How important is B12 vitamin deficiency diagosis

(NaturalNews) Usually, the presence of a condition called macrocytic anemia is what makes doctors suspect and begin to look for vitamin B12 Deficiency. But macrocytic anemia is the result of years of vitamin B12 deficiency. This means that until a doctor is willing to even LOOK FOR the easily correctable problem of vitamin B 12 deficiency, a patient will have suffered for years with symptoms. This would have been prevented if they had looked for the deficiency based simply on one of the most common physical complaints that patients have- fatigue.

Fatigue is a problem that affects most of the population at one time or another, but when it becomes chronic it can seriously affect quality of life to the extent that people become disabled. While fatigue can have MANY different causes, one underappreciated cause of fatigue is Vitamin B 12 deficiency.

When doctors suspect vitamin B12 deficiency, they will often do a routine blood test that checks for a condition called macrocytic anemia. Macrocytic anemia is characterized by particularly large red blood cells that are accompanied by a decreased Number of total cells. It is often a Consequence of vitamin B12 deficiency, but can have several other causes as well. Macrocytic anemia, however, is NOT vitamin B12 deficiency, and Vitamin B 12 deficiency can exist with or without the presence of macrocytic anemia. In fact, macrocytic anemia may not occur for up to 2 years after the Start of vitamin B12 deficiency, yet the 'standard of care' that doctors use has them look for vitamin B12 deficiency ONLY if macrocytic anemia is present!

"clinical features that are associated with
vitamin B12 deficiency may indeed precede
evidence of macrocytic anemia"
How B12 Deficiency Can Impact on the Individual...

If Vitamin B 12 deficiency were a rare problem that required expensive and invasive testing in order to find, this would be a reasonable way to look for this problem. But vitamin B12 deficiency is VERY common and testing is as easy as a simple blood test done right in the same lab that tests for macrocytic anemia! In addition, just like other medical problems that are evaluated on their OWN signs and symptoms, vitamin b12 deficiency ALSO has its OWN signs and symptoms that can be evaluated in the same way.

Vitamin B12 deficiency has a whole list of common presenting features that include:

Fatigue
Brain fog
Weakness
Depression

People who go to the doctor with conditions such as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome often have these same symptoms, yet they are almost NEVER screened for this simple vitamin deficiency. Considering that there are over a million chronic fatigue sufferers in the US alone who are not getting help for their debilitating condition, there is no way of knowing how many people are suffering unnecessarily from a simple vitamin deficiency simply because doctors are not looking for it! One vitamin B12 researcher, Ralph Carmel, MD, a doctor who IS looking for it, believes that almost 800,000 elderly people in the United States have undiagnosed vitamin B12 deficiency- and that is just in ONE high risk group.

Besides Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, the somewhat vague symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency can mimic many other diseases as well. According to Doctors Norbert Goebels and Michael Soyka, "Vitamin B(12) deficiency has long been associated with a wide variety of hematological, neurological, and psychiatric disorders." Unfortunately, until doctors begin to look for Vitamin B12 deficiency and not macrocytic anemia, we are calling these problems things like:

Chronic Fatigue
Fibromyalgia
Dementia
Mental Illness
And Even Multiple Sclerosis

Many of these patients really should be diagnosed with simple vitamin B12 deficiency. Testing for vitamin B12 deficiency is the 'standard of care' for doctors ONLY in the case of macrocytic anemia EVEN when vitamin B12 deficiency is seemingly staring them right in the face. And because standard of care is a legal protection for doctors in court, most doctors are unlikely to go 'outside of the box' to try to find answers to patient problems.

Standards of care change slowly in the medical world; with clinical guidelines lagging scientific finding by years and even decades, things are not likely to change soon until people with illnesses become educated and DEMAND testing for these simple problems that can have DRAMATIC effects on their health and their quality of life. Since doctors are not likely to look for vitamin B12 deficiency, patients and their families need to.

Resources:
1) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/...

2) http://www.ima.org.il/imaj/ar01sep-...

3) http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/co...

Vitamin A derivatives- anti-carcinogenic in breast cancer

(NaturalNews) What if a substance was found that normalizes out-of-control cell growth? The result could be a way to treat and prevent cancer. And a new study offers hope that discovery may have already been made. Scientists from the University of Chicago have just published groundbreaking research in the journal Cell which concludes a powerful compound exists that can restore a healthy balance to cell processes. It's not a new chemotherapy agent or drug but one derived from nature -- retinoic acid, a derivative of vitamin A.

According to the American Cancer Society, estrogen fuels the growth of two out of three breast cancers. The female hormone can spur on cancer by altering the expression of certain genes, resulting in breast cells that become malignant and proliferate. The University of Chicago study found that retinoic acid can also alter these same estrogen-sensitive genes. But instead of causing cells to grow without restraint, a hallmark of cancer, retinoic acid restored normal balance to the cells and inhibited their growth.

"This work reveals important insights on the interplay between vitamin A and estrogen action," said Myles Brown, MD, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, in a statement to the media. "These insights will hopefully lead to new approaches for the prevention and treatment of the most common form of breast cancer."

Retinoic acid has already demonstrated cancer fighting effects in previous studies and it is currently used to treat a rare form of leukemia. In addition, earlier research has associated retinoic acid with the halting of breast cancer cell proliferation.

For the new study, Kevin White, PhD, professor of human genetics and director of the Institute for Genomics and System Biology at the University of Chicago, and colleagues focused on documenting cell receptors for the vitamin A derivative. They used a process dubbed ChIP-chip analysis that combines chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP), which locates where the retinoic acid receptors are bound to the genome, with micro-array gene-chip analysis, which measures the expression levels of specific genes.

