Homeopathy ineffective. No substance to that substance

A study released today by the Australian Government National Health and Medical Research Council found homeopathic medicine to be about as effective for treating health conditions as sugar pills. 

Homeopathy, according to the National Institute of Health is "is an alternative medical system that was developed in Germany more than 200 years ago." It relies on the theory that " 'like cures like'—the notion that a disease can be cured by a substance that produces similar symptoms in healthy people; and 'law of minimum dose'—the notion that the lower the dose of the medication, the greater its effectiveness." 

176 controlled studies were analyzed and, according to the researchers, found that the homeopathic substances were so diluted that no molecules of the original substance remain thus rendering the treatment entirely ineffective. 

Studies that have demonstrated homeopathy's effectiveness were "poorly designed" and excluded form the meta- analysis.

Yikes! Too bad since Americans pay $170 million annually for these medicines and another $2.9 billion for visits to homeopathic practitioners. 

What is your opinion of homeopathy? Have you used it with success in the past? Do you agree or disagree with the researcher's findings?

For the article from Al Jazeera documenting the findings, click here.

The Power of the Fork

I am presenting to the Utah State Cancer Support Group tomorrow night. Come on out and have a listen, or check your iPhone for Instagram updates while I speak. I'm used to it.

Click here for more info.

            

December 3rd at 6:30 PM

                   Sorenson Unity Center

                  1383 South 900 West, SLC

Anjee Barber, MS, RD, CD

Clinical Dietitian at Huntsman Cancer Hospital

“Take Charge:  The Power of the Fork”

Let’s get ready for the holidays and New Year’s resolutions with information about the best healthy diet.  She will inform and motivate.  Questions are strongly encouraged.

       As usual, the presentation will be for about an hour; the second hour will deal with any issues raised by us.

ALSO:  We will have a lot of Christmas/holiday prizes for those who attend.  Let’s make this a party.

The Prostate Cancer Support Group is sponsored by the Utah Urologic Society and is a member of US TOO.  Refreshments provided by Abbie.  Meetings are at the Sorenson Unity Center on the first Wednesday of each month (except holidays) at 6:30 PM.

Call John Merryweather (801-278-0234) or David Dodd  (801-560-2542) about  meeting information or mailing list.

Park in the lot on the south side of the building; come in the southwest door.  If the lot is full, park on 13^th South to the north of the building or across 13^th S. in the Head Start lot.  DO NOT PARK ON 9^th West.

The alkaline diet

Oncology is a field where those of us living and/or working in it can become desperate. Desperate for answers, for a fix. Desperate to feel better, to live life again like before. Desperate for a cure.

A cancer diagnosis is terrifying; suddenly everything feels like it is out of control. Your body is hijacked, and your treatment plan can include any number of things with so many syllables and consonants you'd swear it was a settlement in Russia and not something that was about to go into your body. One of the (many) things still in your control, however, is your nutrition. And for this reason foods get a LOT of attention in the cancer world.

With so much information on the Internet (including this little blog), it is so hard to find solid sources you can trust. One thing I get asked about a lot is a basic (or alkalizing) diet.

Rather than subject you to my poor writing skills, I am going to link to this AMAZING site which sums up why trying to alter the pH of your blood is a waste of time. What I DO like about this type of diet, however, is that it promotes some types of fresh fruits and vegetables which have been scientifically proven to aid in the fight against cancer (and more importantly prevent it from happening in the first place).

So give it a read and remember that peer reviewed, scientific journals are your best source for info-and they are healthily and heavily cited in Authority Nutrition's content.

As always, keep fighting.

The gut-brain connections in Autism

Well look how timely this article on the gut-brain connection and autism is! Right after a post about yogurt.

This article is an absolute must read....

Eating your bacteria

I LOVE this article from Supermarket Savvy regarding yogurt and cultures contained in various forms of yogurt and supplements.

It's critical that the cultures in yogurt or a supplement are live for them to do the good stuff: aiding with constipation, diarrhea, bloating and gas. Organic yogurts tend to be preferable because processing can lead to the death of many microorganisms.

Diarrhea and constipation can be particular issues for people undergoing chemotherapy because of the damage it can do to the gut. Additionally, many patients undergoing cancer treatment may receive some forms of antibiotics because of infections that can arise from complications of treatment. Lastly, radiation induced enteritis can cause serious GI issues.

