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Vitamin C shown to improve blood sugar levels and reduce blood pressure in patients with type 2 diabetes

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently reported that fully one third of the American population is prediabetic, with elevated blood sugar (glucose) levels that can – if untreated – lead to full-blown type 2 diabetes.  Diabetes, which currently affects over 30 million Americans, causes the risk of heart disease to skyrocket – and can feature serious complications such as nerve damage, kidney disease, and retinal damage.

Now, a brand-new Australian study shows that vitamin C can lower elevated blood glucose in type 2 diabetics, helping to control dangerous after-meal surges and “spikes.”

The misunderstood health benefits of vitamin C
Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, is a potent natural antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immune system booster.  Thankfully, a handful of forward-thinking doctors – early vitamin C pioneers such as Dr. Frederick Klenner, Linus Pauling, Dr. Mathias Rath, and Thomas E. Levy, MD, JD – have long spoken out about the ability of vitamin C to treat, and even reverse, a host of serious conditions.

In the 1940s, Dr. Klenner reported curing a variety of diseases, including polio and hepatitis, with high-dose vitamin C – while in the present day, Dr. Paul Marik, Professor of Medicine of Eastern Virginia Medical School, administers a vitamin C protocol that drastically improves survival rates for patients suffering from sepsis, a life-threatening systemic infection.

But the therapeutic value of this non-toxic, inexpensive natural nutrient has been consistently downplayed by the medical powers-that-be. Time and again, the mainstream medical community seems to have greeted even the most impressive vitamin C studies with indifference, suspicion, and even scorn.

Fortunately, well-designed scientific studies on vitamin C’s benefit are accumulating – as manifested by this latest study, conducted by an international team of researchers and published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.

Study: Vitamin C can reduce blood sugar spikes by a substantial 36 percent
In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study published in 2019 in Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism, adult participants with type 2 diabetes were randomly divided into two groups. One group took 1,000 mg of ascorbic acid in divided doses every day for four months, while the other group received a placebo.

Participants were given standardized meals, and their glucose levels were monitored continuously for 48 hours.  The results were clear-cut.

The vitamin C group experienced significantly lower after-meal blood sugar levels – reducing by roughly three hours the time spent every day in hyperglycemia – a state of elevated blood glucose.

Why is this important?

Research has shown that blood sugar “spikes” damage cells in multiple ways, and are linked to heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, peripheral neuropathy, kidney failure, cognitive dysfunction, and retinal damage.

Clearly, the less time spent in hyperglycemia – the better.  However, better glucose control wasn’t the only benefit for the participants in the vitamin C group.

The ascorbic acid also lowered elevated blood pressure – a primary risk factor for heart disease.

The team reported that participants’ blood pressure readings dropped by an average of 7 mmHg in the systolic number (which measures the pressure exerted by heartbeats) and by 5 mmHg in the diastolic (which measures the pressure in between beats).

Incidentally, the vitamin C group also experienced a significant lessening of disease-promoting oxidative stress.  The researchers concluded that the study provided evidence for use of vitamin C as an adjunct therapy to improve control of blood sugar and blood pressure in people with type 2 diabetes.

In one study, which was published in Journal of the American College of Nutrition, researchers evaluated the daily vitamin C intake of 108 men.  They found that men in the group with the highest levels of vitamin C intake had a 66 percent less chance of developing coronary heart disease – the number one killer in the United States – than men in the lowest-intake group.  In other words, men who consumed higher levels of vitamin C were two-thirds more likely to avoid developing heart disease.

Researchers believe that this beneficial effect is due to vitamin C’s ability to prevent and alleviate endothelial dysfunction – the stiffening of arterial walls that interferes with the healthy flow of oxygen-rich blood.

And, in a 2003 observational study conducted by researchers at Harvard Medical School and published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 85,000 female nurses were followed for 16 years.  Women who took supplemental vitamin C reduced their risk of heart disease by a hefty 28 percent.

Researchers credit vitamin C with improving electrical conduction throughout the heart muscle, reducing inflammation, and decreasing clotting factors – which contribute to stroke risk.  Vitamin C also appears to help protect against two other heart problems: atrial fibrillation – a type of irregular heartbeat – and dilated cardiomyopathy, a harmful enlargement and weakening of the heart.

How much vitamin C do I need a day?
According to natural health experts, the current vitamin C RDAs advised by the Office of Dietary Supplements are good for a laugh – and not much else.

Vitamin C proponents note that the ODS recommendations – a paltry 75 to 90 mg of vitamin C a day – are enough to prevent the severe form of vitamin C deficiency known as scurvy, but not enough to maintain optimal health or combat disease.

Knowledgeable integrative and functional doctors usually advise taking anywhere from 1,000 to 6,000 mg of vitamin C a day, in divided doses – with even higher levels recommended for serious chronic conditions.

As the studies suggest, daily supplementation with inexpensive, non-toxic vitamin C can provide major protective dividends to the heart – while helping to regulate blood sugar levels. Clearly, having optimal levels of this essential micronutrient is a “win/win” scenario.

Be sure to check out our vast selection of Vitamin C supplements at Whitaker’s Natural Market on your next visit!

