THE GREATEST MEDICINE OF ALL IS TEACHING PEOPLE NOT TO NEED
IT
Fall Reminder - It Is That Time of Year to Start Taking a Vitamin
D supplement. Most natural doctors recommend taking at least 2,000 IU of D3 per
day and up to 8,000 IU per day for shorter periods during an illness. Vitamin D
helps strengthen your immune system to fight off colds and the flu along with
many other benefits described below.
Low vitamin D linked to adolescent behavior problems
Children with vitamin D deficiency between the ages of 5 and
12 years were 1.8 times as likely to display behavior problems in later
childhood, when they were 11 to 18 years old
Vitamin D was once regarded as a nutrient important for bone
health, but it's now known that this steroid hormone influences virtually every
cell in your body, including those in your brain. Far from just influencing
your physical health, vitamin D plays a role in mental health and may influence
behavior — even years down the road.
As such, ensuring children's vitamin D levels are optimized
is also important, as a deficiency in childhood may affect their behavior in
adolescence, according to a University of Michigan study.
Low vitamin D in childhood linked to behavior problems later
The study involved 273 school-aged children between the ages
of 5 and 12 years, living in Bogota, Colombia, who were part of a larger cohort
study that began in 2006 and involved follow-up interviews conducted after six
years. Part of the interviews assessed the children's behavior, and the
researchers also checked the children's vitamin D levels via blood samples that
were collected at the start of the study.
Vitamin D deficiency, defined as a vitamin D level of less
than 20 ng/mL (or 50 nmol/L) was found in 10.3% of the children. Further, those
with a deficiency at the start of the study were 1.8 times as likely to display
behavior problems in later childhood, when they were 11 to 18 years old.
"Children who have vitamin D deficiency during their
elementary school years appear to have higher scores on tests that measure
behavior problems when they reach adolescence," Eduardo Villamor,
professor of epidemiology at the University of Michigan School of Public
Health, said in a news release. This includes more "externalizing"
problems, such as aggressive and rule-breaking behaviors.
Low levels of vitamin D binding protein, which transport
vitamin D in the blood, were also linked to aggressive behavior and symptoms of
anxiety and depressive mood compared to higher levels.
Vitamin D's connection to emotional and behavioral problems
Separate research was published in 2017 that also linked
vitamin D to emotional and behavioral problems in adolescents. In an analysis
of 9,068 participants, lower vitamin D status was associated with increased
emotional problems, peer relationship issues and behavioral difficulties among
children. Further, a slight increase in vitamin D (10 ng/ml for boys and 10.2
ng/ml for girls) was linked to a decrease in total behavioral difficulties.
Vitamin D receptors exist in the human brain, hinting at the
importance of this vitamin in mental and emotional health. It's believed that
vitamin D regulates more than 200 different genes by binding to vitamin D
receptors that are responsible for driving a number of biological processes.
Low levels of vitamin D have, in fact, been linked to a number of psychological
disorders, including anxiety, depression and schizophrenia.
It likely influences psychological health in a number of
ways, including by modulating inflammation, regulating proteins that fight free
radicals and increasing the synthesis of brain-derived neurotrophic factor,
which may play a role in schizophrenia.
Taken together, vitamin D exerts a neuroprotective role in
the brain. Writing in the journal Children, Dr. Joy Weydert of the department
of pediatrics at the University of Kansas Medical Center explained:
"Activated vitamin D also has neuroprotective effects
via neuromodulation, anti-inflammatory, anti-ischemic, and anti-oxidant
properties. Having adequate vitamin D levels in-utero and early stages of life
ensures normal receptor transcriptional activity vital for brain development and
mental functioning.
Vitamin D affects the proteins directly involved in
learning, memory, motor control, and social behavior, and is closely associated
with executive functioning such as goal-directed behavior, attention, and
adaptability to change."
Vitamin D deficiency in utero may harm the brain
Getting enough vitamin D, via sensible sun exposure or
supplementation, is one of the most straightforward strategies you can use to
protect mental health, and this is true even in utero. In one study, children
who were vitamin D deficient at birth had a 44% increased risk of developing
schizophrenia as adults.
"Lack of vitamin D during brain development may alter a
number of outcomes, including brain volume, neurochemistry, the expression of
genes and proteins and behavior, the researchers explained.
Weydert added:
"Studies are
starting to reveal the neurohormonal effects of vitamin D on brain development
and behavior, with a link to mental health disorders. Many of these effects
start well before the birth of the child, so it is important that each pregnant
woman be assessed for vitamin D deficiency and supplemented for the best
possible health outcome of the child."
Along with behavior problems and schizophrenia, other mental
health problems associated with vitamin D deficiency include depression,
seasonal effective disorder and autism.
How much vitamin D is ideal?
The level you're aiming for is between 60 and 80 ng/mL, with
40 ng/mL being the low cutoff point for sufficiency to prevent a wide range of
diseases, including cancer. Yet, as Weydert noted, "Current recommended
doses of vitamin D supplementation fall short of what is needed to obtain ideal
serum levels."
Research suggests it would require 9,600 IUs of vitamin D
per day to get 97.5% of the population to reach 40 ng/mL,20 but individual
requirements can vary widely, and you'll need to get your levels tested to
ensure you take the correct dosage required to get you into the optimal range.
Regular sunlight exposure is the ideal way to optimize your
vitamin D (as well as glean the other health benefits of sun exposure), but
many people have difficulty getting out in the sun, whether it's due to working
indoors, weather or physical limitations. As such, many will need to take an
oral vitamin D3 supplement, especially during winter months.
The only way to gauge whether you might need to supplement,
and how much, is to get your level tested, ideally twice a year, in the early
spring, after the winter, and early fall when you level is at its peak and low
point.
GrassrootsHealth makes testing easy by offering an
inexpensive vitamin D testing kit as part of its consumer-sponsored research.
By signing up, you are helping further vital health research that can help millions
in coming years.
GrassrootsHeallth is also working to end vitamin D
deficiency in children and pregnant women, and believes a new standard of care
should be implemented for pregnant women that involves vitamin D testing three
times during pregnancy and maintaining blood levels of 40 to 60 ng/mL.
Although such testing is not yet widespread, you can request
a vitamin D blood test from your health care provider or, if you're a woman who
is between 12 to 17 weeks pregnant, enroll in GrassrootsHealth's Protect Our
Children NOW! Project.
Vitamin D deficiency is widespread
Research has shown that once you reach a minimum serum
vitamin D level of 40 ng/mL, your risk for cancer diminishes by 67%, compared
to having a level of 20 ng/mL or less. If the deficiency cutoff were to be
moved to 40 to 60 ng/mL, vitamin D deficiency rates in the U.S. would
skyrocket.
Even using 20 ng/mL, vitamin D deficiency in children is
"very common," and children, like adults, should obtain regular sun
exposure or take vitamin D3 supplements to ensure their levels are in the
optimal range. It's important to note that vitamin D supplementation must be
balanced with other nutrients, namely vitamin K2 (to avoid complications
associated with excessive calcification in your arteries), calcium and
magnesium.
Optimizing vitamin D is essential for overall health
The finding that low vitamin D in childhood may lead to
behavioral problems in adolescence highlights the importance of maintaining
optimal vitamin D throughout life. Beyond its effects on mental health, a
deficiency in vitamin D has been implicated in such problems as multiple sclerosis
and chronic heart failure.
Vitamin D also significantly reduces oxidative stress in
your vascular system, which can prevent the development of heart disease. In
addition, optimizing your vitamin D levels is one of the absolute best flu
prevention strategies available and can also slash your cancer risk.
Previous research found that a vitamin D level of 47 ng/ml
was associated with a 50% lower risk of breast cancer, for instance. Vitamin D
has a favorable effect on immune health, mental health and life expectancy,
and, overall, if everyone in North America optimized their vitamin D levels,
it's estimated that:
- All-cancer incidence rates would decrease by 25%
- Influenza and pneumonia rates would decrease by 30%
- Septicemia would decrease 25%
- Multiple sclerosis would decrease by 40%
- Negative pregnancy outcomes (including asthma, infections, bone disorders, heart failure and autism in the baby) would be reduced by 10%
That being said, if you opt to go this route, be sure to get
levels tested going forward, so you can determine the right vitamin D dose to
maintain optimal levels.
