Thanks to sun avoidance and indoor lifestyles, Americans are vitamin D deficient. One of the worst things Americans have done to their health is avoid sun exposure. Most of us work inside then sit in our cars, and when we’re outside we slather ourselves with sun block and wear wide-brim hats and long sleeves. As a result, the majority of Americans have a serious vitamin D deficiency. It’s important to know whether your vitamin D levels are low, because a deficiency can increase the risk of our most common diseases, including heart disease and cancer.

In addition to its role in enabling calcium to be absorbed from the gut, new research is showing that vitamin D prevents heart disease, and stops the out-of-control cell growth that characterizes cancer. A number of population studies are suggesting that the less sunshine we get, the higher our risk is for cancers of the colon, prostate, breast, lung and, believe it or not, skin. Other research shows that vitamin D deficiency may be causing autoimmune diseases such as fibromyalgia and multiple sclerosis (MS). Research published in the British Medical Journal (vol. 237, p.316) on multiple sclerosis suggests that children who are exposed to the sun an average of two to three hours a day in the summer are a third less likely to develop MS. Vitamin D deficiency can also cause muscle weakness, osteoporosis and chronic low back pain.

The Sunshine Vitamin

Vitamin D is called the sunshine vitamin. When the sun’s ultraviolet rays are absorbed by the skin, a biochemical process begins in which an active form of vitamin D is created, enters the blood stream and then the cells. You can also get vitamin D from foods such as oily fish, dairy products and supplements, but sunshine is by far our most important source of this essential vitamin.

But haven’t we been warned away from sun exposure? Won’t it cause cancer and wrinkles? Well, yes and no. Our national hysteria about sun damage is grossly exaggerated. It’s one of those myths that has been repeated so much that most everyone assumes it to be true. The sunscreen industry has done a great job selling its wares by scaring us about sun exposure. However, if you dig down and do some research it’s a different story.

Yes, if you repeatedly get sunburned you somewhat increase your risk of non-melanoma skin cancer and wrinkles. The fairer the skin, the more easily it is sunburned and damaged. By far the biggest risk for skin cancer is simply having fair skin - with or without sunscreen. There’s really no substantial evidence that using sunscreen protects you from skin cancer. There is a weak association between melanoma and sunburn, but there is no evidence that using sunscreen prevents melanoma. There is some research indicating that exposure to the sun as a child reduces the risk of melanoma.

How Much Sun Do We Need?

According to Michael Holick, a vitamin D researcher and author of the book, The UV Advantage, between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. in the summer (when the sun is most intense), a Caucasian with medium-fair skin living in Boston needs five to eight minutes of sunshine daily without sunblock. In winter you need more sun. People who live further north and/or have darker skin need more time and conversely, people who live closer to the equator and have fairer skin need less time.

There is considerable controversy about whether the process of skin tanning is beneficial and protective against the sun’s harmful rays, or whether tanning is actually a symptom of skin damage. Although repeated sunburns are correlated with later skin cancers, people who are brown from spending their lives working outside in the sun do not have higher rates of skin cancer: factors such as light skin, freckles, numerous moles, genetics and exposure to radiation and arsenic are greater risk factors.

The bottom line on healthy sunning is to avoid sunburn; in fact, you should be out of the sun long before your skin starts turning red. If you’re pale as a ghost, begin with just a few minutes a day and gradually work up. If you’re worried about facial wrinkles, wear a hat to shield your face, but allow at least your arms, legs and some of your chest to be exposed.

For those who have low vitamin D levels, live in colder, cloudier, northern climates or who just can’t get out in the sun enough, it’s wise to take a vitamin D supplement. The recommended daily allowance (RDA) of 400 IU is clearly too low. It was put in place before Americans became sun-phobic. Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin and as such can accumulate in the body and become toxic, so there has been justifiable concern about taking too much. Now that we have more research, it seems clear that we can safely take 2,000 IU daily in the D3 cholecalciferol form to maintain our vitamin D levels. If you are seriously deficient and your doctor wants to ratchet up your vitamin D levels quickly with large doses, be sure to test levels regularly. Some doctors will recommend 10,000 IU for a few months to get vitamin D levels back to normal.

What Is an Optimal Vitamin D Level?

