The Health Concept of Cellular Nutrition‏

As you study the medical literature, you begin to realize that there are several different kinds of free radicals that are found in various parts of the body. When you study vitamin E, which is probably the best antioxidant within the cell wall, you will generally see a definite health benefit from taking this nutrient. However, when you see a study that combines vitamin C with vitamin E, you will usually discover that the participants receive even a better health benefit. It becomes very obvious that you want to take a variety of antioxidants that will work in various parts of the body and against different free radicals. It also becomes obvious that these antioxidants need the supporting minerals and B cofactors to perform at their optimal level.

When you provide all of these nutrients to the cells at their optimal levels via supplementation, the cell can decide what it needs and does not need. Over time (usually 6 to 12 months), the body is able to totally replace any deficiencies and bring all the other supporting nutrients up to optimal levels. This will not only optimize the body’s natural antioxidant defense system, but it will also create the synergy that is so critical in preventing oxidative stress.

Source: Dr. Strand Health Nuggets (newsletter@Bionutrition.org)

Mercury in dental fillings harmful

Dr Wentz says:

"The use of mercury amalgams in dental fillings continues, despite a steady decline due to public awareness. After years of negotiations and stalling, the FDA has now been forced to agree that mercury amalgams should not be used in pregnant women and children. It’s an important step toward eliminating mercury use from all medical practice.

The FDA admits mercury fillings are harmful

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has finally admitted that mercury from amalgam dental fillings may be toxic to children and developing fetuses. The admission came as the FDA settled a lawsuit filed by Moms Against Mercury and others concerned about mercury exposure.

Anyone who knows me even casually has to be aware that the banishment of mercury amalgams in dental fillings has been one of my passions for many years. Mercury is a poison, and it has no place in the mouths of humans (or animals, for that matter). Yet the professional dental community and government health authorities have steadfastly denied that any harm is done by using mercury in dental fillings, despite a wealth of evidence to the contrary, as I made clear in my book A Mouth Full of Poison.

As part of the court settlement, the FDA agreed to alert consumers about the potential health risks on their Web site. The decision by the court also begins a comment period on the safety of mercury amalgams that ends in a year. The FDA must reconsider its proposed classification of mercury amalgam as a Class II device, the same category of safety as wheelchairs, requiring only a simple warning. The American Dental Association and amalgam manufacturers don’t want mercury amalgam to be placed in Class III, because that would mean they have to prove that it is safe to use. They can’t do that, and they know it. They know that the medical evidence continues to mount that mercury amalgam damages human cells and contributes to a long litany of illnesses, especially neurological disorders. I believe this court ruling is a necessary first step in completely banning the use of mercury for all medical and dental procedures.

If you want your opinion to be considered for the final FDA ruling on mercury amalgams, you can use this link to obtain instructions on how to submit your comments:

http://www.iaomt.org/news/archive.asp?intReleaseID=267

A Mouth Full of Poison is available through UNI ProTools.

Sources:
http://www.toxicteeth.org/Brief-MAM-FDA.pdf
http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=90055
http://www.bolenreport.net/feature_articles/feature_article053.htm"

Inadequate vitamin levels may result in poor athletic performance

Athletes and active individuals with low B-vitamin intakes may perform worse in high-intensity exercise and have a decreased ability to build and repair muscle.

Active individuals, especially those with poor or limited diets, should consider using a multivitamin supplement.

Athletes deficient in B-vitamins may perform worse during high-intensity exercise and have less ability to repair and build muscle than individuals with nutrient-rich diets.

B vitamins, including thiamin, riboflavin, B6, B12, and folate, are required by the body for proper conversion of proteins and sugars into energy. B vitamins are also utilized during the production and repair of cells, including red blood cells.

In a recent study, researchers analyzed both diet and athletic performance of several elite and collegiate athletes, as well as those of less competitive individuals. Even a marginal deficiency in these nutrients negatively influenced the ability of the athletes' bodies to repair, operate efficiently, and fight disease.

Exercise-induced stress, changes in body tissues resulting from training, increased loss of nutrients (in sweat, urine, and feces), and the additional nutrients needed to repair and maintain higher levels of lean tissue mass may all affect an individual's B-vitamin requirements.

The researchers noted that current national B-vitamin recommendations for active individuals may be inadequate, and chronic deficiencies could jeopardize athlete's abilities and long-term health. Athletes, as well as individuals with poor and restricted diets, should consider a multivitamin supplement to ensure B-vitamin adequacy.

Source: B-Vitamins and Exercise: Does Exercise Alter Requirements?, Kathleen Woolf and Melinda M. Manore, Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab 2006 16:453-484.

Cellular Nutrition

I have promoted a concept in my medical practice for years that I call cellular nutrition. What I learned early on in my research and in nutritional medicine practice was that almost all of these studies evaluated only one nutrient at a time. For example, the study evaluated only vitamin C or vitamin E or selenium or calcium or alpha lipoic acid. This is just the way we do research. However, vitamin E and vitamin C are not drugs. They are nutrients from foods; however, today because of supplementation we are able to get them at levels unobtainable in foods. All of these nutrients work together in a synergistic way.

Vitamin E is the best antioxidant in the cell wall. Vitamin C is the best antioxidant in the plasma. Glutathione is the best intracellular antioxidant. All of these antioxidants need the so-called antioxidant minerals and B-cofactors to do their job. I not only want my patients to receive all the health benefits that these nutrients can provide, but I also want to be sure that these nutrients to the cell are provided at optimal levels. Therefore, cellular nutrition is defined as providing all of these nutrients to the cell at optimal levels or to those levels which provide a health benefit according to medical literature.

