Category: Nutrition

The right amount of fruit and vegetables for long-life and a lower risk of heart disease and cancer.

People who eat high amounts of fruits and vegetables every day are more likely to be protected from cardiovascular diseases, cancers, and many other long-term illnesses.

Despite this, barely one-in-10 people consume an adequate amount of fruits or vegetables regularly.

According to a study, eating 3 servings of vegetables and two of fruits a day is the right ratio for your five-a-day recommended intake to optimise lifespan.

Dr Dong Wang, the study’s first author, said:

“While groups like the American Heart Association recommend four to five servings each of fruits and vegetables daily, consumers likely get inconsistent messages about what defines optimal daily intake of fruits and vegetables such as the recommended amount, and which foods to include and avoid.”

The study analysed data regarding fruit and vegetable intake which was obtained from 2 million adults in 29 countries.

They found that:

• Five servings of fruits and vegetables per day was linked to reduced death risk.
• Eating three servings of vegetable and two servings of fruits every day was linked to the utmost longevity.
• Participants who had five servings of fruits and vegetable a day were 13 percent less likely to die from any illnesses than those who had two servings of fruit and vegetables a day.
• Also, they had a 35 percent reduced risk of dying from lung conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a 12 percent reduced risk of dying from heart disease, and a 10 percent reduced risk of dying from cancer.
• Not all fruits and vegetables are equal: Vitamin C-rich and beta carotene-rich fruit and vegetables such as berries, citrus fruits, and carrots, and green leafy and cruciferous vegetables such as lettuce, spinach and kale showed benefits, while starchy vegetables such as corn and peas, potatoes, and fruit juices didn’t show any benefits in terms of lowering death risk or increasing longevity.

Dr Wang said:

“People should ideally consume five servings of fruit and vegetable each day.

This amount likely offers the most benefit in terms of prevention of major chronic disease and is a relatively achievable intake for the general public.

We also found that not all fruits and vegetables offer the same degree of benefit, even though current dietary recommendations generally treat all types of fruits and vegetables, including starchy vegetables, fruit juices and potatoes, the same.”

Dr Anne Thorndike from Harvard Medical School in Boston and chair of the American Heart Association’s nutrition committee, said:

“The American Heart Association recommends filling at least half your plate with fruits and vegetables at each meal.

This research provides strong evidence for the lifelong benefits of eating fruits and vegetables and suggests a goal amount to consume daily for ideal health.

Fruits and vegetables are naturally packaged sources of nutrients that can be included in most meals and snacks, and they are essential for keeping our hearts and bodies healthy.”

The study was published in the journal Circulation (Wang et al., 2021).

Lack of omega-3 fatty acids in the body might be the reason why we are vulnerable to this disease.

Inflammation can be a sign of omega-3 deficiency, research finds.

Consuming oily fish like salmon, trout, sardines, mackerel, herring and fish oil supplements can lower inflammation.

Previous studies have suggested that a high intake of oily fish (fatty fish) can reduce several disorders.

Researchers from the Norwegian University are adding more weight to the importance of omega-3.

They show that omega-3 fatty acids can lower dangerous inflammatory responses in our body.

Our immune system produces inflammation to protect the body from infections like the common cold, throat, ear infections and so on.

But when the inflammation is too strong, this can lead to developing inflammation-related diseases and autoimmune disorders.

Prolonged inflammation results in life-threatening conditions such as cancer, Alzheimer’s, chronic inflammatory bowel diseases, asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, heart disease and diabetes-related injuries.

Omega-3 fatty acids are healthy fats that have anti-inflammatory properties, consequently they are able to dampen inflammatory responses in the body.

White blood cells are an important part of our immune system as they can locate foreign particles such as microbes and cancer cells and eat them.

These cells monitor everything in our body and use the information that they gain from different receptors or sensors in order to stimulate inflammatory responses.

The white blood cells ability to manage inflammatory reactions relies on different processes and one is “self-eating”.

Autophagy or “self-eating” is vital for whether a white blood cell is too active or not since it is cleaning out the cells that are damaged and dysfunctional.

Omega-3 appears to change autophagy in white blood cells and can reduce activation of inflammatory reactions.

Omega-3 also reduces the responses related to proteins that are involved in regulating immune system activities.

Therefore, supplementation of omega-3 fatty acids can help patients with different forms of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis, meningitis, Alzheimer’s, infectious disease or even jaundice.

The study was published in the journal of Autophagy (Mildenberger et al., 2017).

This fat actually helps you live longer and reduces the incidence of age-related diseases.

Olive oil — which is one of the main ingredients in the Mediterranean diet — is key to fighting aging and its related diseases, including cardiovascular disorders, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, a study has found.

Scientists at the University of Minnesota Medical School have identified how that diet might affect diseases associated with aging.

