17 February 2010
High blood levels of vitamin D may be at a 33 percent lower risk of developing heart disease, says a new review.
According to the systematic review and meta-analysis of 28 observational studies, the highest blood levels of vitamin D in middle aged and elderly people were associated with a 33 percent reduced risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), a 55 percent reduction in the risk of type 2 diabetes, and a 51 percent reduction in the risk of metabolic syndrome, compared with the lowest blood levels of vitamin D (1).
The study adds to a rapidly expanding body of evidence supporting the benefits of adequate vitamin D levels, which have seen leading scientists around the world call for increases in the daily intakes of the vitamin.
The underlying mechanism is not fully understood. Before recommendations can be made, however, the researchers noted that additional controlled trials are needed to investigate the association, as well as to test if vitamin D supplementation may reduce the risk of cardio-metabolic disease.
9 December 2012
Giving healthy, school-aged children with poor reading skills supplements of algal-docosahexaenoic acid improves their reading and behavior, suggests a new study from the UK.
15 July 2015
Helena Pachon is Research Associate Professor at the Rollins School of Public Health in Atlanta, USA. Her team has been involved in a systematic assessment regarding the effectiveness of the fortification of flour to prevent anemia. They found that each year of flour fortification was associated with a 2.4% reduction in the prevalence of anemia. There was no reduction in those countries that did not fortify.
21 October 2015
Only a few studies have been carried out to assess the effect of blood serum levels of antioxidant vitamins and the risk of cervical cancer. The findings from these studies were inconsistent. However, a new study conducted with 1,200 participants from the city of Harbin, in Northern China, has yielded promising results, indicating that alpha carotene, beta carotene, vitamin E and vitamin C could be beneficial in reducing the risk of cervical cancer in Chinese women. The effect was particularly noticeable in women who suffered from the effects of passive smoking.
