Archive for the 'vitamin d' Category

Spotlight: Best Kept Secrets to Healthy Aging – Vitamins and Minerals – Helping Hands of Health

Published on July 29, 2010 in healthy aging spotlight and vitamin d. 0 Comments Tags: .

This is part of our ongoing The Best Kept Secrets to Healthy Aging spotlight. Each day, we will be posting some of the great information that’s packed into our book, The Best Kept Secrets to Healthy Aging.

Today’s topic:
Vitamins and Minerals – Helping Hands of Health

The vitamins and essential minerals are just that – essential. They must be part of the diet every day, day after day, year after year. Long-term failure to include enough of even one vitamin or essential mineral from the diet will cause disease, cell death and tissue degeneration. Eventually, the entire body will begin to die. Obviously, this is not a scenario consistent with the goal of Healthy Aging, as deficiencies of essential minerals and vitamins are the unhealthiest way to age. In the paradigm of healthy aging, ensuring adequate intakes of these essentials is the first step. Without this essential foundation, the other pillars of healthy aging crumble fast.

By now, in this enlightened, affluent, highly-educated era, it would seem reasonable to expect that no one in the US could possibly suffer from a deficiency of a vitamin or essential mineral. Or so the US government and the American Medical Association may have you believe. Unfortunately, it just isn’t so.

According to US government data, over 90% of all adult Americans do not consume enough calcium every day to satisfy the current government-sanctioned (that is, minimal) dietary standards. The same holds true for magnesium and vitamin E. Another 75% of all US adults are deficient in copper or zinc; half are deficient in vitamin C, vitamin D or chromium; and between 10% and 15% are deficient in one or more of the B-vitamins. Amazingly, even in the face of the current epidemic of obesity, widespread nutritional deficiencies are rampant in the US. We’re eating more than ever in the history of human existence. Yet, what we’re eating more of is empty calories. Processed foods are a high percentage of the Standard American Diet (So SAD!) and these foods are devoid of many essential vitamins and minerals. So while we’re eating more, we’re not consuming enough of the essentials.

You might ask, “So what? I don’t feel unhealthy.” It’s not like we have problems with:

Gum Health (vitamin C and magnesium);
Hair Health and rough skin (B-vitamins);
Prostate Health (vitamin D, vitamin E, selenium and zinc);
Healthy Blood Sugar (chromium, magnesium and vanadium);
Bone Health (calcium, magnesium, boron, vitamin D, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K);
Memory Issues (folate/folic acid, thiamin, choline, vitamin E, selenium);
Heart Health (selenium, calcium, magnesium, vitamin C, vitamin E and vitamin D);
Periodontal Health (calcium, magnesium, vitamin C and vitamin D);
Weak Immune Systems (selenium, zinc, vitamin C and vitamin D); or
Feeling Tired (B-vitamins and magnesium).

These issues are so prevalent in our population that it’s easy not to be concerned about them. The more one thinks about them, though, the more one realizes the problems they can lead to. The irony of it all is that these areas can all be supported simply by ensuring adequate intakes of essential vitamins and minerals.

In addition to the prevention of the classically recognized nutritional deficiency diseases, healthy intakes of vitamins and minerals can do the body a world of good. A few stellar examples should make the point.

Next Best Kept Secrets to Healthy Aging topic:
Vitamins, Minerals and Longevity

Is 5,000 IU of Vitamin D per Day Too Much?

Published on July 21, 2010 in product video, supplement news and vitamin d. 0 Comments

This is the eighth part of a 15 part Vitamin D series. Dr. John J. Cannell, Executive Director of the Vitamin D Council explains why 5,000 IU of vitamin d per day isnt too much.

Order Dr. Cannell’s Advanced D here:
Purity Products Vitamin D

What are Normal Vitamin D Blood Reference Ranges?

Published on July 7, 2010 in product video, supplement news and vitamin d. 2 Comments

This is the ninth part of a 15 part Vitamin D series. Dr. John J. Cannell, Executive Director of the Vitamin D Council explains why he recommends increasing the vitamin d reference range based on current scientific literature.

Order Dr. Cannell’s Advanced D here:
Purity Products Vitamin D

Purity Products Omega 3 Plus Vitamin C&D Video

Published on June 22, 2010 in vitamin d. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

In this video Purity Products’ President Jahn Levin talks about Omega 3 Plus Vitamin C&D.

Having trouble viewing? Here is the direct link to YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eU-RoEH_UsY

Vitamin D and the Chicago Blackhawks (NHL Stanley Cup Champions)

Published on June 10, 2010 in vitamin d. 0 Comments

Read here how the Chicago Blackhawks’ team physicians are using vitamin d to help their players:
http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/newsletter/vitamin-d-and-the-chicago-blackhawks.shtml

Could it have helped them win the Stanley Cup?

