Low Vitamin D Levels Associated With More Asthma Symptoms and Medication Use

Low levels of vitamin D are associated with lower lung function and greater medication use in children with asthma, according to researchers at National Jewish Health. In a paper published online this week in the Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology, Daniel Searing, MD, and his colleagues also reported that vitamin D enhances the activity of corticosteroids, the most effective controller medication for asthma.

The indings suggest that vitamin D supplementation may help reverse steroid resistance in asthmatic children and reduce the effective dose of steroids needed.

The researchers examined electronic medical records of 100 pediatric asthma patients referred to National Jewish Health. Overall, 47 percent of them had vitamin D levels considered insufficient, below 30 nanograms per milliliter of blood (ng/mL). Seventeen percent of the patients had levels below 20 ng/mL, which is considered deficient. These levels were similar to vitamin D levels found in the general population.

Patients low in vitamin D generally had higher levels of IgE, a marker of allergy, and responded positively to more allergens in a skin prick test. Allergies to the specific indoor allergens, dog and house dust mite, were higher in patients with low vitamin D levels. Low vitamin D also correlated with low FEV1, the amount of air a person can exhale in one second, and lower FEV1/FVC, another measure of lung function. Use of inhaled steroids, oral steroids and long-acting beta agonists were all higher in patients low in vitamin D.

The researchers performed a series of laboratory experiments that indicated vitamin D enhances the action of corticosteroids. They cultured some immune cells with the corticosteroid dexamethasone alone and others with vitamin D first, then dexamethasone. The vitamin D significantly increased the effectiveness of dexamethasone. In one experiment vitamin D and dexamethasone together were more effective than 10 times as much dexamethasone alone.

The researchers also incubated immune-system cells for 72 hours with a staphylococcal toxin to induce corticosteroid resistance. Vitamin D restored the activity of dexamethasone

This study comes on the heels of another paper by National Jewish Health faculty, which showed that low levels of vitamin D in adult asthma patients are associated with lower lung function and reduced responsiveness to corticosteroids.

Vitamin and Calcium Supplements May Reduce Breast Cancer Risk

Vitamins and calcium supplements appear to reduce the risk of breast cancer, according to findings presented at the American Association for Cancer Research 101st Annual Meeting 2010.

The findings suggest that the calcium supplements are acting to enhance DNA repair capacity, a complex biological process involving more than 200 proteins that, if disrupted, can lead to cancer.

The study included 268 women with breast cancer and 457 healthy controls. Women were more likely to have breast cancer if they were older, had a family history of breast cancer, had no history of breastfeeding and had lower DNA repair capacity.

Vitamin supplements appeared to reduce the risk of breast cancer by about 30 percent. Calcium supplements reduced the risk of breast cancer by 40 percent. After controlling for the level of DNA repair capacity, calcium supplements were no longer as protective, but the link between vitamin supplements and breast cancer reduction remained.

Vitamin K May Protect Against Developing Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

In the first study of vitamin K and Non-Hodgkin lymphoma risk, researchers at the Mayo Clinic campus in Minnesota have found that people who have higher intakes of vitamin K from their diet have a lower risk of developing Non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma is a cancer of the immune system and is the most common hematologic malignancy in the United States.

At the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), the researchers report that the risk of developing Non-Hodgkin lymphoma was approximately 45 percent lower for participants who had vitamin K intakes in the top quartile of intake in the study (>108 ug/day), compared to participants who had intakes in the bottom quartile (<39 ug/day). This association remained after accounting for other factors such as age, sex, education, obesity, smoking, alcohol use and intake of foods with high amounts of antioxidants.

Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin and is derived from either plants (phylloquinone or vitamin K1) or bacterial synthesis. This study estimated intake of the plant form of vitamin K from diet and supplement use. The most common sources of vitamin K1 in the diet include leaf lettuce and spinach, with smaller amounts found in other vegetables, vegetable oils and some fruits.

Science News Share Blog Cite Print Email BookmarkVitamin K May Protect Against Developing Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, Say Mayo Clinic Researchers
ScienceDaily (Apr. 21, 2010) — In the first study of vitamin K and Non-Hodgkin lymphoma risk, researchers at the Mayo Clinic campus in Minnesota have found that people who have higher intakes of vitamin K from their diet have a lower risk of developing Non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma is a cancer of the immune system and is the most common hematologic malignancy in the United States.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

See Also:
Health & Medicine
•Lymphoma
•Vitamin
•Dietary Supplement
•Nutrition
•Cancer
•Cholesterol
Reference
•B vitamins
•Vitamin K
•Micronutrient
•Essential nutrient
At the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), the researchers report that the risk of developing Non-Hodgkin lymphoma was approximately 45 percent lower for participants who had vitamin K intakes in the top quartile of intake in the study (>108 ug/day), compared to participants who had intakes in the bottom quartile (<39 ug/day). This association remained after accounting for other factors such as age, sex, education, obesity, smoking, alcohol use and intake of foods with high amounts of antioxidants.

Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin and is derived from either plants (phylloquinone or vitamin K1) or bacterial synthesis. This study estimated intake of the plant form of vitamin K from diet and supplement use. The most common sources of vitamin K1 in the diet include leaf lettuce and spinach, with smaller amounts found in other vegetables, vegetable oils and some fruits.