A good source of probiotics can help replenish some of the beneficial bacteria lost during treatment. And as this article and many others have point out: supplements typically don't have as many of the live cultures they say they do (I've read anywhere from 1-10% of the live cultures the label claims).

So grab yourself a container of Greek yogurt and dose up on some good bacteria!

Nausea and vomiting and frankincense. Oh my.

Chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) is probably one of the most textbooks side effects of going through cancer treatment.  While there are a number of anti-emetic meds to help with these side effects (Zofran, Ativan, Compazine, etc.,) sometimes a good old-fashioned home remedy can be helpful.

I have begun recommending ginger chews and ginger beer to patients who struggle with CINV. The research is varied on its effectiveness but this study found ginger to be more favorable than a placebo when it came to controlling these symptoms in breast cancer patients. A couple other studies have also found ginger to be helpful in retro viral therapy , however, a recent review article does confirm the need for more research regarding the role of ginger as an anti-emetic.


Another remedy I have received recent information on is frankincense oil.  I know, three wise men, blah, blah. However, I have it on good authority that taking a whiff of the sidekick to myrrh right when you feel the nausea coming on ameliorates the effects quite well. I should mention here my "good authority"  is an uncle of mine going through cancer treatment who is very anti "all these hippie therapies", so I feel if he is willing to endorse it, it may actually be worth looking into. Anyway, you can find the oil for a very reasonable price online.

You can try these remedies as ways to help control your symptoms a bit better if you are struggling with CINV, and feel free to share any of your own ideas; I'd love to hear what works for you.

Beet this.

There are lots and lots of ergogenic aids out there which tout the ability to help enhance your athletic performance. Anjee what is an ergogenic aid?! you ask. It's basically anything that has the ability to increase your capacity for physical performance. This can be caffeine or steroids.

An article in the Summer edition of Food and Nutrition magazine had an interesting blurb about beetroot juice and its benefits for middle distance and endurance athletes.

Seems there is some research out there that indicated beetroot juice may delay time to exhaustion. Yep. Looks like our beety friends are rich in nitrate which has two effects on the body during exercise:

1. It reduces VO2max which is means it reduces the demand for oxygen during exercise. Obviously the lower the demand for O2 the more efficiently (and longer) you are able to place demands on the body before exhaustion. 
2. Increases muscle efficiency. Muscles are able to utilize O2 more efficiently thus delaying the time to fatigue. 

The acceptable daily intake of nitrate is 3.65 mg/kg/d and the amounts used in the studies are usually about twice this amount so it remains to be seen how safe it is to supplement with beetroot juice but interesting stuff nonetheless. 

Would you drink beet juice to increase your performance? I may have to try it on my next long run......

Remember me?

Hello there.

You may or may not have noticed I've been out for a bit. Well, I'm back.

Let's see. Let me just sum up the last few months here. I finished my thesis, defended my thesis much to the chagrin of my PI, faculty, staff and students of SDSU. FINALLY took surfing lessons much to the chagrin of all involved. I am no longer terrified of the ocean. That's a lie. Celebrated my 34th birthday. Oscar and I broke up. I moved out. Was placed in a dietetic internship which I start in July. I have joined a climbing group. I only go because we go out for beers at Smallbar after every Wednesday. I deleted my face book (no I didn't defriend you I just am over FB right now). And I think that about does it. Oh and I graduated last Friday.

So now that we have that out of the way, let's get updated on the nutrition world, because really, isn't that the more exciting thing here?

The American Dietetic Association is now the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. I am not sure why although I assume it's because they feel it sounds fancy to call themselves the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. I'm not sure they thought this one through however because the acronym is going to be AND. Doesn't sound fancy when you see it like that does it? Anyway, that is the new institution and that is how they will be addressed. I have been paying extra special attention to AND lately and it's position on the new health care laws; it has been very interesting watching how this whole health care reform business plays out in regards to nutrition professionals. Many of the billing codes are going to be changed to limit certain nutrition related therapies or remove them all together. Obviously this is a concern moving forward and has a lot of us wondering what exactly our careers will look like in the future. Time will tell I suppose.

