News
Increased intakes of vitamin B6 may reduce lung cancer risk
17 June 2010
Higher blood levels of vitamin B6 may reduce the risk of lung cancer by about 50 per cent, says a new French study.
25 June 2014
A new study from Turkey reports that people with low blood vitamin D concentrations may have an increased risk of developing involuntary movements of the legs.
The observational study measured the vitamin D levels in blood samples of 155 patients, between 18 to
65 years of age, with musculoskeletal symptoms and an unpleasant feeling in the lower extremities (1). The study results showed that among the 119 patients who were vitamin D deficient (below 20 ng/ml) about 50% were diagnosed with restless legs syndrome (RLS), compared to only 6.7% of patients identified to have RLS among the 36 participants with normal vitamin D levels (above 20 ng/ml). In addition to the higher presence of RLS in the vitamin D deficiency group, the patients in this group reported more severe symptoms.
The researchers commented that these findings demonstrate a possible association between low levels of vitamin D, involved in the regulation of the nervous system, and the development of RLS, characterized by a dysfunction of the dopamine (neurotransmitter) system effecting the activity of neurons regulating i. a. mo- vements. Intervention studies investigating the effects of vitamin D treatment of RLS patients are needed to confirm this relationship. Vitamin D deficiency should be considered in RLS patients, particularly those who have the diagnosis RLS without known cause (e.g., no related comorbidities).
RLS is a distressing sleep disorder that affects 4 to 29% of adults in the Western industrialized world (2). The major characteristic of this disease is a compelling urge to move the legs, with an unpleasant feeling in the lower extremities. It typically starts or becomes worse during rest periods and deteriorates during the eve- ning and at night; the symptoms partially or totally disappear with movement. The successful results of dopamine agonist use in RLS treatment supports the do- paminergic dysfunction hypothesis in RLS (3).
17 June 2010
Higher blood levels of vitamin B6 may reduce the risk of lung cancer by about 50 per cent, says a new French study.
15 January 2014
Vitamin B12 is a key nutrient associated with one-carbon metabolic pathways related to substrate metabolism, synthesis, stability of nucleic acids and methylation of DNA which regulates gene expression.
24 July 2013
Low blood vitamin D levels seem to increase the likelihood of developing protein in the urine, an early sign of kidney disease, reports a new Australian study.