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With all the talk about health fads like pomegranate juice and the açai berry, vitamin D often gets pushed aside as one of the neglected nutrients. But, vitamin D – the fat-soluble vitamin primarily obtained through sun exposure – is starting to get a lot more attention.
In recent years, research studies have started to test the benefits of vitamin D. And the results are astounding. While in the past, nutritionists only prescribed vitamin D to maintain bone health, researchers are increasingly suggesting that vitamin D can decrease the risk of common killers, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and pneumonia. In fact, one Finnish study that followed 12,00 children for 30 years found that the children who took a 2000 IU vitamin D every day had an 80 percent reduced risk of developing Type I diabetes.
Despite the many benefits of vitamin D, most people are not getting enough. An estimated 75% of Americans are vitamin D deficient, and the deficiency appears to worsen the further away a person lives from the Equator. People with darker skin often need even more sun exposure to synthesize vitamin D.
Prolonged vitamin D deficiency can have serious consequences. A report from Canada investigated the economic cost and human mortality rate caused by vitamin D deficiency. The researchers concluded that the country’s death rate could fall by 37,000 deaths each year if Canadians increased their vitamin D levels.
So how much vitamin D does the average person need?
Scientists still can’t agree on an optimum vitamin D dose. The Federal Drug Administration has for years recommended that people take 200 International Units (IU) of vitamin D a day from infancy to age 50, but most researchers agree this number is outdated. Today, scientists speculate that between 1,000 to 2,000 IUs per day would be beneficial.
For more detailed information about vitamin D research and links to vitamin D-related articles, visit https://omegacookie.com/omega-cookie-vitamind.php.
Sources:
Brody, Jane E. “What Do You Lack? Probably Vitamin D.” The New York Times – Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. 26 July 2010. Web. 28 July 2010.
Elina, Hypponen. “Intake of Vitamin D and Risk of Type I Diabetes: A Birth-Cohort Study.” Search Journal. The Lancet, 3 Nov. 2001. Web. 28 July 2010.
Grant, W. B. “An Estimate of the Economic Burden and Premature Deaths Due to Vitamin D Deficiency in Canada.” PubMed.com. U.S. National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, 29 Mar. 2010. Web. 28 July 2010.
“Vitamin D ‘reduces Risk of Diabetes’” BBC News – Home. 2 Nov. 2001. Web. 28 July 2010.
A new study boosts the evidence that omega-3 fish oil just might be the most important supplement on the market. In addition to providing cardiovascular protection and pain relief, omega-3 may reduce the risk of breast cancer, suggests a study from the National Cancer Institute.
Following 35,016 post-menopausal women for six years, the study found that women who took omega-3 supplements had a 32 percent lower risk of developing breast cancer.
The research does not provide enough conclusive evidence that omega-3 can ward off cancer. Yet, the findings are intriguing in light of earlier omega-3 research.
According to an article published in the journal Anticancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry, scientists found that omega-3 slowed the growth of cancer cells and killed cancer cells in a variety of human cancer strains, including colonic, pancreatic, prostate, and breast cancer. Other research found that substituting fish oil for corn oil in the diet slowed the growth of tumors in rodents.
Anne-Marie Chalmers, MD, an omega-3 expert and co-founder of Ambo Health, believes that men and women do not need to wait to introduce omega-3 fish oil into their diet.
“With 10,000 studies already suggesting that omega-3 fish oil is essential for managing and preventing heart disease, arthritis pain, and even helping improve mood and focus, we know omega-3 is a vital part of any healthy diet,” Dr. Chalmers said.
Still, she acknowledges that there needs to be more research on omega-3 and cancer prevention, especially focusing on the optimal omega-3 dose for benefiting the body.
More research is underway. Harvard University has launched a new study to investigate whether fish oil and other vitamin supplements prevent cancer, heart disease, and stroke in older men and women.
