Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
Photo by Cristian Newman on Unsplash Anti-aging is one of the most common buzzwords in the health and nutrition world. This is because almost everyone is looking for that miracle product or food or treatment that can help them to look younger than they are. …
Bacteria is commonly thought of as negative. There are plenty of harmful bacteria that can lead to a number of risks when it comes to the bacteria inside of your body. But with harmful bacteria comes beneficial bacteria called Probiotics. Research suggests that choosing a …
A study performed by the University of Eastern Finland has found a link between higher serum Vitamin D levels and lower plasma cholesterol levels in primary school children.
Vitamin D, commonly called the ‘sunshine vitamin, is an essential nutrient that plays a major role in many of the body’s functions, including in the skin, hair and bones. Vitamin D has been shown to promote calcium absorption, support healthy cell growth and healthy immune function. Sources of vitamin D include the sun, some foods like fatty-fish and cheese (though small amounts), and supplementation.
Could a Vitamin Deficiency be to Blame for Your Hair Loss?
It has been estimated that approximately 70% of North Americans have Vitamin D deficiencies. This is due to a combination of factors: low levels of sunlight for most of the year, obesity, sun avoidance, and low consumption of foods high in Vitamin D such as fatty fish (salmon, tuna, sardines). Inadequate Vitamin D in the body often leads to conditions such as rickets and osteomalacia, which bring on symptoms like bone and muscle pain, enlarged joints, and easily fractured bones. Given the high prevalence of Vitamin D deficiency, this could be the most essential of all the conditionally essential vitamins.
Essential for bone health, recent studies have also shown low levels of vitamin D to be linked with higher rates of respiratory tract infections, auto-immune diseases and cardiovascular diseases.
Part of the Physical Activity and Nutrition in Children (PANIC) study, a lifestyle intervention study in the Institute of Biomedicine at the University of Eastern Finland, a total of 512 children ages 6 to 8 years old participated in the baseline measurements from 2007 – 2009. The PANIC study produces scientifically valuable information on children’s lifestyles, health and well-being.
Children whose 25-hydroxyvvitamin D levels exceeded 80 nmol/l had lower plasma total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels than children whos serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels were below 50 nmol/l, which is often regarded as a threshold value for vitamin D sufficiency. 25-hydroxyvitamin D is the major circulating form of Vitamin D. These finding were reported in one of the leading journals of endocrinology, the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.
Photo by Rita Morais on Unsplash Hormones are the chemical messengers in your body that carry messages between your cells and organs, and control most of your bodily functions, from basic needs like hunger to complex systems like reproduction. They are created in the endocrine …
Photo by Charisse Kenion on Unsplash Two new studies show that dark chocolate reduces stress and inflammation, while improving memory, immunity, and mood. Let’s get snackin’! Lee S. Berk, DrPH, associate dean of research affairs, School of Allied Health Professions and a researcher in psychoneuroimmunology …
Rhodiola is a plant that grows in the northern-colder parts of Europe. It has been used for centuries to help cope with the cold winters in Norway, Sweden, and Iceland and was used by the Vikings to improve stamina, reduce symptoms of stress, improve fatigue, and help fight off infections. It is currently the best selling supplement in Norway where people use it to improve energy.
The word adaptogen in herbal medicine refers to an herb or plant extract that helps the body adapt to stress and fatigue, while promoting or restoring normal physiological (bodily) functioning. Rhodiola is just such an herb. It’s the root of the Rhodiola plant which contains the highest concentration of Rosavins and Salidroside that has the greatest impact on restoring or supporting wellness.
Rhodiola increases your energy and helps you handle stress, while improving your mood and reducing mental fatigue. It promotes a soothing, calming effect, while steadily improving a sense of wellbeing. This herb also supports endurance so you can achieve more with exercise or for sports performance. Rhodiola may also support healthy immune system function over the winter and during times of prolonged stress.
Stress is an unfortunate fact of life. Everyone experiences stress to some degree, but many of us are under very high amounts of stress on a daily basis. This excessive level of stress that so many people currently experience is not normal – it contributes to emotional overload, behavioral changes, and physical manifestations throughout the body. Poor quality of sleep, muscle tension, headaches, overeating or not eating enough, alcohol and drug abuse, and increased risk of infections and illness are just some unpleasant results of stress when it is not properly managed.
Researchers at the Medical University of Vienna tested the effects of Rhodiola rosea root extract on 118 burnt out people between the ages of 30 to 60. It was a 12 week study and the participants were given 400mg a day of Rhodiola every day. Improvements were measurable within the first week and over the study there was a good level of improvement in fatigue, emotional exhaustion, lack of joy, loss of zest for life, and depersonalization where everything seems flat, empty, and uninteresting. Compliance was high and the herb was very safe. The multicenter study is published in the journal Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment.