Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
When it comes to taking care of your health, it can be hard to know where to start. Tune into this episode to hear Amanda Williams, MPH offer recommendations for the basic nutrients you need to add to your daily routine today.
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folate
InViteⓇ Health Podcast, Episode hosted by Jerry Hickey, Ph.
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Folate is a B-vitamin. It’s a water-soluble vitamin. It’s sometimes referred to as Vitamin B9. It’s really important to have sufficient folate, but not everybody does, sometimes because of eating habits, genetic issues or age.†
The active form of folate is called methyltetrahydrofolate. It’s needed to make normal, healthy cells. Folate is ubiquitous in vegetables and green leafy things, so it’s named after foliage.†
Without folate, you could develop very large red blood cells, also known as megaloblastic anemia. This can prevent the red blood cells from getting into the blood vessels, which also means oxygen is not flowing through your body as well. That leads to shortness of breath, fatigue and weakness.†
Your folate status is really influenced by genetic variations in the metabolism of the nutrient. There’s an enzyme called MTHFR and about 50% of people have a problem with it. This makes it harder for them to take synthetic folate often found in low quality supplements or the folate in vegetables and convert it into the active form. You can make up for that, to a degree, by taking a powerful folate or folic acid supplement or by eating more vegetables.†
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If you lack folate, you get an elevated level of homocysteine. Homocysteine is a byproduct of protein metabolism and the body can handle homocysteine when it’s at a level of 12 or less. Once it gets over 12, it becomes toxic. Methyltetrahydrofolate is the vitamin that lowers homocysteine. If your homocysteine is elevated, you have a higher risk of developing heart disease or suffering from a stroke. You also have a higher risk of developing cancer, Alzheimer’s disease or a hip fracture.†
If you’re low in folate long term, you can develop heart disease. A review of 80 human clinical trials showed that even moderately elevated levels of homocysteine in your blood increases your risk of developing cardiovascular disease. This can also lead to clogged blood vessels and coronary heart disease. It makes it hard for blood to flow because the blood vessels are squeezing, so your blood pressure can also go up. Having a little bit of methyltetrahydrofolate can help support normal homocysteine levels in the body.†
This nutrient also plays a role in brain health. Your risk of Alzheimer’s disease may increase if you lack folate. We know that folate is important for brain development in babies, but studies are now showing that it is important for the brain throughout your entire lifespan, especially when you’re elderly.†
In this episode, Jerry Hickey, Ph. discusses the important role the active form of folate plays within the body. He explains the relationship between this nutrient and homocysteine and discusses how these substances both impact the health of your body.†
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Thank you for tuning in to the InViteⓇ Health Podcast. You can find all of our episodes for free wherever you listen to podcasts or by visiting www.invitehealth.com/podcast. Make sure you subscribe and leave us a review! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at InViteⓇ Health today. We’ll see you next time on another episode of the InViteⓇ Health Podcast.
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vitamin D
InViteⓇ Health Podcast, Episode hosted by Amanda Williams, MPH
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Today, I want to get into the facts and fiction when it comes to Vitamin D. Are you getting enough Vitamin D from being in the sun in the summer months? Is 20 minutes a day enough time for you to get exposure to sunlight to maintain healthy levels of this important vitamin? I’m going to get into how Vitamin D is absorbed in the body, why it’s important to have adequate levels of this nutrient year round, and the truth when it comes to tanning.†
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Vitamin D is often known for supporting bone health, but it actually works more like a hormone in the body than like a vitamin. It’s a fat-soluble vitamin. It plays a very specific role when it comes to heart health, brain health and immune health.†
This nutrient itself is technically a steroid hormone. We generally obtain it either through dietary intake, supplementation or exposure to the sun’s UVB rays.†
The big question is whether you’re getting enough Vitamin D from going out into the sun for 20 minutes. The true answer to that is that, for the average person, no, you are probably not getting enough, and there are many different reasons why. First and foremost, we have to think about photoprotection factors, such as sunscreen. It is smart to use sunscreen, but when we look at photoprotection, there have been studies that have been able to show that when someone applies sunscreen with SPF, this can suppress the body’s ability to actually absorb Vitamin D coming from the sun.†
But say, for example, that you’re going to go on a quick walk around the block and you didn’t apply sunscreen. Will that sun exposure be enough? Once again, it depends because the body can take time to absorb Vitamin D.†
I live in Florida and I supplement with 5000 IU of Vitamin D every single day. Vitamin D3 is part of my daily supplementation routine. There are times when I’m out in the sun, but I am still consistent about taking my supplementation. I also get my blood levels tested so that I know and 5000 IU seems to be the good amount for me to be using. This is why I always encourage people to get their blood levels tested at least one time a year. Then, you should start supplementing. Maybe you start with 2000 or 3000 IU a day. Then, maybe six months later, have that level tested and see where that lands. Ideally, you want your serum blood level to come back between 50 and 75. If it’s below 50, then you know that you probably need a higher amount of supplementation.†
In this episode, Amanda Williams, MPH addresses myths about how tanning can impact Vitamin D levels in the body. She details how the body absorbs this important nutrients and provides recommendations for how to ensure you are getting enough.†
Key Topics:
Thank you for tuning in to the InViteⓇ Health Podcast. You can find all of our episodes for free wherever you listen to podcasts or by visiting www.invitehealth.com/podcast. Make sure you subscribe and leave us a review! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at InViteⓇ Health today. We’ll see you next time on another episode of the InViteⓇ Health Podcast.