A growing body of evidence shows that vitamin D plays a
crucial role in disease prevention and maintaining optimal health. There are
about 30,000 genes in your body, and vitamin D affects nearly 3,000 of them, as
well as vitamin D receptors located throughout your body.
According to one large-scale study, having optimal vitamin D
levels can slash your risk of cancer and can help prevent at least 16 different
types of cancer, including pancreatic, lung, ovarian, prostate and skin
cancers.
Vitamin D from sun exposure also radically decreases your
risk of autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS) and Type 1 diabetes.
Sun exposure also helps prevent osteoporosis, which is a significant concern
for women in particular.
Meanwhile, recent research suggests high doses (4 grams) of
the omega-3 fats EPA and DHA may help improve healing after a heart attack.
Other benefits of omega-3 fats include prevention of lupus and Parkinson’s
disease, decreased anxiety, healthier and stronger bones, as well as fighting
fats in the body.
With these facts, it’s clear that vitamin D and omega-3
fatty acids are two of the most important nutrients your body needs to maintain
optimal health. However, you can’t tell by looking in a mirror if you are
deficient in vitamin D or omega-3s. The only real way to know if you are
deficient in these nutrients is to get tested.
The biology of breast cancer
By Marc S. Micozzi, M.D., Ph.D.
The modern breast cancer epidemic was raising its head. Of
course, biologists knew that declining birth rates (and increased duration of
exposure to estrogen) was the real, major risk factor behind the rapid increase
in breast cancer rates.
In fact, even in the mid-1980s, we had known for years that
the biggest risk factors for breast cancer are:
- Earlier age at menarche
- Later age at menopause
- Having fewer or no pregnancies
- Becoming pregnant later in life
- Not breastfeeding
In fact, back in the 1970s at the Senate Hearings on birth
control pills, Dr. Roy Hertz warned that estrogens, "are to breast cancer
what fertilizer is to the wheat crop." And that analogy really put the
problem in terms the midwestern Senator, who led the committee hearings, could
relate to. (At the same hearings, Dr. Victor Wynn warned that all human
carcinogens are latent. And it can take at least 10 to 20 years to determine
the impact.)
Of course, one of the most common and fastest-growing types
of breast cancer is typically called estrogen receptor-positive (ER+). It
accounts for nearly 80 percent of cases.
Plus, new research shows that estrogen appears to make other
tissues, like the brain, more susceptible to breast cancer metastasis. Which
may explain why younger women, who have more estrogen, are more likely to
suffer brain metastasis if they get breast cancer.
At one point, some scientists thought that switching to
progesterone/progestin (the pregnancy hormone) OC would be safer. But about 65
percent of breast cancer tumors contain progesterone receptors and are called
progesterone receptor-positive (PR+).
So, clearly, that's not a real solution. Plus, oncologists
end up treating women diagnosed with these two types of breast cancer (ER+ and
PR+) with Tamoxifen, a drug that blocks hormone receptors. (Essentially, the
drug blocks the hormones that many of these women had been previously taking as
OC!)
Despite this, it seems few people at the NCI are willing to
confront the hormonal causes of breast cancer—even to this day.
Instead, as with other cancers, the NCI went on a wild goose
chase, looking for other risk factors for breast cancer. Such as alcohol,
dietary fat, dairy, eggs, meat, and protein.
Of course, none of the research really panned out.
And they still don't know what to tell worried women other
than to get routine mammogram screenings, which can detect smaller and smaller
breast growths, but don't save lives, according to the most recent research.
So, now that you understand a bit more about the history of
OC and the biology of breast cancer, let's move onto the recent study…
Recent study shows OC poses clear, long-lasting threats to
women
In the recent study, researchers analyzed results from 54
studies involving nearly 12,000 women as part of the African American Breast
Cancer Epidemiology and Risk Consortium.