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Type 2 diabetes risk linked to a lesser-known vitamin deficiency, multiple studies reveal the truth

According to a 2018 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the current number of American adults living with type 2 diabetes stands at over 30 million. 

Why does this matter?
We know that type 2 diabetes, a potentially life-threatening condition, can have devastating consequences that include nerve damage, kidney damage, retinopathy, Alzheimer’s disease, and a much greater risk of heart disease.

Yet, we know (based on science) that supplementation with an underappreciated vitamin – vitamin K – can drastically reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

In recent years, researchers have uncovered vitamin K’s role in proper blood clotting and the mineralization of bones – as well as its ability to prevent arterial calcification (plaque).  What is not as well known, however, is vitamin K’s important role in glucose metabolism.

Warning: Insulin resistance can set the stage for type 2 diabetes

Insulin – a hormone produced in the pancreas – helps cells absorb glucose from carbohydrates, thereby reducing blood sugar and providing the cells with glucose for energy.  The trouble begins when the body becomes resistant to insulin – or fails to make enough. Insulin resistance can, in turn, lead to high blood sugar, and the eventual onset of type 2 diabetes.

Insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes are brought about by environmental and lifestyle factors – such as overweight, obesity, a diet high in carbohydrates and sugar, and lack of exercise.

Unlike type 1 diabetes, which results from autoimmune destruction of the insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas, type 2 diabetes is preventable.  By the way, it’s worth noting, about 90 percent of all people with diabetes have type 2.

Clearly, an urgent need exists for natural, non-toxic interventions against type 2 diabetes.  And, recent studies reveal vitamin K as a strong candidate.

Study yields clear-cut results: Ramping up vitamin K intake slashes your risk of diabetes

In a 2016 study published in the prestigious American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers found that subjects who increased their dietary vitamin K intake reduced their diabetes risk by a whopping 51 percent.

The team even discovered a precise formula for measuring the reduction: a 17 percent less risk of type 2 diabetes for every additional 100 mcg of vitamin K a day.  This encouraging study was only the beginning of a cascade of research highlighting the preventative effects of vitamin K on diabetes.

Multiple studies involving hundreds of adult participants have demonstrated that vitamin K supplementation, at amounts ranging from 500 mcg to 1,000 mcg a day, significantly increased beneficial insulin sensitivity and reduced insulin levels – often within four weeks.

If high levels of vitamin K acted against type 2 diabetes, could low levels of the nutrient be linked with the disease?  This was the question researchers set out to answer in a 2018 study published in Journal of Nutrition and Biochemistry.

And, the answer was clear.

The team found that people with type 2 diabetes had blood levels of vitamin K that were 2.7 times lower than those of a control group of non-diabetic participants of the same age.

More good news: Vitamin K combats obesity that can contribute to diabetes

In an influential Dutch study, researchers gave 214 post-menopausal women either 180 mcg a day of vitamin K2 or a placebo for three years.  Keep in mind, vitamin K exists in two forms – vitamin K1 (phylloquinone) from plant foods, and vitamin K2 (menaquinone) from animal products.  Both forms have been shown in studies to benefit glucose control, but some research has shown vitamin K2 to be the more effective of the two.

The researchers found that the supplementary vitamin K2 activated Gla proteins, which are important in bone and mineral metabolism.  The participants in the vitamin K2 group who showed the largest increase in Gla protein activity also experienced significant reductions in harmful abdominal fat.

And the good news kept on coming: the vitamin K group also had substantial reductions in body mass index, waist and hip circumference, and waist-to-hip ratio – when compared to the placebo group. These benefits, of course, translate to a lowered risk of developing metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.

Vitamin K also appears to fight against obesity and overweight by boosting levels of adiponectin, a beneficial hormone that helps regulate the metabolism of sugars.  In addition, studies have shown that vitamin K reduces the activity of nuclear factor kappa B, a primary driver of inflammation.

In the latest medical research, vitamin K is beginning to receive credit for fighting diabetes through multiple mechanisms.  In an extensive overview of studies published last year in Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice, the authors credited vitamin K2 with improving insulin sensitivity through its anti-inflammatory and lipid-lowering properties.

Action steps: Prevent diabetes with natural techniques

You can increase your dietary intake of vitamin K with cruciferous vegetables and leafy greens, including broccoli, cabbage, spinach, and kale. Vitamin K is also found in meat, dairy products, and fermented foods – such as grass-fed beef liver, organic chicken breast, yogurt, and raw cheese.

Interestingly, your body produces small amounts of vitamin K as well, courtesy of beneficial bacterial in the gut microbiome.  The National Institutes of Health currently recommends an adequate daily intake of 120 mcg of vitamin K for men and 90 mcg for women.
However, if you are dealing with insulin resistance or blood sugar issues, vitamin K supplementation may be recommended.

Note: If you have already been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, vitamin K can still help control blood sugar levels. And, in addition to helping regulate glucose, vitamin K is believed to help prevent cancer, heart disease, and osteoporosis.

With diabetes claiming way too many lives every year throughout the world, it’s time to take this devastating disease more seriously. You can reduce your chances of developing type 2 diabetes by getting sufficient exercise, cutting down on simple carbohydrates, eliminating refined sugars, and eating fiber-rich foods in addition to supplementing with Vitamin K.

