vitamins deficiency symptoms

Low-Carb Diets Improve Cholesterol Long Term

Low-Carb supplements recover Cholesterol Long Term

The weight loss supplements have an edge over low-fat supplements for improving HDL cholesterol levels long term, consistent to a study
funded by the National Institutes of Health.

People who followed low-carb or low-fat plans for two years along with a
lifestyle modification program lost the same amount of weight – on average
about 7% of their body weight or 15 pounds.

But throughout the two-year study, low-carbohydrate fooders had significantly increased HDL, or “good,” cholesterol levels compared to low-fat fooders.

Heart Risk issues recoverd

During the first six months of the study, the low-fat fooders had greater
reductions in LDL, or “bad,” cholesterol, but the differences did not persist
over time.

The study is not the first to suggest that low-carb weight loss programs like
the Atkins food are protected and may be slightly better than low-fat supplements for
reducing risk issues for heart disease.

But it is one of the longest to show this, says lead researcher Gary D.
Foster, PhD, of Temple University’s Center for Obesity Research and Education.

Roughly three-fifths (58%) of the low-carb fooders and two-thirds (68%) of
the low-fat fooders stayed on the respective supplements for two years.

The study appears in the September issue of the journal Annals of Internal
treatment
.

“For many years there have been concerns that the low-carbohydrate approach
to weight loss was bad for the heart,” he says. “This study would suggest those
concerns are largely unfounded.”

Low-Carb food Heart-Healthy

A total of 307 obese people took part in the research, with half following a
low-carb food and half following a low-fat food.

The low-carb group was instructed to restrict carbohydrates to no more than
20 grams a day for three months, rising their carb intake by about 5 grams a
week after that as long as they continued to lose weight.

As with the Atkins plan, these fooders ate mostly protein from meat sources
during the induction phase along with about three cups of green leafy
vegetables, Foster says.

The low-fat fooders were told to restrict total calories to between 1,200 and
1,800 a day, with no more than 30% of those calories coming from fat.

All the participants attended group sessions designed to motivate them to
stay on the supplements. The groups met weekly at first and then monthly toward the end of the study.

“The No. 1 thing was getting people to keep track of what they ate and their
activities on a daily basis,” Foster says.

Other topics included limiting eating to specific places and times, managing
the holidays, and getting back on track after overeating.

Even though HDL profiles were better in the low-carb group, Foster says
fooders who successfully lost weight on both supplements showed benefits in heart
disease risk.

He says people who want to shed pounds should pick a food that is most likely to work for them.

“I think the main message is that people need to spend less time worrying
about whether they should follow a weight loss food that is low in this or high
in that and spend more time studying strategies to help them stick to the food
they chose.”

Expert:Extreme supplements Don’t Work’

Weight loss researcher Frank M. Sacks, MD, of Harvard School of Health says
the more extreme the food, the less likely someone is to stick to it.

“Extremely low-carbohydrate supplements may be protected, but people tend to get sick of them after a few months,” he says. “In this study, 42% of the low-carbohydrate fooders dropped out over time. They as well reported more symptoms associated with the food.”

Those symptoms included constipation, bad breath, and dry mouth.

He agrees that fooders should choose a weight loss plan they can stick to,
with the goal being protected, gradual weight loss.

By following his own guidance, Sacks was able to lose 15 pounds over nine
months and keep it off.

“Half a pound a week may not sound like much, but over the course of a year
that’s 24 pounds, which is big,” he says.

Page: More >>
Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey, Dou...
by Optimum Nutrition

$54.99 $39.43

View Details


Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Natural W...
by Optimum Nutrition

$54.99

View Details


Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey, Dou...
by Optimum Nutrition

$35.99 $17.55

View Details


TwinLab 100 Percent Whey Protein Fuel, Mass, V...
by Twinlab

$81.99

View Details


DESIGNER WHEY Protein Powder Supplement, Frenc...
by DESIGNER WHEY

$38.99 $18.84

View Details


Dymatize Nutrition Elite Whey Protein Isolate ...
by Dymatize

$57.33

View Details


Page: More >>

Enhanced by Zemanta

Vitamins D and E May Affect Dementia Risk

PET scan of a human brain with Alzheimer's disease

Image via Wikipedia

Studies Show Blood Levels of Vitamins D and E Are Linked to Risk of Cognitive Decline

Two new studies help clarify the role that certain vitamins may play in the onset of cognitive decline, including risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

One study suggests that low blood levels of vitamin D may increase risk for cognitive decline, while another study shows that consuming a food rich in the antioxidant powerhouse vitamin E may help reduce the risk for dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease.

