Exercise
Regular exercise reduces large number of health risks including dementia and some cancers, study finds
ScienceDaily (2010-11-16) -- Regular exercise can reduce around two dozen physical and mental health conditions and slow down how quickly the body ages, according to a research review summarizing the key findings of 40 papers published between 2006 and 2010. ... > read full article
Health conditions covered by the review include: cancer, heart disease, dementia, stroke, type 2 diabetes, depression, obesity and high blood pressure.
Health benefits identified by the review include:
•Regular moderate to intense physical activity is associated with decreased risk of coronary heart disease and ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke.
•A growing body of evidence suggests that increasing physical activity can also reduce the risk of certain types of cancers, osteoporosis, type 2 diabetes, depression, obesity and high blood pressure.
•Evidence of the beneficial effects of physical activity in the primary prevention and management of cancer is growing and there is an association between higher levels of physical activity and lower cancer death rates.
•Research has found that walking or cycling for at least an half-an-hour a day is associated with a reduction in cancer and that when this is increased to an hour cancer incidence falls by 16 per cent.
•Evidence is mixed when it comes to specific cancers. Research has shown a strong relationship between increased physical activity and reduced colon cancer in both sexes. And men who are more active at work -- not just sitting at a desk -- have lower rates of prostate cancer.
•Other cancer studies show that physical activity after diagnosis can aid recovery and improve outcomes.
•Studies have also shown that men who are physically active are less likely to experience erection problems.
•There is growing evidence that physical activity could decrease the risk of dementia in the elderly.
Diet
Eating mostly whole grains, few refined grains linked to lower body fat
ScienceDaily (2010-10-20) -- People who consume several servings of whole grains per day while limiting daily intake of refined grains appear to have less of a type of fat tissue thought to play a key role in triggering cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, a new study suggests. ... > read full article
More protein, less refined starch important for dieting, large study shows
ScienceDaily (2010-11-26) -- If you want to lose weight or avoid gaining weight, you should cut down on finely refined starch calories such as white bread and white rice and instead eat a diet that is high in proteins with more lean meat, low-fat dairy products and beans, large scale study suggests. ... > read full article
The five diet types:
The design comprised the following five diet types:
•A low-protein diet (13% of energy consumed) with a high glycemic index (GI)*
•A low-protein, low-GI diet
•A high-protein (25% of energy consumed), low-GI diet
•A high-protein, high-GI diet
•A control group which followed the current dietary recommendations without special instructions regarding glycemic index levels.
A high-protein, low-GI diet worked best.
Don
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Hyrdation and Exercise
Water makes up approximately 60% of your total body composition. In addition, 73% of lean body mass or muscle is composed of water. It is the essential nutrient for survival and is required for all cell functions. Water is also an important constituent in thermoregulation, because it is a major component of blood volume. It is mainly lost through sweat, respiration, and waste. However, when the body is dehydrated, most of the water lost is from the blood.
Sweat Basics
The average person has 2.6 million sweat glands. Sweat is made up of water and electrolytes such as sodium, chloride, and potassium. When the hypothalamus senses an increase in core temperature it will act by increasing blood flow to the skin, stimulating the sweat glands. The result is an increase in the rate of water lost through sweating.
During low- to moderate-intensity exercise of less than one hour, there are minimal electrolyte losses because the body reabsorbs most of the electrolytes from the sweat. However, during moderate- to high-intensity exercise of greater than one hour, the electrolyte loss in sweat becomes significant and the sweat rate is too fast for re-absorption of electrolytes.
Normal fluid and electrolyte loss in urine:
How much water is lost during exercise?
During high-intensity exercise, a person can lose up to 2.0 liters of water per hour! However, 1.0 liter of water per hour is more common. Sweat rate can vary depending on the environmental temperature, humidity, type of clothing worn during exercise, intensity of exercise, fitness level of the individual and acclimation of the individual to the environment. Replacing fluids during and after exercise is very important for staying hydrated and preventing dehydration. Signs of dehydration include dark colored urine (urine should be the color of water with a splash of lemon), muscle cramps, decreased sweat rate, and increased fatigue.
What is the best way to stay hydrated?
According the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), before, during and following exercise, water or a carbohydrate/electrolyte drink is recommended to stay hydrated. The drink of choice should be cold in temperature and taste good to the individual. If it’s more palatable to the person, more will be ingested!
ACSM makes the following general recommendations for the amount and type of fluid that should be ingested before, during and after exercise:
*Approximately 24 hours before exercise, an individual is recommended to consume fluids and foods to promote hydration. Fruits, vegetables, and carbohydrates are examples of foods that promote hydration. In addition, avoid too much alcohol and caffeine, as these fluids can cause water loss and promote dehydration.
