Vitamin D is an essential nutrient that helps prevent rickets in children and severe bone loss in adults, and researchers believe it has the potential to lower the risk of a host of diseases including cancer and diabetes.

Sunlight is generally the greatest source, but synthesizing vitamin D from the sun gets more difficult as we age, Kojima said, so older people are advised to eat more foods rich in vitamin D or take supplements. Good sources include fortified milk and breakfast cereals, fatty fish and egg yolks.

Study participants included 7,385 Japanese-American men living on Oahu, Hawaii. All were participants of the Kuakini Honolulu Heart Program, a study of stroke and coronary heart disease in Japanese-American men that began in 1965 which was conducted at the Kuakini Medical Center.

Participants were 45 to 68 years old in the mid- to late-1960s when they were first examined and interviewed about what they had eaten in the previous 24 hours. Food models and serving utensils were used to help participants determine their portions accurately.

Researchers separated the participants into four groups of approximately 1,845 each depending on how much vitamin D they had consumed. They then analyzed their records through 1999, roughly 34 years after the initial exams, to determine the incidence of stroke. New strokes occurred in 960 men during the follow up period.

Researchers calculated risk while adjusting for age, total calorie intake, body-mass index, hypertension, diabetes, cigarette smoking, physical activity, cholesterol levels and alcohol intake. Men who consumed the least dietary vitamin D had a 22 percent higher risk of stroke and a 27 percent increase risk of ischemic (blood-clot related) stroke compared to those consuming the highest levels of vitamin D. There was no difference for hemorrhagic stroke.

Stroke ranks fourth among the leading causes of death in the United States. New or recurrent strokes strike about 795,000 Americans annually. Ischemic strokes account for 87 percent of all strokes, and 10 percent are from an intracranial hemorrhage (bleeding in the brain). The remaining 3 percent result from bleeding in the subarachnoid space between the brain and the tissues covering it.

Kojima said it is unclear whether the study results could be applied to different ethnic groups or to women.

While previous studies focused on blood concentrations of vitamin D, this investigation used dietary intake.

Co-authors are Christina Bell, M.D.; Robert D. Abbott, Ph.D.; Lenore J. Launer, Ph.D.; Randi Chen, M.S.; Heather Motonaga, M.D.; G. Webster Ross, M.D.; J. David Curb, M.D.; and Kamal Masaki, M.D. Author disclosures are on the manuscript.

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the National Institute on Aging funded the study.

The American Heart Association offers information on Diet and Lifestyle Recommendations. For information on stroke visit strokeassociation.org.
Statements and conclusions of study authors published in American Heart Association scientific journals are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect the association’s policy or position. The association makes no representation or guarantee as to their accuracy or reliability. The association receives funding primarily from individuals; foundations and corporations (including pharmaceutical, device manufacturers and other companies) also make donations and fund specific association programs and events. The association has strict policies to prevent these relationships from influencing the science content. Revenues from pharmaceutical and device corporations are available at www.heart.org/corporatefunding.

First, eating a diet high  in fruits and vegetables will help optimize your immunity.  Consuming plant based foods which vary in color, such as red tomatoes, purple grapes or  orange carrots,  can  ensure a diverse intake of antioxidants.  A healthy diet  will give the body the tools necessary to fight off  bacteria and viruses.

Sleeping  at least 7 to 8 hours of each night is crucial  for a healthy immune system.   It is during the sleeping hours that the body repairs and heals itself from the damage done on a daily basis.  Poor sleep contributes  to poor health.

Keeping stress under control is also very important. When our body is mentally and physically stressed, cortisol, the primary stress hormone, is released in excess into the bloodstream.  Cortisol, a natural steroid,  suppresses the immune system  making one more susceptible to infection.

Studies show vitamin C  can reduce the duration of the common cold by up to 12% in adults and  21% in children.  Supplementing with 500 mg to 1000 mg of vitamin C  daily should be considered.

The Cochrane Collaboration, an independent research group,  has shown that  the mineral  zinc reduces risk of contracting a cold when taken within 24 hours of exposure.  Daily supplementation also appears to help prevent the need of  developing an  infection requiring antibiotic treatment.