Be sure to check out our Vitamin K rich foods such as Grassfed Beef Liver, Organic Chicken, Grassfed Raw Cheese, Cabbage, Spinach, Fermented Foods, and more as well as our Vitamin K supplements at Whitaker’s Natural Market on your next visit!

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The cancer fighting benefits of Coenzyme Q10

Coenzyme Q10, or CoQ10, is a substance found in every cell of our body. It is in a variety of foods, and healthy people are not likely to develop a deficiency of this nutrient. But, you might want to think about taking in some extra CoQ10 – especially if you’re taking a statin to lower your cholesterol levels.

CoQ10 has many potential health benefits, including possibly lowering the risk of certain cancers. Women, especially, should take note, since recent research points to links between breast cancer risk and lower levels of CoQ10 in the blood.

Clearing up the confusion about CoQ10
Coenzyme Q10 is technically not a vitamin because your body can synthesize it, so you do not need to get it from food. However, its structure is similar to that of vitamins. Also like vitamins, it acts as a coenzyme functions in your body’s metabolic reactions.

CoQ10 also has powerful antioxidant properties. For example, it helps prevent harmful oxidation of LDL cholesterol, and it supplements the work of vitamin E, or tocopherol. When your blood levels of CoQ10 are lower, your body needs more vitamin E from the diet to carry out heart-healthy antioxidant reactions.

What are the health benefits associated with CoQ10?

  • Lower risk of dementia
  • Improved heart health
  • Increased exercise performance

Can a Coenzyme Q10 deficiency increase the risk of cancer?
Since the 1960s, researchers have noted associations between lower blood levels of CoQ10 and cancer. People with lymphoma, myeloma, and lung, head, neck, and prostate cancers tend to have lower levels of CoQ10.

A recent study looking into links between CoQ10 and breast cancer examined data from nearly 1,000 women aged 40 to 70 in the Shanghai Women’s Health Study. Those who had serum levels of CoQ10 in the bottom fifth of participants had a 90 percent greater chance of being diagnosed with breast cancer than those whose levels were in the middle fifth.

“The current Shanghai Women’s Health Study, with relatively larger sample size and longer follow-up time suggests an inverse association for plasma CoQ10 levels with breast cancer risk in Chinese women,” according to study authors Robert V. Cooney of the University of Hawaii and colleagues. Based on these results, future research should investigate potential effects of supplementation on the risk of breast cancer.

The study also confirmed the association between low CoQ10 and higher risk of cervical cancer, myeloma, and melanoma. This makes the results relevant to men as well as women. This study is far from definitive, but it seems likely that there is a link between healthy CoQ10 levels and reduction in cancer risk.
 
CoQ10 is in a variety of foods, including meat, fish, and eggs, and organ meats, such as heart, kidney, and liver, are especially rich sources. You can also find CoQ10 in plant-based foods, such as cauliflower, peanuts, and strawberries.  Remember, you can obtain additional benefits, with ease, by supplementing your diet with a high quality CoQ10 supplement. 

Be sure to check out our selection of CoQ10 rich foods and CoQ10 Supplements at Whitaker’s Natural Market on your next visit!

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Pomegranate’s Performance-Boosting Potential Confirmed

Pomegranate provides a natural way to boost athletic performance, increasing the time to exhaustion by more than 1.5 minutes among a group of amateur cyclists. Could pomegranate give you a similar athletic improvement?

Pomegranate, the “jewel of winter,” is one fruit you should have on your radar if you’re interested in boosting your physical performance. This applies not only to athletes but also to anyone who’s an avid exerciser — or wishes they were. By enjoying pomegranate, it’s possible that you could gain more stamina for your weekend jog or morning aerobics session, leading to body-wide benefits.

While pomegranate is perhaps most well-known for its antioxidant properties, impressive as they are, this leathery-skinned berry is also a rich source of dietary nitrates — and therein lies their performance-enhancing potential.
 
Pomegranate Increases Time to Exhaustion, Heavy Breathing
Writing in the journal Nutrients, researchers conducted a study involving 26 amateur cyclists, who received either pomegranate or a placebo daily for 14 days.

They then engaged in an exercise session similar to a long-distance cycling race, such that they cycled for 90 minutes at moderate intensity, followed by a more intense stint, in which they increased their intensity every three minutes to the point of exhaustion, as you would in the final leg of a race.

After a five-minute recovery period, they then did six sets up barbell step ups (stepping up and down on a bench) to induce muscle damage, markers of which were subsequently measured, as was their eventual recovery.

For the next phase of the study, the cyclists repeated the test 15 days later but swapped the pomegranate for placebo, and vice versa, so that each participant carried out the exercise tests while taking pomegranate and again while taking a placebo. The results?

Pomegranate significantly increased the cyclists’ time to exhaustion — by an average of 94 seconds. It also led to improvements in what’s known as the second ventilatory threshold, or VT2, putting it off by an average of 55 seconds.

Your VT2 is the point during exercise when lactate has accumulated in your blood, you need to breathe heavily, and you can no longer carry out a conversation. By staving off these two markers, pomegranate could easily mean the difference between winning or losing a race — or in the case of your personal exercising, help you work out a little bit longer and faster.

