Vitamin D Provides a Wide Range of Health Benefits: Implications for Cancer Prevention and the Treatment of Inflammatory and Metabolic Diseases

Vitamin D Provides a Wide Range of Health Benefits: Implications for Cancer Prevention and the Treatment of Inflammatory and Metabolic Diseases and the Importance of Attaining Optimal Serum Levels of 25(OH)D
Alex Vasquez, D.C., N.D.
An increasingly well-documented and consistent body of literature shows that vitamin D has clinically-significant anticancer and anti-inflammatory benefits, and that the attainment of optimal serum levels of vitamin D also confer protection against diabetes mellitus, insulin resistance, and hypertension. In this brief review, we will also discuss clinical trials that have used vitamin D in the treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome, migraine headaches, depression, epilepsy, and musculoskeletal pain. We also elucidate new guidelines for the interpretation of serum 25(OH)vitamin D levels.

Vitamin D deficiency is an underappreciated epidemic that has heretofore received insufficient attention from clinicians in all disciplines. Given the clinical consequences of hypovitatminosis D, it is indefensible that doctors fail to diagnose and treat this condition (ICD-9 code 268.x) since numerous studies have documented the remarkably high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in medical patients (Kauppinen-Makelin R, et al. J Intern Med.
2001 Jun;249(6):559-63 and Thomas MK,...et al. N.Eng! J..Med. 1998 Mar !9;338(12):777-83). This article will ­serve to update clinicians on the diagnosis and treatment of this important and common health problem, and we have included our recommendations for laboratory testing to facilitate the clinical applicability of this information.
Vitamin D is metabolized in two distinct pathways: 1) endocrine-relevant to calcium absorption and bone metabolism, and 2) autocrine-relevant to the modulation of intracellular processes such as differentiation, proliferation, inflammation, and gene transcription. Relatedly, vitamin D deficiency is seen in two distinct forms: 1) acute deficiency diseases such as rickets and hypocalcemia, and 2) long-latency deficiency diseases which
manifest only after years of subacute deficiency (Heaney RP. Am J Clin Nutr. 2003 Nov;78(5):912-9). According to the current research literature, long-term vitamin D deficiency contributes to an increased risk for cancer, type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, hypertension, and insulin resistance, and each of these clinical entities will be discussed in the sections that follow.
· Cancer: Cancer risk and vitamin D deficiency go hand-in-hand. The risk of cancer in humans increases in direct proportion to the reduction in sun exposure, a fact that has been repeatedly verified since its first publication more than 60 years ago. Based on this extensive data, Dr William Grant has estimated that at least 23,000 and perhaps as many as 47,000 cancer deaths might be prevented each year in America if we employed simple interventions to raise vitamin D levels (Cancer 2002;94:1867-75).
· Hypertension: Suboptimal levels of vitamin D increase the risk for and severity of hypertension, and augmentation of vitamin D levels with sunlight or oral supplementation safely and consistently reduces blood pressure in hypertensive patients (PfeiferM, et al. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2001 Apr;86:1633-7
· Insulin resistance: Patients with vitamin D deficiency show an increased prevalence of insulin resistance.
Authors of a recent study concluded that improving vitamin D status such as with oral supplementation could improve insulin sensitivity by 60%, indicating that vitamin D treatment ''is more potent than either troglitazone or metformin treatment (54% and 13% improvement in insulin sensitivity, 0 respectively.)"o (Chiu KC, et al. Am J Clin Nutr 2004; 79:820-5).
· Depression: Vitamin D administration was shown to improve mood within 5 days of treatment in a controlled clinical trial of patients with wintertime depression (Lansdowne AT, Provost SC. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 1998;135:319-23)
· Epilepsy: VitapJin D deficiency can cause seizures. Medications used to treat epilepsy commonly cause vitamin D deficiency, which can then result in iatrogenic epilepsy (All FE, et al. Ann Pharmacother . 2004;38:1002-5). Administration of vitamin D shows an anticonvulsant benefit (Christiansen C, et al. Br Med J. 1974;2:258-9).
· Polycystic ovary syndrome: Vitamin D deficiency was highly prevalent among 13 women with PCOS, and supplementation with 1,500 mg of calcium per day and 50,000 IV of vitamin D2 on a weekly basis normalized menstruation and/or fertility in nine of nine women with PCOS-related menstrual irregularities within three months of treatment (Thys-Jacobs S, et al. Steroids 1999;64:430-5)
· Osteoarthritis and musculoskeletal pain: Osteoarthritis develops more frequently and progresses more rapidly in patients who are deficient in vitamin D. Vitamin D deficiency is alarmingly common in patients
We have an inexpensive BIOAVAILABLE emulsified Vitamin D that lasts a few months. Best yet, it is not a pill!
Ask our staff for the Bio-D-Mulsion.