*Two hours before exercise, 16 ounces (2 cups) of fluid should be ingested to promote hydration and allow time for excretion of excess water.
*During exercise of less than an hour, it is recommended to ingest water every 15 minutes to prevent dehydration. Electrolyte loss is negligible; therefore a carbohydrate drink is not necessary.
*During exercise of greater than an hour (60 min), it is recommended to ingest a carbohydrate and electrolyte drink every 15 minutes.
*Never restrict fluids during exercise! Quite the contrary. Encourage your students to take water breaks during the class. Many aquatic exercise professionals actually plan the hydration breaks into the structure of the class.
*After exercise ingest a carbohydrate and electrolyte solution. The carbohydrate will replenish glycogen stores (muscle carbohydrate stores) and the electrolytes will replenish sodium, chloride, and potassium lost in sweat. The addition of Trace Minerals B-12 maybe helpful to the chronic exerciser as well. In addition, avoid carbonated drinks, as they make you feel full and decrease fluid intake. Adding protein can reduce the amount of carbohydrate necessary to replenishing carbohydrate stores.
Don
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Phases of Healing - Nutritional Support
2 x 3 Boswellia Complex- 2 x 3 Tuna Oil
- addition of 2 x 2 Thymex if skin is broken.
Phase II: Cell Proliferation and Matrix Deposition:
1 to 30 days
- 2 x 2 Boswellia Complex
- 2 x 2 Tuna Oil/Black Current Seed Oil
- 4 x 3 Multizyme (proteolytic enzyme)
- 3 x 3 Cataplex A-C-P (vascular integrity)
- 2 x 2 Gota Kola Complex (general tissue healing)
- 3 x 3 Ligaplex I (acute ligament Support)
- 3 x 3 Biost (tendon Support)
- 2 x 2 Nutrimere (protein source)
- 1 x 2 Chezyn (zinc and copper)
Phase III: Matrix Remodeling: day 5 to one year
- 1 x 2 Boswellia Complex
- 2 x 2 Black Current Seed Oil (assists in vasodialation)
- 3 x 3 Ligaplex II (ligament)
- 3 x 3 Biost (tendon)
- 2 x 3 Myotrophin PMG (muscle)
- 1 x 2 Nutrimere (protein source)
- 1 x 2 Chezyn (zinc and copper source)
Sunday, November 14, 2010
NF-kB the Source of ALL Inflammation
NF-κB is a ubiquitous and well-characterised protein responsible for the regulation of complex phenomena, with a pivotal role in controlling cell signalling in the body under certain physiological and pathological conditions. Among other functions, NF-κB controls the expression of genes encoding the pro-inflammatory cytokines (e. g., IL-1, IL- 2, IL-6, TNF-α, etc.), chemokines (e. g., IL-8, MIP-1α, MCP1, RANTES, eotaxin, etc.), adhesion molecules (e. g., ICAM, VCAM, E-selectin), inducible enzymes (COX-2 and iNOS), growth factors, some of the acute phase proteins, and immune receptors, all of which play critical roles in controlling most inflammatory processes. Since NF-κB represents an important and very attractive therapeutic target to treat many inflammatory diseases, including arthritis, asthma, and the auto-immune diseases, most attention has been paid in the last decade to the identification of compounds that selectively interfere with this pathway.
Inhibition of NF-Kappaβ is increasingly considered a major therapeutic goal in the treatment and prevention of “inflammatory” diseases.
Definition: A transcription factor that enhances the production of inflammatory mediators.
The activation of nuclear transcription factor-kappa B (NF-kB) has now been linked with a variety of inflammatory diseases including cancer, atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction, diabetes, allergy, asthma, arthritis, Crohn's disease, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, osteoporosis, psoriasis, septic shock, and AIDS.
Sources of NF-kB inhibition
Nearly every fruit and vegetable contains some NF-kB inhibitors, but some contain much more than others. And if you’re really inflamed (have a condition associated with inflammation) you probably want the ‘expresso’ version (condensed source).
So according to this theory, NF-kB is the inflammation master switch and inhibiting it reduces inflammation. We want to reduce inflammation and we know that many plants safely inhibit NF-kB. Therefore all that might be required is to identify those plants that are especially good NF-kB inhibitors and then concentrate them. As it happens, the best way to ‘concentrate’ NF-kB inhibitors is by using those from an assortment of different plants. But the effect is the same. It works better.
