Expert opinion
Vitamin D deficiency – Call for action
30 March 2011
Vitamin D is important for bone and muscle development, function and preservation.
14 March 2016
Professor Oleg Shadyro, Chemistry Department, Belarussian State University, Minsk, Belarus
Professor Oleg Shadyro of the Department of Chemistry of the University of Belarus has had over 150 scientific articles published and 20 patents granted to date.
Free radical generation within cells is part of normal metabolism, but in some cellular environments where the ability to deal with them has been compromised, carcinogenic metabolites may be formed. These may in time lead to uncontrolled cell growth, the key pathology behind most cancers.
Professor Shadyro has shown (1) that when tissue oxygen supply is low (hypoxia), free radicals can react with carbohydrates, amino acids and specific lipids in the cell to form signaling molecules (2). Phosphatidic acid (PA) is a signaling lipid that enables cytosolic proteins to be directed to the appropriate membranes and as such has an important role in apoptosis and cell proliferation processes. Higher levels of PA inhibit normal cell death mechanisms. High PA levels can occur when the cell is under oxidative stress. Thus high tissue levels of PA can result in reduced efficacy of chemotherapy or radiotherapy treatment for carcinomas (3).
Professor Shadyro’s group have found that the metabolic pathways for the production of PA under conditions of hypoxia (4) can be down-regulated by the presence of nutrients containing quinones or conjugated carbonyl groups, including coenzyme Q10 and vitamins B, C and K (5,6). They were able to show that vitamin C regulated recombination and fragmentation reactions of hydroxyl-containing biomolecules that had been induced by reactive oxygenated species (ROS).
30 March 2011
Vitamin D is important for bone and muscle development, function and preservation.
20 November 2013
A new study from Finland reports that high blood concentrations of omega-3 fatty acid may lower the risk of small brain infarcts, which are linked to cognitive decline in the elderly.
10 November 2011
A new Japanese study suggests that vitamin supplement use in women might reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and elevate the risk of cancer. Experts doubt the conclusions.