In the past year or so, one of the most talked-about on-going health news story is the importance of a regular intake of vitamin D for people of all ages. There are a number of reasons why people are deficient in vitamin D, and why it is so beneficial to a person’s overall health.
Here is a sampling of recent articles in both alternative and mainstream sources that discuss the analysis, benefits, and use of vitamin D as part of a healthy lifestyle.
1. Vitamin D Deficiency is Widespead and on the Increase (PhysOrg.com)
A new report issued by the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) and published in the scientific journal Osteoporosis International, shows that populations across the globe are suffering from the impact of low levels of vitamin D. The problem is widespread and on the increase, with potentially severe repercussions for overall health and fracture rates.
2. Vitamin D May Help Prevent Knee Osteoarthritis (ChiroEco.com/Reuters)
Low levels of vitamin D are associated with the loss of cartilage in the knee joint of older individuals, researchers in Australia report.
“Cartilage loss is the hallmark of osteoarthritis,” Dr. Changhai Ding told Reuters Health. By the time patients reach the point of needing knee replacement, 60 percent of cartilage has been lost, he said.
3. Vitamin D, Green Tea and Cocoa Help Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease (NaturalNews)
A nutrient found in grapes, green tea and cocoa could have a significant impact on the brain cell damage that leads to Alzheimer’s disease, according to the results of a new study carried out by scientists at Kings College, London (UK).
A research team headed by Dr Robert Williams, a lead scientist at the Wolfson Centre for Age Related Diseases, examined the effects of epicatechin, a nutrient found abundantly in the three foods, in a model of Alzheimer’s disease and assessed the potential effectiveness it might have to slow signs of deterioration leading to the illness.
4. Pre-Birth Vitamin D Levels Determine Your Health for Life (NaturalNews)
In the nature versus nurture debate, scientists often talk about genetics versus environmental factors in health. One environmental factor that has been getting a lot of attention lately is Vitamin D- and with good reason. Vitamin D is turning out to be a major influence in heart disease, cancer, diabetes and many other health problems. But Vitamin D is even MORE vital than was previously thought. New research is showing that even our Pre-Birth vitamin d levels are an important determinant of our future health.
5. 70 Per Cent of Children Don’t Get Enough of the ‘Sunshine’ Vitamin (WDDTY.com)
Children are living such indoors lives that seven out of 10 American kids are low in vitamin D – which mainly comes from sunshine – and risk bone and heart disease as they get older.
The extent of the problem has shocked researchers, who thought the deficiency was relatively rare amongst children. But new data released by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey reveals that up to 58 million American children either have an insufficiency, or are deficient, in the vitamin. A deficiency can lead to high blood pressure, rickets and unhealthy bone growth.
6. Low Vitamin D Levels Linked To Metabolic Syndrome (NutraIngredients.com)
Increasing blood levels of vitamin D are linked to a lower prevalence of the metabolic syndrome, as well as improved ‘good’ cholesterol levels, says a new study.
According to findings published in the Journal of Clinical Lipidology, the lowest levels of the sunshine vitamin were associated with a 31 per cent prevalence of metabolic syndrome, compared to only 10 per cent for people wit the highest average levels.
7. Daily Does Of Vitamin D Hones Men’s Minds: Study (Ottawa Citizen)
New research involving more than 3,000 European men suggests vitamin D, the “sunshine” vitamin, may boost cognitive function in middle-aged and older brains.
Men with higher levels of vitamin D performed consistently better in a simple pen and paper test that measured attention and how fast the brain processes information.
8. Canada Examines Vitamin D for Swine Flu Protection (NutraIngredients.com)
The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) has confirmed that it will be investigating the role of vitamin D in protection against swine flu, NutraIngredients-USA.com has learned.
The agency started a study last year on the role of vitamin D in severe seasonal influenza, which it said it will now adapt to the H1N1 swine flu virus.
9. Vitamin D Key to Healthy Brain (NaturalNews)
Sufficient vitamin D intake may play a critical role in maintaining brain function later in life, according to a study conducted by researchers from the University of Manchester and published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.
[...] In this article, you’ll find a sampling of recent reports in both alternative and mainstream sources that discuss the analysis, benefits, and use of itamin D as part of a healthy lifestyle. [...]