But onto a little blurb from my Food and Nutrition magazine. This month had an article on juicing and I thought I'd pay it a little mind since everyone from my new roommates to my brother are juicing these days and it's something I get asked about quite a bit.

Juicing is the process of using a juicer to separate fruits and vegetables from their peels, pulp,fibrous materials, etc., into a purely liquid form. It's different than blending since the juicing process actually removes the other components of fruits and vegetable whereas blending them uses the entire fruit and/or vegetable. 

Juicing has also been getting a ton of attention lately. Many hail it THE a way to lose weight and others insist it is the best way to consume fruits and vegetables. Movies, movie stars and fitness advocates alike seem to be hopping on the latest industry trend. 

In an attempt to figure out what the fuss was about, I made a few juices of my own. Tasty, diarrhea looking things from kale, ginger, lemon, parsley and carrots. I juiced a whole bag of oranges one time and got two whole glasses of juice out of it. After a particularly rigorous week of post break up drinking I juiced for what was supposed to be ten days but was chiseled down to six after I just about got fired from my job for being so darned cranky from being so darned hungry. Don't get me wrong, my juices were tasty!! Seriously they were so good. And I actually felt pretty good too after drinking them. I didn't get the fit of hypoglycemia I assumed would follow a strict juicing diet. My main concern wasn't what was in the juice, but what wasn't in it.

After I reduced a weeks worth of produce to a glass of liquid, all the fibrous material (the stuff that contains almost ALL the fiber) was still in my juicer. One time I tried adding it back into the juice but to be honest it was pretty gross, but I digress.

I think this article from Food and Nutrition Magazine gives great tips on how to be a smart juicer and hopefully get the most benefits from juicing. A few main points:

1) There is no advantage to consuming juice over whole fruits and veggies

2) Juice-only diets which severely restrict calories may result in short term weight loss (and later to weight gain) but the lack of protein won't sustain muscle mass

3) Other deficiencies like fiber, fat soluble vitamins D and E, essential fatty acids and B vitamins may result

4) Always thoroughly wash fruits and veggies and consume juice immediately

5) Aim for a 3-to-1 vegetable to fruit ratio

And it's important to remember juicing really shouldn't be replacing meals and its hold no benefit over consuming fruits and vegetables in their raw, whole form but can be a great way to incorporate fruits and vegetables into your diet if you have a hard time doing so. 


Do you juice? If so what's your favorite recipe?

Pizza is a vegetable. Great call Congress.

I have not blogged in a very, very long time; and I know for the 4 of you who look at this blog it must have been a heartbreaking few months. This article on how corrupt and stupid our governing agencies are when it comes to food brought me out of my thesis writing stupor long enough to put up this snazzy post. Just another fine example of the almighty dollar coming before the general good of the people. I'll be back soon with more rantings and ravings, just you wait.

Formula for weight gain

So with all of my close friends either having just given birth or just about to, I have suddenly become very interested in all sorts of baby stuff, because if there's one thing a new or expectant mom needs, it's unsolicited information.

As a student of nutrition, we learn all about the health benefits of breastfeeding over formula feeding but obviously breastfeeding is sometimes not an option. Many people seem to have strong opinions about both options but obviously it's pretty difficult to say unless you're the one in that situation.

One of my coworkers just completed her Lactation Education Certification and we were having a discussion about formula fed babies and weight gain. Unfortunately, babies who gain weight rapidly during the first 4 months to 1 year of life tend to struggle with being overweight or obese later in life. Coincidentally, NPR's Patti Neighmond ran a story on why formula fed babies may experience faster weight gain, so I figured it was worth a read. I found it interesting that part of the reason formula fed babies may gain weight faster (thus possibly leading to weight issues later in life) is that  babies who are breastfeeding may satiate sooner thus consuming less breast milk. Babies' stomachs are pretty tiny as newborns and thus they really can't eat very much and the colostrum that newborns consume in the early stages of breastfeeding is very low in fat. Additionally human breast milk changes in caloric density during the life stage of the baby to address changing nutritional needs which means that volume for volume the calories, fat, carbohydrate and protein will be different between breast milk and formula depending on the life stage of the baby. Isn't the human body crazy?!

