Study finds link between low Vitamin D and heart disease, cancer, and all-cause mortality

A vast review of studies on Vitamin D has concluded that people with low levels of the vitamin had a 35 percent increased risk of death from heart disease, a 14 percent higher risk of death from cancer, and a greater risk of death from all causes as well.

The authors of this review, who came from a wide range of European and US universities, also looked at the usefulness of supplements, and found that there was no benefit from taking Vitamin D2. However, when they studied middle-aged and older adults who took Vitamin D3, they found an 11% reduction in risk of death from all causes. They also estimated that up to two-thirds of the people in Europe and the US are deficient in Vitamin D, and they calculated that about 13% of all deaths in the US, and about 9% of all deaths in Europe, are linked to low Vitamin D levels.

NYBC’s comment: This review suggests that it is crucial to supplement with Vitamin D3—-which is the type of Vitamin D stocked by NYBC. Older forms of supplementation, such as Vitamin D2-fortified milk, may not have benefit, according to this research. Secondly, though some have argued that low Vitamin D may simply be a side effect of disease processes that can’t be reversed by supplementing, we believe that this study also offers evidence that, especially when people are known to be deficient in Vitamin D (as is often the case in older populations, or among HIV+ people), supplementing with D3 has the potential to reduce disease risks, and indeed may reduce the overall risk of mortality.

See NYBC’s catalog for more detailed recommendations on Vitamin D3 supplementation:

Vitamins and Minerals – NYBC Catalog

Reference:

Chowdhury, R et al. Vitamin D and risk of cause specific death: systematic review and meta-analysis of observational cohort and randomised intervention studies. BMJ April 2014; 348 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.g1903

A Resource for NYBC Members and Friends: The National LGBT Cancer Network

Memo to: All Members and Friends of the New York Buyers’ Club

We recently had a conversation with Liz Margolies, the Executive Director of the National LGBT Cancer Network, and would like to recommend the organization as a great source of information for the LGBT community on the subject of cancer. Here’s a part of their mission statement, which is posted on their website at http://www.cancer-network.org/:

The National LGBT Cancer Network’s mission is to improve the lives of LGBT people with cancer and those at risk. We educate the LGBT community, train healthcare providers and advocate for LGBT inclusion in national cancer organizations, research and the media.

–Did you know that LGBT people are at higher risk for cancer?
Learn more about the LGBT community’s disproportionate cancer burden.

–Are you a healthcare provider?
We have a program to train healthcare professionals in LGBT cultural competence.

–Do you want to learn about your own cancer risk?
Create a personalized cancer risk assessment.

–Do you want to work to lower LGBT cancer health disparities?
Learn about becoming a local Network Hub.

Resveratrol: more evidence of its potential benefits

Resveratrol, found in red wine and now widely used as a supplement, is back in the news this month. A research report in the highly respected journal Science identifies the precise mechanism by which resveratrol regulates sirtuins, proteins in the body which have been linked to the prevention of many age-related diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer’s, and Type-2 diabetes.

This finding adds further support to the idea that resveratrol or a derivative of resveratrol might represent a breakthrough treatment for some of the major disease threats faced by humans as they age.

We first read about the new research in our hometown paper, The New York Times, but the story has been widely reported. (See reference to the article in Science below.)

NYBC stocks Resveratrol and Resveratrol Synergy from Jarrow. Of course we’d welcome any reports from our members about their use of these products.

Reference: Hubbard, et al. Evidence for a common mechanism of SIRT1 regulation by allosteric activators. Science, March 8, 2013.

Curcumin: An Old Spice Performs New Tricks

Curcumin is one of the main components of the Indian spice turmeric, and gives the spice its characteristic yellow color. Aside from its use in cooking, curcumin/turmeric also holds a position of esteem in the ancient Indian medical tradition called Ayurveda, where it is most frequently recommended to treat gastrointestinal disorders.

In recent decades, this old spice has drawn the attention of a large crop of US-based scientific researchers, who have focused on its powers to address illnesses including cancers, liver disease, and Alzheimer’s. A 2007 review of research concluded that curcumin could protect against skin, oral, intestinal and colon cancers by inhibiting the proliferation of cancer cells, by restricting blood supply to tumors, and by other mechanisms as well. As a researcher at the M. C. Anderson Cancer Center in Texas has put it: “The reason curcumin is so effective against cancer is that it hits not just a single target or cell signalling pathway but dozens of targets implicated in cancer.”

