News
A poor vitamin D status may increase muscle mass loss
29 August 2014
A new study from China reports that lower blood vitamin D concentrations seem to be linked to greater age-related muscle mass loss independent of other risk factors.
18 May 2014
According to a large long-term study, calcium supplement intakes do not increase the risk for women to develop coronary heart disease or stroke.
The prospective cohort study investigated a potential link between the regular use of calcium supplements and the incident of cardiovascular disease (coronary heart disease and stroke) in 74,245 women (aged 30 to 55 years) over a period of 24 years (1). The study results showed that – after adjustment for age, body mass index, dietary calcium intake, vitamin D intake, and other cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors – the relative risk of developing CVD for women taking more than a daily 1,000 mg calcium from supplements compared with the risk of none-users was not significant. Instead, a possible association between calcium supplement use and a decreased CHD risk was observed.
The researchers commented that previous studies on the association between calcium supplements and CVD risk have reported conflicting results. While some long-term studies showed no increased CVD risk linked to calcium intakes (2, 3), other shorter-term studies reported an elevated risk (4–6). To date, no randomized controlled trial has tested the effect of calcium supplementation on CVD as its primary endpoint. Calcium supplements may improve lipid profiles (7) and lower blood pressure (8). On the other hand, they could hypothetically increase CVD risk by elevating serum calcium, which could promote vascular calcification and CVD events (9).
29 August 2014
A new study from China reports that lower blood vitamin D concentrations seem to be linked to greater age-related muscle mass loss independent of other risk factors.
14 July 2014
According to a new international review low blood vitamin D levels seem to have a causal role in the development of high blood pressure.
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.