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van der Mei IA, Ponsonby AL, Dwyer T, Blizzard L, Taylor BV, Kilpatrick T, Butzkueven H, McMichael AJ. \nVitamin D levels in people with multiple sclerosis and community controls in Tasmania, Australia.\nJ Neurol. 2007 May;254(5):581-90. Epub 2007 Apr 11.

High fibre foods are important for individuals who must monitor blood sugar levels. Fibre slows down the digestive process and the absorption of glucose entering into the blood stream, which helps to effectively keep sugar at an even level.

High levels of carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in mate drinks. Kamangar F, Schantz MM, Abnet CC, Fagundes RB, Dawsey SM. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2008 May;17(5):1262-8. PMID: 18483349 doi: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-08-0025

A study of Caucasian female twins prompts researchers to ask if public health advice to avoid the sun could be causing low vitamin D levels. Research produced by the Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, has shown that vitamin D levels are lower in fair-skinned Caucasian women than in Caucasian women with darker skin type. ... "It will be very interesting to see the results of the genetic analysis that the authors propose - especially of polymorphisms [genetic variants] in D binding protein. Variants in this protein associate strongly with skin colour, and also with vitamin D status, so may end up being explanatory.

This week sees the publication of yet another study showing the superiority of the low-carbohydrate diet as compared to the low-fat diet. This study, published in the prestigious American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, demonstrates that subjects following the low-carb diet experience a decrease in triglyceride levels and an increase in HDL-cholesterol (HDL) levels; and that these changes are accompanied by a minor increase in LDL-cholesterol (LDL), which prompts the authors to issue a caveat. Yes, although just about all the parameters that lipophobes worry about improved with the low-carb diet, the small increase in LDL has caused great concern and has prompted the authors to gravely announce that this small increase is troublesome and should be monitored closely in anyone who may be at risk for heart disease. Since most people who go on low-carb diets do so to deal with obesity issues, and since obesity is a risk factor for heart disease, it would appear that this small increase in LDL often seen in those following a low-carb diet could put these dieters at risk. Does it? We'll see.

Higher blood levels of selenium may reduce the incidence of skin cancer by about 60 per cent, according to a new study from Dutch and Australian researchers. Writing in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, the researchers report that the mineral was associated with reduced risks of both basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). On the other hand, blood levels of carotenoids and alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E) were not associated with any influence on skin cancer risks, report the researchers from Queensland Institute of Medical Research, the University of Queensland, and Maastricht University.

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ScienceDaily (May 21, 2009) - The ability to mount an immune response to influenza A (H1N1) infection is significantly compromised by a low level of arsenic exposure that commonly occurs through drinking contaminated well water, scientists at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) and Dartmouth Medical School have found. Joshua Hamilton, the MBL's Chief Academic and Scientific Officer and a senior scientist in the MBL's Bay Paul Center; graduate student Courtney Kozul of Dartmouth Medical School, where the work was conducted; and their colleagues report their findings in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

ScienceDaily (Apr. 8, 2009) - Deficiency in vitamin D has been widely regarded as contributing to autoimmune disease, but a review appearing in Autoimmunity Reviews explains that low levels of vitamin D in patients with autoimmune disease may be a result rather than a cause of disease and that supplementing with vitamin D may actually exacerbate autoimmune disease.

25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and the risk of mortality in the general population. Melamed ML, Michos ED, Post W, Astor B. Arch Intern Med. 2008 Aug 11;168(15):1629-37. PMID: 18695076

Is sunshine more than just a home remedy for a cold? New research suggests it may be: In a study that will be published tomorrow, people with low levels of vitamin D - also known as the "sunshine vitamin" - were more likely to catch cold and flu than folks with adequate amounts. The effect of the vitamin was strongest in people with asthma and other lung diseases who are predisposed to respiratory infections.

Scientists have long known that a lack of vitamin D can weaken our bones. A new study shows that low levels of this nutrient may also be linked to a higher chance of dying early from heart and circulation problems, as well as other causes.

Evidence continues to pile up that the sunshine vitamin protects against much more than bone-softening rickets. Vitamin D, also found in milk and oily fish, is becoming king, from fighting colds to preventing cancer. Investigators at the Medical University of South Carolina shut down part of a National Institutes of Health study that left nursing mothers and infants deficient, even though the mothers received the maximum safe amount of vitamin D allowed by the Institute of Medicine.\n\nBut here's the kicker. New research suggests we're not getting nearly enough, and recommended levels may be woefully inadequate.

Taking a combination of vitamins B6 and B12 and folic acid appears to decrease the risk of age-related macular degeneration in women, according to a report in the February 23 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of vision loss in older Americans, according to background information in the article. Treatment options exist for those with severe cases of the disease, but the only known prevention method is to avoid smoking. Recent studies have drawn a connection between AMD and blood levels of homocysteine, an amino acid. High levels of homocysteine are associated with dysfunction of the blood vessel lining, whereas treatment with vitamin B6, vitamin B12 and folic acid appears to reduce homocysteine levels and may reverse this blood vessel dysfunction.

Vieth R, Chan PC, MacFarlane GD.Efficacy and safety of vitamin D3 intake exceeding the lowest observedadverse effect level.Am J Clin Nutr. 2001 Feb;73(2):288-94.PMID: 11157326 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

ScienceDaily (July 2, 2006) - Drinking an eight ounce glass of pomegranate juice daily increased by nearly four times the period during which PSA levels in men treated for prostate cancer remained stable, a three-year UCLA study has found.

MedWire News: Eating two eggs a day, as part of an energy-restricted weight-loss diet, does not increase levels of 'bad' or total cholesterol, results of a UK study show.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Low levels of vitamin D are associated with the loss of cartilage in the knee joint of older individuals, researchers in Australia report

ScienceDaily (June 9, 2009) - Overweight individuals who ate a low-calorie, low-carbohydrate diet high in plant-based proteins for four weeks lost weight and experienced improvements in blood cholesterol levels and other heart disease risk factors, according to a report in the June 8 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. A high-carbohydrate, low-fat vegetarian diet also resulted in weight loss but without the additional cardiovascular benefits.

While sterols occur naturally in small quantities in food (nuts, vegetables, oils), food manufacturers are adding them to processed foods in order to earn a "heart healthy" claim. The FDA approved a cholesterol-reducing indication for sterols , the American Heart Association recommends 200 mg per day as part of its Therapeutic Lifestyle Change diet, and WebMD gushes about the LDL-reducing benefits of sterols added to foods. Sterols--the same substance that, when absorbed to high levels into the blood in a genetic disorder called "sitosterolemia"--causes extravagant atherosclerosis in young people. The case against sterols, studies documenting its coronary disease- and valve disease-promoting effects, is building

MedWire News: Long-term exposure to ozone is associated with an increased risk of death from respiratory causes, researchers have found.\n\nA two-pollutant model in the study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, showed that levels of fine particulate matter less than 2.5 µm in diameter (PM2.5) were associated with death from cardiovascular causes, whereas increased ozone concentrations were associated with an increased risk of death from cardiopulmonary causes.