Vitamin D2 effectively treats vitamin D deficiency

A new study by researchers at Boston University School of Medicine researchers has shown that 50,000 International Units (IU) of vitamin D2, given weekly for eight weeks, effectively treats vitamin D deficiency.

Vitamin D2 is a mainstay for the prevention and treatment of vitamin D deficiency in children and adults.

Continued treatment with the same dose of vitamin D2 every other week for up to six years after the initial eight-week period prevents vitamin D deficiency from recurring with no toxicity.

Vitamin D is essential for strong bones because it helps the body absorb calcium and phosphorus from the food we eat.

Vitamin D deficiency can lead to rickets in children and the painful bone disease osteomalacia in adults. Vitamin D deficiency can also cause osteoporosis and has been linked to increased risk of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, autoimmune diseases and infectious diseases including influenza.

Of the 86 patients researchers studied, 41 patients who were vitamin D deficient received eight weeks of 50,000 IU of vitamin D2 weekly prior to starting maintenance therapy.

For those patients, the mean pre-treatment 25-hydroxyvitamin D status (25(OH)D) level was 19 ng/ml, which increased to 37 ng/ml after eight weeks of weekly therapy. These patients were then treated with 50,000 IU of vitamin D2 every other week and had a mean final 25(OH)D level of 47 ng/ml.

For the 45 patients who received only maintenance therapy of 50,000 IU of vitamin D2 every two weeks, the mean pre-treatment 25(OH)D level was 27 ng/ml and the mean final level was 47 ng/ml.

‘Vitamin D2 is effective in raising 25(OH)D levels when given in physiologic and pharmacologic doses and is a simple method to treat and prevent vitamin D deficiency,’ said senior author Michael F. Holick, PhD, MD, director of the Bone Healthcare Clinic and the Vitamin D, Skin and Bone Research Laboratory at Boston University School of Medicine.

‘While treating and preventing vitamin D deficiency, these large doses of vitamin D2 do not lead to vitamin D toxicity,’ he added.

According to Holick, this is the first study demonstrating the efficacy of a prescription therapy to prevent vitamin D deficiency long-term in routine clinical practice.

The study appears online in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine.



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Latest analysis confirms suboptimal vitamin D levels in millions of US children

Millions of children in the United States between the ages of 1 and 11 may suffer from suboptimal levels of vitamin D, according to a large nationally representative study published in the November issue of Pediatrics, accompanied by an editorial.

The study, led by Jonathan Mansbach, MD, at Children's Hospital Boston, is the most up-to-date analysis of vitamin D levels in U.S. children. It builds on the growing evidence that levels have fallen below what's considered healthy, and that black and Hispanic children are at particularly high risk.

Both the optimal amount of vitamin D supplementation and the healthy blood level of vitamin D are under heated debate in the medical community. Currently, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends children should have vitamin D levels of at least 50 nmol/L (20 ng/ml). However, other studies in adults suggest that vitamin D levels should be at least 75 nmol/L (30 ng/ml), and possibly 100 nmol/L (40 ng/ml), to lower the risk of heart disease and specific cancers.

Mansbach and collaborators from the University of Colorado Denver and Massachusetts General Hospital used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) to look at vitamin D levels in a nationally representative sample of roughly 5,000 children from 2001-2006. Extrapolating to the entire U.S. population, their analysis suggests that roughly 20 percent of all children fell below the recommended 50 nmol/L. Moreover, more than two-thirds of all children had levels below 75 nmol/L, including 80 percent of Hispanic children and 92 percent of non-Hispanic black children.

"If 75 nmol/L or higher is eventually demonstrated to be the healthy normal level of vitamin D, then there is much more vitamin D deficiency in the U.S. than people realize," Mansbach says.

Mansbach and his co-authors suggest that all children take vitamin D supplements, because of the generally low levels that they found and the potential health benefits of boosting vitamin D to normal levels. Vitamin D improves bone health and prevents rickets in children, and recent studies suggest that it also may prevent a host of common childhood illnesses, including respiratory infections, childhood wheezing, and winter-related eczema.

Although sun exposure generates healthy doses of vitamin D, it can also cause skin cancer. Dermatologists and the AAP recommend wearing sunblock, but this actually blocks our skin's ability to make vitamin D. Furthermore, children with more highly pigmented skin require much more sun exposure than fair-skinned children to obtain healthy levels of vitamin D. Vitamin D can also be obtained from certain foods, like liver and fatty fish, but almost all children in the U.S. don't consume these foods in high enough quantities to match the vitamin D that could be provided by summer sunshine or vitamin D supplements.

In the study, children taking multi-vitamins that included vitamin D had higher levels overall, but this accounted for less than half of all children. Mansbach recommends that all children take vitamin D supplements, especially those living in high latitudes, where the sun is scarce in the wintertime.

"We need to perform randomized controlled trials to understand if vitamin D actually improves these wide-ranging health outcomes," Mansbach says. "At present, however, there are a lot of studies demonstrating associations between low levels of vitamin D and poor health. Therefore, we believe many U.S. children would likely benefit from more vitamin D."

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Total Nutraceutical Solutions To Launch Natural Organic Whole Food Mushroom Vitamin D Supplement

Recent Studies Reveal Worldwide Deficiencies in Vitamin D Levels

Total Nutraceutical Solutions, Inc. (TNS) (OTCBB:TNUS), announced today that the
company has formulated and will launch a unique natural whole food
mushroom-based Vitamin D supplement. This supplement is plant-based and not
animal-based and provides a new approach to Vitamin D supplementation in
health-conscious individuals. A proprietary grown mushroom, Agaricus blazei
Murill (AbM) by Sylvan Bio, Inc. and Creekside Mushrooms Limited will be
stimulated with UV light to produce natural organic Vitamin D2 within the
mushroom. The need for this product is underscored by the following statement in
the October 26, 2009 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine: "The worldwide
prevalence of Vitamin D deficiency is striking and more than 40% of the
population may be Vitamin D deficient." (Vol.169 No.19, pp.1806-1808).The
importance of the timing of this product launch and the need for a natural whole
food form of Vitamin D is further evidenced by a recent statement by the Office
of Dietary Supplements, National Institutes of Health, that the second-best
source of Vitamin D is 3 ounces of mushrooms enriched with Vitamin D. Many
medical organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatricians, have
advocated increased intake of Vitamin D, especially in children. Children`s
Hospital Boston reports that 62% of children taking multivitamins had below
normal levels of vitamin D (USA Today, October 26, 2009). TNS has developed
technologic capability that will allow production of a daily oral encapsulated
natural supplement that contains enough Vitamin D equal to or greater than ten
8-ounce servings of Vitamin D fortified milk, at a cost that is affordable by
most people.

According to the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, "nutrient needs should
be met primarily through consuming foods. Foods provide an array of nutrients
and other compounds that may have beneficial effects on health."
(http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidlines/dga2005/document/default.htm) This
statement was recently supported by a TNS experiment that revealed that
ingestion of a natural organic edible whole food could increase biologic
survival in a nutritionally deprived organism. Unaltered and Vitamin D2 enriched
dried powders of the mushroom Agaricus blazei Murill by Sylvan significantly
increased survival above controls, 4% and 15% respectively (TNUS.OB; September
30, 2009).

Vitamin D, also called the "sunshine vitamin," has recently received much
attention as a needed nutritional supplement to improve human health. Decreased
levels of Vitamin D have been associated with a range of diseases, such as
osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, cancer of the breast, diabetes, cardiovascular
disease, and many others.

TNS has purchased a Steripulse - XL 3000 Pulsed UVB light system from Xenon
Corporation, Wilmington, MA, and the system is being installed at Columbia
Nutritional Services, Vancouver, WA, the TNS contract manufacturer. TNS has
acquired from The Penn State Research Foundation (PSRF) an option to license an
invention entitled "Rapid Generation of Vitamin D2 from Mushrooms and Fungi
Using Pulsed UV-light" (The Invention). A U.S. Provisional Patent Application
was filed on April 23, 2008 and names Professor Robert B. Beelman, and Graduate
Student Michael Kalaras as co-inventors, Department of Food Science,
Pennsylvania State University (PSU).

"As a doctor, I receive no greater pleasure than having the opportunity to
create products that can help people live longer and healthier lives," stated
Marvin S. Hausman MD, CEO, Total Nutraceutical Solutions, Inc. "Vitamin D
deficiency is worldwide, is implicated in many diseases, and this product has
the potential to provide a needed nutritional answer to this problem."