Spotlight: Best Kept Secrets to Healthy Aging – Vitamin D Part XIV

Published on May 17, 2010 in healthy aging spotlight and vitamin d. 0 Comments

This is part of our ongoing The Best Kept Secrets to Healthy Aging spotlight. Each day, we will be posting some of the great information that’s packed into our book, The Best Kept Secrets to Healthy Aging.

Today’s topic:
Vitamin D – the Vitamin of the 21st Century

Recent times have seen a reawakening of interest in the utility of vitamin D. Increasingly, scientists are recognizing the plethora of health-promoting activities of this unique “prohormone”. Acting as a master switch that turns genes on and off, the key to your genome, this nutrient is much more than a vitamin; vitamin D “directs” the play of life by influencing multiple facets of the genetic code to act as it should. And the production and metabolism of the vitamin slows with aging. Ensuring sufficient levels of this critical nutrient can go a long way in supporting optimal wellness. With all of the health factors that are influenced by vitamin D, and with more being discovered every day, this nutrient potentially holds more than just the golden key to healthy aging.

Spotlight: Best Kept Secrets to Healthy Aging – Vitamin D Part XIII

Published on May 16, 2010 in healthy aging spotlight and vitamin d. 0 Comments

This is part of our ongoing The Best Kept Secrets to Healthy Aging spotlight. Each day, we will be posting some of the great information that’s packed into our book, The Best Kept Secrets to Healthy Aging.

Today’s topic:
Vitamin D’s Helper Nutrients

In order to work effectively in the body, vitamin D needs certain cofactor nutrients. Vitamin D is metabolized by enzymes of the Cytochrome P-450 system. These enzymes require magnesium to facilitate their function. Subclinical magnesium deficiencies are common because many of us do not eat enough of the foods that contain magnesium (green vegetables, nuts, and whole grains). Research supports the fact that a majority of Americans are magnesium deficient. Besides playing a role as a cofactor for numerous enzymes, magnesium plays other significant roles in the body, including supporting bone health, nerve transmission and muscle function. Magnesium also promotes cardiovascular function.

Some very important calcium proteins, called Vitamin K dependent proteins, need adequate amounts of vitamin K to work properly. Vitamin K promotes calcium formation in bone but prevents deposition in other organs. The best source of vitamin K is green leafy vegetables, like spinach and kale. How often do you eat those vegetables? Furthermore, research shows that K2, the preferred supplemental form of vitamin K, plays a large role in cardiovascular health in addition to its role in supporting bone health.

In addition to ensuring sufficient magnesium and vitamin K levels, vitamin D requires zinc to perform its designated functions. The Vitamin D Receptor is like a glove, and the base of the fingers of the glove is a zinc molecule. Thus, in those who are zinc deficient, vitamin D cannot function properly. Zinc deficiencies are common, especially in those who eat little meat.

Boron may be another key mineral for enabling vitamin D’s beneficial biological effects. While little is known about boron, other than it is common in green vegetables, fruit and nuts, a number of studies have found that it is important for facilitating the actions of vitamin D on the cell wall. Studies show many Americans get little Boron, again because green vegetables, fruit, nuts, and whole grains are not consumed as often as they should be.

Thus, the key to health remains 5,000 IU of vitamin D a day and a healthy diet, one rich in colorful vegetables and fruits, whole grains, adequate protein, and cold-water fatty fish, a diet that is varied, containing many different foods, and one that is low in foods that contain “empty calories.” For added insurance, everyone should be on a multivitamin containing sufficient levels of magnesium, vitamin K, zinc and boron, among the other essential vitamins and minerals.

Next Best Kept Secrets to Healthy Aging topic:
Vitamin D – the Vitamin of the 21st Century

Spotlight: Best Kept Secrets to Healthy Aging – Vitamin D Part XII

Published on May 15, 2010 in healthy aging spotlight and vitamin d. 0 Comments

This is part of our ongoing The Best Kept Secrets to Healthy Aging spotlight. Each day, we will be posting some of the great information that’s packed into our book, The Best Kept Secrets to Healthy Aging.

Today’s topic:
Vitamin D – Run Faster, Jump Higher!

A little-appreciated consequence of too little vitamin D is muscle soreness that can often result in sore legs and increased discomfort while walking or even standing up. Research findings presented at a June 2006 conference on bone health indicate that vitamin D is a powerful promoter of muscle health and function in older adults and the elderly. In this study, daily dietary supplementation with 3,000 IU of vitamin D for 6 months increased lower limb muscle strength in previously vitamin D deficient elderly men and women by an average of 20% – enough to restore mobility and improve their quality of life substantially.27 We do not know if this would be increased even further if they took 5,000 IU/day. In addition, none of the supplemented subjects exhibited any signs of vitamin D toxicity after the 6 months of vitamin D supplementation and all exhibited minimization of PTH secretion, a proposed measure of vitamin D adequacy.