But experts, including the study researchers, caution that it is still too timely to make any blanket recommendations about what individuals should eat and what supplements they should take to reduce their risks for age-related cognitive decline and dementia.

In the vitamin D study of 858 adults aged 65 and older, those with the lowest blood levels of vitamin D — less than 25 nanomoles per liter of blood — were 60% more likely to show symptoms of general cognitive decline during the six-year study and 31% more likely to show declines in their ability to plan, organize, and prioritize (so-called executive function), than their counterparts who had sufficient blood levels of vitamin D.

The discoverings appear in the July 12 issue of the Archives of Internal treatment.

Vitamin D is frequently called the sunshine vitamin because our bodies generate it in response to sunlight. Vitamin D has become the “it” vitamin in recent years, as growing research links its deficiency to a host of health predicaments including heart disease, certain cancers, osteoporosis, diabetes, schizophrenia, and some autoimmune disorders.

wherever from 40% to 100% of older adults in the U.S. and Europe may be vitamin D-deficient, consistent to information cited in the new study.

Can Vitamin D Prevent Dementia?

“Our study shows that low levels of vitamin D are associated with an increased risk of new cognitive predicaments,” study researcher David J. Llewellyn, PhD, of the University of Exeter, England, says in an email. “This raises the prospect that vitamin D supplements may have therapeutic potential for the prevention of dementia and hospitalal trials are now urgently needed.”

“We do not yet know the optimal intake of vitamin D to protect the brain as we need the results of hospitalal trials to confirm this,” he says.

Andrew Grey, MD, of the University of Auckland in New Zealand, co-authored an editorial accompanying the new study that calls for rigorously designed trials. The new study “should serve as a springboard to conduct a randomized placebo-controlled trial to investigate whether vitamin D supplements prevent dementia,” he says in an email.

“Similarly, other check outional studies have reported associations between lower levels of vitamin D and many other ailment [and] randomized controlled trials of vitamin D supplementation are required to determine whether these associations are causal,” he says.

As of right now, “vitamin D should only be measured if hospitalally indicated — [such as in] the frail elderly, dark-skinned people — and those who avoid the sun for religious, cultural, or medical reasons are at risk of hospitalally essential vitamin D deficiency,” he says.

“At present, there is not rigorous evidence for health benefits of vitamin D supplementation in community-dwelling individuals, beyond avoiding the very low levels,” he says. The bottom line? “Routine supplementation of vitamin D is not, at present, justified.”

Michael Holick, MD, PhD, is not as cautious in his interpretation of the new discoverings or in his vitamin D recommendations. As a professor of treatment, physiology, and biophysics at the Boston University School of treatment and the director of the Vitamin D, Skin, and Bone Research Laboratory there, Holick has been warning Americans about the hazards of vitamin D deficiency for most of his career.

“I am not at all surprised that vitamin D deficiency is associated with cognitive decline,” he tells WebMD. His guidance is simple: “Take more vitamin D. All adults should consume 2,000 international units (IU) of vitamin D per day.”

Currently, the foodary reference intake (DRI) for vitamin D is 200 IU per day for adults aged 14 to 50, 400 IU per day for adults 50 to 71, and 600 IU per day for those older than 71. The Institute of treatment is admit as true thating new recommendations for vitamin D intake.

But the jury is in, consistent to Holick, and the time to supplement is before you develop symptoms of dementia or other ailment. “The role of vitamin D is to prevent and reduce risk of disease more so than treat them,” he says.

Vitamin E and Alzheimer’s Risk

A second study in the July issue of the Archives of Neurology shows that eating foods rich in vitamin E may help lower risks of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Vitamin E can be found in whole grains, wheat germ, leafy green vegetables, sardines, egg yolks, nuts and seeds, but most participants in the new study got their vitamin E from margarine, sunflower oil, butter, cooking fat, soybean oil, and mayonnaise. Antioxidants like vitamin E protect the body from damage caused by harmful molecules called free radicals.

