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of this study was released September 3, 2010 by the journal, Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation but the study will not be published in the print journal until a future issue.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.
Proof that Fish Oils Fight Inflammation & Diabetes
Finally, a study has identified the mechanism by which omega-3 fatty acids appear to effectively fight chronic inflammation, insulin resistance and diabetes. The study found that there is a key receptor in obese body fat and that omega-3 oils – specifically docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) – activate this receptor, which results in broad anti-inflammatory effects and improved systemic insulin sensitivity. (There is a strong connection between obesity and diabetes.)
The effect of fish oil was powerful, according to the researchers, and, “The omega-3 fatty acids switch on the receptor, killing the inflammatory response.” The study team warned that more study is required to determine how much fish oil constitutes a safe and effective dose.
Researchers suggested that the study could eventually lead to a natural dietary remedy for the more than 23 million Americans who suffer from diabetes. This study was published in the Friday, September 3, 2010 issue of the journal, Cell. The full-text version is now available online without fee at http://bit.ly/9TQ09d.
Cardiometabolic Risks
SUGAR-SWEETENED BEVERAGES LINKED TO RISKS OF DIABETES AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE
A new study suggests that sugar-sweetened drinks may play a role in cardiometabolic risk. Cardiometabolic risk is a constellation of health factors that may raise the risk of diabetes 2 and cardiovascular disease.
Researchers examined the relation between cardiometabolic risk factors and low-fat milk, whole-fat milk, fruit juice and sugar-sweetened beverages. Whole milk consumption was associated with a reduced risk of high triglycerides. But sugar-sweetened drinks were linked to high triglycerides, high LDL, or “bad,” cholesterol, high blood pressure and high waist circumference – all risk factors for diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
While the study did not prove a cause-and-effect relation, the study team suggested recommendations to limit the consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks to help reduce these risk factors.
This study was released August 11, 2010 but will not be published in print until a future issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. It is available online now at http://bit.ly/aUOxQJ.
How to Avoid Dementia
A new study has determined the individual percentages by which a variety of lifestyle changes can reduce the risk of dementia and suggests that these interventions – in the absence of a new treatment for the mind-robbing disease – are likely to have the greatest impact on reducing dementia levels in the future.
The study assessed previously identified risk factors such as depression, diet, alcohol consumption, educational level and vascular factors, which include heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, and high cholesterol.
Results found that three changes together – eliminating depression, diabetes and increasing fruit & vegetable consumption – reduced dementia risk by a full 21%.
- Depression alone accounted for a 10% risk.
- Higher education was linked to an 18% lower risk.
- Genetic tendency towards dementia accounts for 7% of cases.
This study was released August 5, 2010 and will be published in a future issue of the British Medical Journal. The journal already has made the full-text version of this important study available to the public, online at http://bit.ly/c3p7KL.
Vitamins K1 & K2 Reduce Diabetes Risk
A study found that higher intakes of phylloquinone and menaquinone (also known as Vitamin K1 and Vitamin K2) reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.
The research covered a 10-year period and observed that those with the highest intake of phylloquinone had a 19% lower risk of diabetes compared to those with the lowest intake. To a lesser extent, menaquinone was linked to a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes which was further reduced with greater intake of menaquinone. Dietary deficiencies of vitamin K are rare; however, deficiencies are more common in those with liver disease, cystic fibrosis and inflammatory bowel diseases and are linked to long-term aspirin use.
Phylloquinone, or vitamin K1, is found chiefly in leafy green vegetables such as spinach, Swiss chard and brassica (vegetables such as cabbage, kale, cauliflower, broccoli and Brussels sprouts). Some fruits such as avocado and kiwi are also high in vitamin K1. Menaquinone, or vitamin K2, is found in meat, eggs, dairy and natto (fermented soybeans). The study will be published in the August 2010 issue of the journal, Diabetes Care. It is now available online at http://bit.ly/aq90QB.
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.
Do You Know How Much Vitamin D Your Body Needs?
Two thirds of the world’s population, including about half the people in North America and Western Europe, get an insufficient supply of vitamin D, according to vitamin D expert Anthony Norman, PhD.
His article appeared in the July, 2010 issue of Endocrine Today, a monthly newspaper about diabetes and endocrine disorders. Several studies have reported reduced risks of breast cancer, colon cancer and type 1 diabetes with adequate levels of vitamin D, the positive effect generally occurring within five years of beginning to get an adequate vitamin D intake, writes Norman.
It was Norman’s lab that discovered, in 1967, that vitamin D is converted by the body into a steroid hormone; and later discovered that 37 body organs respond to it biologically.
Vitamin D is found in very few foods naturally – fish, eggs and cod liver oil – which is why some other foods such as milk, orange juice, some yogurts and some breakfast foods are fortified with it.
Currently, the recommended daily intake of vitamin D is:
- 200 international units (IU) for people up to 50 years old;
- 400 IU for people 51 to 70 years old; and
- 600 IU for people over 70 years old.
But many scientists suggest that amounts as high as 2,000 to 4,000 IU are required for optimal health, levels which cannot be achieved through food alone; a combination of food, sunshine and supplements may be needed to achieve these levels.
Metformin Increases Risk of Vitamin B12 Deficiency
Long term use of metformin, the commonly prescribed “cornerstone” type 2 diabetes drug, increases the risk of vitamin B12 deficiency.