Medication vs. Natural Health Care for Pain

Here is some of the research about pain and the use of natural health care. A common misconception that many patients have about treating pain is that the drugs they are taking are actually doing some good. Pain medication does not heal or repair a problem—it only offers temporary relief. That relief comes at a price. Pain medication causes problems.
Arthritis patients take NSAIDs regularly without realizing that they actually interfere with cartilage repair. These drugs are linked to high blood pressure, kidney failure, heart failure, ulceration of the GI tract, and some drugs even interfere with bone repair.
According to research appearing in the American Journal of Medicine, “Conservative calculations estimate that approximately 107,000 patients are hospitalized annually for nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID)-related gastrointestinal (GI) complications and at least 16,500 NSAID-related deaths occur each year among arthritis patients alone. The figures for all NSAID users would be overwhelming, yet the scope of this problem is generally under appreciated”
The drugs have side effects and some would even say that they are dangerous, but what are we to do? Many people have pain, and relief is a priority for them. Chronic pain is the most costly health problem in America, with an estimated annual cost of about $90 billion per year. This cost includes lost productivity, legal costs, doctors’ visits and medication; 80% of all visits to the doctor are pain related. An estimated 40 million Americans have arthritis or other rheumatic condition. That number is expected to climb to 59.4 million, or 18.2% of the population, by the year 2020, according to a new report published as a collaborative effort between the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Arthritis Foundation, and the American College of Rheumatology. Approximately 12% of all Americans suffer from migraine headaches. Nine out of 10 migraine sufferers report they can’t “function normally” during days in which a migraine strikes. Three out of 10 migraine sufferers require bed rest when suffering from a migraine.
In 2001, over 13 million people saw a physician for the treatment of back pain. According to the NIH, 65 to 80% of all people have back pain at some time in their life. Half of all working Americans admit to having back pain symptoms each year. Back pain costs an estimated $50 billion each year.
Our politics and the FDA seem to favor drug therapies. For example, there is a product made from a patented extract of skullcap that would have been worth mentioning in this article. The manufacturer is worried about any claims being made about the product—because it may cause problems with the FDA.
It has outperformed COX-2 inhibitors in clinical studies, but the manufacturer can’t compare the product head-to-head with drugs. It has improved WOMAC scores on arthritis patients, but the manufacturer can’t say that the product treats joint pain. They can say that the WOMAC score is improved, but can’t say what WOMAC is—because it contains the word “arthritis” (it is a pain-rating scale).
In the mean time, products that are linked to high blood pressure, kidney failure, heart failure, and death can make claims. Maybe the reason so many older Americans take so many drugs is because they start young—with pain medication (that help to destroy joints—making sure that they continue to need them) and safe alternative products are not allowed to make claims.

The “New” Belly Fat Diet... Why It Works

The diet claims to target that “sometimes stubborn” weight right around the middle, the BELLY FAT. The recent book “The Flat Belly Diet” by the editors of Prevention Magazine has people talking about how to have a flat belly and it has people talking about MUFAs. MUFA is short for Mono-Unsaturated Fatty Acids the GOOD fats found in olive oil, nuts, seeds, and avocados.

The creators of the Flat Belly Diet got interested when a group of Spanish researchers published a study in the journal “Diabetes Care” showing that eating a diet rich in MUFAs could help PREVENT abdominal weight gain. The researchers studied three diets: one high in saturated fat, another high in carbohydrates, and a third rich in MUFAs on a group of patients with “abdominal fat distribution” which is the scientific way a saying “belly fat”. All three diets contained the same amount of calories but only the MUFA diet was found to reduce belly fat.

Let me emphasize that this was not a reduced calorie diet with a lot of exercise. The participants who simply ate more MUFAs lost belly fat.

MUFAs are in the “good” fat category along with polyunsaturated fats and omega 3 fish
oils. These “good fats” are an important energy source. They are used by the body in the production of cell membranes and hormones, and help the body absorb nutrients.