Sources:
Clarke, Suzan. “Breast Cancer: Can Fish Oil and Omega-3 Fatty Acids Really Reduce the Risk? – ABC News.” ABCNews.com – Breaking News, Politics, Online News, World News, Feature Stories, Celebrity Interviews and More – ABC News. 8 July 2010. Web. 12 July 2010.
Wendel, M., and A. Heller. “Anticancer Actions of Omega-3 Fatty Acids–current State and Future Perspectives.” PubMed.gov. Web. 12 July 2010.
We have all heard about the importance of flossing to maintain healthy gums and teeth. But, as it turns out, omega-3 fish oil may also hold a key to preserving that great smile.
A newly released study from the Department of Oral Medicine and Periodontology in Egypt studied the impact of omega-3 and aspirin on chronic periodontitis, a gum disease that affects many adults in the United States every year. Including symptoms like bad breath, space between teeth, and receding gums, periodontitis is the number one reason for adult tooth loss. Scientists also notice a clear association between cardiovascular disease and periodontitis.
Working with participants who had advanced chronic periodontitis, the researchers supplemented their diets with omega-3 and a low dose of aspirin. After 6 months, the omega-3 and aspirin group showed a significant reduction in the number of oral pockets, a common symptom of periodontitis. The researchers concluded that omega-3 and a low dose aspirin regiment would be a sustainable, affordable way of managing and preventing the gum disease.
Researchers believe that the anti-inflammatory properties of omega-3 explain why fish oil promotes healthier gums. Omega-3 appears to ameliorate and prevent the mouth’s inflammation reaction to the periodontitis-causing bacteria.
This is not the first time researchers have linked omega-3 to promoting oral health. Numerous studies from research institutions around the world have analyzed the effects of omega-3 on periodontitis and gingivitis, a milder form of the gum disease. The research reports consistently reveal that intake of omega-3 fish oil help prevent and manage periodontitis.
Of course, taking omega-3 fish oil is not enough to keep gum disease at bay. Dentists suggest that daily brushing, flossing and regular professional cleaning is the easiest way to prevent periodontitis.
But for those who are disposed to gum disease, omega-3 can be a determining factor for managing the infection. So keep chugging your two teaspoons of omega-3 fish oil every day. It will give you something extra to smile about.
Sources:
Bendyk, A. “Effect of Dietary Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids on Experimental Periodontitis in the Mouse.” Diss. University of Adelaide, 2009. Abstract. PubMed.gov. 6 Feb. 2009. Web. 29 June 2010.
El-Sharkawy, H. “Adjunctive Treatment of Chronic Periodontitis with Daily Dietary Supplementation with Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Low-Dose Aspirin.” Diss. Mansoura University, 2010. Abstract. PubMed.gov. 23 June 2010. Web. 29 June 2010.
Staff, Mayo Clinic. “Gingivitis – MayoClinic.com.” Mayo Clinic Medical Information and Tools for Healthy Living – MayoClinic.com. 18 Nov. 2008. Web. 29 June 2010.
Staff, Mayo Clinic. “Periodontitis: Symptoms – MayoClinic.com.” Mayo Clinic Medical Information and Tools for Healthy Living – MayoClinic.com. 22 Nov. 2008. Web. 30 June 2010.
Even for the toughest of health nuts, it can be tricky to stay wedded to good eating habits during summer travels. Especially when the food choices are dictated by hotel personnel, conference organizers, and airport fast food menus.
After a week’s business trip to Kentucky, featuring a steady diet of fried chicken, trans fatty donuts, and nutrient-free iceberg salads, my joints ached from all the omega-6s and junk food. I knew I needed to plan my travel diet before I went on any more of these conferences.
So from one traveler to the next, here are some suggestions for keeping healthy and happy during the summer season:
Bring Your Own Food: The easiest way to control your diet when you are traveling is to bring your own food. Airports can be the doom of health-conscious travelers, with fast food joints crowding the terminals. Instead of succumbing to the burrito and fries snack, be proactive and bring something from home. A piece of fruit, a bag of nuts, a homemade sandwich, or an Omega Cookie goes a long way to tidy you over to the next destination. Not only are the options inexpensive compared to the airport prices, but much better for your body. And packing a healthy snack doesn’t require more than a few seconds of planning.