Due to its anti-inflammatory properties, curcumin has also been adopted as a potential therapeutic agent by scientists investigating difficult-to-treat liver disease. Preliminary research published in 2010 found that curcumin blocks several types of inflammation that can lead to cirrhosis (=scarring of tissue and destruction of liver function). The study authors suggest that the botanical, as a natural substance with few side effects, may ultimately prove a better treatment than currently available medications for some liver disease.

Frequently, supplement research looks for refinements and synergies in investigating the medicinal powers of traditional botanicals like curcumin. That’s been the case with a recent study involving Vitamin D3 and derivatives of curcumin known as curcuminoids. This combination of supplements, remarkably enough, proved helpful in clearing the kind of plaque in the brain that is associated with Alzheimer’s Disease. Of course the University of California researchers who conducted this study are now looking for further confirmation of D3/curcuminoids as a preventive and as a therapy for Alzheimer’s.

NYBC stocks Curcumin (Jarrow) in two formats:

Curcumin 500mg/60

Curcumin 500mg/120

As new studies of Curcumin have emerged, NYBC also began stocking additional forms from Vibrant Health, which add bioperine (black pepper extract) for enhanced absorption:

Curcuminoids 1000 mg/30c w/bioperine

Curcuminoids 1000 mg/60c w/bioperine

References:

Surh YJ, Chun KS. Cancer chemopreventive effects of curcumin. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2007.
Champeau, R. Vitamin D, curcumin may help clear amyloid plaques found in Alzheimer’s. Press release, UCLA, July 15, 2009.
Baghdasaryan, A et al. Curcumin improves sclerosing cholangitis in Mdr2-/- mice by inhibition of cholangiocyte inflammatory response and portal myofibroblast proliferation. Gut, 2010.

Grapeseed may reduce risk of prostate cancer

The well-known Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle Washington is the source for a large recent survey on supplements for cancer prevention. (We’ve already discussed on this blog their 2010 survey highlighting an association between fish oil supplements and lower risk of breast cancer.) This new research, published in May 2011, focuses on grapeseed supplements and reduced risk of prostate cancer.

More than 35,000 male participants from 50 to 76 years old were recruited for a detailed baseline questionnaire in 2000-2002. Upon follow up five years later, 1,602 prostate cancers had been registered among study participants. Any use of grapeseed supplements among the 35,000 participants was associated with a 41% reduced risk of total prostate cancer. There were no associations between prostate cancer risk and use of chondroitin, coenzyme Q10, fish oil, garlic, ginkgo biloba, ginseng, glucosamine, or saw palmetto.

This large survey study follows after a number of preliminary lab studies of the anti-cancer effects of grapeseed. See the Memorial Sloan/Kettering website for more information: http://www.mskcc.org/mskcc/html/69243.cfm

NYBC stocks Grapeseed Extract from Jarrow.

Reference: Brasky TM, Kristal AR, Navarro SL, Lampe JW, Peters U, Patterson RE, White E. Specialty Supplements and Prostate Cancer Risk in the VITamins And Lifestyle (VITAL) Cohort. Nutr Cancer. 2011 May;63(4):573-82.

Nutrivir/No Sugar Added: for weight maintenance

NYBC stocks Nutrivir No Sugar Added, which is a very useful and easy-to-take supplement to maintain optimal weight, especially when dealing with chronic illness. It’s a combination of whey protein powder, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that’s formulated by upstate New York biotech company BioNexus. NYBC has chosen to stock the No Sugar Added version because that option responds to the concerns of many who are cutting down on refined sugar in their diets.

Overall, NYBC members have found this product to be very useful for maintaining optimal weight and also just for its convenience in supplying antioxidant and multivitamin/mineral supplements in a single product that can be easily added to cold beverages, smoothies or yogurt. Note some of the additional active components of Nutrivir: digestive enzymes, vitamins A, C, E, beta carotene, lycopene, lutein, selenium, N-acetyl cysteine, alpha-lipoic acid, taurine and L-carnitine.

Nutrivir-no sugar added

Nutrivir is a protein powder with digestive enzymes, NAC and other antioxidants and nutrients added, and it’s especially designed as a nutritional support to counteract weight loss in people with HIV or those undergoing cancer treatment. One special feature of this formula is that, unlike most protein powders, it’s “no sugar added.”

See the Nutrivir entry at NYBC website for more details: http://nybcsecure.org/product_info.php?cPath=42&products_id=172

Other protein powders are also available at NYBC: http://nybcsecure.org/index.php?cPath=42

Nutrivir – No Sugar Added

Nutrivir, which NYBC has stocked since the start, is an excellent and tasty combination of nutrients in a base of vanilla-flavored whey protein concentrate. In addition to vitamins and minerals, Nutrivir contains n-acetylcysteine (NAC) and carnitine. It was formulated especially to combat wasting syndrome, which can occur in those undergoing cancer treatments, or in people with HIV/AIDS. (Wasting syndrome is defined as unintended and progressive weight loss, accompanied by weakness, fevers and nutritional deficiencies due to malabsorption.)

