Vitamin D The Sunshine Vitamin

Recently our understanding of vitamin D has expanded greatly. Advocates of vitamin D are convinced that it is a miracle vitamin.

For example vitamin D helps prevent cancer development.  Researchers have found that vitamin D inhibits the growth of some types of cancer cells and also inhibits their spread to other parts of the body.  Taking this observation one step farther, careful population studies have looked at the incidence of various cancers in latitudes that have ample sunshine compared to northern latitudes with less sunshine. It was found that mortality rates for some cancers especially breast, colon, and prostate were lower in sunnier regions than in the northern regions with less sun.  More sun, more vitamin D less cancer.

Deficient vitamin D levels have been linked to an increased incidence of heart attacks.  A study performed at Harvard and published in the prestigious Archives of Internal Medicine showed that men with deficient vitamin D levels were at greater risk of heart attack than those whose blood levels were sufficient.  Diet and lifestyle factors were also ascertained. During 10 years of follow up it was found that men with low levels had almost a two and a half percent greater risk for having a heart attack.

Hold onto your hats for this one. Vitamin D may also slow aging. This remarkable observation was the result of recent genetic studies that demonstrated an inbuilt "clock" in every cell that counts down every time the cell reproduces itself.  This genetic marker is called leukocyte telomere length {LTL}. Shortening of this marker is a measure of cell aging and ultimately death.

Researchers at King's College London studied more than 2160 women aged between 18 and 79.  They took measurements of the levels of vitamin D in their bloodstream and compared this to the length of the telomeres in their white cells. They found that women with higher levels of vitamin D were more likely to have longer telomeres. Those who had lower levels were more likely to have shorter telomeres.   The professor who led the study said: "These results are exciting because they demonstrate for the first time that people who have higher levels of vitamin D amy age more slowly than people with lower level of vitamin D."

Other studies have demonstrated that vitamin D helps maintain muscle strength, promotes better hearing and may reduce the risk of everything from multiple sclerosis to diabetes and hypertension. Additional work on the health benefits of vitamin D are in progress and the results are forthcoming.

Get more information in our book Live Longer Live Healthier

or visit our website at trienergetics.net

Vitamin D The Sunshine Vitamin Part 2

We all need to maintain a healthy level of vitamin D. Agreement on this matter is not uniform among all scientists.  For example the conservative National Institutes of Health web site cautions that more research is needed to determine whether people with normal vitamin D levels can protect themselves by taking more, adding that "it is premature to advise anyone to take vitamin D supplements for cancer prevention."


In previous blogs we discussed the problem of getting consensus from health professionals about the scientific validity of taking more of any specific supplement. The influential Institute of Medicine sets the guidelines for the daily doses of nutrients. They have been reticent to increase their guidelines for vitamin D intake. This adds to the confusion for all of us.

But the scientists who actually study vitamin D aren't waiting for more results. Dr. Rheinhold Viet a vitamin D researcher from the University of Toronto says "I have been studying D for more than 30 years and the remarkable thing is that it is actually effective.  My jaw drops as to why everyone is not taking more D. It drives me nuts."

How much vitamin D should you take? For years the official upper limit for D has been 2,000 IU a day, but a recent review article for the Journal of Clinical Nutrition concluded that vitamin D is not toxic up to 10,000 IU a day.  This is a combined total from drinking milk, eating fatty fish and vitamin supplementation.

If you have any doubts about how much vitamin D to take have a simple blood test to determine your level of 25 hydroxy vitamin D. The normal levels are 16 to 74 ng/ml. Vitamin D supplementation may be one of the most important nutritional steps that you can take to improve your health and longevity.

Get more information in our book Live Longer Live Healthier

or visit our website at trienergetics.net

Can You Lie In The Sun And Get Healthier? The Vitamin D Story

Did you know that sunlight may prevent cancer and heart attacks. It may also make you stronger and increase your longevity. Picture yourself lying on a sandy beach in Hawaii soaking up the rays, humming a tune and thinking how you are improving your health.  Wow! You are getting stronger and living longer by lying in the sand doing nothing.