While the article brings to light some new research, it is still pretty preliminary stuff and shouldn't be used to judge mom's who aren't breastfeeding. Neighmond also profiles a few different types of formulas making this article a good resource if you had formula questions.

If you're like me and have no idea how to change a diaper, there are plenty of other things out there to read.

Post-partying points

I realize this post may come a little late as most of those nursing a hangover are well into the "thank God that's over with" phase, but I came across a few tips I thought I'd share for future recovery.

Graduate school has turned me into many things, and a cynic is one of them. I tend to feel as though most people are lying to me, and the ones that aren't lying probably don't know what they're talking about. Imagine my surprise when I found a few nutrition fact based items on the Today Show to help get you over your New Year's Day lack of will power from the night before.

1) Eat before you go out. Even though some places and parties will have some food and what not, you will more than likely be munching on this stuff as you are drinking. Eat a high fat meal before (high fat meals tend to get absorbed more slowly and will therefore delay the absorption of alcohol) you do any drinking.

2) Drink water. Alternating a glass of water in between drinks keeps you hydrated and drinking at a slower pace.

3) Beer before liquor doesn't make you sicker...total myth. It's just that once you are drinking, you will usually let down your inhibitions and may drink hard alcohol or shots, which you normally would not.  The total amount of alcohol is the real factor.

4) If you do get a hangover....eat something with potassium-a banana, eggs for example and drink a sports drink. When you are hungover you are mostly dehydrated and a sports drink may help replace lost electrolytes.

5)Hair of the dog and coffee actually make your hangover last longer since they are both diuretics and will continue the dehydration (and drunken) process. Stick to water, sports drinks or juice, which has fructose and may help you burn off old alcohol more quickly.


6) Men have a higher amount of alcohol dehydrogenase (the enzyme responsible for breaking down alcohol) in their bodies and more water in their bodies than women-regardless of weight, so quit trying to drink your dude under the table ladies, you'll lose every time!!

Happy New Year!

Drink it down

Okay so I am officially in the middle of my semester. This means two things: 1) the misery if half over 2) I have two midterms, a 10 page paper, and a twenty minute presentation all due on the same day. It also means I spent my Saturday night working on homework until 12:30 a.m. Oh well. Nothing a bottle of wine won't cure.

Onto something more positive: Antioxidants! Last week our whole class brought in a drink of which we tested the antioxidant capacity. Some people brought in tea, Naked Juice, energy drinks. I brought beer. I cleared it with my professor first and although it was a little strange to cart around a bottle of beer on campus all day, I am pretty excited to see the results. My selection? An oatmeal stout from Trader Joe's.

We get the results on Wednesday. I'll be sure to post them, unless my beer didn't come back full of antioxidants. Then I'll just say the results got lost.

Plate size

The average plate size in 1950? 9 inches. Today-12 , and in some cases, even 14 inches. Knowing that we will usually eat more if more is present, and realizing if a plate is 25-35% bigger we will more than likely put more food on it-well you can see where I'm going with this. Portion control is a major issue when it comes to weight control.

Studies have shown that we humans will eat more if we are served food in larger plates and bowls. There was this really cool study that looked at how much soup a person would eat if the experimenters used a bowl which was continually being filled via a tube undetectable to the eater (while they were eating) versus someone who just had soup served in a single portion. The answer was ten times more!! Just goes to show if it's there, we'll usually eat it, unless you are one of those people with self control, and what fun is that??

There are all kinds of diets out there that proclaim the value of eating until you are full by recommending a number of chews per bite, thinking about your fullness level, I think one person had something where he recommends tapping these certain places on your body that cause some sort of cognitive recall. Of course I don't believe in diets, but I have to say there is some merit there. If instead of eating until "our plate is clear" or until we absolutely can't move, how about if we stop to think about that next bite. Do I really need it or am I eating it because it is there? I know I usually answer the latter, because I am a glutton, but if I asked myself if I really wanted more when I am already full, the answer would be no.

I'm not suggesting weight loss is as easy as eating on smaller flat ware but I also believe portions are out of control in this country and if we ate to our stomachs and not to our eyes, I believe at least a part of the battle would be easier.

Activia

One of the things that really irritates me about the food industry (or any industry for that matter) is their constant, blatant attempts to manipulate consumers. Activia has officially made my list of eye rollers starting in one of my food science classes last semester when we discussed how silly this stuff was.