This merging of techniques allowed the scientists to map out the complete genetic effects of retinoic acid and its receptors in a cell line provided by patients who had estrogen-fueled breast cancers. The results showed that 39 percent of the genomic regions bound by the estrogen receptor known as alpha overlapped with the estrogen receptors bound by retinoic acid.

What's more, they discovered that estrogen and retinoic acids receptors often competed to activate or repress many of the same genes. For example, estrogen increased expression of the same 139 genes that retinoic repressed and retinoic acid activated 185 genes that estrogen repressed. For approximately140 genes, estrogen and retinoic acid had the same effect.

So what does all this mean? As the scientists explained in their press statement, they now have evidence that estrogen and retinoic acid carry on a kind of "cross talk". So, although they can have opposite effects, certain estrogen and retinoic acid receptors on cells activate each other and normalize each other. That provides what the researchers call "an additional level of control for achieving a balanced regulation of expression."

The study also uncovered another way retinoic acid could help fight breast cancer. Some of the genes that are expressed in malignant breast tumors don't have estrogen receptors so anti-estrogen drugs can't be used as therapies. That makes so-called double or triple negative breast cancers extremely difficult to treat and, subsequently, they carry poor prognoses. However, in the new study, the researchers found these forms of cancerous cells did respond positively to the vitamin A derivative.

The new study may have produced a new way to help predict long-term survival for breast cancer patients, too. When the researchers compared the effects of retinoic acid on tissues from 295 breast cancer patients with the results from the scientists' initial study using a typical breast cancer cell line, they discovered that the more strongly a tumor responded to retinoic acid, the greater the chances of long-term survival and a lack of relapse.

"Understanding all the components of this process could be used against breast cancer in three ways," said Dr. White, in the media statement. "It suggests new ways to think about preventing the disease in those at high risk. It offers molecular tools that could provide a more precise diagnosis and predict outcomes. It could also be used to enhance current therapies, making existing drugs, such as tamoxifen, that selectively block estrogen's effects even more powerful, or even to develop new anti-cancer drugs."

As reported earlier in Natural News (http://www.naturalnews.com/025495_c...), researchers are also studying vitamin D to see what role it may play in fighting breast cancer. It appears to help protect against breast cancer by keeping normal cell growth in check.

For more information:
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/c...
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/...

Vitamin A derivative to prevent breast cancer

(NaturalNews) What if a substance was found that normalizes out-of-control cell growth? The result could be a way to treat and prevent cancer. And a new study offers hope that discovery may have already been made. Scientists from the University of Chicago have just published groundbreaking research in the journal Cell which concludes a powerful compound exists that can restore a healthy balance to cell processes. It's not a new chemotherapy agent or drug but one derived from nature -- retinoic acid, a derivative of vitamin A.

According to the American Cancer Society, estrogen fuels the growth of two out of three breast cancers. The female hormone can spur on cancer by altering the expression of certain genes, resulting in breast cells that become malignant and proliferate. The University of Chicago study found that retinoic acid can also alter these same estrogen-sensitive genes. But instead of causing cells to grow without restraint, a hallmark of cancer, retinoic acid restored normal balance to the cells and inhibited their growth.

"This work reveals important insights on the interplay between vitamin A and estrogen action," said Myles Brown, MD, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, in a statement to the media. "These insights will hopefully lead to new approaches for the prevention and treatment of the most common form of breast cancer."

Retinoic acid has already demonstrated cancer fighting effects in previous studies and it is currently used to treat a rare form of leukemia. In addition, earlier research has associated retinoic acid with the halting of breast cancer cell proliferation.

For the new study, Kevin White, PhD, professor of human genetics and director of the Institute for Genomics and System Biology at the University of Chicago, and colleagues focused on documenting cell receptors for the vitamin A derivative. They used a process dubbed ChIP-chip analysis that combines chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP), which locates where the retinoic acid receptors are bound to the genome, with micro-array gene-chip analysis, which measures the expression levels of specific genes.

This merging of techniques allowed the scientists to map out the complete genetic effects of retinoic acid and its receptors in a cell line provided by patients who had estrogen-fueled breast cancers. The results showed that 39 percent of the genomic regions bound by the estrogen receptor known as alpha overlapped with the estrogen receptors bound by retinoic acid.

What's more, they discovered that estrogen and retinoic acids receptors often competed to activate or repress many of the same genes. For example, estrogen increased expression of the same 139 genes that retinoic repressed and retinoic acid activated 185 genes that estrogen repressed. For approximately140 genes, estrogen and retinoic acid had the same effect.

So what does all this mean? As the scientists explained in their press statement, they now have evidence that estrogen and retinoic acid carry on a kind of "cross talk". So, although they can have opposite effects, certain estrogen and retinoic acid receptors on cells activate each other and normalize each other. That provides what the researchers call "an additional level of control for achieving a balanced regulation of expression."

Learning the best time of the day to take vitamins/minerals

(NaturalNews) The body performs different functions at different times of the day. Many people suggest adding food supplements at varied times of the day to accommodate for the digestion and assimilation of these nutrients.

At night, many suggest taking calcium. This is because calcium is utilized at night, and also because calcium can help you get to sleep when taken at bed time. Remember the adage of a glass of milk before bed? Calcium absorption is the reason this makes sense. Magnesium is needed to work hand-in-hand with calcium. Many people take magnesium along with calcium, in the same supplements, at bedtime, although some suggest that magnesium is best absorbed in the day time. If the calcium supplement contains magnesium, taking both at the same time is appropriate.