"I am very excited that our new process is being commercially utilized to
produce Vitamin D-rich dietary supplements made from the highly nutritious
Agaricus blazei mushroom," stated Robert B. Beelman Ph.D., Professor of Food
Science, Pennsylvania State University. "I believe this product will be the
first of its kind made from a whole food that will appeal to health conscious
individuals that desire to consume a plant-based diet."

Sylvan Bio, Inc. is an emerging leader in providing innovative fungal products
to a variety of industries. Based in Kittanning, Pennsylvania, it is a wholly
owned subsidiary of Sylvan Inc., also based in Kittanning. Sylvan Inc. serves
mushroom, agricultural and nutraceutical markets through its prominence in
fungal technology and solid-substrate fermentation.

Creekside Mushrooms Limited is the largest single site fully integrated and
highly technological "underground" mushroom growing farm in the world.
Creekside`s unique underground farm is scientifically monitored to provide ideal
year-round growing conditions to consistently produce the highest quality
mushrooms, which are 100% organic.

About Total Nutraceutical Solutions, Inc.:

Total Nutraceutical Solutions, Inc. (TNS), is an emerging nutraceutical company
with a focus on discovering, formulating and marketing products composed
primarily of organic natural mushroom compounds that contain bioactive nutrients
for potential health benefits. TNS develops production and analytic technologies
for food and nutritional supplements composed primarily of mushrooms and their
mycelial biomasses. Novel clinical models and biomarkers are used to show
nutritional and clinical efficacy of our products. In addition to preventative
healthcare formulations and nutritional approaches to a wide variety of human
conditions and illnesses, TNS also develops and acquires breakthrough
nutritional tools and products in the fields of animal husbandry and livestock
feeds.

Any statements contained in this press release that relate to future plans,
events or performance are forward-looking statements that involve risks and
uncertainties, including, but not limited to, the risks associated with
thetransactiondescribed in this press release, and other risks identified in the
filings by Total Nutraceutical Solutions (TNS), Inc., with the Securities and
Exchange Commission. Further information on risks faced by TNS are detailed in
the Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008, and in its subsequent
Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. These filings are or will become available on a
website maintained by the Securities and Exchange Commission at
http://www.sec.gov. The information contained in this press release is accurate
as of the date indicated. Actual results, events or performance may differ
materially. TNS does not undertake any obligation to publicly release the result
of any revision to these forward-looking statements that may be made to reflect
events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of
unanticipated events.

Total Nutraceutical Solutions, Inc.
Roberta Matta, 509-427-5132
www.totalnutraceutical.com



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Study Suggest Vitamin D Levels Too Low for 1 in 5 U.S. Children, Daily Dose is 4 cups of milk

1 in 5 kids get little vitamin D, study says....

At least one in five U.S. children aged 1 to 11 don’t get enough vitamin D and could be at risk for a variety of health problems including weak bones, the most recent national analysis suggests.

By a looser measure, almost 90 percent of black children that age and 80 percent of Hispanic kids could be vitamin D deficient — “astounding numbers” that should serve as a call to action, said Dr. Jonathan Mansbach, lead author of the new analysis and a researcher at Harvard Medical School and Children’s Hospital in Boston.

The findings add to mounting evidence about vitamin D deficiency in children, teens and adults, a concern because of recent studies suggesting the vitamin might help prevent serious diseases, including infections, diabetes and even some cancers.

While hard evidence showing that low levels of vitamin D lead to disease or that high levels prevent it is lacking, it’s a burgeoning area of research.

Exactly how much vitamin D children and adults should get, and defining when they are deficient, is under debate. Doctors use different definitions, and many are waiting for guidance expected in an Institute of Medicine report on vitamin D due next year. The institute is a government advisory group that sets dietary standards.

The new analysis, released online Monday by the journal Pediatrics, is the first assessment of varying vitamin D levels in children aged 1 through 11.

Previous studies in the journal this year found low levels were prevalent in U.S. teens, and also showed kids with low levels had higher blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and were more likely to be overweight.

The new analysis uses data from a 2001-06 government health survey of nearly 3,000 children. They had blood tests measuring vitamin D levels.

Using the American Academy of Pediatrics’ cutoff for healthy vitamin D levels, 6.4 million children — about 20 percent of kids that age — have blood levels that are too low. Applying a less strict, higher cutoff, two-thirds of children that age, including 90 percent of black kids and 80 percent of Hispanics, are deficient in vitamin D.

A Pediatrics editorial says the strongest evidence about effects of vitamin D deficiency in kids involves rickets, a bone disease common a century ago but that continues to occur.

Rickets can be treated and prevented with 400 units daily of vitamin D, the editorial says. The pediatricians’ group recently recommended that amount for all children, saying that most need vitamin supplements.

Mansbach says his study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, supports that recommendation.

Children can get 400 units daily by drinking four cups of fortified milk, or eating lots of fish, but many don’t do that.

The body also makes vitamin D when sunlight hits the skin, but many children don’t spend enough time outdoors. That’s one reason why lower vitamin D levels are found in children living in colder climates and those with darker skin, which absorbs less sunlight.



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Scientific evidence of vitamin D's vast benefits is building ( Part 3 )

With vitamin D, he added, "You still have these same problems, but the data is pretty clear that vitamin D is providing a benefit. The evidence is gathering more steam."

A bone builder

Because it's critical in the absorption of calcium, vitamin D long has been recognized as important in building strong bones. Said Klamm, historically, vitamin D deficiency was associated with rickets, a softening of bones in children.

While few children are diagnosed with rickets these days, many are nonetheless low in vitamin D.

"It's pretty clear that somewhere in the neighborhood of half of all people under the age of 18 don't get enough vitamin D," Hall said.

The problem exists even among nursing infants.

"We used to think breast milk was the ideal food," Klamm said. "It turns out there's not much vitamin D in breast milk."

Though bone-building seems most critical for the young, it's just as if not more important for the old, whose skin makes vitamin D far less efficiently. At age 20, spending 20 unprotected minutes in the sun twice a week is all it takes for you body to manufacture sufficient vitamin D, Cardelli said; by age 70, the number climbs to 80 minutes.

Klamm said studies in nursing homes have proven that vitamin D supplementation is helpful in improving both bone and muscle strength. He added that some elite athletes now train at altitude near the equator for similar reasons: They believe that the extra vitamin D their skin creates in such a setting boosts performance.

Though the jury's still out on vitamin D's conclusive capabilities, plenty of people are taking it in the meantime.

"You never know because it's never the only thing going on with you. All I know is it didn't hurt me at all, and I haven't even had a cold in 2½ years," Barry said.



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Swine Flu Prevention Should Include Vitamin D

As the country battles the swine flu, supplementing with Vitamin D is a good way to boost immunity, but only by taking adequate amounts.

Vitamin D has received increased attention due to its crucial role in disease prevention and immune response.

People deficient in vitamin D who don't get enough sun may need to supplement, particularly during winter months. D3 or cholecalciferol is the form the Vitamin D Council recommends, and in sufficient amounts. Vitamin D Useful Against Cancer, Bone Issues, Colds & Flu, and More.

Despite the name, vitamin D isn't a vitamin; it's a secosteroid hormone that targets over 2000 genes in the human body. Vitamin D has been shown, according to the Vitamin D Council, to have a positive affect on bone health, immunity, cancer prevention and inflammation. Vitamin D3 is made in large quantities when sunlight strikes bare skin. Ergocalciferol, also referred to as vitamin D2 or Calciferol is available, but it isn't the naturally occurring form of vitamin D in humans.

Dr. John Jacob Cannell, MD, Vitamin D Council’s Executive Director, notes on their website that current research links Vitamin D deficiency to at least 17 variations of cancer as well as heart disease, stroke, hypertension, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, depression, chronic pain, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, muscle weakness, muscle wasting, birth defects, periodontal disease, and more.

In addition, vitamin D promotes calcium absorption in the gut and maintains adequate serum calcium and phosphate concentrations. This critical substance is needed for bone growth and remodeling, and without a sufficient amount, bones can become thin, brittle, or misshapen. Vitamin D can prevent rickets in children, osteomalacia in adults, and can help protect older adults from osteoporosis.


