Vitamin benefits, Acetaminophen, Vision and Spanking

New studies are being published that show how beneficial nutrients and vitamins can be. Here are some reports of the results from several new studies confirming just how important vitamins C, D, and E are to your health, along with some other nutrients shown to be helpful for osteoarthritis, autism and better vision.

Vitamin C and D linked to small waist and low BMI

Vitamin C is linked to smaller waist size, lower blood pressure and less inflammation, and vitamin D cut weight and chances of heart disease, in two new studies.

In a vitamin C study, doctors wanted to know if vitamin C levels could predict signs of chronic disease in young people. Researchers measured blood levels of ascorbic acid and signs of the inflammation that can lead to chronic disease in about 1,000 nonsmoking men and women, aged 20 to 29. Compared to those who were deficient in vitamin C, those with adequate vitamin C levels had about half the signs of inflammation, lower blood pressure, smaller waist size and lower body mass index (BMI).

Doctors in a vitamin D study measured levels of vitamin D and signs of cardiovascular disease, including metabolic syndrome, in about 250 men and women aged at least 18. About 30 percent of those with the lowest vitamin D levels had metabolic syndrome compared to 10 percent for those with the highest vitamin D levels. People with more vitamin D also had lower BMI and waist size, and lower levels of triglycerides. In what researchers said was the most notable finding, as vitamin D levels increased, levels of HDL-C, the good cholesterol, also rose, cutting the chances of coronary heart disease significantly.
Reference: American Journal of Epidemiology; 2009, Vol. 170, No. 4,464-71.

Nutrients ease symptoms of osteoarthritis

Vitamin D, hyaluronic acid, Glucosamine, chondroitin and quercetin help knees.

Vitamin D preserved knee cartilage and hyaluronic acid, glucosamine, chondroitin and quercetin eased pain in osteoarthritis, three new studies reveal. Doctors in a vitamin D study measured knee cartilage and vitamin D levels in about 350 men and women, average age 61, and followed up three years later. Those with sufficient vitamin D levels at the start and end of the study had lost 1.5 percent less knee cartilage per year and had less pain than those who were deficient in vitamin D.

In a knee osteoarthritis (OA) study, doctors explained that hyaluronic acid (HA) occurs naturally in the body and is part of synovial fluid, the clear liquid that protects and lubricates joints and tendons, nourishes cartilage and eases movement. Twenty men and women, aged at least 40, with knee OA took an 80 mg HA supplement that contained 60 percent HA per day or a placebo. In order to qualify for the study, participants had to have knee pain for 15 of the last 30 days and to have OA symptoms for at least six months.

After eight weeks, compared to placebo, those in the HA group had less pain, better movement, improved quality of life and needed to take about half the amount of the pain reliever acetaminophen.

In another OA study, 46 men and women with OA of the knee took 1,200 mg of glucosamine, 90 mg of chondroitin and 45 mg of quercetin per day. After three months, researchers found that the quality of the synovial fluid had improved, and that all participants had less pain, and could walk, climb stairs and perform other daily physical tasks better.
Reference: Arthritis & Rheumatism; 2009, Vol. 60, No. 5, 1381-9.


Nutritional support for speech disorder and autism

Vitamin E and omega-3s improve speech, coordination, behavior and more

Vitamin E and omega-3s dramatically improved symptoms of a speech disorder and autism in a groundbreaking new study. In a speech disorder called verbal apraxia, people can't easily plan the facial movements for proper speech. The disorder begins in the brain, where nerve cells that control speech are impaired and unable to translate the intention to speak into the proper muscle movements.

Doctors in a brain and speech study explained that vitamin E and omega-3 fatty acids protect these speech control nerves and have discovered that some people with verbal apraxia—common in autism—have symptoms similar to vitamin E deficiency. Researchers said that without enough vitamin E, fatty acids in cell membranes oxidize prematurely, leading to impaired nerve cells.

About 200 children with verbal apraxia took 800 IU of vitamin E, 280 mg to 840 mg of DHA and 695 mg to 2,085 mg of EPA per day. After taking the vitamin E and omega-3s, nearly all of the families—97 percent— reported the children had dramatically improved speech, imitation, coordination, eye contact, behavior, and touch and pain sensation. Researchers felt the benefits of taking vitamin E and omega-3s exceeded those from speech therapy alone.

In a subgroup of children that tended to have autism, scientists also discovered that apraxia is part of a syndrome that includes low levels of carnitine and zinc, deficiency in vitamin D, poor absorption of nutrients, food allergies and gluten sensitivity. The doctors noted a recent study in Pediatrics that found children born to mothers with celiac disease were more than three times as likely to have autism, and that the findings from the current study add credibility to recent reports that some autistic children with apraxia improve on gluten-free diets.
Reference: Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine; 2009, Vol. 15, No. 4,34-43.


Kids need more vitamin D

Seventy percent are low or deficient, putting them at risk for heart disease and diabetes

Kids need vitamin D for stronger bones, better blood pressure, lower cholesterol, healthier hearts, and normal metabolism, and are often deficient, two new studies reveal.

In a vitamin D and heart health study, researchers measured vitamin D levels and factors for cardiovascular problems in a nationally representative group of about 6,300 children, aged one to 21. About 9 percent of the kids—8 million—were deficient in vitamin D and 61 percent—51 million—had too little vitamin D, equaling 70 percent of all kids.

Vitamin D was most often low in kids who were older, female, obese, African- or Mexican-American, who drank milk less than once per week, or who watched TV, played video games or used computers for more than four hours per day. Doctors said the findings mean these children are more likely to develop high blood pressure and heart disease later in life.

Kids with low or deficient vitamin D had signs of weaker bones, higher blood pressure, lower calcium levels and lower levels of HDL, the good cholesterol—all key factors in heart disease, doctors said. While kids in the study who took vitamin D supplements, usually 400 IU per day, were more likely to have adequate vitamin D levels, only 4 percent overall took supplements. "We expected the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency would be high, but the magnitude of the problem nationwide was shocking," study authors said.

In a related study, doctors measured vitamin D and heart disease factors in about 3,600 non-pregnant adolescents without diagnosed diabetes. African-American children had insufficient vitamin D levels on average, followed by Mexican-Americans, whose levels were barely sufficient. Caucasian kids had low but adequate levels. Kids with the lowest vitamin D levels were most likely to have high blood pressure, high blood sugar and low HDL, and were about four times as likely to have metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is most commonly associated with age and includes an oversize waist, high blood sugar and pressure, and more bad fats and fewer good fats in the diets and blood. These factors combined increase the risk for heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
Reference: Pediatrics; August 2009, electronic pre-publication.


NSAIDS – When Safe Doesn’t Always Mean Safe

Here's a strong contender for worst drug side effect EVER… Toxic epidermal necrolysis. This condition causes the loss of the top layer of skin. ALL the skin. The pain is so excruciating that morphine is required. Sleep is nearly impossible at the outset. The patient is also extremely vulnerable to infection, which often results in death. The only good news is that the skin heals itself. But that takes at least a month – a very LONG month.

So what kind of powerful drug might cause such an unbelievably harsh reaction? Acetaminophen. That's right –Tylenol, to name just the most famous of the many brands.

According to ABC News, toxic epidermal necrolysis is usually caused by prolonged use of acetaminophen, which sets off a haywire reaction in the inflammatory system. Other drugs that may also prompt this reaction include ibuprofen, anti-seizure drugs, and some antibiotics.

Bottom line: Pay attention to those drug label instructions that warn against extended use. And better yet, get yourself healthy and eliminate drugs all together.


Counteracting visual fatigue

Blackcurrant extract, Lutein and Zeaxanthin helped reduce eye fatigue and strain in one new study.

