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Mercury damages the nervous system by blocking selenium’s numerous biochemical functions

- and that increases the need for selenium

Mercury damages the nervous system by blocking selenium’s numerous biochemical functionsSelenium is necessary for ensuring proper functioning of around 25 different enzymes – also known as selenoproteins – that are essential for energy turnover, metabolism, immune defense, fertility, and for antioxidant protection to help prevent cells and DNA from being damaged by oxidative stress. Selenium is also a so-called mercury antagonist that works by attaching itself to mercury, thereby preventing mercury’s harmful impact on the brain and nervous system. Once selenium has attached to mercury, however, it is no longer available to carry out all of its essential functions in the body. Because we are all exposed to mercury in some degree, this may cause a relative selenium deficiency that leaves our brain and nervous system particularly vulnerable to oxidative damage. In a new review article based on published research, Professor Nicholas V.C. Ralston and Dr. Laura J. Raymond explain why the toxic damage to the brain and nervous system is primarily a result of mercury’s inhibiting impact on the selenium metabolism. Selenium deficiencies are rather common, and mercury poisoning is an insidious problem, so the combination of these two problems deserves a lot more attention.

Read more about how mercury damages the nervous system by interfering with selenium’s numerous biochemical functions, which increases the need for this vital micronutrient

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Breakfast is important for children and teenagers and their learning

- but are all those dairy products really necessary?

Breakfast is important for children and teenagers and their learningEating breakfast has a positive effect on cognitive skills such as memory and learning in children and teenagers, according to an article about Danes and their breakfast habits that is published in Nutrients. However, many children are delivered in their institutions early in the morning, in some cases without even having had a chance to eat breakfast. The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration therefore recommends offering these children the chance of eating breakfast in their institutions. It seems that symptoms such as poor concentration, hyperactivity, and apathy, which tend to be viewed as psychological problems, are often the result of not eating breakfast, having low blood sugar levels, and lacking essential vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids. In the following, you can read more about the value of eating a healthy breakfast, while you can find out more about the low-fat dairy products that actually increase your risk of unstable blood sugar and overweight.

Read more about breakfast and why this meal is so important for children and teenagers and their learning

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Levels of vitamin D in girls are often associated with their muscle strength

Levels of vitamin D in girls are often associated with their muscle strengthGirls with high blood levels of vitamin D are generally stronger, while the same relation is not seen in boys, according to a cohort study from Odense University Hospital in Denmark. The study is published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. Nonetheless, all humans need adequate levels of vitamin D, as the nutrient has a number of other important functions in the body.

Read more about girls and the relation between their vitamin D levels and muscle strength

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Vitamin D lowers your risk of type 2 diabetes

- but the official recommendations are too low

Vitamin D lowers your risk of type 2 diabetesAccording to an American study, individuals with higher blood levels of vitamin D are far less likely to develop type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome, the early stage of the disease, which is characterized by insulin resistance, hypertension, and elevated cholesterol levels. Because it takes many years for type 2 diabetes to develop, it is essential to have sufficiently high vitamin D levels from the early years in life. Both the new American study and earlier research point to the fact that it is not possible to obtain high blood levels of the nutrient without getting plenty of sun during the summer period and taking a high-dosed vitamin D supplement in the winter.

Read more about vitamin D and how it lowers your risk of type 2 diabetes

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Researchers: Tragic death of a baby calls for mandatory vitamin D supplementation

Researchers: Tragic death of a baby calls for mandatory vitamin D supplementationAn only six-month-old baby died of heart failure and the following complications. The tragedy was a result of severe vitamin D deficiency, which, according to researchers at the University of Birmingham, could have been avoided with better control. They now demand that the health authorities change their policy regarding vitamin D supplements, so that they take into account the special needs of babies, pregnant women, dark-skinned individuals, and population groups that are more likely to be vitamin D-deficient. With this tragic death, which does not stand alone, we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg. Having too little vitamin D can also increase your risk of weak bones, infections, asthma, autism, and many other diseases.

Read more about why it is so important for babies and infants to get enough vitamin D

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Vitamin A supports the lungs’ immune defense against tuberculosis

Vitamin A supports the lungs’ immune defense against tuberculosisTuberculosis is one of the most common diseases in the world and costs millions of lives, especially in the underdeveloped countries. Tuberculosis typically goes hand in hand with malnutrition, and now a group of scientists from Dublin in Ireland has found that vitamin A helps the lungs’ immune defense fight the disease. Their research is published in the esteemed Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology.