The study also found that pomegranate could help to restore force in damaged muscles, bolstering a number of studies that have hinted at pomegranate’s benefits to muscle recovery.
 
Pomegranate Power
There are 335 abstracts related to pomegranate research — a signal of just how powerful an ally this fruit can be for your health. In terms of exercise alone, consuming pomegranate makes sense and can:

  • Decrease oxidative damage caused by exercise
  • Accelerate healing of exercise-related muscle damage and muscle soreness
  • Improve whole-body strength and feelings of vitality
  • Enhance blood flow, increasing the delivery of oxygen and thereby likely boosting performance

Pomegranate has been prized since ancient times as both a symbol of love and a powerful medicinal tonic, traditionally used for treating everything from parasites and snake bites to bronchitis and diabetes. If you’re willing to put in the effort to remove the arils — the juicy casings that enclose the seeds – you’ll be rewarded with multiple health benefits, not to mention a tasty treat.

Pomegranate may favorably influence hundreds of diseases, particularly oxidative stress, Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and prostate cancer. Pomegranate may offset oxidative stress by enhancing your body’s antioxidant responses – another way it’s useful for athletic performance.

If you’re looking for an easy way to enjoy this powerhouse fruit, wash it well and slice it horizontally. While holding it firmly over a bowl (cut side down), simply hit the back with a wooden spoon until the arils fall out.

If you don’t plan to eat them all right away, pomegranate arils can be refrigerated in an airtight container or frozen for several months. They make a great addition to smoothies and salads, or eat them plain as a healthy snack.

Be sure to pick up some delicious juicy Organic Pomegranates from our produce section on your next visit to Whitaker’s Natural Market. 

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Black Cohosh Better Than Prozac for Menopause

Do you feel fear or worry regarding the onset of menopause, either for yourself or someone you love? Antidepressants and hormone treatments may be the popular prescriptions, but before you take medications with serious risks, learn about the incredible results of black cohosh for those pesky, sweaty, hot flashy nights

Even in the modern day, there are abundant myths and mysteries surrounding menopause, the period in a woman’s life that occurs 12 months after her last menstrual cycle.

Perimenopause, the transition period before menopause, is marked by hormonal changes leading to the cessation of menses.

Both phases, hereafter collectively referred to as menopause, are characterized by physical and psycho-social changes that lend to the stories surrounding women’s behaviors, thoughts, and feelings during this time of transition.

Menopause can range from a few months to several years in duration and is spurred by decreased estrogen production in the ovaries. These hormonal shifts can have associated and, at times, unpleasant side-effects, which may be managed through holistic or pharmacological interventions, or a combination of the two modalities.

Historically, some have prescribed to the belief that “the change” brings about an unwelcome and inevitable reality, both for women and the men in their lives. Is it any wonder that the “fix” has become to prescribe mood-altering drugs, or to attempt to “put back” the hormones that the passage of time is depleting? In truth, this natural cessation of fertility need not be synonymous with a distressing or unpleasant experience.

Antidepressants are widely prescribed for menopause symptoms ranging from depression and low libido, to anxiety and social isolation. Instead of directly addressing the emotional aspects of aging, empty-nesting, and our physiological need for strong social bonds, modern medical dogma is to simply prescribe a pill in hopes that these uncomfortable feelings will disappear.

Beyond the emotional and psychological impacts, vasomotor symptoms are commonly experienced during perimenopause up to full menopause. Changes in body temperature such as flushing and night sweats are frequently reported, and the condition known as “hot flashes” can onset. According to a 2008 study, nearly 80% of peri- and postmenopausal women reported experiencing some or all of these symptoms.

Medicating Menopause: A Risky Prescription
A popular treatment administered to menopausal women in the U.S. is ERT, or estrogen replacement therapy. While it may seem natural to replace fading endogenous hormones with an exogenous supply, warning bell has been sounded regarding potentially harmful side effects. ERT has been linked to cancer, cardiovascular disease and stroke, among other concerning outcomes.

Another prescribed treatment for vasomotor symptoms is gabapentin, known by the brand name Neurontin, an anti-seizure drug used to treat nerve pain and conditions such as restless leg syndrome. Also prescribed for anxiety, gabapentin has a high potential for addiction and misuse, and can have undesirable side effects such as slurred speech, blurred vision, and impaired motor function. Even worse, Neurontin has been linked to cases of suicidal idealization5s and respiratory failure, among other serious side effects.

Another option frequently prescribed are the broad spectrum of mood-altering and antidepressant drugs. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, SSRIs, and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, SNRIs are often the first course of treatment when a menopausal patient complains of depression, lethargy, or hormonal issues.     

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, women are 2.5 times more likely to be prescribed an antidepressant than men. Nearly 23% of woman ages 40 to 59 are taking antidepressant medication in the U.S., more than any other age-sex group.

Validated by Science: Natural Options for Hormonal Balance
While natural options for managing menopause may not be routinely prescribed by allopathic physicians, science has validated that black cohosh is a viable treatment for several discomforting symptoms of this life-changing transition.