Here’s a bit more from the supplier of Nutrivir:

Increasing evidence suggests that abnormal metabolism of cysteine and glutathione plays a decisive role in loss of muscle and immune dysfunction associated with [wasting syndrome]. At this time, the most promising supplement for these patients is a cysteine derivative known as N-acetyl cysteine (NAC). NutriVir [supplies]… quantities of NAC and other antioxidants that have been shown in clinical trials to be effective in combating wasting, malabsorption and diarrhea associated with cancer and AIDS.

Read more details at the NYBC entry:

Nutrivir

Vitamin D3 and Omega-3 Study

There’s a new study funded by the National Institutes of Health that seeks to understand whether supplementing on a regular basis with Vitamin D3 (about 2000IU/day) and fish oil (about 1 gram of omega-3 fatty acids/day) can decrease rates of heart disease, stroke or cancer in people who do not have a history of these diseases. It’s called the VITamin D and OmegA-3 TriaL (VITAL) research study, and will attempt to enroll 20,000 men and women in the US and follow their medical histories for a number of years. Note that the study will enroll only men over 60 and women over 65–ages at which heart disease, stroke and cancer begin to occur with greater frequency.

Here’s the website of the study, which is being run by Harvard Medical School and the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, MA:

http://www.vitalstudy.org/

The designers of this research were interested in looking at both Vitamin D3 and fish oil/omega-3 fatty acids because of the accumulating evidence for the health benefits of these two widely investigated supplements, and because the two show different mechanisms of action in inhibiting inflammatory responses in the body. The study is designed to separate out the effect of each of the two supplements, but also investigate whether combining the two produces the added benefit in terms of disease prevention.

Note that there is already a great deal of evidence to support the health benefit of omega-3 fatty acids for people with heart disease. And there is likewise evidence to support the benefit of Vitamin D3 (plus calcium) for those with deficiency-related conditions like bone loss. The VITAL study, on the other hand, has the specific goal of looking at whether regular supplementation can actually prevent development of cardiovascular disease and/or cancer in healthy people.

NYBC stocks Vitamin D3 1000IU and ProOmega (1000mg/60 softgels).
Purchasing these two at the member’s cost of about $26 will give you a two months supply at the VITAL study’s dosages.

Curcumin and cancer chemoprevention

“Cancer chemoprevention” is a term that’s received a great deal of attention in recent years. It refers to the use of nontoxic natural or synthetic chemicals to halt the development of cancer.

Many research studies have focused on the cancer chemopreventive properties of botanical substances. One of the most extensively investigated of these plant-based substances is curcumin, a yellow coloring ingredient well known due to its derivation from the Indian spice turmeric. (Curcumin/turmeric has also been used medicinally for centuries in the Indian botanical tradition called Ayurveda.)

A 2007 review article on curcumin and cancer chemoprevention summarized the state of scientific research, while also calling for further study to define more exactly the cancer prevention benefits and mode of action of curcumin:

Curcumin has been shown to protect against skin, oral, intestinal, and colon carcinogenesis and also to suppress angiogenesis and metastasis in a variety animal tumor models. It also inhibits the proliferation of cancer cells by arresting them in the various phases of the cell cycle and by inducing apoptosis. Moreover, curcumin has a capability to inhibit carcinogen bioactivation via suppression of specific cytochrome P450 isozymes, as well as to induce the activity or expression of phase II carcinogen detoxifying enzymes. Well-designed intervention studies are necessary to assess the chemopreventive efficacy of curcumin in normal individuals as well as high-risk groups. Sufficient data from pharmacodynamic as well as mechanistic studies are necessary to advocate clinical evaluation of curcumin for its chemopreventive potential.

Reference: Surh YJ, Chun KS. Cancer chemopreventive effects of curcumin. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2007;595:149-72.

We also note a 2005 laboratory study suggesting that curcumin could have a therapeutic value in treating primary effusion lymphoma, a difficult to treat type of cancer usually associated with AIDS/HIV:

Uddin, et al. Curcumin suppresses growth and induces apoptosis in primary effusion lymphoma. Oncogene (2005) 24, 7022–7030.

Note: NYBC stocks Curcumin 500mg/60 (Jarrow) and the larger size Curcumin 500mg/120 (Jarrow. Common dosage recommendations range from 1-2g per day in divided doses up to 3g per day.