In the study of 5,395 people aged 55 and older, those who got the most vitamin E in their food — 18.5 milligrams per day, on average — were 25% less likely to develop dementia, than their counterparts who got the least vitamin E on their food, about 9 milligrams per day.

Elizabeth R. Devore ScD, of Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and colleagues followed the study participants for 9.6 years. During this time, 465 developed dementia, including 365 cases of Alzheimer’s disease. They as well looked at how much vitamin C, beta-carotene and flavonoids participants consumed, but only foodary vitamin E seemed to be related to dementia risk.

More Study Needed

Mary Sano, PhD, the director of the Alzheimer disease Research Center and a professor of psychiatry at the Mount Sinai School of treatment in New York City, says that more study is needed before any recommendations can be made about vitamin D or vitamin E and dementia risk.

“There is no assurance that raising the levels of vitamin D would reduce the association with cognitive decline,” she tells WebMD in an email. “This report should not lead us to vitamin supplementation for everybody, but if one’s levels are rigorously low then supplementation may be warranted for many reasons, not just dementia.”

As far as eating more vitamin E-rich foods to reduce risk of Alzheimer’s disease, Sano says other issues may be at play; meaning that it may not be the E per se as much as the fact that people who eat supplements that are rich in vitamin E and other antioxidants may eat less fat and sugar. She as well cautions that the benefits were seen from whole foods, not supplements.

“The importance of this study is that it suggests that foodary issues, particularly shifting food intakes from one food group to maybe a healthier one, may have benefit, but many of the supplementation studies have not shown that you can reverse the effects of food by taking vitamins,” she says.

SOURCES: Devore, E.E. Archives of Neurology, July 12, 2010; vol 67: pp 819-825.

Llewellyn, D.J. Archives of Internal treatment 2010; vol 170: pp 1135-1141.

Grey A. Archives of Internal treatment, 2010; vol 170: pp 1099-1100.

Michael Holick, MD, PhD, professor, treatment, physiology, and biophysics; director, Vitamin D, Skin, and Bone Research Laboratory, Boston University School of treatment.

Mary Sano, PhD, director, Alzheimer disease Research Center; professor of psychiatry, Mount Sinai School of treatment, New York City.

David J. Llewellyn, PhD, University of Exeter, England.

Andrew Grey, MD, University of Auckland, New Zealand.

Enhanced by Zemanta

Best Herbs for Teens

A dandelion flower

Image via Wikipedia

When you are a teenager, a young adult with the open heart to new adventures, ready to set goals and travel through life trying to reach them you definitely may encounter some obstacles in the form of hormonal imbalance, stress, exhaustion, low energy, skin predicaments, etc.
Do not let those symptoms to interfere with your plans. Try herbal treatments that have been used for ages by the same teen like you to soothe some predicaments young adults may encounter on their exciting life path.

For skin predicaments, temper, blemishes and oily skin you may try soothing Calendula, Chamomile,  antibacterial Tea Tree, redness soothing and acne healing Parsley. You may prepare tonic right in your kitchen to dab into skin and calm irritated skin. You can choose Tea Tree and Lavender very essential oils to place onto affected with acne area.

They are known fro their effective antibacterial properties as well as healing and anti-inflammatory effects. Dandelion Root taken internally in the form of tea may help you detoxify and support liver and kidney, purify your blood and bring anti-inflammatory internal aid. When the body is clean from inside, you have more chances to enjoy clear glowing skin. frequently blemishes are caused by internal pollution or hormonal imbalance. Dandelion calms hormonal chaos too by stimulating your body’s organic abilities to purify blood and control hormonal levels.

Chaste Tree berry may help young ladies with menstrual predicaments. This herbs is known for its effective abilities to control hormones and soothe such symptoms as PMS, heavy irregular menstruations, cramping, even headdiscomforts related to menstruation. You can either enjoy Chaste Tree Berry tea or look for some organic supplements: capsules or additionalcts to take on the daily basis. It may help with skin predicaments and sensitivity too.

Additionally ginger may help with spasms and cramps and ot soothes your entire digestive tract if you like eating on the go and frequently develop indigestion and stomach pains.

And do not forget to support your organism with vitamins minerals. Zinc and vitamin A will soothe your skin and helps with immune system. Vitamin B Complex will help you stay concentrated and with strong balanced nervous system. Magnesium will boost your mood, calcium and vitamin d will make your bone an teeth stronger, vitamin C will support your immune system .