This double-blind placebo-controlled study, found that black cohosh (scientific name: Cimicifuga Racemosa) was “equipotent” to mixed-estrogen drugs for relief from vasomotor symptoms, and for improving markers of bone metabolism, a factor related to osteoporosis.
What’s not equal when comparing most plant medicines to pharmaceuticals are potential adverse effects. Premarin®, a popular mixed-estrogen drug, has a warning label that cites increased risks of heart attack, cancer, blood clots, and stroke, while studies involving a 12-month course of treatment with black cohosh root (the part of the plant used in herbal formulations) show it was administered with no known adverse effects.

Another impressive study pitting black cohosh against a popular prescription involves Prozac® for treatment of postmenopausal symptoms. The 2007 study, published in Advances in Therapy, compared questionnaires from 120 healthy women with menopausal symptoms who rated such factors as quality of life, depression scores, and frequency and severity of vasomotor symptoms like flushing and night sweats.

Women in this study were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 groups, with one group receiving fluoxetine (generic form of Prozac®) and the other group receiving black cohosh. The women were surveyed before, during, and after the study, for a period of six months. They kept daily diaries recording the number and intensity of hot flashes and night sweats, as well as completing several standardized questionnaires.

Results of this study showed that black cohosh reduced overall scores for hot flushes and night sweats better than Prozac®. At the end of the sixth months of treatment, black cohosh reduced the hot flash score by 85%, compared with a 62% result for fluoxetine.

With improved psycho-social awareness of the stressors women experience mid-life, and better understanding of naturally effective treatment options, we can begin to view menopause as a celebration of life rather than the death of fertility. It’s the dawning of a new cycle, a time ripe for giving of your experience and wisdom. Protect your vitality with naturally effective plant medicine and enjoy all the seasons of your life.

Be sure to browse our selection of Black Cohosh and Menopause Supporting Supplements at Whitaker’s Natural Market.  

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New Insights on Gut Permeability and Depression

If you know what depression feels like – the brain clouding, the flat moods, the tiredness – you’re not alone. Over 300 million people around the world have depression, and yet there’s a lot that we still don’t quite understand.

Thankfully, the medical field is developing some new insights that just might help us understand depression better. In a new 2019 study, researchers decided to examine the potential mechanisms of major depressive disorder in teenage girls and found some evidence that could help us better understand exactly how gut permeability (leaky gut) can lead to inflammation, which in turn, leads to depression.

In this 2019 study, Baylor College of Medicine researchers are directly looking at gut permeability and major depressive disorder, a study that is the first of its kind. With a sample of forty-one 14-17 year-old teenage girls who were medically healthy, the study measured the severity of the girls’ depressive symptoms, the activity of the autonomic nervous system, intestinal permeability, or gut leakiness, and the number of inflammatory cytokines.

To measure whether the girls were depressed, an interviewer performed the Children’s Depression Rating Scale-Revised (CDRS-R) and a clinical interview. The CDRS-R is a rating scale that requires interviews of both child and parent to understand the severity of a child’s depression. Over the past few decades, the CDRS-R has become the most widely used rating scale for assessing severity and change in depression for clinical trials involving children and adolescents. In order to collect data on the autonomic nervous system activity, researchers measured pre-ejection period (PEP) and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) data, which are indicators for the activity levels of the sympathetic nervous system and parasympathetic nervous system respectively. They measured the leakiness of the gut using the lactulose-mannitol ratio (LMR), which involves having the teens first fast overnight and then ingesting a premeasured amount of lactulose and mannitol. The researchers then collected the urine for four hours after ingestion. By looking at the ratio of lactulose and mannitol that passed through the gut lining, researchers could calculate the permeability of the gut lining, or how “leaky” it was. To measure inflammation, the researchers took blood samples and measured inflammatory cytokines.

They found that in unmedicated teenage girls between the ages of 14-17, depression severity was associated with increased intestinal permeability, as measured by the lactulose to mannitol ratio. The leakier the gut, they found, the more severe the depression and depressive symptoms. They saw that the higher the concentration of the cytokine IL-1β, the more severe the depression. They also found that increased intestinal permeability may be the path between sympathetic nervous system activation and depression severity. Additionally, their evidence suggested that increased intestinal permeability may activate the innate immune system and push the development of depression.

The result of this study also helps clarify the mechanisms through which activating the sympathetic nervous system can increase gut permeability and activate the innate immune system–two things that are likely contributing to depression symptoms.

The Brain, The Gut, and the Immune System
If you’re wondering why intestinal permeability is related to depression, let’s back up and walk through the whole pipeline.

We start with the immune system. Throughout the last century, psychiatry has been exploring the role of the immune system in certain presentations of depression. Importantly, the gut houses over 70% of our immune system, which makes sense given that the lining of your gut is the barrier between your insides and the outside world. The gastrointestinal epithelium usually forms a single-cell-thick barrier that prevents the free movement of toxicants, microbes, and microbial antigens from entering into the rest of your body. This lining usually does a good job absorbing things we need (like food) and interfacing with foreign things that might wreak havoc–which is probably why most of our immune cells are located in the gut. The relationship between the gut and the brain is both complex and important. We’ve all felt the butterflies in our stomachs when we’re nervous or anxious, but it turns out that the relationship between the brain and the gut is actually bidirectional. Not only can our brains affect how our guts feel, but our gut can relay its state of calm or alarm to the nervous system and send those immune reactions up the vagus nerve to the brain.