Vitamin D supplementation also helps reduce the risk of developing influenza according to scientists.  The lack of sunshine, and ultimately blood levels of vitamin D,  likely accounts for the higher  incidence of upper respiratory infections during the winter months.  Ask your doctor to check your vitamin D levels before supplementing with doses higher than 2,000 IU per day.

Lastly, some people may also benefit from the influenza vaccine. Interestingly, the studies are not as overwhelmingly favorable as expected.   However, the best evidence reports that between 33 to 100 people need to be vaccinated  against the seasonal flu in order to prevent one extra infection with the virus. Even when vaccinated, one is never 100% protected from developing the flu.

As always, prevention is always the best medicine. Please talk with your healthcare provider before making and changes to your healthcare regimen.

The Department of Homeland Security has designated September as National Preparedness Month to educate people on steps to take in case of a natural disaster or national emergency. The recent earthquakes, storms and hurricanes have made people aware of the need to cook without power. Demand for SUN OVENS has sky-rocketed. To meet the increased demand we have stepped up production and orders are shipped the next business day… read more here…

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States and worldwide.   In the USA, lung cancer accounts for 31% of all cancer deaths in men and  26% of all cancer deaths in women.

So what are your chances of developing lung cancer?   The answer may surprise you.   Believe it or not, 1 in 13 men and 1 in 16 women will  be affected by lung cancer- in which tobacco use accounts for 80% to 90% of all the cases.

Smoking, which causes oxidative damage to the body, overwhelms the DNA of our cells transforming them from normal healthy cells to unhealthy and unregulated cells which begin to grow uncontrollably, evading the body’s immune system which is supposed to “kill them”.

While having access to quality healthcare is crucial, having an optimistic attitude is also very important, especially when you or a loved one is diagnosed with cancer.

The study evaluated  534 people who were diagnosed with lung cancer. 48% women, 52% were men. Their average age was 67.   85% percent of the participants had non-small cell lung cancer while the other 15% has small cell lung cancer.

The study showed that those who were more optimistic had a 6 month survival advantage when compared to those who were less optimistic.  However, this study showed the benefit of optimism only in people who were diagnosed with an early stage of the lung cancer (Stage 1 and 2). Those diagnosed with an advanced stage of lung cancer (Stage 3 & 4) did not have the same survival benefit.

After five years,  33% of those with optimistic attitudes were still alive while only 21% of those with negative attitudes survived. The study’s author stated that more research still needs to be done to evaluate the connection more thoroughly.

Source: Journal of Thoracic Oncology: March 2010 – Volume 5 – Issue 3 – pp 326-332

Assuming no heavy sweating,  a person who burns  1500 calories a day requires 1.5 L (1500 ml).  This is the equivalent to 3 water bottles, more or less.   Another way to calculate your water requirement is to drink your weight in ml.  If you weigh 200 lbs, drink 2000 ml (2 L).  If you weigh 150 lbs, drink 1500 (1.5 L).

*Please invest in a BPA free water bottle. Using disposable water

Veins carry oxygen poor blood from your muscles and organs back to your lungs so they can get more oxygen.
Blood in a vein has more of a purple color.

Addendum: I appreciate the comment from Sherry below. I made this too simplistic and missed blood flow in the lungs.

“In the pulmonary circuit, arteries carry oxygen poor blood from the heart to the lungs and veins carry oxygen rich blood from the lungs to the heart. In the pulmonary circuit, the color and oxygen content is the opposite of what you state.”- Sherry

In a response, Roche officials said that the data from the eight trials simply duplicated the results from published trials and did not provide enough new information to justify publication. The company also said that all of the data were submitted to the Food and Drug Administration and other regulatory agencies when the company sought approval to market the drug and that those agencies found it convincing. Roche also said it would post the eight disputed trials on a pasword-protected website so that researchers would have access to it — although that has not occurred yet…read more here…

Bright Ideas for Treating the Winter Blues