Nutrition Blog

Omega 3 Fish Oil and Arthritis

by ehealthyone on 11/08/11

Many people have been taking omega-3 fish oil supplements to maintain good heart health. Did you know that fish oil is also helpful to people who suffer from arthritis?

Arthritis is caused by inflammation in the joints and researchers have found that the essential fatty acid DHA in fish oil has anti-inflammatory properties which can reduce swelling and relieve pain. There is also research that shows low levels of essential fatty acids in the body may be a factor in a number of disorders including osteoporosis.

Multiple studies have now concluded that fish oil alleviates stiffness and joint pain of rheumatoid arthritis. New research has revealed that the omega-3 essential fatty acids derived from fish may obstruct not only the chemicals that prompt inflammation in arthritis but also the proteins identified as wearing down knee cartilage. It is encouraging to know that something as simple as eating fish and taking fish oil supplements for arthritis can bring relief to many who suffer from joint pain.

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A Link Between Asthma and Vitamin D

by ehealthyone on 07/14/11

According to a new study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, a deficiency of Vitamin D may be linked to the severity of asthma symptons in children. The study found that a higher intake of vitamin D by pregnant women can reduce the risk of asthma in children by as much as 40 percent. Pregnant women who were vitamin D deficient had a greater chance of having a child who suffered from asthma and other allergies.

The study also indicated that children who were deficient in vitamin D were more likely to be hospitalized for asthma symptoms than those who had a sufficient amount of vitamin D in their bloodstream. In addition to being hospitalized for asthmatic symptoms, these children were also more likely to be more hyperactive and have more allergies and sensitivities.

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New Study Shows Sun Exposure Can Lower Risk for Breast Cancer

by ehealthyone on 07/07/11

A new Canadian study on vitamin D benefits suggests that women who get a few hours of sunshine each day have a significantly lower risk of developing breast cancer.

The study was performed by Cancer Care Ontario and focused primarily on the effects of vitamin D produced as a result of sun exposure. The goal of the study was to determine whether there is a significant relationship between sun exposure and risk of breast cancer.

The participants included about 6,000 women, roughly half of whom had been diagnosed with breast cancer. The remaining women did not have the disease and formed a control group. Both groups completed questionnaires on risk factors and dietary habits, and were asked to provide information about the amount of sun exposure they had during various time periods of their life (teens, 20s-30s, 40s-50s, and 60-75).

The analysis of the participant data indicated that women who spent the most time outdoors (more than 21 hours per week) had significantly lower risk of developing tumors than those who spent the least time outdoors (less than six hours per week).

The results of the analysis were as follows:

Women who spent the most time outdoors during their teenage years had a 29% lower risk of developing tumors than those who spent the least time outdoors during the same period.
Women who spent the most time outside during their 20s and 30s had a 36% lower risk than those who spent the least time outdoors during the same two decades.
Women who spent the most time outdoors during their 40s and 50s demonstrated a 26% lower risk of breast cancer than those who spent the least time outside.
Women between 60 and 75 who spent the most time outdoors lowered their risk of breast cancer by an astounding 50% as compared to women of the same age who spent the least time outside.

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Why You Need Vitamin C To Stay Young, Healthy and Beautiful

by ehealthyone on 06/26/11

As we grow older we are told we need to take multi-vitamins to keep our bodies functioning at peak form. There are dozens of different multi-vitamins on the market, how do we choose the right one? Your main choice should be determined by how much vitamin c your multi-vitamin contains.

Vitamin C is the wonder vitamin, your body uses it for tons of things: the healing of wounds, for creating tendons, ligaments, blood vessels and the maintenance of cartilage, bones and teeth. How does vitamin C help in all that you might ask? Vitamin C is used in the production of collagen, a protein that acts as connective tissue - sort of a glue to hold the body together. Collagen is particularly useful in the skin, where it works with elastin to give us healthy, firm, youthful skin. Elastin is what makes the skin flexible and pliable.

Vitamin C is a water soluble vitamin, this means that it can be dissolved in water meaning that all the benefits of it are dissolved as well. We cannot store vitamins as we are over eighty percent water ourselves so we need a large intake of vitamins daily. As adults we need between 75-90 mgs of vitamin C a day to remain healthy. An adequate supply of Vitamin C means your body will always be able to produce collage, which means your skin will remain smooth and firm, keeping away those fine lines that come from aging.

Vitamin C is also an anti-oxidant which prevents damage to the body from free radicals. Free radicals are the by products created when the body transforms food into energy. When these free radicals build up over time they trigger the aging process causing us to develop things like arthritis, heart disease and many other problems. Vitamin C and other anti-oxidants fights free radicals. Vitamin C also is used to prevent split ends in your hair, gingivitis, prevents your skin from becoming rough or dry as we stated above with the collagen production, and prevents the decay of the enamel on our teeth which prevents the teeth from becoming yellow and looking old.

You'd be surprised to know that vitamin C in anti-aging products maybe? Well don't be, it's labelled as ascorbic acid and is found in many over the counter brands. Vitamin C is a very volatile product though and it oxidizes quickly and then becomes useless. If your anti-aging product goes from white to a yellowish hue then your vitamin c has oxidized and is useless. Throw it out and buy a new bottle. Just because you are using vitamin c topically doesn't mean you shouldn't take it as a vitamin supplement, the more vitamin c in your system the easier it is for your body to produce collagen and repair those skin cells. Without collagen, the glue that holds your skin cells together you're bound to get sagging folds on your face and fine lines around your eyes. So now you know why you need vitamin c to stay young, go out and have an orange or two.

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