Many vitamins are best ingested with food, so taking them at meal time is advised. It's easy to remember to take vitamins with meals, since you are eating and drinking at that time, anyway.

Fat-soluble vitamins need fat in order to be absorbed, so they should always be taken with meals that contain fat. Fat-soluble vitamins include vitamins A, vitamin D, vitamin E and vitamin K.

Vitamin C lasts only a few hours in the bloodstream. It should be repeated every three hours for best results, or the entire dose should be divided up to take a third with each meal.

Fiber is best ingested in the morning upon rising. That way it will do its work in the colon without being impeded by food. Fiber can cause vitamins to not absorb, as it can act as a coating to the intestines, so it is best to not take vitamins before fiber. Iron is especially not absorbed well with fiber.

Probiotics are taken with meals and sometimes before a meal, usually about 20 minutes. Digestive enzymes are taken with meals as well, for best effect.

Stimulating vitamins, such as vitamin C, should not be taken before bedtime, as it can keep a person awake. Some even suggest that citrus juice and vitamin C cause nightmares, but this is unconfirmed.

If you are taking many nutritional supplements you might want to organize them in a pillbox that provides a separate box for each time of the day. A few minutes preparation can ensure that you take the recommended doses and that you remember to get all your doses in, in a timely manner. Setting the box near your dining area will remind you to take the vitamins when you eat. Even if you don't take vitamins at the "appropriate" time, adding nutrients to your diet will build health at any time of the day.

http://www.drweil.com/
http://www.prevention.com/cda/artic...
http://www.webmd.com/diet/guide/ess...

Vitamin D may be the root of cancer

(NaturalNews) What initially causes cancer to develop? The current scientific model assumes that a genetic mutation begins the genesis of a malignancy. But what if that assumption is wrong and there's another key to the start of cancer? Scientists at the Moores Cancer Center at the University of California (UC) in San Diego have raised that possibility. And they've come up with another, brand new model of how cancer develops.

Reporting online in the current Annals of Epidemiology, they point to a host of research that suggests cancer develops when cells lose the ability to stick together in a healthy, normal way -- and the key factor to this initial triggering of a malignancy could well be a lack of vitamin D.

In the article, Cedric Garland, DrPH, professor of family and preventive medicine at the UC San Diego School of Medicine, and his research team explain that previous theories associating vitamin D with many cancers have been tested and confirmed in over 200 epidemiological studies. In addition, more than 2,500 laboratory studies have been conducted that provide an understanding of the physiological basis of vitamin D's link to cancer.

According to Dr. Garland, researchers have documented that with enough vitamin D present, cells adhere to one another in tissue and act as normal, mature epithelial cells. But if there is a deficiency of vitamin D, cells can lose this stick-to-each other quality, as well as their identity as differentiated cells. The result? They may revert to a dangerous stem cell-like state and become cancerous.

In a statement to the media, Dr. Garland suggested that much of the process that starts cancer in the first place could be stopped at the outset by maintaining enough vitamin D in the body. "Vitamin D may halt the first stage of the cancer process by re-establishing intercellular junctions in malignancies having an intact vitamin D receptor," he said. And, he added, that if diet and supplements restore appropriate levels of vitamin D, the development of cancer might be prevented. According to Dr. Garland, vitamin D levels can be easily increased, if needed, by modest supplementation with vitamin D3 in the range of 2000 IU/day.

Vitamin D reduces back pain and osteoporosis

(NaturalNews) Vitamin D is known to build strong bones. Research has now shown its effectiveness in reducing back pain as well as in preventing osteoporosis. Vitamin D is important in maintaining the healthy calcium and phosphorus levels that are needed to build healthy bones and teeth. Known as "the sunshine vitamin" because it is produced in the body when exposed to sun, new evidence shows that vitamin D has an analgesic effect on chronic musculoskeletal pain, functioning as a hormone in various tissues.

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble micronutrient. It is available in some foods, but one of the best ways to obtain vitamin D is via exposure to ultraviolet rays (UVB) in sunlight, absorbed through the skin. Many people are deficient in this nutrient. Sun exposure north of New York and San Francisco, even in the summer months, is not effective in producing vitamin D in the skin because the rays are not strong enough, so supplementation is required.

Though it is called a vitamin, its function is actually a prohormone. Food sources of vitamin D are small boned fish and grains. Deficiency of vitamin D causes rickets.

In 22 studies of vitamin D, conducted with 3,670 participants, 48% to 100% of those with musculoskeletal pain displayed vitamin D deficiencies. With supplementation, almost all reported a lessening or complete elimination of bone and muscle pain. Another study of 360 participants with back pain showed that all had insufficient levels of vitamin D, and 95% showed relief after three months of supplementation, assuming there was no injury, such as a slipped disc. A study at the University of Minnesota noted that the majority of those with severe deficiency were under the age of 30. Studies of over 40,000 participants taking vitamin D showed a reduction in hip fractures by 18%.

Most researches agree that the current guideline for vitamin D consumption (600 IU) is insufficient. New guidelines suggest 2400 IU to 2800 IU daily. Others suggest intake of up to 4,000 IU a day along with 1,000 mg of calcium, to help build bones. There are few drug interactions, and few instances of overdosing. Dosages of 50,000 over an extended period of time are not recommended.

