News and Articles on Health. Medical research topics.

A couple of years ago I was driving home and I heard a very well known radio talk show host talking about the benefits of vitamin D. What got my attention the most was that he was not selling any vitamin D. The more I listened, the more sense he made and the more intrigued I became. I listened and decided that I would do some research later, as it occurred to me that I really didn’t know that much about vitamin D.

Again about a year later, during the swine flu scare that we were hearing about, I caught another radio talk show and again, a different host with nothing to sell was talking about vitamin D. He reported that he has been taking vitamin D3 in amounts of 8000 IU daily for several years and has not had influenza in that entire period of time!

He was encouraging his listeners to take vitamin D3 instead of getting flu shots. I began to research for myself, and decided to begin taking vitamin D3 for myself. I encouraged my wife to do so also. That was two years ago, and neither me nor my wife have had the flu since we began taking two 5000 IU of vitamin D3 daily. Several of our friends and co-workers got sick both years, and we were exposed to these people daily, but not a flu like symptom occurred in either my wife or myself.

There is much medical information and research to back this up. In the publication ‘Healthy Nutrition’ the following was reported recently: “Several studies in U.S. and Canada, have found that using higher doses of vitamin D lowers the incidence and severity of influenza. Vitamin D protects the body by releasing antibiotics (antimicrobial peptides) affecting the immune system by: promoting phagocytosis (the consumption and destruction of particulate matter; such as, viruses), anti-tumor activity, and immunomodulatory functions. In other words, fine-tuning the immune system.

The best vitamin D for humans is found to be vitamin D3, cholecalciferol (from animal source). Vitamin D is the only vitamin that is also a hormone. It is also the only vitamin that does not need to be consumed in food or supplements. Exposure of our bodies to direct sunlight (not through a window or sunscreen), converts the cholesterol in our bodies to vitamin D3. (Lower your cholesterol with the sun).”

In another publication, ‘Medical News Today’ Dr. J.J. Cannell stated that during a flu outbreak, NONE of his patients, mostly elderly, got the flu. Dr. Cannell made this statement, “After finding out that all my patients had low levels, many profoundly low, I started educating them and offering to prescribe them 2,000 units of vitamin D a day, the U.S. government’s “Upper Limit.” Could vitamin D be the reason none of my patients got the flu?”

My own experience has taught me that yes for me, vitamin D3 has prevented both my wife and myself from contacting influenza. I strongly believe that D3 is the reason we have been free of flu the past two flu seasons.

With flu season fastly approaching again, I highly recommend that you try taking vitamin D3. I do not myself take flu shots. I would rather trust in the natural approach to influenza prevention, vitamin D3. If you decide this is something you would like to do, let me suggest you do what I do. I myself take vitamin D3 twice daily. I and my wife both take a 5000 IU capsule of D3 twice daily. You can find D3 at any good drug store, Walmart, or supermarket.

It’s no accident that a walnut looks like a mini-brain. Nuts are brain food. It just so happens that the brain is 60 percent fat and nuts have the perfect kind of fat to keep the brain clear and sharp. Nuts have omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated essential fatty acids.

There are lots of people who seem to be essential fatty acid deficient, particularly omega-3s. We eat too many unhealthy fats in our diets that cause problems with all kinds of health issues. Raw nuts, eaten in small quantities every day, do not lead to weight gain and provide lots of benefits.

The essential fatty acids in nuts make them a good addition to the diet to lower the risk of heart and circulatory problems. Small portions of raw nuts can reduce unhealthy cholesterol markers in the blood. The fats and lecithin found in nuts feed the nerves, brain and glands, providing the building blocks for hormones and other chemical signalers in the body. Nuts also improve immune function, reduces cravings and aids in intestinal elimination.

Nuts have about twice as much protein as cereal grains and if you combine nuts with legumes, seeds and grains you are providing the body with a complete balance of amino acids. Nut milks are another good source of amino acids and proteins. In you combine whole grain cereal with nut milk, you provide your body with a complete protein to start your day.

The amino acid lysine is low in all kinds of nuts, while the amino acid L-arginine is high. Nuts also contain chromium, which is a mineral that regulates sugar cravings and insulin response. Nuts are also a good source of magnesium, which regulates nerve and muscle enzyme action. Magnesium also helps the body metabolize essential fatty acids which are also contained in the nuts. Nuts contain zinc. copper, manganese, selenium, choline, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, iron, Thiamine and Vitamin E. They are a powerhouse of dense nutrition that also supplies linoleic acid along with vitamins and minerals.

