Vitamin D - The Sunshine Vitamin - 5 July 2010

Vitamin D, specifically vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol), is quite the hot topic lately. Medical journals are overflowing with the latest research findings on vitamin D and the many ways it is beneficial to one's health. Almost daily, vitamin D appears to be dominating the headlines in the media.

So what is all the fuss about?

Viamin D has long been known for its role in calcium metabolism, but more recently there is growing body of evidence as to its importance in many other areas of health.

A growing number of studies and empirical observations suggest that optimising your blood vitamin D levels is a powerful immune enhancer. Until 10 years ago, it was thought that vitamin D was just that... a vitamin. Now we understand that this vitamin is actually more like a steroid hormone and has the ability to influence more than 2000 different genes in our body.

Research into the healing potential of vitamin D has uncovered a multitude of powerful uses for this, the ‘sunshine' vitamin. We now know that optimum vitamin D levels may help protect against a number of conditions including heart disease, high blood pressure; multiple sclerosis; osteoporosis and chronic pain syndromes.

Today, new studies suggest that we can add resistance to the flu virus to this inpressive list. This is because optimal vitamin D levels increase the body's natural supply of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). Made from small fragments of amino acids - the building blocks of protein - AMPs appear to have a powerful effct on the immune system's ability to ward off a number of different bacteria and viruses, including the flu. Low blood levels of vitamin D also reduce the ability of AMPs to destroy bacteria and viruses.

While double-blind clinicla trials proving that vitamin D can help keep the flu at bay are some time away, a plethora of interesting anecdotal evidence suggests such a relationship. Studies show that people with the lowest vitamin D levels are about 40% more likely to report a recent repiratory tract infection that those with optimum vitamin D levels.

You can ask your doctor to check your 25 hydroxyvitamin D (calcidiol) levels with a simple blood test. Ideally, they should be betweeen 50-80ng/ml. If they are low, simply boosting them using vitamin D-rich foods will not be enought to move you into a healthy range. And while vitamin D is one of the few vitamins that can be manufactured in the body through the effects of sunshine on the skin, ultraviolet levels in the gloomy winter months are too low to make a significant difference.

The only effective way to boost vitamin D levels in the winter is through supplementation. If your levels are very low, your doctor will most likely prescribe high-potency vitamin D supplements - ergocalciferol or D2 - to be taken once a week or once a month to quickly boost your vitamin D. However, many studies suggest that this form of vitamin D is not as effective as supplementing with D3 or cholecalciferol, which is effective at between 2000 - 5000 iu per day.

Most importantly, though, always use vitamin D supplements under the guidance of a healthcare professional. As vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, which is stored in the body, it is important to have your vitamin D levels monitored regularly if you are supplementing. After establishing your baseline vitamin D levels, ensure you have another blood test three months after starting supplementation to ensure that your vitamin D levels are within a healthy range.

"Sleep like a log" with Tart Cherry concentrate - 9 March 2010  

Are you struggling with getting a good nights sleep? Do you work shifts and find it hard to have normal sleeping patterns? Now you can sleep easy with KNH Tart Cherry Concentrate.

KNH Tart Cherry Concentrate contains 100% pure fruit juice, comprised of 90% pure Canadian Montmorency Tart Cherry concentrate and 10% pure NZ apple juice. Montmorency Tart Cherries naturally contain significant levels of melatonin, providing you with as much as six times the melatonin as other cherries. They are also rich in anthocyanins, antioxidant phytochemicals found in dark fruits such as blueberries and blackcurrants.

The melatonin of the tart cherries helps support normal sleeping patterns. Melatonin is a ‘sleep' hormone produced by the pineal gland of the brain in humans and many other animals. In humans melatonin regulates the night and day rhythms of sleep and wake cycles.

KNH Tart cherry is suitable for all ages and has a delicious refreshing flavor. It is made from 100% pure fruit and contains no added sugar, artificial sweetners, colouring agents, preservatives or any other additives.

A 750mL bottle of KNH Tart Cherry Concentrates last 25 days for a great value price of only $37.50. It only takes 30mL of concentrate mixed into a 250mL glass of water for a longer lasting sleep.

Mid-Winter Blues? 3 July 2009 

Many people find they feel a bit low in winter. They eat and sleep more, spend more time indoors and dislike the dark mornings and evenings. Days on end of dull, grey weather can really get you down.

These seasonal changes in mood and behaviour are believed to be due at least in part to a lack of sunlight, causing disruption of circadian rhythms.

Circadian rhythms are a roughly 24-hour, internal “body clock” that regulates our bodies including our metabolic rate, wakefulness and temperature. The disruption of this natural body cycle of ours can result in so-called “winter blues”, which can be vastly improved by implementing a few simple changes:

• Get out for a half-hour walk to increase the amount of light you are exposed to. Don’t let overcast conditions put you off, because even on a cloudy day there is far more light outdoors than in.
• It is also important to maintain normal sleep/wake cycles – go to bed at the usual time and wake up at your nomral hour.
• You can also try to increase the amount of light in your home by opening curtains and trimming back trees.
• Try to sit by windows for short periods during winter to increase light exposure. Make sure you eat a nutritious diet and cut back on caffeine, sugar and refined products.

Researchers have found that bright light makes a difference to brain chemistry. Nerve centres in our brain controlling our daily rhythms and moods are stimulated by the amount of light entering the eyes.

As night falls, the pineal gland (a gland in the brain) starts to produce a substance called melatonin that tells our body clock it’s night time. Bright light at daybreak is the signal for the gland to stop producing melatonin. But on dull winter days, especially indoors, not enough light is received to trigger this waking up process.

Light is also linked to serotonin, a neurotransmitter in the brain. Low serotonin levels can cause depression. Your body makes serotonin using the essential amino acid, tryptophan, obtained from the diet. Tryptophan is converted to 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) and then to serotonin. If the levels of these amino acids are low, this can contribute to decreased levels of serotonin.

Small amounts of 5-HTP, as well as serotonin, are found in food sources, including:

• Bananas
• Tomatoes
• Plums
• Avocadoes
• Eggplant
• Walnuts
• Pineapples

Tryptophan is present in foods like:

• Shrimp
• Cod
• Tuna
• Chicken
• Scallops
• Spinach
• Turkey
• Tofu
• Lamb
• Beef
• Sardines
• Salmon
• Cheese
• Eggs
• Soybeans
• Broccoli 

Adapted from “Health First”, distributed by Caterbury District Health Board