expert opinion
Vitamin D deficiency shown to be associated with depressive symptoms in psychosis patients
In general, the incidence of vitamin D deficiency is higher in people suffering from psychotic disorders than the population at large
In general, the incidence of vitamin D deficiency is higher in people suffering from psychotic disorders than the population at large
I often get questions based on health and nutrition information found in my RealAge and YOU series books, so I am answering one that represents a common thread – what should we make of the contradictory media headlines about multi-vitamins. Are they beneficial or a waste of money?
Recent headlines have warned women that vitamin supplements in pregnancy are a “pointless waste of money,” seemingly discouraging micronutrient supplementation at this crucial time. Check the story behind the headlines.
Professor Cashman is the joint coordinator of the EU-funded ODIN project. He is lead author of a new paper that the authors say provides “firm evidence” of the significant risk that vitamin D deficiency poses to public health in the EU. They found that 13% of the cohort of 55,844 individuals drawn from across Europe had serum vitamin D levels below 30 nmol/L.
Professor Oleg Shadyro of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Belarus has shown that coenzyme Q10 and vitamins are able to down-regulate the cellular production of phosphatidic acid (PA) in low cellular oxygen conditions which would otherwise inhibit normal cell apoptosis. Hence supplementation with these substances could improve the efficacy of radiotherapy or chemotherapy.
Professor David Kennedy, Director of the Brain, Performance and Nutrition Research Centre at Northumbria University, makes a convincing argument in his new review paper that in the absence of an optimal diet, all eight B vitamins should be supplemented at doses in excess of current UK government recommendations if optimal brain health is to be achieved.
Professor Celeste de Jager of the Division of Geriatric Medicine at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, specializes in the effect of nutrition on cognitive decline in the elderly. In recent years, she has been closely involved in the VITACOG randomized controlled trial which found that a vitamin B intervention reduced circulating homocysteine levels, leading to a reduced rate of cognitive decline. Her most recent paper demonstrates that this effect is dependent on the patient having omega-3 fatty acid levels in the upper-normal range.