taking vitamin D instead,” he added.

The findings come as scientists report impressive trial results for a drug that cuts asthma attacks in patients with the most severe form of the disease. Two trials in more than 2,500 people showed that a year’s course of benralizumab injections reduced asthma attacks by a third to a half, according to The Lancet.

Samantha Walker at Asthma UK said the new drug offered “genuine hope” for people in the UK who had a type of asthma that does not respond to standard treatments. “These people struggle to breathe every day, restricting their ability to carry out everyday activities such as going to work or school and severely affecting their quality of life,” she said.

Vitamin D supplements could halve risk of serious asthma attacks

THIS Will Happen If You Get Enough Vitamin D (The Best Sources)

THIS Will Happen If You Get Enough Vitamin D (The Best Sources)

10 Foods That Render an Enriched, Vitamin B12 Diet

Vitamin B12 helps to provide a stronger immune system, improve nerve function, and more. However, getting enough vitamin B12 takes more effort.

It’s fairly easy to get most B vitamins by eating a variety of plant-based food and whole grains.  But, for many of us, getting the recommended dietary amounts of vitamin B12 in our diets requires some added attention.

Vitamin B12 Foods

Vitamin B12 helps our bodies produce red blood cells and DNA.  This essential vitamin also supports our immune systems and promotes healthy nerve function.  But, people who choose not to eat meat or dairy products may find it difficult to get the recommended dietary amounts (RDAs) of vitamin B12.

Recommended dietary amounts for vitamin B12 are 2.4 micrograms daily for ages 14 years and older, 2.6 micrograms daily for pregnant females, and 2.8 micrograms daily for breastfeeding mothers. People 50 years and older should meet the RDAs by eating foods reinforced with B12 or by taking a vitamin B12 dietary supplement.

Additionally, individuals with digestive issues — like celiac disease — and adults older than 50, are also at a greater risk for deficiency due to absorption problems.  Absorption difficulties can cause weakness, fatigue, and lightheaded symptoms.

The following is a list of 10 foods that can help you achieve a B12-rich diet:

• Crab — Crabmeat contains vitamins A, B, and C, as well as magnesium and zinc.  A single can of blue crab meat has 4.7 mg, or 58 percent of your recommended dietary amounts (RDAs) of zinc.  Add crabmeat to seafood chowder, mix it into your salad, or prepare crab cakes as an appetizer.  Three ounces of crabmeat is equal to 10.3 mcg of vitamin B12, or 171 percent of your daily value (DV).

• Yogurt — Yogurt is a great source of protein, magnesium, and calcium. It’s also a good source for vitamin B12.  Eight ounces of low-fat yogurt has 1.1 mcg of B12, or 18 percent DV.  Studies show that eating it regularly could prevent diabetes and prevent high blood pressure. Thanks to plenty of beneficial probiotics, yogurt is also a great digestive aid — balancing the microflora in your gut and easing irritable bowel syndrome symptoms, or IBS — an intestinal disorder causing pain in the belly, gas, diarrhea, and constipation.  It’s best to choose nonfat or low-fat organic yogurt varieties.  Mix yogurt with nuts, fruit, herbs, and oats.  You can make smoothies with yogurt, as well.

• Clams — Clams have the highest concentration of vitamin B12 of any food. There’s 84.1 mcg of vitamin B12 in three ounces of cooked clams — 1,402 percent of your daily value (DV).  Additionally, three ounces of fresh or canned clams contain 534 mg of potassium.  Clams are mouth-watering in pasta dishes or stews — like Manhattan clam chowder or Cioppino. Steam a batch of clams until the shells crack open, or boil them for about five minutes after shells open.

• Oysters — Oysters contain more zinc than any other food. Six raw oysters have 32 mg of zinc – 400 percent of your recommended dietary amounts (RDA). Zinc supports your immune system by helping fight off colds. This essential mineral can encourage testosterone production, which may improve libido and help women’s ovaries stay healthy.  Enjoy oysters as an appetizer or in a seafood stew.  Three ounces of cooked oysters has 21.84 mcg of vitamin B12 – 364 percent DV.