Keeping with this line of thought, research over several decades points to the ability of vitamin D to influence athletic performance. A recent review highlights the results of numerous studies dating back to the 1950s showing that ultraviolet light exposure improves athletic performance.1 This interesting review also suggests that athletic performance has seasonal variations, peaking at times of the year when vitamin D concentrations are naturally higher and decreasing when vitamin D levels are seasonally lower. Vitamin D administration has also been found to increase muscle strength and the percentage of Type II (fast-twitch) muscle fibers in humans. Studies in the elderly have found that vitamin D can improve balance and reaction time. Given that vitamin D is known to affect the expression of more than 1,000 genes, these findings come as no surprise.

Next Best Kept Secrets to Healthy Aging topic:
Vitamin D’s Helper Nutrients

References:
27. Pedrosa MAC, Moreira LDF, Barros ER, Kunii I, Lazaretti-Castro M. Cholecalciferol supplementation reverts 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) insufficiency and increases lower limb muscle strength (LLMS) in elderly people living in long-stay geriatric care (LSGC) (abstract P367SA). Proceedings, International Osteoporosis Foundation World Congress on Osteoporosis, Toronto, Canada, June 2-6, 2006, pp. 132-133.
1. Cannell JJ, Hollis BW, Sorenson MB, Taft TN, Anderson JJ. Athletic Performance and Vitamin D. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009; 41(5):1102- 1110.

Spotlight: Best Kept Secrets to Healthy Aging – Vitamin D Part XI

Published on May 14, 2010 in healthy aging spotlight and vitamin d. 0 Comments

This is part of our ongoing The Best Kept Secrets to Healthy Aging spotlight. Each day, we will be posting some of the great information that’s packed into our book, The Best Kept Secrets to Healthy Aging.

Today’s topic:
Vitamin D – Immune System Support to the Next Level

Activation of the beneficial health-protective activities of white blood cells is a crucial event in the rapid response that is often required of the immune system. Research published in the Journal of Immunology has shown activated vitamin D to be a powerful stimulant to the white blood cells that mount the first line of chemical defense during the initial phases of a heightened immune response.24 This finding has been confirmed more recently by data published in the FASEB Journal and in Science.25,26 Both studies illustrate the effectiveness of vitamin D in maintaining optimal immune responses by targeting the activities of immune components.

Next Best Kept Secrets to Healthy Aging topic:
Vitamin D – Run Faster, Jump Higher!

References:
24. Wang T-T, Nestel FP, Bourdeau V, Nagai Y, Wang Q, Liao J, Tavera- Mendoza L, Lin R, Hanrahan JH, Mader S, White JH. Cutting edge: 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 is a direct inducer of antimicrobial peptide gene expression. J Immunol 2004;173:2909-2912.
25. Gombart AF, Borregaard N, Koeffler HP. Human cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide (CAMP) gene is a direct target of the vitamin D receptor and is strongly up-regulated in myeloid cells by 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3. FASEB J 2005;19:1067-1077.
26. Liu PT, Stenger S, Li H, Wenzel L, Tan BH, Krutzik SR, Ochoa MT, Schauber J, Wu K, Meinken C, Kamen DL, Wagner M, Bals R, Steinmeyer A, Zugel U, Gallo RL, Eisenberg D, Hewison M, Hollis BW, Adams JS, Bloom BR, Modlin RL. Toll-like receptor triggering of a vitamin D-mediated human antimicrobial response. Science 2006;311:1770-1773.

Spotlight: Best Kept Secrets to Healthy Aging – Vitamin D Part X

Published on May 13, 2010 in healthy aging spotlight and vitamin d. 0 Comments

This is part of our ongoing The Best Kept Secrets to Healthy Aging spotlight. Each day, we will be posting some of the great information that’s packed into our book, The Best Kept Secrets to Healthy Aging.

Today’s topic:
Vitamin D – Defender of Self-Recognition

The importance of vitamin D’s contribution to a healthy immune system cannot be overstated. According to research published recently in the Journal of Immunology 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 acts within the immune system to reduce the activity of the subpopulation of lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell) that are the most prone to accidentally mistake one of your cells for an outside invader.23 In other words, vitamin D focuses cells on performing their designated tasks and prevents them from overdoing it – truly a nutrient that works as an immune modulator. It promotes enhanced immune activity when necessary but protects the immune system from becoming overactive.

At the same time, locally produced 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 also stimulates the activity of the subpopulation of lymphocytes responsible for correcting any “mistakes” that have already occurred. Thanks to vitamin D, your immune system is able to distinguish friend from foe and take the appropriate actions by fixing what’s needed to get your immune system to function at its best.

Next Best Kept Secrets to Healthy Aging topic:
Vitamin D – Immune System Support to the Next Level

References:
23. Chen L, Cencioni MT, Angelini DF, Borsellino G, Battistini L, Brosnan CF. Transcriptional profiling of T cells identifies a role for vitamin D in the immunoregulation of the V.9V.2 response to phosphate-containing ligands. J Immunol 2005;174:6144-6152.