Showing posts with label vitamin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vitamin. Show all posts
Folic Acid and Vitamin B12 Improve Memory and Cognition as we Age
Thursday, May 22, 2014
Researchers from the Australian National University have shown that essential B vitamins combat stress that results in a loss of memory and normal thought patterns that cause abnormal brain aging. Publishingin The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, scientists found that long-term supplementation of daily folic acid and vitamin B-12 promotes improvement in cognitive functioning after a period of two years, particularly in immediate and delayed memory performance.
B vitamins are crucial for nerve transmission and are needed in higher amounts as your stress level increases. Health-minded adults will want to ensure that they obtain an optimal daily dose of these important vitamins from diet or supplemental sources.
Folic Acid and Vitamin B-12 Fight Brain Stress and Inflammation in the Elderly
The study leader, Dr. Janine Walker and her team conducted a two year intervention among elderly participants confined in a community-dwelling environment. All participants exhibited symptoms of depression and were under moderate stress due to environmental and lifestyle conditions. The study was designed to determine if nutritional intervention could prevent cognitive decline under randomized and controlled conditions.
Researchers supplemented one group of studyvolunteers with an oral dosage of 400 micrograms of folic acid and 100 micrograms of vitamin B-12 daily. This group was compared against a control set of participants that received a placebo. The results were measured at twelve and twenty-four month intervals using the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status Standardized Test and the Brief Test of Adult Cognition by Telephone (to determine processing speed). An Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly was administered at two years to provide a final analysis of cognitive function.
B Vitamin Duo Synergistically Improves Memory Performance in Aging Adults
The study authors found that the group receiving the supplemental B-vitaminsexperienced significantly better memory function when compared to the control subjects. The research team determined that stress results in inflammation to neuron structures in the brain and inhibits electrical and chemical transmissions between nerves that are required to form new memories and maintain a healthy degree of cognitive function. The body uses B-vitamins, especially folic acid and vitamin B-12 to fight brain inflammation and ensure proper brain communications.
After the two year study period, Dr. Walker concluded“Long-term supplementation of daily oral 400 mcg folic acid and 100 mcg vitamin B-12 promotes improvement in cognitive functioning after 24 months, particularly in immediate and delayed memory performance.” The entire family of B-vitamins has been shown to lower the impact of brain stress and inflammation. Health-conscious adults will want to combine a daily supply of B-vitamins with the Omega-3 fats EPA and DHA to dramatically lower the risk of memory loss and cognitive decline.
Vitamin D may reduce risk of uterine fibroids according to NIH study
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
Women who had sufficient amounts of vitamin D were 32 percent less likely to develop fibroids than women with insufficient vitamin D, according to a study from researchers at the National Institutes of Health.
Fibroids, also known as uterine leiomyomata, are noncancerous tumors of the uterus. Fibroids often result in pain and bleeding in premenopausal women, and are the leading cause of hysterectomy in the United States.
The study of 1,036 women, aged 35-49, living in the Washington, D.C., area from 1996 to 1999, was led by Donna Baird, Ph.D., a researcher at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of NIH. Baird and her collaborators at The George Washington University and the Medical University of South Carolina screened participants for fibroids using ultrasound. They used blood samples to measure the primary circulating form of vitamin D, known as 25-hydroxy D. Those with more than 20 nanograms per milliliter of 25-hydroxy D were categorized as sufficient, though some experts think even higher levels may be required for good health. The body can make vitamin D when the skin is exposed to the sun, or vitamin D can come from food and supplements.
Study participants also completed a questionnaire on sun exposure. Those who reported spending more than one hour outside per day also had a decreased risk of fibroids. The estimated reduction was 40 percent. Although fewer black than white participants had sufficient 25-hydroxy D levels, the estimated reduction in prevalence of fibroids was about the same for both ethnic groups.
"It would be wonderful if something as simple and inexpensive as getting some natural sunshine on their skin each day could help women reduce their chance of getting fibroids," said Baird.
Baird also noted that, though the findings are consistent with laboratory studies, more studies in women are needed. Baird is currently conducting a study in Detroit to see if the findings from the Washington, D.C., study can be replicated. Other NIEHS in-house researchers, led by Darlene Dixon, D.V.M., Ph.D., are learning more about fibroid development, by examining tissue samples from study participants who had surgery for fibroids.
"This study adds to a growing body of literature showing the benefits of vitamin D," said Linda Birnbaum, Ph.D., director of NIEHS and the National Toxicology Program.
Facts About Vitamin D For Skin Cancer Prevention
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Facts About Vitamin D For Skin Cancer Prevention
This Vitamin D facts show that the real network between skin cancer and ultraviolet rays is overexposure. Our body produces Vitamin D when the skin we have is exposed to this rays of natural sun light. The beneficial rays regarding natural sunlight cannot enter glass. In our home or in the car, we cannot receive the beneficial Vitamin D from the sun.
It is quite hard to receive adequate degrees of Vitamin D from our diet. Sunlight is one of the most reliable ways. It would take no less than ten large glasses regarding Vitamin D fortified milk daily just to secure a very minimum level regarding supply. The further your home is from the equator, the longer sun exposure is necessary to generate Vitamin D. Europe, the UK and most US states are not even close the equator.
If you have dark pigmented skin you may want 20 to 30 times as often exposure as fair skinned visitors to generate the same level of Vitamin D. Because in this sunlight deficiency, prostate cancer malignancy is prevalent among black men.
A sufficient higher level of Vitamin D is required for absorption of calcium in your intestines. A deficiency in this vitamin renders calcium products useless. Chronic deficiencies of Vitamin D takes many weeks of supplementation and sunlight contact with reverse and rebuild the bones and nervous process.
One of the Vitamin D facts that a lot of people wouldnt suspect will be that overuse of sunscreen blocks your ability to generate Vitamin and mineral D by 95%. This can create a deficiency and actually cause disease. Note i said "overuse of sunscreen", as sunscreen and safety clothing are necessary beyond a lot of exposure.
It is impossible to generate too much Vitamin D into the body from exposure to the sun. Your body will normally only generate what it needs. A word of warning is that beyond this point you are overexposing you to ultimately the UV rays which is when damage occurs on your skin.
Press on your sternum firmly of course, if it hurts, you might be suffering from a serious Vitamin D deficiency at this time. Before your body is able to use Vitamin D it is activated by your kidneys and liver. In case you have kidney disease or hard working liver damage, the ability of your body to activate Vitamin D might be greatly impaired. Vitamin D from natural sunlight is among the most healing influences in the human body and it is for nothing.
Again, if youre cannot obtain enough sunlight publicity, do take good quality Vitamin D supplements as well as any other vitamin/mineral supplements you may want. Any qualified holistic doctor could help to determine any deficiencies in the human body.
Knowing these Vitamin D facts ahead of time in life and having them throughout your lifetime is a wise decision for any individual. So receive the health advantages of Vitamin D without having to be afraid. Just be smart.
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