Vitamin D: Flu Season & the Sunshine Link

Most vitamin D is created from exposure to UV-B radiation from the sun. As a result, vitamin D deficiency is more common in the winter, when cold and flu levels reach their peak in populations.The rapid spread of the flu usually stops by May when population 25(OH) D levels quickly rise.

A large study appearing in the February 2009 Archives of Internal Medicine found that people with the lowest blood vitamin D levels reported having more recent colds or flu. The risks rose in adults and children who had acute or chronic respiratory disorders. "The findings of our study support an important role for vitamin D in prevention of common respiratory infections, such as colds and the flu," says Adit Ginde, MD, MPH, UC Denver Division of Emergency Medicine and lead author of the study.

There are no significant dietary sources of vitamin D, so unless people get adequate sun exposure or take supplements during the winter months, their immune system is easily compromised.
How Vitamin D Fights Colds and Flu

The body's immune system naturally produces antimicrobial, (destroying or inhibiting the growth of microorganisms), peptides or (AMPs). These AMPs won't work with every virus it comes in contact with, but for the ones they do, the body's immune system automatically springs into action.

When microbes like the influenza virus reach upper respiratory airways, they stimulate the production of an enzyme that converts 25(OH)D, the circulating inactive form of vitamin D, into the hormonally active 1,25(OH)2D (1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D). 1,25(OH)2D is needed to activate the genes that produce antimicrobial peptides.

Bottom line, without vitamin D there is no innate immunity in the body.
Vitamin D Levels Must Be High Enough To Aid Flu Prevention

Although the risk of vitamin D3 toxicity is very unlikely, people's fear of overdosing remains high.

Dr. Cannell and other vitamin D researchers recommend taking enough Vitamin D3 to get 25(OH)D levels above "substrate starvation levels," 50 ng/mL or 125 nmol/L. Current recommendations are inadequate to maintain optimal health, and certainly to prevent or treat colds and flu.

The Vitamin D Council recommends people supplement with vitamin D before getting a blood test, then adjust their dose so their 25(OH)D level is between 50–80 ng/ml during both the summer and the winter. The council cautions that these are conservative dosage recommendations. People who avoid the sun, and nearly all dark-skinned people need to increase their dose if their blood levels are still low, even after two months of the above dosage, particularly during the winter months.

Exact levels, explains Dr. Cannell, are difficult to determine because requirements vary by age, body weight, percent of body fat, latitude, skin coloration, season of the year, use of sun block, individual variation in sun exposure, and how sick someone is.

“If you use suntan parlors once a week,” says Dr. Cannell, “or if you live in Florida and sunbathe once a week, year-round, do nothing.” However, if you receive very little UVB exposure the Council recommends the following dosing levels of D3:

* Health children under the age of 2 - 1,000 IU per day*
* Healthy children over the age of 2 - 2,000 IU per day*
* Adults and adolescents - 5,000 IU per day.

*The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends 400 mg per day for children.

Consult with a health care provider before taking vitamin D, particularly if you have any of the following conditions: sarcoidosis, primary hyperparathyroidism, granulomatous disease, or other conditions that cause high blood calcium.

Vitamin D has received increased attention due to it's critical role in bone health, cancer prevention and immunity. People who test low or who have risk factors need to supplement. Take the optimal form and dose particularly during the winter months to prevent and treat colds and flu.




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Scientific evidence of vitamin D's vast benefits is building (Part 2)

There are vitamin D receptors on the body's immune cells," he said. His perspective: "They're there for some reason."
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Added Cardelli, "There is evidence also that our white blood cells are more effective at killing germs if our vitamin D level is higher."

To Barry's dosage concern, Klamm would respond in much the same way Barry's own health care provider did: The balance between the risks and benefits of vitamin D supplementation leans pronouncedly to the side of benefits.

"It's almost impossible with over-the-counter vitamin D to get too much," Cardelli said.

For those wanting to take action to prevent flu this fall and winter, Klamm said, "vaccinating is a good idea, washing hands is a good idea and taking vitamin D is a good idea. It's easy, and it's cheap."

A cancer preventive

Scientists further speculate that vitamin D plays a role in fending off cancer, particularly of the colon and breast. Two factors enter into their suspicion.

First, these diseases occur more frequently further from the equator, where more people are deficient in vitamin D.

"(Scientists) noted that there's a correlation between where you live on the planet and risk for certain diseases," Cardelli said.

Second, like immune cells, the tissues affected by several cancers have vitamin D receptors. Klamm said again, "If you either believe in evolution or the good Lord, there's a reason for them being there."

While the mechanisms of vitamin D's cancer-fighting effects are not yet understood or proven, every month sees new scientific articles published on the topic, said Dave Hall, Ph.D., associate professor of chemistry at Lawrence University in Appleton.

"There's a lack of vitamin D, and now researchers are going in and asking the questions," Hall said.

Answering them is a long and involved process.

"You have to do a prevention study, which takes a long time and a lot of people," Cardelli said.

"It's extremely difficult to examine nutrients and look at health effects," Hall said. "We hear a lot of different things about, 'Well, you don't have enough vitamin E in your diet,' or vitamin C, and there are a lot of conflicting studies."



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Vitamin D Benefits - Milking your options

People nowadays surely have a lot of options these days when it comes to choosing milk, according to a recent Los Angeles Times article.


The newspaper took a hard look at six different kinds of milk and broke them down by nutritional qualities. Here are some highlights:


Cow’s milk

Though milk made from cows is the most popular choice in the U.S., the health benefits of said milk are debatable. Whole milk packs a whole bunch of calories – 150 per cup to be exact ­– so skim and reduced-fat milks are generally healthier to drink.

Cow’s milk does provide a good dose of calcium and vitamin D, but just how important calcium is for bone health is a controversial issue and the relationship between cow’s milk and cancer is also mixed. Plus, people who are allergic to dairy or lactose intolerant can't drink cow’s milk.

“Most of the world's population can't digest milk. Our bodies are not made to drink this stuff," said Dr. Scott Sicherer, professor of pediatrics at the Jaffe Food Allergy Institute at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York,


Goat’s milk

Goat’s milk is pretty popular around the world, and it seems to be coming around in the U.S. as well.

Still, those who eschew cow’s milk for health reasons may want to sidestep goat’s milk as well. Whole goat’s milk has about the same saturated fat and cholesterol content as whole cow milk.

Plus, some studies have found that goat’s milk is just as likely to cause allergies or cause discomfort to those who are lactose intolerant.

“If someone's allergic to cow's milk, I tell them to stay away from mammalian milks,” said Sicherer.


Soy milk

Soy milk has a lot of health benefits like no cholesterol and little saturated fat. And, it still provides the same amount of key nutrients found in whole cow’s or goat’s milk, like calcium, protein, vitamins and potassium. It’s also been shown to lower the risk of cancers like prostate, colorectal and breast cancer.

But the relationship between soy milk consumption and cancer is kind of iffy and, since soybeans are pretty bitter, the milk is often heavily processed and sweetened, which means higher calorie counts. Plus, since soy milk contains high levels of carbohydrates that are hard for the body to break down, drinking soy milk can create an, um, uncomfortable situation.

"It can really cause a lot of gas in some people," said Alexandra Kazaks, professor of nutrition at Bastyr University in Kenmore, Wash.


Almond milk

Like soy milk, almond milk is drowning in health benefits. It contains no cholesterol, saturated fats or lactose. It’s also lower in calories and total fat than soy milk. Plus, almonds are a good source of iron, riboflavin, vitamin E and some essential fatty acids.

But, since the amount of almonds in almond milk can actually be pretty minimal – often they’re second or third on the ingredient list – drinking almond milk may get you very little of nut's health benefits.

Plus, there’s the whole issue of tree nut allergies, which affects about 0.2% of children.


Rice milk

Health-wise, rice milk has a lot going for it. It doesn’t have cholesterol, saturated fat or lactose, and it’s rare that people are allergic to it. It does often contain more calories than almond or soy milk, however.

Rice milk is also pumped up with calcium, vitamin A and vitamin D, but not with sweeteners, since it’s a mild-flavored product anyway. But, it’s not a great source of protein, so rice milk drinkers will have to look elsewhere for their daily intake.


Hemp milk

Hemp milk contains the same amount of calories as soy milk, but it also packs more fat content, albeit the healthy kinds like omega-3 and omega-6. It’s also low in saturated fat and cholesterol- and lactose-free. And, people with hemp allergies are rare.