• Eggs — Eggs are a great source of vitamin D and protein — important for helping your body absorb calcium and maintain strong bones. You can have them scrambled, poached, hard-boiled, or soft-boiled.  Have an egg omelet with vegetables, avocado, and fresh fruit.  Create an egg salad with chopped vegetables, pesto, and quinoa.  Keep an eye on portion sizes.  One egg yolk contains about 60 percent of your daily allotment of dietary cholesterol.  One large hard-boiled egg has .6 mcg, or 10 percent of your B12 daily value.

• Trout — Trout are fatty fish — a great source of vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids, which help to promote brain function and fight inflammation. There’s 5.4 mcg of B12 in 3 ounces of wild rainbow trout – 90 percent DV. Trout is delicious when it’s grilled with a little extra virgin olive oil.  Serve it with garlic-sautéed spinach and a baked sweet potato.

• Milk — Milk is a good source of calcium and vitamin D. Additionally, one cup of low-fat milk has 1.2 mcg of vitamin B12 – 18 percent DV.  Milk may also help some women avoid PMS symptoms, according to a University of Massachusetts at Amherst study. Another study found that women who consumed more than one serving of high-fat dairy daily were 25 percent less likely to experience ovulation problems than those who did not.  There is a variety of healthy ways to include milk into your diet.  Consider making a smoothie with milk, almond butter, frozen fruit, cinnamon, and ginger.

• Mussels — Mussels are also a good source of protein, potassium, vitamin C, and omega-3 fatty acids. You can steam them as an appetizer, or serve in a seafood stew.  There’s 20.4 mcg of B12 in 3 ounces of cooked mussels – 338 percent of your daily value.

• Salmon — Salmon is a rich source of protein and heart healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Additionally, one 3-ounce salmon fillet contains more than 100 percent of your daily value (DV) of vitamin D. In addition, 3 ounces of cooked sockeye salmon has 4.8 mcg of vitamin B12, 80 percent of your daily value. To maximize the many health benefits found in salmon, experts recommend baking it in the oven or grilling it instead of eating it fried, dried, or salted.

• Turkey — One serving of lean turkey has nearly half your RDA of selenium, a trace mineral that bolsters immune function. Oven roasted turkey breast is great on a garden salad with Brussels sprouts. Cook very lean ground turkey in a marinara sauce and served it over spaghetti squash. Choose white turkey meat — like the breast.  Pass over the skin; it contains more saturated fat.  Three ounces of turkey has .3 mcg of B12 — 5 percent DV.

The Human Body Absorbs and Stores

You may have noticed; vitamin B12 is an essential water-soluble vitamin commonly found in a variety of foods — like fish, shellfish, meat, eggs, and dairy products.

Vitamin B12 is important in DNA synthesis. This essential vitamin is bound to the protein in some of the food we consume. During digestion, acid in the stomach releases B12 from protein. Once it is released, B12 combines with a substance called intrinsic factor (IF) before it is absorbed into the bloodstream.

The Mayo Clinic notes the human body stores several years’ worth of vitamin B12 in the liver — so low levels in the body are rare. However, decreases in vitamin B12 levels are more common in the elderly, HIV-infected persons, and vegetarians.

Inability to absorb vitamin B12 from the intestinal tract can cause a type of anemia called pernicious anemia. Fever and symptoms of “excessive sweating” have been reported with anemia due to low levels of vitamin B12; however, these are treated with vitamin B12.

Safety

Another source of vitamin B12 is dietary supplements.  But be aware that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn’t strictly regulate herbs and supplements. There’s no guarantee of the strength, purity, or safety of these products — and the effects on a person may vary.

If you decide to take vitamin B12 dietary supplements, you should always read product labels. If you have a medical condition, or are taking other medication, herbs, or supplements, you should speak with a qualified healthcare provider before starting a new therapy. Consult a healthcare provider immediately if you experience side effects.

10 Foods That Render an Enriched, Vitamin B12 Diet

Dementia Danger And Vitamin D Ranges: Is There A Connection?

A deficiency of vitamin D in older persons could double the danger of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s ailment, according to benefits of a new examine.

Dementia is broadly characterized by a decline in pondering and memory. Alzheimer’s ailment, which impacts about five million men and women in the US, is the most common type of dementia linked with aging. And with the aging infant boomer population, the amount of folks residing with Alzheimer’s is anticipated to improve virtually three fold by 2050.

The research was published online in the Journal Neurology, August 6, 2014.