We actually use Activia quite a bit in our hospital. Many physicians recommend it to our patients with digestive health issues. The idea behind Acitiva is that is contains Bifidus Regularis® (Bifidobacterium lactis DN 173 010), apparently Activia's very own probiotic bacteria. Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that live in our large intestine (LI) that are associated with gut health. PRE-biotics are basically food for probiotics and are things like fiber and are different than probiotics. Dannon (the makers of Activia) have also claimed on their website that "Activia is shown in several clinical studies to help with slow intestinal transit when eaten every day for two weeks as part of a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle." Anyhoo, the makers of Activia were obviously very convincing in their discovery/engineering of this amazing bifidus regularis (seriously on the name???) since even Jamie Lee freakin' Curits eats this stuff! And she's famous! So this stuff must be great! Jamie Lee Curtis loves it so much she accosts people in public parks demanding they try it for the commericals. 

And now....the truth. 

Any yogurt is going to contain  probiotics but Activia yogurt charges on average 30% more for their yogurt than their competitors. Interstinlgy, in 2008 Acitiva made Dannon a boatload of cash because of it's health claims-$100 million dollars to be exact. A quick comparison of one of my Brown Cow yogurts from my fridge and Activia turns up similar sugar, calories and fat  (gram per gram the differences were pretty much a wash  as Brown Cow's serving size is 170 grams and Acitiva was 113 grams). Also, Brown Cow yogurt contains 4 probiotic bacteria: S. thermophilus, L. Bulgaricus, L. Acidphilus and Bifidus. Activia yogurt contains L. Bulgaricus, S. thermophilus and their Bifidobacterium lactis DN 173 010. One ingredient noticeabley absent from Brown cow yogurt is gelatin. Even kosher geltain (which is made from fish as opposed to cow bones) is not vegetarian and is in Yoplait and Dannon products and poses a problem for us vegetarians. All in all, nutritionally, the yogurts are almost identicall and both contain lots of probiotic bacteria, Brown Cow actually having more. The trick is Dannon gave their own engineered bacteria it's own special name, making it seem like it's somehow different or better. And those clinical studies? I couldn't find them. Also, in order to be valid, clinical studies really need to follow some basic parameters, which-as I mentioned-I couldn't find the studies so I have no way of knowing how valid they were. Lastly, the claims made by Dannon are that people felt better after eating Acitiva who were also following a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle. So, um, chances are the balanced diet and healthy lifestyle part could also be responsible for the overall better feeling of the participants but again, I have no way of knowing how they tested any of this.

Apparently I'm not the only one noticing the massive, unfounded claims made by Activia. In 2008, the same year Activia raked in $100 million dollars off the health claims made by their product, a lawsuit was filed against Dannon by the LA Federal Court. They claimed Dannon's claims about their yogurt were in fact NOT founded in sound research, The same research I couldn't find.

Bottom line: yogurts in general contain probiotics NOT just Activia yogurt. If you are vegetarian or have any concerns about hormone treated cows supplying the milk for yogurt, I wouldn't recommend Acitiva. Try a more economic choice for the exact same health benefits.

Maybe not a miracle, but still pretty cool

So when I first heard about miracle fruit, my thoughts were-"Here we go again, another hyped up super food that's going to cure everything from a hang nail to cancer." As is often the case, however, I was wrong.

I was reading a study conducted by another grad student on the subject and was surprised to discover miracle fruit is actually a berry native to West Africa which has been said to cause a sour food to taste sweet. Apparently the fruit contains a protein that has been named miraculin (duh) which binds to sweet receptors cells on the tongue. During times of a low pH in the mouth, the receptors get stimulated by the protein. The sour taste in sour foods is caused by hydrogen ions dropping the pH in the mouth and causing an acidic environment. The idea is to consume miracle fruit and then eat something sour and it will taste sweet instead. Miracle!

Although I've never had it myself, miracle fruit isn't supposed to have a taste, making it a possible option to explore in the way of sweeteners. In fact, the study I read was interested in miracle fruit to help those attempting to lose weight. The idea is that consuming miracle fruit before a low-calorie diet/sour food would increase the satisfaction of the food, thus lowering the desire for sweets and extra calories. I would love to reference the study, but it hasn't been published yet.

