Folic acid supplementation has been commonly known to reduce the incidence of neural tube defects in the first 22-28 days of pregancy. This means that women should be taking folic acid prior to conceiving since neural tube defects can occur in a fetus before a woman may know that she is pregnant.
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Zinc May Help Prevent Heart Attacks and Strokes
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (April 2010) published a study last month that showed supplementing your diet with zinc can help protect you from atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is the thickening and hardening of arteries that can occur in some individuals and lead to a heart attack, a stroke or angina.
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Fish Oil Can Help with Depression
A recent study soon to be published in Psychiatry Research (2010) involving 42 people with Major Depressive Disorder, found that 1000mg of EPA (found in fish oil) exerted beneficial effects on mood equal to that of 20mg of a well known anti-depressant medication, Prozac.
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Fish Oil Supplementation May Reduce Breast Cancer Risk?
A recently published study (July 2010) following over 35,000 postmenopausal women living in the USA found that the use of daily fish oil supplementation reduced the risk of ductal breast cancer (not lobular). Women who had been using fish oil for over 10 years experienced the greatest benefit.
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Probiotics May Improve Mood
A recent study involving mice found that a probiotic strain called Lactobacillus Rhamnosus (ie. good bacteria that line the digestive tract) reduced cortisol levels (the hormone that increases with anxiety and stress). The authors discovered that consumption of this particular probiotic reduced anxiety and depression-related behavior.
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Zinc Lozenges May Shorten Cold Duration
A recent systematic review looked at the results of 13 previous randomized controlled trials to examine the effects of zinc lozenges on the duration of the common cold. They found a 42% reduction in the duration of the common cold associated with use of zinc acetate in daily doses over 75 mg. It was noted that the trials that used less than this dose did not see a beneficial effect.
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EPA from Fish Oil Improves Mood
A recent study in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry concluded that EPA – one of the omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil – improves depression. This study reviewed the results of relevant research studies conducted over the past 50 years and found that EPA is the critical component in fish oil that improves mood.
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Why Fish Oil?
Why Fish Oil? A Naturopathic Perspective.
Fish oil is one of the most common supplements prescribed by Naturopaths, but why is that the case? In this article we will look at what fish oil can do for us and see why it is such an important supplement.
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Vitamin D Supplementation May Improve Glycemic Control in Type I Diabetes
A prospective study was recently published that followed 80 people with Type I Diabetes and low vitamin D levels. The patients were given Vitamin D3 daily for 12 weeks. At the end of the intervention, the researchers found that Vitamin D supplementation improved blood glucose control in the patients.
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Vitamin B5 May Help Lower Cholesterol
Researchers recently found that supplementation with vitamin B5 significantly lowered Total Cholesterol (TC) and LDL Cholesterol (LDL-C) over and above the effects of diet changes alone. The trial lasted 4 months and required the participants to take 600-900mg of pantothenic acid (vitamin B5). This is a relatively high dose of B5 so you should consult with your Naturopathic Doctor before trying this out.
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Maternal Vitamin D Status and Diabetes in Offspring
A recent case-control study in Norway looked at whether lower Vitamin D levels in mothers during pregnancy were associated with an increased risk of childhood-onset type 1 diabetes. They saw a trend toward a higher risk of Type 1 Diabetes in the offspring from of women with lower Vitamin D levels.
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Vitamin K Enhances Bone Density Improvements in Postmenopausl Women
In a study involving postmenopausal women divided into 4 groups (1 control group plus 3 intervention groups all of whom attended biweekly sessions and received fortified dairy products containing calcium and vitamin D3; in 2 of the groups, the dairy was also enriched with vitamin K1 or K2), significant increases in serum total body bone mass density (BMD) were found in all 3 intervention groups, but significant increases in the BMD of the lumbar spine was found only in the groups also fortified with vitamin K1 or K2, as compared to the control group.
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Magnesium. A Naturopath’s Favourite Mineral.
Magnesium is one of the minerals I prescribe most often in my naturopathic practice because it is so important for a wide variety of functions in the body. While we tend to most commonly think of magnesium as boosting calcium absorption, this mighty mineral does much more than that. Here are some of the amazing uses for magnesium:
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Top Minerals in Osteoporosis – Beyond Calcium
Osteoporosis is often blamed on low calcium intake but recent studies have shown that a number of other vitamins and minerals are equally important for healthy bone metabolism.
The naturopathic approach to improving bone health focuses on a number of dietary and lifestyle factors.
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Boost Your Immune System with Vitamin D
Naturopaths love Vitamin D because it supports a wide variety of functions in the body. More recently, we are now finding out that Vitamin D can help support your immune system to prevent colds and flu, especially important for Canadians who have more limited sun exposure.
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Good fats – Olive oil protects your heart!
Often we hear about the perils of eating fat – and don’t get me wrong – there is certainly no shortage of artery-clogging saturated fats available to eat. There are, however, some healthy fats that improve heart health.
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Mediterranean Diet May Reduce the Risk of Breast Cancer in Postmenopausal Women?
A recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition followed 14,807 women over a decade and found that following a Mediterranean Diet* was associated with a statistically significant inverse association with breast cancer among postmenopausal women. The authors of this study conclude that this could in part explain the lower incidence of breast cancer in Mediterranean countries.
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Flaxseed Oil Supplementation Improves Skin Dryness
The Journal of Skin Pharmacology and Physiology just published the results of a randomized control trial that found oral supplementation with raw flaxseed oil may reduce skin sensitivity and improve skin barrier function and overall condition. The subjects received either flaxseed oil or sunflower oil daily for 3 months.
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Drinking Green Tea May Help You Feel More Full?
Here is some additional evidence that drinking green tea helps with weight loss. The results of a recent randomized control trial published in the November edition of the Nutrition Journal suggest that drinking green tea helps people feel more full after a meal, and consequently, consume fewer calories. The non-control participants in this study drank 300ml of green tea with breakfast.
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