Researchers evaluated levels of vitamin D in the bloodstream, reflected by dietary consumption of vitamin D, sun exposure, as well as use of dietary supplements. Vitamin D  is contained in eggs, milk and cheese, as effectively as in fatty fish this kind of as tuna, mackerel, and salmon.

“We anticipated to locate an association among lower Vitamin D ranges and the danger of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, but the outcomes were surprising—we really located that the association was twice as robust as we anticipated,” explained examine writer David J. Llewellyn, PhD, of the University of Exeter Medical College in England.

The research evaluated vitamin D levels in 1,658 wholesome people age 65 and older with out dementia.  Six years later, 171 persons in the study created dementia and 102 had Alzheimer’s condition.

According to the benefits of the research, individuals with lower amounts of vitamin D had a 53-percent improved danger of creating dementia. Persons who had a far more significant deficiency had a 125 % improved threat  of establishing dementia compared to participants with typical ranges of vitamin D.

Those individuals with reduce amounts of vitamin D were almost 70 percent more likely to build Alzheimer’s disease and people who had extreme deficiency have been in excess of 120 percent a lot more most likely to create Alzheimer’s disease.

The outcomes were unchanged after researchers adjusted for elements that could influence threat of dementia, this kind of as smoking, alcohol use, as effectively as education.

“Clinical trials are now essential to create whether or not consuming food items such as oily fish or taking vitamin D dietary supplements can delay or even prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s ailment and dementia,” explained Llewellyn.

Even so, Llewellyn was mindful about the implications concerning the findings of this study.

“We need to have to be cautious at this early stage and our most recent results do not show that lower vitamin D levels trigger dementia. That said, our findings are very encouraging, and even if a small amount of folks could benefit, this would have massive public wellness implications provided the devastating and pricey nature of dementia.”

Dr. Gayatri Devi, a neurologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City specializing in memory problems believes that a multifaceted technique to Alzheimer’s  disease and dementia is vital to effect a broader comprehending of the condition.

“Alzheimer’s illness, which occurs later in life, is an sickness caused by a multitude of variables including diet, lifestyle, as properly as genetics,” explained Devi.

“This research points to the relevance of great levels of vitamin D in helping to prevent onset of Alzheimer’s ailment in late daily life, the most typical variety of Alzheimer’s,” said Devi.  “Vitamin D helps to prevent the accumulation of the toxic amyloid plaque that is current in Alzheimer’s illness and prevents vascular brain condition.”

Dementia Danger And Vitamin D Ranges: Is There A Connection?

Calls for hundreds of thousands to be given cost-free vitamin D dietary supplements

New guidance suggests people living the Uk basically are not able to get sufficient vitamin D from the sun or their diet plan. Photograph: Paul Hackett/Reuters

Hundreds of thousands far more individuals ought to be offered free vitamin D supplements underneath proposals from the government’s well being advisers to tackle the more and more widespread deficiency in the vitamin.

Councils need to take into account making supplements obtainable to the 1 in 5 grownups who are at risk. A lack of the “sunshine” vitamin has been linked to soft bones and other health situations. Older people and individuals from ethnic minorities, whose darker skin implies they generate significantly less vitamin D, would be amongst the recipients, in accordance to the Nationwide Institute of Well being and Care Excellence (Nice).

It is also calling for an growth of the government’s scheme to give pregnant girls and young children from poor backgrounds dietary supplements.

Nice has produced guidance following investigation showed rickets between youngsters had risen ten-fold more than the last twenty years. “Living in the Uk you just can’t get adequate vitamin D from the sun or by way of diet regime”, stated professor Mitch Blair, health promotion officer with the Royal School of Paediatrics and Kid Health. “So we have to be looking at choices this kind of as widespread availability of supplements, fortification of food items and greater guidance for healthcare pros on how to spot the signs and symptoms of vitamin D deficiency so they can act speedily.”

Dr Benjamin Jacobs, a consultant paediatrician at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in London, urged mothers and fathers to “make each day a vitamin D day, incorporating naturally-wealthy or fortified food items and drinks into toddlers’ diet plans, proper supplementation and protected sun publicity.”

A recent report from the Vitamin D Mission, a campaign group, located that just a single in 7 parents give their kid a every day vitamin D supplement, even though 60% never ever do. Several of the most well-known children’s meals, this kind of as fish fingers and spaghetti bolognese, contain no vitamin D, although scrambled eggs do.