Recently, a great number of plant-derived substances have been evaluated as possible inhibitors of the NF-κB pathway. These include a wide range of compound classess, such as lignans (manassantins, (+)-saucernetin, (-)-saucerneol methyl ether), sesquiterpenes (costunolide, parthenolide, celastrol, celaphanol A), diterpenes (excisanin, kamebakaurin), triterpenes (avicin, oleandrin), polyphenols (resveratrol, epigallocatechin gallate, quercetin, rutin), etc. We will discuss the medicinal properties of these compounds with regards to the NF-κB inhibition.
Naturally Occurring NF-κB Inhibitors : Mini Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry, Volume 6, Number 8, August 2006 , pp. 945-951(7)
Flavanoids are widely accepted as the predominant polyphenols in our diet.
Beneficial effects of vegetables and fruit in preventative nutrition is strongly connected to the content of Flavonoids.
Heating, chopping and/or crushing of vegetables frees-up carotenoids, especially beta-carotene & lycopene. Carotenoids are nearly insoluble in water and are best absorbed when associated with oils.
"Reasoning for Seasoning" concept for health benefits of spice phytonutrients expressed in article by
BHARAT B. AGGARWAL AND SHISHIR SHISHODIA, Cytokine Research Laboratory, Department of Bioimmunotherapy The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.
Extensive research in the last few years has shown that the pathway that activates this transcription factor (NF-kB) can be interrupted by phytochemicals derived from spices such as turmeric (curcumin), red pepper (capsaicin), cloves (eugenol), ginger (gingerol), cumin, anise and fennel (anethol), basil and rosemary (ursolic acid), garlic (diallyl sulfide, Sallylmercaptocysteine, ajoene), and pomegranate (ellagic acid). For the first time, therefore, research provides "reasoning for seasoning.”
Your mom was right eat you vegetables, eat a variety of them and try something new.
Don
Inhibition of NF-Kappaβ is increasingly considered a major therapeutic goal in the treatment and prevention of “inflammatory” diseases.
The activation of nuclear transcription factor-kappa B (NF-kB) has now been linked with a variety of inflammatory diseases including cancer, atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction, diabetes, allergy, asthma, arthritis, Crohn's disease, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, osteoporosis, psoriasis, septic shock, and AIDS.
Sources of NF-kB inhibition
Nearly every fruit and vegetable contains some NF-kB inhibitors, but some contain much more than others. And if you’re really inflamed (have a condition associated with inflammation) you probably want the ‘expresso’ version (condensed source).
So according to this theory, NF-kB is the inflammation master switch and inhibiting it reduces inflammation. We want to reduce inflammation and we know that many plants safely inhibit NF-kB. Therefore all that might be required is to identify those plants that are especially good NF-kB inhibitors and then concentrate them. As it happens, the best way to ‘concentrate’ NF-kB inhibitors is by using those from an assortment of different plants. But the effect is the same. It works better.
Recently, a great number of plant-derived substances have been evaluated as possible inhibitors of the NF-κB pathway. These include a wide range of compound classess, such as lignans (manassantins, (+)-saucernetin, (-)-saucerneol methyl ether), sesquiterpenes (costunolide, parthenolide, celastrol, celaphanol A), diterpenes (excisanin, kamebakaurin), triterpenes (avicin, oleandrin), polyphenols (resveratrol, epigallocatechin gallate, quercetin, rutin), etc. We will discuss the medicinal properties of these compounds with regards to the NF-κB inhibition.
Naturally Occurring NF-κB Inhibitors : Mini Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry, Volume 6, Number 8, August 2006 , pp. 945-951(7)
- Including: anthocyanins, carotenoids flavinols (rutin and quercitin), flavanols (catcechins), terpenoids, etc.
- Catalyn - carotenoids, flavanosides
- Dosage: 3 to 6 tablets daily
- Cellular Vitality - anthocyanins, tannins, ellagic acid
- Dosage: 3 tablets daily
- Cyruta Plus - rutin and quercitin,
- Dosage: 3 to 6 tablets daily
- Vitanox - catcechins, anthocyanins, curcumin, caffic acid
- Dosage: 2 to 3 tablets daily
- HerbaVital - anthocyanins, tannins, terpenoids
- Dosage: 2 to 4 tablets daily
Beneficial effects of vegetables and fruit in preventative nutrition is strongly connected to the content of Flavonoids.
Heating, chopping and/or crushing of vegetables frees-up carotenoids, especially beta-carotene & lycopene. Carotenoids are nearly insoluble in water and are best absorbed when associated with oils.
"Reasoning for Seasoning" concept for health benefits of spice phytonutrients expressed in article by
BHARAT B. AGGARWAL AND SHISHIR SHISHODIA, Cytokine Research Laboratory, Department of Bioimmunotherapy The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.