Read more about how vitamin A supports e lungs’ immune defense against tuberculosis

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Magnesium is good for your hormone balance

Magnesium is good for your hormone balanceMagnesium is involved in over 350 different enzyme processes in the human body and is of vital importance to our complex hormone balance. Because women’s hormone system is particularly sensitive, and because magnesium deficiency is so common, all women should make sure to get enough of this essential mineral, especially if they suffer from stress, sleep problems, a sensitive blood sugar balance, PMS, PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome), metabolic disorders, or adrenal fatigue. Always make sure to balance your intake of magnesium and calcium.

Read more about why magnesium is good for your hormone balance

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Widespread nutrient deficiencies among younger adults can harm their fertility and cause them to age faster

Widespread nutrient deficiencies among younger adults can harm their fertility and cause them to age fasterLarge population studies of adults and their diet habits often tend to overlook certain groups such as younger adults. A British study therefore took a closer look at eating habits of adults in their twenties, thirties, forties, and fifties. It revealed a widespread lack of B vitamins, magnesium, potassium, iodine, zinc, and selenium. Being deficient in these essential nutrients can harm your fertility and increase your risk of different diseases, while speeding up concealed ageing processes such as loss of cognition and bone mass.

Read more about the widespread vitamin and mineral deficiencies in young adults and how they can damage their fertility and speed up the ageing process

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Selenium supplements protect against colon cancer

- and routine screening is not enough

Selenium supplements protect against colon cancerCancer in the colon and rectum is rather common. One in 20 Danes gets colon cancer at some point in life. Since 2014, the Danish Health Authority has recommended a screening program, offering middle-aged and older people a screening for colon cancer every other year. If the disease is discovered in its early stage, the chances of successful treatment increase. Supplementation with organic selenium yeast has been shown to lower the risk of colorectal cancer in the first place, and selenium even has a protective effect against other cancer forms, so the nutrient is an essential part of the prevention. The problem is that selenium deficiencies are so common as a result of our nutrient-depleted soil.

Read more about how selenium protects against colon cancer – and routine screening is not enough

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Low selenium in children’s fingernails may be related to overweight

Low selenium in children’s fingernails may be related to overweightEarlier studies have found a link between low selenium and overweight, but only few and limited studies have investigated this connection in children. Therefore, Chinese researchers wanted to take a closer look, and selenium levels in nail clippings give a rather accurate picture of the body’s general selenium status. Selenium deficiency is common in many parts of the world, including parts of China and Europe.

Read more about how low levels of selenium in children’s fingernails may be linked to overweight

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Many over50s lack vitamin B12 and folic acid

- and it increases their risk of fatigue, sleep problems, dementia, and neurological diseases

Many over50s lack vitamin B12 and folic acidAccording to a big Irish study, a large part of the population from aged 50 and older lack vitamin B12 and folic acid. This increases their risk of a number of chronic diseases and lack of cognitive skills because the vitamin deficiencies are not discovered and treated. Because older people can lack vitamin B12 and folic acid for a number of reasons, scientists suggest enriching staples. Dietary guidance and supplements are also useful strategies to be on the safe side.

Read more about why many over50s lack vitamin B12 and folic acid, and how it increases their risk of fatigue, sleep problems, dementia, and neurological diseases.

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Lack of zinc harms your fertility

- and has a long-term effect on the maturation of a woman’s eggs

Lack of zinc harms your fertilityIt is well established that zinc is important for the maturation of the eggs in the fallopian tube during a woman’s menstrual cycle. However, a new American study has shown that zinc is involved in even earlier stages of the maturation of the eggs. A zinc deficiency therefore reduces the chance of the eggs being fertilized and dividing later on, which they are supposed to during pregnancy. Lack of zinc is rather common and may harm your fertility for several months to come.

Read more about how lack of zinc harms your fertility and may have a long-term effect on the maturation of a woman’s eggs.

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Vitamin D is important for healthy sleep in both children and adults

Vitamin D is important for healthy sleep in both children and adultsLack of sleep is common among children and adults. It increases the risk of overweight, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, blood clots, depression, infections, and a number of other diseases. Lack of vitamin D is also common, but a team of Chinese scientists have revealed that there is a link between having too little vitamin D and not being able to sleep properly and waking up feeling refreshed.

Read more about how vitamin D helps children and adults to better and healthier sleep

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