Vitamin D supplementation is inexpensive, costing pennies a day. With eight out of ten people reporting back pain in their lifetimes, vitamin D supplementation is a must. This simple nutritional supplement can inexpensively prevent and maintain healthy bones and muscle tone.

www.johnshopkinshealthalerts.com/re.... html -
www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/1...
http://pain-topics.org/pdf/vitamind...

Vitamins and other natural ways for brain excellence

(NaturalNews) The brain can maintain optimum performance if care is taken with nutrition to prevent age-related memory loss. Keeping the mind active is important, especially as the brain ages. Learning a new language or skill can help keep the brain plastic. Research shows that three hours a day of mental activity, such as crossword puzzles, can help prevent senile dementia. Some foods have a special affinity to brain function.

Nutrients from the sea
Fish has been called, "brain food" for good reasons. It contains Omega-3 fatty acids that contribute to brain health. Interestingly, iodine, also from the sea, is an important nutrient used by the brain. Iodine is present in seaweed and in iodized salt. Oysters contain zinc that stimulates nerve functioning and activity, and cognitive function.

Vitamins for the brain
1. Acetyl-l-carnitine is also found in the brain. It protects your brain cells and increases blood flow in the brain. One of its important functions is to synthesize the neurotransmitter, acetylcholine, which helps with memory by increasing activity of the mitochondria in brain cells. Research with acetylcholine with Alzheimer and diabetic patients showed improved brain chemistry.

2. Vitamin B12 helps repair nerve fibers in the brain. Research shows that it may also decrease the blood levels of the amino acid homocysteine, which decreases brain function.

3. Vitamin E
A nationally funded study of vitamin E showed that it protects nerve cells from damage, possibly from its antioxidant effects. The study used high doses that should be prescribed by a physician, as vitamin E can interfere with blood clotting medications.

4. Omega-3 fatty acids
Omega-3s are found in the fatty membranes in nerve cells in the brain. Research has shown that omega-3s can reduce dementia. The FDA has now allowed food supplements to post health claims on labels of omega-3s that state, "Supportive but not conclusive research shows that consumption of EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease." The recommended dose, according to the FDA, is 3 grams a day.

Herbal Brain Enhancers
1. Ginseng is an adaptogen that helps improve brain function by increasing the release of hormones. Ginseng has been used to treat those with learning disabilities.

2. Gingko Biloba: Acts as a tonic to the circulatory system by increasing blood flow to the brain, which also brings more nutrition to the brain. Several compounds of the plant are thought to provide the functions of both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties to the brain. Ginkgo is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine and further research in its usefulness in brain chemistry is ongoing.

3. Bacopa is an herb used in Ayurvedic medicine to improve brain function since the 6th century.

4. Huperia serrata has been used in Chinese medicine to aid brain function. The mechanism seems to imitate that of FDA approved drugs so clinical trials are underway in the National Institute on Aging.

Proper brain nutrition can go a long way in maintaining and restoring healthy brain function.

http://brain.web-us.com
http://www.alz.org/
http://www.naturalnews.com/025813.html

Vitamin D keeps the mind sharp in elders

(NaturalNews) Getting a little hazy mentally and losing some cognitive function doesn't necessarily have to happen as you grow older. Evidence continues to mount that exposing yourself regularly to a healthy dose of regular sunshine and eating certain vitamin-rich fish can help keep brains sharp -- especially those of middle-aged and older men.

The latest data comes from a new study just published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry by University of Manchester scientists in collaboration with colleagues from other European centers. The researchers compared the cognitive performance of more than 3,000 men between the ages of 40 to 79 years at eight test centers.

They found that the middle-aged and older men with the higher levels of vitamin D, primarily synthesized in the skin after exposure to sunshine and also found in certain foods such salmon, showed the best cognitive function. In fact, the men with higher levels of vitamin D performed consistently better in a simple and sensitive neuropsychological test that documents an individual's attention and speed of information processing.

"Previous studies exploring the relationship between vitamin D and cognitive performance in adults have produced inconsistent findings but we observed a significant, independent association between a slower information processing speed and lower levels of vitamin D," said lead author Dr. David Lee, of Manchester's School of Translational Medicine, in a statement to the media. "The main strengths of our study are that it is based on a large population sample and took into account potential interfering factors, such as depression, season and levels of physical activity."

The most unexpected finding of the study was that increased vitamin D and faster information processing was more strongly associated in men over the age of 60, although the biological reasons for this remain unclear. Bottom line: the scientists concluded that vitamin D appears to have extraordinarily positive effects on the brain and the study raises the possibility that the vitamin could minimize aging-related declines in cognition.

There's additional breaking news about Vitamin D, too -- it may slow the progressive decline in the ability to breathe that can occur in people with asthma. According to researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, calcitriol, a form of vitamin D synthesized within the body, can prevent or forestall the irreversible decline in breathing that leaves many asthmatics even more vulnerable when they suffer an asthma attack. Gautam Damera, Ph.D., who presented the research at the American Thoracic Society's 105th International Conference in San Diego on Wednesday, May 20, stated that calcitriol's anti-inflammatory qualities and its ability to inhibit smooth muscle proliferation could make it an important new therapy for treating steroid-resistant asthma.

Vitamin D has already been shown to have a host of health benefits. As reported earlier this year in Natural News, it may help in the treatment and survival of colon cancer (http://www.naturalnews.com/026237.html) and the vitamin may be able to halt the growth of some breast tumors, too (http://www.naturalnews.com/025495.html).

For more information:
http://www.manchester.ac.uk/aboutus...
http://www.thoracic.org/sections/pu...

