Regular doses help ward off heart disease, cancer, diabetes

By Donna Gray, For Neighbours

Two well-known, affordable, and accessible vitamins have long been touted as being the means to a healthier body and boosted immunity to colds.

Expanded research is also proving that regular doses of Vitamins C and D will also help treat and prevent diseases such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, osteoarthritis and even multiple sclerosis.

Last year, an American research project became the talk of the industry, revealing that 1,200 women who took a Vitamin D supplement regularly reduced their chances of cancer by 60 per cent than those who didn’t take the supplement.

Two years ago, a league of investigators with the National Institutes of Health in the U. S., found that controlled doses of Vitamin C may keep cancer tumour patients alive longer.

Other studies around the world are also revealing similar findings and potentially, promise, for both vitamins.

So, why have these simple, handy, and budget-friendly vitamins been overlooked by the medical profession, and so underused by the masses?

Dr. Michael Holick, professor at the Boston University School of Medicine and author of The UV Advantage, says the information was always there, but the obvious connection wasn’t.

“You can’t see a Vitamin D deficiency easily,” he says, “We’ve been trying to make the connection since 1941 when it was first observed. But not everyone is convinced it’s the answer, but more research says otherwise.”

Vitamin D, a fat-soluble element which occurs naturally in our bodies, is void during the winter months, thanks to our latitudinal positioning and lack of strong sunlight.

We get it supplemented through our milk and other products, such as cod liver oil, some vegetables, and salmon or in pill form.

Another lucky link, it also helps the body break down and use calcium/ magnesium supplements.

Holick, who will be speaking to health professionals and the public at Mount Royal College February 26 about Vitamin D deficiency, says every cell is our body has a Vitamin D receptor, and about 2,000 of our genes are thirsty for it.

“Vitamin D regulates cell growth, boosts the immune system and insulin production, and reduces risk in our autoimmune system,” he says.

“It also fights infections, and has an effect on vascular and heart muscle. It can also help to regulate insulin production.”

The average adult in Canada is encouraged to ingest about 200 international units (IU) of Vitamin D through food or supplements. For those 50 and up, that number jumps to 400 (equivalent to two 500 mL of milk.)

Vitamin C, found in a variety of fruits and vegetables, is water soluble, meaning it doesn’t last long in our bodies and we don’t produce it naturally.

In appropriate doses, it helps build muscle fibres and heal injuries on and under the skin, and to bone, and blood vessels.

A powerful antioxidant, Vitamin C can also boost immunity to various diseases, infection, and viruses, (aka, the common cold, although that’s been questioned lately).

It also helps to enhance iron absorption.

The recommended daily dosage sits at 1,000 mg or more a day, but not exceeding 2,000 mg.

Jeoff Drobot, a naturopathic doctor in Calgary, says we need a heck of a lot more of both vitamins, as well as a complete nutritional overhaul in society, if we’re going to stave off disease.

“We live in a society that is mal-nourished from processed foods,” he says. “The best advice is to take 500 mg of Vitamin C twice a day, and get your Vitamin D from a tablespoon of cod liver oil, which gives you 1,300 units of Vitamin D, plus you get essential fatty acids.”

For natural growth of Vitamin D, get some pure sunshine, sans sunblock, for about 15 minutes, but no longer.

The sun is strongest from March to September. After that, rely on vitamin D-rich foods and supplements.

Drobot adds that the reason why there isn’t a lot of research on the positive and healing effects of Vitamins C and D is that there’s no money in it for drug companies.

“You can’t patent a natural product,” he says.

“There is no sense in researching it if it’s already cheaply available on the market. Researchers found out about it more through epidemiological research after the fact. Now they’re dissecting the origin of it to find out if deficiency is the cause.”

Vitamin C and D are considered raw materials that help the body do what it’s supposed to do.

Lynne Lafave, who teaches nutrition at Mount Royal College, says a good first step is to eat foods rich in vitamins and minerals, period (meaning, fruits and veggies), then using a supplement to augment total unit intake.

“A lot of wonderful elements, such as minerals, fibre, and other vitamins are found in whole foods,” she says. “They improve your overall health, not just your vitamin intake.”

You can have too much of a good thing though. For example, excessive vitaminDcan cause headaches, cramps, nausea, abnormal bone growth, and excessive calcium deposits. If you ingest more vitamin C than normal, expect similar reactions, as well as bowel problems.

“When mixing supplements with vitamin-rich foods, you really need to be on top of what is in the safe range,” Lafave says. “A little is good, and extra a lot is a waste of money and bad for health.”

Vitamin D Rich Foods

Milk, fish such as shrimp, salmon, sardines, mackerel and cod, organic and sun-ripened mushrooms such as shiitake, eggs, fortified cereals, fortified yogurts and other dairy products, margarine, butter, and cod liver oil.

Vitamin C Rich Foods

Citrus fruits, raspberries, strawberries, cantaloupe, watermelon, papaya, tomatoes, mango, brussels sprouts, red bell peppers (green too, but not as much), broccoli, leafy green vegetables, cauliflower, cabbage, and winter squash.

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 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 the lowest levels of vitamin D in their blood are the most likely to catch colds.

