Posts Tagged ‘cardiovascular disease’

The B Vitamins-Water Soluble Vitamins

Sunday, July 25th, 2010

Over the past few weeks you’ve learned about the fat soluble vitamins. super-vegetables-e2We skipped Vitamin D, since we already have a a former blog post on the many wonderful benefits of this vitamin (see Vitamin D information to read). This week we’re moving on to the water soluble vitamins.

As a review, lets first discuss the difference between a vitamin and mineral.  A vitamin is any compound that contains carbon and therefore is organic.  There are two classes of vitamins…fat soluble A, D, E and K or water soluble, the B vitamins and vitamin C.

Minerals on the other hand do not contain carbon and are what we call inorganic.  There are macro- minerals and micro-minerals.  Macro-minerals are calcium, chloride, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and sodium.  Micro-minerals are:  chromium, iron, copper, zinc, iodine, manganese, molybdenum, selenium and iron.

There are many factors that can decrease the absorption of vitamins and minerals.  These include: alcohol, caffeine, antibiotics, stress, corticosteroids, aspirin, diuretics, oral contraceptives, sugar and tobacco.  Therefore if you lifestyle includes any of these factors and you are not well there could be a good chance that you are not absorbing your essential nutrients.  You will learn over the next few weeks the critical affect that each of the vitamins and mineral have over the health of your body.

This week we will be discussing the B Vitamins

What it is:  The B vitamins are water soluble, meaning that they are found in the “watery” parts of plants and animals. The B vitamins are known as the B complex, and are made up of several different vitamins. Because the B vitamins enhance the absorption of one another, it’s important to eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables to ensure you are getting in all of the B vitamins in your diet. Below is a list of the B Vitamins and a few of their functions (too many to list all!), and some foods that contain the B vitamin listed.

The B Vitamins

B1: Thiamin:

  • Needed for a healthy nervous system
  • Helps prevent cardiac spasms
  • Coenzyme for many biochemical reactions in the body

Found In: pork, sunflower seeds, green peas, okra, asparagus

B2: Riboflavin:

  • Required for Energy Production and metabolism of fats and carbohydrates
  • Needed for normal cell growth
  • Regenerates the body’s own antioxidant

Found in: eggs (both white and yolk), milk, mushrooms, spinach, beet greens

B3 Niacin:

  • Required for energy production and carbohydrate/fat metabolism
  • Regenerates the body’s own antioxidant
  • Helps the body use glucose and protects beta cells in the pancreas
  • Needed for synthesis of sex hormones

Found In: tuna, chicken, salmon, mushrooms, kidney beans, nectarines

B5 Panthothenic Acid:

  • Required for energy production nd metabolism of carbohydrates, fats, and protein
  • Helps prevent aging and wrinkles
  • Strengthens metabolism

Found In: shitake mushrooms, sunflower seeds, cauliflower, broccoli, egg yolks

B6 (collectively called Pyridoxine):

  • Important for health of cardiovascular and immune systems
  • Needed to release glycogen from the liver and muscles to be used by the body as fuel
  • Required for the synthesis of serotonin, a neurotransmitter
  • Needed by 100 different enzymes, each for a different biochemical reaction in the body

Found In: hot chili peppers, red/green peppers, spinach, garlic, bananas


Vitamin B12: Cobalamin

  • Helps prevent cardiovascular disease
  • Activates folate in the body
  • Enhances utilization of carbohydrates, fats and proteins, increasing energy levels

Found In: clams, mussels, crab, salmon, milk


Biotin:

  • Needed for the metabolism of fats and cholesterol
  • Needed for the synthesis of fatty acids
  • Needed for metabolism of fatty acids

Found in: eggs, mushrooms, hazelnuts, carrots, almonds


Choline:

  • Helps the body utilize fat and cholesterol (moving them from the liver)
  • Is converted to acetylcholine in the body, a neurotransmitter that affects muscle control and memory
  • Helps decrease involuntary muscle movement

Found In: eggs, cod, shrimp, broccoli, artichokes


Folate:

  • Needed for the proper growth and development of all cells—critical during pregnancy
  • Helps prevent birth defects
  • Helps protect bone marrow

Found in: asparagus, spinach, squash, collards, broccoli


We hope this information has been helpful and you reap the benefits when adding vitamin B rich foods to your diet. Remember, it’s best to eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables to ensure you are taking in all of the B Vitamins. If you have more specific questions or concerns please feel free to call us and set up a consultation either in person or over the phone.

