Disease Proof : Disease Proof : Health & Nutrition News & Commentary : Dr. Joel Fuhrman

Not getting enough vitamin D might turn you into a pill popper. Findings in the journal Pain Medicine reveal patients taking narcotic pain medication with inadequate levels of vitamin D were taking much higher doses, nearly double that of individuals with sufficient vitamin D. For the study, experts examined the vitamin D levels of 267 chronic pain patients. Scientists are encouraged by the results because vitamin D is inexpensive, readily available and improve overall quality of life; via ScienceDaily.

If you don’t know by now, vitamin D is derived from the sun. Our bodies convert ultraviolet rays into vitamin D which acts as a hormone and tells our system to absorption of calcium and phosphorus and sufficient vitamin D has been shown to ward off depression in the winter and prostate cancer.

So get outside and get your vitamin D, or else! In the past low vitamin D has been associated with multiple sclerosis, increased incidences of C-sections and sudden cardiac death.

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Bad news for fisherman, sampling by the Environmental Protection Agency discovered fish caught near freshwater treatment plants serving major U.S. cities, like Chicago and Philadelphia, contained residues from pharmaceuticals in them, such as medications used to treat high cholesterol, depression and high blood pressure, as well as trace amounts of soap chemicals. Even minuet concentrations of these compounds can harm aquatic life and contaminate drinking water; the Associated Press reports. 

It gets worse! Pay attention guys. All the chemicals in our environment are causing more hermaphrodites in the animal world and in human populations in the United States and Japan the number of male births is on the decline, but girl babies are on the rise. Scientists suspect female hormones from contraceptive pills reentering the water supply are to blame.

In related news, perfluorinated compounds, fluorine-containing chemicals used to make products like shampoo and dental floss may cause infertility in women. That means one thing. We all better start having sex before it’s too late. Do it for the species!

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• Not all that surprising, but a new study claims U.S. middle school students are out of shape. Published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine scientists determined half of 5th and 7th graders in Georgia were unable to reach minimum standards for aerobic fitness, 30% of students were overweight and 22% did not get the recommended 60 minutes exercise a day; Reuters reports.

• On the flipside, kids who get plenty of exercise have less depression. In adults, exercise releases endorphins helping people feel more upbeat, same goes for children. A study printed in the Journal of Pediatric Psychology divided overweight, sedentary kids, ages 7 to 11, into two exercise groups, one for 20 minutes a day and the other for 40 minutes, revealing as exercise increased so did the psychological benefits; via Booster Shots.

• And for women, fast-paced walking may be extra good for weight-loss. Researchers discovered women who did three shorter, fast-paced walks a week lost 5 times more belly fat than women walking at a moderate pace 5 days a week, despite both groups burning the same number of calories per workout, without dieting; from Prevention.

• More love for vitamin D. New research in the Archives of Internal Medicine found daily supplements of vitamin D may reduce the risk of various bone breaks. The study, involving 42,279 adults, ages 65 and older, linked vitamin D with a 14% lower risk of non-vertebral fractures and 9% less risk of hip fractures. However, low-dose vitamin D supplements did not decrease the chance of fracture; via NutraIngredients.

• Now this is cool. The American Psychiatric Association will end drug industry-sponsored medical seminars and continuing medical education courses, as well as phasing out meals served at the meetings paid for by drug-makers. One representative of the association said they have decided to separate their professional education from industries involved with psychiatry; The New York Times reports.

• An update on last year’s milk-melamine scandal, a Chinese court will hear the first lawsuit from a family seeking damages for a child poisoned by drinking tainted milk. The parent is seeking 31,000 yuan, or $4,538, from the now bankrupt milk-producer at the center of the scandal. In China, nearly 300,000 children were sickened by contaminated milk, with 90% of affected families accepting state-backed compensation deals; Reuters investigates.