Previous studies suggest that a diet rich in polyphenol resveratrol antioxidants protects the body against damage and aging.

Resveratrol is a natural compound found in grapes, blueberries, cranberries, red wine, and dark chocolate.

They thought that this antioxidant can activate a certain pathway in our cells known to have anti aging action.

But this study suggests that actually the fat in olive oil can activate this pathway and the fat is the main key for improving health and increasing longevity.

However, consuming olive oil alone is not enough since it is most beneficial to health when coupled with a low-calorie diet and exercise.

Professor Doug Mashek, the study’s leader, said:

“We found that the way this fat works is it first has to get stored in microscopic things called lipid droplets, which is how our cells store fat.

And then, when the fat is broken down during exercising or fasting, for example, is when the signaling and beneficial effects are realized.”

The authors are hoping to improve human health by using this discovery in new drugs or certain dietary regimens.

Professor Doug Mashek explained:

“We want to understand the biology, and then translate it to humans, hopefully changing the paradigm of healthcare from someone going to eight different doctors to treat his or her eight different disorders.

These are all aging-related diseases, so let’s treat aging.”

The study was published in Molecular Cell (Najt et al., 2019).

Both vitamin B12 and folate are vital to the production of critical neurotransmitters, such as serotonin and noradrenaline.

Feeling depressed can be a sign of vitamin B12 deficiency, a study suggests.

Typical symptoms of depression, along with low mood, include difficulty concentrating and low energy and motivation.

Researchers have found that supplementation with vitamin B12 can help reduce depression symptoms.

Vitamin B12 is an essential nutrient that plays a critical role in the functioning of the brain and the nervous system.

Both vitamin B12 and folate are vital to the production of critical neurotransmitters, such as serotonin and noradrenaline.

Depression is often linked to low levels of serotonin in the brain.

One study has found that those with low levels of vitamin B12 are at triple the risk of developing melancholic depression.

Melancholic depression mostly involves depressed mood.

Depression linked to B12 deficiency

The current study included 115 people experiencing depression.

They were split into three group depending on how well they responded to depression treatment.

The results of blood tests revealed that those who responded the best to treatment had the highest levels of vitamin B12.

After treatment, those who were experiencing the highest levels of depression had the lowest levels of vitamin B12 in their system.

The study’s authors write:

“As far as we know, there have been no previous studies that have suggested a positive relationship between vitamin B12 and the treatment outcome in patients with major depressive disorder who have normal or high vitamin B12 levels.”

The link between depression and vitamin B12 deficiency may be explained by the fact that B12 deficiency can cause damage to the nervous system, which can affect the function of neurotransmitters and lead to symptoms of depression.

Additionally, B12 deficiency can also lead to anaemia, which is a condition characterized by a low red blood cell count.

Anaemia can cause fatigue, weakness, and irritability, all of which can contribute to feelings of depression.

Common signs of B12 deficiency

Other, more common signs of vitamin B12 deficiency include feeling tired, experiencing muscle weakness and being constipated.

Vitamin B12 deficiency is easy to rectify with supplements or by dietary changes.

The body uses vitamin B12 to make red blood cells and to keep the nervous system healthy.

Good sources of vitamin B12 include fish, poultry, eggs and low-fat milk.

Fortified breakfast cereals also contain vitamin B12.

People who may have difficult getting enough vitamin B12 include vegetarians, older people and those with some digestive disorders, such as Crohn’s disease.

Vitamin B12 deficiency can also be caused by certain medical conditions or by certain medications, such as proton pump inhibitors or metformin.

The study was published in the journal BMC Psychiatry (Hintikka et al., 2003).

Around 60% of people may have a vitamin D deficiency.

Muscle fatigue is a common sign of vitamin D deficiency, research finds.

Vitamin D is vital for enabling the muscles to work efficiently.

Low levels of this vitamin are linked to poor energy and tiredness.

Taking vitamin D supplements helped people in the study to feel much less tired.

Vitamin D is also found in oily fish, egg yolks, fortified cereals and some margarine spreads.

The study examined 12 people with a severe vitamin D deficiency, before and after treatment.

Participants’ muscles were scanned to check their response to exercise.

The results showed that those taking vitamin D supplements for 10-12 weeks felt much less tired.

Dr Akash Sinha, the study’s first author, explained the results:

“The scans provided a unique window into what is really going on in the muscle as it works.

Examining this small group of patients with vitamin D deficiency who experienced symptoms of muscle fatigue, we found that those with very low vitamin D levels improved their muscle efficiency significantly when their vitamin D levels were improved.”

The fatigue they were feeling is likely due to problems in the body’s mitochondria.

Mitochondria are the ‘power stations’ within each cell in our body.

Without vitamin D the mitochondria cannot work efficiently.

After supplementation, participants’ mitochondria recovered more quickly from exertion.