Dorothy Lizak

Nutrition & Wellness Specialist

Resource:  The Power of Nutrient Dense Food by Pattie Weller, C.C.N

Picture by:  http://www.cosmeticsurgeryandbeauty.com/content/super-vegetables

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Benefits of Vitamin D

Saturday, November 28th, 2009


sunshine1

We’ve all heard about the importance of vitamin D in keeping our bones and teeth healthy, but studies are reporting more and more links between vitamin D and several other aspects of good health. That’s the good news. The bad news, however is that research is finding that 85-90% of us are vitamin D deficient. This can be due to a lack of sun exposure, particularly in winter, reduced intake of vitamin D rich foods and supplements, and aging (as we age we have a reduced ability to absorb, synthesize, and mobilize vitamin D).  This is a relatively new area to be explored and much more research is under way, but here are some exciting findings of what vitamin D has been linked to thus far:

1.     Decreases risk of cancer, especially breast cancer, prostate cancer and colorectal cancer. It also curbs the growth of new blood vessels, which could inhibit cancers from spreading.

2.     Maintains a healthy immune system and hormonal balance by working to regulate the building up and breaking down of body tissue.

3.     Linked to lowering the risk of diabetes.

4.     Weight loss: Several studies have shown people with higher levels of vitamin D have a leaner body mass.

5.     Improves cardiovascular health and decreased risk of heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular events by decreasing inflammation. It has also been linked to lowering blood pressure.

6.     May lower the risk of multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and autoimmune thyroid disease because of powerful anti-inflammatory effects.

7.     Helps to prevent falls and fractures. Vitamin D receptors have been found on fast-twitch muscle fibers. These are used when you have to quickly react and stop yourself from losing your balance and falling.

8.     Less risk of developing osteoporosis if our mothers had adequate levels of vitamin D during pregnancy.

9.     Vitamin D taken with calcium significantly reduces risk of bone loss as we age.

10.  Vitamin D with calcium helped to control some symptoms of PMS such as anxiety and irritability.

Symptoms of vitamin D deficiency may include muscle pain, weak bones/fractures, low energy and fatigue, difficulty sleeping, depression and mood swings. If you have kidney problems or intestinal issues such as IBS you may also be at risk of vitamin D deficiency due to poor conversion or absorption in the body.

Since there are several courses of action to increasing vitamin D levels, it’s important to discuss your options with your doctor. Increasing sun exposure (early a.m. is the best since the sun is least damaging), increasing intake of vitamin D rich foods like mackerel, sardines and egg yolks, and taking vitamin D supplements are all options. Too much vitamin D can be toxic, especially if taken orally so be sure to have your levels checked with a simple blood test your doctor can run before making changes in your vitamin D intake. If you would like more information on the health of your digestive system, feel free to contact us. Through a series of questionnaires and health history, we can determine if diet and lifestyle changes or lab testing would be beneficial to you. As always, feel free to contact us for more information or for a complimentary phone or in person consultation.

 

Dorothy Lizak

Nutrition & Wellness Specialist

 

 

 

 

 

References:

http://www.womentowomen.com/healthynutrition/vitamind.aspx

Nutrition Action: From Sun & Sea. November 2009

Photo: thank you to http://www.hawaiisunshine.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/sunshine1.jpg

 

 

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Stress and the Brain

Saturday, November 14th, 2009

We’ve all been there one way or another: You hit the snooze button too many times, leaving you with no time for breakfast and scrambling to get out of the house only to be stuck in bumper to bumper traffic all the while panicking about missing that first all important meeting at work, and it’s only 8a.m. For many of us the stress doesn’t stop there. We rush through work all the while thinking about everything we need to accomplish afterwards, whether it’s obligations with our kids, household chores, making dinner, getting to the gym, or like many of us, all of the above. As our minds keep telling us to “Go, go, go”, “Hurry up”, and “I don’t have time”, the stress placed on our bodies is telling us “I can’t keep up”, “You’re wearing me out”, “Slow down!”.                  

As we’ve mentioned in previous blogs, hippocampusthis constant stress response promotes the over-release of the stress hormone cortisol which can lead to a cascade of problems including weight gain, poor sleep, a decreased immune system, cardiovascular damage and many more. In addition, research has found that high cortisol levels can cause your hippocampus (as seen in blue in the picture on the right), a structure in your brain that is responsible for short-term memory and mood, to atrophy and SHRINK! This can actually be seen on an MRI. When this happens, you increase your risk of depression, anxiety, sleep disturbances and short-term memory loss. Researchers are also now finding that the first symptom of Alzheimer’s disease is depression.

 The good news: Scientists are now saying that the hippocampus is one of the few structures in the brain that can regenerate. This means that you CAN heal your brain by making some changes in your lifestyle. Remember, the food you eat, the thoughts that go through your head, and your exercise routine can all either help or worsen the situation. To learn more, sign up for our Wellness 101 Lecture on our events page. Workshop dates for 2010 are coming soon!

 

We’re always happy to discuss your health concerns in person or over the phone, feel free to call us for a complimentary consultation.

 

 

Dorothy Lizak

Nutrition & Wellness Specialist

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