Recommendations from the Vitamin D Council

The Vitamin D Council is a California non-profit that promotes education about the health benefits of Vitamin D, and advocates for wider use of supplementation, at a much higher dose than the current RDA, to ward off a variety of diseases, including several types of cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

Here are some highlights from the Council’s home page, as accessed by us 10/22/2009:

Current research has implicated vitamin D deficiency as a major factor in the pathology of at least 17 varieties of cancer as well as heart disease, stroke, hypertension, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, depression, chronic pain, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, muscle weakness, muscle wasting, birth defects, periodontal disease, and more.

Vitamin D’s influence on key biological functions vital to one’s health and well-being mandates that vitamin D no longer be ignored by the health care industry nor by individuals striving to achieve and maintain a greater state of health.
…
Sunshine and Your Health

If well adults and adolescents regularly avoid sunlight exposure, research indicates a necessity to supplement with at least 5,000 units (IU) of vitamin D daily. To obtain this amount from milk one would need to consume 50 glasses. With a multivitamin more than 10 tablets would be necessary. Neither is advisable.

The skin produces approximately 10,000 IU vitamin D in response 20–30 minutes summer sun exposure—50 times more than the US government’s recommendation of 200 IU per day!

On this website, we also noted with interest a letter from a Wisconsin doctor/long-term care facility manager on the apparent protective value of Vitamin D during a spike in the state’s swine flu rate in June 2009. The doctor had mandated Vitamin D supplementation for the long-term care facility’s residents, whereas staff at the facility were under no such requirement. During the June swine flu peak, less than 1% of the facility residents developed swine flu, while at least 7% of the staff did–a significant variation in outcomes.

We’ll stay tuned to the Vitamin D Council’s website, which seems to us a useful clearinghouse of information on a supplement that holds a great deal of promise, if we’re to judge by the flood of positive new research results coming out in just the past few years. On the practical side, we also note that Vitamin D supplementation is inexpensive; that blood levels of the vitamin are easily monitored; and that overdose is rare (though we certainly recommend checking with your doctor if you plan to supplement at the levels advocated by the Vitamin D Council).

SEE ALSO THE NYBC ENTRY:

D3 – 2500IU (This format provides a convenient way to supplement for those wishing to follow the recommendations of the Vitamin D Council; other strengths are also available at NYBC.)

Berries and cancer prevention

You may have caught some recent reports about new research findings on berries and cancer prevention. For example, our hometown newspaper, The New York Times, featured an interesting piece entitled “The Power of Berries,” on Jan. 22 2009, which detailed the accumlating evidence for the efficacy of these fruits in warding off development of cancers of the colon, esophagus, and mouth.

This article paid special attention to investigations conducted by Prof. Gary D. Stoner of the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center. Professor Stoner’s research, like that of others in the field, has built on the well-studied general association between consumption of berries (including black and red raspberries, blackberries, strawberries and elderberries) and lower rates of cancer. It has also been widely recognized that certain compounds within berries, such as anthocyanins (which give berries their color), may be responsible for their most significant cancer prevention effects.

Dr. Stoner’s research has given him even deeper insights into berries and cancer prevention, as he’s come to conclude that berries may exert a “genome-wide” anti-cancer effect, meaning that, unlike many cancer treatments that target only one cancer-promoting gene at a time, the consumption of berries may target a whole spectrum of cancer-promoting genes, causing them to shut down development of pre-cancerous and cancerous growths. All of which leads him to a recommendation: “We know berries have so many effects on processes related to cancer development. They are one of the food stuffs you probably should consider consuming every day, or at least a few times a week.”

There’s one additional, practical note to these studies of berries and cancer prevention: recent investigations have shown that freeze dried berries and berry powders can be just as effective as fresh fruit in terms of anti-cancer effects. Since it’s not always possible to eat loads of fresh berries several times a week, using a powdered berry supplement would seem to make a lot of sense for anyone interested in cancer prevention.

Here is a low-cost berry powder supplement that NYBC has carried for several years:

Berry High (Jarrow)

Berry High includes powdered forms of fruits rich in antioxidants, as well as ellagic acid, anthocyanins and other polyphenols. Each scoop (1 tablespoon) of 6 grams contains:

Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) – 58 mg
Apple juice powder – 3,130 mg
Raspberry – 372 mg
Blueberry – 50 mg
Mountain cranberry – 250 mg
Strawberry – 400 mg
Black currant powder – 200 mg
Grape juice powder – 200 mg
Lemon juice powder – 220 mg
Pineapple juice powder – 150 mg
Guava juice powder – 150 mg
Peach juice powder – 150 mg
Quercetin – 130 mg
Passion juice powder – 100 mg