21 July 2014
A new US study reports that high blood concentrations of antioxidant carotenoids and vitamin E in young adulthood may reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease in middle age.
The observational study measured the blood concentrations of carotenoids and vitamin E of 4,810 partici- pants (mean age 25 years) and documented cases of cardiovascular disease (CVD) during 25 years (1). The results showed that participants with high carotenoid and/or vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) levels had a signi- ficantly decreased risk for developing CVD, compared to participants with low levels. High blood gamma-tocopherol concentrations seemed to increase CVD risk.
The researchers commented the findings indicate that an antioxidant rich, plant based dietary pattern in young adulthood – including fruits and vegetables with carotenoids as well as alpha-tocopherol-rich olive and sunflower oils – may reduce the risk for CVD events through middle age. Serum antioxidant concentrations were measured because they much better reflect nutritional status and its potential association with disease risk than self-reported intakes (e.g., by food frequency questionnaires). Earlier study results indicated that gamma-tocopherol, found in soybean, canola and corn oils, may have different effects on health than alpha-tocopherol (2). In the US, the average blood plasma level of gamma-tocopherol is four or more times higher than those of European countries that consume sunflower and olive oil.
7 August 2012
A new US study suggests that the combination of being obese and having insufficient blood vitamin D concentrations may put people at an even greater risk of insulin resistance – a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes – than either factor alone.
13 March 2015
A new study from Spain reports that people who have low levels of vitamin D are more likely to have diabetes, regardless of how much they weigh.
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.