However, it’s unclear whether the omega-3 fat in hemp has the same heart-health benefits of those found in fish oils, said William Harris, director of the Cardiovascular Health Research Center at the University of South Dakota.

And, just in case you’re wondering, hemp milk is made from different cannabis varieties than those used to produce marijuana, and contains none of the mind-altering active ingredient THC.

Overall, it’s clear that the many milk choices out there all have pros and cons. It’s up to you to decide what goes best with your cookies.

P.S. know more about Benefits of Vitamin C.



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Scientific evidence of vitamin D's vast benefits is building ( Part 1 )

Want to build sturdy bones and strong muscles? Prevent cancer? Dodge the flu in all its forms? An increasing number of health care professionals, including some very vocal and visible ones, say a single supplement can help you do all that and more — and a growing body of research supports their contention.
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That wonder substance that works wonders? Vitamin D — of which studies have estimated 1 billion people worldwide are deficient.

"It's clear that vitamin D is different from the other vitamins," said Dr. Rick Klamm, a family practitioner with ThedaCare Physicians-Neenah East. "It's really a hormone. It's not a vitamin."

Familiar as an additive in milk, vitamin D is unique in that we don't need to get it from a food source. Rather, our skin manufactures it upon exposure to the sun. That's part of the reason why, especially at northern latitudes like ours, the "D" in vitamin D could stand for deficient.

"In Wisconsin from October to April, we really can't make vitamin D, even if we do go out in the sun," said Dr. Roxanne Jadin-Cardelli, an internist with Aurora Health Center in Neenah.

In light of such geographical fluctuations, some scientists suspect that vitamin D helps defend against several conditions more prevalent in less sun-infused climates. Here, we consider a few of them.

An immunity booster

On the recommendation of her health care provider, Jeri Barry, 47, of Neenah takes 4,000 IUs, or International Units, of vitamin D each day. She also just finished a high-dose regimen after a blood test found her vitamin D level insufficient — that is, below about 30 nanograms per milliliter.

"I had 12 weeks when I took 50,000 IUs once a week to get my level to where my doctor thought it should be," Barry said.

She didn't do so without digging a little deeper first. "My question, of course, was, 'My gosh, that sounds like a ridiculous amount to be taking. What are the down sides?'"

There are few if any, according to Klamm, who along with his wife takes 2,000 IUs of vitamin D daily. He advocates vitamin D supplementation as one weapon in warding off the flu, which spikes in various geographic regions precisely when sunlight levels plummet.
(2 of 3)

"There are vitamin D receptors on the body's immune cells," he said. His perspective: "They're there for some reason."
Advertisement

Added Cardelli, "There is evidence also that our white blood cells are more effective at killing germs if our vitamin D level is higher."

To Barry's dosage concern, Klamm would respond in much the same way Barry's own health care provider did: The balance between the risks and benefits of vitamin D supplementation leans pronouncedly to the side of benefits.

"It's almost impossible with over-the-counter vitamin D to get too much," Cardelli said.

For those wanting to take action to prevent flu this fall and winter, Klamm said, "vaccinating is a good idea, washing hands is a good idea and taking vitamin D is a good idea. It's easy, and it's cheap."

A cancer preventive

Scientists further speculate that vitamin D plays a role in fending off cancer, particularly of the colon and breast. Two factors enter into their suspicion.

First, these diseases occur more frequently further from the equator, where more people are deficient in vitamin D.

"(Scientists) noted that there's a correlation between where you live on the planet and risk for certain diseases," Cardelli said.

Second, like immune cells, the tissues affected by several cancers have vitamin D receptors. Klamm said again, "If you either believe in evolution or the good Lord, there's a reason for them being there."

While the mechanisms of vitamin D's cancer-fighting effects are not yet understood or proven, every month sees new scientific articles published on the topic, said Dave Hall, Ph.D., associate professor of chemistry at Lawrence University in Appleton.

"There's a lack of vitamin D, and now researchers are going in and asking the questions," Hall said.

Answering them is a long and involved process.

"You have to do a prevention study, which takes a long time and a lot of people," Cardelli said.

"It's extremely difficult to examine nutrients and look at health effects," Hall said. "We hear a lot of different things about, 'Well, you don't have enough vitamin E in your diet,' or vitamin C, and there are a lot of conflicting studies."
(3 of 3)

With vitamin D, he added, "You still have these same problems, but the data is pretty clear that vitamin D is providing a benefit. The evidence is gathering more steam."
Advertisement
A bone builder

Because it's critical in the absorption of calcium, vitamin D long has been recognized as important in building strong bones. Said Klamm, historically, vitamin D deficiency was associated with rickets, a softening of bones in children.

While few children are diagnosed with rickets these days, many are nonetheless low in vitamin D.

"It's pretty clear that somewhere in the neighborhood of half of all people under the age of 18 don't get enough vitamin D," Hall said.

The problem exists even among nursing infants.

"We used to think breast milk was the ideal food," Klamm said. "It turns out there's not much vitamin D in breast milk."

Though bone-building seems most critical for the young, it's just as if not more important for the old, whose skin makes vitamin D far less efficiently. At age 20, spending 20 unprotected minutes in the sun twice a week is all it takes for you body to manufacture sufficient vitamin D, Cardelli said; by age 70, the number climbs to 80 minutes.

Klamm said studies in nursing homes have proven that vitamin D supplementation is helpful in improving both bone and muscle strength. He added that some elite athletes now train at altitude near the equator for similar reasons: They believe that the extra vitamin D their skin creates in such a setting boosts performance.

Though the jury's still out on vitamin D's conclusive capabilities, plenty of people are taking it in the meantime.

"You never know because it's never the only thing going on with you. All I know is it didn't hurt me at all, and I haven't even had a cold in 2½ years," Barry said.

to be continued.........



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Vitamin D is essential in our fight against diseases

If the conditions are right, a healthy body can create all the vitamin D that it needs all on its own.

Some vitamin D occurs naturally in foods such as eggs and oily fish. Wild salmon offers a lot; farmed salmon often little. Some vitamin D is added to certain foods, especially milk, during the manufacturing process.

Your body creates vitamin D when cholesterol in the skin is exposed to the sun in spring, summer and fall. An hour per week on the face and arms might do it, but not if you have dark skin. People with naturally dark skin need up to five or 10 times the amount of sun that fair-skinned people need in order to get the same benefits.

Vitamin D is essential for your ability to make use of calcium and phosphorus. Without a sufficient amount of it, people develop rickets, a disease that causes bones to become soft and weak, and osteoporosis. Recent research shows a much wider role for vitamin D than was previously perceived.

Vitamin D may regulate more than 200 genes. Very high (but safe) levels of vitamin D in the blood have been linked with reduced occurrence of breast and other cancers, while low levels are associated with higher susceptibility to multiple sclerosis, diabetes and depression.

Vitamin D plays a significant role in hypertension, in immune system functioning and in pre-birth brain development.

For the population as a whole, the levels of this vitamin in our bodies are declining. More use of sunscreen, less time in the sun and an aging population may be the factors responsible for this change.

In an April 2009 professional seminar, Dr. Jeffrey Bland of Metagenics Inc. said that in one group of 40 mother-infant pairs tested at birth, 76 percent of the mothers and 81 percent of the infants had significantly low blood levels of this vitamin.

The official recommended daily intake is 400 units, but that is only enough to prevent rickets.

A qualified practitioner may prescribe up to 10,000 units a day to remedy a deficiency, but it would be dangerous to take this amount without supervision.

Canadian regulations limit your off-the-shelf capsule to 1,000 units, and that may well be a sensible caution for self-dosing. Toxicity from too much vitamin D is possible but very unusual. The levels of vitamin D found in foods are not nearly high enough for that. Only long-term supplements at a very excessive level (over 10,000 units) would pose a danger.

Ask your family practitioner to check your vitamin D level when you get your routine tests done, if he or she isn’t doing so already.



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Vitamin D research may have doctors prescribing sunshine

The sun is a good thing. Dr. Michael Holick says that ultraviolet radiation helps the body produce Vitamin D.

The reason is that vitamin D increasingly seems important for preventing and even treating many types of cancer. In the last three months alone, four separate studies found it helped protect against lymphoma and cancers of the prostate, lung and, ironically, the skin. The strongest evidence is for colon cancer.

No one is suggesting that people fry on a beach. But many scientists believe that "safe sun" — 15 minutes or so a few times a week without sunscreen — is not only possible but helpful to health.

