News
Lutein and zeaxanthin may decrease cataract risk
19 March 2012
A new Finnish study indicates that increased blood levels of lutein and zeaxanthin may reduce the risk of cataracts by about 40%.
04 April 2014
According to a new study from China school children with vitamin D deficiency have an elevated risk of developing diseases caused by higher levels of obesity and oxidative stress.
The observational study measured serum vitamin D concentrations, serum lipids, glucose metabolism indi- cators, inflammatory molecules and oxidative stress markers as well as the body height and width of a total of 1488 school children aged 7 to 11 years (1). The study results showed that almost 80% of the children had suboptimal vitamin D concentrations, including 56% being vitamin D deficient (below 20 ng/mL). The vitamin D deficient children had significantly higher body weight, a higher body mass index, a larger waist circumfe- rence and a higher percentage of body fat, compared to children with sufficient vitamin D levels. In addition, the vitamin D deficient participants had significantly lower concentrations of an antioxidant enzyme (super- oxide dismutase), indicating a weak antioxidation ability, and higher levels of inflammatory markers.
The researchers commented that children are one of the high-risk groups for vitamin D deficiency. Even in countries with significant sunshine, vitamin D deficiency in children is commonly found. Obesity and vitamin D status are known to be associated in adults. However, the causal relationship between them is still con- troversial. Some studies suggested that vitamin D deficiency was influenced by obesity. It was hypothesized that individuals with abnormal weight were susceptible to vitamin D deficiency, because circulating vitamin D is sequestered by excess body fat (2). On the other hand, some other studies reported that vitamin D defi- ciency promoted adiposity: vitamin D deficiency led to elevated parathyroid hormone, which might promote calcium influx into fat cells and thus stimulate the synthesis of fatty acids (3).
19 March 2012
A new Finnish study indicates that increased blood levels of lutein and zeaxanthin may reduce the risk of cataracts by about 40%.
6 November 2013
A new US review suggests that there is a normal range of human sodium intake defined by physiology and biological needs and not by the food supply.
19 April 2013
According to a new national nutrition survey 40% of Irish adults have blood vitamin D concentrations that are inadequate for bone health throughout the year with a much higher prevalence during winter.