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Published in the journal Clinical Cancer Research scientists have determined omega-3 fatty acids found in fish offer protection against advanced prostate cancer. The team studied 466 men with prostate cancer and 478 healthy men. Participants with the highest intake of omega-3’s had 63% less risk of developing aggressive prostate cancer compared to men with limited consumption of omega-3 fatty acids, even men with genetic predisposition to prostate cancer had a decreased risk of disease; via HealthDay News.

Earlier this month, omega-3’s were shown to lower inflammation in men with elevated levels of triglycerides, which improves heart health. Also, omega-3 fatty acids were found to shield the liver against insulin resistance linked to obesity, boost brain power and intelligence in girls, and help reduce the risk of type-1 diabetes. Not too shabby.

Dr. Fuhrman is big on omega-3, associating them with good neurological health. Oh, and if you’re not into fish, don’t worries, micro algae-derived fatty acids are just as good.

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New research in the Journal of Nutrition suggests quadrupling Vitamin D levels in the winter. For the study, scientists recruited 112 women, average age of 22.2, giving some a placebo between March 2005 and September 2005 and then given a placebo or a vitamin D supplement until February 2006. At the end of the experiment, women on the vitamin D supplement had higher serum levels 25-hydroxyvitamin D, 35.3 nanomoles per liter compared to only 10.9 nanomoles per liter. The body manufactures Vitamin D from ultra-violet light derived from the sun; NutraIngredients reports.

Dr. Fuhrman is a huge proponent of vitamin D, especially for bone health, more so than calcium. Vitamin D also helps reduce risk of hip fractures, multiple sclerosis and boosts physical strength in young girls. And it was not too long ago the American Academy of Pediatrics suggested doubling kids’ intake of vitamin D, citing evidence vitamin D helps prevent serious illness, like cancer and diabetes.

Vitamin D deficiency has drawn increased attention over the past few months. Previous studies have associated insufficient Vitamin D with stunted growth, hypertension and rickets. In the winter, when the days are shorter and sunlight is in short supply, therapeutic lights can keep the sunshine coming.

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If you’re kid can’t concentrate. He might have high blood pressure. New research in the Journal of Pediatrics claims children with hypertension struggle with complicated tasks and have more memory problems than kids with normal blood pressure. The study involved 32 children, ages 10 to 18, newly diagnosed with hypertension, and paired them up with 32 kids with normal blood pressure. Parents of both sets of kids were surveyed to determine their children’s mental aptitude and data revealed the hypertensive group performed more poorly and had more anxiety and depression; ScienceDaily investigates.

Many people don’t realize it, but heart disease starts young. Dr. Fuhrman explains that lipoprotein abnormalities, i.e. problems with high LDL and low HDL, associated with heart attack deaths in adulthood, begin in childhood and bad foods habits, like eating a lot of saturated fat, are established when you’re a kid. That’s why it’s important for the whole family to eat healthfully, that way everyone can avoid heart disease and high blood pressure.

But some health officials would sooner put kids on statins than educate them and their parents on the benefits of improved nutrition. Fortunately, other experts call giving kids statins a monumental failure.

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New findings in the Journal of Nutrition claim supplementing with omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) may lower inflammation in men with elevated levels of triglycerides (hyperrtriglyceridaemia). Participants, 34 men with hyperrtriglyceridaemia, ages 39 to 66, were given a placebo or DHA supplement for 45 days. Results showed DHA decreased the levels of circulating white blood cells, down 11.7%, and these reductions continued until the end of the 90-day study; via Nutraingredients.

In January, a study determined infants of breastfeeding mothers taking a DHA supplement scored better on development tests and had less mental delay. Makes sense, Dr. Fuhrman lists a host of mental problems associated with deficiency in DHA fatty acids, such as depression and dyslexia.

Time for some shameless promotion! Hey, it’s relevant. Dr. Fuhrman sells his own DHA supplement. It’s derived from micro algae, is free of environmental contaminants and is 100% vegan.

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