Vitamin D- key to healthy brain

Vitamin D 'key to healthy brain'

Sunlight is one source of vitamin D

Thursday, 21 May 2009 12:09 UKE-mail this to a friend Printable version
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8058183.stm


Scientists have produced more evidence that vitamin D has an important role in keeping the brain in good working order in later life.

A study of over 3,000 European men aged 40-79 found those with high vitamin D levels performed better on memory and information processing tests.

The University of Manchester team believe vitamin D may protect cells or key signalling pathways in the brain.

The study features in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.
This underscores the importance of vitamin D for humans and why evolution gave us a liking for the sun
Professor Tim Spector
Kings College London


It follows research published in January which suggested that high levels of vitamin D can help stave off the mental decline that can affect people in old age.

The latest study focused on men from eight cities across Europe.

Their mental agility was assessed using a range of tests, and samples were taken to measure levels of vitamin D in their blood.

Men with high vitamin D levels performed best, with those who had the lowest levels - 35 nmol/litre or under - registering poor scores.

The researchers said the reason why vitamin D - found in fish and produced by sun exposure - seemed to aid mental performance was unclear.

Hormone link

They suggested it might trigger an increase in protective hormonal activity in the brain. However, the only data to back this up so far comes from animal studies.

There is also some evidence that vitamin D can dampen down an over-active immune system.

Alternatively, it may boost levels of antioxidants that in effect detoxify the brain.

The researchers stressed that many people, particularly in older age, were vitamin D deficient.

Therefore, if it were possible to stave off the effects on ageing on the brain with vitamin D supplements the implications for the health of the population could be significant.

Professor Tim Spector, of King's College London, has carried out research into the effect of vitamin D on ageing.

He said: "This is further evidence from observational studies that vitamin D is likely to be beneficial to reduce many age-related diseases.

"Taken together with similar data that shows its importance in reducing arthritis, osteoporotic fractures, as well as heart disease and some cancers, this underscores the importance of vitamin D for humans and why evolution gave us a liking for the sun.

"We also know that our genes also determine our vitamin D levels which explains why individuals can vary so much.

"We now need to study the best way to give using vitamin D properly in prevention."

Dr Iain Lang, of the Peninsula Medical School in Exeter, carried out the earlier research.

He agreed there was mounting evidence suggesting vitamin D was good for the brain, but warned that it was possible that poor mental performance could be down to an inadequate diet, of which vitamin D deficiency might be just one manifestation.

Vitamin E can prevent lung cancer

(NaturalNews) A higher intake of vitamin E can cut the risk of lung cancer by more than half, researchers from the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center has found.

In a new study published in the International Journal of Cancer, researchers used the National Cancer Institute's Health Habits and History Questionnaire and Food Frequency Questionnaire to assess the dietary intakes of 1,088 lung cancer patients and 1,414 healthy participants. Participants were further surveyed about various lifestyle factors, including smoking.

The average age of the healthy participants was 60.8, while the average age of the lung cancer participants was 61.7.

Vitamin E occurs in two main groups, the tocopherols and tocotrienols. Each of these groups, in turn, contains four varieties, named alpha, beta, gamma and delta. For the current study, the researchers analyzed participants' dietary tocopherol intake, dividing it up based on which form it occurred in.

"To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to compare dietary intakes of the different forms of tocopherols (alpha-, beta-, gamma and delta-tocopherol) and lung cancer risk," the researchers wrote.

The researchers divided participants into groups based on intake of tocopherols in general and the four different varieties individually, then compared the rate of lung cancer between the groups.

Participants with the highest tocopherol intake were found to have a 55 percent lower risk of lung cancer than participants with the lowest intakes. The average intakes of the two groups were more than 12.95 milligrams per day and less than 6.68 milligrams per day, respectively.

A powerful protective correlation also showed up for alpha-tocopherol, with those consuming the most having a 53 percent lower risk of lung cancer than those with the lowest intake. The highest alpha-tocopherol intake averaged more than 7.73 milligrams per day, while the lowest averaged less than 4.13 milligrams per day.

Higher consumption of beta-, gamma- or delta-tocopherol alone, however, appeared to have no influence on cancer risk.

"We found consistent independent associations for increased dietary alpha-tocopherol intake and risk reduction but did not find independent associations for gamma-, beta- and delta-tocopherol in lung cancer risk," the researchers wrote.

The European diet typically contains vitamin E in the form of alpha-tocopherol, while the U.S. diet tends to contain it in the form of gamma-tocopherol. Vitamin pills contain mostly alpha-tocopherol.

The study was not designed to analyze by what mechanism tocopherols in general or alpha-tocopherol in particular might act to reduce cancer risk.

"Our data should be useful in stimulating additional epidemiologic and basic science research in the relationship of different forms of vitamin E and cancer," the researchers wrote.

Foods high in vitamin E include asparagus, avocado, green leafy vegetables, nuts, olives, seeds and wheat germ. A variety of vegetable oils, including canola, corn, cottonseed, red palm, sunflower and soybean are also high in the vitamin.

The new study is not the first to link vitamin E with cancer protection. The vitamin is well known to function as an antioxidant, meaning that it plays an important role in removing particles known as free radicals from the body. These electrically charged molecules are believed to be responsible for some of the cell damage that leads to cancer, other diseases, and the symptoms of aging.

Mushrooms produce Vit.D when being exposed to UV

(NaturalNews) Recent research suggests that like humans, some animals and certain species of algae, mushrooms may also be able to synthesize vitamin D upon exposure to sunlight.