Calls for hundreds of thousands to be given cost-free vitamin D dietary supplements

Increase Your Blood with the Very best Organic Sources of Vitamin K

Vitamin K is the identify offered to a group of excess fat-soluble nutritional vitamins that are largely responsible for aiding blood clot formation in our bodies. In truth, the reason why vitamin K was by no means named vitamin F (the next logical stage right after vitamin E) was to emphasize its central function in blood well being: the “K” really stands for “koagulation,” the German word for “clotting.”

In healthier instances, deficiencies in vitamin K had been unusual since conventional diets incorporated a lot of leafy green greens – the world’s greatest sources of the vitamin. As processed foods started to dominate our dinner tables in the twentieth century, nevertheless, deficiencies in this critical nutrient, which can lead to effortless bruising, nose and gum bleeding, and weakening of the bones, started out to emerge. Luckily, avoiding or correcting a vitamin K deficiency is basically a case of consuming a lot more whole meals that are wealthy in it.

Kale – Kale is generally regarded as the king of vitamin K, and it is the initial vegetable men and women need to turn to when suffering from a deficiency. According to Self‘s “NutritionData,” 1 ounce (28 grams) of cooked kale supplies our bodies with 229 micrograms of vitamin K, which is a whopping 286 percent of our advised every day intake (RDI). Kale also includes large amounts of vitamins A and C, which are antioxidants that guard us from accelerated aging and degenerative ailments.

Note: Although naturally-sourced vitamin K is non-toxic and can be consumed in extra without problems (unless you’re on blood thinning medicines), kale also happens to be wealthy in oxalic acid, a toxic natural acid that is identified to bind itself to calcium in our bodies, leading to muscle discomfort and other concerns. Therefore, consuming kale on a regular basis should be avoided when feasible.

Herbs – Herbs have extended been regarded as far more of a medicine than a normal foods, and a cursory glance at their nutritional profiles aids clarify why: Packed with far more vitamins and minerals per bodyweight than even some of the most celebrated vegetables, herbs can aid transform even the blandest of meals into powerhouses of nutrition. This is specially real of basil, sage, and thyme, which are especially wealthy in vitamins – such as vitamin K. In fact, excess weight-by-bodyweight, sage truly includes larger concentrations of vitamin K than kale itself. Remember to stick to non-irradiated herbs if you prefer dried herbs to fresh ones.

Spinach – The bright, vibrant-seeking leaves of the spinach plant are famously packed with nutrients, and cooking them in fact looks to boost their dietary value. One particular cup of cooked spinach provides us with 138 micrograms of vitamin K, or 173 % of our RDI. Our bodies will also get huge quantities of vitamin A, folate, dietary fiber, manganese and, of course, iron – the crucial macromineral for which spinach is very best-acknowledged. Spinach is also higher in oxalic acid, even so, so really do not go overboard.

Spring onions – Spring onions, also referred to as scallions or green onions, are popular in salads and as toppings on soups and stews. One ounce of them contains 58 micrograms of vitamin K, or 72 % of our RDI. They are also very good sources of calcium, iron, potassium, and manganese. Try out and consume them raw when attainable – cooking them depletes their mineral material.

Broccoli – Broccoli has usually been the darling of nutritionists. Indeed, typical consumption of the plant’s flowering head has been regularly linked to improved brain perform, regulation of blood strain and, thanks to its substantial carotenoid content material, remedy of deteriorating eyesight, poor immunity, and even cancer. We can also include “improves blood health” to that record, however, given that a single ounce of cooked broccoli supplies us with virtually 40 micrograms of vitamin K – sufficient to meet half of our RDI.

Brussels sprouts – They might taste disagreeable, but our grandmothers have been appropriate: sprouts really are great for us. Aside from containing far more vitamin C than most other greens, these tiny round vegetables are also bursting with vitamin K – 39.3 micrograms of it per ounce, to be exact. You could assist disguise their taste by sauteing them in a garlic broth, pickling them, or drenching them in olive oil (which will also add some useful fats to the meal).

Michael Ravensthorpe is an independent writer whose analysis interests contain nutrition, different medicine, and bushcraft. He is the creator of the internet site, Spiritfoods, by way of which he promotes the world’s healthiest foods.

