Jeff's Healthy Living » recent-research

Scientists suggest increase walking speeds and outrun the Grim Reaper

Sat, 24 Dec 2011 11:00:00 +0000

Walk faster to stay one step ahead of Death, according to recent research published in the Christmas edition of BMJ. (During Christmas, this normally formal publication publishes more unconventional articles.) A team of scientists from various schools, hospitals and…

Protect your liver with curry spice

Tue, 02 Nov 2010 11:00:00 +0000

(NaturalNews) A powerful compound in curry known as curcumin may play an important role in liver health, according to a new study out of Saint Louis University (SLU). Researchers observed that curcumin seems to help fight and prevent damage caused by liver fibrosis, a chronic liver disease that typically leads to cirrhosis, liver failure, and portal hypertension, as well as the eventual need for a liver transplant. “My laboratory studies the molecular mechanism of liver fibrosis and is searching for natural ways to prevent and treat this liver damage,” explained Anping Chen, Ph.D., author of the study and director of research in the pathology department of SLU. “[O]ur study suggests that curcumin may be an effective therapy to treat and prevent liver fibrosis, which is associated with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).” Curcumin plays many important roles in health. Besides recent research published in the journal Gut that found similar benefits for curcumin in liver health (http://www.naturalnews.com/029872_curcumin_cirrhosis.html), studies have shown that curcumin prevents and fights cancer (http://www.naturalnews.com/028763_cancer_tumors_curcumin.html), prevents and treats Alzheimer’s disease and other mental conditions (http://www.naturalnews.com/029767_turmeric_alzheimers.html), and even reverses the aging process (http://www.naturalnews.com/028556_turmeric_anti-inflammatory.html). High levels of leptin, a key protein hormone that helps regulate energy intake and use, is linked to causing liver fibrosis. Leptin activates hepatic stellate cells which can cause the overproduction of collagen protein responsible for liver damage. But Chen and his team learned that curcumin helps to stop leptin from activating these cells, effectively halting the liver damage process. Other key factors associated with liver disease include high glucose and insulin levels, both of which are common among obese and type-2 diabetic individuals. These conditions make people more prone to developing liver disease, but in the presence of curcumin, the likelihood of their onset is significantly reduced. To learn more about the many benefits of curcumin, visit: http://www.naturalnews.com/curcumin.html Sources for this story include: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-10/slu-sic102910.php

See original here:
Protect your liver with curry spice

Even a low-dose vitamin D pill cuts breast cancer risk by 24 percent

Fri, 13 Aug 2010 07:00:00 +0000

(NaturalNews) A recent research study on vitamin D has shown that even low-dose vitamin D supplementation plays a big role in preventing breast cancer. According to the study, which was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition , women who take at least 400 international units (IU) of vitamin D a day lower their risk of developing breast cancer by 24 percent. Over 6,500 patients participated in the study, which study authors believe points to vitamin D’s ability to regulate and control the growth and spread of malignant cancer cells. According to Laura Anderson, one of the study authors, breast cells have their own receptors for vitamin D, so it makes perfect sense that vitamin D exerts a positive influence on the body in terms of warding off cancer. Several other recent studies have also shown a definitive link between vitamin D intake and decreased cancer risk, highlighting this nutrient’s powerful health-promoting and disease-preventing capabilities. The research team also noted that vitamin D assimilates very well when coupled with calcium, and vice versa. The two vitamins work in tandem for maximum absorption of both in the body, so it is important to get plenty of both. And although it was not specifically mentioned in the report, vitamin D is easily obtained through natural sunlight exposure. Your skin is fully capable of absorbing sunlight and processing it into vitamin D. In fact, just 15 to 30 minutes of exposure a day during the warmer months will ensure that you get the maximum amount of vitamin D for maintaining optimal health, without the need for a supplement. During the winter months when sunlight exposure is limited, you can supplement with natural vitamin D3 as an alternative. It will effectively achieve the same results as if you were getting natural sunlight, however natural sunlight is preferable when available. The governmental recommended daily intake of vitamin D is a mere 400 IU for adults, which many now consider to be far too low. To get a significant therapeutic effect from vitamin D, dosages upwards of 10,000 IU a day are far more appropriate. Because the body absorbs roughly 20,000 IU from the sun before shutting off for the day, it is safe to assume that supplementing with vitamin D3 in roughly this amount is safe as well. Sources for this story include: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE63S4GH20100429

Continue reading here:
Even a low-dose vitamin D pill cuts breast cancer risk by 24 percent

Low levels of vitamin D linked to higher rates of asthma in African-American kids

Health Blogger — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 04:00:00 +0000

Researchers have discovered that African American children with asthma in metropolitan Washington, DC, are significantly more likely to have low levels of vitamin D than healthy African-American children. This study supports recent research that suggests vitamin D plays a greater role in the body than just keeping bones healthy. Vitamin D deficiency has been recently linked to a variety of non-bone related diseases including depression, autoimmune disorders, and now asthma.

Here is the original post:
Low levels of vitamin D linked to higher rates of asthma in African-American kids

Vitamin D Promotes Weight Loss

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 07:00:00 +0000

(NaturalNews) A recent study conducted by researchers from the University of Minnesota found that overweight people have better success in losing weight when their vitamin D levels are increased. Dr. Shalamar Sibley, the researcher who headed the study, placed 38 obese men and women on a diet program and discovered that those whose vitamin D levels were increased lost up to a half pound more than those who followed the diet plan only. When combined with a reduced-calorie diet, it appears that supplementation with vitamin D helps to promote increased weight loss among those whose levels are low to begin with. For each nanogram per milliliter increase in vitamin D precursor in the blood, it was observed that an extra half pound loss in weight was able to be achieved while the diet plan. A study published earlier this year in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that 75 percent or more of American teens and adults are deficient in vitamin D. Vitamin D deficiency is linked to all sorts of serious illnesses including cancer, diabetes and heart disease. Researchers in the weight loss study are unsure whether vitamin D deficiency causes obesity or if obesity causes vitamin D deficiency. Nevertheless, there is a clear connection between the two. Vitamin D, in conjunction with calcium and sunlight, helps to properly assimilate food and regulate normal blood sugar levels. When there is a lack of calcium, oftentimes due to a vitamin D deficiency, the body increases production of synthase, a fatty acid enzyme that coverts calories into fat. Calcium deficiency can cause synthase production to increase by up to 500 percent, explaining the correlation between low levels of vitamin D and obesity. Mainstream research has only begun to scratch the surface about the importance of vitamin D in general health maintenance. A clinical study conducted in April of 2000 revealed that patients who were bound to wheelchairs because of chronic fatigue and body weakness became mobile after just six weeks of supplementation with 50,000 IU of vitamin D per week. Other studies are showing remarkable healing from all kinds of diseases when vitamin D is brought up to proper levels. Although current guidelines suggest daily intake somewhere between 400 and 600 IU, recent research is suggesting that this may be too low. Getting between 4,000 and 10,000 IU a day will have a much more therapeutic effect, boosting health and fending off disease. When natural sunlight is not an option, supplementation with vitamin D3 is the next best option. Sources for this story include: http://wcco.com/health/vitamin.d.weight.2.1383803.html, http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=vitamin-d-deficiency-united-states, http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/153669.php

Read the rest here:
Vitamin D Promotes Weight Loss