Exciting stuff! I'm sure we're going to be hearing a lot more about miracle fruit. However, I would like to change the name to something less bombastic. I mean making sour foods taste sweet isn't exactly a miracles. Maybe-that's-pretty-cool fruit, or confuse-the-hell-out-of-your-mouth fruit. But miracle fruit? Seems a little dramatic to me. By the way, anyone ever tried it? Just curious what people think of this outside of the study.

Clarification

So my good friend who lives in the UK was kind enough to inform me that the "Daily Mail" (which published the summary of that study on Calcium supplements and their linkage to heart issues) is not exactly the most reputable source of info in the UK....

This being said, there was an actual study that found this possible (I stress possible) side effect. I did post a hyperlink in the post on this subject so you can click on it to see what the scientists found in their research.

However- a few points here: One study doesn't mean much. Several studies usually need to corroborate a finding before it will be anything more than an interesting study. Also, don't believe everything you read!! If a study is cited-look for it and read the abstract for a condensed version of the research and its findings. However, the good points this study and its related article did illuminate were that over-supplemenation is not usually a good thing, and the best way for healthy individuals to get micro/macronutrients is through food.

Thanks Dana for calling out the Daily Mail as attention whores!

New info about Calcium supplements

So I heard a little blurb on the radio a month or so ago about negative side effects related to calcium supplements. After some digging, I was able to find the article I think may have been referenced for the news story.

According to the article on The Daily Mail.com, a British online news mag, women who supplement calcium intake with supplements could be facing a 30% higher risk of heart disease. The information comes from a study published by the British Medical Journal which looked at women consuming 500 mg or more of calcium supplements a day compared to those not taking them. The results, as mentioned, found these women were at a higher risk for heart attack due to the fact the calcium, when in supplement form, increases levels of calcium in the blood. This has a hardening effect on the arteries, which in turn leads to a higher heart attack risk. Calcium supplements artificially increase calcium in the blood and keeps them elevated for longer, whereas calcium from a dietary source does not, which explains why those consuming high levels of dietary calcium were not at risk.

The study DID exclude those also consuming Vitamin D supplements, which helps absorb calcium.

As one reader commented "The jury is still out on this one", which is very true. Calcium supplements for those suffering from osteoporosis or other degenerative bone conditions who are on supplements through a doctors order should of course continue to take them as prescribed. However, the BEST (and possibly safer) source of calcium is always through the diet by consuming dairy (milk and cheese products ) and dark, leafy green veggies. Over supplementing is generally not a good idea.

I believe I found the study here, if you would like to read it for yourself.

Vitamin A, good for eyes, bad for skin

There was an email sent out at the hospital I work at, and it had some pretty interesting/scary information about Vitamin A, an ingredient found in 41% of sunscreens.

The FDA found the retinyl palmitate (a form of Vitamin A) can be photocarcinogenic-meaning it may speed the development of skin tumors and lesions when used in the presence inf sunlight NTP 2009). Right after I read this, I went right to my medicine cabinet and checked the label on all our sunscreens-and living in Southern California, we go thought a ton of sunscreen. Turns out all of our Banana Boat sunscreens have retinyl palmitate in them, BUT, they also carry the Skin Cancer Foundation seal of recommendation and are found on their list of recommended sunscreens.

Granted the FDA research is preliminary, and was conducted on lab animals, nonetheless the Environmental Working Group took the liberty of coming up with their own list of recommended sunscreens-which do NOT contain vitamin A, and a separate list of those that do, but are still decent sunscreens.

Also, be wary of sunscreens with exaggerated SPF ratings, which can be ploy to get the consumer to spend more cash, and also provides a false sense of security. Check out this article for more info on sunscreens and their ratings. And of course, there's an app for that. You can download and app for EWG's list of sunscreens right to your I-phone.

Vitamin D, not just your average vitamin.

Hello there! Man does it feel good to be done with finals! My hard work paid off and now I am figuring out how to piece back together my broken friendships that I neglected for the last four months and attempt to enter back into the world of current events. I've heard something about an oil spill??....

