Low vitamin D level risk factor for depression

More and more evidence is accumulating, documenting the importance of sufficient vitamin D.

The research reviewed here evaluated vitamin D levels in men and women aged 65 years and older as it related to depression (Milaneschi Y, et al. 2010). Depressive symptoms were assessed at the start of the study and at 3- and 6- years follow ups.

The results showed that low vitamin D levels in both men and women increased the risk of developing depression. The association was even stronger in women than in men.

The study population was based in Tuscany, Italy which is not that far north, they are exposed to a fair amount of sunshine. It is also quite common to find less than optimal vitamin D levels even in people from Southern California.

The best insurance is to take between 1000 IU to 2000 IU of vitamin D3 daily.

To read the original abstract, click on the reference below.



Reference:

Milaneschi Y, Shardell M, Corsi AM, Vazzana R, Bandinelli S, Guralnik JM, Ferrucci L. Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D and Depressive Symptoms in Older Women and Men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2010 May 5.

Resveratrol increases brain blood flow during task performance.

Resveratrol is known to have antioxidant properties and promote vasodilation (opening of blood vessels) thereby improving circulation.

The study referred to here was designed to evaluate blood flow to the brain since that is an important aspect of brain function (Kennedy DO, et al. 2010).

The study participants were healthy adults who either received a placebo or 2 different doses of resveratrol on separate days. After an absorption period the participants performed a selection of cognitive tasks that activated the frontal cortex of the brain.

Total concentration of hemoglobin and also oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin were assessed. It was documented that resveratrol increased the cerebral blood flow during task performance in a dose dependent manner.

The researchers also found an increase in deoxyhemoglobin after the use of resveratrol suggesting enhanced oxygen extraction that was sustained throughout task performance.

This means that resveratrol improved the utilization of oxygen in the brain when the participants focused on a specific task.

Resveratrol when taken orally has a low bioavailability. By using methylated resveratrol the permeability has shown to increase approximately 5-8 folds translating into increased bioavailability (Wen X, Walle T. 2006, Walle T. 2007).

The formula “Resveratrol SC” is methylated and you can read more about it by clicking here.

To read the original abstracts, click on the references below.


References:

Kennedy DO, Wightman EL, Reay JL, Lietz G, Okello EJ, Wilde A, Haskell CF. Effects of resveratrol on cerebral blood flow variables and cognitive performance in humans: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover investigation. Am J Clin Nutr. 2010 Mar 31.

Walle T. Methylation of dietary flavones greatly improves their hepatic metabolic stability and intestinal absorption. Mol Pharm. 2007 Nov-Dec;4(6):826-32. Epub 2007 Oct 25.

Wen X, Walle T. Methylated flavonoids have greatly improved intestinal absorption and metabolic stability. Drug Metab Dispos. 2006 Oct;34(10):1786-92. Epub 2006 Jul 25.

Green tea increases the burning of fat for energy.

A lot of research is now documenting a variety of health benefits from drinking green tea or taking a capsule of green tea extract.

The research reviewed here investigated the effect of epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), the major active ingredient in green tea, on fat oxidation in obese men (Thielecke F, et al. 2010).

The researchers measured the expenditure of energy in the participants as well as fat oxidation, which is the burning of fat for energy. 300 mg and 600 mg of EGCG were compared with a placebo and also caffeine after they had been taken for 3 days.

It was documented that during the first 2 hours after a test meal the group taking 300 mg of EGCG had 33.3% increased fat oxidation when compared to the placebo group. The group taking 600 mg of EGCG showed an increase of 20.2%, which was less of an increase. It is not always better to take more of a good thing. 300 mg of EGCG increased fat oxidation about the same as 200 mg of caffeine.

300 mg of EGCG would be approximately 5 or more cups of green tea daily depending on the strength of the tea.

If you don’t want to drink that much green tea, one capsule of the formula “Better Green Tea” has approximately the same amount of EGCG as was used in this study.

To read the original abstract, click on the reference below.



Reference:

Thielecke F, Rahn G, Böhnke J, Adams F, Birkenfeld AL, Jordan J, Boschmann M. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate and postprandial fat oxidation in overweight/obese male volunteers: a pilot study. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2010 Apr 7.

Dietary fat and endometriosis

Endometriosis can both be painful and also be involved in infertility.

In a large study involving 586,153 person-years of follow up the researchers investigated the relationship between the type of fat ingested and its association to endometriosis (Missmer SA, et al. 2010).

The total fat consumption was not associated with increased risk for endometriosis, but the type of fat consumed played a role.

The women in the highest fifth of the omega 3 fatty acid consumption were 22% less likely to be diagnosed with endometriosis compared to those with the lowest fifth intake.

What may be even more interesting is that the women in the highest quintile of trans fat intake were 48% more likely to be diagnosed with endometriosis.

