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Nutrition is an input to and foundation for health and development. Interaction of infection and malnutrition is well-documented. Better nutrition means stronger immune systems, less illness and better health. Healthy children learn better. Healthy people are stronger, are more productive and more able to create opportunities to gradually break the cycles of both poverty and hunger in a sustainable way. Better nutrition is a prime entry point to ending poverty and a milestone to achieving better quality of life.

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and complementary and integrative medicine (CIM) are therapies of proven or unproven efficacy that have been used to promote wellness, to manage symptoms associated with cancer and its treatment or to treat cancer. When properly combined with standard cancer treatments, some complementary therapies can enhance wellness and quality of life, but others may be harmful during or after treatment for cancer. Most, but not all, are natural products.

Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin D and Calcium An IOM committee has been named to undertake a study to assess current relevant data and update as appropriate the DRIs for vitamin D and calcium. The review will include consideration of chronic and non-chronic disease indicators. The study will also incorporate, as appropriate, systematic evidence-based reviews of the literature and an assessment of potential indicators of adequacy and of excess intake. Indicators for adequacy and excess will be selected based on the strength and quality of the evidence and the demonstrated public health significance, taking into consideration sources of uncertainty in the evidence.

Effectiveness and safety of vitamin D in relation to bone health. Cranney A, Horsley T, O'Donnell S, Weiler H, Puil L, Ooi D, Atkinson S, Ward L, Moher D, Hanley D, Fang M, Yazdi F, Garritty C, Sampson M, Barrowman N, Tsertsvadze A, Mamaladze V. Evid Rep Technol Assess (Full Rep). 2007 Aug;(158):1-235. Review. PMID: 18088161 CONCLUSIONS: The results highlight the need for additional high quality studies in infants, children, premenopausal women, and diverse racial or ethnic groups. There was fair evidence from studies of an association between circulating 25(OH)D concentrations with some bone health outcomes (established rickets, PTH, falls, BMD). However, the evidence for an association was inconsistent for other outcomes (e.g., BMC in infants and fractures in adults). It was difficult to define specific thresholds of circulating 25(OH)D for optimal bone health due to the imprecision of different 25(OH)D assays. Standard reference preparations are needed so that serum 25(OH)D can be accurately and reliably measured, and validated. In most trials, the effects of vitamin D and calcium could not be separated. Vitamin D(3) (>700 IU/day) with calcium supplementation compared to placebo has a small beneficial effect on BMD, and reduces the risk of fractures and falls although benefit may be confined to specific subgroups. Vitamin D intake above current dietary reference intakes was not reported to be associated with an increased risk of adverse events. However, most trials of higher doses of vitamin D were not adequately designed to assess long-term harms.

Effectiveness and safety of vitamin D in relation to bone health. Cranney A, Horsley T, O'Donnell S, Weiler H, Puil L, Ooi D, Atkinson S, Ward L, Moher D, Hanley D, Fang M, Yazdi F, Garritty C, Sampson M, Barrowman N, Tsertsvadze A, Mamaladze V. Evid Rep Technol Assess (Full Rep). 2007 Aug;(158):1-235. Review. PMID: 18088161 CONCLUSIONS: The results highlight the need for additional high quality studies in infants, children, premenopausal women, and diverse racial or ethnic groups. There was fair evidence from studies of an association between circulating 25(OH)D concentrations with some bone health outcomes (established rickets, PTH, falls, BMD). However, the evidence for an association was inconsistent for other outcomes (e.g., BMC in infants and fractures in adults). It was difficult to define specific thresholds of circulating 25(OH)D for optimal bone health due to the imprecision of different 25(OH)D assays. Standard reference preparations are needed so that serum 25(OH)D can be accurately and reliably measured, and validated. In most trials, the effects of vitamin D and calcium could not be separated. Vitamin D(3) (>700 IU/day) with calcium supplementation compared to placebo has a small beneficial effect on BMD, and reduces the risk of fractures and falls although benefit may be confined to specific subgroups. Vitamin D intake above current dietary reference intakes was not reported to be associated with an increased risk of adverse events. However, most trials of higher doses of vitamin D were not adequately designed to assess long-term harms.