Extensive research in the last few years has shown that the pathway that activates this transcription factor (NF-kB) can be interrupted by phytochemicals derived from spices such as turmeric (curcumin), red pepper (capsaicin), cloves (eugenol), ginger (gingerol), cumin, anise and fennel (anethol), basil and rosemary (ursolic acid), garlic (diallyl sulfide, Sallylmercaptocysteine, ajoene), and pomegranate (ellagic acid). For the first time, therefore, research provides "reasoning for seasoning.”
Your mom was right eat you vegetables, eat a variety of them and try something new.
Don
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Does Taking Antioxidant Vitamin Suppliments Work? Could your Mother be Right?
Free the Free Radicals
By: GRETCHEN REYNOLDS
Published: October 6, 2010
Does taking antioxidant vitamin supplements work?
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/06/phys-ed-free-the-free-radicals/
We’re all used to hearing that everything we once thought was good for us is not. But even within that framework, the latest science about antioxidants, free radicals and exercise is telling. As many of us have heard, free radicals are molecules created by the breakdown of oxygen during metabolism. Each of us constantly creates free radicals simply by living and breathing. But these molecules are highly reactive and capricious, sometimes attacking other cells and damaging tissue. Wilding free radicals have been linked with a number of diseases and with aging. Exercise, because it requires increased oxygen consumption, also increases the production of free radicals. So, many experts began urging the fitness-minded to pop large doses of antioxidant vitamin supplements, like vitamins C and E, to counteract the presumed damaging effects of the free radicals. Food alone would not supply sufficient levels of the necessary antioxidants, it was thought. The exercising body needed help from vitamins.
But then a few years ago, researchers from the University of Valencia in Spain and the University of Wisconsin in Madison set out to study what would happen if you tried to prevent exercising muscles from creating free radicals. They had laboratory rats run on small treadmills until they were exhausted. Some of the rats had been injected with a powerful, pharmaceutical-grade antioxidant that works in the body to halt the production of most free radicals. After the rats ran, the researchers measured the levels of a number of substances in their leg muscles. Not surprisingly, the injected rats showed almost no free-radical activity. They were virtually immune to what scientists had considered a kind of bodily damage.
The leg muscles of the other exercised rats, though, teemed with free radicals. But at the same time, they buzzed with other, unexpected biochemical reactions. In their legs, genes were being expressed that activated growth factors that, in turn, increased levels of ‘‘important enzymes associated with cell defense’’ and ‘‘adaptation to exercise,’’ the researchers wrote. There was hardly any similar activity in the rats with low free-radical levels. Somehow, the researchers speculated, the free radicals had jump-started a process that over time would allow the rats’ muscles to adapt to exercise. Suppressing the production of free radicals had, they concluded, prevented the ‘‘activation of important signaling pathways’’ and altered the muscles’ ability to adapt to exercise. As a result, they wrote, ‘‘the practice of taking antioxidants’’ to ward off the presumed free-radical damage caused by exercise ‘‘may have to be re-evaluated.’’
They published their findings in 2005, and since then a number of other studies have replicated and expanded on their results, to thought-provoking effect. One of the most reverberant experiments, published last year, enrolled a group of young men in a monthlong exercise program. Some swallowed moderately high doses of the antioxidant vitamins C and E. Others did not. At the end of the month, the men not taking the vitamins showed higher-than-average activity in their bodies’ innate antioxidant defense system. The men downing the vitamins did not, which makes sense; the antioxidant vitamins were mopping up the free radicals for them. But at the same time, the men not taking vitamins significantly increased their insulin sensitivity, a key measure of the health benefits of exercise, while those taking the antioxidants did not. Apparently, when the body’s natural antioxidant defense system went into high gear, so did its ability to handle insulin. Removing the necessity for the body to deal, on its own, with the free radicals also prevented other adaptations that make exercise healthy.
What these findings mean for those of us who work out regularly is still being determined by scientists. But one message is clear. ‘‘The evidence suggests that large amounts of antioxidants are not needed’’ by most athletes, even those training strenuously, said Li Li Ji, a professor of exercise physiology and nutritional science at the University of Wisconsin and one of the authors of the rat study. ‘‘The body adapts,’’ he said, a process that can, it seems, be altered by antioxidant supplements.
Another lesson: ‘‘Eat well,’’ he said. Although this is not yet proved, it seems likely, he continued, that antioxidants from foods, like blueberries, green tea and carrots, may work in tandem with the body’s natural antioxidant defenses better than those from supplements.
But the overriding lesson of the newest science about exercise and antioxidants may be as simple as: let the body be. ‘‘It is quite a smart machine,’’ Dr. Ji said. ‘‘It knows how to respond’’ to stresses like a hard run, without the need for antioxidant pills. Just eat foods high in phytonutrients.
