Benefits of Vitamin D: A Nursing Home Perspective

By Ray M Lengel 

Vitamin D has many benefits to health. Musculoskeletal problems are more common in those with vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency. This includes osteoporosis, an increased risk of fractures, an increase risk of falls and reduced muscle function.

Osteoporosis affects a large percentage of nursing home residents. Osteoporosis is a bone disease associated with low bone mass and an increased risk of fracture. Ten million Americans are afflicted with osteoporosis while 34 million are afflicted with osteopenia. It is estimated that 70 to 85 percent of individuals who live in a nursing home have osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis is associated with inadequate calcium intake, but vitamin D helps with calcium absorption. Long-term vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of osteoporosis2. Vitamin D may prevent osteoporosis in older adults who are non-ambulatory, those on chronic steroids and for post-menopausal women.

Vitamin D supplementation has the potential to increase bone density. In one study there was an increase in the density of lumbar spine and the femoral neck bone with vitamin D supplementation of 50,000 international units twice a week for five weeks in those who were vitamin D deficient.

Vitamin D and calcium together reduce fractures in institutionalized older adults, but vitamin D alone is not effective in reducing the risk of falls or fractures. Those over the age of 65 with low vitamin D levels are at increased risk for hip fractures and reduced muscle mass and strength.

Vitamin D has the potential to reduce the risk of falls. It potentially does this through the improvement of muscle function. Low levels of vitamin D in the blood are linked to the poorest muscle function and higher levels are linked to better muscle function. Those with a low baseline level of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration (between 10-20 ng/ml) are likely to benefit the most in regards to muscle strength when supplemented with vitamin D.

When vitamin D supplementation is consumed in doses of 700 to 1000 international units per day the risk of falls are reduced. When 500,000 units of cholecalciferol were given once annually the risk of falls was actually increased.

Cancer

A link between vitamin D and cancer has been established. Vitamin D may help in the prevention of colon, breast and prostate cancer. Precancerous lesions of the intestine and breast are linked to a deficiency of the vitamin D receptor in animals.

Many cancers have been linked to poor vitamin D status. Colorectal cancer risk is increased in those with poor vitamin D status. One analysis showed that those who consume 1000 international units per day of vitamin D have a reduced risk of colorectal cancer. Another analysis showed that vitamin D intake is inversely related to the risk of colorectal cancer. Despite the positive data on vitamin D, the research is inconsistent and the National Cancer Institute does not advise for or against the use of vitamin D supplements to lower the risk of colorectal or any other type of cancer.

Some studies show serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration is associated with a reduced risk of breast cancer but findings do not reach statistical significance. More research is needed to determine the role of vitamin D on breast cancer risk.

There is some evidence that vitamin D may be harmful. One large prospective study suggested that vitamin D does not decrease the risk of prostate cancer and higher circulating vitamin D levels may be associated with an elevated risk of aggressive disease. Other research suggests that those with the highest level of vitamin D may be at an increased risk for pancreatic cancer.

Despite some research suggesting that vitamin D reduces the risk of some cancers, current evidence does not recommend large doses of vitamin D in the prevention of cancer. A large analysis of over 16,000 people suggested that total cancer mortality is not related to baseline vitamin D status. Overall research does not support role of vitamin D in the prevention of cancer. More research is needed to determine the exact link between cancer and vitamin D.

Immune system

Vitamin D has effects on the immune system. Vitamin D may reduce the risk of autoimmune diseases in animals. Diseases that may be affected by vitamin D status include: diabetes mellitus type 1, multiple sclerosis and inflammatory bowel disease.

Vitamin D supplementation in early infancy reduces the risk of type 1 diabetes. One study suggested that those with a serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration below 20 ng/mL had about a twofold increased rate for the future development of multiple sclerosis. Currently only animal, in vitro and epidemiological studies suggest a link between diabetes/multiple sclerosis and vitamin D. Before a firm conclusion can be reached, randomized controlled trails need to occur.

Higher levels of vitamin D are associated with a lower risk of Crohn's disease. The impaired regulation of vitamin D is related to the development of autoimmune processes (including inflammatory bowel disease) in animals. The administration of vitamin D may improve these symptoms.

