Supplementation measured against sun exposure!
Oral supplementation of vitamin D remains the safest way to get adequate levels, researchers have concluded in a study, published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. The study compared the sun exposure required to achieve serum vitamin D3 concentrations equivalent to 400iu.
Looking at Boston, America between April and October, it was found that an individual on average would need 8 minutes in the sun to synthesise 400iu, but in Miami, Florida it would only take about 4 minutes. Concluding the research, the team noted that although sun exposure is a good way to obtain vitamin D, there are too many well-known detrimental side effects related to ultraviolet irradiation. Therefore, oral supplementation remains the safest way for increasing vitamin D status.
Low Vitamin D levels ‘linked to Parkinson’s disease’
In a Finnish study of 3000 people, published in Archives of Neurology, found that people with the lowest levels of vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin, had a three-fold higher risk of developing Parkinson’s disease. It was suggested that vitamin D could help protect the nerve cells gradually lost by people with the disease. The study was conducted over 30 years and also concluded that as we age our bodies ability to produce vitamin D through the action of sunlight on the skin diminishes.
Further research is required to find out whether taking a dietary supplement, or increased sun exposure may have an effect on Parkinson’s, and at what quantity and stage these would be most beneficial.
Sources:
Health Food Business: August 2010, Volume 23, Issue 10, Page 10.
BBC News: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/10601091.stm
General Health
New evidence shows that people with higher levels of vitamin D experience a decreased risk of type 2 diabetes, have higher activity in the body’s immune system against infectious diseases like flu and also have better balanced moods and energy levels. Vitamin D also helps build healthy bones, hearts, nerves, skin and teeth, and it supports the health of the thyroid gland, maintaining healthy weight and a balanced metabolism.
Whilst moderate sunlight exposure is the best source of vitamin D, many people incorrectly think that a small amount of sunshine exposure daily is sufficient to meet their vitamin D needs. However, after your skin is exposed to sunlight, it takes about 48 hours to convert it into vitamin D. During that time, the sunlight-initiated precursors to vitamin D can be washed off with soap and water. So if you scrub your skin with soap in the shower, your body will not convert most of your skin’s sun exposure to vitamin D.
This leaves us in a quandary. Whilst vitamin D can be found in many foods, like oily fish, sweet potatoes, sunflower seeds, mushrooms and many other sources, it is in fairly low amounts and not that easily absorbed. This is where a good vitamin D supplement comes in!
Many nutritional experts agree that the current RDA of 5µg (200iu) is insufficient and should be more like 25µg. However, we do think this may be a little excessive, but regularly recommend 10µg on a daily basis for better health!
Pregnancy
A team at University College London Institute of Child Health say that there is a very “strong case” for a daily dose of vitamin D in pregnancy to go alongside the 400µg of Folic Acid currently recommended.
The Department of Health advises pregnant women to ensure they receive a certain level of vitamin D – 10µg per day. The researchers say this in effect endorses the use of supplements, because diet and the sun provide too little. Women should be informed about the importance of having adequate vitamin D levels during pregnancy and whilst breast feeding.
It is worth noting here that pregnant women on low incomes are entitled to a range of nutrients – including vitamin D – as part of the Healthy Start Scheme.
Dr Elina Hypponen, co-author of the paper, said “The incidence of vitamin D deficiency in pregnant women in Britain is unacceptably high, especially during winter and spring”. The paper also said that the UK was the only one of 31 countries examined which did not recommend that women of reproductive age took a vitamin D supplement, and that it also failed to endorse a daily supplement for expectant mothers. “We believe that the routine provision of a daily supplement throughout pregnancy would significantly decrease the number of mothers who are clearly vitamin D deficient, reducing related serious risks to their babies.”
If pregnant, thinking of becoming so, or breast feeding we would recommend good all-round nutrition in the guise of our Pregnancy Formula!
“Vitamin D Supplementation in the UK might be beneficial for the whole population.”, Mr Patrick O’Brien, RCOG.