One is Dr. Edward Giovannucci, a Harvard University professor of medicine and nutrition who laid out his case in a keynote lecture at a recent American Association for Cancer Research meeting in Anaheim, Calif.

His research suggests that vitamin D might help prevent 30 deaths for each one caused by skin cancer.




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Health tip of the day: Benefits of Vitamin D

Vitamin D is essential for calcium and phosphorus metabolism. Vitamin D is produced in the skin by ultraviolet rays from the sun. Those people who have dark complexion gets lesser vitamin D from the sun ray's than people with white colour. It is also important for the formation and maintenance of a healthy bones and teeth. Vitamin D is a water soluble vitamin.

Children who has a deficiency from this vitamin often develop rickets which is characterised by bowed legs and malformed bones.

Vitamin D required for an ordinary person is small but pregnant and lactating women and children require a higher amount than others. Some expert says that vitamin D is more of a hormone than a vitamin.

Symptoms of Deficiency :

- Soft bones (rickets)

- Rheumatic pains

- Exhaustion

- Menopausal symptoms

- Hypothyroidism

- Tetany

- Nails are thin with ridges and easily break

Dosage:

•Recommended Daily Requirements - 400 I.U.

•Supplemental Dosage - 1 tsp cod liver oil in winter.

•Therapeutic Dosage - 1,500 to 2,800 I.U.

Food Sources of Vitamin D :

Fish liver oil, sardines, tuna, nuts, seeds, margarine fortified with vitamin D; exposure to sunlight or other ultraviolet sources; milk, eggs and liver.

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Headaches Can be Relieved with Calcium and Vitamin D

Headaches are one of the most common health complaints of adults. There are three types of headaches; tension, migraine, and cluster. The tension headache is the most common and often results from muscle tension around the neck and shoulders. Migraines may be due to hormonal imbalances within the brain. Cluster headaches usually affect men and are in some ways the most obscure of the three headache types. Headaches are usually treated with drugs, often painkillers such as aspirin, ibuprofen or acetaminophen. Migraine headache drugs are more complicated and sometimes involve the use of antidepressants and other psychiatric drugs that often have significant side effects.

However, there are natural alternatives to drug use for helping get rid of headaches. In one study, eight patients with chronic tension-type headaches and low vitamin D levels were put on a vitamin D and calcium regimen. All eight patients reported significant lessening of their headaches after supplementing with calcium and vitamin D. It appears that vitamin D and calcium can also help people with migraine headaches, including women who are in the postmenopausal phase of their lives. Several different hormonal changes accompany both menopause and its aftermath, post-menopause. These two changes in a woman’s life can result in many different ailments, including migraine headaches. In a small study, treatment with vitamin D and calcium dramatically reduced both the frequency and duration of migraine headaches within two months of starting the supplement therapy.

Vitamin D and calcium supplementation may also reduce headaches associated with premenstrual syndrome (PMS). There are four main PMS-related symptoms: headache, breast tenderness, tiredness and depression. Vitamin D and calcium can help prevent all of these monthly symptoms. The amounts of calcium and vitamin D taken for headaches should be moderate, since too much vitamin D can actually cause headaches. The RDA for vitamin D is 400 IU/day for most people, so they should take between 400-1000 IU/day for headaches. If there are any questions about long-term supplementation with vitamin D, they should consult their physician. Calcium supplementation usually ranges from 500 mg/day to over 1000 mg/day. Some people should also supplement with 250-400 mg/day of magnesium, as will be explained below.

Unfortunately, supplementing with large amounts of calcium may also cause headaches in some people. Why would calcium cure a headache in one person and cause one in the next person? Some people do fine on calcium alone, especially if they live in a warmer climate with plenty of sunshine. These people also tend to do better on diets that are higher in protein and fat. The excess calcium in their diet is used to neutralize the acidity of the protein in their diet. If people live in colder climates, supplementing with both calcium and vitamin D is recommended. However, there is another type of person that does not do well with calcium alone, or calcium with vitamin D. They need additional magnesium to balance out the calcium supplementation. These people tend to do better on a high complex-carbohydrate diet, instead of eating a lot of protein and fat.

Calcium contracts muscles and magnesium relaxes muscles. Therefore, you might think that calcium is bad for tension headaches since it contracts muscles. However, different people have different biochemical make-ups. A cup of coffee may cure a headache for one person and cause one for the next person. This may be due to the caffeine in the coffee constricting blood vessels in the brain. If someone’s blood vessels are too loose (dilated) coffee may help their headache by increasing the tone of the blood vessels; if the blood vessels are already constricted to begin with, coffee may cause or worsen the headache. The same idea can apply for calcium and magnesium. If someone’s muscles are tight to begin with, taking calcium without magnesium may cause a headache due to increased muscle tension on the nerves in the head. If someone’s muscles are too lax and not firm enough, the calcium can help tone them the way they should be, helping their interaction with the surrounding nerves and helping the headache go away. People who are interested in this headache theory should read some articles about metabolic typing.

Readers can learn more about the benefits of calcium and vitamin D at Dr. Jensen’s heath tips web site at www.individualizednutrition.com/



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Low Vitamin D Raises Blood Pressure in Women

Younger white women with vitamin D deficiencies are about three times more likely to have high blood pressure in middle age than those with normal vitamin levels, according to a study released on Thursday.

The study, presented at a meeting of the American Heart Association in Chicago, adds younger women to a growing list of people including men who may develop high blood pressure at least in part because of low vitamin D.

The Vitamin D difference

Plain old vitamin D might finally be ready for its day in the sun. New research is shedding light on the leading role that this vitamin may play in preventing cancer and in keeping tumors in check.

Vitamin D isn’t technically a vitamin, since it’s produced in the body as a result of exposure to sunlight (“vitamins” are essential to life but by definition can be obtained only outside the body, through diet or supplements). It’s only when we don’t get enough sun that our bodies don’t make enough vitamin D and we need to get it from other sources. But while one of those sources, milk, is fortified with enough vitamin D to prevent the bone disease rickets in children, dietary sources—even a multivitamin—don’t provide nearly enough D to help prevent cancer, many scientists now say.

New findings are showing that benefits of vitamin D acts as a sentinel to help regulate cell growth and prevent a cell from becoming malignant, says Boston University Medical Center researcher Michael Holick, PhD, MD. “And that’s why we think that you need an adequate vitamin D level throughout your entire life, and that [anytime] you become vitamin D-deficient, you put yourself at increased risk of potentially developing a malignancy later in life, because you’ve lost the policing ability of vitamin D to help keep cell growth in check.”

The prescription? Sensible sun exposure for your skin type, plus vitamin D supplements. The payback? The benefits of Vitamin D Greatly reduced risk of colon, breast, prostate, and other cancers, a growing body of research is showing.

Changes in Latitudes
As early as the 1940s, scientists noticed that people who lived in northern states—like Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts—were more likely to die of malignancies other than skin cancer than people who lived in Texas, South Carolina, or Georgia, says Holick. The implication even then, he adds, was that “there is some immunity provided by the sun.”

But only in the last decade or so have researchers begun to zero in on vitamin D as the source of that immunity. One clue was that prostate cancer is twice as deadly among African-Americans as Caucasians in the United States; the only other place in the world with as high a death rate from that disease is Norway.

“A question you really have to ask yourself is, ‘How are African-Americans like Norwegians?’ ” says cancer biologist and epidemiologist Gary Schwartz, PhD, because they have almost the same rate of death from one of the most common cancers in the world.

Schwartz, a researcher at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, says, “They don’t look a lot alike, and they’re not genetically alike,” but it turns out that members of both groups tend to have low levels of vitamin D in their blood.

The skin pigment melanin hinders African-Americans in synthesizing vitamin D; at the same time, Norwegians—and other Scandinavians—far from the equator, have difficulty getting enough sunlight to produce adequate vitamin D. Schwartz says that in terms of vitamin D synthesis, “African-Americans are essentially Scandinavians all year round.”

He adds, “The reason that it’s potentially so interesting is that it’s something that’s completely remediable.” No one can go back and remove a past exposure to a toxin, or alter a genetic susceptibility, but people can readily change their blood levels of vitamin D.

Insights from Research
Other studies have implicated vitamin D in incidence or survival rates for colon, breast, endometrial, and lung cancers, among others.