Anyway, one of my favorite topics we covered recently in class was vitamins. Vitamins (and minerals) are micro nutrients for our bodies meaning we need them in far less quantities than we need macro nutrients-carbohydrates, fats, proteins and water. Vitamins are-for the most part-not made in our bodies. An exception to this are Vitamin K, Vitamin A, niacin, biotin and wonderful, wonderful vitamin D.

Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin that means unlike water soluble vitamins (which get peed out in high quantities) this guy gets stored in our liver. The Daily Recommended Intake (DRI) for vitamin D is about 200 IUs a day. You can find this stuff in things like fish liver, fatty fish (salmon), eggs, butter, fortified milk and margarine. Pretty much everyone knows you can get vitamin D from the sun, well acutally you make vitamin D from UV light which triggers a series of reactions below the skin and Vitamin D is synthesized. We need vitamin D to help maintain calcium levels in our bodies and also to absorb calcium. What some people don't know about vitamin D is that is has also been investigated lately-with some strong scientific evidence, I may add-that says vitamin D may also prevent some types of cancer.

Now there are a few different theories on how vitamin D actually does this (and I quite honestly don't fully understand all of them) but it does appear to play a role in cancer prevention. One theory indicates that a hormone called calcitriol (the active form of vitamin D) gets produced by macrophages. A quick immunology note here-macrophages are the "pac-mans" of our immune system which eat up all the bad guys in our bodies. Since macrophages produce calcitriol, it got some attention. It looks like vitamin D might kick our immune system into high gear and also inhibit production of those nasty inflammatory agents which have been known to cause cancer. I'm oversimplifying all this, of course, but I should mention there is some astounding evidence-and lots of it-to support this notion. Well I had better correct myself, perhaps not this exact theory, but the fact that vitamin D does indeed help prevent cancer. In a particularly convincing presentation, evidence suggested that higher levels of vitamin D were effective in preventing colorectal, renal and breast cancer-especially breast cancer. The studies which were presented showed that the higher a person's level of serum calcium was, the lower their risk for cancer. Even more interesting was a series of studies which showed that high serum levels also actually helped cancer patients remain cancer free for longer. The best results were for those that had high levels of calcium AND vitamin D. The studies also showed that in all cases where patients had cancer and did not remain cancer free, vitamin D levels were low.

Vitamin D has also been reported to have a role in regulating blood pressure and preventing autoimmune disorders (Crohn's, MS, Type 1 diabetes). Now I know it seems pretty crazy that with the DRI being just 200 IUs that you could reap all these amazing benefits. That is because at these levels, you probably will not. The fact is, the current DRI is way too low. An article I read at the hospital recently-which was taken down before I could get the citation information for it so you will just have to take my word for this-said vitamin D was actually the vitamin found to be the most inadequate in people. They attribute this in part to the increased use of sunscreen but most people in the nutrition field agree, vitamin D requirements need some updating.

As I mentioned earlier, fat soluble vitamins get stored, which makes them potentially toxic. Vitamin D has been said to be highly toxic BUT that claim has come under quite a bit of scrutiny as well. It's beginning to look like it may not be as toxic as we thought and the fact that it can be stored can work to the benefit of those choosing to supplement since it can be stored for a week you can take a week's worth in a day. A fellow student does this with the oral supplement drops and claims this works for her, which doesn't necessarily mean it will work for everyone. An RD in my class says she recommends about 75 IU/per kg/per day. To give you an idea of how much that is, for my body weight (which will remain anonymous-sort of) that would be 3,750 IUs a day-18 times the current DRI! This may be a tad extreme, but you get the idea that the current DRI is pretty ridiculous and professionals in the field are comfortable with recommending quite a bit more than that.

How much vitamin D is safe and effective for cancer prevention will probably be in debate for awhile and I am in no way pretending to understand the complex processes behind vitamin D's obvious beneficial mechanisms, however, I will say the current DRI is entirely too low. About 15 minutes of unsuncreened sun love a day is supposed to be adequate but for those of you not living in San Diego or for some elderly folks, supplementation appears to be quite safe and possibly extremely beneficial even for those able to get daily dose from food and sun.

Our website is up!

Well sort of. Health Guard Fitness has it's official home page set up. Not much is there yet but it's starting to get so exciting!! Check back often for updates on the site. We're so happy it's starting to come together!