A new study suggests that vitamin D offers no benefits to obese teens in terms of heart health or diabetes risk. Not only that, but the findings of the study suggest that vitamin D could even increase levels of cholesterol and triglycerides.
Vitamin D written in the sand.
Vitamin D supplements are often prescribed to slow or prevent the development of obesity-related medical complications such as insulin resistance.

The study, published in Pediatric Obesity, is part of a series conducted by researchers from the Mayo Clinic investigating obesity in childhood.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), obesity has more than doubled among children and quadrupled among adolescents over the past 30 years. JAMA states that 1 in 5 American adolescents is currently obese.

A number of observational studies have indicated that vitamin D deficiency may be associated with obesity-related medical complications, such as cardiovascular disease and insulin resistance. Many health care providers consequently recommend high-dose supplementation to slow or prevent such complications from developing.

These courses of vitamins can sometimes be more than five to ten times the recommended daily intake.

Dr. Seema Kumar, a pediatric endocrinologist in the Mayo Clinic Children's Center, is yet to discover any significant benefit from vitamin D supplements in adolescents, however, after conducting four clinical trials and publishing six studies on the subject in the past 10 years.

"We're not saying the links between vitamin D deficiency and chronic diseases don't exist for children - we just haven't found any yet," states Dr. Kumar.

The most common and efficient source of vitamin D is sunlight, with the richest food sources being fish oil and fatty fish. If an individual is unable to obtain their recommended amounts of the vitamin from natural sources, they are advised to use vitamin D supplements.
Vitamin D supplementation linked to rises in cholesterol and triglycerides

For her team's most recent study, they examined the effect of vitamin D supplementation in 19 obese adolescents aged 13-18 with vitamin D deficiency, assessing what influence - if any - it had on their overall health.

After 3 months of boosting the teens' vitamin D levels into the normal range with supplements, the researchers observed no changes in body weight, body mass index (BMI), waistline, blood pressure or blood flow, Dr. Kumar explains. She says that she was surprised not to have uncovered any health benefit.



Ingesting too much vitamin D can lead to a condition known as vitamin D toxicity or hypervitaminosis, potentially resulting in nausea, vomiting and kidney complications. However, the new study also found increased cholesterol and triglycerides - a fat found in the blood that can increase heart disease risk - among the participants.

Dr. Kumar suggests that this finding could be due to the relatively small number of children participating in the study and its short timeframe. To address these limitations, she calls for larger, placebo-controlled studies to investigate the long-term effects of vitamin D supplementation.

"We're not saying it's bad to take vitamin D supplements at reasonable doses, and we know most obese teens are vitamin D deficient," Dr. Kumar concludes. "We're just saying the jury is still out on how useful it is for improving overall health in adolescents."

Recently, Medical News Today reported on a study suggesting that high-dose vitamin D supplements do not improve bone health for postmenopausal women - a group that is particularly susceptible to conditions such as osteoporosis.

Vitamin D insufficiency is estimated to affect around 75% of postmenopausal women in the US. The effect of this deficiency on skeletal health is exacerbated by the falling estrogen levels that are also a factor in osteoporosis development

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly one in three American adults suffers from high blood pressure. This is a problem of great concern, since this condition puts people at higher risk for even more serious health issues like heart attacks and strokes and is considered the number one risk factor for fatal heart attacks. While there are a number of prescription medications available to help treat high blood pressure, they all come with unwanted side effects ranging from the mild (dizziness when standing) to the severe (permanent kidney damage).

There are however, more natural options that people with high blood pressure have to treat this condition. Extract of certain plants, for instance, have been found to be extremely beneficial to normalize blood pressure levels. Read on to find out more about how these extracts can improve cardiac health.

Olive leaf extract
Olive leaf extract contains compounds called secoiridoid glycosides. These compounds, in the body, react with the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), with the result that angiotensin is not able to cause the blood vessels to constrict and the result is a wider blood vessel and lower blood pressure. In short, these act much like the prescription drug group called ACE inhibitors, but also can lower cholesterol. In one study, participants taking olive leaf extract showed, at the end of eight weeks, a drop of 13mn Hg in systolic blood pressure (the upper number) and 3mm Hg in the diastolic blood pressure (the lower number).

Celery seed extract
Celery seed extract is another natural way to lower the blood pressure; it acts much like the drug group calcium channel blockers. These act different than ACE inhibitors and are able to lower the blood pressure through dilating (widening) the arteries. There appear to be no serious side effects to this extract, and in one clinical trial, patients with mild to moderate high blood pressure took a dosage of 75 mg of this extract every day and on average, at the end of the study, both systolic and diastolic blood pressure dropped around eight points.