Vitamin D may help fight both bacterial and viral infections. Vitamin D levels are linked to tuberculosis. Vitamin D deficiency may be more common in those with tuberculosis. Vitamin D may have a role in the treatment of tuberculosis, but more research is needed before this link is definitely established.

Vitamin D levels may have a beneficial effect on respiratory tract viral infections, but this relationship is not strongly established. Multiple studies have not found a link between vitamin D status and the prevention of viral respiratory infections. A more recent analysis suggested that vitamin D supplementation may reduce the risk of viral upper respiratory tract infections and tuberculosis.

Vitamin D and the Heart

Many genes in the cardiovascular system are regulated by vitamin D. Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, peripheral vascular disease and heart failure. There is a paucity of studies that look at vitamin D and cardiovascular disease. Observational research suggests that there is a link between cardiovascular disease and vitamin D status. More research is needed to determine the role of vitamin D supplementation in cardiovascular disease.

The renin-angiotensin system is regulated in part with the help of vitamin D. There is an inverse relationship between incident hypertension and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration. More research is needed to confirm a causative relationship between vitamin D levels and blood pressure.

In a review study, five out of seven studies showed an inverse relationship between the serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level and cardiovascular disease. The prevalence of coronary heart disease is higher in those with a low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration than those with higher levels. Supplementation with vitamin D did not result in any beneficial effect on risk factors for cardiovascular disease and no benefit was appreciated after increasing the serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration from 23 ng/mL to over 40 ng/mL.

Vitamin D and Other Diseases

Diabetes is linked to vitamin D. The link between vitamin D and diabetes mellitus type 1 was discussed above. Low vitamin D levels are associated with type 2 diabetes. Higher levels of vitamin D intake are associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes. Despite these correlations, interventional studies with vitamin D have not demonstrated that vitamin D supplementation reduces the risk of diabetes.

Vitamin D is important for brain development, so it may be linked to psychopathology. Low levels of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D have been shown to be present in those with Alzheimer's disease and depression. These studies do not demonstrate that low levels of vitamin D are the cause of these conditions.

Low levels of vitamin D may increase the risk of death. Even though there is an association between vitamin D and all cause mortality, it is unclear if this increased risk of death is strictly related to the vitamin D deficiency or simply overall poor health status. Some studies suggest that cancer patients have a reduced risk of mortality with a higher vitamin D level, but other studies showed no association between cancer death rates and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration.

A recent analysis showed that higher vitamin D levels. are associated with reduced all-cause mortality, but no association between vitamin D levels and stroke or ischemic heart disease was established. Those with severe chronic renal failure are at increased risk for death with low levels of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration and treatment with vitamin D improves survival.

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Beetroot Benefits Stamina and Endurance

By Kirsten Whittaker 

Here's some news that's going to set the exercise world back on its ear. The news that the vegetable beetroot benefits a athletes endurance and stamina.

A University of Exeter team has discovered that the nitrates in beetroot juice lead to a reduction in oxygen uptake, this in turn makes working out less tiring so you can exercise longer.

And, the researchers say, the effect is greater than what you get from any other known means, including regular training.

Athletes who need endurance for their sport will be thrilled, but the findings are also welcome news for elderly patients or those dealing with cardiovascular, respiratory or metabolic diseases.

The intriguing research focused on eight male subjects, ranging in age from 19-38, who were given 500 ml of organic beetroot juice a day for 6 days in a row.

They then had to complete a series of tests that involved cycling on an exercise bike. As a control, the subjects were given a placebo of blackcurrant cordial for an additional six consecutive days before having to do the same cycling tests.

When they drank the beetroot juice, subjects could cycle an average of 11.25 minutes. This was 92 seconds longer than when they drank the placebo juice.

This works out to about a 2% reduction in the time it takes to cover a set distance, or being able to add about ten minutes to your regular workout.

When asked to cycle at an easy pace, the subjects were found to use less oxygen after drinking the beetroot juice than with the placebo juice, which means the muscles of the body were able to do the same amount of work, but expend less energy.

The juice might actually help you exercise for as much as 16% longer.

Fitness experts know that you surely improve your fitness level with exercise and have always believed the oxygen uptake of the body remains fixed, meaning that a conditioned athlete and the man on the street would have identical oxygen uptakes at the same intensity of physical activity.

Yet the Exeter team found differing oxygen uptake readings in subjects who drank beetroot juice before exercise.

