I've been talking a lot about vitamin D in the past few years.  New data suggests that inflammation is the culprit for the incredibly high incidence of deficiency of this nutrient.  Low levels of vitamin D have been correlated with high incidences of cancer, heart disease, autoimmune disorders, poorly functioning immune systems, and musculoskeletal disorders.

A new study from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that 2 days after knee surgery serum levels of vitamin D dropped 40%, and that three months later levels were still 20-30% below presurgery levels.  These researchers showed that this directly correlated with acute inflammation after surgery.  Surprisingly, they also found that the study participants were deficient in vitamin D before the surgery--so deficient that they had secondary hyperparathyroidism!

More research is linking vitamin D to musculoskeletal disorders.  A recent study in Headache shows that headache increases with latitude and during seasons with shorter days.  They correlated this information with evidence that vitamin D has alleviated headaches in some studies to form a hypothesis that Vitamin D deficiency plays a key role in the development of headache in some people.

Another recent study from the Scandinavian Journal of Primary Care  found " a high prevalence of hypovitaminosis D in patients with non-specific musculoskeletal pain, headache, or fatigue."

Inflammation is likely at the root of many cases of vitamin D deficiency, and all chronic degenerative diseases.  If your D is low, get a test that compares Arachodonic Acid to EPA--this is a sensitive test for inflammation that compares omega-6's to 3's in your body.  If this ration is off it will deplete your vitamin D and erode your health.  For more info on omega-3's in health, search my website.

The moral of the story is, get your D tested!

A new study shows that Cocoa is beneficial to the flora of your gut.  The daily consumption of cocoa for 4-weeks significantly increased levels of bifidobacterial and lactobacilli in the gut.  These bacteria are the hallmark of healthy gut function and healthy nutrient absorption.  Additionally, high counts of these bacteria have been associated with healthy immune function.  

The researchers also saw a reduction in triglycerides (high triglycerides are associated with heart disease and diabetes), and a decrease in C-reactive protein which is a sensitive marker of inflammation associated with risk of heart attack.  Several other studies in recent years have shown that regular consumption of dark chocolate can lower blood pressure. 

I recommend getting powdered, unprocessed, unsweetened cocoa from your health food store.  It can be easily used in smoothies and sweetened with a banana or berries for a chocolaty, health giving meal!

Read the study here.

If you do a search on vitamin C on my site, or if you read my Antioxidant Article, you will find a great deal of evidence that high levels of supplemental vitamins can be harmful to your health.  A new study adds to this evidence.  The study followed 35,000 women for 9.5 years, and the women that regularly used multivitamins were 19% more likely to develop breast cancer.

We have developed "pill consciousness", and feel that we can pop a pill and get that nutrients we need to stay healthy.  This is just not the case.  We have seen that supplemental vitamin C, especially, increases risk of cancer, heart disease, and fatigue.  The vitamins themselves, in the form of food are health giving, it is the notion that we can manufacture one molecule in high dosages in a lab and have it perform the same as food that is faulty.

If you read my site you will see that I am not anti-supplement (read the vitamin D blog below), but I am against supplements that either don't work or cause harm! 

Read the study here.

A new study demonstrates the detriments of high-heat cooking.  The study compared the effects of 2 diets--one based on "mild steam cooking", and the other on "high-temperature cooking".  The following was observed after only one month:

In comparison with the mild-steam group, the high-heat group had;

Lower insulin sensitivity (the beginning of the type 2 diabetes process)

Lower blood levels of omega-3's (read my omega-3 paper)

Lower blood levels of vitamins C and E

Higher levels of triglycerides

This study demonstrates that in addition to the quality of ingredients that you buy, how you cook your food makes a HUGE difference.  The authors of the study blame the negative effects of high-heat cooking primarily on "MRP's", which are formed as carbohydrates and amino acids interact; "Upon heat treatment of foods, a characteristic browning and taste compounds are generated by the so-called Maillard reaction. The Maillard reaction is any reaction between a reducing carbohydrate and an amino acid and occurs in foods during storage and heat treatment, with the rate and diversity of chemical reactions accelerating as the temperature increases. Maillard reaction products (MRPs) are chemically highly diverse and comprise taste- and flavor-active molecules and health-beneficial compounds. In contrast, potent carcinogens are also generated, such as acrylamide or heterocyclic amines."

How do you know if you are producing MRP's?  If your food is browning as you cook it, you're creating them!  Consider having a baked potato or mashed potatoes instead of hash browns, chips, and french fries, consider steaming instead of frying your vegetables, and turn your toaster down so that your bread gets warm without turning brown.

Read the abstract of the study here.

I recently wrote a paper summing up the negative effects of vitamin C supplements.  This morning I read a new study on vitamin C and cataracts.  The study found that women age 65 and up who supplement with vitamin C has a 38% increased risk for developing cataracts!

Eat food!  That is the secret to optimum nutrition.  Supplements should be food based.  Taking labratory produced antioxidants to try and substitute for nature's bounty just doesn't work. 

Read the study here.

