By Tom Spears, Ottawa Citizen

 OTTAWA — This week brings fresh evidence that Canadians need more vitamin D, this time because it appears to prevent colds and flu.

The latest study adds to mounting evidence that the vitamin from sunshine boosts the immune system and helps prevent some cancers and heart disease.

Vitamin D comes mostly from strong sunshine, pills, or milk and some fish. Most Canadians have very low levels of the vitamin.

The new study, published in the medical journal Archives of Internal Medicine, shows that people with (read more…)

Technorati Tags: vitamin, vitamin and supplements, Vitamin D, vitamins

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Vitamin supplements can prevent hearing loss in laboratory animals, according to two new studies, bringing investigators one step closer to the development of a pill that could stave off noise-induced and perhaps even age-related hearing loss in humans.

The findings will be reported Wednesday at the Association for Research in Otolaryngology’s annual conference in Baltimore by senior author Colleen Le Prell, a researcher at the University of Florida.

The supplements used in the research studies are composed of antioxidants — beta carotene and vitamins C and E — and the mineral magnesium. When administered prior to exposure to loud noise, the supplements prevented both temporary and permanent hearing loss in test animals.

“What is appealing about this vitamin ‘cocktail’ is that previous studies in humans, including those demonstrating successful use of these supplements in protecting eye health, have shown that (read more…)

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Tuesday, February 10, 2009 by: Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Key concepts: Vitamins, Multivitamins and Nutrition

(NaturalNews) A new study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine claims that multivitamins are useless at preventing cancer and cardiovascular disease in women. The mainstream media has predictably picked up on this story, gleefully running it as "proof" that nutrition is worthless and only pharmaceuticals can enhance your health.

What they’re not telling you, though, might shock you. Here’s the truth about this so-called "scientific" study on multivitamins:

• No multivitamins were even used in the study! The women followed in this study weren’t actually given any multivitamins at all. They were simply asked if they take multivitamins!

• There was no quality control in the study. Since no multivitamins were given to women, there was no quality control at all. Did these women take cheap, synthetic vitamins bought at Costco? Or did they take quality supplements from better sources? Nobody knows because it wasn’t tracked!

• Most people SAY they take multivitamins, but don’t. If you ask most people, they will TELL you (read more…)

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By KARYN DORNEMANN, DC
02/03/2009

 Posted Tuesday, February 3 at 11:15 a.m.
I CONSIDER MYSELF to be a relatively healthy person when compared to most. I eat very well, exercise a reasonable amount, get regular chiropractic adjustments, take my vitamins (most days), stand up straight–you get the idea. So imagine my amazement when I recently had my serum vitamin D levels checked by my doctor (at the insistence of one of my own patients who had recently been to a seminar on vitamin D and told me to get mine checked immediately!) and found that I was–gasp–deficient in vitamin D. Me! My level of serum vitamin D was "generally considered inadequate for bone and overall health in healthy individuals." As my 16-year-old daughter would text to me: "OMG!"

      I was speechless.
      Then I started doing some research.
      And I started taking vitamin D religiously with a product from the professional line of supplements I sell in my office. I had my 16-year-old daughter’s blood levels checked. This is one of the healthiest kids I’ve ever seen, and she was deficient in vitamin D! My significant other is having his blood levels checked this week, and so is my 14-year-old daughter. I expect they will be deficient, too.
      Why all the hullabaloo over a vitamin D deficiency? What’s the big deal?
      Here’s a concise rundown on why this vitamin is (read more…)

Technorati Tags: vitamin, Vitamin D, vitamins, vitamins and supplements