More on this soon....the role of anti-inflammatory compound of plant origin in the MODULATION of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as NF-kB and TNF-alpha. Food and condensed food maybe our best source in modulating our bodies responses to the environ.
By: GRETCHEN REYNOLDS
Published: October 6, 2010
Does taking antioxidant vitamin supplements work?
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/06/phys-ed-free-the-free-radicals/
We’re all used to hearing that everything we once thought was good for us is not. But even within that framework, the latest science about antioxidants, free radicals and exercise is telling. As many of us have heard, free radicals are molecules created by the breakdown of oxygen during metabolism. Each of us constantly creates free radicals simply by living and breathing. But these molecules are highly reactive and capricious, sometimes attacking other cells and damaging tissue. Wilding free radicals have been linked with a number of diseases and with aging. Exercise, because it requires increased oxygen consumption, also increases the production of free radicals. So, many experts began urging the fitness-minded to pop large doses of antioxidant vitamin supplements, like vitamins C and E, to counteract the presumed damaging effects of the free radicals. Food alone would not supply sufficient levels of the necessary antioxidants, it was thought. The exercising body needed help from vitamins.
But then a few years ago, researchers from the University of Valencia in Spain and the University of Wisconsin in Madison set out to study what would happen if you tried to prevent exercising muscles from creating free radicals. They had laboratory rats run on small treadmills until they were exhausted. Some of the rats had been injected with a powerful, pharmaceutical-grade antioxidant that works in the body to halt the production of most free radicals. After the rats ran, the researchers measured the levels of a number of substances in their leg muscles. Not surprisingly, the injected rats showed almost no free-radical activity. They were virtually immune to what scientists had considered a kind of bodily damage.
The leg muscles of the other exercised rats, though, teemed with free radicals. But at the same time, they buzzed with other, unexpected biochemical reactions. In their legs, genes were being expressed that activated growth factors that, in turn, increased levels of ‘‘important enzymes associated with cell defense’’ and ‘‘adaptation to exercise,’’ the researchers wrote. There was hardly any similar activity in the rats with low free-radical levels. Somehow, the researchers speculated, the free radicals had jump-started a process that over time would allow the rats’ muscles to adapt to exercise. Suppressing the production of free radicals had, they concluded, prevented the ‘‘activation of important signaling pathways’’ and altered the muscles’ ability to adapt to exercise. As a result, they wrote, ‘‘the practice of taking antioxidants’’ to ward off the presumed free-radical damage caused by exercise ‘‘may have to be re-evaluated.’’
They published their findings in 2005, and since then a number of other studies have replicated and expanded on their results, to thought-provoking effect. One of the most reverberant experiments, published last year, enrolled a group of young men in a monthlong exercise program. Some swallowed moderately high doses of the antioxidant vitamins C and E. Others did not. At the end of the month, the men not taking the vitamins showed higher-than-average activity in their bodies’ innate antioxidant defense system. The men downing the vitamins did not, which makes sense; the antioxidant vitamins were mopping up the free radicals for them. But at the same time, the men not taking vitamins significantly increased their insulin sensitivity, a key measure of the health benefits of exercise, while those taking the antioxidants did not. Apparently, when the body’s natural antioxidant defense system went into high gear, so did its ability to handle insulin. Removing the necessity for the body to deal, on its own, with the free radicals also prevented other adaptations that make exercise healthy.
What these findings mean for those of us who work out regularly is still being determined by scientists. But one message is clear. ‘‘The evidence suggests that large amounts of antioxidants are not needed’’ by most athletes, even those training strenuously, said Li Li Ji, a professor of exercise physiology and nutritional science at the University of Wisconsin and one of the authors of the rat study. ‘‘The body adapts,’’ he said, a process that can, it seems, be altered by antioxidant supplements.
Another lesson: ‘‘Eat well,’’ he said. Although this is not yet proved, it seems likely, he continued, that antioxidants from foods, like blueberries, green tea and carrots, may work in tandem with the body’s natural antioxidant defenses better than those from supplements.
But the overriding lesson of the newest science about exercise and antioxidants may be as simple as: let the body be. ‘‘It is quite a smart machine,’’ Dr. Ji said. ‘‘It knows how to respond’’ to stresses like a hard run, without the need for antioxidant pills. Just eat foods high in phytonutrients.
More on this soon....the role of anti-inflammatory compound of plant origin in the MODULATION of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as NF-kB and TNF-alpha. Food and condensed food maybe our best source in modulating our bodies responses to the environ.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Vitamin D: Asthma and Influenza
Vitamin D Helps Fend Off Flu, Asthma Attacks: Study
SOURCE: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, online March 10, 2010
(Reuters Health) - In a study of Japanese schoolchildren, vitamin D supplements taken during the winter and early spring helped prevent seasonal flu and asthma attacks.