Dr Sinha said:

“We have proved for the first time a link between vitamin D and mitochondria function.

Of the patients I see, around 60% are vitamin D deficient and most people living north of Manchester will struggle to process enough vitamin D from sunlight alone, particularly during winter and spring.

So a simple vitamin D tablet could help boost your energy levels – from within the cells.”

The study was published in the Journal of Endocrinology (Sinha et al., 2013).

Vitamin B12 deficiency is even linked to brain shrinkage.

Problems with general thinking and memory skills can indicate vitamin B12 deficiency, research finds.

People with a vitamin B12 deficiency can have problems with worse memory for events and ideas.

Around 12.5 percent of people over 50 have a vitamin B12 deficiency, recent studies find.

Other, more common signs of vitamin B12 deficiency include feeling tired, experiencing muscle weakness and being constipated.

Vitamin B12 deficiency is even linked to brain shrinkage.

The latest result come from a study of 5,290 people in Ireland.

The study found that along with B12 deficiency, 14 percent had a folate deficiency.

Very few people in the study took supplements to correct the deficiency.

Vitamin B12 and folate are both vital for nerve function, brain health and DNA.

Fortunately, these deficiencies are easy to rectify with diet or supplementation.

Good dietary sources of vitamin B12 include fish, poultry, eggs and low-fat milk.

Fortified breakfast cereals also contain vitamin B12.

Professor Anne Molloy, study co-author, said:

“This study shows a surprising level of inadequate folate among older persons, despite many years of voluntary folic acid fortification of certain foods on the Irish market.

Concerns relating to excessive folic acid intake, particularly in older people, have been at the heart of current debates regarding the risks of population-wide folic acid fortification.”

The rate of vitamin B12 deficiency is higher in those who are older, vegetarian, smokers or have certain digestive problems, such as Crohn’s disease.

Vitamin B12 deficiency has also been linked to depression.

Typical symptoms of depression include low mood, loss of energy and problems concentrating.

In fact, people with a deficiency in vitamin B12 are at triple the risk of developing melancholic depression, one study has found.

The study was published in the British Journal of Nutrition (Laird et al., 2018).

Vitamin B12 is a critical fuel for the body, helping the body’s nerve and blood cells stay healthy and make DNA.

Night sweats can be a surprising symptom of vitamin B12 deficiency, studies have suggested.

Night sweats can soak the body, pyjamas and bed clothes.

They occur even without an overheated bedroom or sleep environment.

After taking vitamin B12, though, the symptoms can disappear.

Vitamin B12 is a critical fuel for the body, helping the body’s nerve and blood cells stay healthy and make DNA.

In one case study reported in a scientific journal, a man had been suffering from extensive night sweats for years.

They were so bad that he had to change his bedsheets almost daily.

The sweating was most obvious around the upper areas of his body — especially from the top to the mid-chest.

The study’s authors explain the treatment and the results:

“Vitamin-B12 injections 1000mcg daily for seven days followed by monthly injections were prescribed on the basis of elevated homocysteine levels.

Patient reported a dramatic response of his sweating after the second injection of vitamin B12 and remained asymptomatic at three months follows up.”

Several other cases reported by the authors of this study also linked drenching night sweats to vitamin B12 deficiency.

It is still not known exactly why vitamin B12 deficiency should be linked to excessive sweating.

Other symptoms that have been linked to vitamin B12 deficiency include:

• vision problems,
• a smooth tongue,
• pale skin,
• heart palpitations,
• tiredness, weakness and feeling light-headed,
• and numbness or tingling in the body, as well as muscle weakness.

Vitamin B12 deficiency is relatively easy to combat with dietary supplements or a change of diet itself.

Foods that are high in vitamin B12 include liver, fortified cereals, dairy products, salmon and eggs.

Some groups of people are at higher risk of vitamin B12 deficiency, such as older people, vegetarians, and those with digestive disorders.

The study was published in the European Journal of General Medicine (Rehman et al., 2015).

Consuming these products in early life and adulthood doubles the risk for bowel cancer before age 50.

In recent years the risk for developing bowel cancer — technically known as colorectal cancer — has considerably increased among people under 50.

The reason for this appears to be the high sugar intake in our diet consumed during teens and adulthood.

A study has found that women who drink sugar-sweetened beverages are at greater risk of colorectal cancer before they reach age 50.

Developing early-onset colorectal cancer was more common among those who consumed sugary drinks habitually at age 13–18 years and in adulthood.

Dr Yin Cao, the study’s senior author, said:

“Colorectal cancer in younger adults remains relatively rare, but the fact that the rates have been increasing over the past three decades—and we don’t understand why—is a major public health concern and a priority in cancer prevention.

Due to the increase in colorectal cancer at younger ages, the average age of colorectal cancer diagnosis has gone down from 72 years to 66 years.