Garlic extract
It is not surprising that garlic, long known for its positive effects on the heart, should be able to help treat blood pressure as well. One clinical trial studied patients whose blood pressure was treated but uncontrolled and found that, with use of garlic extract supplements, participants showed as much improvement in their blood pressure at the end of 12 weeks as would have been expected if they had been taking front-line drugs.

In conclusion, then, before considering traditional treatment for blood pressure and risking the unwanted side effects, consult with a naturopath or similar practitioner to discuss these and other natural remedies for normalized blood pressure that will improve cardiac health without unintended consequences like kidney damage or other serious complications.

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/049854_cardiac_health_blood_pressure_plant_extracts.html#ixzz3hqOh8kTV

 Avocados have gotten massive amounts of attention in the press in recent years. In the news, on social media sites and health food blogs, people all over the country have been talking about how good avocados are for the body. For one thing, they are loaded with monounsaturated fats (also known as MUFAs) which improve heart health by lowering the blood pressure and by improving cholesterol levels, two major risk factors for cardiac disease. They are a great source of fiber, which can improve the function and overall health of the digestive system. But what many people don't know about avocados is that one of their biggest health benefits is their ability to ward off cancer or to help treat it once it has developed. Read on to find out more about the many ways in which avocados help to reduce cancer risk.

Kills off cancer stem cells
The fats in avocado contain a compound known as avocatin B. This compound has been studied for its anti-cancer benefits and researchers later published a paper in the journal Cancer Research which reported that, during their study, it was found that avocatin B was able to kill off leukemia stem cells that are the main cause of AML, a form of leukemia which traditionally has a very poor prognosis. It was also found that this compound did not harm the healthy tissues around the cancer cells themselves.

Provides carotenoids
Many of the avocado's anti-cancer benefits stem from the fact that this fruit is loaded with carotenoids. Carotenoids are bio-active compounds that have powerful anti-oxidant properties. In many studies, high levels of carotenoids have been shown not only to help prevent age-related illnesses like macular degeneration (a condition of the eyes which can lead to blindness) but also many forms of cancer.

Decreases inflammation
Increasingly, studies are revealing that chronic, low-level inflammation throughout the body is a major risk factor for cancer development. Regular consumption of avocados appears to help prevent this situation, however. In one study, those who consumed avocados on a regular basis had lower levels of interleukin 6, an indicator of inflammation.

Helps the body shed excess fat
Avocados are also a great food for those who are wanting to achieve a healthy body weight. The high fiber helps to curb the appetite naturally and increase the efficiency of the digestive system, while the healthy fats lead to a feeling of fullness, help the body absorb certain nutrients and boost the metabolism so that the body can burn fat more efficiently. Studies have shown that weight loss is a great way to reduce the risk of developing some forms of cancer.

So when choosing a shrimp-and-avocado salad or a side dish of guacamole, eat up without feeling guilty about it! Regular consumption of this amazing fruit can not only benefit the heart, it can also significantly reduce the risk of cancer development.

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/050529_avocados_cancer_superfood.html#ixzz3gzpGK76T

A new study reveals that high intake of fruits and vegetables packed with vitamin C will substantially cut the heart attack and early death risk. The researchers examined 100,000 Danish people's intake of fruit and vegetables as well as their DNA.
High Intake of Diet Filled With Vitamin C Reduces Heart Attack, Early Death Risk

"We can see that those with the highest intake of fruit and vegetables have a 15% lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease and a 20% lower risk of early death," said Camilla Kobylecki, medical doctor at the department of clinical biochemistry at Herlev and Gentofte Hospital in Denmark.

Vitamin C helps build connective tissue which supports and connects different types of tissues and organs in the body.

It is also a potent antioxidant which protects cells and biological molecules from the damage which causes many diseases, including cardiovascular disease.

The human body is not able to produce vitamin C, which means that we must get the vitamin from our diet, said the study that appeared in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

"Eating a lot of fruit and vegetables is a natural way of increasing vitamin C blood levels. You can get vitamin C supplements but it is a good idea to get your vitamin C by eating a healthy diet," added Boerge Nordestgaard from University of Copenhagen.

Read more: High Intake of Diet Filled With Vitamin C Reduces Heart Attack, Early Death Risk http://www.medindia.net/news/high-intake-of-diet-filled-with-vitamin-c-reduces-heart-attack-early-death-risk-150841-1.htm#ixzz3fai9amI2