Vitamin D is synthesized by the body upon exposure to ultraviolet radiation from sunlight. Synthesis of the vitamin does not appear to be possible in the absence of ultraviolet radiation. The vitamin D in the diet of fish, for example, ultimately comes from several varieties of shallow water algae that produce it from sunlight.

Mushrooms, however, contain 4 percent of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin D per serving, and early studies suggest that this can be increased to 100 percent simply by exposing the mushrooms to sunlight for just five minutes.

A further test of this phenomenon was recently conducted by researchers from Crosby House Surgery in England. In a case study, a single 30-year-old, vitamin D deficient Indian man was fed mushrooms that had been treated with ultraviolet-B radiation. After three months of eating the mushrooms daily, his blood vitamin D levels increased by 129 percent.

Vitamin D is an essential nutrient that functions as a hormone precursor and also plays a critical role in calcium absorption and bone health. Researchers have long known that deficiency can lead to bone deformities in children and adults, as well as increasing adults' risk of osteoporosis and fractures. New research suggests, however, the vitamin D deficiency may also increase the risk of autoimmune diseases, cancer, diabetes and heart disease.

Many studies suggest, however, that nearly 50 percent of people in the United States may be vitamin D deficient.

Doctors recommend that light-skinned people get 15 minutes of sun on the face and hands per day to ensure sufficient vitamin D levels; more exposure might be needed during the winter for those living far from the equator. People with darker skin need correspondingly more exposure.

Vitamin D deficiency causing health problems in teens

(NaturalNews) Vitamin D levels in the general population are falling, caused in large part by sedentary lifestyles and the often overstated skin cancer scare, and our young ones are not spared from this trend, either. And this is negatively affecting their health, as revealed in a study presented at the American Heart Association's 49th Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention, which linked low vitamin D levels with several health conditions in teenagers.

Details of Study

The study team had looked at data of 3,577 adolescents aged 12 to 19 who were part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) carried out from 2001 to 2004. There was an almost even gender split among the subjects. Ethnicity-wise, the profile of the study group was similar to the general American population. A biomarker of vitamin D was used to measure blood levels of the compound, and it included measures of vitamin D intake from dietary and supplementary sources as well as vitamin D production from sunlight exposure.

Findings of Study

Having accounted for factors such as age, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, levels of physical activity and body mass index, the team found that teens who had the lowest levels of vitamin D had a much higher risk of having certain health conditions. These adolescents had 2.36 times the likelihood of having high blood pressure, 2.54 times the likelihood of high blood sugar, and a staggering 3.99 times the likelihood of having metabolic syndrome, which is a group of risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease and diabetes; these include high blood pressure, heightened levels of triglycerides, decreased levels of "good" cholesterol, elevated levels of fasting blood glucose, as well as wider waists.

Not surprisingly, due to the fact that dark-skinned persons require more sunlight to synthesize the same amount of vitamin D as fair-skinned persons, non-Hispanic black Americans were found to have the lowest levels of vitamin D, while white Americans had the highest - almost twice that of black Americans.

Vitamin D Deficiency and Insufficiency in the Young

Vitamin D deficiency is becoming an epidemic both in the general population as well as the younger populace. According to a 2007 article written by Michael Holick, the author of The UV Advantage, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, 52% of Hispanic as well as black adolescents were found in a Boston study to have less than 20 nanograms per milliliter of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, a level which would class them as being vitamin D deficient. Similarly, a Maine study found that 48% of white pre-adolescent girls were below that level.

Also in 2007, a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition analyzed blood vitamin D levels in 382 healthy children and teenagers in the northeast of the US. It found that about 55% of the young ones, aged 6 to 21, had inadequate blood vitamin D levels. In winter, the situation worsened, with 68% having low blood vitamin D levels. With vitamin D deficiency being linked to a whole host of serious diseases, this indicates a ticking time bomb in a substantial portion of the young population.

If you have not already done so, it is time to take vitamin D very seriously, both for yourself and your children.

References

Low Vitamin D Levels Associated With Several Risk Factors In Teenagers (http://www.sciencedaily.com/release...)

MF Holick. Vitamin D Deficiency. New England Journal of Medicine 2007;357:266-81.

Low Vitamin D Levels May Be Common In Otherwise Healthy Children (http://www.sciencedaily.com/release...)

Vitamin B efficient in migraines

(NaturalNews) Increased intake of folic acid and other B vitamins may reduce the frequency and severity of migraine attacks, according to a study conducted by researchers from the Genomics Research Center at Australia's Griffith University.

Migraine attacks are characterized by severe headaches, often accompanied by sensitivity to lights, sounds or smells; nausea; vomiting; and pins and needles sensations. Eighty percent of migraine patients suffer from at least one attack per month. Attacks can last up to 72 hours, and may be so debilitating that patients become unable to function.

Currently, migraines are treated with potent painkillers or anti-nausea drugs, with mixed results. Other treatments include antidepressants and beta-blockers, both of which carry the potential for severe and even dangerous side effects.

In the current study, researchers gave 50 migraine patients supplements of folic acid and vitamin B. According to researcher Lyn Griffiths, they observed "a drastic improvement in headache frequency, pain severity and associated disability for those treated."

The researchers suspected that B vitamins would prove effective because they are known to help regulate levels of the amino homocysteine. Genetic research has shown that a mutation or malfunction of the gene MTHFR results both in elevated homocysteine levels and an increase risk of migraine. High levels of homocysteine have also been linked to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke.

The Griffith University team is now preparing to carry out a larger study to find out what doses work best for individual migraine patients, also taking into account any genetic predisposition to migraine that they might have.