In a study of health professionals published last year by the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, men with highest blood levels of vitamin D (10 nanograms per milliliter higher than those with the lowest levels) had about two-thirds the risk of dying from cancer—and even more dramatic protection from cancers of the digestive system. Other work, published last September by the American Association for Cancer Research, showed that higher intake of vitamin D was associated with a lower risk for pancreatic cancer. And rates of kidney cancer are greater at northern latitudes than among people who live near the equator, according to research published in December in the International Journal of Cancer.

In a seeming paradox, multiple studies have suggested that people who get regular exposure to the sun on the job have a decreased risk of melanoma. And according to a 2005 study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, people who had the most sun exposure as a child and young adult are less likely to die of melanoma even if they do get it.

Beyond Protection
Not only does vitamin D play a role in who gets cancer, but it seems to also help keep cancers from being as aggressive.

For example, patients with higher levels of vitamin D when they first receive a diagnosis of lung cancer may survive longer. In one recent study of patients with early-stage, non-small cell lung cancer at Massachusetts General Hospital, “individuals who had higher vitamin D levels had a better prognosis even up to 10 years later,” says Edward Giovannucci, MD, ScD, a professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health. That study was published last November in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.

In other work, published last year in the journal Anticancer Research, mice fed a vitamin D–deficient diet developed more aggressive, faster-growing colon tumors than did mice who had adequate vitamin D when the tumors were induced.

Some research has been less conclusive. Participants in the Women’s Health Initiative study seemed to gain no protection from taking 400 units of vitamin D a day for seven years and had about the same rates of colon cancer as women who took a placebo. But Holick says that he pointed out to the authors of the research, published early last year in The New England Journal of Medicine, that women who entered the study with the lowest levels of vitamin D in their blood had about 2½ times the risk of developing colon cancer during the next eight years compared with women who had the highest blood levels.

Increasing Intake
The state of knowledge of how much vitamin D is enough to protect against cancer has changed a lot since that study began. Unfortunately, the amount of vitamin D that women in the study took was probably not enough to make an impact, says Giovannucci. “When the study was designed probably 10 years ago or so, the understanding was that 400 or even 200 units of vitamin D would be sufficient. But our understanding now is that we probably need much more vitamin D to have any influence.”

How much vitamin D? “We all need to increase our vitamin D intake,” says Holick.

“I personally, and most of my family members, now take 1,000 International Units of vitamin D3 a day. That’s what we think you need to satisfy your requirement if you’re not getting enough of it from sun exposure.”

He says he takes a supplement in that amount daily, year round, even though he plays tennis and cycles in the summertime. And when he is outside in the summer, he spends part of the time—15 minutes or so—without sunscreen.

Sunscreen blocks DNA-damaging UVB radiation, but those are the same wavelengths of light that help synthesize vitamin D. “You don’t want to get a sunburn, ever,” Holick says. “But I typically will go out, get some sun exposure, and then put sunscreen on, so I take advantage of the beneficial effect and prevent the damaging effects due to excessive exposure.” Recommendations for adequate vitamin D supplements depend somewhat on a person’s lifestyle, skin color, age, and overall health. A light-skinned lifeguard in a bathing suit on a sunny summer day probably synthesizes as much as 20,000 or 30,000 units of vitamin D, says Giovannucci. People with very dark skin probably need about 10 times as much sun exposure to synthesize the same amount of vitamin D as people with very light skin—or may need more from supplements if they aren’t getting that much sun exposure.

Obese people may need more vitamin D (because the benefits of this vitamin D is sequestered in fat), and so do people who can’t readily absorb nutrients from their gut into their bloodstream. Also, people need more supplementary vitamin D as they age, because their skin and kidneys gradually become less efficient at synthesizing vitamin D and converting it into its active form.

Gauging Vitamin D Levels
Holick recommends getting blood levels of vitamin D measured once a year, in late fall. (The amount of vitamin D you make from sunlight from spring into fall determines your stores for the year.) “If you are deficient then, you will remain so throughout the winter,” he says.

But there is still controversy about what makes for an adequate blood level. Blood tests measure not vitamin D itself, but a compound that is made from vitamin D by the liver, called 25-hydroxyvitamin D, or calcidiol. Doctors had thought that levels of 16 to 20 nanograms of 25-hydroxyvitamin D per milliliter of blood were adequate. But researchers are finding that even for bone health—and probably also for cancer prevention—levels of around 30 to 40 are optimal.

“So someone with 25, which would not be considered deficient by current standards, would do better to get his or her levels up to 30 at least,” says Giovannucci. However, “unless your physician is very up on vitamin D literature, if your values are even like 15 or 20, the lab is likely to say ‘normal’ and your physician is not going to worry about it and say your vitamin D level is fine.”

Deficiencies in Diet
Relying on dietary sources alone probably won’t work to get your vitamin D levels high enough. “There’s essentially no vitamin D naturally occurring in our diet, and very few foods are fortified with vitamin D,” says Holick, “and it’s so little that it’s inadequate to satisfy your requirement.”

Milk or orange juice fortified with vitamin D have only about 100 International Units in a glass. And Holick has found that milk very often doesn’t have as much as it says it does on the label. Salmon contains high levels of vitamin D, perhaps as much as 1,000 units a serving, but that’s only in wild salmon, he says, and “you’d have to eat it every day.” Taking 1,000 units a day in the form of a supplement will never be too much, Holick says. Even if you get outside a lot in the summertime, the body knows how much you’re making in your skin, and it destroys any excess.

Giovannucci says the guidelines for dietary intake—200 to 600 units a day, depending on age—need to be revised, and that some people may need as much as 2,000 units a day of vitamin D to get their blood levels up to adequate amounts. Sun exposure is the most efficient way to make vitamin D, he says, although he finds it impractical to make specific recommendations. “But at the same time, I think that sometimes the messages of avoiding sun and always putting on sunscreen are too extreme.”



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CAN VITAMIN D HELP PREVENT H1N1 SWINE FLU FROM SPREADING?

It seems simple enough to understand. A well person contracts swine flu from a sick person, who, once sick, passes it along to another. In the case of H1N1 swine flu, most of the population is not familiar with the virus, thus it has the potential to readily spread from sick to well. Sick people are supposed to quarantine themselves to prevent transmission. Everyone else is supposed to get a vaccine. One small problem – what if the sick people aren’t really the ones spreading the infection? At first glance that sounds preposterous. A second look may cause you to pause and ponder.

Take a journey back almost a hundred years to the last swine flu epidemic, a true killer infection that preyed on young people. An experiment was conducted, one that would not be allowed today. A hundred Navy personnel volunteered. None of them had demonstrated any signs of the flu in the year prior to the experiment. The goal was to prove the swine flu spread from sick to well. The sickest of the sick coughed and sneezed onto some of the volunteers. Others were directly exposed to the mucosal secretions and viral-laden droplets of these very sick people. Surprise – not one of the volunteers fell ill.

While there are many viral illnesses that have been proven to spread from sick to well, such as the measles, the flu is not one of them. In fact, every time scientists try to prove the point, they can’t. Epidemiologists can’t show it either. Rather, science points in the direction that a susceptible population of well people, possibly those deficient in vitamin D, are responsible for the rapid spreading of the flu each year.

A 2008 article published in the Virology Journal by John Cannell, et al., titled On the Epidemiology of Influenza reviews the above Navy study and dives into the data that fails to add up to a clear picture of sick-to-well viral spreading of the flu – flying in the face of public health dogma. You can click on the above link to read the full study. Here are a few of its keys points.

To prove sick-to-well transmission there must be a documented period of time for the transmission to take place, resulting in a chain of sick-to-well events. The flu does not follow such a pattern. In fact, family members who do get sick are often become sick at the same time and the spreading to other family members once isolated in the family unit is low (less than 20%). These are mathematical factors that weigh heavily against the required sick-to-well transmission rates needed to explain the rate of transmission taking place in a typical seasonal flu outbreak.

Other factors about the flu are equally puzzling. Why is it mostly seasonal? Why does an outbreak end abruptly? Where does the flu virus go between seasons? If true sick-to-well transmission were the key then it would support a never-ending sequence of transmitted infection, not seasonal patterns. Animal studies show that “well” animals, at least some of them, are very good at transmitting the flu virus. Obviously, something else is going on that helps a virus spread.