Sources:
Care2.com: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/vitamin-d-lined-to-diabetes-cancer-depression-and-more.html
BBC News: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/health/8645104.stm
According to a recent study, most people get happier as they grow older!
Scientists believe that this is because older people have learned to avoid situations that make them feel sad or stressed.
So, here’s our quick guide to feeling happier:
- Smile: it makes you feel good and enriches the life of those around you! (And you’ll look more attractive, too).
- Be grateful: generally there is so much to be grateful for. And remember – there is always someone worse off than you!
- Laugh: as much as you can because laughter really is the best medicine!
- Exercise: exercising stimulates the release of endorphins. This changes your body’s chemical balance and makes you feel good.
- Learn new things: this is as enriching as exercise, and slows cognitive decline.
Practice the above and make people wonder what you’ve been up too!
You could also check out our Sleep, Mood & Memory section.
In a detailed review of research dating back some 30 years, doctors are now saying there is compelling evidence that everyone, even healthy people, should take omega-3 fatty acids on a daily basis.
“This isn’t just hype – we now have tremendous and compelling evidence from very large studies, some dating back 20 and 30 years, that demonstrate the protective benefits of omega-3 in multiple aspects of preventative cardiology,” said Dr Carl Lavie, from the Ochsner Medical Centre in New Orleans, who led the review. “We are talking about a very safe and relatively inexpensive therapy.”
The Food Standards Agency advises oily fish are a good source of the ‘good’ fatty acids, as well as fish oil supplements and other food stuffs.
Scientists believe that omega-3 works from inside the membranes of cells and may help to improve the heart’s electrical activity as well as helping to reduce blood pressure and cholesterol. The body can’t produce its own essential fatty acids, so they must be obtained from external sources such as food and supplements.
There is also significant evidence that omega-3 can help slow, and in some cases halt, the progress of age-related macular degeneration.
More research needs to be done to determine optimal levels of omega-3, but we would recommend a daily intake of at least 1000mg.
Sources:
BBC News: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/health/8088860
Daily Telegraph: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/5966847/Everyone-should-take-Omega-3-say-experts.html
For many years now nutritionists from across the world have been telling us to avoid coffee, because caffeine is an unnecessary stimulant. Well, apparently they might have only been half right!
In a recent study, Florida-based research scientists have suggested that about 500mg of caffeine daily could reverse the memory problems seen in Alzheimer’s.
“The results are particularly exciting in that a reversal of pre-existing memory impairment is more difficult to achieve” said Dr Gary Arendash, University of South Florida, “it may be possible that caffeine could also be a viable ‘treatment’ for established Alzheimer’s disease and not just a protective strategy.”
The use of caffeine showed a nearly 50% reduction in levels of the beta amyloid protein, which forms the destructive clumps in the brains of dementia patients. There was also a suggestion that caffeine suppresses inflammatory changes in the brain which produce an over-abundance of this protein.
Caffeine is a safe drug for most people, with only people with high blood pressure and pregnant women having to limit their intake. 500mg is easily achievable for most people.
Coffee is by far the most common way for people to get caffeine into their systems, but there are other sources. One of the most common alternatives is Guaraná.
Guaraná is a creeping shrub, native to Venezuela and northern Brazil. Guaraná seeds are rich in caffeine containing up to 3 times the amount found in coffee. The seeds are also rich in tannins and the xanthine alkaloids, theophylline and theobromine. Guaraná has been traditionally used as a stimulant and to increase mental alertness, fighting fatigue and increasing stamina and physical endurance. Along with now, it would seem, playing a protective and treating role in mental health.
All-in-all, a much better way to get your caffeine intake up with many other added benefits.
Sources:
BBC News: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8132122.stm
About.com – Alternative Medicine: http://altmedicine.about.com/
Health Notes: http://www.healthnotes.info/uk_db/healthnotes.cfm?ContentID=2103002