To understand how the gut and depression are related, we should first better comprehend the triggers for inflammation, what inflammation is, and how it happens.

Stress Drives Inflammation
So what IS inflammation in the first place? Inflammation is the body’s defensive response to stresses, like injury or the ingestion of bodily-incompatible chemicals. Upon approaching a stressor, the immune system kicks into a higher gear to heal the body.

Stress is a catch-all term, a trigger that links hormones to inflammation. Essentially, when the body thinks something is wrong, the body releases hormones that tell the body to be on the lookout and get on defense, and inflammation occurs. These triggers can come in all forms, many of which are actually staples of modern American life, from sugar to stress to pesticides and pollution to anxiety to beyond. Whether psychological or physiological, stress drives the inflammation response by telling the brain to release cortisol, the steroid hormone that acts as nature’s built-in alarm system and makes it for our bodies to use blood sugar for energy so that we can flee from whatever is causing the stress.

Once inflammation is started, not only does inflammation cause more inflammation, but recent studies have linked low-grade inflammation to depression. When inflammation reaches the brain, cells begin to take their limited supply of tryptophan to produce more anxiety-provoking chemicals like quinolinate. Medical literature has found that inflammation seems to be a consistent marker of depressive symptoms, like flat mood, slowed thinking, avoidance, alterations in perception, and metabolic changes.

How does inflammation get provoked in the gut?
So let’s understand how exactly a leaky gut can lead to inflammation – the body’s language of imbalance.

When the body is stressed, the junctions between cells in the stomach can be less effective than they should be. This allows bacteria and toxicants to enter the bloodstream that can continue to cause widespread inflammation and possibly trigger a far-reaching reaction from the immune system. Having leaky gut cause inflammation sets off a problematic chain of events because the gut has a direct link to the brain through the vagus nerve.

The medical field has been slowly inching up on a fuller understanding of the link between intestinal permeability (“leaky gut”) and depression. Previous studies focusing on depression have found the chemical hints of leaky gut. For example, one study showed that patients with a recent suicide attempt had higher concentrations of an anti-lipopolysaccharides (LPS) antibody, meaning that the immune system had either encountered more of or reacted defensively against LPS, which is a molecule that marks microbe-associated patterns in the body. In another study, compared to healthy controls, adults with depressive or anxiety disorders, who didn’t have any symptoms of gastrointestinal disorders, still had higher concentrations of fatty acid-binding protein-2, which is produced to signify impaired intestinal epithelium integrity. These studies, and the first study we discussed in this article, suggest that intestinal permeability may be impaired in depression.

So What Do We Do?
All of this sounds kind of complicated, but really, this approach to depression-seeing it as a symptom that results in unhealthy inflammatory balance-means that we might be able to do more about it. It means that depression isn’t happening because of genetics or not enough serotonin. Instead, you’re probably experiencing low-grade inflammation that’s happening because your gut is stressed and leaky. The goal is to send your system a signal of safety – from the gut, from the mind, or by lessening perceived stressors and burdens through detox.

Interested in step-by-step support to help you optimize your health?
Be sure to talk to Dr Jocelin about her practitioner grade cleanse protocol which is amazing at detoxifying the body, how to do the Aloe-Silver Gut Reset (developed by a homeopath who reversed his Chron’s Disease), the importance of eating Organic, and the gut health supporting supplements at Whitaker’s Natural Market.  She is also available for in-depth consultations.    

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Vitamin D Equals Healthy Pregnancy

Proper nutrition is key to the health of any individual, but perhaps most important to pregnant mothers. The health of women during pregnancy determines the future health of her child, and there is evidence that her health affects the next generation as well.

Unfortunately, today’s standard diet, and even one of whole foods, often does not provide all of the nutrients in the amounts necessary to support all aspects of health at a functional level. This is especially true for vitamin D—the sunshine vitamin—that is not easily found in the foods we eat, and must be obtained through supplements for most people.

Something Unique about Vitamin D and Pregnancy
Pregnancy presents a unique and exaggerated example of the body’s need for vitamin D.  There’s something very unique concerning the metabolism of vitamin D that occurs only during pregnancy and at no other time in the human life cycle. While the conversion of vitamin D is normally directly related to serum calcium levels, during pregnancy there is an uncoupling of vitamin D metabolism from calcium. If a pregnant woman has adequate levels (40-60 ng/ml or 100-150 nmol/L) of 25(OH) vitamin D, the precursor to active vitamin D, her body will convert twice the normal amount of active 1,25(OH) vitamin D by the end of the first trimester, and over three times the normal amount by birth, with her calcium levels remaining normal.  This could potentially indicate a physiological need for greater availability of vitamin D during pregnancy more than any other time, and for reasons other than bone and calcium homeostasis.

80% or More of Pregnant Women are Vitamin D Deficient
Unfortunately, United States statistics reveal nearly 80% of pregnant women, and virtually 100% of African American women, have vitamin D levels below 40 ng/ml. This clinical finding potentially can preclude to a 30-50% increased risk of preterm birth and an increased risk of other perinatal morbidities including gestational diabetes, infections, preeclampsia, low birth rate, and cesarean delivery.

