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Diabetes medication may deplete vitamin B levels

- and cause serious physical and psychological disease

Diabetes medication may deplete vitamin B levelsType 2 diabetes is spreading like a bushfire, and taking the diabetes drug metformin increases the risk of vitamin B12 and vitamin B6 deficiencies. Lacking these two important B vitamins is associated with fatigue and cognitive dysfunction that resembles dementia. This was shown in a study that is published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. An earlier study that was presented at an endocrinology conference in Glasgow suggested that type 2 diabetics that take metformin on a regular basis have their vitamin B12 status checked once a year to prevent irreparable damage to the nervous system. It is also important to focus on vitamin B6, which is also crucial for the brain and nervous system.

Read more about diabetes medicine and how it may cause vitamin B deficiencies and lead to serious physical and psychological disease

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Zinc helps prevent and treat bladder infections

Zinc helps prevent and treat bladder infectionsBladder infection is one of the most widespread bacterial infections. It can lead to serious complications such as kidney infections and blood poisoning. A team of scientists from University of Queensland in Australia has discovered new details about zinc and its role in the immune defense, and how zinc helps the white blood cells fight coli bacteria that are the main cause of bladder infections. Women are more exposed than men, and there are some rather easy ways for them to prevent coli bacteria from spreading to the urinary tract.

Read more about zinc and how it helps prevent and treat bladder infection

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Omega-3 can mitigate asthma

- while omega-6 can aggravate the disease

Omega-3 can mitigate asthmaOmega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in our diet have opposite effects on the severity of asthma in vulnerable children. Omega-3 appears to reduce the severity of asthma symptoms, while omega-6 seems to make the symptoms worse, according to an article published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Clinical Care Medicine. The problem with modern diets is that they tend to contain far too little omega-3 and far too much omega-6. However, this is something one can correct with help from dietary changes and fish oil supplements.

Read more about how omega-3 can mitigate asthma, while omega-6 can do the opposite

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Vitamin K’s role in bones, circulation, cancer prevention and blood sugar levels

Vitamin K’s role in bones, circulation, cancer prevention and blood sugar levelsVitamin K occurs in various forms and has a number of different biological function. The most recent research focuses on vitamin K2, which is of vital importance to the body’s calcium distribution and therefore has a crucial role in bone building and in the prevention of atherosclerosis. Vitamin K2 is also important for various proteins that are involved in energy turnover, blood sugar regulation, and cancer prevention, according to a review article that is published in BioMed Research International. Actual vitamin K2 deficiencies are considered rare, yet there are studies to suggest that many people lack the nutrient due to altered diet habits and the use of cholesterol-lowering medicine. The question is how much vitamin K2 do we actually need?

Read more about vitamin K and its importance for bones, circulation, cancer prevention, and blood sugar

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Selenium deficiency is a global problem that increases the risk of serious and common diseases

Selenium deficiency is a global problem that increases the risk of serious and common diseasesLack of selenium, an essential trace element, may cause thyroid disorders, cardiovascular disease, virus infections, AIDS, infertility, neurological disturbances, and cancer. An estimated one billion people worldwide are selenium-deficient. This is mainly a result of nutrient-depleted soil, which is a real problem in places like Europe. For decades, scientists have been warning about this problem, and a lot suggests that we need more than the officially recommended intake to protect ourselves effectively against disease, according to a review article published in StatPearls.

Read more about selenium deficiencies – a global problem that increases the risk of serious and common diseases

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Antioxidants can protect cells against dangerous environmental pollutants

Antioxidants can protect cells against dangerous environmental pollutantsAntioxidants such as vitamin C are able to counteract chromium-6 poisoning, according to a new study that is published in Experimental Biology. Chromium-6 (hexavalent chromium) is used for many industrial purposes, and the different signs of poisoning such as cancer were described in the movie “Erin Brockovich” that is based on a true story. Now, Danish scientists even claim that the threshold level for chromium-6 is far too high and gives a false sense of security. It is vital to avoid exposure to chromium-6 and to get plenty of protective antioxidants. However, we depend on chromium-3 (trivalent chromium) for controlling our blood sugar levels.

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Zinc deficiency plays a role in high blood pressure

 Zinc deficiency plays a role in high blood pressureElevated blood pressure causes more premature deaths worldwide than any other factor. Blood pressure is regulated by a number of things such as diet and lifestyle. Science has also discovered that low blood levels of zinc contribute to high blood pressure because it impairs the ability of the kidneys to regulate sodium levels. This was demonstrated recently in a study that is published in American Journal of Physiology – Renal Physiology. Clinical zinc deficiencies are especially common among type 2 diabetics and people with kidney ailments. Subclinical zinc deficiency is also quite common. Even if you get plenty of zinc from your diet, the risk of poor zinc absorption increases with age. Vegetarian and vegan diets, overconsumption of calcium, drinking too much alcohol, using birth control pills and several types of medicine, plus certain other factors can also increase the risk of a zinc deficiency.