Prevention magazine’s Flat Belly Diet isn’t so much about eating LESS, eating LOW FAT, or eating LOW CARBS, it’s about eating moderate amounts of MUFAs with every meal.
Another study cited in the book “Flat Belly Diet” was given to illustrate the fat burning power of these mono-unsaturated fatty acids.
The study was performed in Australia. It compared fat-burning rates after two different types of breakfasts: one with saturated fat from cream, and the other with MUFAs from olive oil.
The group that had the MUFA breakfast burned significantly more body fat in the 5 hours following breakfast, particularly in the subjects with greater abdominal fat, which suggest the MUFA breakfast actually SHIFTED the body into more of a fat “burning” mode.

The data is impressive, but as a chiropractor I’m always interested in the nutritional integrity
of the diet. Many research studies have looked at the link between MUFA intake and life expectancy. A follow up to the Italian Longitudinal Study on Aging 8 1/2 years later found that a higher MUFA intake was associated with an increase of survival. There was no effect found in any other selected food group.

Another study done in Greece found that the exclusive use of olive oil in food preparation
was associated with a 47 % lower likelihood of having cardiovascular disease. Olive oil has been shown to reduce levels of LDL cholesterol. Research has shown that olive oil as well as other MUFAs found in plant fats including nuts, seeds, and avocados have been shown to reduce rates of type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, breast cancer and inflammation.

MUFAs are responsible for healthier blood pressure, brain function, and lung function. I think you get the idea. From a nutritional viewpoint, the new Flat Belly Diet is very similar to what some call the Mediterranean diet. Mediterranean countries have considerably less heart disease than in the U.S. The biggest difference with the flat belly diet is that you eat 400 calories each meal, you never go more that 4 hours without eating, and you eat a moderate amount of MUFAs at every meal. You can learn more about the book and the diet at Prevention Magazine’s website…. flatbellydiet.com.

As many of you know, monounsaturated fats or MUFAs are found in almond butter, natural peanut butter, pumpkin seeds, canola oil, sesame oil, olive oil, peanuts, pine nuts, brazil nuts, hazel nuts, walnuts, cashews, sunflower seeds, green and black olives, avocados, and best of
all dark chocolate. Now that's what I'm talking about!

YES YOU CAN ask about the Flat Belly Diet, I’d say give it a thumbs up,
but with just one qualifier. Remember to keep a balance of the other GOOD fats as
well, omega3 fatty acids found in fish or high quality supplements. I tell patients:
think “lifestyle change" rather than a diet, which means of course less of the saturated fats, animal fats like butter, cream, the fatty marbling in meats, and absolutely stay away from the hydrogenated oils and trans fats in processed foods.

Coffee

Although coffee is one of the most heavily researched commodities and studies have spanned decades, there is still much controversy surrounding its effects on health. Study after study is performed--often with conflicting results--and it seems there is always a new study out to discount the last one.

For example, one 2004 study found that drinking coffee disrupted short-term word recall. This was promptly followed up by research published the following year, showing that the equivalent of two cups of coffee could improve short-term memory, prioritizing information efficiently, planning new tasks, and dealing with stored information.

I wonder who paid for the latter research? Hmmm.

Should You Drink Coffee?

It appears that drinking coffee may interfere with your body's ability to keep homocysteine and cholesterol levels in check, most likely by inhibiting the action of the vitamins folate, B12 or B6. Coffee has been previously associated with increased risk of stroke and rheumatoid arthritis. Studies have also shown that caffeine in coffee can raise blood pressure and levels of stress hormones, and if consumed in large quantities it can lead to heart palpitations, jitters and nervousness.

With that said, coffee is clearly not the healthiest liquid to drink – your best choice is pure water -- but coffee is still far less dangerous than fruit juice or soda.
While I do believe that eliminating, or at the very least limiting, coffee should be one of your goals. You'll definitely want to eliminate soda and fruit juice from your beverage list first.

There are, however, some important facets of coffee that you should know before you have your next morning cup.

The Dangers of Caffeine During Pregnancy

Pregnant women should NEVER drink coffee.

Caffeine is a stimulant drug that easily passes through the placenta to your developing fetus and is also transferred through breast milk.
During pregnancy and in infants, the half-life of caffeine is increased, which means that it will stay in your body, and your infant's body, longer. Moreover, fetuses have no ability to detoxify caffeine.
Research suggests that drinking more than 300 mg of coffee daily, or the equivalent of two to three 8-ounce cups, may increase the risk of miscarriage, birth defects such as cleft palate, and low birth weight. But as I mentioned above, I don't believe that ANY amount coffee is safe when you're pregnant.
Even with moderate caffeine intake, when the woman experiences no effects, studies have found changes in both the mother's and the fetal heart rate and blood pressure. Preliminary studies also suggest that drinking four cups of coffee or more per day may put the infant at an increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
Caffeine may also make it more difficult for women to maintain necessary levels of iron and calcium, which are especially important during pregnancy.