Vitamin D levels below 20 ng/mL indicate a deficiency, while levels below 30 ng/mL are considered “low.” At this time, the scientific consensus is that optimal vitamin D levels are 30 to 60 ng/mL. Vitamin D can become toxic at levels greater than 150 ng/mL, which is why it’s important to test if you’re taking high dose supplements.

Who Is at Risk for Deficiency?

* The Elderly: As we age we absorb less vitamin D from the sun’s UV rays. Living in a nursing home or becoming homebound can limit exposure to sunshine. Muscle weakness and osteoporosis associated with vitamin D deficiency make the elderly more susceptible to falling and to fracture risk. Research indicates that vitamin D supplementation may decrease the risk of fractures.

* People with Dark Skin: The darker the skin is, the higher melanin levels are. Melanin blocks the action of sunlight on vitamin D precursors in the skin, requiring much longer sunlight exposure to generate adequate circulating vitamin D compared to people with fair skin.

* People with Limited Sunlight Exposure: People living at northern latitudes or who have limited sunlight exposure because of their working environment or cultural dress rules may have low vitamin D levels.

* People with Musculoskeletal Pain: People with symptoms of hypothyroidism, non-specific musculoskeletal pain, chronic low back pain, or fibromyalgia are frequently found to have low vitamin D levels and show clinical improvement after supplementation.

* Overweight or Obese People: Vitamin D can be locked up in fat stores in people who are overweight or obese. In clinical studies, obesity is associated with lower levels of circulating 25-hydroxy vitamin D.

New, Simple Vitamin D Test You Can Do at Home

Until recently, testing vitamin D levels involved a visit to the doctor, then a visit to a lab to draw blood, and considerable expense often not covered by health insurance. Thankfully there’s now a reasonably priced and simple-to-use blood spot test available to consumers that can be done at home.

What Is a Blood Spot Test?

A blood spot test involves a nearly painless finger stick and putting a few drops of blood on a small piece of special blotting paper.

Is the Blood Spot Test for Vitamin D Accurate?

It is highly accurate and unlike others, gives you a measure of both vitamin D2 and D3 and easy-to-interpret results.

To read more about vitamin D, find more references, and order a blood spot test, please visit the Virginia Hopkins Test Kits website ((http://www.virginiahopkinstestkits.com/…) .

References:

Berwick M, Armstrong BK et al, “Sun exposure and mortality from melanoma,” J Natl Cancer Inst 2005; 97:195–99.

Boscoe FP, Schymura MJ, “Solar ultraviolet-B exposure and cancer incidence and mortality in the United States, 1993-2002,” BMC Cancer 2006 Nov 10;6:264.

Dennis LK, Beane Freeman LE et al, “Sunscreen use and the risk for melanoma: a quantitative review,” Ann Intern Med
2003; 139: 966–78.

Ginanjar E, Sumariyono SS et al, “Vitamin d and autoimmune disease,” Acta Med Indones 2007 Oct-Dec;39(3):133-41.
Grant WB, “An estimate of premature cancer mortality in the U.S. due to inadequate doses of solar ultraviolet-B radiation,” Cancer 2002; 94:1867–75.

Holick MF, “Sunlight “D”ilemma: risk of skin cancer or bone disease and muscle weakness,” Lancet 2001; 357: 4–6.

Lin J, Manson JE et al, “Intakes of calcium and vitamin D and breast cancer risk in women,” Arch Intern Med 2007 May 28;167(10):1050-9.

Robien K, Cutler GJ et al, “Vitamin D intake and breast cancer risk in postmenopausal women: the Iowa Women’s Health Study,” Cancer Causes Control 2007 Sep;18(7):775-82.

Solomon CC, White E et al “Melanoma and lifetime UV radiation,” Cancer Causes Control 2004 Nov;15(9):893-902.

Thieden E, Philipsen PA et al, “Sunscreen use related to UV exposure, age, sex, and occupation based on personal dosimeter readings and sun-exposure behavior diaries,” Arch Dermatol 2005; 141:967–73.

About the author

Virginia Hopkins
Virginia Hopkins Health Watch
http://www.virginiahopkinshealthwatch.com

Taking Vitamin D supplements in early childhood may ward off the development of type 1 diabetes in later life, new research in the Archives of Disease in Childhood reveals.

Type 1 diabetes is a disorder that develops in early infancy or childood, in which the pancreas stops producing insulin.

