First complete 3D visualization of vitamin D receptor

For the first time, scientists have obtained a high-resolution, full 3D image of a small but vital molecule locked up within our cells: the vitamin D receptor.

New Hampshire bills seek to outlaw foreign substances, including fluoride, from being added to public water supplies

The State of New Hampshire is quickly gaining momentum to be the first entire US state to outlaw adding fluoride chemicals to public water supplies. The Fluoride Action Network (FAN) has reported that two bills currently before committee — HB 1529 and HB 1416 — seek…

EPA report concludes that natural gas ‘fracking’ causes groundwater contamination

For the first time, a federal report has verified that chemicals used in natural gas hydraulic fracturing, also known as “fracking,” can, and do, cause groundwater contamination. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently issued a 121-page draft report on…

Scientists identify an innate function of vitamin E

It’s rubbed on the skin to reduce signs of aging and consumed by athletes to improve endurance but scientists now have the first evidence of one of vitamin E’s normal body functions. The powerful antioxidant found in most foods helps repair tears in the plasma membranes that protect cells from outside forces and screen what enters and exits, new research shows.

A scientific ‘go’ for commercial production of vitamin-D enhanced mushrooms

A new commercial processing technology is suitable for boosting the vitamin D content of mushrooms and has no adverse effects on other nutrients in those tasty delicacies, the first study on the topic has concluded. The technology, which involves exposing mushrooms to the same kind of ultraviolet light that produces suntans, can greatly boost mushrooms’ vitamin D content.

Getting enough ‘sunshine vitamin’ may not just be about catching rays, new blood test reveals

Researchers have developed a new highly-accurate blood test which can detect how much a patient’s diet could be responsible for a lack of the so-called ‘sunshine vitamin’. Vitamin D deficiencies can weaken the immune system and increase the risk of cancer and osteoporosis. For the first time, the different forms of vitamin D the body absorbs from diet and sunlight, known as vitamin D2 and vitamin D3 respectively, can be individually distinguished from closely related compounds.

Could a birth control pill for men be on the horizon? Retinoic acid receptor antagonist interferes with sperm production

Researchers are honing in on the development of what may be the first non-steroidal, oral contraceptive for men. Tests of low doses of a compound that interferes with retinoic acid receptors showed that it caused sterility in male mice.

Vitamin D absorption is diminished in patients with Crohn’s disease, researchers find

Researchers have for the first time shown that reduced vitamin D absorption in patients with quiescent Crohn’s disease may be the cause for their increased risk for vitamin D deficiency. The findings also showed that the only way to determine absorption efficiency is to perform a vitamin D bioavailability test.

Vitamin D and parathyroid hormone levels may not affect cardiovascular mortality

There is burgeoning public interest in possible wide-ranging health benefits from vitamin D, including cardiovascular health. Investigators have now found that there was no independent association between serum levels of vitamin D or parathyroid hormone and cardiovascular mortality in this prospective study, the first in a population of older community-dwelling adults with a low prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and a broad range of kidney function.

Vitamin K may protect against developing non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, say Mayo Clinic researchers

In the first study of vitamin K and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma risk, researchers have found that people who have higher intakes of vitamin K from their diet have a lower risk of developing non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is a cancer of the immune system and is the most common hematologic malignancy in the United States.

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