It is not only important to ingest enough omega 3 fatty acids, but also very important to avoid bad and toxic fat.

Trans fat are often produced when foods are deep fried. Hydrogenated oils may also contain trans fat.

To read the original abstract, click on the reference below.



Reference:

Missmer SA, Chavarro JE, Malspeis S, Bertone-Johnson ER, Hornstein MD, Spiegelman D, Barbieri RL, Willett WC, Hankinson SE. A prospective study of dietary fat consumption and endometriosis risk. Hum Reprod. 2010 Mar 23. [Epub ahead of print]

Reduce cardiovascular disease by reducing one type of fat and increasing other fats.

It may look strange to you that eating more fat may decrease cardiovascular disease, but decreasing saturated fat and increasing polyunsaturated fat (PUFA) can provide health benefits. Polyunsaturated fats are found in vegetables, nuts, seeds and avocados, which are mostly omega 6 fats.

PUFA from flax seeds and cold water fish provide omega 3 fat.

The study reviewed here collected data from multiple studies investigating the effects of increased PUFA consumption as a replacement for saturated fat on cardiovascular disease (Mozaffarian D, et al. 2010).

The researchers concluded their findings provide evidence that consuming PUFA in place of saturated fat reduce cardiovascular disease.

Instead of reducing the intake of all the fat, it is healthier to only reduce saturated fat such as those found in dairy and meat. The fat found in vegetables, nuts, seeds, avocados and cold water fish provide health benefits.

Fat is involved in the regulation of inflammation and is incorporated into the cell membranes. Omega 6 fat is converted to arachidonic acid which again is converted to inflammatory substances. We need this to produce a healthy immune response, but is it important to have a balance between omega 6 and omega 3 fat since omega 3 fat helps to reduce inflammation.

You can read more about this in the books “Effective Nutrition for Effective Healing” and “The Food Connection.”

To read the original abstract, click on the reference below.



Reference:

Mozaffarian D, Micha R, Wallace S. Effects on coronary heart disease of increasing polyunsaturated fat in place of saturated fat: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. PLoS Med. 2010 Mar 23;7(3):e1000252.

Low grade inflammation documented to affect executive function.

A common way of assessing low grade systemic inflammation is to test the level of highly sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), an inflammatory marker. Hs-CRP is usually used as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

Hs-CRP also seems to be associated with an increased risk for dementia. The researchers who conducted the study reviewed here investigated the relationship between low grade inflammation as measured with hs-CRP and executive function (Wersching H, et al. 2010). Examples of executive function include comprehension, decision-making, planning and learning.

High-field MRI and psychometric analyses were used in the evaluation process. They found that higher levels of hs-CRP were associated with worse performance in executive function. The data suggested that low grade inflammation is associated with cerebral microstructural disintegration.

The food we eat can be a powerful tool in reducing low grade inflammation.

To learn what foods to avoid and what kind of meals to eat, read the book “The Food Connection.” The recommendations in this book can be very helpful when it comes to reducing low grade inflammation. The book is also fast and easy to read and includes a lot of easy to make recipes.

To read the original abstract, click on the reference below.

Reference:

Wersching H, Duning T, Lohmann H, Mohammadi S, Stehling C, Fobker M, Conty M, Minnerup J, Ringelstein EB, Berger K, Deppe M, Knecht S. Serum C-reactive protein is linked to cerebral microstructural integrity and cognitive function. Neurology. 2010 Mar 30;74(13):1022-9.

The role of vitamin D and accumulation of muscle fat

Vitamin D is important for many reasons and deficiencies are also very common. The study reviewed here is interesting, since it examined the relationship between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) and fat infiltration in muscle (Gilsanz V, et al. 2000).

25OHD is the most common way of testing to determining vitamin D status. The participants in this study were women aged 16-22 years residing in California.

Approximately 59% of the participants were found to be vitamin D insufficient with 25OHD levels of 29 ng/mL or lower and 24% of these women were deficient with a 25OHD of 20 ng/mL or less.

The percent muscle fat was found to be significantly lower in the women with normal serum 25OHD than in women with insufficient levels and deficient levels of 25OHD.

The researchers concluded that vitamin D insufficiently is associated with increased fat infiltration in muscle in healthy young women.

These women lived in California where there are plenty of sunny days, but even so the majority of the study participants did not get enough vitamin D.

Even if you do not get enough sun exposure without sunscreen it is easy to correct. Supplementing the diet with 1000-2000 IU of vitamin D3 daily will take care of that.

To read the original abstract, click on the reference below.


Reference:

Gilsanz Vicente, Kremer Arye, Mo, Ashley O., Wren, Tishya A.L., Kremer, Richard. Vitamin D Status and Its Relation to Muscle Mass and Muscle Fat in Young Women. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, doi:10.1210/jc.2009-2309.