These cancers are more advanced at diagnosis and have different characteristics compared with cancers from older populations.”

In this study, women who had two or more servings of sugar-sweetened beverages (8 ounces or 230ml) a day were twice as likely to develop colorectal cancer by age 50 than those who had less than one serving a week.

The data show that for each 8-ounce increase, there was a 16 percent increase in risk.

Teen’s growth and development is set between age 13 and 18 and diet can have a big impact during this critical period of time.

Each daily serving of sugary drinks at age 13 to 18 years was linked to a 32 percent higher risk of developing early-onset colorectal cancer.

Sugary drinks have been associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes in both children and adults.

However, the impact of sugary drinks on increasing colorectal cancer rates in the younger population wasn’t clear.

Over the past two decades, drinking sugar-sweetened beverages has increased enormously in teenagers and those aged 20 to 34.

At the same time, colorectal cancer incidence in young adults has also risen.

Dr Cao said:

“In past work, we have shown that poor diet quality was associated with increased risk of early-onset colorectal cancer precursors, but we have not previously examined specific nutrients or foods.”

Also, the study found that other drinks such as milk and coffee were linked to a lower risk of colorectal cancer in young adults, suggesting these unsweetened drinks are a better option in the long run.

Dr Cao said:

“Given this data, we recommend that people avoid sugar-sweetened beverages and instead choose drinks like milk and coffee without sweeteners.”

The study was published in the journal GUT (Hur et al., 2021).

Vitamin B12 deficiency is relatively common, especially in the elderly.

Problems with thinking and memory can be signs of vitamin B12 deficiency, studies find.

Low levels of vitamin B12, along with other vital nutrients, are linked to brain shrinkage.

Deficiencies in these critical micronutrients may also be important in the development of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.

New research has looked at nutrients in the ‘Mediterranean diet’, which is linked to better brain aging.

It found that people had better cognitive functioning when they had higher levels of important nutrients, including vitamin B12, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, folate and others.

The study included 116 seniors who were given tests of their IQ, memory and thinking skills.

Scans also assessed the efficiency of their brains.

Professor Aron Barbey, study co-author, said:

“Efficiency has to do with how information is communicated within the network.

We looked at ‘local efficiency’ – how well information is shared within a spatially confined set of brain regions – and also ‘global efficiency,’ which reflects how many steps are required to transfer information from any one region to any other region in the network.

If your network is more efficiently configured, then it should be easier, on average, to access relevant information and the task should take you less time.”

The results showed that people performed better in the tests if their blood was higher in levels of these nutrients:

• omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids,
• carotenoids,
• lycopene,
• riboflavin,
• folate,
• vitamin B12
• and vitamin D.

Professor Barbey explained the results:

“Our study suggests that diet and nutrition moderate the association between network efficiency and cognitive performance.

This means that the strength of the association between functional brain network efficiency and cognitive performance is associated with the level of the nutrients.”

Other potential signs of vitamin B12 deficiency include feeling tired, experiencing muscle weakness and being constipated.

Good sources of vitamin B12 include fish, poultry, eggs and low-fat milk.

Fortified breakfast cereals also contain vitamin B12.

The study was published in the journal Neuroimage (Zwilling et al., 2019).

Supplements or foods such as dairy, liver, salmon and eggs can rectify a vitamin B12 deficiency.

A tingling or numbness in the hands, legs or feet can be a sign of vitamin B12 deficiency.

The sensation frequently starts in the feet and moves to the hands.

The feelings may also be linked to problems with walking or even difficulty balancing.

Known to doctors as neuropathy, the problem can affect people of all ages, although it is particularly common in those over 50.

Around one-in-twelve people over 50 experiences the condition.

Other causes of neuropathy include autoimmune processes and genetics — however, the most common cause is diabetes.

Other common signs of vitamin B12 deficiency include jaundice, feeling dizzy and lethargy.

The body uses vitamin B12 to make red blood cells and to keep the nervous system healthy.

The good news is that vitamin B12 is easy to correct either with supplementation or a change in diet.

Foods high in vitamin B12 include dairy foods, beef, salmon, eggs and low-fat milk.

Dr John D. England, a neurologist at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, said:

“People with suspected nerve problems should talk to their doctors about screening tests, especially blood glucose, vitamin B12 level and serum protein levels, since these tests can often point to common causes of neuropathy.”

People who may have difficulty getting enough vitamin B12 include vegetarians, older people and those with some digestive disorders, such as Crohn’s disease.

Dr England said:

“There are many people with a neuropathy who have been walking around for years without having been diagnosed and treated.

Both neurologists and people with neuropathy need to know that the appropriate choice of tests is critical to accurate diagnosis.”

The guidelines were published in the American Academy of Neurology.