The idea for the study, study chief Dr. Mitsuyoshi Urashima, told Reuters Health, came from an earlier study looking at whether vitamin D could help prevent the bone-thinning disease osteoporosis. The researchers in that study noticed that people taking vitamin D were three times less likely to report cold and flu symptoms.
This led Urashima, of Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, and colleagues to randomly assign a group of 6- to 15-year-old children to take vitamin D3 supplements (1,200 international units daily) or inactive placebo during a cold and flu season.
Vitamin D3, or cholecalciferol, is more readily absorbed by the body and more potent than vitamin D2, or ergocalciferol, the form often found in multivitamins.
During the study, conducted between December 2008 and March 2009, 31 of 167 children taking placebo caught influenza A, the most common form of the virus, compared with only 18 of 167 taking vitamin D.
The vitamin D group was 58 percent less likely to catch influenza A, the researchers report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Vitamin D also appeared to suppress asthma attacks in children with a history of asthma. Two children taking vitamin D had asthma attacks during the study, compared to 12 children taking placebo. Urashima admitted to being a bit surprised by this finding and hopes to confirm it in a randomized trial targeting children with asthma.
Dr. Adit Ginde, of University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, who was not involved in the study, told Reuters Health: "This is the first time a study has been done that rigorously shows that vitamin D supplementation can reduce a type of influenza in a dedicated clinical trial." Ginde and colleagues published a study a year ago showing that asthmatics with lower vitamin D levels were at five times the risk for colds and flu.
In the Japanese study, vitamin D supplementation did not prevent influenza type B, which tends to appear later in the flu season than the "A" flu variety.
Ginde said there is no solid explanation for why vitamin D prevented influenza A and not influenza B. "The immune system fights different viruses in different ways. This finding needs to be explored in more detail," Ginde said.
Based on the current study, giving kids vitamin D supplements during the winter may help reduce cases of influenza A, the researchers conclude. Urashima suggests that children could take 1,200 IU per day starting in September to prevent flu and asthma attacks during the flu season.
Taking one tablet of Cataplex D morning and evening will supply you with 1600 IU's of vitamin D.
Don
SOURCE: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, online March 10, 2010
(Reuters Health) - In a study of Japanese schoolchildren, vitamin D supplements taken during the winter and early spring helped prevent seasonal flu and asthma attacks.
The idea for the study, study chief Dr. Mitsuyoshi Urashima, told Reuters Health, came from an earlier study looking at whether vitamin D could help prevent the bone-thinning disease osteoporosis. The researchers in that study noticed that people taking vitamin D were three times less likely to report cold and flu symptoms.
This led Urashima, of Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, and colleagues to randomly assign a group of 6- to 15-year-old children to take vitamin D3 supplements (1,200 international units daily) or inactive placebo during a cold and flu season.
Vitamin D3, or cholecalciferol, is more readily absorbed by the body and more potent than vitamin D2, or ergocalciferol, the form often found in multivitamins.
During the study, conducted between December 2008 and March 2009, 31 of 167 children taking placebo caught influenza A, the most common form of the virus, compared with only 18 of 167 taking vitamin D.
The vitamin D group was 58 percent less likely to catch influenza A, the researchers report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Vitamin D also appeared to suppress asthma attacks in children with a history of asthma. Two children taking vitamin D had asthma attacks during the study, compared to 12 children taking placebo. Urashima admitted to being a bit surprised by this finding and hopes to confirm it in a randomized trial targeting children with asthma.
Dr. Adit Ginde, of University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, who was not involved in the study, told Reuters Health: "This is the first time a study has been done that rigorously shows that vitamin D supplementation can reduce a type of influenza in a dedicated clinical trial." Ginde and colleagues published a study a year ago showing that asthmatics with lower vitamin D levels were at five times the risk for colds and flu.
In the Japanese study, vitamin D supplementation did not prevent influenza type B, which tends to appear later in the flu season than the "A" flu variety.
Ginde said there is no solid explanation for why vitamin D prevented influenza A and not influenza B. "The immune system fights different viruses in different ways. This finding needs to be explored in more detail," Ginde said.
Based on the current study, giving kids vitamin D supplements during the winter may help reduce cases of influenza A, the researchers conclude. Urashima suggests that children could take 1,200 IU per day starting in September to prevent flu and asthma attacks during the flu season.
Taking one tablet of Cataplex D morning and evening will supply you with 1600 IU's of vitamin D.