Drink Enough Water: At the airport, getting enough water can be tricky – especially when security limits the liquids you can bring through the gates. But instead of letting the flight attendants regulate your drinking schedule, bring an empty water bottle through security. Once you’ve passed the screening, fill the bottle with water and enjoy the luxury of making a healthy choice.
Use the Local Resources: If you are discontented with the hotel breakfasts, check out the local grocery stores. Grocery stores usually have a wide variety of healthy foods that can be eaten without preparation – fruits, individual-sized milk cartons, sushi, and power bars. The grocery stores are also a good way of sampling the local cuisine and seasoned fruits and vegetables, instead of the generic hotel fare.
It’s OK to Indulge: When you are out traveling, some pleasures are better to enjoy than pass up for the sake of health. I must admit that I bought a box of Bourbon Balls during my stay in Lexington, KY, and never regretted eating the delicious, pecan-topped chocolates.
The next time you hit the road, consider a few quick and easy ways to stay healthy. Then you won’t be at the mercy of prepared foods, refined sugar, and bad fats.
“How many calories does this contain?”
Every day, the question crops up at dinner tables and grocery stores. It seems I can scarcely put food in my mouth without someone scanning the label for the calorie count.
We live in a calorie-obsessed nation, where even children are taught to fear calories as the agents of obesity.
A friend and dietician told me about her experience teaching nutrition to 5th graders. She said, “Most of the kids thought calories were something bad. I had to explain that calories were a way of measuring the energy needed to make their bodies function properly.”
She raises an excellent point. Rather than thinking all calories are “bad” or something to avoid, we have to understand the nutritional value behind the calories we consume.
Consider a Twinkie® and a health bar made with oatmeal and pieces of dried fruit. The two foods could contain the same number of calories, but their nutritional value would be drastically different.
The supposedly simple strategy of losing weight – eat less and exercise more – turns troublesome if the person automatically assumes low-calorie foods are good for them.
I remember my friend Susan carefully monitoring her weight, and counting every calorie she put in her mouth. During one of our morning walks, she proudly explained that she had eaten a bagel for breakfast that contained only 150 calorie.
What Susan didn’t consider was that her 150 calorie bagel contained a tremendous amount of trans fats. Studies now suggest that a person who consumes a lot of calories from trans fats may be more likely to gain weight compared to those who consume calories from other types of fats or from carbohydrates or proteins.
To start solving the obesity epidemic, we have to ask the right questions: not only how many calories, but what’s in those calories?
Next time you head to the grocery store and see a package advertising 100-calorie cookies, turn over the label and look at the ingredients. If you read trans fats, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, or high fructose corn syrup on the list, drop it like a hot pan – no matter how few calories it contains.
What if a supplement could make exercising easier and more efficient? Well, the long-kept secret of the horse world is out, and it’s good news for athletes, morning joggers, and couch potatoes alike.
As many Omega Cure customers may know, Ambo Health’s sister company, Wellpride, creates a fish oil supplement for competitive sports horses. How does omega-3 fish oil give horses a leg up on the competition?
Horse owners have reported improved athletic performance when they supplement their horses’ feed with Wellpride, citing improved endurance, increased stride, and a decrease in recovery time. Whether sprinting in the Kentucky Derby or jumping over stone walls in eventing competitions, these horses face a demanding physical routine that requires optimal fitness.
Take US Olympian Gina Miles and her horse McKinlaigh as an example. One year after starting on Wellpride, Miles and McKinlaigh took the gold medal at the 2007 Pan American Games.
“McKinlaigh was not only the fastest of the U.S. horses, but he also recovered the fastest and was one of only three clean show jumping rounds,” said Miles to Wellpride following her Pan American victory.
