Nutrients

High doses of vitamin C aggressively kill cancer cells, research confirms

Posted by

0


 

Image: High doses of vitamin C aggressively kill cancer cells, research confirms

If you’ve heard that high doses of vitamin C can kill cancer, there’s a good chance you’ve also heard some official-sounding organizations claiming that there is no science to back this up. However, new research shows that high doses of vitamin C can indeed fight cancer, underscoring the findings of countless other studies like it that are widely ignored by the medical industry.

Detractors choose to focus on those studies that showed it didn’t work, conveniently ignoring the fact that many of the studies that were inconclusive in this regard simply weren’t testing big enough doses to unlock its effectiveness.

Research carried out at the University of Iowa confirms that vitamin C does kill cancer cells selectively without damaging normal cells. One study showed that the vitamins can reduce mutations that cause cancer in mice, while another study showed it can kill as much as 50 percent of human lymphoma cells.

Another study, this one from the Perlmutter Cancer Center, found that injecting mice with high doses of vitamin C stopped leukemia cancer stem cells from humans from growing, probably by telling the faulty stem cells in bone marrow to die. A different study found that adding vitamin C via IV to typical chemotherapy drugs extended the average survival times of pancreatic cancer patients from 5.65 months to 12 months.

Then there’s the University of Kansas study that injected high doses of vitamin C into ovarian cells from humans. They found that the vitamin targeted the ovarian cancer cells without harming healthy cells, and they went on to repeat the study on mice and human subjects.

The power of the elements: Discover Colloidal Silver Mouthwash with quality, natural ingredients like Sangre de Drago sap, black walnut hulls, menthol crystals and more. Zero artificial sweeteners, colors or alcohol. Learn more at the Health Ranger Store and help support this news site.

These findings wouldn’t be surprising to the researchers who worked on a review that was published in the Puerto Rico Health Sciences Journal in 2008. After looking at studies that used extremely higher amounts of vitamin C intravenously, they concluded that it can be effective against tumors, although they said that its efficacy could not be judged when it was administered orally.

Even though the authors called for further research into vitamin C’s cancer-fighting power, nothing was done about it at the time. After all, chemotherapy has been so profitable for the medical and pharmaceutical industries, and it would be hard to profit off of something as cheap, widely available, and unpatentable as vitamin C .

IV may not be the only way to deliver high doses of vitamin C

Some people have been getting these treatments on their own at alternative cancer clinics, but it’s not widely accepted. In addition, those who are wary of IVs find it extremely difficult to get the high blood concentration needed for this treatment to work its magic when they take it orally.

Now, however, there is a new form of vitamin C that could change everything. Liposomal vitamin C can create vitamin C levels in the blood that are 100 to 500 times greater than those normally achieved by oral ingestion, making it easier for people to fight cancer.

Liposomal vitamin C is encapsulated in lecithin, which shields it from digestive enzymes that would normally break it down. It makes its way through the digestive system with ease and is absorbed by the intestines before being transported into the liver, where it is released into the bloodstream.

This approach does away with the waste and gastric upset seen with conventional vitamin C tablets while maintaining high blood concentrations. Whether it will one day make its way into the mainstream and give riskier treatments like chemotherapy a run for their money remains to be seen, however.

Sources for this article include:

NaturalHealth365.com

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com

Vitamins and Supplements – The Benefits of Food First.

Posted by

0


Vitamins and supplements are a big area of conversation, controversy, and research. When considering ways to ensure that you are getting the nutrients you need for optimal health, it’s important to think about the benefits of “food first.”

We know that people who eat a variety of plant-based foods gain important health-promoting nutrients (called phytonutrients). Different phytonutrients are associated with different types of foods — which is why it’s important to eat a variety of foods “by the rainbow.” For example, red fruits and vegetables contain lycopene, an important antioxidant. What makes carrots and sweet potatoes orange is another antioxidant in the same family as lycopene, called beta-carotene. One of the many phytonutrients found in blueberries are anthocyanins, which give blueberries their intense blue color, in addition to providing several health benefits, including immune support.

Many of these examples of phytonutrients found in food also come in pill form. But there are some considerations for why it’s advantageous to consider food first:

  • The way that nutrients work in pill form may be different from the way they work in food form in the body.
  • Some high-dose antioxidants taken in pill form during certain types of cancer treatment can actually reduce the effectiveness of that treatment, whereas getting antioxidants from foods does not interfere with the potency of treatment.
  • Supplements may be made with additional ingredients that interact with treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation, or surgery.
  • Getting vitamins into your diet is easier than you think by eating a plant-based diet.