Don
Monday, October 11, 2010
Sleep - not to long; not to short seems to be the key
Not more than eight (8) and not less than six (6) hours a night maybe the key in maintaining weight, living longer and reducing your risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
Women's study finds longevity means getting just enough sleep
ScienceDaily (2010-10-01) -- A new study, derived from novel sleep research 14 years earlier, suggests that the secret to a long life may come with just enough sleep. Less than five hours a night is probably not enough; eight hours is probably too much. ... > read full article
Sleep Duration Related To Having Metabolic Syndrome
ScienceDaily (2008-05-01) -- Short and long sleepers are more likely to have metabolic syndrome, or a combination of medical disorders that increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. According to the results, the odds for having the metabolic syndrome increased by more than 45 percent in both short and long sleepers. ... > read full article
Aerobic exercise relieves insomnia
ScienceDaily (2010-09-15) -- Millions of middle-aged and older adults who suffer from insomnia have a new drug-free prescription for a more restful night's sleep. Regular aerobic exercise dramatically improves the quality of sleep, mood and vitality, according to a new study. ... > read full article
Long sleep duration linked to an increased risk of metabolic syndrome in older adults
ScienceDaily (2010-06-10) -- Participants reporting a daily sleep duration of eight hours or more including naps were 15 percent more likely to have metabolic syndrome. This relationship remained unchanged after full adjustment for potential confounders. Participants who reported a short sleep duration of less than six hours initially were 14 percent more likely to have metabolic syndrome; this association disappeared after controlling for potential confounders. Participants were 29,310 people 50 years of age or older in Guangzhou, China. ... > read full article
Chronic Insomnia With Short Sleep Duration Is Significant Risk Factor For Hypertension
ScienceDaily (2009-04-09) -- A new study is the first to demonstrate that chronic insomnia with objectively measured short sleep time is an independent and clinically significant risk factor for hypertension. ... > read full article
Short, Long Sleep Duration Is Associated With Future Weight Gain In Adults#
ScienceDaily (2008-04-04) -- Both short and long sleeping times predict an increased risk of future body weight and fat gain in adults. Short and long duration sleepers were 35 percent and 25 percent more likely to experience a 5 kg weight gain, respectively, as compared with average duration sleepers over six years. The risk of developing obesity was elevated for short and long duration sleepers as compared with average duration sleepers, with 27 percent and 21 percent increases in risk, respectively. ... > read full article
Too Much Or Too Little Sleep Increases Risk Of Diabetes
ScienceDaily (2009-04-23) -- Scientists have found that people who sleep too much or not enough are at greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance. The risk is 2.5 times higher for people who sleep less than seven hours or more than eight hours a night. ... > read full article
Sleep May Be Factor In Weight Control
ScienceDaily (2009-05-19) -- Could sleep be a critical component to maintaining a healthy body weight? According to new research, body mass index is linked to length and quality of sleep in a surprisingly consistent fashion. ... > read full article
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine offers the following tips on how to get a good night's sleep:
•Follow a consistent bedtime routine.
•Establish a relaxing setting at bedtime.
•Get a full night's sleep every night.
•Avoid foods or drinks that contain caffeine, as well as any medicine that has a stimulant, prior to bedtime.
•Do not bring your worries to bed with you.
•Do not go to bed hungry, but don't eat a big meal before bedtime either.
•Avoid any rigorous exercise within six hours of your bedtime.
•Make your bedroom quiet, dark and a little bit cool.
•Get up at the same time every morning.
Valerian Root and Passion Flower can also assist in calming you down at bed time; Valarian Root Complex from Mediherb Valerian Complex contains Valerian, Passion Flower and Zizyphus spinosa. Together these herbs and their constituents can help the body to: support nervous system health and obtain relief from occasional sleeplessness; use one to two tablets 20-30 min before bed . The use of a blood sugar stabilizing product such as A-F Betafood from Standard Process can also assist in sleep maintenance; by assisting the body in creating glycogen stores thus providing a constant source of fuel during sleep; use two to four tablets 20-30 min before bed time. Increased lactic acid and its subsquent build up is also a strong adrenal stimulant causing patients to awaken and then being unable to return to sleep.Cataplex B can assist this condition. (from Walther).
Book - "The Promise of Sleep" Dr William C. Dement, M.D., Ph.D. great resourse.
Review - Healthful sleep has been empirically proven to be the single most important factor in predicting longevity, more influential than diet, exercise, or heredity. And yet we are a sleep-sick society, ignorant of the facts of sleep--and the price of sleep deprivation. In this groundbreaking book, based on decades of study on the frontiers of sleep science, Dr. William Dement, founder and director of the Stanford University Sleep Research Center, explains what happens when we sleep, when we don't, and how we can reclaim the most powerful--and underrated--health miracle of all.