Increase Your Blood with the Very best Organic Sources of Vitamin K

The Elegance Supplement: vitamin D, the sunshine pill

In his new weekly attractiveness website, pharmacist Shabir Daya highlights how essential vitamin D is, and the fact that we’re still not receiving adequate of it from the sun

BY Shabir Daya |
03 April 2014

Vitamin D is generally developed in the skin as a consequence of exposure to sunlight. That is all fine if you live in the tropics or in nations that acquire lots of sunshine, nevertheless for the majority of us in the United kingdom, we basically do not get enough sunshine to manufacture vitamin D – even in spring. In truth, according to the Department of Well being, as numerous as 50 per cent of us in the United kingdom may possibly be deficient in vitamin D, though scientists estimate that this figure could be larger.

Study – The beauty supplement: the excellent tan supplements

So what is the role of vitamin D in the physique? The traditional see was that it was required to avert rickets and was completely crucial for robust bones and teeth. Even so, scientists are now finding that vitamin D’s part in the physique is far a lot more substantial than this. Pretty much each and every gland in the body has a vitamin D receptor site which means that the body’s requirements are far better than what we originally considered.

Ongoing study seems to stage vitamin D deficiency to a assortment of issues like reduced immunity, Sort two diabetes, depression, cardiovascular disease and even gum illness.

Study – The attractiveness supplement: green food supplements

Feel it or not, the United kingdom is far more northerly than we think. It is actually equal to the Alaskan panhandle and is 1 of the cloudiest nations in the industrialised globe. For 6 months of the 12 months, there is inadequate radiation from the sun for us to manufacture vitamin D suggesting the need to have for supplementation.

Read – The attractiveness supplement: Siberian ginseng

Most of us contemplating taking a vitamin D supplement are faced with numerous choices with diverse strengths of supplements typically resulting in confusion. Whilst many advocate and buy vitamin D capsules or tablets, I personally choose the sublingual route making use of an oral spray. There are plenty of blood vessels beneath the tongue and employing an oral spray such as D Lux Spray, £7.95 from www.victoriahealth.com , assures that this important vitamin is carried rapidly into the bloodstream keeping away from the gastrointestinal tract which is usually a compromised route. The range comprises increased strengths for individuals who already have vitamin D deficiency established by blood tests as effectively as lower strengths for young children and for pregnant ladies.

Shabir Daya MRPharmS, is the in-home pharmacist and co-founder of Victoria Overall health . Comply with the crew on Twitter @VH_Well being

The Elegance Supplement: vitamin D, the sunshine pill

Action needed on the "sunshine" vitamin

Vitamin deficiency in youngsters is a issue several of us associate with other components of the planet, or other instances in history in Britain. But the reality is that vitamin D deficiency is a critical and developing problem in this country and, a Guardian roundtable was advised, it really is something that requirements to be tackled appropriately, and quickly.

The roundtable heard that, in spite of a phone to action on vitamin D by the chief health-related officer Prof Dame Sally Davies last October, no headway has yet been produced in issuing appropriate suggestions on how to deal with a problem that has led to a 4-fold enhance in the quantity of circumstances of the bone illness rickets in latest many years. Even so, the roundtable – sponsored by Danone Child Nutrition and held underneath the Chatham Property rule below which contributions are reported without attribution to inspire a frank discussion – heard that the method that wants to be adopted is clear, and in several approaches fairly straightforward. But the procedure for modify at government degree has at the moment stalled – while the dilemma is continuing to enhance.

The extent of vitamin D deficiency, the roundtable was advised, is hard to measure – but numerous participants had statistics to share. All around forty% of younger youngsters in Britain now have below the threshold of vitamin D recommended as optimal (“deficiency”) as many as 80% in the population have minimal ranges (“insufficiency”). Most teens are below the optimal level. “What that all implies is – a massive proportion, even the bulk, of the population have vitamin D insufficiency. Which is a very huge difficulty,” said one of the doctors existing. One more participant spoke about recently published information. “A group in Oxford have reviewed 50 years’ well worth of figures, and the graph is going straight up,” he said. “There are problems of definition with this concern, but across the spectrum there is a large difficulty and it really is increasing.”