The omega-3 benefits seen in horses produce similar results for their human counterpart. Studies show that omega-3 regulates the heart beat, which means a steadier pulse during a long run. Omega-3 also acts as the body’s natural anti-inflammation agent. Less inflammation means a faster recovery time, as the omega-3 eases the joint pains and muscle soreness after working out.
If you are not convinced to put on your running shoes just yet, listen to this heartening study: according to the American Society for Nutrition, consuming omega-3 fish oil alongside a regular exercise routine significantly reduces body fat, more so than exercise alone.
With all the good news about omega-3 fish oil and exercise, you’ll probably want to do an extra lap in celebration. But make sure your swig contains 2-3 teaspoons of fish oil – the dose necessary to kick your personal best up a notch or two.
Lately, many of our customers have asked about krill oil.
Is it more powerful than fish oil or just more expensive?
Here are some facts:
Omega-3 from fatty fish has been extensively researched by universities and research centers around the world for 30 years. Information on krill oil has only been available for the past few years. There are more than 10,000 individual clinical trials analyzing the efficacy and safety of omega-3 fish oils, while krill oil can only credit a handful of studies, all of which have been paid for by companies manufacturing krill oil.
Krill oil comes from a small shrimp-like creature – the favorite food of whales, seals, dolphins and penguins. There are only modest amounts of omega-3 in krill oil compared to fish oil, but krill oil does contain a small amount of powerful anti-oxidant and chemical substances called phospholipids, which are not present in fish oil. Krill oil sellers claim ‘better absorption’ because EPA and DHA are connected to these phospholipids. However, there are no peer-reviewed reports that substantiates these claims. At the same time, krill oil might contain proteins that can be dangerous for people prone to allergic reactions.
The anti-oxidant, astaxanthin and the phospholipids make krill oil interesting, but the lack of long-term safety studies and clinical effects warrants caution. In addition, the price is easily 10 times that of fish oil.
In Norway, one krill oil manufacturer states that krill oil increases the omega-3 index with 59% in six weeks or 100% when using four times the recommended dose. One Omega Cookie® per day increases the same index 100% in the same time. So if this is the measure of efficacy, krill oil doesn’t seem all that impressive.
Ambo Foods and Ambo Health have two guiding principles: Safety and clinical potency. At this point, krill oil lacks documentation for both. Down the road, when and if krill proves to be a cost-effective way of improving our customers’ health, we will be happy to add it to our products. But it has to earn its place.
Reference:
Aker Bio Marine: Superba Krill, Brochure
(Superba Krill is used by Dr Mercola and MegaRed ®)
Just last weekend I attended a wedding. After the ceremony, I happened to talk with a specialist at a large fertility clinic in Oslo, Norway. She had heard about my expertise in the area of omega-3 fish oils, and of course I took the opportunity to extol the virtues of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in terms of increased sperm quality. Just last month a report came out from the Urology Research Center of the University Hospital in Tehran, Iran, analyzing the omega-3/omega-6 status of fertile and infertile men. There were about eighty-some men in both groups, and the researchers found that there was a significantly lower level of omega-3 fatty acids (including DHA and EPA) in infertile men.1
Continue reading Making Babies
Ok, I admit it. I’m a fish oil junkie. My addiction became evident when I had a minor surgery and had to ease up on my heavy-handed use of Omega CureTM. Normally I use 3 teaspoons a day, and it does the trick for the myriad of health issues that come with being a middle-aged woman. Now with reduced omega-3 consumption, I had to face on my own the nemesis of womanhood: hot flashes.
On behalf of the 80 percent of women who experience hot flashes during menopause, let me tell you: it feels like the thermostat on your inner furnace has been screwed up. The body floods the skin with sweat in an effort to cool down. One girlfriend lamented, “I feel like a cooked lobster.”
Continue reading Hot News about Hot Flashes
This past Sunday, scientists announced the results of two research studies regarding omega-3, cognitive health, and aging. In both studies, DHA was the omega-3 of choice, because it plays a crucial role in brain function.
I’ll start with the bad news: Continue reading The Good and Bad News about Fish Oil and Alzheimer’s
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