Any flu is most likely to spread at accelerated rates during the winter months, the time of the year when vitamin D is not available from sun exposure. As more sunshine re-appears on the scene the flu goes away. Or maybe it just becomes dormant in the host as vitamin D levels rise to a point where the human immune system can keep it in check – just waiting to reactivate en-masse during the next winter season of vitamin D deficiency. Cannel reviews the science on this issue in a 2006 article, Epidemic Influenza and Vitamin D. He makes the point that “well people” who are deficient in vitamin D could easily be behind the rapid spreading of any flu – something not likely to occur if the population were adequate in vitamin D.

Emerging science is on Cannel’s side. A recent systematic review of all vitamin D randomized controlled trials found that vitamin D studies provided strong support for influenza and viral upper respiratory tract illnesses.

Over the last few years it has been progressively documented that vitamin D is responsible for the production of an antibacterial peptide called cathelicidin. Cathelicidin is vitally important to protecting against respiratory disease. Furthermore, a new genomic study has shown that vitamin D-related cathelicidin production has been genetically preserved for 60 million years in humans – offering a tremendous immune system advantage to fight bacteria and viral infection. Cathelicidin is also an immune system signaling molecule, extending far beyond its initial role as a potent bacteria killer and placing it squarely in the middle of your overall immune response, including the response to viral infection. Cathelicidin production can be increased by taking vitamin D supplements.

Newer science has also demonstrated that vitamin D is the key nutrient that allows immune system tolerance that is required by the dendritic cells of your immune system to fight off any nasty viral infection. I explain this in great detail in my article, Using Nutrition to Help Perceive and Combat Swine Flu.

Furthermore, vitamin D helps downplay excessive TNFa (an inflammatory cytokine). This is vitally important because you must activate TNFa to fight a flu virus like H1N1 that your immune system has not seen before. If TNFa is already activated from excessive stress, being overweight, or some other inflammatory pre-existing condition like asthma, arthritis, or neurologic problems, then the needed TNFa reaction to fight the flu is handicapped. TNFa-blocking drugs, commonly used for arthritis and other autoimmune problems, are a nightmare in this context.

The vitamin D data is very clear that a lack of vitamin D compromises innate immunity, making it easier for someone to get H1N1 swine flu, including a more serious case of it. Collectively, when this data is combined with what Cannel is saying about the epidemiology of flu, it does support his argument that people lacking vitamin D may be a prime reason for the seasonal spreading of the flu – even if they themselves are not noticeably sick.

It would be quite a stretch to say that a lack of vitamin D alone causes the flu or that taking adequate vitamin D will guarantee that you don’t get the flu. Rather, a lack of vitamin D is one factor that is easy to change and likely to contribute to a population of citizens less likely to rapidly spread the flu from one to another, in addition to helping individuals fight the flu or get a less severe case of the flu. From a public health point of view a recommendation to be vitamin D adequate is plain common sense – yet where are the public health officials on this very important topic?

There is certainly no point in being vitamin D deficient, as are 70% of the children in America. I highly recommend a base dose of 2000 IU all winter long, as I explain in my article, Vitamin D - A Gene Regulating Super Nutrient. Certainly, any individual worn down from stress, who is overweight, or who is dealing with some type of inflammatory situation may benefit from a baseline dose up to 5000 IU per day.

Cannell points out that a single dose of sun exposure can produce as much as 20,000 IU of vitamin D in one dose. He also believes that much higher doses can be very safely used to fight an infection for a short period of time`. He suggests using up to 2,000 IU for each kilo (2.2 pounds) of body weight, up to seven days. I personally have no experience using vitamin D at that dose to help combat the flu – he obviously does. He suggests taking enough vitamin D on a regular basis to maintain your 25(OH)D blood levels above 50 ng/ml all year around (your doctor can easily test your vitamin D levels).

In clinical practice I have found a daily dose of vitamin D ranging from 2,000 IU - 5,000 IU to be of extreme help to immunity in the winter months – especially for the person whose symptoms linger or is prone to catching anything.

The Vitamin D story is not only far from over, it is just beginning. Science keeps chipping away at the pieces of the puzzle. You can imagine vitamin D sitting back in its rocking chair chuckling at all the detective efforts trying to figure out what it has been doing for the past 60 million years. Never underestimate the power of nutrition to provide a competitive survival advantage – especially against nasty viral infections that have coexisted with humans during evolution of our gene programs. The current H1N1 swine flu is not the first time in history the human immune system encounterd a virus it had never seen before.

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Why Vitamin D is good for your Health

You may need more vitamin D than you are getting. The recommended amounts vary depending on your age

Through age 50: 200 IU

Ages 51-70: 400 IU

Ages 71 and up: 600 IU

So you see aging increases our needs for vitamin D.

The NHANES Study reports that 3 out of 4 Americans aren't getting enough vitamin D.

Vitamin D is also known as the Sunshine vitamin since the body makes it naturally when skin is exposed to sunlight. However, people are outside less and when they are out they protect their skin with sun screen which prevents the skin from making vitamin D. Ten to 15 minutes of midday sun with your arms and legs exposed can make enough natural vitamin D to avoid deficiency. However if you live in the north especially during the winter getting enough vitamin D may be a challenge. Also cloudy, rainy days will limit any vitamin D production in the skin.

Where do you get vitamin D?

All milk is fortified with 100 IU per cup. It doesn't matter if it is skim or whole.

3.5 oz Salmon-about 360 IU

3 oz tuna-200 IU

Foods such as cereals and margarine are fortified with D.

What does vitamin D do for you???

We all know it helps the body absorb calcium for stronger bones but it goes beyond that. It could be vitamin D is more important in bone health than or at least just as important as getting adequate calcium.

It may guard against the common cold.

It may boost the immune system.

Vitamin D levels can be checked by your doctor with a simple test. If your levels are low the best type of Vitamin D to get is D3 or cholecalciferol. D3 is the compound formed in the skin when exposed to ultraviolet rays. The body self regulates vitamin D formed in the skin but if you are taking a supplement don't take more than 2000 IU unless your doctor prescribes more. 2,000 IU is the tolerable upper intake level from food or a supplement.

Get your D from the sun or food or a supplement but get your D!

P.S. , supplement Vitamin D with Vitamin C rich Foods.

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Sixty million years of evolution says vitamin D may save your life from swine flu

Maybe most people just don't realize it but Vitamin D is the "miracle nutrient" that activates your immune system to defend you against invading microorganisms -- including seasonal flu and swine flu. Two months ago, an important study was published by researchers at Oregon State University. This study reveals something startling: Vitamin D is so crucial to the functioning of your immune system that the ability of vitamin D to boost immune function and destroy invading microorganisms has been conserved in the genome for over 60 million years of evolution.

As this press release from Oregon State University (http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_relea...) explains:

The fact that this vitamin-D mediated immune response has been retained through millions of years of evolutionary selection, and is still found in species ranging from squirrel monkeys to baboons and humans, suggests that it must be critical to their survival, researchers say.

"The existence and importance of this part of our immune response makes it clear that humans and other primates need to maintain sufficient levels of vitamin D," said Adrian Gombart, an associate professor of biochemistry and a principal investigator with the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University.

The announcement goes on to explain:

In primates, this action of "turning on" an optimal response to microbial attack only works properly in the presence of adequate vitamin D, which is actually a type of hormone that circulates in the blood and signals to cells through a receptor. Vitamin D is produced in large amounts as a result of sun exposure, and is available in much smaller amounts from dietary sources.

Vitamin D prevents the "adaptive" immune response from over-reacting and reduces inflammation, and appears to suppress the immune response. However, the function of the new genetic element this research explored allows vitamin D to boost the innate immune response by turning on an antimicrobial protein. The overall effect may help to prevent the immune system from overreacting.

Without vitamin D, you're a sitting duck
What this study reveals is that without sufficient levels of vitamin D circulating in your blood, you're a ripe, juicy target for influenza (H1N1 or otherwise). If you lack vitamin D, your immune system can't "activate" to do its job. That's why people who are deficient in vitamin D so frequently get winter colds.

But people who are high in vitamin D have the nutritional power to activate their immune system so that it can respond to invading pathogens. Crucially, vitamin D also manages to balance immune response and prevent inflammation -- the leading cause of death in the 1918 influenza pandemic.

So not only does vitamin D protect you from the initial infection; it also prevents your body from over-reacting and killing you with inflammation (which typically gets expressed as bacterial pneumonia, an infection of the lungs).