New research shows that pynogenol, an extract from pine bark, significantly decreases pain and inflammation related to arthritis.  The study followed 156 patients with painful arthritis of the knee; 77 were given 100mg of pycnogenol per day, while the remaining 79 were given a placebo.  After 3 months the treatment group outperformed the placebo group with less pain, increased walking distance, less edema (swelling) in the foot, and 58% less anti-inflammatory use.  

A follow-up to that study found large reductions in CRP (an inflammatory marker in the blood), fibrinigen (an indicator of inflammation and fibrosis), and free radicals following pycnogenol use (read the study here).

Keeping in mind that the diseases that plague modern man are all associated with inflammation and free radical production, on would expect pycnogenol to be helpful in other disorders as well.  A review of the literature over just the recent pasts reveals the following (you can click each topic to read the research): pycnogenol is very effective in the treatment of diabetes, fertility disorders, ADD/ADHD, and dementia (pycnogenol improves memory).

Read the study on knee arthritis.

Another study shows no benefit of aspirin in preventing cardiovascular disease.  The new study published in the British Medical Journal found that aspirin did nothing to prevent risk of cardiovascular disease (stroke or heart attack) in people with diabetes (read the study).  The study also found no benefit from taking supplemental antioxidant pills containing vitamin C, E, B vitamins, and zinc.  This is not surprising if you’ve read my article on Antioxidants, which explains why food based antioxidants are far superior to man-made pills.

If you or someone you know takes aspirin for health reasons please read the article.  Here is a link to another article on aspirin—in it they found a 60-80% increase in stroke in women who use aspirin, and an increase in certain types of stroke in men. 

If you want to decrease your chances of having cardiovascular problems, taking a high quality, purified fish oil is your best bet.  If you want to decrease damage caused by stroke consider using Gingko and/or Ashwagandha.

Curcumin, an extract from turmeric, has can be used to combat osteoporosis.  Curcumin has been extensively researched for cancer prevention, improving immune function, heart protection, and anti-inflammatroy effects.  A recent study may add bone-health to the list of reaseons to supplement with curcumin.  The study involved removing the ovaries form female rats.  This produces hormonal changes similar to those in post-menopausal women--specifically, estrogen production drops off.  Since estrogen is necessary for bone health, the rats developed osteoporosis.  The researchers then tried supplementing a similar group of rats with curcumin, and their bone density increased!  They concluded "Curcumin produces beneficial changes in bone turnover and increases in bone strength using the ovariectomized mature rat model of postmenopausal osteoporosis."

Please visit my Osteoporosis Page for more information on how to build bone health holistically!  Also note that in my store I have a product that combines the bone building effects of whey protein with curcumin.  I highly recommend it for bone health.

Read the study here. 

New research sheds more light on how Andrographis Paniculata benefits your health.  You'll recall from previous blogs that Andrographis is the most beneficial herb known for the treatment and prevention of cold and flu.  Several studies done over the past few months show that Andrographis causes your body to produce more glutathione--your body's most powerful antioxidant and detoxifier.  For more on Glutathione read my Antioxidant Article.  Glutathione powerfully protects your body from free radicals and helps you to process and and excrete toxins.

One of the new studies showed that the increased glutathione levels from Andrographis supplementation provide protection to your heart after a heart attack (read the study), and another shows that it protects the liver from injury (read the study).

This powerful herb should be in every medicine cabinet.  It is extremely bitter as a powder--I carry an excellent pill-extract in my webstore--check it out. 

There has been a huge body of research in the past decade as to the relationship between the circulatory system and depression.  Here's what we know:

• There is a strong relationship between heart disease and depression.
• Inflammation is strongly related to depression.
• Many supplements that are good for circulation/inflammation are also helpful with depression, especially fish oil.

There are two reasons that come to mind for these relationships:

1. A poor circulatory system causes poor blood flow to the brain and more "silent infarcts".  It is actually considered normal now to have many small areas of dead brain tissue on MRI!  I have had several patients bring in brain MRI's showing these multiple infarcts with the explanation "my doctor said it is normal with aging."  The only reason its considered normal is that it happens to most Americans.  This line of reasoning could leave one to believe that being fat, having heart disease, and being depressed is "normal".  When your brain is less active, it becomes less effective at inhibiting, or "turning down" your sympathetic, or "fight or flight" system.  This can lead to chronic stress and depression.
2. A poorly functioning circulatory system and inflammation go hand in hand.  For regular readers, you know that the root of heart disease is inflammation, not cholesterol, and that fish oil (a potent anti-inflammatory) is helpful in the treatment of virtually all degenerative disease (read my article on omega-3's ).  Inflammatory chemicals have receptors in your brain that promote "sickness behavior"--this means lying in bed and being generally cranky.  This occurs so that if you have an injury that is undergoing an inflammatory process you'll engage in behaviors that help you to heal.  With chronic inflammation, however, the end-result is depression.

So here's what you can do with this information:

• Learn to avoid inflammatory foods and use a high dose fish oil like the one in my store (read more on how and why here).
• Exercise--putting demand on your system is necessary to improve your circulatory system--read more on my exercise page.
  
• Use potent brain antioxidants--read my Antioxidant article to find out how to do this safely.
• See your chiropractor--chiropractic adjustments affect your nervous system to produce balance.  It has been show that chiropractic can reduce inflammatory chemicals in your body, reduce blood pressure, and promote balance in your brain.