A single clinician described the reality of rickets, the sharp end of vitamin D deficiency. “I saw a two-12 months-old kid with rickets in my clinic final week,” he stated. “The loved ones had been immigrants from West Africa. Their little one was very little for his age he’d been solely breastfed for two years. He was a profound situation.” Rickets leads to bone tenderness, skeletal deformity like the traditional “bow-leg” result in intense instances, it can lead to convulsions or heart failure. The irony, said the doctor, was that it was not tough to treat. “In this situation, the little one was provided vitamin D and the mothers and fathers were provided dietary tips. He will do actually properly fairly quickly, inside two or three weeks, he’ll be a various kid,” he said.

Current guidance
But one more clinician spoke of the issues of acquiring the correct messages across to some parents. “What is really upsetting is when I see a kid cured, and the mom comes along breastfeeding the up coming baby and no a single has ever told her how crucial it is for her youngster to be taking nutritional vitamins,” he said. Existing advice is for all pregnant and breastfeeding women to take vitamin D supplements, as well as infants and young children aged 6 months to five years. Breastfed babies, nonetheless, might require dietary supplements from one particular month of age if their mother did not get vitamin D throughout pregnancy.

Getting the proper messages across to mothers is critical, the roundtable was informed and it was especially critical to target mothers in some ethnic minority communities. One particular of the main ways the body makes vitamin D is via exposure to sunshine but in some Muslim communities mothers traditionally cover themselves up to the extent that – particularly in a usually sun-starved country like the Uk – they never get sufficient sunshine to make any vitamin D. If they are also breastfeeding, specially lengthy-term, this has serious implications, and the messages on supplementation have to be place across properly. Worries have been also voiced about the recommendation that babies should get supplements from six months, given that families are not routinely noticed at that stage a much better strategy, some speakers believed, would be universal supplementation from two weeks of age, considering that that is a time when infants are noticed by a well being specialist.

An additional issue is the risk-free sun campaign, which some roundtable participants held sturdy views about. Sunshine has a vitamin D health upside but also a skin cancer downside. Getting the stability proper in public wellness messages was seen as vital – and, for some participants, that had not been the case in current years. “The cancer societies have been telling us the incorrect point for a lengthy time,” explained one particular of those round the table. “But we have not had a lead from the government on it. We’ve all heard the slogan ‘there’s no this kind of issue as a healthful tan’. We had been told to keep out of the sun. We all believed that message. So people put on sunscreen, stayed out of the sun, and vitamin D deficiency levels went up.

“Of course we require to keep away from sunburn, but we do need to have to go out as much as we can when the sun is shining. We want to adjust the messages we’re providing out on sunshine.”

However, yet another participant pointed out that exposure to sun alone will not entirely remedy the problem. “Our geographical position signifies that, specifically in the autumn and winter, we just will not have ample sunshine in the Uk to allow us to make vitamin D,” he explained. What is a lot more, individuals with distinct quantities of pigment in their skin need to have distinct amounts of sunshine to make the vitamin: a single piece of investigation found light-skinned folks could make enough vitamin D if they were exposed to thirty minutes of UV light 3 times a week but dark-skinned people would want two hours three instances a week for the same effect.

Supplementation (vitamin drops or pills) and fortification of staple food items (for example, incorporating vitamin D to milk and bread) had been the answer to this, the roundtable heard. One participant pointed out that several other nations did have mandatory fortification of staple meals, and that Britain was unusual in that it did not – the only legal necessity right here is for infant formula, and margarine, to be fortified with vitamin D.

What, then, is the way forward? “We have acquired all the scientific evidence we need to have,” explained a single participant. “We know what to do: fortification, sunshine and dietary supplements.” Yet another contributor described the success of an initiative begun in Birmingham a decade in the past, and given that taken up in some other places of the country. “It was began after one of the principal care trusts with a higher ethnic minority population noticed a resurgence in rickets and made the decision to do anything about it. They convened a group that integrated public well being specialists, GPs, health visitors and pharmacists. They had a major marketing campaign and put across the message, and they made dietary supplements available for youngsters from two weeks of age up to five. Uptake was twenty% and that led to a 59% reduction in the incidence of vitamin D deficiency cases presenting at hospital in that area.” Mention was also made of the Vitamin D Mission, which tackles the concerns online for each mother and father and healthcare specialists.

The common consensus was that the existing messages have been also complicated, and that a clearer, and multi-pronged, strategy needed to be taken. Numerous participants mentioned that the government is at the moment awaiting a report on the vitamin D issue from the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition. But there was a standard sense of frustration that the wait was holding up receiving the right info out to the public.