Hold on. There is a flaw in this picture. How can sunlight prevent cancer when as everyone knows sun exposure causes skin cancer. Some of these skin cancers such as melanoma are killers. So how can sunshine prevent cancer? Relax there is an explanation. It really isn't that sun that directly does all of these wonderful things. Sun exposure is necessary for the body to produce vitamin D. Vitamin D is the miracle vitamin that is necessary for good health and longevity.

For years vitamin D has been a neglected nutrient.  It is unique because unlike other vitamins it is a hormone crucial for calcium absorption.  It enables the body to build and maintain strong bones and teeth. A deficiency of it produces weak bones, known as rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults. In the past the recommended daily intake of vitamin D was 200 IU for those under age 50, 400 IU for those age 50 to 70, and 600 IU for those aver age 70. These guidelines were intended to maintain calcium absorption and bone strength.

Recently our understanding of vitamin D has expanded greatly. Vitamin D has become a miracle vitamin. The evidence will be presented in future blogs. Get more information in our book 

Get more information in our book Live Longer Live Healthier

or visit our website at trienergetics.net

Acai The Gift Of The Jungle Part 2

Continuing the reasons that we recommend acai.  You may have heard of the French paradox. The paradox is that since the French diet is high in potentially heart toxic foods such as cheese, sugar and white flour, the French should have a high incidence of heart disease. Quite the contrary their incidence of heart disease is very low. The reason is believed to be wine. That's right, wine.  The French drink lots of red wine. This wine is thought to protect them in spite of their diet.

Why?

Red wine in particular is rich in antioxidants.  The most potent of them are anthocyanides. Well the acai acai berry has 30 times the anthocyanine as red wine. Acai also contains a good amount of healthy omega 3 and 9 fats and is high in protein containing 19 different amino acids. Acai also is a good source of fiber, vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, C and E. as we; as potassium, calcium, magnesium, copper and zinc. This is alot of powerful nutrition from a little berry.

How do we translate all of this information into your health needs. It is our opinion that some acai should be in everyone's diet. We have had numerous participants in our programs who have related improvement in their well being and energy levels are taking acai juice on a regular basis.  As we have said, we drink two to four ounces a day.

Do your homework before you buy. The acai market, like the market for all food supplements is not controlled by the FDA. All products containing acai are not equal. Do not buy acai products that contain the acai seed and do not buy acai products that are made by spray drying the fruit. Spray drying involves heating the acai to high temperatures and then spraying with maltodextrin. The high temperatures destroy many of the nutrients in the fruit and the spray remains on the fruit. It has no nutritional value.

Let us know if you notice positive changes in your feeling of well being and in your energy level after a few weeks taking acai.

Get more information in our book Live Longer Live Healthier

or visit our website at trienergetics.net

Acai The Gift Of The Jungle

Acai is another nutrient that we recommend. It is available as either a juice by itself or blended with other fruits such as blueberry, pomegranate, mangosteen and goji. Acai is one of our top choices for nutrient honors, yet it is a substance that many of you may never have heard of. In 2004 the New York Times stated "Rich in Antioxidants and amino acids acai is thought to be one of the most nutritional fruits of the Amazon Basin." In 2005 Oprah named acai the #1 super food.

What are the possible health benefits of acai? Advocates claim that acai:

• helps maintain the healthy function of the body's systems
• increases energy, libido and stamina supports the immune system
• is a powerful anti-inflammatory reduces pain and soreness

Are all of these claims valid? We honestly do not know, but we believe that there is credibility in the story line about acai. We have pointed out the difficulty of finding valid clinical data  not only on acai but on  almost all food supplements. We take acai ourselves. Read on to learn why.

The Acai is a palm tree native to tropical Central and South America.  Studies of the traditional Cabocio native populations of the Amazon revealed that acai is a major component of their diet.  Incidentally these native tribes are incredibly health.

