News
Salt reduction may benefit bone health
2 November 2009
Lower intakes of salt (sodium chloride) may have benefits for bone health in women at risk of osteoporosis, says a new study.
17 March 2014
People with low blood concentrations of beta-carotene and vitamin D may have an increased risk of developing esophageal cancer, reports a new study from China.
The case-control study measured the blood concentrations of beta-carotene and vitamin D of 100 patients with diagnosed esophageal cancer and compared them with the blood levels of 200 healthy participants (1). The study results showed that levels of both beta-carotene and vitamin D were significantly lower in those with esophageal cancer compared to the healthy group. The lower the blood concentrations were, the higher the cancer risk.
The scientists concluded that a sufficient intake of beta-carotene and vitamin D may contribute to the pre- vention of esophageal cancer. While overall study results are inconsistent, some trials have suggested that beta-carotene (2) and vitamin D (3) may each have their own protective effects against cancer. Due to its antioxidant properties beta-carotene may protect cells from oxidative damage while vitamin D is thought to prevent cancer cells from growing and spreading. In China, roughly 250,000 new esophageal cancer cases are diagnosed each year.
2 November 2009
Lower intakes of salt (sodium chloride) may have benefits for bone health in women at risk of osteoporosis, says a new study.
26 April 2010
Seniors with higher blood levels of vitamin D are also likely to have better physical function, suggests a new study.
1 September 2013
Skin possesses the lifelong ability to renew itself, but as we age this process takes longer. Between the ages of 20 and 50 the rate of skin cell renewal gradually slows, and after the age of 50 it slows ever faster. The surface layer of the skin, the epidermis, becomes thinner and can store less water. In the dermis, or true skin, production of the collagen that supports and firms the skin declines. Menopause in women, during which the body reduces estrogen production, causes a further loss of firmness and elasticity. Environmental factors like UV radiation have a major impact, accelerating the decomposition of collagen and encouraging the formation of aggressive oxygen compounds that can damage skin cells from the membrane to the DNA. The subcutaneous layer of fat and loose connective tissue becomes thinner. At the same time, the supply of nutrients and energy to the skin deteriorates. It is therefore important to support the health of aging skin with a sufficient supply of micronutrients.