Some supplements might be necessary. For example, when you’re going through treatment, you may have low blood levels of certain nutrients, like magnesium or Vitamin D. Your doctor can perform a blood test to determine your Vitamin D level and whether it is appropriate for you to take a supplement to address a deficiency. But on the whole, eating food first is the best approach to getting your vitamins and nutrients. And if you decide that you want to explore taking certain vitamins or supplements, it’s always important to talk with a dietitian and your doctor before starting a supplement regimen.

Vitamin pills are a waste of money, offer no health benefits and could be harmful – study

Posted by

0


Evidence from the study suggested that ‘supplementing the diet of well-nourished adults…has no clear benefit and might even be harmful’

Vitamin pills are a waste of money, usually offer no health benefits and could even be harmful, a group of leading scientists has said.

A study of nearly 500,000 people, carried out by academics from the University of Warwick and the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, USA, has delivered a damning verdict on the claims made by the vitamin supplement industry.

Evidence from the study suggested that “supplementing the diet of well-nourished adults…has no clear benefit and might even be harmful”, despite one in three Britons taking vitamins or mineral pills.

According to The Times, scientists involved in the study, which was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, concluded that companies selling supplements were fuelling false health anxieties to offer unnecessary cures. The industry in the UK is thought to be worth more than £650 million annually.

Researchers declared ‘case closed’ on the vitamin and mineral pills after making their conclusion based on the study of half-a-million people along with three separate research papers.

Evidence from the study suggested that

Evidence from the study suggested that “supplementing the diet of well-nourished adults…has no clear benefit and might even be harmful”, despite one in three Britons taking vitamins or mineral pills.

One of the research papers involved the retrospective study of 24 previous trials. In total 450,000 people were involved in the trials and the paper concluded that there was no beneficial effect on mortality from taking vitamins.

Another examined 6,000 elderly men and found no improvement on cognitive decline after 12 years of taking supplements, while a third saw no advantage of supplements among 1,700 men and women with heart problems over an average study of five years.

The experts said most supplements should be avoided as their use is not justified, writing: “These vitamins should not be used for chronic disease prevention. Enough is enough.”

The scientists argued that the average Western diet is sufficient to provide the necessary vitamins the body needs.

Edgar Miller, of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, said: “There are some that advocate we have many nutritional deficiencies in our diet. The truth is though we are in general overfed, our diet is completely adequate.”

He added: “These companies are marketing products to us based on perceptions of deficiencies. They make us think our diet is unhealthy, and that they can help us make up for these deficiencies and stop chronic illnesses.

“The group that needs these is very small. It’s not the general population.”

Dr Miller continued: “There’s something for everything: preventing joint pains, stopping heart disease. If you’re going to spend your money on something every month, is this really the best option?”

The NHS advised recently that other than women taking folic acid to help them conceive and the elderly and children under five benefiting from vitamin D, supplementary vitamins would be surplus to that already gained through diet, The Times said.

The Health Food Manufacturers’ Association said vitamin supplements provided people with “nutritional insurance”.

In July 2011 the Advertising Standards Agency criticised Vitabiotics Ltd for an advert headlined: ‘Advanced Nutrients For The Brain’.

They ruled that the implied claims that “recent research had shown that B vitamins could help maintain brain function and performance’ were not substantiated and were “misleading”.

Vitamin D3 Supplements Do Not Lessen Cold, Influenza Risk.

Posted by

0


Supplementation with vitamin D3 does not reduce the incidence or risk for upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) in adults, according to a new randomized controlled trial published onlineSeptember 6 and in the November 15 print issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases.

Judy R. Rees, MPH, PhD, from the Department of Community and Family Medicine, Section of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, and colleagues enrolled 2259 participants (age, 45 – 75 years) who were also taking part in a colorectal adenoma chemoprevention trial. Participants were randomly assigned to receive 1000 IU/day of vitamin D3, 1200 mg elemental calcium/day, both, or placebo. All participants were in good health and had serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels of 2 ng/mL or higher.

Among the 759 participants who completed the study, the researchers found no significant decrease in the rate ratio (RR) of URTI episodes between the treatment groups (RR, 0.93; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.79 – 1.09) or winter days of illness (RR, 1.13; 95% CI, 0.90 – 1.43). There was also no decrease noted in composite syndromes of influenza-like illness (ILI; RR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.62 – 1.46) or colds (RR, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.78 – 1.10).

“Vitamin D supplementation conferred no significant protection against colds, ILI, or any URTI overall, nor among those with the lowest baseline serum 25(OH) vitamin D, although participants whose baseline concentration was <12 ng/mL were specifically excluded from our trial,” note Dr. Rees and colleagues.