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Vitamin D plays an important role in health

It seems like almost every day a new use for an old vitamin surfaces. Vitamin D is in the group known as fat-soluble vitamins. It comes in two major forms. There is vitamin D-2 or (ergocalciferol) and vitamin D-3 (cholecalciferol).

The vitamin D obtained from sun exposure has to undergo change before it can be an active vitamin D. The active form of vitamin D is the vitamin D-3.

Vitamin D plays an important role in many organ systems. It is important for the absorption of calcium and phosphorus from food. It also is important in re-absorption of calcium from the kidneys. Vitamin D is important for the health of the body's skeletal system.

Vitamin D also is important in the body's hormonal system and it is very important in preventing multisystem diseases which include such chronic conditions as high blood pressure, infections, periodontal disease, chronic pain, memory loss, maybe even in diabetes and certain cancers.

Vitamin D can be obtained in certain foods such as cod liver oil, fatty fish, whole eggs, beef, liver and mushrooms. Certain food products are fortified with vitamin D. An example of this is dairy products.

The amount of vitamin D a person needs is being investigated on a regular basis. At one time, it was thought that as little as 2000 units a day was adequate. Now, there is thought that a higher amount might be indicated.

It is a good idea to see your family physician to determine what vitamin D level you currently have. The standard for deficiency has been changing as well. Many authorities believe the optimal level of vitamin D in a person should be between 30 and 100 nanograms per milliliter.
Because vitamin D is fat soluble, it can, in excess, lead to toxicity. A person should not take vitamin D tablets without talking it over with a doctor.

A lot of research is being conducted today about vitamin D's role in a person's health. There is reason to believe that vitamin D deficiency can actually lead to the body's immune system not being able to function properly. Research today is suggesting that vitamin D may play a role in causing cancer cells to die. A study by the National Cancer Institute recently has found that vitamin D was beneficial in preventing colo-rectal cancer.

Also, there is reason to believe that vitamin D may play a role in preventing prostate, pancreatic and breast cancer. There is no question that vitamin D deficiency plays a significant role in osteoporosis. Vitamin D deficiency has been shown to be associated with increase in blood pressure and cardiovascular risk. One study suggests that all caused mortality is higher in people that have low serum vitamin D levels. Other studies have suggested that vitamin D deficiency has some role in dementia.

It is a good idea for a person to eat a good and balanced diet. It is equally important for a person to have a good examination by a doctor.



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Lack of Vitamin D Linked to High Blood Pressure

Effect seen 15 years later, researchers report.

Low blood levels of vitamin D in younger women tripled their risk of high blood pressure 15 years later, new research has found.

Vitamin D deficiency, defined as less than 80 nanomoles per liter of blood, was measured in 1993 at the start of the Michigan Bone Health and Metabolism Study, explained study author Flojaune C. Griffin, a doctoral candidate at the University of Michigan School of Public Health.

By that measure, more than 80 percent of the 559 women first tested in the study had vitamin D deficiency, while 2 percent were being treated for high blood pressure and another 4 percent had undiagnosed high blood pressure.

No association between vitamin D levels and high blood pressure was seen at that time. But in 2008, when 19 percent of the women had been diagnosed with high blood pressure and 6 percent had the condition but didn't know it, the incidence of high blood pressure was three times higher for women who had vitamin D deficiency at the study's start, after adjusting for the effects of age, obesity and smoking, Griffin said.

Griffin was to report on the findings Thursday at the American Heart Association's High Blood Pressure Research Conference in Chicago.

What happened to the women in the intervening years in terms of vitamin D intake is unknown, Griffin said. "We don't have any information about how the women were eating beyond that baseline measurement," she noted.

The recommended intake of vitamin D has risen since the study began. Current guidelines call for an intake of 400 International Units (IU) for people under 60 and 600 IUs for those aged 60 and older, Griffin said.

"Exposure of skin to the sun is the most potent way to increase vitamin D levels," she added. "The main food sources include fatty fish, such as wild salmon. Also, milk and milk products are fortified with vitamin D."

There is no way of knowing whether increased vitamin D intake over the years might have affected the incidence of high blood pressure, a major risk factor for such cardiovascular problems as heart attack and stroke, Griffin said.

"This study underscores a growing amount of accumulated data that low vitamin D levels are associated with high blood pressure," said Dr. John P. Forman, an associate physician in the renal division of Brigham and Women's Hospital.

But it's still not certain that raising vitamin D intake can help prevent high blood pressure, Forman added. "We need large randomized trials on that," he said.

Still, he noted, "there are a growing number of studies associating lower vitamin D levels and high blood pressure. This one probably has the longest follow-up."

P.S. protect your heart by eating Vitamin C rich foods and fruits.

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Vitamin D Good for Breast Cancer Patients

Researchers says: supplements help fight treatment-related bone loss.

Many breast cancer patients have low levels of vitamin D, which could lead to weaker bones and increased risk of fractures, say U.S. researchers who recommend high doses of vitamin D for them.

"Vitamin D is essential to maintaining bone health, and women with breast cancer have accelerated bone loss due to the nature of hormone therapy and chemotherapy. It's important for women and their doctors to work together to boost their vitamin D intake," Luke Peppone, a research assistant professor of radiation oncology at the University of Rochester Medical Center, said in a news release from the medical cwnter.

Peppone and colleagues studied 166 women undergoing treatment for breast cancer and found that nearly 70 percent had low levels of vitamin D in their blood. The average level among the women was 27 nanograms of vitamin D per milliliter of blood. Levels of 32 nanograms per milliliter are adequate, according to the U.S. Institute of Medicine.

The lowest levels of vitamin D were in non-whites and those with late-stage breast cancer.

The researchers found that weekly supplementation with high doses of vitamin D (50,000 IU or more) boosted the levels of the vitamin among all the women.

The study was to be presented Oct. 8 at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's breast cancer symposium in San Francisco.

Previous studies have shown that nearly half of all women and men have vitamin D levels below 32 nanograms per milliliter. Along with strengthening bones, vitamin D plays an important role in cell growth and keeping the immune system strong. People obtain Vitamin D through exposure to sunlight and from foods such as milk and fortified cereals.

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The Importance Of Vitamin D

Versatility of Vitamin D

If you've ever gone to nutritional store and browsed through the vitamin section of your grocery store, you've seen hundreds of different vitamin supplements. Vitamin D is probably one of the most popular vitamin supplements on the market today. One reason is that Vitamin D provides us with many important and valuable benefits for a healthy life. Another reason is that most people prefer to take a Vitamin D supplement rather than the natural form of the vitamin. This is because with the exception of milk, some of the food sources for Vitamin D may be difficult to cook.

Food Source of Vitamin DThere are many different food sources of Vitamin D. Most of the food sources for Vitamin D are found in fish live oils or fish such as catfish, mackerel, salmon, tuna, sardines and eel. Although fish is a popular food for many people, some of these sources are not foods that we keep in our kitchen on a regular basis. In addition, some of these fish are quite expensive when served in a restaurant. Some other foods that we consume on a daily basis are yogurt, margarine, milk, bread, pastries and oil spreads are enriched with Vitamin D. While they aren't as high in Vitamin D as the fish are, many individuals consume them regularly and still choose to take a Vitamin D supplement.

Cod Liver Oil As An Important Vitamin D

SupplementCod liver oil has been sold in supermarkets for years and is actually popular considering how nasty it can taste to many people. For those that are looking for a natural supplement of Vitamin D, cod liver oil is an excellent choice. One tablespoon of cod liver oil provides you with 1,360 IU of Vitamin D. Lucky for many, there is a gel form of a pill for cod liver oil that is much easier to swallow than a tablespoon of the liquid. If you feel that you may be Vitamin D deficient, this pill may be the easiest and best choice for you.

The Purpose of Vitamin D

As with all vitamins, they all have their own purpose for our body. The purpose of Vitamin D is to promote that necessary ingredient, calcium, in our body. Calcium is a necessity because it is what gives up strong bones. Although many people feel that Vitamin D and calcium is needed when we are young and growing, the truth is that we need it all of our lives, especially as we get older. Elderly and postmenopausal women need supplements ofVitamin D if they are not getting enough in their daily diets. At this stage in their lives, their bodies do not produce enough calcium on their own, which can lead to osteoporosis, a crippling disease caused by weakened bone mass. It is vital that this group of individuals get the correct amount of Vitamin D.

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