“We should not be waiting for this report,” stated a single of these round the table. “We do need to have to have the concerns defined, but the basic message is clear and we require to get it out to the public.”

Crucial discussion factors
• Vitamin D deficiency, and insufficiency, is a huge and increasing dilemma in Britain.

• Sunshine is a source of vitamin D, and risk-free sun messages have lowered people’s exposure to the sun, which has impacted on deficiency amounts.

• There are distinct dangers in some ethnic communities: dark-skinned folks need much more sunshine to make vitamin D, and some groups cover up much more and so get less sunshine.

• There are difficulties in excess of getting the right messages out to mothers of infants: little one formula is fortified with vitamin D by law, but breastfed infants want dietary supplements.

• A multi-pronged method is needed to address the concerns in a public health campaign, but the government is dragging its feet and failing to act rapidly.

The Vitamin D Mission aims to raise the awareness of children’s vitamin D requirements. Pay a visit to vitamindmission.co.united kingdom for specifics.

At the table

Paul Arundel
Secretary, British Paediatric and Adolescent Bone Group

Andrew Thomas
Founder and managing director, Far better You

Brian Dow
Director of communications, Royal University of Paediatrics

Leanne Olivier
Senior healthcare affairs manager, Danone Baby Nutrition

Claire Bowring
Health care policy manager, Nationwide Osteoporosis Society

Dr Mitch Blair
Reader in paediatrics and child public well being, Imperial College London

Barbara Evans
Neighborhood nursery nurse, Leicestershire Partnership NHS Believe in

Prof Euan Ross
Emeritus Professor of community paediatrics, King’s University London

Dr Benjamin Jacobs
Clinical advisor for the vitamin D mission, Royal Nationwide Ortho- paedic hospital

Oliver Gillie
Director, Well being Analysis Forum

Dr Nick Shaw
Consultant paediatric endocrinologist, Birmingham Children’s hospital

Credits

Seminar report commissioned and controlled by the Guardian. Discussion hosted to a short agreed with Danone. Funded by Danone. Get in touch with Sunita Gordon on 020 3353 2447 (sunita.gordon@theguardian.com). For information on roundtables, pay a visit to: theguardian.com/sponsored-content material

Action needed on the "sunshine" vitamin

Vitamin D: The Body’s Important Nutrient

Theoretically, our bodies make a lot of Vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin, when exposed to the sun. But right now, individuals shy away from the sun, due to cancer issues, or lather on the sunscreen. We commit too a lot time in homes, on the Tv or the pc, and several of us perform inside. All of this blocks the manufacturing of Vitamin D. So it’s no shock that three of every 4 Americans are deficient in Vitamin D!

Some people make ample amounts in the summer time, but Vitamin D levels start to reduce when daylight financial savings time modifications or when the sun is reduce in the horizon. Sun is as well low in the course of winter months to even stimulate your body’s production of D.

Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin that operates along with Vitamin A to use calcium and phosphorus to construct bones and teeth. Although we contact it a vitamin, it actually is a hormone created by the sun. Deficiency final results in nearsightedness, psoriasis, soft teeth, muscle cramps and tics, slow healing, insomnia, nosebleeds, quickly heartbeat, arthritis and osteoporosis. Vitamin D also aids with all eye troubles like eye spots, conjunctivitis, and glaucoma.

Benefits contain:

1. Vitamin D is necessary for typical insulin perform and regulation of blood sugar. It also helps avert foot infections, which studies show, can come from low amounts of Vitamin D.


2. In obesity, Vitamin D is stored in unwanted fat tissue which prevents it from becoming employed by the rest of the physique. Therefore those men and women are at higher danger for deficient Vitamin D.


3. Greater Vitamin D provides several women an edge to surviving breast cancer and decreases in tumor dimension.


4. Reduced Vitamin D contributes to Several Sclerosis (MS). MS seems to be larger in people residing further away from the equator.


5. Research have discovered that Vitamin D supplementation lowers senior’s threat of bone fracture, advised dose of 2,000 IU’s or far more everyday.


6. Proof has been mounting that Autism and Vitamin D are linked, given that “D’ regulates 1000′s of genes in the human genome. Possibly a portion of today’s Autism epidemic!