Participants were recruited from 11 clinical centers, and the study was conducted November 2009 through March 2011. URTI was defined as either ILI (fever and 2 or more of the following: sore throat, cough, muscle aches, or headache) or a cold (absence of ILI, 2 or more of the following on a single day: runny nose, nasal congestion, sneezing, sore throat, cough, and swollen or tender neck glands).

Throughout the study period, researchers administered semiannual telephone surveys to 2228 participants and found no decrease in the odds ratio (OR) of ILI (OR, 1.14; 95% CI, 0.84 – 1.54) or colds (OR, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.87 – 1.23) among patients receiving vitamin D3 supplementation. Baseline vitamin D status, body mass index, adherence, or influenza vaccination also provided no significant benefit.

The researchers acknowledge that self-selection of the 759 participants from the parent trial may have influenced results if participants dropped out early because of a lack of treatment effect. The study authors also note that self-reported adherence to study protocol and lack of laboratory conformation of URTI may also have affected the results.

Michael Gleeson, PhD, from the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough University, Leucestershire, United Kingdom, told Medscape Medical News, “Although participant numbers were large, I suspect that this dose of vitamin D3 is insufficient to affect respiratory illness incidence in individuals who are not vitamin D deficient,” and that “an effect might be seen in a more illness-prone population such as athletes.” Dr. Gleeson was not affiliated with the study.

“The effects on URTI of supplementation in adults with vitamin D deficiency (<12 ng/mL) should be addressed in future trials,” conclude the study authors. Studies should also address at what dose of vitamin D3 affects “markers of immune function that are important in defense against respiratory infections,” added Dr. Gleeson.

Strong link found between rheumatoid arthritis and vitamin D deficiency.

Posted by

0


New evidence has emerged that vitamin D deficiency might not only be a cause of rheumatoid arthritis but also worsen the severity of the disease.

In a study published in the journal Nutrients in June, researchers from the University of Saskatchewan evaluated the vitamin D status in 116 patients at a community clinic, 60 of them suffering from rheumatic diseases. The researchers found that vitamin D levels were significantly worse in patients suffering from autoimmune rheumatic disease (such as rheumatoid arthritis).

In addition, the researchers found that, among rheumatoid arthritis patients, lower vitamin D levels were directly correlated with more severe symptoms. The effect was so striking that rheumatoid arthoritis patients with low blood levels of vitamin D were actually five times more likely to suffer from active symptoms than patients with higher levels.

Hands-Wrist-Pain-Fingers-Arthritis

An emerging consensus

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder, meaning that it is characterized by the immune system misidentifying part of the body as a threat and attacking it. In the case of rheumatoid arthritis, the immune system attacks the joints and other bodily tissues.

Vitamin D has been shown to play a critical role in helping regulate the immune system, and low levels have been linked to a higher risk of various autoimmune diseases. For this reason, researchers have suspected for many years that vitamin D might play a role in the development of rheumatoid arthritis. Population studies have supported this hypothesis, such as one published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives in 2010 which found that women living in the northeastern United States were significantly more likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis than women living in places that get more year-round sunshine.

The body produces its own vitamin D when the skin is exposed to ultraviolet radiation from sunlight, so overall levels of vitamin D deficiency are lower in regions closer to the equator.

A study published in the journal Arthritis and Rheumatism in 2004 suggests that high levels of dietary vitamin D may also help prevent the development of rheumatoid arthritis. The researchers analyzed data from nearly 30,000 women between the ages of 55 and 69 who had participated in the Iowa Women’s Health Study and had been followed for 11 years. Study participants were periodically questioned about their health status, eating habits and use of nutritional supplements. Over the course of the decade-long study, 152 of the participants were diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis.

The researchers found that women with the highest dietary intake of vitamin D were the least likely to have developed rheumatoid arthritis. In contrast, women whose diet included fewer than 200 International Units of vitamin D per day had a 33 percent higher risk of developing the disease than women whose diets included more. These results remain statistically significant even after adjusting for other potential rheumatoid arthritis risk factors, such as smoking and calcium intake.

Get more sunlight

Although certain foods are enriched with vitamin D and the vitamin can also be taken in supplement form, getting more sunlight is still the safest and most effective way to increase your body’s levels of this powerful nutrient. Doctors say that your body can produce all the vitamin D it needs from just 15 to 30 minutes per day of skin on the face and hands (without sunscreen) for lighter skinned people, with more time needed for people with darker skin.

And it’s not just for reducing your risk of rheumatoid arthritis. Higher levels of vitamin D have been linked to lower rates of various autoimmune diseases, as well as heart disease, diabetes and cancer.