How potent is the acai berry? It has 10 times the antioxidant power of red grapes and twice that of blueberries. Tests have been developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to measure the potency of an antioxidant to neutralize a free radical. The most reliable test is the ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorption Capacity} The higher the ORAC rating the more potent the antioxidant. The current recommendation of the USDA is that we consume 3,000 to 5,000 ORAC units daily. Unfortunately it has been determined that about 80% of the American population is consuming less than 1,000 ORAC units a day. These people will lose the battle against aging unless they change their eating habits.

Fruits and vegetables have the highest ORAC values. Per 100 grams apples score 218, bananas 221, blueberries 2,400. Fresh acai has an ORAC score of 5,500!

More about acai in our next post!

Get more information in our book Live Longer Live Healthier

or visit our website at trienergetics.net

Olive Oil The Mediterranean Miracle

One of our favorite nutrients is olive oil. We have a ranch in northern California situated at 1800 feet near Yosemite Park.  The ranch is not a cattle ranch or a sheep ranch. Instead we have groves of Tuscan olive trees and we produce an extra virgin olive oil. We each take a tablespoon of the olive oil every morning, and it is not because we are the producer. It is good for you.

Homer called olive oil "liquid gold" and it has remained important to the Mediterranean people during the ensuing centuries where it remains as the corner stone of the Mediterranean diet. Olive oil is rich in monosaturated fats, especially oleic acid.  It has been demonstrated  that a higher proportion of monosaturated fat in te diet is linked to a reduction in the risk of coronary heart disease. The Food and Drug Administration reviewed extensive clinical data on olive oil and made a decision in November 2004 allowing the producers of olive oil to place a statement on the label of the bottle saying that eating 2 tablespoons on olive oil daily may reduce the risk of coronary artery disease.

This health benefit is thought to primarily be due to the oleic acid (monosaturated fat) in the oil.  However, extra virgin olive oil is also rich in polyphenols that are potent antioxidants and have heart health benefits.

There are other health benefits of olive oil.

1. Olive oil reduces the level of omega 6 fatty acids in the blood. The significance of omega 6 fatty acids was discussed in a previous blog.
2. Olive oil lowers total cholesterol and LDL levels in the blood
3. Olive oil lowers blood sugar levels
4. Olive oil helps to lower blood pressure
5. The antioxidants in olive oil reduce oxidative damage to DNA and RNA

For these reasons it is difficult to find a tablespoon of any medicine that would have as many health benefits as a tablespoon of olive oil.

Get more information in our book Live Longer Live Healthier

or visit our website at trienergetics.net

Do You Need To Take Supplements? Part 2

In the first blog on this very important subject we  discussed why it it might be important to take supplements.  The first reason is that most Americans do not eat a balanced diet that includes all of the necessary food groups.  The second is that even you if you are a person who eats a balanced diet, you can not be certain that the food that you are eating is not nutritionally deprived. For these reasons we propose that everyone needs to do some supplementation.

We have found evidence to support the claim that many Americans are on the verge of serious vitamin deficiencies.

For example Jeffrey Blumberg, Ph.D Professor of Nutrition at Tufts University, summarized the percentage of older adults whose dietary intakes fall below the RDA. Remember that the RDA is the bare minimum of that vitamin necessary to prevent specific diseases. Here are some examples.

Vitamin A 41-65%; Vitamin D 63-74%; Vitamin E 69-80%; Vitamin B6 50-90%; Niacin 10-53%

An article published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition came to similar conclusions stating that about 30% of all Americans are in general borderline deficient in essential nutrients.

We believe that it is our responsibility as physicians to present unbiased facts. Evaluate all of the evidence for and against taking supplements and make a decision about what is best for you. In the next posts we will begin the discussion of specific nutrients.

Get more information in our book Live Longer Live Healthier

or visit our website at trienergetics.net