Low vitamin D levels linked to depression in children

Are your kids getting enough vitamin D? If not, they could be at a higher risk for depression. A new study from the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom shows that children and teens with higher levels of vitamin D are less likely to experience depression than…

70 percent of Europeans suffer from low vitamin D levels, experts say

A group of experts has prepared a report on vitamin D supplementation for menopausal women after it was revealed that Europeans have suffered an alarming decrease in their levels of this vitamin. In their opinion, the ideal would be to maintain blood levels above 30 ng/ml. Vitamin D is essential to the immune system and processes such as calcium absorption.

Soluble fiber-rich foods protect against abdominal obesity

(NaturalNews)Eating more soluble fibers is the way to lower the levels of dangerous visceral fat, according to a new study conducted by researchers at the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. The experiments performed by a team of scientists have proven that as much as 10…

Low vitamin C levels may raise heart failure patients’ risk

Low levels of vitamin C were associated with higher levels of high sensitivity C-Reactive protein and shorter intervals without major cardiac issues or death for heart failure patients, in recent research.

A breath of fresh air for detecting vitamin B12 deficiency

Researchers have developed a new test to detect the levels of vitamin B12 using your breath, allowing for a cheaper, faster, and simpler diagnosis that could help to avoid the potentially fatal symptoms of B12 deficiency.

Vitamin D deficiency is associated with different types of obesity in black and white children

A recent study found that while black and white children with vitamin D deficiency both had higher fat levels, black children were more likely to have higher levels of fat just under their skin and white children were more likely to have higher levels of fat between their internal organs.

Diabetics with low vitamin D have high risk of death

(NaturalNews) A new study published in the American Diabetes Association journal Diabetes Care says that diabetics who are deficient in vitamin D have a significantly higher risk of dying from all causes or developing cardiovascular disease than those with higher levels of the vitamin. The findings support a multitude of current research on the importance of maintaining high blood levels of vitamin D, regardless of specific health conditions. Dr. Christel Joergensen and her colleagues at the Steno Diabetes Center in Gentofte, Denmark, found that diabetics with blood levels of vitamin D lower than 13.9 nmol/L (5.6 ng/mL) are nearly twice as likely as those with levels above 13.9 nmol/L to develop heart disease. These same patients were more than twice as likely to die compared to those with higher levels. However, average vitamin D levels among the 289 participants in the study hovered around 35.7 nmol/L (14.3 ng/mL), which is still far below Vitamin D Council recommendations of between 125-200 nmol/L (50-80 ng/mL). In other words, even those patients with levels above the threshold used in the study were still severely deficient in vitamin D. The direct correlation between vitamin D deficiency and disease is observable across the health spectrum. Everything from muscle pain and arthritis, to cancer and autoimmune disorders are aggravated and even caused by having insufficient amounts of vitamin D circulating in the blood (http://www.naturalnews.com/Vitamin_D.html). According to the Vitamin D Council, spending 20 to 30 minutes in the summer sun produces roughly 10,000 international units (IU) of vitamin D in white skin, while other sources suggest up to 20,000 IU. Such levels are optimal, and are far higher than current government recommendations of 200 to 400 IU a day. Sources for this story include: http://www.foodconsumer.org/newsite/Nutrition/Vitamins/vitamin_d_deficiency_means_higher_death_risk_in_diabetes_1711100.html

Teens carry 30 percent more BPA than adults

(NaturalNews) Teenagers carry 30 percent more of the toxic chemical bisphenol A (BPA) in their bodies than older adults, according to a study conducted by researchers from Statistics Canada. BPA is an industrial chemical used to make hard, clear plastics for water bottles and baby bottles, and resins to line food and beverage cans. It is also found in the special paper used to print receipts. An endocrine disruptor, it mimics the effect of estrogen in the human body and interferes with the function of other hormones. “Phthalates and [BPA] … aren’t quite identical to the natural hormone molecules in men’s or women’s bodies, but they come close enough that they occupy the same receptors on estrogen-sensitive tissues and exert their own unique effects on human health,” writes David Steinman in his book Safe Trip to Eden . BPA has been linked with an increased risk of cancer, reproductive and nervous problems, including changes in the brain. Researchers collected urine samples from more than 5,400 Canadians between the ages of six and 79, testing for traces of BPA. They found traces of the toxin in 91 percent of those tested. Teenagers might have higher levels because they consume more food relative to their body weight, the researchers suggested, or because they metabolize it differently. Researchers expressed concern that these higher levels might pose an even more severe risk of developmental problems at an age when the body is undergoing major changes. The average level of BPA found was just over one part per billion, 1,000 times the level at which estrogen is naturally found in the body. Health Canada has officially designated BPA as a toxic chemical and ordered its removal from baby bottles, but most other countries have yet to follow suit. “The No. 1 priority at the moment has got to be getting it out of the lining of tin cans,” said Rick Smith of Environmental Defense. “When nine out of 10 Canadians have a hormonally active chemical in their body, for which easy alternatives are available … why not make some further changes with respect to BPA?” Sources for this story include: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health/teens-carry-30-per-cent-more-bpa-than-rest-of-population/article1674153/.

New drug targets vitamin D receptors in hormone resistant prostate cancers

A new anti-cancer drug aimed at vitamin D receptors on cancer cells has prompted encouraging responses in the levels of PSA (prostate specific antigen) in men with prostate cancer that has become resistant to hormonal therapies.

Burn injuries rapidly deplete vitamin E, study finds

Severe burn injuries in children have been shown to rapidly deplete the levels of vitamin E in their body’s adipose, or fat tissues, a new clinical study has found. Stored levels of this important antioxidant were reduced more in a few weeks than might normally be possible in years.

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