Why Vitamin D is Essential For Lung Health – Invite Health Podcast, Episode 59
In today’s episode, Jerry Hickey, Ph. focuses on the importance of Vitamin D for the health of your lungs and your overall respiratory health.
Tag: vitamin D
New Report: Nutrients Have Never Been So Essential
According to The Council for Responsible Nutrition UK, the ongoing threat of the Coronavirus could increase the potential for deficiencies in key nutrients, supporting the immune system.
Living A Healthy Life With Diabetes, Part 2 – Invite Health Podcast, Episode 10
Invite Health Podcast, Hosted by Amanda Williams, MPH
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In Episode 2 of Living A Healthy Life with Diabetes, I am going to break down the difference between being a prediabetic and having metabolic syndrome. The two generally go hand-in-hand, but it can oftentimes lead to confusion.
What does it mean to be prediabetic?
Prediabetes is when your insulin resistance is beginning to gain momentum. We’re talking about the pancreas, about beta cells that play such a critical role in releasing insulin in order to regulate elevations in blood glucose.
When someone has prediabetes, what they are seeing is those first stages of insulin resistance really starting to rev up. When it comes to testing, you are generally going to find things such as an elevated fasting glucose. This usually means that you’ve fasted for eight hours, ideally 10-12 hours.
Your doctor may also see elevations in hemoglobin A1C – the rate of glycation in the hemoglobin. This level is usually above a 5.7 and goes up to 6.4. Generally, doctors would like your level to be below a 5, but a realistic number is also 5.5 or 5.3. Once you get above the mid-level 5, that is when your doctor will be concerned.
Prediabetes, simply put, means your body is not doing as well to regulate your blood sugar.
For more information on Diabetes, be sure to check out Episode 9 and Part 1 of Amanda Williams Diabetes series by clicking here.
What is metabolic syndrome?
Metabolic syndrome is definable by a few different things. Not only is there a clear insulin resistance occurring, we are also dealing with visceral obesity or an increase in the waist circumference in the abdominal belly region. In conjunction, your cholesterol will also be impacted, specifically an elevation in triglycerides. You may also experience endothelial dysfunction – stiffing of the lining of your blood vessels – which leads to high blood pressure.
The World Health Organization first defined metabolic syndrome back in 1998. Metabolic syndrome does not make you a diabetic, but it’s borderline.
Essential Nutrients To Get Your Body (And Health) Back On Track
It is important to understand that you must be proactive and take steps to counteract both prediabetes and metabolic syndrome. Individuals who follow the Standard American Diet go way off track because you are not obtaining the proper nutrients that the body needs in order to manage or mitigate the negative implications of having elevated glucose and a delayed insulin response.
Fifty to seventy-five percent of Americans have a Magnesium deficiency. Research from the University of North Carolina sets that percentage closer to 75%, as only 12% of Americans are considered to be metabolically healthy. This is extremely sad and – no pun intended – is accredited to the Standard American Diet (SAD), which is incredibly low in magnesium. This has been shown to be directly correlated with Type 2 Diabetes, metabolic syndrome, high blood pressure, vascular disease and more.
Researchers from Tufts University Department of Endocrinology published a study in the journal Diabetes Care – which was highlighted by the American Diabetes Association – that drew a conclusion between Vitamin D supplementation and the impact it has on blood glucose and markers for inflammation in the body. Participants in the study with low levels of Vitamin D were given a Vitamin D supplement every day and found significant improvements in markers for inflammation, hemoglobin A1C levels, and fasting glucose.
Benfotiamine is a unique fat soluble B1 vitamin whose goal in your body is to activate an enzyme that helps to convert toxic glucose into harmless compounds so the body can easily get rid of it. One of the long term effects of being a prediabetic, having metabolic syndrome or actually having diabetes is Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs). These are created when a sugar molecule attaches to something in the body like your blood vessels or nerves. This is damaging, as AGEs change the structure and function of so many different things in the human body – deactivating enzymes, disrupting cell signaling, destroying cellular DNA and creating inflammation and more. If we can incorporate Benfotiamine into our routine, it has been shown to block that sugar-induced damage. This is why it is such a powerful B vitamin.
Thank you for tuning in to the Invite Health Podcast. Stay tuned for Part 3 of Amanda’s Diabetes series, which will be released tomorrow – Friday, January 31.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.
Avoid The Flu With Green Tea and Vitamin D – Invite Health Podcast, Episode 8
In Episode 8, Jerry Hickey, Ph., discusses how to improve the odds of not getting the flu this winter and what you can do nutritionally for your immune system.
The Spotlight on Herbal Tinctures and Their Benefit on Your Body
Photo by Christin Hume on Unsplash Written by Luke Kornblatt You already know the saying, “Good things come in small packages.” That is certainly the case when it comes to herbal tinctures. At InVite® Health, our healthcare professionals understand the multiple health benefits one can …
Here’s What You Need to Know About Vitamin D Deficiency
Photo by Mathew Schwartz on Unsplash
The Role of Vitamin D in the Body
Vitamin D, commonly called the ‘sunshine vitamin, is an essential nutrient and hormone 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 a Vitamin D deficiency. 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.
Here is how to figure out if you have a Vitamin D deficiency and what to do about it.
1. Speak with your doctor and ask for a 25-hydroxy test. It is the best way to monitor Vitamin D levels, as it gives your doctor a clear look into how much 25-hydroxyvitamin D is in your blood and how much your body has, which also tells him and or if your levels are too high or too low. This is done with a simple blood test.
2. Include more Vitamin D into your diet. This could be different, as food sources are minimal. Some plants contain small amounts of Vitamin D in foods such as mushrooms, liver, cod, herring and sardines. Speak with your doctor about your daily recommended intake.
3. Taking the right form of Vitamin D, if you have to supplement, is important. There are two forms of Vitamin D – D2 and D3. Research has shown Vitamin D3 to be the most beneficial, as it the active form of Vitamin D, sourced from sheep’s wool and easily absorbed into the body.