Researchers found that both recent use and long duration of
prior use of hormonal contraceptives were strongly associated with an increased
risk of breast cancer.
More specifically:
1. Women who had used OC within the past five years had a 78
percent increased risk of developing triple-negative (TN) breast cancer, one of
the deadliest and most aggressive types of breast cancer.
2. Women who took OC within the past five years had a 46
percent higher risk of developing ER+ breast cancer and estrogen
negative-receptors (ER-), another type of cancer.
3. The ER+ breast cancer risk remained for 15 to 19 years after
stopping OC use.
4. The ER- breast cancer risk remained beyond 19 years after
stopping OC use.
So, at the end of the day, birth control pills raise breast
cancer risk. And the risk can continue 20 years (or more) after you stop taking
them!
This risk occurs because OCs prevent pregnancies (as
intended). But as I explained earlier, pregnancy and fewer lifetime menstrual
cycles have a clear anti-cancer effect. Birth control pills also present the
double whammy of promoting breast cancer through their hormonal effects. Plus,
they increase the risk of other health-related complications, such as blood
clots.
Fortunately, there are many natural ways to reduce your
breast cancer risk—and your risk of developing other types of cancer. We
actually began learning about them in the mid-1990s…
In fact, in 1996, then-Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania
nominated me to serve as a U.S. representative to a Canadian Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) panel on breast cancer. The Canadian panel found that botanicals,
vitamins (such as vitamin D), and minerals significantly reduce a woman's risk
of developing breast cancer. They also improve survival and quality of life in
women with breast cancer.
Study Reveals It's Never Too Late to Start Exercising
The study, undertaken by researchers at the University of
Birmingham in England, pitted lifelong athletes in their 70s and 80s against
men of the same age who had never participated in a structured fitness program.
The goal was to find out whether untrained individuals have
the capacity to build muscle to the extent that lifelong exercisers can. As
noted in Neuroscience News, "The researchers … expected that the master
athletes would have an increased ability to build muscle due to their superior
levels of fitness over a prolonged period of time."
The answer is encouraging, to say the least, as muscle
biopsies taken before and after exercise revealed both groups had the identical
capacity to build muscle in response to exercise.
It's important to realize that without resistance training;
your muscles will atrophy and lose mass. Age-related loss of muscle mass is
known as sarcopenia, and if you don't do anything to stop it you can expect to
lose about 15% of your muscle mass between your 30s and your 80s. Other benefits
of resistance training include:
• Improved walking ability — After 12 weeks of weight
training, seniors aged 65 and over improved leg strength and endurance, and
were able to walk 38% farther without resting.
• Improved ability to perform daily task. After 16 weeks of
"total body" weight training, women aged 60 to 77 years substantially
increased their strength, improved their walking velocity and their ability to
carry out daily tasks, such as rising from a chair and carrying groceries.
• Relief from joint pain - Weight training strengthens the
muscles, tendons and ligaments around your joints, which takes stress off the
joint and helps ease pain. It can also help increase your range of motion.
• Improved blood sugar control - Weight training helps to
control blood sugar levels in people with Type 2 diabetes. It can also reduce
your Type 2 diabetes risk. In one study, strength training for at least 150 minutes a
week lowered diabetes risk by 34% compared to being sedentary. Doing a combination of weight training and aerobic exercise (such as brisk walking,
jogging, bicycling, swimming, tennis or rowing) lowered the risk by 59%.
• Improved brain health and slowed brain aging - Resistance
training also increases your body's production of growth factors, which are
responsible for cellular growth, proliferation, and differentiation.
Some of these growth factors also promote the growth,
differentiation and survival of neurons, which helps explain why working your
muscles also benefits your brain and helps prevent dementia.
Until next time, stay healthy and happy
JD Roma
The information on this blog is provided for educational
purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical care, and
medical advice and services are not being offered. If you have, or suspect you
have, a health problem you should consult your physician (preferably a
Naturopath).
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