The Grassroots Health Nutrient Research Institute panel of scientists recommends a vitamin D serum level of 40-60 ng/ml (100-150 nmol/L). Research published by Grassroots Health and others has shown that when these levels are achieved, there exists a potential 40-60% reduction in preterm births. Other articles have shown such results as a 50% reduction in influenza rates in children, an 80% reduced risk of Type 1 diabetes, and an 83% reduction in breast cancer risk. Keep in mind that, due to a large variation in the response each individual has to supplementation, testing the vitamin D serum level is essential. In other words, one cannot assume that supplementing with a certain recommended dose of vitamin D will get them to their target level; therefore it is important to test.

Due to the overwhelming evidence supporting vitamin D during pregnancy, specifically reaching a minimum vitamin D level of 40 ng/ml, Grassroots Health helped implement a first-of-its kind study for pregnant women at MUSC. The goal of the project was to help all prenatal patients to achieve a vitamin D serum level of at least 40 ng/ml, which has been demonstrated to be the threshold for benefit in previous randomized trials, as described above. This nutrient field trial included 1,064 pregnant women who, over a 16-month period, received vitamin D screening at their first prenatal appointment, supplementation and education about vitamin D, and re-testing to ensure a vitamin D level of 40 ng/ml had been achieved. Results found that those who achieved a vitamin D level of at least 40 ng/ml had a 60% lower risk of preterm birth compared to those with levels less than 20 ng/ml. For those women who had previously experienced a preterm birth (who are also at a higher risk for subsequent preterm birth), their chance of having a recurring preterm birth was reduced by 80%. During implementation there were no incidences of toxicity due to any vitamin D intake. An impressive result, especially considering the only intervention was vitamin D screening, supplementation, and education. The MUSC project has run continuous analysis on the implementation of the protocol in practice since the original paper and continues to show consistent results.

Be sure to talk to Dr Jocelin about having your Vitamin D levels monitored during pregnancy and checking out our large selection of Vitamin D supplements at Whitaker’s Natural Market. 

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Better Than Zoloft for Depression: Rhodiola

Will doctors ever opt for an herb over a drug for depressed patients? It may sound unlikely but researchers from the University of Pennsylvania think they should consider it

In a randomized placebo-controlled trial doctors tested the herb rhodiola rosea against the conventional antidepressant therapy sertraline (Zoloft) in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD).

A diagnosis of MDD means a patient exhibited two or more major depressive episodes, depressed mood, and/or loss of interest or pleasure in life activities for at least 2 weeks. In addition, they show signs of significant unintentional weight loss or gain, insomnia or sleeping too much, fatigue, diminished ability to think or concentrate, and recurrent thoughts of death.

The study looked at 57 adults diagnosed with major depressive disorder. The patients received treatments of either rhodiola rosea extract, sertraline, or placebo.

After 12 weeks there was no statistically significant difference between the rhodiola and the Zoloft. 

In the Penn study the researchers concluded that rhodiola may possess a more favorable risk to benefit ratio for individuals with mild to moderate MDD because it produced only half the side effects of Zoloft. In fact, a whopping 63% of patients on Zoloft reported side effects – most commonly nausea and sexual dysfunction. That compared to only 30% of patients on rhodiola.

The authors suggested that “herbal therapy may have the potential to help patients with depression who cannot tolerate conventional antidepressants due to side effects.”

Rhodiola rosea is a hardy yellow flower native to the arctic mountains of Eastern Siberia. It’s sometimes called the “Root of the Arctic” or Tibetan ginseng.

Ancient healers used rhodiola to treat infections, anemia, stomach upset, and depression. In the old Soviet Union scientists used rhodiola to help soldiers improve mood, brain function, and physical performance.

Human studies show that just one 200 mg dose of rhodiola helped volunteers improve their exercise endurance.

It’s also been shown to relieve mental fatigue. In one study of doctors on night call just 170 mg of rhodiola per day for two weeks helped the doctors think and remember better, concentrate, calculate, and respond to audio and visual cues.

And taking 100 mg of rhodiola every day for 20 days helped students improve their capacity to work, their coordination, and their general sense of well-being. Their learning ability increased 61% and their fatigue levels dropped by 30%.

Another study showed rhodiola may be helpful in smoking cessation.

Be sure to check out our Rhodiola Supplements at Whitaker’s Natural Market!  

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Organic apples are better than conventional apples for gut health, new study reveals

As we understand more and more about the importance of gut health, many people are making food choices to feed a healthy microbiome in the gut. If you’re working to keep your gut healthy, organic apples offer a far better choice than pesticide-treated, conventional apples. In fact, a new study supports the benefits of going organic, specifically when choosing your apples.

Thankfully, a team of Austrian researchers took a closer look at both organic apples and pesticide-treated apples, publishing their findings in Frontiers in Microbiology.

It’s just one of the latest studies comparing organic agriculture and chemical-intensive agriculture to dig deeper into the benefits of organic farming.  According to the study results, organically managed apples are a far better choice for people who want to eat a diet that supports optimal gut health.

