Study: Why Vitamin D May Help Kids
The majority of obese adolescents are vitamin D deficient, which increases their risk of diabetes, hypertension, cancer, cardiovascular disease, according to new study published online ahead of print in the Journal of Adolescent Health.
Researchers at Hasbro Children’s Hospital who conducted the study also said vitamin D status is significantly associated with muscle power/force, and a deficiency may interfere with the obese adolescent’s ability to increase physical activity. They called for increased surveillance of vitamin D levels in adolescents and further studies to determine if normalizing vitamin D levels will help to lower the health risks associated with obesity.
The researchers examined the prevalence of low vitamin D status among 68 obese adolescents and examined the impact of treatment of low vitamin D status in the patients. They found low vitamin D status was present in all of the girls (72% deficient & 28% insufficient) and in 91 percent of the boys (69% & 22% insufficient).
Of those with vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency, 43 patients had a repeat measurement of vitamin D level after treatment. While there was a significant increase in vitamin D levels following treatment, serum vitamin D levels normalized in only 28% of the patients. Repeat multiple courses of vitamin D treatment in the patients who did not normalize their vitamin D levels after initial course, failed to normalize their low vitamin D status.
The researchers said the association between obesity and low vitamin D status also may be due to obese individuals having fewer outdoor activities than lean individuals and therefore, less sun exposure.
They also theorized obese adolescents don’t eat enough vitamin D-rich foods such oily fish, eggs and fortified dairy products and breakfast cereals.
Posted in these publications: News, Science & Research, Children, Vitamin D, Vitamins/Minerals, Healthy, Diet, Nutrition, Cancer, Heart Health, Cardiovascular, Diabetes, Egg, Fortification, Dairy, Breakfast Cereal, Bakery / Cereal, Cereal, Fish, Seafood, Obesity, Weight Management
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Melatonin May Help Control Weight
MELATONIN LINKED TO WEIGHT CONTROL WITHOUT CALORIE REDUCTION
Researchers have uncovered evidence that melatonin, naturally produced by the body as a hormone with antioxidant properties and also found in some foods and supplements, may help control weight gain – even without reducing food intake – and may improve the profile of blood fats, including lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol, increasing HDL (good) cholesterol, and reducing triglycerides.
These effects, if confirmed, would reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and other obesity-related disorders. The researchers suggest that, if this rodent study link can be duplicated in humans, melatonin may help fight obesity and its associated risks, whether taken as a supplement or in the form of melatonin-containing food. (However, although melatonin is found in some supplements taken for sleep disorders and in some foods, especially cherries, no food has been shown to raise blood levels of melatonin in humans.)
The Journal of Pineal Research published only part of this research in its March 2011 issue, and online access to even this part requires either subscription or fee. However, the full study was posted online without charge at http://bit.ly/jpSooK April 27, 2011 by the University of Granada, where the international research team conducted the research.
Substantial Fish Intake May Protect Against Obesity
SUBSTANTIAL FISH INTAKE MAY PROTECT AGAINST OBESITY RISKS
A diet very high in fish that are rich in the omega-3, polyunsaturated fatty acids docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) helps protect against chronic diseases related to obesity such as diabetes and heart disease, found a study of 330 Yup’ik Eskimos in Alaska.
70% of this group is overweight or obese, the same percentage as in the general U.S. population; and like obese Americans elsewhere, those with low DHA and EPA levels show higher blood levels of triglycerides and C-reactive protein (an inflammation indicator linked to heart disease and cancer). However, many Yup’ik Eskimos consume sufficient fish to get 20 times the omega-3 fat consumed in the lower 48 states and data analyses showed that obese members of this population with high blood levels of omega-3 fats did not exhibit these usual chronic effects of obesity.
Also, despite identical prevalence of obesity linked to diabetes, the prevalence of diabetes 2 in this population is about 57% lower.
This just-released study will appear in a future print issue of the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition but is online now at http://bit.ly/f7LYIK.