Would you like your coffee with cream and DDT?

There Probably Are Pesticides in Your Java. Coffee also has the issue of pesticide contamination, which is particularly harmful during pregnancy.

Coffee is usually not grown in the United States and we therefore have no control over which and how many pesticides are sprayed on coffee crops. And coffee is a heavily sprayed crop, so drinking coffee is likely to expose you to a dose of pesticides with each cup.

Pesticides have been associated with a number of health problems such as:
Prostate cancer and other cancers
Parkinson's Disease
Miscarriages
Aside from any pesticide residues that make it into your brew, there's also the issue of whether buying coffees grown with the help of potentially harmful chemicals contributes to the destruction of the environment and threatens the health of poor coffee farm workers.
If you choose to drink coffee, drinking organic coffee will hopefully reduce or eliminate your exposure to toxic herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers, and would be a more environmentally conscientious choice. The only drawback is that many of the 45 countries where coffee is produced have less control and monitoring for compliance to organic practices.

Avoid Coffee if You Have Certain Health Issues

Since coffee is a stimulant it will only worsen symptoms of insomnia and anxiety, and should definitely be avoided if you're already suffering from either. People with panic or anxiety disorders may find that they are especially sensitive to caffeine and may find that even a small amount of the stimulant exacerbates their symptoms.
Similarly, the caffeine will linger in your body for hours after you drink it, so it might keep you up at night even if you drink it long before bedtime.

-Personal experience: I drank an iced coffee this month, because I was tired. I only drink coffee about once per month, if that. Well, at 1:30 pm I drank, I was fine. By 6pm I was dry heaving. I know it was from the coffee. My Lebanese friends used give me strong imported Lebanese coffee to drink because we were studying and I still had no effects from the caffeine. It was only until the past efew years that I actually developed the "normal" caffeine drug effects.

For those with high blood pressure, a general rule is that the more caffeine you drink in a day, the higher your blood pressure will be. So if you are already at the higher end of the scales, drinking coffee will only increase your blood pressure further.

Also Protein Nutritional Types do not do well with caffeine and should only consume coffee or tea in small quantities, and not in the late afternoon or evening, as it will likely keep them up. (However this can be a good thing if you are using coffee as a drug for jet lag).

How to Wean Yourself off Coffee

If you try to stop drinking coffee "cold turkey" you will likely experience symptoms of withdrawal. According to one study, the more caffeine you use, the worse your withdrawal symptoms will be. This is because even small amounts of caffeine, such as one standard cup of coffee a day, can create an addiction. For those who consume it regularly, cutting even the smallest amount of caffeine could result in a range of withdrawal symptoms such as:

Headache
Fatigue or drowsiness
Depression and irritability
Lack of concentration
Flu-like symptoms such as nausea and muscle pain

This can be avoided by cutting down the amount you drink gradually over a period of days, or even weeks. It's also important to drink plenty of water during the process in order to keep your body well hydrated.

If you find that you miss your morning coffee-drinking ritual, replace it with a new tradition that will also boost your health and energy. Vegetable juice makes a great coffee replacement. It will give you the energy boost that you're looking for in the morning without the negative effects of caffeine.

While you're in the process of weaning yourself off coffee, here are some tips to reduce the chance of harmful effects until you can completely eliminate it:

Use organic coffee. As mentioned above, coffee is a heavily sprayed crop, so drinking organic coffee might reduce or eliminate your exposure to toxic herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers. It will also help the people working in the coffee fields, as they will be exposed to fewer pesticides as well.

Try "Swiss Water Process" decaf. If you are going to drink decaffeinated coffee, be sure that it uses a non-chemical based method of decaffeination. The "Swiss Water Process" is a patented method and is the best choice. Most of the major brands are chemically decaffeinated, even if it says "naturally decaffeinated" right on the container. If you are unsure of the methods, contact the manufacturer.
Avoid sugar and milk. These are actually much worse for you than the coffee itself. Don't compound the detrimental health effects by adding milk or sugar to your coffee.

Only use unbleached filters. If you use a "drip" coffee maker, be sure to use non-bleached filters. The bright white ones, which most people use, are chlorine bleached and some of this chlorine will be extracted from the filter during the brewing process.