No one knows how the nitrate in the juice boosts stamina, but the researchers suspect it could be that the nitrate (especially concentrated in juice form) in the juice turns into nitric oxide in the body.

This causes peripheral blood vessels to dilate which improves the oxygen supply to the muscles and impacts how much oxygen is burned up while the body is exercising.

The nitrates can also improve the efficiency of muscle contraction during an exercise session.

What's more, beetroot juice has been shown to lower blood pressure, and when the subjects in this latest study drank the juice they also had lower resting blood pressure readings.

This data supports research from the London School of Medicine and the Peninsula Medical School, appearing in the February 2008 issue of the journal Hypertension that found beetroot juice brought down high blood pressure.

The research is published in the Journal of Applied Physiology. While more work is needed, it's hard to deny the good-for-you benefits of nitrate rich fruits and veggies; these foods might just be the way to a healthy cardiovascular system. Beetroot juice carries nitrates just like some green, leafy veggies you may know like lettuce and spinach, though the juice form is considered especially beneficial to the body.

While beetroot juice isn't something you're likely to see at your local supermarket, you can find it in some health food shops or online sources.

Understand too that the amounts used in the research, 500-ml or just under a pint a day, are quite high, and the "earthy tang" of this nutrient rich juice isn't for everyone.

You might want to start with a small amount, diluted 4:1 with water or try some of the many recipes for combination juices to see what you prefer, and how these beetroot benefits can impacts your workout.

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Eating For a Healthy Heart - Are You at Risk of Heart Disease?

By Greg Meggs  

Eating for a healthy heart isn't complicated, and it is not about making radical, short-term changes to your diet. It really is about making a life-style change. Eating for a healthy heart is an important initial step to lowering the threat of developing heart problems. Coronary disease will take more lives than the next seven main causes of death. Discover why eating for a healthy heart, seriously, isn't as rigid as you thought, however it is essential to a happy healthier life.

If coronary disease runs within your family you will need to be especially careful. Heart or cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of people in the United States. It kills much more Americans than all types of cancer put together. Heart attacks tend to be devastating, especially whenever they come as a surprise, and many people who experience a heart attack do not recover. Coronary disease is actually a huge, blanketing term that encompasses each and every illness or condition related to your heart. It is the result of clogging of the coronary arterial blood vessels because of the build-up of fatty deposits inside the blood vessels. Heart attacks can be averted, yet lots of people in the western world multiply their own danger of having a heart attack by some of the things they do every day. There are many factors that can influence your risk of cardiovascular disease. How and what you decide to consume may significantly impact the health of your heart. You can find food that you could eat that will promote and preserve a healthy heart. To keep your heart and body healthy, focus on a diet around the following guidelines: Consume many different foods. Your heart is begging you to stay away from that cheeseburger. You are learning to create healthier choices about food that will take care of your heart for the rest of your lifetime. Put simply, a heart-healthy diet is not that tough to attain. If you wish to get into the specifics, the American Heart Association recommends always keeping your intake of total fat to about 30 percent of combined daily calories.

Healthy eating is very important for a healthy heart. Follow a proper diet. Healthy cooking recipes are definitely popular as many us strive to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Two healthy cooking techniques are stir frying and sauteing using olive oil or canola oil. Healthy carbs involve whole grain bread, whole grain pasta, brown rice, and a huge amount of vegetables. Top salads with heart-healthy avocado rather than mayonnaise. Plain yogurt is always an excellent substitute for sour cream.

Eating for your heart will involve avoiding sugary foods like candy, cookies, cakes, and pastries. Eating healthy vegetables and fruits is good, as these foods are rich in anti-oxidants. Eating healthy is always great for your body and your lifestyle, especially when it comes to your heart and also the prevention of heart disease. Eating healthy for your heart is one thing everyone needs to try and do, particularly when it involves rebuilding health and minimizing heart attacks.

As the scientific facts amass, it appears to indicate that eating for a healthy heart is not about what not to eat -- it's about what to enjoy.

Everyone wants to feel better, look better and be happier. For more information on eating-for-a-healthy-heart [http://healthylivinginformation.net/HUK/] go to [http://healthylivinginformation.net] and start your plan of reducing your risk of heart disease today! You can find other important healthy living information there as well.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Greg_Meggs/492938

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