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Cranberry Juice Lowers Risk of Cardiovascular Disease
CRANBERRY JUICE LOWERS RISK OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE:
A study found that the polyphenols and anthocyanins in specially-prepared, double-strength cranberry juice reduces arterial stiffness, one of the measures of cardiovascular health, about 12 hours after consumption of 480mL of this juice. (Polyphenols and anthocyanins are two types of antioxidant nutrients found in plant foods.) The double-strength cranberry juice was comprised of 54 percent juice, 835mg of total polyphenols and 94mg of anthocyanins. Test subjects consumed 480mL of the juice daily for four weeks, the same volume of a placebo daily for a different four weeks, and neither for two weeks between these periods. A number of cardiovascular measures, such as blood pressure, showed no change. But a measure known as “carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity” was reduced within 12 hours of cranberry juice consumption, indicating a lower degree of central aortic stiffness, which represents an acute cardiovascular benefit of cranberry juice. This study was released March 16, 2011 but will not appear in print until a future issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. It is available online now at http://bit.ly/hAcjgP.
Your Heart Health Needs More than 6 Hours of Sleep
INSUFFICIENT SLEEP INCREASES RISK OF STROKE AND HEART ATTACK
Researchers conclude that chronically getting less than six hours of sleep a night produces hormones and chemicals in the body that are associated with greater risks of developing high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, heart attacks, strokes, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity.
In fact, regularly sleeping less than six hours a night can result in a 48% higher risk of developing or dying of heart disease and a 15% greater risk of developing or dying of a stroke.
Sleeping over nine hours a night has been linked to illness, including cardiovascular disease.
It is the chronic lack of sufficient sleep that produces long-term risk, not an occasional late night and early morning. The study analyzed data from 470,000 participants from eight countries. This study was released online February 8, 2011 by the European Heart Journal and will appear in a future print issue. It is available online now at http://bit.ly/erusY4 without charge.
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Guess Which Juice Fights Cardiovascular Disease & Infection?
POMEGRANATE JUICE!
STUDY FINDS POMEGRANATE JUICE FIGHTS CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE, INFECTION
A new study has concluded that drinking pomegranate juice three times daily for one year reduces the incidence of infections, inflammation, and oxidative stress in chronic kidney disease dialysis patients. (Oxidative stress is an imbalance between the production of chemically-reactive molecules containing oxygen and the body’s ability to detoxify them; oxidation is implicated in numerous diseases, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and heart failure.)
This means that pomegranate juice wards off a number of common complications of kidney dialysis, including a higher mortality rate due to infections and cardiovascular disease. (Cardiovascular disease can result from inflammation.) These findings support other studies that found pomegranate juice has a potent antioxidant effect. Pomegranate juice consumption could produce similar benefits in people with healthy kidneys but further research would be required. The study team stressed the need to monitor potassium levels in any juice taken by kidney patients, especially those with dietary potassium restrictions. This study was presented in Denver on the evening of November 18, 2010 at the 43rd Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition of the American Society of Nephrology. It has not yet been published and is not yet available online.
Which Vitamin Could Help Women Prevent Heart Attacks?
MULTIVITAMIN USE MAY PREVENT HEART ATTACKS IN WOMEN
A study of 31,671 women has found that, compared to taking no supplements at all, regular daily use of multivitamins over a minimum ten-year period reduced the incidence of myocardial infarction (heart attack), at least among those women who had no history of cardiovascular disease (CVD) at the start of the study. There was no similar benefit for women who had a history of CVD. But among those with no CVD history, supplements other than multivitamins had little effect on heart attack risk; multivitamins alone reduced heart attack risk by 27 percent; and multivitamins taken with other supplements lowered heart attack risk by 30 percent. Multivitamins were estimated generally to contain close to the recommended allowances for vitamins A, C, D, and E, thiamine, riboflavin, vitamin B6, vitamin B12 and folic acid. The relationship is not necessarily one of cause-and-effect and further study is needed on the exact contents of multivitamins, the required duration of use, and the reason that supplements had no heart benefit for women with CVD. This study was released September 22, 2010 and will be published in a future issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. It can be read online in the meantime at http://bit.ly/a1wmNr.
