November 2008
"Doublethe D," say pediatricians
The
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| New research has led doctors to advise supplements from birth on. |
The change in recommendation comes after reviewing newclinical trials on vitamin D and the historical precedence of safely giving 400IU per day to kids. Clinical data show that 400 units of
Disease protection
Adequate vitamin D throughout childhood may reduce therisk of osteoporosis. In adults, new evidence suggests that vitamin D plays arole in the immune system and may help prevent infections, autoimmune diseases,cancer and diabetes.
"We are doubling the recommended amount of vitamin Dchildren need each day because evidence has shown this could have life-longhealth benefits," said Frank Greer, MD, co-author of the report."Supplementation is important because most children will not get enoughvitamin D through diet alone."
Breastfeeding and D
"Breastfeeding is the best source of nutrition forinfants. However, because of vitamin D deficiencies in the maternal diet, whichaffect the vitamin D in a mother's milk, it is important that breastfed infantsreceive supplements of vitamin D," said Carol Wagner, MD, member of theAAP Section on Breastfeeding Executive Committee and co-author of the report."Until it is determined what the vitamin D requirements of the lactatingmother-infant are, we must ensure that the breastfeeding infant receives anadequate supply of vitamin D through a supplement of 400 IU per day."
The new recommendations include:
- Breastfed and partially breastfed infants should be supplemented with 400 IU a day of vitamin D beginning in the first few days of life.
- All non-breastfed infants, as well as older children, who are consuming less than one quart per day of vitamin D-fortified formula or milk, should receive a vitamin D supplement of 400 IU a day.
- Adolescents who do not obtain 400 IU of vitamin D per day through foods should receive a supplement containing that amount.
- Children with increased risk of vitamin D deficiency, such as those taking certain medications, may need higher doses of vitamin D.
Given the growing evidence that adequate vitamin D statusduring pregnancy is important for fetal development, the AAP also recommendsthat healthcare providers who care for pregnant women consider measuring
Source: American
Herb tackles major depression
A new research review by scientists at the Centre forComplementary Medicine in
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"Overall, we found that the
The researchers reviewed 29 trials including 5,489 patientswith symptoms of major depression. All trials employed a common rating scale toassess the severity of depression. They found that in trials comparing
Despite the favourable findingsfor the herb, the researchers were careful not to make generalizations aboutits use as an anti-depressant. They recommend consulting a doctor beforestarting or switching to the herb, especially as the extracts can affect theactions of other drugs.
Source: Reuters, Oct 8, 2008
More evidence vitamin C benefits cancer
Many of us take
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| High-dose vitamin C appears to kill cancer cells will leaving normal cells unharmed. |
Interest in vitamin C's anticancer potential has beensluggish after some government-sponsored studies into the topic in the early1970s failed to show benefits of vitamin C to already terminal cancer patients.But that was likely because the studies used oral doses that were too low, say
"We know that IV vitamin C produces levels in bloodthat are many times greater than those achieved with oral supplementation, andthese very high concentrations may be necessary to kill cancer cells,"says Lawson.
This idea that large IV doses of vitamin C destroy cancercells while leaving healthy cells intact is the basis of more recent studies byMark Levine, MD of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and KidneyDiseases. High concentrations of vitamin C can act as a pro-oxidant in thebody, producing hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), which damages cancer cells andultimately leads to their demise. Meanwhile, normal cells survive because theyaren't as vulnerable to the effects of hydrogen peroxide. In a recent study,Dr. Levine found that injecting vitamin C directly into the bodies of miceinhibited tumour growth by about 50%.
"Hopefully, Levine's work will spark renewedinterest into the cancer therapeutic potential of vitamin C,"
Source: LinusPauling Institute, Sept 29, 2008
Ginkgo reduces stroke damage, improves blood flow
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| Ginkgo leaf: A trial showed it can halve the damage from stroke. |
"What is interesting here is that we are looking ata mechanism of action that has not been proposed before," Dore said.
Dore and colleagues worked with mice to mimic damage fromstroke in humans. Some mice were given ginkgo for seven days, while others werenot. Tests showed that mice that got the ginkgo extract had 50.9% lessneurological damage and 48.2% smaller areas of brain damage than mice thatdidn't get the extract.
"What we have shown here is that by induction of anantioxidant enzyme, ginkgo extract can be effective," Dore said.
The results of the trial were encouraging enough that"we have put a team together to actively continue looking at theefficacy/safety and mechanisms of action of the ginkgo extract in preclinicalmodels of ischemic stroke that could ultimately help in the design an optimalclinical trial," he said.
Meanwhile, Chinese researchers have found that ginkgo canhelp improve coronary blood flow. In a double-blind, randomized,placebo-controlled study with 60 healthy elderly adults, subjects received an
Say the authors, "This study implies an importantfuture therapeutic strategy of using [ginkgo extract] to counteract thedetrimental effects of ageing."
Sources: HealthDay,Oct 10; Phytomedicine, 2008 Feb 5
Good fats give you better skin from within
Researchers from
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| The omega fats resulted in less roughness, redness and dehydration. |
The researchers recruited 45 non-smoking, healthy womenbetween the ages of 18 and 65 and randomly assigned them to receive dailysupplements of flaxseed oil (2.2 grams of total fatty acids); or borage oil(2.2 grams of total fatty acids); or medium-chain fatty acids as a placebo. Atthe study's outset and again after 12 weeks, the subjects' skin was irritatedwith nicotinate (a salt of vitamin B3, or niacin),which induces inflammation and reddening.
After six and 12 weeks of supplementation, researchers observedan increase in blood levels of the omega-3 fatty acid alpha-linolenicacid (
Other positive skin health results in both oilssupplement groups included a decrease in blood flow to the in skin and lesswater loss (dehydration) from the skin, especially in the flaxseed oil group(25%). Roughness and scaling (dry peeling skin) was also decreasedsignificantly after 12 weeks in the two oil groups, but not in the placebogroup.
According to essential fatty acid expert
Source: British Journal of Nutrition (
Mushroom compound boosts immunity
Researchers at
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| Shiitake is one of the mushrooms used in the cancer-fighting blend known as AHCC. |
AHCC (Active Hexose CorrelatedCompound) is derived from the hybridization of several subspecies of medicinalmushrooms and has been the subject of over 80 research studies worldwide.Research demonstrates that AHCC enhances the immune system by increasing theactivity of white blood cells.
For the study, healthy individuals 50 years or older tookAHCC for 60 days. Before supplementation and after 30 and 60 days, scientistsmeasured the production of two key cytokines (interferon and tumor necrosisfactor), believed to play a major role in the body's natural defense againstthe formation and spread of abnormal and cancerous cells. They found that theproduction of these cytokines increased within four weeks of taking AHCC, andthat its immune-enhancing effect lasted for at least a month after stoppingsupplementation.
Source: Medical News Today, Sept 20,2008