Researchers at the Mayo Comprehensive Cancer Center are studying the connection between diet and Non-Hodgkin lymphoma risk, and they became interested in a potential role for vitamin K. While vitamin K is best known for its essential function in several proteins involved in blood clotting (the name of the vitamin is derived from the German word "Koagulations"), it also appears to be important in other biological processes, including inhibition of inflammatory cytokines thought to play a role in Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, as well as pathways involved in cell cycle arrest and cell death.

The Mayo study enrolled 603 patients who were newly diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma as well as 1,007 matched cancer-free "control" participants. Researchers asked the participants to answer a food questionnaire about their usual intake of over 120 food items two years prior to their cancer diagnosis or enrollment into the study (controls). They also asked about use of a variety of supplements. Vitamin K intake was estimated from this data.

While there was a clear trend showing that a greater intake of vitamin K from dietary sources was associated with a lower risk of Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, the use of vitamin K supplements presented a slightly different picture. Increasing intake of vitamin K from supplements did protect against Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, but reached a point where the highest intake offered no reduction in risk.

Arginine Increases Exercise Capacity

Taking arginine supplements can improve the cycling ability for people over 50. Researchers writing in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition tested a combination of the amino acid and an antioxidant in sixteen cyclists, finding that it enhanced their anaerobic threshold -- the amount of work done before lactic acid begins to accumulate in the blood.

The loss of exercise capacity with age often results in a reduction in physical fitness and more rapid senescence. A dietary supplement that increases exercise capacity might help to preserve physical fitness by optimizing performance and improving general health and well being in older people.

One way in which older people may reduce their exercise capacity revolves around the signaling molecule nitric oxide (NO), which is involved in many physiological processes, including those related to working out. NO production diminishes in quantity and availability as we age and is associated with an increased prevalence of other cardiovascular risk factors. In the body, NO is created from the amino acid arginine and is inactivated by oxygen free radicals. By supplementing diet with both the precursor and an anti-oxidant, the researchers hoped to support the NO system in the cyclists and thereby enhance performance.

Sixteen cyclists aged between 50 and 73 were randomly assigned to receive either the supplement or dummy placebo pills. After one week of study, the anaerobic threshold of the supplement group increased, while that of the control group did not significantly alter.

This study indicates a potential role of arginine and antioxidant supplementation in improving exercise performance in elderly.

Chocolate and Cardiovascular Risk - Small and Dark is Best

A large, observational study of over 19,000 Germans with a mean follow-up of 8 years. The authors demonstrated that those eating the most chocolate had fewer MI and strokes than more modest consumers (by 39%). Participants were free from cardiovascular disease at baseline.

On average, blood pressure measures were 1 mmHg/0.9 mmHg lower in the highest quartile of chocolate consumption versus the lowest.

It must be said, however, that we are talking about small amounts of chocolate here. Those in the highest quartile consumed 7.5g daily compared with 1.7g daily in the lowest quartile.

This work adds to already published data demonstrating that chocolate can lower blood pressure and improve both endothelial and platelet function.

It's thought that the active ingredient is the cocoa - a flavonoid - also present in red wine, citrus fruits and tea.

Of course the downside is that chocolate is largely sugar - which equals calories - and so must be consumed in small amounts to get the CV benefit.

And it's the expensive stuff, with the highest cocoa content, that would be expected to deliver the most protection.

Folate and Vitamin B6 Lower Cardiovascular Risk

Dietary intakes of folate and vitamin B6 reduce the risk for mortality from stroke and any cardiovascular disease in women and may reduce the risk for heart failure in men, according to a study conducted in Japan.

Data from 23,119 men and 35,611 women (aged 40 - 79 years) who completed food frequency questionnaires as part of the Japan Collaborative Cohort study were analyzed. At a median 14 years of follow-up, 986 participants died from stroke, 424 died from coronary heart disease, and 2087 died from any cardiovascular disease.

Participants' intake of folate, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12 were classified into quintiles. Comparing the lowest vs the highest quintiles for each nutrient, the researchers found that higher consumption of folate and vitamin B6 was associated with significantly fewer deaths from heart failure in men, and significantly fewer deaths from stroke, heart disease, and any cardiovascular diseases in women. By contrast, vitamin B12 intake was not associated with reduced mortality risk.

Food Combination and Alzheimer Disease Risk

Individuals who consume a diet rich in nuts, fish, poultry, vegetables, fruits, and olive oil–based salad dressings but low in high-fat dairy products, red meat, organ meats, and butter have a reduced risk for Alzheimer's disease, a new study suggests.

The finding, from a prospective community-based cohort study, warrants further exploration of food combinations in the prevention of this important public health problem, said lead study author Yian Gu, PhD, from the Taub Institute for Research in Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University, New York City.

FDA Stings Beehive Botanicals For Web Links That "Fell Through The Cracks"

Beehive Botanicals has endured product seizure, a complaint from FDA for making unapproved drug claims and potential damage to its reputation because it did not have a firm handle on all dimensions of its online business. Read more

Regulatory Assistance

LeverageFor works with attorneys, consultants, technical writers, marketers and medical professionals who are committed to helping dietary supplement companies minimize risk and maximize profit. If you need help complying with FDA and FTC regulations contact us at info@leveragefor.com.