Guest guest Posted September 15, 2004 Report Share Posted September 15, 2004 Take the D Train Health Sciences Institute e-Alert September 15, 2004 Dear Reader, It's D time again. I've already sent you three e-Alerts this year (and several last year as well) regarding the remarkable health benefits we get through vitamin D intake. And that list of benefits just got a little longer. Today I'll tell you about two recent studies that illustrate again just how vital vitamin D is to our overall health. --------------------------- Muscle up --------------------------- Both of the new studies come from researchers at Tufts University (USDA Human Nutrition Research Center). For the first study – reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition – researchers designed a trial to expand on previous research that indicated a possible association between vitamin D deficiency and periodontal disease. The Tufts team analyzed blood tests and dental data on more than 11,000 subjects enrolled in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Specifically, they were looking for blood serum concentrations of vitamin D and the incidence of periodontal attachment loss. Results showed a significant association between low levels of vitamin D and an elevated risk of tooth loss due to periodontal disease. In the second Tufts study – reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition this month – researchers note that a specific nuclear receptor in muscle tissue may facilitate improved muscle cell growth and muscle strength when vitamin D levels are high. About 4,100 subjects, aged 60 to 90, were recruited to compare levels of vitamin D to lower-extremity function. After taking into account variables, such as age and individual activity levels, researchers found that both active and inactive subjects with the highest levels of vitamin D had better musculoskeletal function in the lower extremities, compared to subjects with the lowest vitamin D levels. Both of these studies help confirm previous reports that adequate vitamin D intake may be an essential element in keeping muscles strong and gums healthy as we age. --------------------------- D's lengthy checklist --------------------------- As I mentioned above, we've seen quite a run of impressive studies about vitamin D over the past couple of years. Here are some of the other vitamin D benefits discussed in previous e-Alerts: * Depression during winter months was significantly reduced among study subjects who took high daily doses of vitamin D (4,000 IU) for a period of one year. * In a study that analyzed the relation of vitamin D levels to insulin sensitivity in a group of adults with normal glucose-tolerance, those with the lowest levels of D were more prone to develop symptoms of type 2 diabetes, including weaker pancreatic function and greater insulin resistance. * Sufficient levels of vitamin D may cut the risk of heart disease in older women by as much as one-third, due to the ability of vitamin D to help prevent the buildup of calcium deposits in the arteries. * When a group of 54 congestive heart failure (CHF) patients was compared to a group of 34 healthy subjects without CHF, researchers found that the CHF patients had vitamin D levels significantly lower than the healthy group, and those with the lowest vitamin D levels tended to have the most severe symptoms of CHF. * In the February 2002 issue of Nutrition and Healing newsletter, Jonathan V. Wright, M.D., wrote: " It's very likely that if you're over 40 and supplement your diet with a generous amount of vitamin D, you can lower your risk of prostate, breast, and bowel cancer, along with your risk of 'essential' hypertension, osteoporosis, and tuberculosis. " --------------------------- Sunshine daydream --------------------------- To address the questions of vitamin D sources and dosage, we'll turn again to Dr. Wright who recommends between 1,600 and 2,000 IU daily, and as much as 4,000 IU for those over 40. As I've noted before, the best source of vitamin D is a moderate amount of sun exposure each day. But according to Dr. Wright, it's impossible for most people to get enough vitamin D from the sun alone. In fact, for many elderly people the vitamin D deficiency problem is compounded because our skin becomes less effective in producing vitamin D as we age. Contrary to what the milk moustache adds would have us believe, homogenized and pasteurized dairy products are not good alternative sources of vitamin D because of the many other health concerns those products raise. Instead, Dr. Wright suggests food sources like salmon and sardines, or cod liver oil, which provides more than 1,300 IU of vitamin D per tablespoon. So get on the D train and improve your health – from muscles, to gums, to brain, to heart, to pancreas, and many points in between. ************************************************************** ....and another thing To caffeinate, or not to caffeinate... that is the question. In past e-Alerts I've examined some of the pros and cons of coffee drinking. And that's one thing you can safely say about coffee drinking: there are plenty of pros and cons. Recently I came across the latest dispatch from the Coffee Pro/Con Standoff: Those with a history of kidney stones might do best to keep the caffeine consumption to a minimum. Caffeine intake is known to increase the volume of calcium excreted in the urine. And it's also known that urinary calcium is associated with an increased risk of developing kidney stones. So researchers at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver recruited about 40 subjects who had kidney stones, and nine subjects who did not. After 14 hours of fasting, each subject consumed a caffeinated drink. Urine was tested two hours before taking the drink and again two hours after. Results showed that well over 75 percent of the subjects in the kidney stone group had significantly elevated urinary calcium levels when measured against a stone risk index. The control group also had higher calcium levels in their urine, but without the danger of developing kidney stones, according to the risk index. In an interview with Reuters Health, the lead author of the study, Dr. Linda K. Massey, said that patients with kidney stones should keep their daily coffee consumption under two cups (16 fluid ounces). Two cups per day sounds like plenty enough to get those brain cells percolating in the morning. To Your Good Health, Jenny Thompson Health Sciences Institute ************************************************************* Sources: " Association Between Serum Concentrations of 25- Hydroxyvitamin D3 and Periodontal Disease in the US Population " American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 80, No. 1, July 2004, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov " Gum Health, New Target for Vitamin D? " NutraIngredients.com, 8/31/04, nutraingredients.com " Higher 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Concentrations are Associated with Better Lower-Extremity Function in both Active and Inactive Persons Aged 60 y " American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 80, No. 3, September 2004, ajcn.org " Acute Caffeine Effects on Urine Composition and Calcium Kidney Stone Risk in Calcium Stone Formers " The Journal of Urology, Vol, 172, No. 2, August 2004, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov " Too Much Caffeine Ups Risk of Kidney Stones " Alison McCook, Reuters Health, 9/3/04, reutershealth.com Copyright ©1997-2004 by www.hsibaltimore.com, L.L.C. The e-Alert may not be posted on commercial sites without written permission. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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