This site was established to provide visitors with comprehensive information about benfotiamine, a synthetic derivative of thiamine (vitamin B-1) which shows promise in treating a number of neurological and vascular conditions. Benfotiamine also appears to have beneficial anti-aging qualities, protecting human cells from harmful metabolic end products. Benfotiamine is not just for diabetics. Any population suffering from conditions brought about by unknown or inadvertent thiamine deficiencies should respond well to benfotiamine. Benfotiamine is emerging as the most effective of the thiamine compounds.

(NaturalNews) Levels of the beneficial, cancer-fighting compound sulforaphane in broccoli are reduced by 90 percent when the vegetable is cooked, according to a study conducted by researchers from TNO Quality of Life in the Netherlands, and published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. "Consumption of raw broccoli resulted in faster absorption, higher bioavailability, and higher peak plasma amounts of sulforaphane, compared to cooked broccoli," the researchers wrote.

Sunlight, vitamin D and the prevention of cancer: a systematic review of epidemiological studies. Rhee HV, Coebergh JW, Vries ED. Eur J Cancer Prev. 2009 Aug 26. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 19730382 We, therefore, conclude that there is accumulating evidence for sunlight as a protective factor for several types of cancer. The same conclusion can be made concerning high vitamin D levels and the risk of colorectal cancer. This evidence, however, is not conclusive, because the number of (good quality) studies is still limited and publication biases cannot be excluded. The discrepancies between the epidemiological evidence for a possible preventive effect of sunlight and vitamin D and the question of how to apply the findings on the beneficial effects of sunlight to (public) health recommendations are discussed.

The No-Grain diet is based on the idea that grains and sugars are "enemy number one to losing weight and living longer." Instead, The No-Grain diet emphasizes organic vegetables and quality protein. It's true that refined grains - such as white bread, white rice and many breakfast cereals - contain many calories, but without the fiber, vitamins, and minerals found in whole-grains. In other words, they're energy-dense but nutrient-sparse. But it's worth pointing out that there's a difference between whole grains and refined grains.

ScienceDaily (Apr. 10, 2009) - New research from Trinity College Dublin published in this month's Annals of Surgery points to a potentially significant advance in the treatment of patients undergoing major cancer surgery. The study was carried out by the oesophageal research group at Trinity College Dublin and St James's Hospital. A randomised controlled trial showed omega-3 fatty acids given as part of an oral nutritional supplement resulted in the preservation of muscle mass in patients undergoing surgery for oesopahageal cancer, a procedure normally associated with significant weight loss and quality of life issues.

Natural Standard was founded by clinicians and researchers to provide high quality, evidence-based information about complementary and alternative therapies. This international multidisciplinary collaboration now includes contributors from more than 100 eminent academic institutions

A high quality education doesn't have to come at a high cost. In fact, it's possible to take classes from big names like Yale, MIT, and Tufts without ever submitting an application or paying a cent in tuition. We've compiled 200 online classes from these and other respected institutions, and you can take all of them with no strings attached.

ConsumerLab.com, LLC ("CL") is the leading provider of independent test results and information to help consumers and healthcare professionals evaluate health, wellness, and nutrition products. It publishes results of its tests in comprehensive reports at www.consumerlab.com - which receives over 3 million visits per year from consumers and health professionals. CL also conducts an annual Survey of Vitamin & Supplement Users. CL's research is cited frequently by the media, in books, and at professional meetings. In addition to the products it selects to review, CL enables companies of all sizes to have their products voluntarily tested for potential inclusion in its list of Approved Quality products and bear the CL Seal. Since its founding in 1999, CL has tested more than 2,100 products, representing over 350 different brands and nearly every type of popular supplement.

