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Chatfield SM, Brand C, Ebeling PR, Russell DM. Vitamin D deficiency in general medical inpatients in summer and winter. Intern Med J. 2007 Jun;37(6):377-82. PMID: 17535381 [PubMed - in process]

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

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Consuming cheese from ewe's milk, rich in conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), may reduce markers linked to heart disease, suggest results from a small Italian study. Researchers from the University of Florence report that ewe's milk rich in cis-9, trans-11 CLA produced favourable changes in inflammatory cytokines and platelet aggregation, both of which are associated with atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries due to the build-up of fatty deposits on artery walls. Atherosclerosis is the primary cause of coronary heart disease (CHD), which costs the British public health system more than €5bn per year. "These observations, although preliminary and obtained in a limited study group, seem to be of relevance for the practical implications in terms of nutrition and health of the general population," wrote the researchers in Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases.

The Vitamin D Pandemic and its Health Consequences\nPresented by Michael Holick, PhD, MD, Professor of medicine, physiology and biophysics and director of the General Clinical Research Center at Boston University Medical Center\nKeynote address at the opening ceremony of the 34th European Symposium on Calcified Tissues, Copenhagen 5 May, 2007\n

Beta glucan is a scientifically proven biological defense modifier (BDM) that nutritionally potentiates and modulates the immune response. As a supplement, after swallowing orally, Beta glucan is ingested primarily through macrophage and dendritic immune cells, to nutritionally and safely yield, through immune response potentiation and modulation, in many instances various therapeutic healing effects generated by the immune cells.  For many years Glucans have been investigated (History) for these immune enhancing properties, particularly their ability to activate macrophage immune cells and NK-Cells, plus in turn, the T-Cells, and B-Cells including selected cytokines and complement. 

Th1/Th2 balance: the hypothesis, its limitations, and implications for health and disease. Kidd P. Altern Med Rev. 2003 Aug;8(3):223-46. Review. PMID: 12946237 Th1 pathways typically produce activation of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (Tc), NK cells, macrophages, and monocytes, all of which can attack cancer cells and generally defend against tumors. 55 IFN-gamma and other Th1 cytokines are typically lower in advanced cancer patients, while the Th2 marker IL-4 can be higher or unchanged.56 Nodules of non-small cell lung cancer freshly removed from patients expressed a marked imbalance toward Th2, as did biopsy samples from basal cell carcinoma.57 In prostate cancer patients IL-2 was low (Th1) and IL-10 high.58 IL-10 is a confirmed Th1-suppressive cytokine, and heightened IL-10 is a common factor in cancer.55 IL-10 has a variety of suppressive effects that include inhibiting Th1 cytokine production, down-regulating APC and NK cell function, and lowering overall T-cell proliferation.57 Especially under the influence of IL-4 (Th2), tumor cells apparently up-regulate IL-10 that suppresses nearby killer cells. Tumor-derived IL-10 has been documented in lymphoma, ovarian carcinoma, melanoma, neuroblastoma, and renal cell and colon carcinoma.57 IL-12 is another cytokine that can be up-regulated by Th1 activity and inhibited by Th2.59 A low IL-12/IL-10 ratio was found in cervical cancer patients.55 Recent clinical studies suggest elevated IL-10 is predictive of a poor prognosis. 57 With both IL-4 and IL-10 being proven inhibitors of Th1 and promoters of Th2 activity, the recognized capability of cancerous tissue to suppress immunity is readily rationalized.

Vitamin D intake is inversely associated with rheumatoid arthritis: results from the Iowa Women's Health Study. Merlino LA, Curtis J, Mikuls TR, Cerhan JR, Criswell LA, Saag KG; Iowa Women's Health Study. Arthritis Rheum. 2004 Jan;50(1):72-7. PMID: 14730601 DOI: 10.1002/art.11434 CONCLUSION: Greater intake of vitamin D may be associated with a lower risk of RA in older women, although this finding is hypothesis generating.

ScienceDaily (Mar. 24, 2009) - Individuals who took a dietary supplement called "factor D", which included selenium, vitamin E, and beta-carotene, continued to have lower gastric cancer and overall mortality 10 years after supplementation ceased compared with individuals who did not take the supplements, according to long-term follow-up data from the randomized, double-blind General Population Nutrition Intervention Trial in Linxian, China.

Scientists have discovered the key to the ability of spicy foods to kill cancer cells. They found capsaicin, an ingredient of jalapeno peppers, triggers cancer cell death by attacking mitochondria - the cells' energy-generating boiler rooms.

[Egg intake and cardiovascular risk] Schärer M, Schulthess G. Ther Umsch. 2005 Sep;62(9):611-3. Review. German. PMID: 16218496 The egg - rich in proteins, unsaturated fatty acids, vitamins and minerals - should be part of our nutrition, and it is not justified to recommend a general limitation of egg intake. However, we do not advice unbalanced high egg consumption. A cardioprotective diet is characterized by high variability and contains plenty of fruits, vegetables, and complex carbohydrates.

March 27, 2009 - A significant decrease in serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) levels has led to an increase in vitamin D insufficiency in the US population, especially in racial and ethnic groups, according to results of a population-based study reported in the March 23 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine. "Vitamin D insufficiency has been associated with increases in cardiovascular disease, cancer, and infection," write Adit A. Ginde, MD, from the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, and colleagues. "Vitamin D supplementation appears to mitigate the incidence and adverse outcomes of these diseases and may reduce all-cause mortality." [...] "These findings have important implications for health disparities and public health," the study authors conclude. "Our data provide additional evidence that current recommendations for vitamin D supplementation (200-600 IU/d) are inadequate to achieve optimal serum 25(OH)D levels in most of the US population." They add that large, randomized controlled trials of higher doses of vitamin D supplementation are needed to evaluate their effect on general health and mortality.

Avocados may hold a key to longer, better health