When we eat, carbohydrates are turned into glucose or sugar and used by the body for energy. The pancreas produces a hormone known as insulin that manages the body’s blood sugar and moves it throughout the cells – but in Type 1 diabetes, the immune system attacks and destroys the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin, for reasons that cannot be explained.

When the pancreas stops producing insulin, glucose remains in the blood stream instead of being transported to the cells. This can have serious consequences for the body’s organs - it can even be fatal and can result in blindness, arm and leg amputation (caused by nerve damage), heart disease and kidney failure. Shockingly, about 1 in 7 of all deaths in the UK are caused by diabetes – that’s about 33,000 deaths every year, and many could be avoided by proper management of the condition, according to Diabetes UK. People with type 1 diabetes need to inject insulin into their blood stream to regulate glucose and check their blood sugar levels several times daily in order to function properly and stay alive.

It is estimated that new cases will have risen 40% between 2000 and 2010.

Now, the new study’s results show that children given additional vitamin D are around 30% less likely to develop type 1 Diabetes compared with those not given the supplement.

And the higher and the more regular the dose, the lower was the likelihood of developing the disease, the evidence suggested.

Levels of vitamin D, and sunlight, from which the body manufactures the vitamin, have been implicated in the risks of developing various autoimmune disorders, including multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis.

And there is a striking difference in the incidence of type 1 diabetes according to levels of sunlight exposure, with a child in Finland 400 times more likely to develop the disease than a child in Venezuela, say the authors.

Researchers at Rutgers have unlocked some of the mysteries of how the developing embryo reacts to fluctuations in the amount of vitamin A present in the maternal blood stream. Their results are presented in the February 28 issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

The researchers studied the role of LRAT, a protein that facilitates the formation of vitamin A stores in the body, during embryonic development. In particular, they showed how LRAT protects developing tissues from potentially toxic levels of vitamin A that have been ingested by the mother. Although this function of LRAT had previously been hypothesized in adults, this is the first time that its role has been demonstrated during embryonic development.

The developing mammalian embryo is entirely dependent on the maternal circulation for its supply of retinoids, the vitamin A metabolites produced in the body. These are essential nutrients and they control the formation of the embryo’s heart, central nervous system, eyes and other important organs and tissues. Malformations of the developing embryo can occur when too little, or too much, vitamin A is consumed by the mother.

“We were looking for the mechanisms that allow the fetus to maintain adequate amount of retinoids, whether the mother has over- or under-consumed vitamin A,” said Dr. Loredana Quadro, an assistant professor in the Department of Food Science and member of the Center for Lipid Research at the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences. “We also looked at the effects of different levels of vitamin A being transferred from the mother to the fetus.”

When vitamin A is ingested, it is converted into retinyl ester (RE) in the intestine from where it is secreted in the bloodstream packaged with other dietary lipids into lipoprotein particles called chylomicrons. The majority of dietary RE reaches the liver, the main body storage site of vitamin A. Under insufficient dietary vitamin A intake, the liver transforms RE into retinol (ROH), which is then secreted into the bloodstream bound to retinol-binding protein (RBP), its sole specific serum carrier, to be delivered to the target tissues. Upon intake through a specific membrane receptor named Stra6, ROH is ultimately converted to retinoic acid (RA), which is the active form of vitamin A. If tissue RA is in excess, it is transformed into inactive forms, such as 4-hydroxy retinoic acid or 4-oxo retinoic acid (OXO-RA) by the action of a specific enzyme named Cyp26A1.

“When we think about vitamin A, we think about one compound,” said Quadro. “But in reality, the term vitamin A comprises a family of different compounds. Each one has a slightly different action, and plays a different role.”

The Rutgers researchers took a closer look at how ROH is metabolized into RE and RA to maintain an optimal balance of retinoids during the formation of the embryo. Mutant mice lacking both RBP and LRAT were generated to perform this study, so as to interfere with the two main pathways of maternal vitamin A delivery to the fetus (ROH-RBP from the liver stores and RE of dietary origin).

“We hypothesized that the lack of ROH-RBP and LRAT would make the embryo more vulnerable to changes in maternal dietary vitamin A intake,” said Quadro “and our data proved this to be correct. Indeed, a severe embryonic vitamin A deficiency is readily attainable when the mothers are deprived of dietary vitamin A during pregnancy. Therefore, this strain turned out to be a very good model to study how embryonic development is affected by fluctuations in the amount of retinoids present in the maternal diet and hence in the maternal circulation”.