"The diet-heart hypothesis is the idea that saturated fat, and in some versions cholesterol, raises blood cholesterol and contributes to the risk of having a heart attack. To test this hypothesis, scientists have been studying the relationship between saturated fat consumption and heart attack risk for more than half a century. To judge by the grave pronouncements of our most visible experts, you would think these studies had found an association between the two. It turns out, they haven't. The fact is, the vast majority of high-quality observational studies have found no connection whatsoever between saturated fat consumption and heart attack risk. The scientific literature contains dozens of these studies, so let's narrow the field to prospective studies only, because they are considered the most reliable. In this study design, investigators find a group of initially healthy people, record information about them (in this case what they eat), and watch who gets sick over the years."

"Meat eating made us human. The anthropological evidence strongly supports the idea that the addition of increasingly larger amounts of meat in the diet of our predecessors was essential in the evolution of the large human brain. Our large brains came at the metabolic expense of our guts, which shrank as our brains grew. In April 1995 an article appeared in the journal Current Anthropology that was an intellectual tour de force and, in my view, an example of a perfect theoretical paper. "The Expensive-Tissue Hypothesis" (ETH) by Leslie Aiello and Peter Wheeler demonstrated by a brilliant thought experiment that our species didn't evolve to eat meat but evolved because it ate meat. It was our gradual drift toward the much higher quality diet provided by food from animal sources that allowed us to develop the large brains we have. It was hunting and meat eating that reduced our GI tracts and freed up our brains to grow. As I wrote at the start of this post, the evidence indicates that we didn't evolve to eat meat - we evolved because we ate meat."

"Jennifer Aniston uses it and the England rugby squad swear by its metabolism-boosting qualities. Coconut oil is being touted as the health food of 2008 - but is this just more 'superfood' hype? By Lucy Atkins"

Efficacy and safety of berberine for congestive heart failure secondary to ischemic or idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy. Zeng XH, Zeng XJ, Li YY. Am J Cardiol. 2003 Jul 15;92(2):173-6. PMID: 12860219 doi:10.1016/S0002-9149(03)00533-2 Thus, berberine improved quality of life and decreased VPCs and mortality in patients with CHF.

"Study highlights: * Ginkgo biloba doesn't prevent cardiovascular death, heart attacks or strokes, and should not be recommended as a way to prevent them. * Further research should explore its potential benefit to people with peripheral vascular disease. DALLAS, Nov. 24, 2009 - Ginkgo biloba didn't prevent cardiovascular death or major events such as heart attack and stroke in people age 75 and older, but the herb may affect peripheral vascular disease, according to research reported in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, a journal of the American Heart Association. "Surprisingly, Ginkgo was associated with a reduction in peripheral artery disease, but the number of patients was small. The difference was statistically significant," said Lewis H. Kuller, M.D., Dr.P.H., first author of the study and distinguished university professor of public health and professor of epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh. Gingko biloba contains a class of nutrients - flavonoids - found in fruits, vegetables, dark chocolate and red wine, which are believed to offer some protection against cardiovascular events. "

"Tempeh, or tempe in Indonesian, is made by a natural culturing and controlled fermentation process that binds soybeans into a cake form. Tempeh is unique among major traditional soyfoods in that it is the only one that did not originate in China or Japan. It originated in today's Indonesia, and especially popular on the island of Java, where it is a staple source of protein. Like tofu, tempeh is made from soybeans, but tempeh is a whole soybean product with different nutritional characteristics and textural qualities. Tempeh's fermentation process and its retention of the whole bean give it a higher content of protein, dietary fiber, and vitamins compared to tofu, as well as firmer texture and stronger flavor. Because of its nutritional value, tempeh is used worldwide in vegetarian cuisine; some consider it to be a meat analogue. The soy protein in tempeh becomes more digestible as a result of the fermentation process. In particular, the oligosaccharides that are associated with gas and indigestion are greatly reduced by the Rhizopus culture. In traditional tempeh making shops, the starter culture often contains beneficial bacteria that produce vitamins such as B12[1][2] (though it is uncertain whether this B12 is always present and bioavailable[3]). In western countries, it is more common to use a pure culture containing only Rhizopus oligosporus which makes very little B12 and could be missing Klebsiella pneumoniae which has been shown to produce significant levels of B12 analogs in tempeh when present. Whether these analogs are true, bioavailable B12, hasn't been thoroughly studied yet.