Vitamin Information Center

Medical experts now claim that taking vitamin D supplements during early childhood may dramatically cut the odds of developing Type 1 diabetes later in life. Researches found that children given additional vitamin D were up to 80% less likely to develop Type 1 diabetes than those not given the supplement.

They also found that the higher and more regular the dose, the lower the likelihood of developing the condition. These findings came from the analysis of five studies in various countries.

One of the studies that was looked at was a Finnish sudy that followed more than 12,000 children born in 1966 in Finland. Their study showed that those who took any amount of vitamin D had a lower rate of diabetes than those who did, and those who took recommended amounts of vitamin D were at an 80% reduced risk of developing it.

Type 1 diabetes is an auto-immune disease in which the immune system destroys its own cells. It develops when insulin-secreting cells in the pancreas are destroyed.

Researchers believe that vitamin D, which is believed to be an immuno-suppressant agent, may prevent an overly aggressive response from the immune system. Nutrition experts recommend 8.5 microgrammes a day, and 7 microgrammes a day for those age 7 months to three years.

Vitamin D supplements in early childhood may ward off the development of type 1 diabetes in later life, reveals a research review published online March 13 in the Archives of Disease in Childhood  An Autoimmune Disorder
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disorder, in which insulin producing beta cells in the pancreas are destroyed by the body’s own immune system, starting in early infancy. The disease is most common among people of European descent, with around 2 million Europeans and North Americans affected. Its incidence is rising at roughly 3% a year, and it is estimated that new cases will have risen 40% between 2000 and 2010.

A trawl of published evidence on vitamin D supplementation in children produced five suitable studies, the pooled data from which were re-analyzed.

The results showed that:

Vitamin D, Latitude & Diabetes Incidence
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 latitude and 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.

Further evidence of vitamin D’s role comes from the fact that pancreatic beta cells and immune cells carry receptors or docking bays for the active forms of the vitamin.

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.

Infants who get vitamin D supplements have a lower risk of getting type 1 diabetes, a small study suggests.

The study was not a clinical trial. Researchers Christos S. Zipitis, MBChB, of NHS Foundation Trust, and Anthony K. Akobeng, MBChB, combined data from five studies that looked for differences between kids who got type 1 diabetes and kids who did not.

The combined data suggest that giving infants vitamin D supplements cuts their risk of type 1 diabetes by 29%.

It’s not clear how vitamin D might fight diabetes. However, Zipitis and Akobeng note that insulin-making beta cells in the pancreas are sensitive to vitamin D.

Moreover, the body makes vitamin D in response to sunlight on the skin. The researchers note that infants in wintry Finland are 400 times more likely than a child in sunny Venezuela to have childhood diabetes.

The researchers note that randomized clinical trials will be needed to determine whether vitamin D truly helps prevent diabetes.

Pediatricians already recommend vitamin D supplements for children to prevent rickets. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all infants, including those who are exclusively breastfed, have a minimum intake of 200 IU of vitamin D per day during the first two months of life. After that, daily intake of 200 IU of vitamin D per day is recommended throughout childhood and adolescence.

Zipitis and Akobeng report their findings in the online edition of Archives of Diseases in Childhood.

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

Carbohydrates and more specifically, excess carbohydrates are stored in the body as fat. It doesn’t matter if they are in the form of pastas or chocolate cake, they turn into glucose once they enter the bloodstream. Your blood sugar levels increase when you consume excess amounts of carbohydrates. This will signal you pancreas to release insulin which controls where the blood sugar is stored in the body. Sugar that is not used for energy is stored as glycogen in the muscles. There is a limit of glycogen that the muscles can store (around 2,000) and the rest will be stored as fat. When you reduce the number of carbohydrates per day or per meal, there is a two-fold effect. First there is less fat stored (excess carbs) then the body tends to use the body fat that is already stored for production of energy.
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The aging process is a gradual one. That might seem obvious, and it is, but it is the fact that it is gradual that causes people not to notice the small but significant changes in their body that are taking place. Aging is more than just the oxidation of skin cells that cause them to wrinkle, but involves specific functional cell changes, such as their ability to multiply. Continue Reading…

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…