News
Balancing the effects of UV radiation from sunlight
1 August 2010
Considering the dangers of UV exposure to skin, supplementation of vitamin D is the safer method of supply, a new US study says.
19 July 2013
Post-menopausal women who take a combination of hormones plus calcium and vitamin D supplements may be better protected from hip fractures than with either therapy alone, suggests a new US study.
In the clinical trial, rates of hip fracture were compared between nearly 30,000 postmenopausal women who followed different therapies: among the participants – who took a hormone combination (estrogen plus a progestogen, required for women with a uterus), estrogen alone or a placebo – in addition, some 16,000 took supplemental calcium (1,000 mg/day) plus vitamin D (400 mg/day) or a placebo (1). The study results showed that women using both therapies (hormones plus supplements) were much better protected from hip fractures than with either therapy alone or no therapy (placebo). The benefit of hormone therapy was parti-cularly strong in women who had total calcium intakes (supplements plus diet) of greater than 1,200 mg/day. Similarly, the benefit was strong in women who had higher intakes of vitamin D, but the individual effect of each one could not be determined because the two supplements were given together.
The researchers concluded that women taking postmenopausal hormone therapy should also take supple-mental calcium and vitamin D. Although they could not specify how much, they noted that the benefits seem to increase with increasing total intake of calcium and vitamin D. This recommendation differs from that of the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), made earlier this year. The USPSTF stated that the current evidence is insufficient to recommend calcium and vitamin D supplements for the primary prevention of fractures in premenopausal women (2).
1 August 2010
Considering the dangers of UV exposure to skin, supplementation of vitamin D is the safer method of supply, a new US study says.
1 January 2016
It is a universal wish of parents around the globe that their children should sleep longer, deeper and wake as little as possible. There is growing evidence that good sleep is important for the child’s mental development. This article will examine whether simple nutritional intervention, for example with foods high in marine omega-3 fatty acids, B vitamins or tryptophan can improve children’s sleep.
20 January 2010
High blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids may slow cellular ageing in people with coronary heart disease, suggests a new study.