Don
Women's study finds longevity means getting just enough sleep
ScienceDaily (2010-10-01) -- A new study, derived from novel sleep research 14 years earlier, suggests that the secret to a long life may come with just enough sleep. Less than five hours a night is probably not enough; eight hours is probably too much. ... > read full article
Sleep Duration Related To Having Metabolic Syndrome
ScienceDaily (2008-05-01) -- Short and long sleepers are more likely to have metabolic syndrome, or a combination of medical disorders that increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. According to the results, the odds for having the metabolic syndrome increased by more than 45 percent in both short and long sleepers. ... > read full article
Aerobic exercise relieves insomnia
ScienceDaily (2010-09-15) -- Millions of middle-aged and older adults who suffer from insomnia have a new drug-free prescription for a more restful night's sleep. Regular aerobic exercise dramatically improves the quality of sleep, mood and vitality, according to a new study. ... > read full article
Long sleep duration linked to an increased risk of metabolic syndrome in older adults
ScienceDaily (2010-06-10) -- Participants reporting a daily sleep duration of eight hours or more including naps were 15 percent more likely to have metabolic syndrome. This relationship remained unchanged after full adjustment for potential confounders. Participants who reported a short sleep duration of less than six hours initially were 14 percent more likely to have metabolic syndrome; this association disappeared after controlling for potential confounders. Participants were 29,310 people 50 years of age or older in Guangzhou, China. ... > read full article
Chronic Insomnia With Short Sleep Duration Is Significant Risk Factor For Hypertension
ScienceDaily (2009-04-09) -- A new study is the first to demonstrate that chronic insomnia with objectively measured short sleep time is an independent and clinically significant risk factor for hypertension. ... > read full article
Short, Long Sleep Duration Is Associated With Future Weight Gain In Adults#
ScienceDaily (2008-04-04) -- Both short and long sleeping times predict an increased risk of future body weight and fat gain in adults. Short and long duration sleepers were 35 percent and 25 percent more likely to experience a 5 kg weight gain, respectively, as compared with average duration sleepers over six years. The risk of developing obesity was elevated for short and long duration sleepers as compared with average duration sleepers, with 27 percent and 21 percent increases in risk, respectively. ... > read full article
Too Much Or Too Little Sleep Increases Risk Of Diabetes
ScienceDaily (2009-04-23) -- Scientists have found that people who sleep too much or not enough are at greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance. The risk is 2.5 times higher for people who sleep less than seven hours or more than eight hours a night. ... > read full article
Sleep May Be Factor In Weight Control
ScienceDaily (2009-05-19) -- Could sleep be a critical component to maintaining a healthy body weight? According to new research, body mass index is linked to length and quality of sleep in a surprisingly consistent fashion. ... > read full article
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine offers the following tips on how to get a good night's sleep:
•Follow a consistent bedtime routine.
•Establish a relaxing setting at bedtime.
•Get a full night's sleep every night.
•Avoid foods or drinks that contain caffeine, as well as any medicine that has a stimulant, prior to bedtime.
•Do not bring your worries to bed with you.
•Do not go to bed hungry, but don't eat a big meal before bedtime either.
•Avoid any rigorous exercise within six hours of your bedtime.
•Make your bedroom quiet, dark and a little bit cool.
•Get up at the same time every morning.
Valerian Root and Passion Flower can also assist in calming you down at bed time; Valarian Root Complex from Mediherb Valerian Complex contains Valerian, Passion Flower and Zizyphus spinosa. Together these herbs and their constituents can help the body to: support nervous system health and obtain relief from occasional sleeplessness; use one to two tablets 20-30 min before bed . The use of a blood sugar stabilizing product such as A-F Betafood from Standard Process can also assist in sleep maintenance; by assisting the body in creating glycogen stores thus providing a constant source of fuel during sleep; use two to four tablets 20-30 min before bed time. Increased lactic acid and its subsquent build up is also a strong adrenal stimulant causing patients to awaken and then being unable to return to sleep.Cataplex B can assist this condition. (from Walther).
Book - "The Promise of Sleep" Dr William C. Dement, M.D., Ph.D. great resourse.
Review - Healthful sleep has been empirically proven to be the single most important factor in predicting longevity, more influential than diet, exercise, or heredity. And yet we are a sleep-sick society, ignorant of the facts of sleep--and the price of sleep deprivation. In this groundbreaking book, based on decades of study on the frontiers of sleep science, Dr. William Dement, founder and director of the Stanford University Sleep Research Center, explains what happens when we sleep, when we don't, and how we can reclaim the most powerful--and underrated--health miracle of all.
Don
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