Nutritional Status and Orthopedic Disturbances

Vitamin D Synthesis http://www.globalrph.com/vitamin_d.htm

Yes, Vitamin D is a very important nutrient.  And we know that the years of non-fat/low-fat diets and staying out of the sun takes a toll on this vital nutrient, and perhaps has become the basis of an epidemic and increased dis-ease states.

While it always seems that the lineal model is favored by so many in healthcare, it can certainly lead to other problems.

I say this because I have not seen the following information in any other the vitamin D data I have reviewed over the past several years.

Vitamin D deficiency can cause rickets.  However, when taking high doses of vitamin D people do need to be cautioned that this too may lead to a deficiency state.

The pro-calcium action of vitamin D can increase absorption and retention of calcium as compared to magnesium.

If you have a magnesium deficiency, as most people these days truly seem to have, high doses of vitamin D can contribute to soft tissue calcium deposits and reduced

• Cortical bone activity
• Muscular contraction
• Recurring vertebral or other joint subluxation

 More to consider -

Vitamin D health warning for the children who shun the sun

Paranoia about sun exposure and indoor lifestyles are causing life-threatening health problems for children due to vitamin D deficiency, a new study claims.

By Richard Alleyne, Science Correspondent
Published: 5:32PM BST 10 Sep 2010

Casualty departments are dealing with dozens of emergency cases where infants are having seizures as a direct result of not getting enough vitamin D, which is essential for healthy teeth and bones.

In one case, a baby suffered brain damage after a fit.

The study said the extreme cases are part of an escalating problem of a deficiency of the vitamin, which the body makes when exposed to sunlight.
The report in the London Journal of Primary Care blames indoor lifestyles and the use of high sun protection factor creams for a health issue unheard of a decade ago.
The findings have prompted experts to call for vitamin D pills to be made more widely available on the NHS, especially for pregnant women.
The study reveals the introduction of schemes offering mothers supplements has been slow. Some areas of London have no vitamin packs available and people are ignorant about the benefits of vitamin D, which is also found in oily fish, liver and eggs.
Colin Michie, a co-author of the study, said vitamin D deficiency was no longer a “poor” problem and the middle classes are just as vulnerable.
The consultant paediatrician, who works at Ealing Hospital and BMI Clementine Churchill, said GPs should be more alert to symptoms such as muscle aches and pains.
He told the Evening Standard: “This is a totally avoidable condition which is now a public health issue. It's affecting middle-class children because they're overprotecting with sunscreen and not going out as much.
SPF is also increasingly in cosmetics used by young women.
“The more dramatic cases tend to be in people who wear traditional clothing and so are covered up.”
However, he added, GPs also see a growing number of low-level cases in other groups.
Warnings over the links between sunburn and skin cancer have prompted some people to shun the sun
The actress Gwyneth Paltrow has revealed recently that she was diagnosed with very poor vitamin D levels after years of keeping her skin covered.
A special investigation is being launched into the extent of emergency admissions for patients with vitamin D deficiency.
The British Paediatric Surveillance Unit will gather data from hospitals from next year.
Mr Michie analysed the cases of 17 babies and infants treated at Ealing Hospital for a severe lack of vitamin D between 2006 and 2008. He found many experienced a delay in walking, a problem last common in Victorian times.
Cancer Research UK is considering changing it guidelines concerning sun exposure because of the problem.
Instead of advising people to stay out the midday sun completely, it may suggest that a few minutes exposure could be healthy.

Calcium and Bone Health

UPDATE: 4 August - NattoPharma says calcium research highlights vitamin K role

By NUTRA staff reporter, 04-Aug-2010

Related topics: Research, Minerals, Vitamins & premixes, Bone & joint health, Cardiovascular health

Norwegian vitamin K supplier NattoPharma has backed the role of vitamin K in calcium metabolism following the controversial British Medical Journal meta-analysis linking calcium consumption and increased risk of heart attack.

The article has drawn widespread industry criticism for inappropriately “cherry picking” data, but NattoPharma says regardless of that fact, the research highlights the importance of vitamins D and K in the way the body processes calcium.

“Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium and vitamin K2 activates the proteins responsible for directing the calcium to the bone where we want it and out of the arteries where it can have detrimental negative effects,” said NattoPharma chief executive officer, Morten Sundstø.

The company referenced vitamin K researcher, Professor Cees Vermeer, who backed observations made by two of the researchers that, “the only mechanism for arteries to protect themselves from calcification is via the vitamin K‐dependent protein MGP.”

“MGP is the most powerful inhibitor of soft tissue calcification presently known, but non‐supplemented healthy adults are insufficient in vitamin K to a level that 30 per cent of their MGP is synthesised in an inactive form. So protection against cardiovascular calcification is only 70 per cent in the young, healthy population, and this figure decreases at increasing age.”

NutraIngredients coverage of the calcium research that found the risk of vascular calcium deposits causing heart attack outweighed potential bone healthbenefits can be found here.

Sundstø noted the western diet was something like 30 per cent deficient in vitamin K2 which could extenuate calcium deposits, especially among over-50s who commonly use calcium supplements to ease osteoporosis.

Vermeer added: “Obviously, an increased calcium load (by taking calcium supplements) will be beneficial for bone strength, but at the same time it will worsen the situation for the vasculature.”

from 30 July, 2010 -  One part of this equation seems to be overlooked and that is the type of calcium supplement and the amount of calcium supplementation. 

Too often I find that people do not want to spend money for supplements and look for the most inexpensive product rather than a high quality product that will fare them better in the long run.