People who visually concentrate for hours at a time may have asthenopia, a condition characterized by weak, tired, achy, itchy, teary, burning eyes and dim vision. Researchers in one study gave 13 participants a supplement containing 200 mg of blackcurrant fruit extract, 5 mg of lutein and 1 mg of zeaxanthin per day or a placebo for two weeks. Everyone completed four, two-hour proofreading tasks on four separate days, designed to produce visual fatigue.

After each session, scientists tested rapid eye movement, electrical activity along visual pathways in the brain, facial muscle movement and heart rate. In the movement tests, participants had to focus and quickly move their eyes back and forth between targets at the center of two checkerboards. The blackcurrant, lutein, zeaxanthin group performed much better in all tests compared to placebo. Researchers concluded that blackcurrant, lutein and zeaxanthin can counteract, prevent and help eyes recover from visual fatigue.
Reference: Applied Ergonomics; 2009, Vol. 40, No. 6, 1047-54.

My comments:

Getting very positive results in the studies discribed in this blog is an important step towards broader acceptance of nutrition based treatments. But imagine how much better the results would be if real “whole food” vitamins were used instead of the cheap fractionated versions like the ascorbic acid and vitamin E that was used in these studies.

Increasing your intake of all phytonutrients will help in so many ways it’s impossible to go wrong by getting them in your diet. As more and more studies come out showing the benefits of nutrition and photynutrient supplements, it is very clear just how important it is that you find a way to get these nutrients in your family’s diet. Supplements are the easiest way and Standard Process Labs are the best.

Spanking leads to success

Even the best kids may need a spanking now and again, and a good parent shouldn't be afraid to deliver it. A new study confirms that kids who get spanked do better than the ones who don't. Please note: this is spanked, as in a smack on the rear, not beat!

Researchers at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, found that teens who had been spanked up to the age of 6 did better in school, were more likely to volunteer, more optimistic and more eager to attend college than those who weren't.

They did better in every single positive category measured by these researchers-- and no worse on the negative ones.


The diet behind mood disorders

Two new studies confirm what health experts have been saying all along: Carbs and processed food lead to depression and other mood problems. (if diabetes and heart disease don't get you first.)

A new study published in The British Journal of Psychiatry found that people who ate the most processed foods had the highest risk of depression. It was a clear case of cause-and-effect: The worse the diet, the higher the risk. Another study in the American Journal of Psychiatry found that women who ate diets heavy in processed foods over a 10-year period were 50 percent more likely to suffer from depressive disorders.

The researchers took it a step further and found that women who ate primarily fresh meat and vegetables were 30 percent less likely to suffer from depression. It's basic nutrition, really. The real recipe for good physical AND mental health is a low-carb lifestyle. And it applies to women more than ever.

My Comment:

I think these are all enlightening studies because they confirm how much impact our diet can have on everything we do. Millions of people believe that a typical American diet of processed foods and high carbs is normal as long as they limit the sweets to less than 3-4 pounds a week and eat some fruit or a vegetable every few days.

That may be very convenient, but it takes more effort than that to keep your body healthy in this day and age. Start out slow by reducing your carb intake and avoiding processed foods as much as possible. Limit the sweets and/or replace your sweetener with something natural like Xylitol, which is far more beneficial than table sugar or artificial sweeteners. Add the right supplements like Catalyn (as a multi), Min-Tran (calcium and minerals) and Cardio-Plus (heart-circulation health) from Standard Process Labs along with fish or cod liver oil and vitamin D.

If you prefer you can save money and get your fish or cod liver oil from Costco and vitamin D is available everywhere. If taking more than one vitamin supplement is just “out of the question” then start with Catalyn for basic nutrition support. If you have or may be likely to get heart disease then add Cardio-Plus.

But DO SOMETHING to promote your health before you are one of the statistics instead of enjoying life to the fullest to a ripe old age. You might be stubborn (you know who you are) , but you can’t say you are not well informed anymore.

Until next time, stay happy and healthy

JD Roma