Migraine is the most common neurological condition in the world, with approximately 6 to 15 percent of adult men suffering at least one attack per year and 14 to 35 percent of adult women. Between 12 and 28 percent of people will suffer at least one attack in their lifetime.

Sources for this story include: www.telegraph.co.uk.

Vitamin C a "gout" preventer

Vitamin C a 'gout preventer'

Tuesday, 10 March 2009
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7932158.stm


Men who get plenty of vitamin C may boost their resilience to the painful joint disease gout, work suggests.

In the 20-year study of nearly 47,000 men, daily supplements of the vitamin found in sprouts, peppers and oranges appeared to cut gout risk.

The US researchers believe vitamin C has a dual action - easing inflammation and lowering uric acid levels in the body that go awry in gout.

The findings are published in Archives of Internal Medicine.

Experts warned that the news should not be taken to mean that it was fine to lead an unhealthy lifestyle and pop a vitamin pill to counteract this. It would be unwise for people to think they can compensate for eating and drinking too much by taking vitamin C with their pint of beer

Rheumatologist Dr Michael Snaith

There are a number of risk factors for gout, including taking certain medications, drinking too much alcohol, being overweight and eating an unhealthy diet high in meat.

Although the condition is more associated with Victorian times, the numbers with gout have been increasing over the last 30 years and currently about 1.5% of the UK population has the condition.

In the study, 1,317 of the men, who were all health professionals, developed gout.

Compared with men who did not take vitamin C supplements, those who took 1,000mg to 1,499mg per day had a 34% lower risk of gout and those who took 1,500mg per day had a 45% lower risk.

This was irrespective of other gout risk factors such as diet and alcohol use.

Lead researcher Dr Hyon Choi, of Boston University School of Medicine, said there were good reasons to believe that vitamin C was having a beneficial effect on the men.

Protective

Vitamin C appears to reduce levels of uric acid in the blood - a build up of this naturally occurring compound can form crystal deposits in and around joints, leading to the pain and swelling associated with gout.

It does this by increasing the expulsion of uric acid from the body by the kidneys.

Dr Choi said: "Given the general safety profile associated with vitamin C intake, particularly in the generally consumed ranges as in the present study, vitamin C intake may provide a useful option in the prevention of gout."

Generally, people should be able to get all the vitamin C they need - 40mg a day - by eating a varied and balanced diet.

UK experts say taking 1,000 mg or less of vitamin C supplements a day is unlikely to cause any harm. Gastrointestinal effects such as diarrhoea have been reported with doses over 1000 mg/day.

Rheumatologist Dr Michael Snaith, also of the UK Gout Society, said: "Vitamin C may reduce the frequency of attacks and provide a degree of protection. But that does not mean to say that taking whacking great amounts of vitamin C is going to eliminate gout.

"It would be unwise for people to think they can compensate for eating and drinking too much by taking vitamin C with their pint of beer."

TOO MUCH IS DANGEROUS!

By Kate Devlin,
10 Nov 2008

Vitamin pills 'increase risk of early death'

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtechn...death'.html

Antioxidants, including vitamins A, E, and C are said to mop up free radicals, which cause disease

Popular vitamin supplements taken by millions of people in the hope of improving their health may do no good and could increase the risk of a premature death, researchers report today.

* Vitamin pills are no substitute for healthy diet
* Have your say: Do we rely on vitamins too much?
* Read more health news and features

They warn healthy people who take antioxidant supplements, including vitamins A and E, to try to keep diseases such as cancer at bay that they are interfering with their natural body defences and may be increasing their risk of an early death by up to 16 per cent.

Researchers at Copenhagen University carried out a review of 67 studies on 230,000 healthy people and found "no convincing evidence" that any of the antioxidants helped to prolong life expectancy. But some "increased mortality".

About 12 million Britons supplement their diets with vitamins and the industry is worth £330 million. But little research has been done on the long-term health implications.

The Department of Health said yesterday that people should try to get the vitamins they need by eating a balanced diet and advised care in taking large doses of supplements.

A spokesman said: "There is a need to exercise caution in the use of high doses of purified supplements of vitamins, including antioxidant vitamins, and minerals. Their impact on long-term health may not have been fully established and they cannot be assumed to be without risk.

"Anyone concerned about their diet should speak to their doctor or dietitian."

Antioxidants, including vitamins A, E, C and beta-carotene and selenium, are said to mop up compounds, called free radicals, which cause disease. It is this action that researchers believe may cause problems with the defence system.

The Danish research, released by the influential Cochrane Library, applied only to synthetic supplements and not to vitamins that occur naturally in vegetables and fruit.

It found that vitamin A supplements increased the risk of death in healthy people by 16 per cent. Taking beta-carotene was linked to a 7 per cent increased risk, while regular users of vitamin E supplements increased the risk of an early death by four per cent.

Although the review found no significant detrimental effect caused by vitamin C, it found no evidence that it helped ward off disease. Millions take it in the hope of avoiding a common cold.

Goran Bjelakovic, who led the review, said: "We could find no evidence to support taking antioxidant supplements to reduce the risk of dying earlier in healthy people or patients with various diseases.

"If anything, people in trial groups given the antioxidants beta-carotene, vitamin A, and vitamin E showed increased rates of mortality."

But Patrick Holford, a nutritionist who has formulated supplements for the company Biocare, said: "Antioxidants are not meant to be magic bullets and should not be expected to undo a lifetime of unhealthy habits.

"When used properly, in combination with a healthy diet full of fruit and vegetables, getting plenty of exercise and not smoking, antioxidant supplements can play an important role in maintaining and promoting overall health."