Vitamin C Deficiency & Kidney Problems
A study has found that kidney dysfunction is associated with a low blood level of vitamin C.
Also, low blood levels of vitamin C may cause damage, from greater oxidative stress, among kidney disease patients. It was noted that diabetic patients had consistently reduced levels of vitamin C. Lower blood levels of vitamin C have previously been linked to a greater risk of death from cardiovascular disease. People with higher levels of vitamin C have been found to have a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and to have a greater life expectancy. Vitamin C is an essential nutrient in humans and acts as an antioxidant, protecting the body against oxidative stress. Most species can synthesize vitamin C but humans cannot.
A brief summary of this study was released September 3, 2010 by the journal, Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation but the study will not be published in the print journal until a future issue. The full-text version is currently available online at http://bit.ly/bPgeer.
Adversity in Childhood Can Weaken Immune Response & Longevity
A study found that the pain people suffer in childhood, such as abuse or other adversities, can lead to weakened immune systems much later in life and for some more serious cases, can shorten lifespan by seven to fifteen years.
The research on 132 healthy adults, averaging 70 years of age, looked at childhood adversities such as the loss of a parent, serious marital problems between parents, or mental illness or alcoholism within the family. It also assessed the length of telomeres – shortened telomeres are often seen as an indicator of biological aging – and the level of inflammatory indicators, with higher levels linked to various health problems such as cardiovascular disease, arthritis, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, cancers and Alzheimer’s disease.
Abuse had a greater effect than adversities but generally, those who had suffered significantly during childhood had shorter telomeres and higher inflammatory levels.
Those who experienced several kinds of hardship as kids had the shortest telomeres, suggesting a shortened life expectancy.
The study was presented Saturday evening, August 14, 2010, at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association in San Diego. It has not yet been published and is not available online.
The Magic 7 – Sleep & Cardiovascular Risk
A recent study shows that even among healthy people who regularly get five hours or less sleep a night have more than double the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Also, people who regularly get nine or more hours of sleep a night have a greater than fifty percent increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Perhaps more surprising, people who get six or eight hours sleep also have a higher – but far less dramatic – increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
The study advised that seven hours sleep per night, not six or eight or anything more extreme, was the ideal regular sleep period for cardiovascular health.
But how could sleep period affect heart health?
The researchers suggested that shorter sleep times can cause “impaired glucose tolerance, reduced insulin sensitivity, increased sympathetic [nerve] activity and elevated blood pressure,” all of which increase the risk of hardening of the arteries.
Longer sleep duration may be related to an underlying sleep-related breathing disorder or poor sleep quality.
This study was published in the August 1, 2010 issue of the journal, Sleep. It is available online with a subscription to the journal or a membership the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
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Blueberries Can Reduce Cardiovascular Risk
A small study found that blueberry consumption by diet alone reduces key cardiovascular disease risk factors in obese men and women with metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is a combination of medical disorders that increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
Everyday for 8 weeks, 48 participants consumed a beverage comprised of 960 mL of water, 50 gm of freeze-dried blueberries and about 350 gm of fresh blueberries. Researchers found that, compared with the control group, the blueberry group showed lower systolic and diastolic readings – the upper and lower numbers in a blood pressure reading. They also found lower blood levels of LDL, or “bad cholesterol” in the blueberry group. The blood sugar levels were not affected.
The study concluded that “blueberries may improve selected features of metabolic syndrome and related cardiovascular risk factors,” at doses that can be achieved through food consumption alone. This study was released July 21, 2010 by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and is available to read online, with journal subscription at: http://bit.ly/dAf3BK.