Showing posts with label Nutrition. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nutrition. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

vitamin D recommended


Last week, it was vitamin D's turn to fall from grace.

The panel's exhaustive report concluded that levels of vitamin D are — thank you very much — just fine in virtually all healthy North Americans.

That was surprising to the legions of people who believed that high doses of the vitamin could prevent a laundry list of chronic conditions, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, depression, certain cancers, preeclampsia and low birth weight. To do that job, virtually all healthy people need only 600 international units (IUs) of vitamin D a day — and those older than 70, 800 IUs.

How much vitamin D did the experts say is necessary?

For most children, teens and adults, a daily dose of 400 international units (IUs) of the vitamin is sufficient, and 600 IUs recommended. Seniors older than 70 should ideally receive 800 IUs of vitamin D a day, the panel determined. For babies less than 1 year old, the panel considered 400 IUs of vitamin D enough.

Those levels are somewhat higher than the ones set in 1997, the last time a government panel examined vitamin D intake. A slew of recent studies have linked low levels of vitamin D to an increased incidence of these health problems. Maintaining a healthy level of vitamin D through diet alone has become much easier since manufacturers began fortifying foods with the nutrient.
A report released on November 30 has called for tripling the recommended dietary allowance of vitamin D for people aged 9 to 70 from 200 to 600 international units (IU) a day.
Children under nine, including infants, need 400 IU a day.
Despite recent studies suggesting that the vitamin D has benefits going far beyond bone health, the panel restricted its benefits to just that. "Overall, the committee concludes that the majority of Americans and Canadians are receiving adequate amounts of both calcium and vitamin D."
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Friday, September 10, 2010

benefits of Chlorella


The benefits of Chlorella are well researched and documented. One that most people might find worth considering is chlorella. The reason why most people might find this worth taking is because one of the benefits of chlorella is that it boosts your immune system. People suffering from a lot of different illnesses swear by "Chlorellas benefits"..

cancer
high blood pressure
hypoglycemia
constipation
diabetes
gastritis
ulcers
high cholesterol
Crohn's disease
asthma

In general, besides those already mentioned above, the "benefits of chlorella" include improving digestion, improving kidney and liver function, lowering cholesterol, helping with skin conditions, balancing blood sugar, and detoxifying your body.

Some people have had issues with digestive upset, and others have had allergic reactions. could also include some bullet points of some of the benefits of Chlorella
Chlorella contains more beta-carotene than carrots, in fact, over 10 x the amount! Chlorella is abundantly rich in B vitamins, especially vitamin B-12. Chlorophyll is renowned for its ability to purify blood and cleanse vital organs. Chlorella cleanses our bowels and other channels of elimination as well as protecting our liver, which in turn helps to purify blood.

Chlorella can assist in increasing levels of these cells, which assist in boosting the immune system.

Chlorella helps purify the blood and is a particularly good detoxifying agent; it can help detox heavy metals, for example mercury, and pesticides from the body and is recommended in a number of detox diets. Chlorella Can Improve Your Digestive System "Chlorella" is rich in fibre and encourages beneficial intestinal micro-flora production, which can result in the elimination of food cravings, increased feelings of fullness at meal times, and better food elimination (and a resulting reduction in fat storage from food).

Chlorella can really assist people to lose weight more effectively.
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Thursday, September 9, 2010

some of the benefits of vitamin b12


The 12 b vitamin is one of the b vitamins that are essential to maintain a healthy body. The most important function of 12 b is to form healthy red blood cells. However, all cells need 12 b to keep them healthy. It is the white blood cells, amongst others, that need 12 b to help ensure that the immune system functioning properly. All of the nerve cells in the body also need 12 b to form their protective fatty layer. If there is not sufficient 12 b to create this protective layer then the brain will not be functioning properly.

Interestingly, the amount of 12 b that the body needs is relatively small but is needed on a regular basis. To help the body absorb 12 b the stomach produces intrinsic factor which enables more of the 12 b to be absorbed. If the body does not have enough 12 b then anaemia is the most obvious symptom. Anaemia can also be caused by the body not creating enough intrinsic factor to help absorb the 12 b that is available in the food consumed.

Vitamin B12 deficiency may result negative in hematological, neurological, and gastrointestinal conditions. Vitamin B12, a member of the B-vitamin family, is a term used collectively to represent a group of cobalt-containing compounds known as corrinoids. Vitamin B12 is a water-soluble vitamin required for normal cell activity, DNA replication, and the synthesis of the mood-influencing substance SAMe. Vitamin B12, also known as cobalamin, works with folic acid to produce healthy red blood cells. Vitamin B12 also keeps your central nervous system healthy.
Vitamin B12 helps maintain the myelin sheath that insulates nerve fibres from each other. Vitamin B12 is bound to the protein in food. Hydroxocobalamin is a man-made form of vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 deficiencies occur when the body is unable to properly use the vitamin.
Benifits Vitamin B12 Tips
Vitamin B12 is found naturally in food sources (principally animal products) in protein-bound forms.
Vitamin B12 deficiency can be a factor in a variety of different health conditions and disorders.
Vitamin B12 may help restrain pre-cancerous lung conditions in smokers.
Patients with Alzheimer's show low levels of Vitamin B12.
Vitamin B12 deficiency can be a factor in a variety of different health conditions and disorders.
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Sunday, August 29, 2010

Vitamin D for colds and flu protection?