Source: Dr. Strand Health Nuggets (newsletter@Bionutrition.org)

Do Your Supplements Dissolve?‏

As a physician, I really did not think too much about whether the nutritional supplements my patients were taking actually dissolved or not. All of the drugs I prescribed, whether or not they were brand-name or generic, were required to follow USP (US Pharmacopeias) standards. This means that the quality and dissolution of the tablet was regulated. This is not true for the nutritional supplements industry; again, it is basically an unregulated industry.

When I was doing research for my book, What Your Doctor Doesn’t Know about Nutritional Medicine [Thomas Nelson 2002], I found a study done at the University of Maryland. Here 9 different prescription prenatal vitamins were studied. Researchers did not look at what was in the tablet; they simply looked at whether the tablet dissolved or not. To my amazement, only 3 of the 9 prescription prenatal vitamins dissolved. What good does it do to have the right nutrients in the right amounts if your tablet doesn’t even dissolve? You are just wasting money. It is imperative that any supplements you choose to take must follow USP guidelines. This is the only way you can be assured that your tablets are dissolving.

Source: Dr. Strand Health Nuggets (newsletter@Bionutrition.org)

Calcium and vitamin D supplements enhance health benefits of weight loss

In a recent study, women with low calcium intake were given either a calcium + vitamin D supplement or placebo in conjunction with a 15-week weight-loss program. Those who received the calcium + vitamin D supplement had a greater tendency for beneficial changes in LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and total cholesterol levels.

Research has demonstrated that overweight individuals with low calcium and dairy intakes have an increased risk of developing metabolic syndrome. Naturally, this suggests that adequate calcium intake could create a healthier metabolic profile " one more similar to a balanced diet and regular exercise.

In a recent study, researchers explored this possibility by testing cardiovascular health indicators after long-term calcium supplementation in women with usual low calcium intake. Healthy overweight or obese women with a daily calcium intake of less than 800 mg per day were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 groups: group A received two tablets/day of a calcium + vitamin D supplement (600 mg elemental calcium and 200 IU vitamin D/tablet), while group B received a placebo. Both groups completed a 15-week reduced calorie weight-loss program.

Significant decreases in LDL cholesterol levels, as well as improvements in the ratios of total to LDL and LDL to HDL cholesterol were seen the calcium + vitamin D group. These changes were independent of changes due to fat loss and reduced waist circumference. Tendencies for more beneficial changes in HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and total cholesterol were also observed in the calcium + vitamin D group.

This study demonstrates that adequate consumption of calcium and vitamin D during weight loss enhances other beneficial effects of body weight loss on cardiovascular risk factors in overweight women with previously low calcium intake.

Source: Supplementation with calcium + vitamin D enhances the beneficial effect of weight loss on plasma lipid and lipoprotein concentrations, Major et al, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 85, No. 1, 54-59, January 2007

Take the Cheapest Supplements You Can Find?

Early in my career, I remember telling my patients who were set on taking supplements to just take the cheapest ones they could find. The reason I made this comment was that I really did not believe that supplements had any value anyway, so why not just buy the cheapest ones? At least, they would not cost my patients too much money. In contrast, now that I realize all of the health benefits my patients can receive by taking supplements, I want to be sure that they receive high-quality products.

One of the greatest frustrations in becoming a specialist in nutritional medicine is that I work with such an unregulated market. The FDA looks at nutritional supplements the same way it looks at foods. This entire industry is really not regulated, and a nutritional company can pretty much put any amount of nutrients in their tablets. In other words, the amount stated on the label is not necessarily what is in the tablet. Unless a nutritional company voluntarily produces its nutritional supplements in a pharmaceutical-grade method, the consumer has no assurance that what is on the label is in the tablet. Why sell your health to the lowest bidder? Taking high-quality, complete and balanced nutritional are the least expensive health insurance policy you will ever purchase.

Source: Dr. Strand Health Nuggets (newsletter@Bionutrition.org)

Low levels of vitamin D are common among healthy children‏

Vitamin D is essential for normal growth and development in children, yet many children who are otherwise healthy may have inadequate blood levels of vitamin D. A vitamin D deficiency in childhood may lead to muscle weakness, defective bone mineralization, and rickets.

A study recently published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that many children may be at risk for a vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D is essential for normal growth, development, and immune function.

Researchers from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia assessed dietary and supplemental vitamin D intake, body mass, and blood levels of vitamin D in 382 healthy children (ages 6 to 21) living in the northeastern U.S. More than half of the children had low blood levels of vitamin D, with 55 percent having inadequate vitamin D blood levels and 68 percent having low blood levels of vitamin D in the wintertime. African Americans, children 9 and older, and those with low dietary vitamin D intake were most likely to have reduced serum vitamin D levels.

"The best indicator of a person's vitamin D status is the blood level of a vitamin D compound called 25-hydroxyvitamin D," the lead investigator noted. "Vitamin D deficiency remains an under-recognized problem overall, and is not well studied in children."

The researchers added that further study is needed to determine appropriate blood levels of vitamin D in children, and also suggested a review of the current recommendations for vitamin D intake.

Source: Risk factors for low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations in otherwise healthy children and adolescents, Weng et al, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, July 2007, 86(1):150-8.