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Vitamin D: Take More Says American Academy of Pediatrics

October 18, 2008 – 12:06 pm

This week, The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) came out with a new study which recommended doubling current dosage levels for infants, children and adolescents.

The new dosage amounts to 400 IU a day of vitamin D from 200 IU a day.

As reported by The Seattle PI, the increased dosage of Vitamin D will “help prevent cancer, heart disease, multiple sclerosis and other diseases.” And, even this dosage may be low.

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Vitamin K Important For Good Health

October 4, 2008 – 11:33 am

For a vitamin that can be produced by bacteria in the intestines (Wikipedia), you wouldn’t think Vitamin K is good for the human body, but the facts are to the contrary.

Vitamin K performs many important functions including assisting in blood clotting and adds calcium to bones in the elderly according to an article in The Shreveport Times.

Considered one of the 13 essential vitamins (The others are A, C, D, E and eight B vitamins - thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, B6, B12, folacin and biotin), Vitamin K grows not only in your intestine but also in plants. Plants include cauliflower, cabbage, spinach and other leafy vegetables, soybean, cabbage and vegetable oils. It is believed that any extended deficiency of Vitamin K can result in bleeding, bruising and decreased calcium in the bones according to the Times.

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Vitamin B12 May Help Brain Function and Slow Aging Process

October 1, 2008 – 2:21 pm

According to authors of a study on Vitamin B12 and highlighted in the September 8 issue of Neurology, a deficiency of Vitamin B12 may cause the brain to atrophy especially in those who may be vulnerable such as vegetarians, women who are lactating and the elderly.

In an article in U.S. News & World Report, it is suggested that the vitamin is often found in everyday foodstuffs like fish, meat, milk and vitamin supplement fortified cereals.

In the study, 107 people aged 61 to 87 years who started without cognitive impairment at the beginning of the study were tested yearly over 5 years. Among the results of the study was a “decrease in brain volume [that] was greater among those with lower vitamin B12.”

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Vitamin C May Inhibit Cancer Treatment

October 1, 2008 – 1:45 pm

Vitamin C may be unhelpful to cancer patients undergoing treatment according to an article in Today’s NY Times.

For many, taking Vitamin C is thought to be  a way to prevent illness but new research from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City and published in the journal, Cancer Research, says that Vitamin C actually prevents treatments from breaking down cancer cells.

“In every case, including a test of the powerful new cancer drug Gleevec, chemotherapy did not work as well if cells had been exposed to vitamin C. The chemotherapy agents killed 30 to 70 percent fewer cancer cells when the cells were treated with the vitamin C.”

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Almond Board Says Americans Need Vitamin E

September 20, 2008 – 1:21 pm

A recent press release by the Almond Board of California says that U.S. residents are lacking in one of the key vitamins - Vitamin E.

Citing an industry-sponsored study that was part of a special supplement to the September 2008 Journal of Nutrition, Vitamin E is an essential vitamin and many Americans lack it. Not surprisingly, almonds can provide Vitamin E:

The RDA for vitamin E is 15mg of alpha-tocopherol. On average, most Americans consume only 8 mg of alpha-tocopherol vitamin E per day. By eating one ounce of almonds (7.5mg of vitamin E), Americans can achieve the RDA.

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Vitamin Water Products Create Controversy

September 20, 2008 – 12:58 pm

Vitamin-infused water has been a hot product on store shelves around the world and a recent article by The Age in Australia suggests that nutritionists and others believe that vitamin water is misleading.

Foodwatch nutritionist Catherine Saxelby is paraphrased saying that these products provide more harm than good because many of the drinks are filled with sugar and caffeine that offsets any possible positive effect of vitamins.

A consumer advocacy organization in Australia takes it even further with a study suggesting that a 500 milliliter bottle of Coca-Cola Amatil’s Glaceau Vitamin Water contains “eight teaspoons of sugar, high levels of caffeine and a host of additives, including flavours and colours.”

A Choice spokeswoman, Clare Hughes, told The Age she believes the public is being deceived into drinking something healthy when they are not.

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Vitamin D Deficiency Linked to Multple Sclerosis

September 20, 2008 – 12:39 pm

In a study on youngsters, a Canadian team of researchers has discovered a possible link between a Vitamin D deficiency and multiple sclerosis (MS) according to The Gazette in Montreal.

Vitamin D, known as the “sunshine vitamin” in that some of the positive effects of Vitamin D are also present exposure to natural sunlight, was found to exist at far lower levels in study participants who showed symptoms of MS. These findings along with other similar research was presented at a recent meeting on MS in Montreal.

Heather Hanwell, a graduate student in nutritional sciences at the University of Toronto, told the Gazette that “Three-quarters of our subjects were below optimal levels for vitamin D.”

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Vitamin C May Be Help Reduce High Blood Pressure

September 19, 2008 – 5:46 pm

An Italian team of researchers presented their findings today on Vitamin C that may help sufferers of hypertension, better known as high blood pressure. According to the Washington Post, the team addressed the American Heart Association’s Conference of the Council for High Blood Pressure Research

The study’s lead author Dr. Rosa Maria Bruno from the University of Pisa told the Post that by injecting Vitamin C intravenously into patients, they were able to “reduce sympathetic nervous system overactivity” which in turn reduced blood pressure.

These latest findings build on previous studies such as the study on Vitamin C from British researchers in January which was published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. It said that Vitamin C may aid in reducing strokes.

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Vitamin D Is Dandy in Dallas

September 18, 2008 – 5:01 pm

According to an article in the Dallas Morning News, it’s time to consider preparation for taking more Vitamin D - the sunshine vitamin.

The News quotes Todd Whitthorne, president and CEO of Cooper Concepts, a company that provides supplements and is based in Dallas. Mr. Whittmore says that his practice tends to see that half of his clients are Vitamin D deficient.

Research referenced in the article suggests that Vitamin D deficiencies can contribute to a range of health maladies including breast and colon cancer as well as chronic pain and depression.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) says, “Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is naturally present in very few foods, added to others, and available as a dietary supplement.”

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