Two of the study’s authors are emergency room physicians, members of a group that typically doesn’t have much time for lab work.

Dr. Adit Ginde of the University of Colorado at Denver said he knew vitamin D appeared to fight respiratory infections such as tuberculosis, and he often sees patients for whom colds or the flu are a real problem, especially people with asthma or emphysema.

So he and two doctors from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston started looking for a possible role for the vitamin in fighting colds.

"We want to be careful not to say vitamin D is this wonder drug," he said. "But there’s a solid foundation for some of these hypotheses, at least in the laboratory." The next step is to test them on people.

Their study gathered blood samples, and in most cases did a physical exam, of 19,000 U.S. adults.

Vitamin D levels vary widely in the population. Fair-skinned people in sunny regions tend to have the most; dark-skinned people who don’t get much sun exposure have the least.

Study participants with the lowest vitamin D blood levels — under 10 nanograms per millilitre of blood — were about 40 per cent more likely to report recent colds or flu than those with vitamin D levels above 30 nanograms.

That’s not proof of cause and effect, but the study authors say it’s a strong "association," or scientific connection.

This association showed up all seasons of the year. It was strongest among study volunteers with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including emphysema.

Asthma patients with the lowest vitamin D levels were five times more likely to have had a recent respiratory infection, while COPD patients had twice as many respiratory infections when they had a vitamin D deficiency.

Canadian medical groups have already begun recommending more vitamin D.

The Canadian Cancer Society recommends 1,000 international units (IU) a day in fall and winter for all adults, and year-round for those over 50 or with dark skin.

Ginde thinks future research will push recommended vitamin D levels higher: possibly to 2,000 IU a day.

"The Canadian Pediatrics Society has really been at the forefront," he said. It produced two "very bold" statements: First, that pregnant or nursing women should take 2,000 IU a day for their babies’ immune systems, and also defining for the first time how much vitamin in the blood is best for health.

In the meantime, vitamins C and E are falling rapidly out of favour among medical researchers, with recent studies showing no link to cancer prevention. This month a huge study (161,000 U.S. women over eight years) showed multivitamins have "little or no effect" on cancer rates, heart disease or life expectancy, leaving D as the only vitamin with recent research in its favour.

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

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 so important for everyone, from infants to the elderly, male or female.
      Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is not found in many foods and is difficult to obtain from your diet unless you eat a lot of cold water fish such as salmon, mackerel and tuna. Humans make our own vitamin D primarily through exposure to the sun. People who live in northern latitudes (that means you and me, folks!) and people with occupations that prevent sun exposure (you and me again) are unlikely to obtain adequate vitamin D levels from sunlight. Breastfed infants, older adults, obese individuals and dark-skinned individuals are also at risk for vitamin D deficiency.
      Vitamin D acts like a hormone in the human body. It is essential for promoting calcium absorption in the gut and maintaining adequate blood levels of calcium and phosphate levels to allow muscles to work properly. It’s needed for bone growth in infants and children (prevention of rickets) and protects older adults from osteoporosis (which leads to greater risk of bone fracture).
      Vitamin D also has other functions, primarily in promoting healthy immune system function and reducing inflammation. There is evidence that vitamin D plays a role in the prevention of colon, prostate and breast cancer. Research also suggests that vitamin D is a factor in prevention and treatment of type I and type II diabetes, hypertension, glucose intolerance, multiple sclerosis and other diseases. One study showed that the use of vitamin D supplements in healthy, middle aged and elderly patients who were at risk for fractures (of hip or spine, for example) was associated with a reduction in overall mortality from any cause by 7%. That is a significant finding.
      So, what should you do after reading this information? Go get your vitamin D level checked!
      The best blood test to measure your vitamin D level with is the serum concentration of 25 (OH) D. It reflects the amount of vitamin D that is circulating in the bloodstream, not the amount that is stored in other tissues. Blood serum concentrations of less than 25 nanograms/millileter (ng/mL) are generally considered inadequate. Optimal levels are between 33-55 ng/mL and are best achieved with dietary changes, supplementation and proper exposure to sunlight.
      But how do you know what you need in terms of supplementation to get to the proper blood levels?
      Recent medical research indicates human daily requirements for vitamin D may be up to 10 times more than the 400 IU daily, which is what is currently recommended. Without an initial blood test, it is impossible for you to know how much vitamin D you need as a supplement. Proceeding with the advice of a health care professional who has a strong background in nutrition and supplementation and who will communicate with your primary care provider for blood tests is highly recommended.
      If you are found to be deficient in vitamin D, make sure to get the best professional advice regarding your individual situation. Diet, lifestyle, medications and health status play a large part in determining your own course of treatment. Everyone is different and has unique needs. Start by having your chiropractor or primary care provider order the 25 (OH) D blood test for vitamin D, and see what your vitamin D level is before you make changes. Do it today!
      Dr. Karyn Dornemann, DC is a chiropractor whose practice includes counseling regarding supplements and lifestyle modifications. To contact Dr. Dornemann, email hudsonchiro@yahoo.com or go to the website www.hudsonchiropractic.com. Her office is at 64 Green St., Hudson, NY 12534.

©The Independent 2009

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