7. Therapy with Vitamin D is associated with a lowered threat of mortality between individuals with Kidney illness.


8. In Osteoporosis, the function of Vitamin D in skeletal servicing is quite crucial and assists absorption of calcium. Also consuming food items large in Vitamin D like avocados, salmon, sardines, milk and greens are quite valuable.

Dr. Lars Reynmark of Denmark wrote that Vitamin D deficiency impacts risks of many diverse conditions. Supplementation can turn into a necessity if or right up until the body can make it by itself. Current research located taking two,000 IU of D3 day-to-day was not enough for many to boost levels to standard ranges. In most situations five,000 IU resulted in much greater achievement.

D3 is better absorbed than D2, and really D2 can decrease your level of D3 even much more! I advise taking D3 in liquid form or in a homeopathic sublingual tablet to make positive it will get into the system. Other people prefer the capsule or tablet which may possibly take longer to break up in the physique. For myself, I desire the homeopathic kind of D3 in 5000 IU’s every day.

References:

The Green Pharmacy by James Duke

www.lifeextension.com

www.naturalnews.com

www.healthyhealing.com

Vitamin D: The Body’s Important Nutrient

Vitamin D: The Body’s Vital Nutrient

Theoretically, our bodies make loads of Vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin, when exposed to the sun. But these days, individuals shy away from the sun, due to cancer concerns, or lather on the sunscreen. We devote also significantly time in homes, on the Tv or the laptop, and numerous of us perform inside. All of this blocks the production of Vitamin D. So it’s no shock that three of every 4 Americans are deficient in Vitamin D!

Some people make ample quantities in the summer season, but Vitamin D levels commence to lower when daylight savings time alterations or when the sun is reduce in the horizon. Sun is too reduced throughout winter months to even stimulate your body’s manufacturing of D.

Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin that functions along with Vitamin A to make use of calcium and phosphorus to create bones and teeth. Even though we get in touch with it a vitamin, it really is a hormone produced by the sun. Deficiency final results in nearsightedness, psoriasis, soft teeth, muscle cramps and tics, slow healing, insomnia, nosebleeds, rapidly heartbeat, arthritis and osteoporosis. Vitamin D also aids with all eye troubles such as eye spots, conjunctivitis, and glaucoma.

Positive aspects include:

1. Vitamin D is necessary for regular insulin function and regulation of blood sugar. It also aids avoid foot infections, which scientific studies demonstrate, can come from lower amounts of Vitamin D.


2. In obesity, Vitamin D is stored in unwanted fat tissue which prevents it from getting utilised by the rest of the body. Consequently these people are at large danger for deficient Vitamin D.


3. Larger Vitamin D offers a lot of ladies an edge to surviving breast cancer and decreases in tumor dimension.


4. Low Vitamin D contributes to Multiple Sclerosis (MS). MS looks to be increased in people living more away from the equator.


5. Research have found that Vitamin D supplementation lowers senior’s chance of bone fracture, suggested dose of two,000 IU’s or a lot more every day.


6. Evidence has been mounting that Autism and Vitamin D are linked, since “D’ regulates thousands of genes in the human genome. Probably a part of today’s Autism epidemic!


7. Therapy with Vitamin D is connected with a lowered chance of mortality among individuals with Kidney condition.


8. In Osteoporosis, the part of Vitamin D in skeletal maintenance is very important and aids absorption of calcium. Also consuming meals substantial in Vitamin D like avocados, salmon, sardines, milk and greens are quite valuable.

Dr. Lars Reynmark of Denmark wrote that Vitamin D deficiency affects risks of many different conditions. Supplementation can turn out to be a necessity if or until the entire body can generate it by itself. Latest studies discovered taking 2,000 IU of D3 daily was not adequate for many to boost ranges to typical ranges. In most situations 5,000 IU resulted in significantly far better accomplishment.

D3 is greater absorbed than D2, and in fact D2 can reduced your degree of D3 even a lot more! I advocate taking D3 in liquid type or in a homeopathic sublingual tablet to make sure it gets into the system. Others desire the capsule or tablet which may get longer to break up in the physique. For myself, I favor the homeopathic type of D3 in 5000 IU’s everyday.

References:

The Green Pharmacy by James Duke

www.lifeextension.com

www.naturalnews.com

www.healthyhealing.com

Vitamin D: The Body’s Vital Nutrient