Organic apples offer a more distinct and diverse bacterial community
Researchers reported that organic apples that are freshly harvested offer a significantly more distinct, even, and diverse bacterial community when you compare them to conventional apples. Scientists took a look at both conventional and organic apples, looking at the complete apple microbiome, including the fruit pulp, stem, peel, calyx, and seeds. Apples were all weighed, divided up, and put through multiple tests to find out the diversity and number of the microbiota.

While both types of apples had about the same number of bacterium – about 100 million – most of those microbes were found in the seeds, calyx, and stem of the apple. This means that if you want to enjoy the great benefits for your gut’s microbiome, you need to eat the whole apple instead of tossing the core.

When comparing the organic apples to conventional ones, every area of the organic apple had great bacterial diversity, and the distribution of microbes was more even in the organic apples. The organic apples also were dominated by Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus – which are both known to benefit gut health.

While conventional apples had about the same number of bacterium, the most common type was Buckholderiarles, which can be pathogenic to people. Conventional apples also contained low amounts of Escherichia-Shigella, another human pathogenic kind of bacteria.

Study supports the benefits of organic agriculture for health and more
The study supports the many benefits of organic agriculture for health. When compared to foods grown in chemical-intensive agriculture, organic foods are shown to be better for the human microbiome based on this and other studies. It supports the positive impact of switching to an organic diet as a method of reducing cancer risk, lowering levels of pesticides within the body, and improving overall health.

Beyond the health benefits, organic agriculture offers several other benefits as well. It helps boosts local economies, aids our environment, and can even help boost the bottom line for farmers. Overall, purchasing organic foods doesn’t just promote gut health and overall well being, it’s an excellent choice for the local environment and the success of local economies – that makes going organic a win-win for everyone.

Be sure to check out our selection of Organic Apples at Whitaker’s Natural Market!  

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Imbalance of fatty acids linked to most common age-related diseases

Chronic disease is on the rise. Right now, 133 million Americans – nearly half the population – have at least one chronic illness such as diabetes or heart disease. With so much illness prevalent – and with the aging of the population overall – it’s no wonder many individuals are worried about healthy aging.  But, could consuming the proper amount of omega 3 fatty acids be part of the solution?

Research shows most Americans are not consuming enough omega 3 fatty acids in their diets. Turns out this is hugely problematic, and not just because people aren’t getting enough of these healthy nutrients. People also aren’t consuming the right ratio of fatty acids – which is believed to be a major driver of age-related health problems.

Adding more omega 3 fatty acids to the diet holds the key to better health, research says

Omega 3 fatty acids, including EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), are healthy nutrients found abundantly in fatty fish. Another kind of fatty acids are called omega 6 fatty acids.  These are primarily found in foods containing sunflower, cottonseed, soybean, and corn oils – in other words, processed foods.

This is exactly why the modern diet (which is heavy with processed foods) causes humans to consume way more omega 6 fatty acids and not enough omega 3 fatty acids.  In ancient history, our ancestors’ diet included a more balanced omega 6 to omega 3 ratio of about 4 to 1.  Today’s typical human has a ratio of 20 to 1!

Why is this extreme ratio so bad for health and believed to be driving age-related diseases?

Well, the most common type of omega 6 fatty acid (called linoleic acid) gets transformed in the body into a substance that promotes inflammation and blood vessel constriction. While this isn’t necessarily “bad,” it is bad when so much omega 6 is being consumed that these inflammatory and blood vessel changes becomes chronic and widespread, which we see in things like heart disease.

Meanwhile, omega 3 fatty acids are powerful anti-inflammatory nutrients.  So by taking in too much of one and not enough of the other, we’re wreaking pure havoc on our health!

This is why supplementing with omega 3 fatty acids protects against and helps manage so many disorders – cardiovascular, neurological, dermatological, psychiatric, and more.  Depression and anxiety, heart disease, cancer, fetal development, ADHD, autoimmune diseases, Alzheimer’s disease, and other ailments have ALL been shown to benefit from these tiny omega 3’s.

Discover the “right amount” of omega 3 + some great natural sources
Currently, there’s no one recommended dosage for omega 3 fatty acids. According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), adult women and men should consume between 1.1 and 1.6 grams of omega 3 fatty acids per day.

However, these recommendations only refer to alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), since ALA is technically the only “essential” fatty acid, meaning the human body can’t make it.
But the NIH acknowledges that even though the body can convert ALA into EPA and DHA, it’s only able to produce very small amounts.  And, by the NIH’s own account, we’re not consuming enough ALA to begin with!

This is why many scientists and health organizations recommend consuming more than that, especially more DHA and EPA. And many studies safely show health benefits of taking anywhere from 1,000 to 4,000 mg of DHA plus EPA daily.

You can increase your DHA and EPA intake by eating fatty fish (like sardines, anchovies, and salmon) at least twice per week, adding a high quality omega 3 fatty acid supplements to your routine, and snacking on a few other natural sources of omega 3 fatty acids including chia seeds, flaxseeds, and walnuts.

Just remember: it’s not only about adding MORE omega 3’s to your diet. It’s also about eliminating excessive omega 6’s – so avoid those processed foods containing substances like soybean and corn oil.

Be sure to check out our large selection of Ohio made Wiley’s Finest Fish Oils at Whitaker’s Natural Market!  They are the only fish oil brand that is 100% USA harvested and manufactured!