The researchers identified LRAT, Cyp26A1 and Stra6 as the three key molecular players that act in coordination to protect the developing tissues from potentially detrimental levels of vitamin A ingested by the mother. “Understanding vitamin A metabolism in the developing fetus could have broad implications,” said Quadro. “Consumption of large doses of dietary supplements and vitamins, including vitamin A, has become a very common practice in recent years, generating the necessity to investigate the effects of high doses of vitamin A intake at different stages of the lifecycle, including pregnancy and development. These studies expand our knowledge of maternal-fetal nutrition and dietary contribution to embryonic development and may ultimately provide new insight into appropriate dietary practices during pregnancy.”

The paper was previously published on the Journal of Biological Chemistry’s web site on December 19, 2007.

Source: Rutgers University

So much negativity has been placed on carbs. Back in the 80’s it was fat as the culprit. Today it’s carbs. Now there is talk that we are probably getting too much protein. It won’t be long before vitamins and minerals get the bad rap for weight gain. But let me share something about carbs with you….you need them in order to switch your metabolism from fat storing mode to fat burning mode.

Carbohydrate metabolism I don’t care what carb you eat whether it’s a “good” or “bad” it breaks down to the same energy source: glucose. All carbs break down to this sugar. The difference in carbs is not whether they are bad or good but how the respond to blood sugar release. When your digestive system breaks down carbs into glucose, glucose takes a trip into your bloodstream increasing your body’s blood sugar levels. That blood sugar needs to be transported into different cells for metabolism. Depending on how much sugar is in the blood stream some will be used for energy in cells and some will get deposited in fat cells. This is where the heroes of metabolism come in. The pancreas releases insulin to the rescue. Insulin is going to transport the glucose from the bloodstream to the cells.

Fast carbs vs. slow carbs We’re going to change the terminology a bit here. What use to be known as “bad” carbs are now going to be known as fast carbs. Why? Because that is what they do. They break down into glucose very fast and stimulate insulin really fast into the bloodstream. The same is true about “good” carbs. We’ll now refer to them as slow carbs. Why? For reasons opposite fast carbs.

The key to burn body fat The truth is that you can burn body fat with both types of carbs. But here you must combine them with protein. What is a protein? It’s like my mentor Robert Ferguson says: anything that use to fly, walk, or swim. To make a fat loss meal you must combine a protein to either carb. Meaning, you can have a fast carb as long as you combine it with a protein. Take for example a meatball sub with no cheese. You have a fast carb in the white bread and to a lesser extent the marinara sauce and you have your protein in the meatballs. That is a fat loss meal. Another example, is to take sushi where you have a fast carb in the form of white rice and you have protein in the form of some fish combined with it.

Word of caution Remember to be aware of calories. Just because you are combining fast carbs with proteins doesn’t mean that they are devoid of calories. It’s still fairly easy to eat 600 calories within one sitting of combining fast carbs and slow carbs with proteins. However, this is a convenient and easy way to enjoy carbs again. There is absolutely no need to eliminate them from your diet. Combine fast carbs with slow carbs and proteins. Carbs are good for you and you need them to burn fat. But how much of them should I eat? How often? When? Well, those are other questions that are off topic and you’re going to have to read my other articles and get my book.

Josue

Information about Yeast Infections

Yeast is a type of fungus called Candida that grows on human skin and in areas of moisture. This type of fungus causesvaginal yeast infection in women and girls all over the world. It can be a big hassle for women, and most women can get a yeast infection more than once in her lifetime.This type of fungus can overgrow inside the vagina causing infection. Yeast infection can be one of the worst problems for women today, causing irritating side effects that can sometimes be painful. The more you know about this infection the better, you should consider your symptoms. And if you feel you might have a yeast infection you should contact your doctor who will prescribe you with the necessary medicines.
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So much negativity has been placed on carbs. Back in the 80’s it was fat as the culprit. Today it’s carbs. Now there is talk that we are probably getting too much protein. It won’t be long before vitamins and minerals get the bad rap for weight gain. But let me share something about carbs with you….you need them in order to switch your metabolism from fat storing mode to fat burning mode. Continue Reading…