A deficiency of this vitamin raises levels of the amino acid homocysteine in the blood; higher levels are considered a risk factor for heart disease.
Metformin causes malabsorption of vitamin B12 and this negative effect increases over time. The study establishing this link was posted online at the site of the British Medical Journal on May 20, 2010 and the full-text version is now available at: http://bit.ly/aml8wr.
Cashew Seed Extract Combats Diabetes
A study has found that cashew seed extract is an effective anti-diabetic and may be useful as a nutraceutical – a product that provides health and medical benefits – to combat diabetes.
Researchers concluded that the cashew seed extract significantly stimulated absorption of blood sugar into muscle cells.
Diabetic persons have high blood sugar because their body does not respond well to insulin or does not produce enough of the hormone. Insulin fuels the absorption of blood sugar into the body’s muscles.
Cashew products – leaves, bark, seeds and apples from cashew trees – have traditionally been alleged to be beneficial to diabetics. The new study found that of these products, only cashew seed extract lowered blood sugar. This confirms the traditional use for diabetes and points to possible future oral remedies. A summary of this study has been released early and will be published in a future issue of the journal Molecular Nutrition & Food Research. Further details are available online with journal subscription at: http://bit.ly/bCfi4p
Predict the Risk of Diabetes II
A study has developed a simple measure to predict an individual’s risk of diabetes type 2.
Ordinarily, various factors give a general risk indication: for example, having a family member with diabetes, or having a large waist measurement. But researchers have found that using a “nomogram” that combines two readings is much more accurate, in addition to being quicker, easier and cheaper.
The two readings are the systolic blood pressure reading (the upper blood pressure number) and the waist-to-hip ratio, or WHR.
The higher the score on each, the higher is the risk.
A nomogram is a tool that shows three parallel lines on a sheet of paper with, in this case, the line on the left representing the systolic reading, the line on the right representing the WHR and the middle line representing the resultant risk. A line is drawn from the systolic reading to the WHR and where it intersects the middle line represents the risk of diabetes.
Details of this jus
t-released study won’t appear until a future issue of the journal Diabetologia. More info here: http://bit.ly/asW2q9
Resveratrol May Reduce the Risk of Diabetes
Wine may reduce the risk of diabetes.
Resveratrol – a compound found in wine, grapes and peanuts – has a positive effect on impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), also known as pre-diabetes.
A study found that resveratrol supplements taken at concentrations higher than those normally found in wine, grapes or peanuts, resulted in lower post-meal glucose levels and improved insulin sensitivity, which are both positive implications for those at risk of diabetes.
A separate study found that overweight and middle-aged individuals experienced a 40 percent improvement in insulin sensitivity. Both studies were presented at the June, 2010 annual meeting of the American Diabetes Association.
Can Brown Rice Decrease Diabetes Risk?
A new study shows a greater risk of type II diabetes in men and women who eat white rice compared to those who do not.
Surprisingly, the study also found a reduced risk of type II diabetes in those who eat brown rice compared to those who do not regularly eat rice. 
Specifically, the risk of diabetes increased with five or more servings of rice per week; and the risk of diabetes was reduced with consumption of two or more servings of brown rice per week. Researchers estimated that replacing just one third of a daily serving of white rice with an equal amount of brown rice would decrease type II diabetes risk by 16 percent; replacing one third of the white rice with other whole grains such as barley or whole wheat could decrease the risk by 36 percent.
This brief abstract, or summary, was released June 14, 2010 by the Archives of Internal Medicine; the full-text version of the study is available with journal subscription at: http://bit.ly/cT5kvt.
What Do Diabetes, B-12 Deficiency & Heart Disease Have in Common?
Long term use of Metformin, commonly prescribed for treating type II diabetes, increases the risk of vitamin B12 deficiency.
A deficiency of Vitamin B-12 raises levels of the amino acid homocysteine in the blood; higher levels are considered a risk factor for heart disease.
Metformin causes malabsorption of vitamin B12 and this negative effect increases over time.
The study establishing this link was posted online at the site of the British Medical Journal on May 20, 2010; the full-text version is now available at: http://bit.ly/aml8wr.
Air Pollution & Cardiovascular Risk
Evidence is growing that air pollution, especially fine particulate matter, can trigger cardiovascular death within a few hours of exposure among those who are at risk.
Long-term exposure can shorten lifespan by a few months to a few years. To cut the risk of pollution-triggered death, seek treatment for underlying heart risk factors: blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes and smoking. Also, those with heart problems should monitor air quality reports and stay indoors or limit activity during high-particulate days.
For guidance, speak to your natural health practitioner.
For systemic environmental detoxification, visit our site on our Healthy Detoxification Kit: http://tinyurl.com/33nvhe5.
For detailed information, visit the American Heart Association article on Circulation: http://bit.ly/cQhl4g.
Good Fats Fight Heart Disease
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A study suggests foods rich in good fats may partly offset risk factors for ischemic heart disease (IHD). High cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes and aging are risk factors for IHD, a reduced blood supply to the heart. But IHD rates are low in Spain, where risk factors are high. So scientists compared blood levels of unsaturated fats in healthy people with those showing signs of IHD and concluded greater levels of oleic, alpha-linolenic and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids – found in olive oil, walnuts and fish, respectively – protected against IHD. This brief summary was released May 12 but details are withheld until a future issue of the online and print editions of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. |