A spokesman for the Health Supplements Information Service said: "People should get all the vitamins and minerals they need from their diet, but for the millions who are not able to do that, vitamins can be a useful supplement and they should not stop taking them."

However, Catherine Collins, of the British Dietetic Association, said: "This study is deeply worrying and shows that there should be more regulation for vitamins and minerals.

"The public can buy vitamins as easily as sweets. They should be treated in the same way as paracetamol with maximum limits on the dosage."

Study on Vitamin B role

Dissecting a Study Disproving Vitamin B's Role in Preventing Heart Disease

Monday, June 30, 2008 by: Dr. Phil Domenico
http://www.naturalnews.com/023538.html


A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association [JAMA 2008;299(17):2027-36] has revealed that supplementation with the B vitamins, folic acid, B6 and B12, did not prevent cardiovascular disease (CVD) in women at risk.

Despite lowering homocysteine levels by 18%, this large-scale, placebo-controlled, randomized trial found no significant effects from high levels of three B vitamins on CVD events over seven years. Women in the treatment group received daily supplements containing folic acid (2.5 mg), vitamin B6 (50 mg), and vitamin B12 (1 mg), which exceeded the recommended daily allowance for these nutrients. The results go against observational studies linking increased levels of the amino acid homocysteine to an increased risk of CVD.

While it is possible that the treatment truly had no effect on vascular risk, there are several questions left unanswered from this study. For one, there are other vitamins and minerals that affect homocysteine levels, including choline and magnesium. Choline has been shown to reduce inflammation by 20 per cent. Magnesium may be the most deficient mineral in the American diet. It has also been shown to reduce blood pressure, strokes, and improve blood sugar and insulin health. Unfortunately, even most supplements containing magnesium do not help, since they utilize cheap ingredients, such as magnesium oxide. Alternatively, organic, chelated forms of magnesium, such as magnesium citrate, malate or taurate, can make a major impact on heart health.

Perhaps it is not possible to correct a lifetime of poor nutrition with just a smattering of nutrients. Heart disease results from oxidative processes that accrue over many decades. Homocysteine is a pro-oxidant derived from incomplete protein metabolism. However, it is only one of many problems. More detrimental to heart health is faulty carbohydrate metabolism, due to a lifetime of consuming refined foods. This also produces a pro-oxidant condition that damages blood vessels. It also oxidizes cholesterol, the substance used to help plug the cracks in blood vessels caused by free radicals. Correcting faulty carbohydrate metabolism starts with a good diet that restricts carbohydrate consumption, and limits it to whole grains, beans and non-starchy fruits and veggies. A poor diet must be supported by supplementation with minerals, such as chelated magnesium, chromium picolinate, zinc and a high-quality multivitamin. Inflammation in blood vessels is also reduced significantly by omega-3 fatty acids from fish, flax, walnuts and hemp. Everyone should be taking a pharmaceutical-grade, fish oil supplement.

Antioxidants are also vital to the equation. A diet high in fruits and vegetables provides an assortment of antioxidants that, when taken with a pro-oxidative meal, can reduce the free radical damage caused by these foods. There are also a variety of antioxidant supplements and exotic juices (e.g., pomegranate) that have been shown to protect against oxidation. Vitamin C works synergistically with vitamin E and alpha-lipoic acid to protect blood vessel membranes and improve circulation. Vitamin E prevents oxidation of fat, including cholesterol. These fruits and veggies also provide fiber, which reduces the negative impact of refined foods.

Another missing ingredient is vitamin D, which improves the ability of the heart muscle to contract, helps prevent and reverse inflammation in blood vessels, and helps to maintain proper blood pressure. People with the lowest vitamin D blood levels had twice the risk for heart attack, heart failure, stroke, and other types of heart disease over a five-year period than those with the highest blood levels. Many Americans do not get enough of this important vitamin. In a recent study, 34 percent of white people, 40 percent of Latinos, and 84 percent of African-Americans over the age of 50 were vitamin D deficient.

Participants in the JAMA study were all mature women with significant problems such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, diabetes and smoking. They are not likely to respond readily to a few vitamins at this stage, but possibly to a comprehensive regimen of high quality nutrients. Even the forms of the B vitamins taken may be called into question, since not all folate, B6 and B12 supplements are alike; some are more bioavailable and useful than others. Furthermore, these women may already be receiving enough folate from fortified foods, leaving no difference between treatment and placebo groups. At this stage in the game, these women are more likely to respond to conditionally-essential nutrients like Co-Q10, acetyl-L-carnitine and alpha lipoic acid, which improve mitochondrial function. A combination of these ingredients can be found in Jarrow Formula's MityQondria product (www.Jarrow.com) . While they cannot replace the foundational nutrients, these remedies can profoundly improve heart health and boost energy, especially in the short term, without side effects.

Vitamins and minerals are best used to prevent disease. They should be plentiful in food and supplements to support health throughout life, and not as stop gap measures to correct a life defined by poor nutrition and a sedentary lifestyle. Sound nutritional treatment for aging people with CVD must be comprehensive, and address all the defects in oxidative metabolism. It must also utilize the highest quality supplements available, and not synthetic or poorly absorbed vitamins and minerals that do not help the body function efficiently. The JAMA study merely tells us that sound nutrition is not simple.


About the author
Dr. Phil Domenico is a nutritional scientist and educator with a research background in biochemistry and microbiology. Formerly an infectious disease scientist, he now works as a consultant for supplement companies and the food industry.