"Vitamin D" is more important than most people realize for protection against colds and flu and is an influential preventative for a wide assortment of diseases like cancer, diabetes, autoimmune diseases, heart disease and depression. Research in recent decades shows the deficit of "Vitamin D" in the body has more far reaching effects than most people realized.

In the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Dr. John Cannel and his team report that T-cells that the body generates to fight infection are more efficient and active when bound with Vitamin D. Vitamin D is an integral part of the body's defense system. Through a series of hormonal signaling dendrite cells, macrophages and finally T-lymphocytes are released.

This activating signal stimulates the VDR gene to produce a DVR protein, which causes Vitamin D to attach to the T-cell. Without Vitamin D, the T-cells are less active and stimulated by infective agents.

Vitamin D is not all created equal. Obviously, Vitamin D from the sun is the most effective and natural. The form of Vitamin D generated in your body from sun exposure, particularly UV-B rays in sunlight, performs like a pro-hormone in the skin, converting quickly into 25-hydroxyvitamin D, or Vitamin D3. According to studies, an ideal year-round Vitamin D3 level is 50-65 mg/ml.

Evidence continues to mount validating the critical nature of Vitamin D to human health.

Our body is very sensitive to Vitamin D circulating in the blood, with insufficient levels leading to poor immune system response and disease. Scientists have discovered that Vitamin D activates white blood cell components of our innate immune system known as T-cells, which are responsible for tagging an intruder pathogen for destruction. When the vitamin is deficient, there is no detection and the pathogen or rogue cancer cell are permitted to flourish and multiply.

When sufficient blood levels of Vitamin D are present, the active receptors on each cell in the body are filled, providing a metabolic instruction manual for cellular replication.
Monitor blood levels of vitamin D through regular blood testing to ensure a level above 50 mg/ml.
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Friday, August 27, 2010

why not black rice and black rice bran?"


"Black rice bran would be a unique and economical material to increase consumption of health-promoting antioxidants."

The scientists explained that pigments in black rice bran extracts range from pink to black.
In the study, the researchers tested black rice bran grown in the Southern United States. Although brown rice is the most common rice variety produced worldwide, Xu said the study results suggest that black rice bran may be healthier than brown rice bran in terms of antioxidants.

"If berries are used to boost health, why not black rice and black rice bran?"
Xu and colleagues analyzed samples of black rice bran from rice grown in the Southern U.S.
Black rice is rich in anthocyanin antioxidants, substances that show promise for fighting cancer, heart disease, and other health problems, Xu says.

He adds that food manufacturers could use black rice bran or bran extracts to boost the health value of breakfast cereals, beverages, cakes, cookies, and other foods.
Black Rice vs. Brown Rice
White rice is made when rice is milled more than is done for brown rice; the bran is also removed, Xu says.

So black rice bran may be even healthier than brown rice, Xu says.
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Tuesday, August 24, 2010

prenatal vitamins remains the recommended daily intake for pregnant women.

Ideally, a prenatal vitamin would also contain the recommended daily intake of iron for pregnancy–27 milligrams (mg). However, if the high dose of iron supplements upset your stomach or make you too constipated, it’s fine to skip the iron as part of your prenatal vitamin before you’re actually pregnant. If you have anemia (iron deficiency), your doctor may recommend a higher dose than the standard 27 mg/day.

If your prenatal contains Vitamin A, make sure it’s in the form of beta-carotene rather than retinol, and that the dose does not exceed 100% of the daily recommended intake. High doses of the ‘active’ form of Vitamin A (retinol) can produce birth defects, particularly in early pregnancy.

• You may find a variety of B vitamins (thiamin, niacin, riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12) and/or Vitamin C in your prenatal as well.

Lastly, don’t expect a prenatal viatmin to deliver much by way of calcium; high doses of calcium interfere with iron absorption and therefore usually do not exceed 150mg in a prenatal vitamin which contains iron.

A new study finds that women who develop a severe form of pregnancy-related high blood pressure tend to have lower blood levels of vitamin D than healthy pregnant women -- raising the possibility that the vitamin plays a role in the complication.

In the current study, researchers found that vitamin D levels were generally lower among 50 women with early severe preeclampsia compared with those of 100 healthy pregnant women. The average vitamin D level in the former group was 18 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL), versus 32 ng/mL in the latter group.

There is debate over what constitutes an adequate level of vitamin D in the blood. The findings, reported in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, do not prove that lower vitamin D levels contribute to early-onset severe preeclampsia.
A few past studies have found an association between vitamin D and preeclampsia in general. Now more work is needed to see whether pregnant women's vitamin D levels predict the odds of preeclampsia developing -- and whether raising those levels with vitamin D supplements lowers women's risk of the complication, according to Dr. Christopher J. Robinson, of the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston.

Of the preeclampsia group, 54 percent were deemed to have vitamin D deficiency (less than 20 ng/mL), versus 27 percent of the healthy group. Only 24 percent of women with preeclampsia had vitamin D levels greater than 32 ng/mL, compared with 47 percent of their healthy counterparts.

It is biologically plausible, Robinson said, that the vitamin could affect preeclampsia risk. Right now, it's generally recommended that pregnant women get anywhere from 200 to 400 IU of vitamin D per day; prenatal vitamins contain 400 IU.
For now, though, Robinson said, the 400 IU in "prenatal vitamins remains the recommended daily intake for pregnant women".
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