A question from a customer regarding the safety of 1,200 IUs of Vitamin D in Macula Complete prompted this post.
A study on vitamin D3 and multiple sclerosis resulted in data supporting the use of much higher doses of vitamin D3 for clinical research, and provided evidence that vitamin D3 intake beyond the current upper limit of 2,000 IU per day is safe by a large margin.
The current RDA is only 400 IUs per day. Based on a large number of new peer-reviewed studies suggesting that number to be too low, the RDA is expected to triple in the coming year.
The study, published in the September issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, included 12 patients in an active phase of multiple sclerosis (MS) who were given 1,200 milligrams elemental calcium per day along with progressively increasing doses of vitamin D3—from 700 (2,800 IUs) to 7,000 micrograms (28,000 IUs) per week—to determine the
"tolerability" of higher doses of vitamin D that may be required for therapeutic efficacy therapy. This study specifically assessed how well the body handles calcium levels relative to vitamin D concentrations in the blood.
At the beginning of the 28-week study, mean serum concentrations of 25(OH)D were 78 ± 35 nmol/L, rising to 386 ± 157 nmol/L (P < 0.001). Mean values of serum calcium concentrations and the urinary ratio of calcium to creatinine—both biomarkers of which high levels are associated with problems processing calcium in the body—did not increase or exceed reference values for any participant. Additional related biomarkers including liver enzymes, serum creatinine, electrolytes, and serum protein levels did not change. Disease progression and activity were not affected, but there was a mean decrease in the number of MS-related lesions per patient.
Participants' serum vitamin D concentrations reached twice the top of the normal range without resulting in hypercalcemia or hypercalciuria—detrimental conditions linked to problems with the body's processing of excess calcium.
Friday, October 19, 2007
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Clean Freak Mothers = Asthma
A recently published University of Alberta study found that children reared on a farm have less than half the risk of developing asthma as children who were reared by urban clean freak mothers.
Farm children ages 1 to 5 showed a stronger protective effect against asthma than those aged 6 to 11 years, probably due to earlier exposure to the farm environment.
Exposure to "endotoxins" from animal viruses and manure and avoidance of urban environment pollution early in life may very well reduce the risk for development of asthma.
European researchers also say that exposure to household cleaning sprays and air fresheners as little as once a week increases the risk of developing asthma.
Another study published in the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine suggests that the relative risk rates of developing childhood or adult asthma in relation to exposure to cleaning products could account for as much as 15 percent, or one in seven of asthma cases.
This report also suggests that children with allergic sensitizations in economically developed countries are far more likely to develop asthma than similarly sensitized children in poorer countries.
The researchers speculated that some factors that protect children with allergic sensitization from developing asthma are less present in affluent settings, which might not provide the commensal bacteria necessary for tolerance and immune function development.
So much for what my former husband's maiden Aunt Lillian always said about the importance of maintaining an absolutely spotless house for my children's health!
Farm children ages 1 to 5 showed a stronger protective effect against asthma than those aged 6 to 11 years, probably due to earlier exposure to the farm environment.
Exposure to "endotoxins" from animal viruses and manure and avoidance of urban environment pollution early in life may very well reduce the risk for development of asthma.
European researchers also say that exposure to household cleaning sprays and air fresheners as little as once a week increases the risk of developing asthma.
Another study published in the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine suggests that the relative risk rates of developing childhood or adult asthma in relation to exposure to cleaning products could account for as much as 15 percent, or one in seven of asthma cases.
This report also suggests that children with allergic sensitizations in economically developed countries are far more likely to develop asthma than similarly sensitized children in poorer countries.
The researchers speculated that some factors that protect children with allergic sensitization from developing asthma are less present in affluent settings, which might not provide the commensal bacteria necessary for tolerance and immune function development.
So much for what my former husband's maiden Aunt Lillian always said about the importance of maintaining an absolutely spotless house for my children's health!
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Homocysteine Bad For Eyes
Science Daily reported on a study today that suggests homocysteine, an amino acid linked to heart attack, stroke and dementia, may also be a player in retinal damage and vision loss. Although the writer's explaination of methionine metabolism is way too simplistic, we will present the material just as they did in Science Daily.
....The study leader, Dr. Sylvis Smith of the Medical College of Georgia, explained that homocysteine levels rise when folic acid levels drop, a problem for many whose diets are poor in folate-rich fruits, tomatoes, vegetables and grains. Smith exposed layers of retina to high levels of homocysteine and found the retina "terribly disrupted."
"Folate and vitamin B12 convert homocysteine to methionine, an amino acid essential to protein synthesis. Without the conversion, rising homocysteine levels interfere with the folding and structure of collagen, a component of bone, tissue and the basement membrane of blood vessel walls," Smith said.
"At any point in your life, too much homocysteine can be problematic, whether you are talking about pregnant women, cardiovascular disease or dementia," Smith says in a statement. "If homocysteine is not converted into methionine or cysteine -- by vitamin B6 -- to aid protein synthesis, it can do something bad."
....The study leader, Dr. Sylvis Smith of the Medical College of Georgia, explained that homocysteine levels rise when folic acid levels drop, a problem for many whose diets are poor in folate-rich fruits, tomatoes, vegetables and grains. Smith exposed layers of retina to high levels of homocysteine and found the retina "terribly disrupted."
"Folate and vitamin B12 convert homocysteine to methionine, an amino acid essential to protein synthesis. Without the conversion, rising homocysteine levels interfere with the folding and structure of collagen, a component of bone, tissue and the basement membrane of blood vessel walls," Smith said.
"At any point in your life, too much homocysteine can be problematic, whether you are talking about pregnant women, cardiovascular disease or dementia," Smith says in a statement. "If homocysteine is not converted into methionine or cysteine -- by vitamin B6 -- to aid protein synthesis, it can do something bad."
Monday, October 15, 2007
Science = Nobel Peace Prize
The 2007 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded jointly to the approximately 1000 world wide university scientists who contributed research to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) for "their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change."
This award reflects a global science consensus that man-made climate change is a crisis that can't be ignored.
The prize was also jointly awarded to former Vice President, Al Gore, for his 1992 book " Earth in the Balance: Ecology and the Human Spirit," and his 2006 Oscar winning documentary "An Inconvenient Truth." Al Gore gifted his entire $750,000 Nobel Prize money, as well as monies from his documentary to the Palo Alto, CA nonprofit organization, Alliance for Climate Protection http://www.climateprotect.org/
In spite of global warming concerns recently expressed by the White House, some politicians and radio talk show entertainers are using this selection as a chance to discredit the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize; reminiscent of the way the prize was discredited when Dr. Martin Luther King became the recipient in 1965.
With that said: Biosyntrx is in the process of making the few changes necessary to become a certified Green Business that will best work for our our customers, our planet and our business.
This award reflects a global science consensus that man-made climate change is a crisis that can't be ignored.
The prize was also jointly awarded to former Vice President, Al Gore, for his 1992 book " Earth in the Balance: Ecology and the Human Spirit," and his 2006 Oscar winning documentary "An Inconvenient Truth." Al Gore gifted his entire $750,000 Nobel Prize money, as well as monies from his documentary to the Palo Alto, CA nonprofit organization, Alliance for Climate Protection http://www.climateprotect.org/
In spite of global warming concerns recently expressed by the White House, some politicians and radio talk show entertainers are using this selection as a chance to discredit the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize; reminiscent of the way the prize was discredited when Dr. Martin Luther King became the recipient in 1965.
With that said: Biosyntrx is in the process of making the few changes necessary to become a certified Green Business that will best work for our our customers, our planet and our business.
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