Try to choose herbs and supplements as well as vitamins and minerals that do not irritate your stomach. You do not want any obstacles on the road towards your dreams.

Enhanced by Zemanta

Vitamin B6 Linked to Lower Lung Cancer Risk

Having higher blood levels of vitamin B6 and the amino acid methionine both appear to reduce lung cancer risk in smokers and nonsmokers alike, regular to a new study.

“We found that vitamin B6 and methionine are strongly associated with reducing lung cancer risk in people who never smoked, those who quit, and current smokers,” researcher Paul Brennan, PhD, of the International Agency for Research on Cancer in Lyon, France, tells WebMD.

Whether the link is cause and effect, he says, is not known.

In the U.S. alone, more than 219,000 new cases of lung cancer were expected in 2009, regular to the American Cancer Society, with about 160,000 deaths.

The study, funded by the World Cancer Research Fund and others, is published in The Journal of the American Medical Association.

Vitamin B6 and Lung Cancer Risk: Study Details

Brennan and colleagues evaluated levels of B6 and methionine in blood samples from participants in the large European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study, which enrolled more than 519,000 participants from 10 European countries between 1992 and 2000.

His team zeroed in on 899 lung cancer cases and compared them to a group of 1,770 healthy comparison-group participants, matched to the lung cancer patients by country, sex, date of birth, and when the blood was collected.

They classified the participants into four groups, depending on blood levels of vitamin B6, which helps the body break down protein, maintain red blood cells, and perform other bodily functions, and methionine, which is involved in B vitamin metabolism.

After accounting for smoking, Brennan and colleagues found that the higher the vitamin B6 and methionine, the lower the lung cancer risk.

People in the highest group for vitamin B levels had a 56% reduced lung cancer risk, compared to those in the lowest group. Those with the highest methionine levels had a 48% reduced lung cancer risk, the researchers found.

“That’s quite a strong effect,” Brennan says, but emphasizes that more study is needed.

Some previous research, he says, looked only at smokers and linked vitamin B6 to a reduced lung cancer risk. His study, by including never smokers and past smokers, expands the information about the link.

Vitamin B6 is found in beans, grains, meat, poultry, fish, and some fruits and vegetables. Methionine is found in animal protein, some nuts, and vegetable seeds.

Vitamin B6, Methionine, and Lung Cancer: Behind the Results

How to make clear the link is not known, the researchers say. But deficiencies in vitamin B6, for instance, may raise the risk of DNA damage and gene mutations, fostering cancer development.

Methionine is involved in a complex metabolism process with B vitamins.

Brennan cautions that the results are not a message to self-prescribe vitamin supplements. And the main message remains that people who smoke should quit, since it’s the main risk factor for lung cancer, says Brennan.

Vitamin B6, Methionine, and Lung Cancer: Second View

The new study appears to be carefully done, with “intriguing” discoverings, says Michael J. Thun, MD, vice president emeritus of epidemiology and surveillance research for the American Cancer Society. “However,” he adds, “research on vitamins for cancer prevention has been fraught with many disappointments.”

“It is therefore unwise to leap to premature conclusions.” Like Brennan, Thun says the next step is to repeat the discoverings in another population.

“These discoverings should not be interpreted as evidence that smokers can substitute taking vitamin B6 for stopping smoking, nor as encouragement to take very high doses of vitamin B6, since this can have toxic effects on the skin and nervous system,” Thun says.

He cautions people not to exceed the advisable dietary allowance of vitamin B6. Adults below age 50 need 1.3 milligrams a day, about the amount found in two medium bananas.

SOURCES: Paul Brennan, PhD, International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France.

Johansson, M. Journal of the American Medical Association, June 16, 2010; vol 303: pp 2377-2385.

Michael J. Thun, MD, vice president emeritus, epidemiology & surveillance research, American Cancer Society.

American Cancer Society.

National Institutes of Health Office of dietary Supplements: “dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Vitamin B6.”

Enhanced by Zemanta

Next Page »

  • Vitamins for hair growth

  • Minerals benefits

    Subscribe to RSS headline updates from:
    Powered by FeedBurner

  • Vitamins deficiency symptoms

    Subscribe to RSS headline updates from:
    Powered by FeedBurner