Showing posts with label cardiovascular. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cardiovascular. Show all posts
Vitamin D3 Halts Inflammation to Lower Cardiovascular Disease Risk
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Thousands of research studies have demonstrated the powerful health-promoting properties of the prohormone compound, vitamin D3. Researchers publishingin The Journal of Immunology explain the specific molecular and signaling events by which vitamin D inhibits inflammation in the human body. In a very detailed analysis, scientists show that low blood circulating levels of vitamin D do not adequately inhibit the inflammatory cascade necessary to turn off this potentially destructive mechanism.
Low levels of inflammation, normally used by the body to fight pathogenic invaders, become a primary cause of heart disease, diabetes, many cancer lines and Alzheimer’s dementia. Additional evidence reportedin the British Journal of Nutrition demonstrates that adequate vitamin D levels reduce critical markers of cardiovascular health and can lead to significant reductions in body fat in overweight and obese people. It is critical to have your vitamin D level checked, and supplement as necessary to lower inflammation levels and risk of heart disease.
Vitamin D Lowers Inflammation to Prevent Chronic Disease and Stimulate Immune Response Systems
Dr. Elena Goleva, lead scientist from National Jewish Health, found that prior studies with vitamin D show a clear and positive link between blood levels of the prohormone and a variety of different health outcomes. Dr. Goleva and her team looked for specific mechanisms to explain precisely how vitamin D functions at the cellular level to prevent disease in the human body.
Dr. Goleva and her team of researchers noted that vitamin D is a catalyst that initiates “a clear chain of cellular events, from the binding of DNA, through a specific signaling pathway, to the reduction of proteins known to trigger inflammation.” To test how vitamin D acts on immune and inflammatory pathways, team scientists exposed human white blood cells to varying levels of vitamin D and exposed them to an agent known to promote intense inflammatory responses and advance disease processes.
Vitamin D Lowers Inflammatory Markers and Increases Health-Promoting HDL Cholesterol
White blood cells that were incubated with no vitamin D or a solution of 15 ng/mL produced very high levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNF-alpha. In vivo, these signaling messengers are known to be responsible for the development and progression of cardiovascular disease, certain forms of cancer and dementia. Cells incubated at a concentration of 30 ng/mL and above showed a significantly reduced response, while the highest level of inflammatory inhibition occurred at 50 ng/ml.
Supporting evidence for the health-promoting effect of vitamin D as reported in the journal BMJ shows marked improvement in cardiovascular biomarkers including HDL cholesterol. Additionally, researchers found the hormone-like substance lowered the risk of lipid peroxidation, the process responsible for making LDL cholesterol molecules sticky and prone to form atherosclerotic plaque. They also determined that high circulating levels of vitamin D were associatedwith “significant reductions in fat mass”in overweight and obese people.
There should be no doubt that the millions of people living with grossly sub-optimal vitamin D levels are dramatically increasing their risk of developing a plethora of potentially deadly illnesses. Health-minded individuals will ensure they maintain a circulating blood level of 50 to 70 ng/mL by means of a 25(OH)D blood test to regulate systemic inflammation and fight chronic disease.
Vitamin D Levels Dramatically Lower Cardiovascular Risk
Saturday, April 19, 2014
It has been widely reported that US deaths from cardiovascular disease has recently overtaken cancer as the Number 1 killer of people of all ages. The news media has been quick to blast these headlines everywhere. And the pharmaceutical companies are also quick to tell all who will listen that their latest and greatest drug will lower total cholesterol and LDL-C, thus reducing heart attack risk. If only it were that simple... and true!
The problem is that many recent reports have proven that cholesterol (and even the much maligned LDL-C) are really not your enemy. In fact, they are critical blood components which provide our bodies with the ability to synthesize new cells, form hormones and a large variety of other critical cellular functions. When these levels are artificially reduced, essential molecular duties are limited, and the homeostasis in the body is disrupted. Pharmaceutical makers (and your doctor) love the statin drugs because they predictably lower blood markers in a dose dependent manner. Take this amount of drug, and you will reduce your cholesterol by this amount. In fact, it has been demonstrated that statins help only 1 in 100 people partially avoid a second heart attack, likely through the statins ability to modestly reduce systemic inflammation. All nice and pretty... and thus a multi-billion dollar category of drugs is born.
The latest research is clearly demonstrating that arterial plaque is not directly formed by cholesterol being stuffed into the walls of our arteries, but by a very complex process which is triggered through our immune system through inflammation. Components of our white blood cells known as macrophages are actually the culprit, as they lose their protein coating in a response to arterial inflammation. It are these white blood cell macrophages which create the foamy plagues which plug up the micro openings in the arteries which occur due to excessive abuse in our body. This abuse is caused by a large number of factors, but the short list includes poor dietary factors (ined carbs, fast foods, fried foods) and high blood pressure. From the perspective of our bodies, it is attempting to save our lives, as these micro cracks in the arterial walls could easily lead our bleeding-out. It is ironic that the mechanism used to help us survive is often the same one which leads to our premature demise. Vitamin C is also critical in avoiding the micro cracks, as it assists the body to create collagen which can help to repair the tiny tears in the vessel walls. More about the role of Vitamin C in a future post.
Now that we understand that the local pharmacy does not have the answer to help us avoid cardiovascular disease, how can we eliminate this risk? The simple answer is through eating a proper diet which is low in ined carbs, sugar and especially high-fructose corn syrup and trans-fats and cooked animal fats, maintaining a healthy body weight and correcting the blood level of Vitamin D. OK, the first two we have all heard about, but the Vitamin D component just doesnt seem to get that much media attention. The very latest studies have confirmed that maintaining an optimal Vitamin D blood level of 50 - 70 ng/ml will reduce the chance of developing heart disease by 50%! As this is the primary killer of people in the US and other western countries, wouldnt that merit a major headline? Hard to believe that you probably will never hear of this information. But yet Vitamin D has been demonstrated to help blood vessels to dilate, reduce levels of dangerous triglycerides and reduce inflammatory factors in the blood. By ensuring a proper level of Vitamin D in the blood through either sun exposure (only if less than 50 years old) or supplementation (remember, in a gelcap form), we can cut in half the number of people subjected to heart disease.
If only there were millions to be made by pharmaceutical entities through the sale of Vitamin D, we could save literally millions of lives each year. Good thing you now know this vital information and can begin taking steps to protect your own health.
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