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Vitamin D supplements support therapy for multi-resistant tuberculosis

Vitamin D supplements support therapy for multi-resistant tuberculosisTuberculosis (or TB) is one of most widespread diseases in the world. It claims millions of human lives every year, especially in underdeveloped countries. A team of scientists from Queen Mary University in London has discovered that vitamin D supplements can support therapies used in the treatment of multi-resistant TB, which can otherwise last quite a long time and comes at a considerable cost. Earlier studies have shown that vitamin D generally helps prevent the disease by supporting the immune system in different ways.

Read more about how supplements of vitamin D help in the treatment of multi-resistant tuberculosis

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Magnesium combined with vitamin B6 has a better effect on severe stress than magnesium supplements alone

Magnesium combined with vitamin B6 has a better effect on severe strMagnesium combined with vitamin B6 has a better effect on severe stress than magnesium supplements aloneess than magnesium supplements aloneStress is associated with a host of physical and psychological health problems such as headache, fatigue, tension, insomnia, sore throat, constipation, flu-like symptoms, depression, and anxiety. Stress is not all in your mind. It is a physiological condition that affects the whole body and increases your need for specific nutrients. Earlier studies carried out with humans and animals have shown that supplements of magnesium and vitamin B6 both have the potential to reduce stress symptoms. Now, a team of French scientists has carried out a randomized study showing for the first time ever that a combination of magnesium and vitamin B6 administered to people with severe stress and magnesium deficiency works better than magnesium supplementation alone.

Read more about why supplementing with magnesium and vitamin B6 works better for stress than magnesium supplementation alone

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Vitamin D can successfully be measured in hair and deliver a more accurate time image

Vitamin D can successfully be measured in hair and deliver a more accurate time imageAll cells in the body depend on vitamin D. Unfortunately, many people lack the nutrient, and the list of diseases caused by too little vitamin D is growing. A new study from Trinity College in Dublin shows that it is possible to measure vitamin D levels in hair, and this can reveal the large fluctuations that occur in the course of a year, and which an ordinary blood test fails to show. The scientists can see a huge potential with this new type of measurement, which can even be used on historical populations such as the ancient Egyptians or on prehistoric animals such as the mammoths.

Read more about measuring vitamin D levels in hair and how this can reveal the large vitamin D fluctuations that are not detectable through normal blood samples

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Lack of vitamin D damages the structure and health of your brain

Lack of vitamin D damages the structure and health of your brainScientists from Queensland in Australia have discovered that vitamin D is of vital importance to the structure and health of the brain. Also, deficiencies of the nutrient may lead to dysfunctions and loss of cognitive skills plus depression and schizophrenia. More than one billion people worldwide are believed to lack vitamin D. This may have widespread consequences for their health and may even be linked to the huge increase in mental illnesses.

Read more about vitamin D deficiencies and how they damage the structure and health of your brain

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Remember magnesium for a healthy digestion

- and for the utilization of other nutrients

Remember magnesium for a healthy digestionA healthy and regular digestion requires magnesium, a nutrient with several different mechanisms of action. Irritable bowel syndrome and constipation, both of which impair quality of life, are linked different conditions such as headache, bad mood, eczema, and aching joints. It is therefore essential to address such digestive disorders. In this article, we will take a closer look at magnesium and its role in a healthy digestive system as well as why magnesium deficiencies are so common.

Read more about magnesium and its role in a healthy digestion and the ability to utilize other nutrients

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B vitamins help patients that are about to develop psychotic disorders

 B vitamins help patients that are about to develop psychotic disordersAn increased intake of B vitamins can help improve concentration and other cognitive skills in young patients that are about to develop schizophrenia and other psychoses, according to a study conducted by scientists from Orygen, the National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, Australia. Here, it is important to consider all the different factors that may lead to a deficiency of the essential B vitamins, including unhealthy diets, too much sugar, energy beverages, alcohol, and other stimulants. It appears that the unhealthy lifestyle that many youngsters have increases their risk of psychoses. It is therefore not enough to treat them with anti-psychotic drugs and psychological therapy, if the brain and the nervous system lack essential nutrients.

Read more about how B vitamins help patients that are about to develop psychotic disorders.

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