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
According to US researchers it may well depend on your choice of fruit and veg!
Apparently, the obvious choices are not necessarily the healthiest. Making simple swaps to the fruit and veg we eat can have a significant impact on the nutrients our bodies get.
This would seem to support the opinion that a balanced varied diet is essential for good health. ‘No one food can give you everything you need’ said Dr Emma Williams of the British Nutrition Foundation.
Plant foods are known to contain ‘phytonutrients’ as well as vitamins and minerals, which together can help protect the body against heart diseases as well as prevent cancers. But the most popular selection may not be the best.
Carrots are the most common source of Beta Carotene, oranges and orange juice the most common source of Beta-Cryptoxanthin, whilst spinach supplies Lutein & Zeaxanthin. However, there are richer food sources available if you know what you’re looking for!
Switch from carrots to sweet potato and nearly double your Beta Carotene intake, from oranges to papaya and get fifteen times more Beta-Cryptoxanthin, whilst kale has three times more Lutein & Zeaxanthin than spinach.
What this study doesn’t seem to take into account is seasonality and the condition of the fruit or veg. If an item has been sitting on a shelf for a few days, having spent 2 weeks getting to its destination who knows what sort of nutrient content it has?
That’s why we would always recommend using seasonal, locally grown fruit and veg and encourage a healthy varied diet.
This being said, we would also recommend using supplements to add that extra guarantee that you are getting all the nutrients your body needs. Not just for winter, but for all year round, as your body’s needs change.
So have a look round Bio Nutrition’s website and see what your body might need!
Stay Healthy
Sources:
BBC News: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/health/8645104.stm
This is not what you think!
In a recent article over at the BBC Health pages the humble Cordyceps mushroom has been getting some great press coverage for its potential use in the battle against cancer.
I’m not going to sit here and tell you that mushrooms are the answer to all our cancer prayers, but there does seem to be more and more evidence being reported about the great health giving benefits of these great fungi.
Mushroom Complex is one of the products I take myself on a daily basis, and I heartily recommend it to keep yourself fit and healthy on these cold dark days. A great combination of four mushroom varieties, all high in polysaccharides and immunomodulators, which stimulate the immune system, protect the liver and kidneys, protect the prostate, reduce the risk of cardiovascular problems and promote general wellbeing and vitality.
Sources:
BBC News: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/health/8428340.stm
A US team of scientists have decided that children should be allowed to get dirty!
Normal bacteria living on the skin triggers a pathway that helps prevent inflammation when we get hurt. These bugs inhibit an over-active immune system that can cause cuts and grazes to swell.
The experts said that their findings provided an explanation for the ‘hygiene hypothesis’, which states that exposure to germs during early childhood primes the immune system against allergies.
Many people believe that our obsession with over-cleanliness is to blame for our recent boom in allergy development!
A spokeswoman for Allergy UK said ‘rates of allergy have tripled in the UK in the last decade. One in three people now has some kind of allergy!’
Head of the research Professor Richard Gallo said ‘The exciting implication of the work is that it provides a molecular basis to understand the hygiene hypothesis and has uncovered elements of the wound repairing response that were previously unknown.’
The lobby group Parents Outloud said the work offered scientific support for its campaign to stop children being mollycoddled and over-sanitised.
Now, we’re not saying don’t clean, as bacteria are one of the major causes of infection and food poisoning, but just don’t be obsessive about it! Don’t be scared by the TV adverts telling you if you don’t wipe everything up immediately you’ll be ill! Just take a reasonable grounded approach to life, kids get dirty, they enjoy it. I know mine do!
If you want to stay health and boost the immune system, use nutrients, either from food or supplements; they work because your body knows what to do with them!
Sources:
BBC News: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8373690.stm
Allergy UK: http://www.allergyuk.org
Parents Outloud: http://www.parentsoutloud.com
Sorry to start talking about this now, but with the festive season fast approaching I thought I would just do a quick post to let you all know that we’ve now added some new functionality to our website.
From today you will be able to buy the special people in your lives a Bio Nutrition ‘Gift Certificate‘! It can be for any amount you like from £5 (even £12.62 if you like!)
They can use the whole amount in one go, or the online system can keep a track of what is used and spread the amount over several orders. It really is up to them!
So, are you stuck for a gift idea but know the person uses supplements? Why not give them a Bio Nutrition Gift Certificate and give the gift of health?
Remember, we also donate 1% of our turnover to environmental causes, through the 1% For The Planet initiative.
Happy shopping
Bio Nutrition