There are many ways to add nuts to your diet – you can eat them raw as a snack, chop them and put them into s salad, grind them and use them as a flour in cookies and breads, chop them finely and use then as a breading on zucchini sticks, add them to dips, make butters out of them and the list goes on.

It is not a good idea to roast nuts as it destroys most of the nutrients in them and makes them very difficult to digest. Adding salt to your roasted nuts is a total recipe for disaster. By eating nuts raw and in small quantities every day, you will receive many health benefits like improve prostate health, beautiful hair and skin, improved heart health, better circulation and clear, sharp thinking. Enjoy one of nature’s super foods and reap the health benefits.

Vitamins are organic compounds that are required by the body to perform specific biological functions, for normal maintenance and optimum growth and health of the body. They are 13 in number namely vitamins A, C, D, E, K, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, biotin, vitamin B-6, B-12 and folate .

Most of them are obtained from the diet, basically fruits and vegetables. The microorganisms in the intestine synthesize vitamin K and vitamin B12. Vitamin D is synthesized by the skin with the help of ultraviolet wavelength of natural sunlight.

They are classified as fat-soluble (A, D, E and K) and water-soluble (C and B-group). The water-soluble vitamins are readily excreted in urine. Vitamins have diverse functions. They function as hormones (Vitamin D regulates the levels of calcium and phosphate in the blood.), as antioxidants (vitamin E), regulate the cell development and growth and act as mediators of cell signaling. Some act as enzyme cofactor bio-molecules (coenzymes). Some assist the enzymatic action and some take part in it.

To avoid deficiencies they must be continuously supplied in the diet. Vitamin deficiencies can be classified as primary deficiency and secondary deficiency.

• Primary deficiency is due to the decreased intake of the vitamins.

• Secondary deficiency is due to an underlying cause or disorder that either does not allow proper absorption or usage of the vitamins.

If the required amount of vitamins cannot be obtained by varied diet, dietary supplements are given to prevent deficiencies and in cases of secondary deficiency, the underlying cause needs to be identified and treated appropriately.

However, care needs to be taken to avoid over dosage of vitamins to avoid serious complications.

There are upwards of 10,000 new cases annually of diabetes in the United States alone and the number is astronomically larger in the rest of the world. This condition, where the body fails to produce enough insulin, the chemical that regulates glucose, afflicts millions of people. Although it is now treatable, hundreds of thousands succumb to it annually. Billions of dollars have been pumped into diabetes research and despite the fact that there is no definite cure, there has been impressive progress in its treatment. While medicine affords a way for diabetics to live a normal life, millions of sufferers have also taken to vitamins to control its effects. Two of these vitamins are E and C. But exactly how effective are they?

Vitamin power

Medical research has gravitated towards the following vitamins as a way of regulating the effects of diabetes; B complex, B1, Pyrodoxine, C, E and B6. Recently, medical researchers have zeroed in on Vitamin C and E.

Examining Vitamin C

This vitamin has edged its way to the forefront of the battle against diabetes. Diabetics find themselves deficient of this helpful compound primary due to stress. Recent research has unearthed the fact that diabetics experience an increase in natural increase in insulin production with each subsequent increase in Vitamin C.

Foods with Vitamin C

Now that we have identified Vitamin C as a major weapon against diabetes, which foods can this vitamin be derived from? Veggies, citrus family of fruits and sprouted bengal are all rich in Vitamin C. This is also good news to people who do not have diabetes. Eating these fruits and vegetables can strengthen the immune system and ensure a steady production of insulin which can prevent any diabetes.

Vitamin E expert information

This is another potent vitamin in the fight against diabetes. People with diabetes experience damage to their arteries. One of the vitamins that has been very effective against this is Vitamin E. This is because, like Vitamin C, this compound is used by the pancreas to boost insulin production. That is why patients suffering from diabetes are required to take at between 100-1500 IU of this vitamin daily.

The foods that are rich in Vitamin E include cereal, bread, vegetables, diary products and sunflower seeds. Others include vegetable oils, soy beans, lettuce and whole grains.

We see from the above information that a lot rests on the proper diet. That is why in the fight against diabetes, there is no substitute for eating right.