Numerous studies have been completed that clearly establish the lack of benefit from mas market supplements made with the lowest grade, and most often least effective ingredients.

Calcium carbonate is just one of these ingredients, and its also the main core found in TUMS.

For many not well apprised of the best ways to utilize supplements, TUMS is one of those often suggested by doctors to help bones.  Those same doctors are quick to forget that all this calcium overload add a negative effect to the blood buffering system.  You know, the buffering system that keeps your blood pH in normal range.

Often this form of calcium can lead to bone spurs and calcium deposits basically because your body just can't metabolize it effectively.  We've got better options for you to consider.

And I guess no one told the same doctors that BonAmi, my favorite commercial scouring powder, is made from the very same form of calcium -carbonate!

Calcium pills 'increase' risk of heart attack

By Emma Wilkinson Health reporter, BBC News

Calcium supplements taken by many older people could be increasing their risk of a heart attack, research shows.

The study, in the British Medical Journal, said people who took supplements were 30% more likely to have a heart attack.
Data from 11 trials also suggested the medicines were not very effective at preventing bone fractures.
Almost 3m people in the UK are thought to have osteoporosis and many take calcium pills to prevent fractures.
The study recommends doctors review their use of calcium supplements for managing osteoporosis.
The National Osteoporosis Society said most people should be able to get enough calcium through their diets, rather than reaching for the medicine cabinet.
The researchers said those who had a diet naturally high in calcium were at no increased danger.
'Limited benefit'In all 12,000 people aged over 40 took part in the trials of calcium supplements of 500mg or more a day.

It is a balance of risks - people should consider the risks involved and how they apply to their own circumstances and discuss the matter with their GP” Dr Alison Avenell Study author

The risk of heart attack was seen across men and women, was independent of age and the type of supplement given.
A small increased risk of death was seen in the study but was not statistically significant, the researchers said.
The reason for the increased risk of heart attack is not clear but it is thought the extra calcium circulating in the blood could lead to a hardening of the arteries.
Calcium in the diet is safe and the Food Standards Agency recommends adults have 700mg of calcium a day from milk, cheese and green, leafy vegetables.
Dr Alison Avenell, from the University of Aberdeen which did the research with colleagues in New Zealand and the US, said the evidence suggests calcium supplements only have a limited benefit in preventing fractures, especially when compared to other treatments available.
"It is a balance of risks - people should consider the risks involved and how they apply to their own circumstances and discuss the matter with their GP," she said.
She added the results did not necessarily apply to younger people with conditions for which they take calcium.
Judy O'Sullivan, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said the results should be interpreted with caution because the trials did not set out to look at the risk of heart attack.
"However, the research should not be completely ignored," she said.
"Any new guidelines on the prevention of fractures in those most vulnerable to them should take this type of analysis into account."
Dr Claire Bowring, of the National Osteoporosis Society, said: "We've always recommended that people should aim to get the calcium they need from their diet to help build stronger bones.
"If you get all of the calcium that you need from your diet and adequate vitamin D from exposure to sunshine, then a supplement will not be necessary."
She said there were still questions to be answered about the treatment of osteoporosis but advised people taking calcium supplements to talk to their GP, especially if they have a heart condition.

Sampling from Natural Health News 30+ posts about Bone Health

Natural Health News: Bone Health and AntiAcid Drugs

May 26, 2010

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Tuesday that studies suggest a possible increased risk of bone fractures with the use of proton pump inhibitors for one year or longer, or at high doses. Package insert labels for the drugs ...

Natural Health News: Avandia Increases Bone Risk for Women

Dec 10, 2008

Dr Victoria King, of the charity Diabetes UK, said: "We really do need further evidence through properly controlled trials before we can conclusively link thiazolidinediones to increased risk of various bone conditions in humans and ...

Natural Health News: Osteoporosis drug Forteo linked with bone cancer

Oct 02, 2009

A few points to consider - DpD only indicates current bone loss. There are so many factors regarding bone loss - including; those who never gained peak bone mass for multiple reasons - eating disorders or simply not eating well during ...

Natural Health News: Diane Sawyer, ABC News and FDA very late in ...

Mar 08, 2010

It is very critical that you understand that the bisphosphonate drugs are associated with killing off specific cells that have to do with the complete cycle of bone construction and destruction in the body's natural physiology. ...

Clear association between obesity and vitamin D deficiency

Calcium, parathyroid health, and obesity

Endocrinology: http://jcem.endojournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/jc.2009-2822v1

More on a study conducted at Uppsala University has demonstrated that obese people often suffer from serious vitamin D deficiency and poor calcium metabolism. The findings have been published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. According to the researchers, the problem is under appreciated by the health care establishment.

Can You Really Exercise To Get Taller?

If you're so lucky to still be in your growing years, then
there's tons of stuff you can do to increase your height in
a natural way. There's a lot of lies around the web about
the process of growing, so forget what you've already heard
and go on reading this..

Your diet is extremely important if you wish to get taller,
and that especially during puberty and your growing years.
Be sure to eat food containing enough proteins, amino acids
and calcium. It'll do you good. If you get enough of these
nutritious foods your body gets what it needs to grow.
Exercising will also help.

But the cold and hard truth is that nothing can lengthen
your bones after you've stopped growing. There's too many
scams out there that tell you they know exercises that will
get you taller, even after puberty. These claims are
ridiculous, as there's simply no way it works.

To understand why it doesn't, let me tell you a little more
about how your body grows to begin with. As infants, our
bones mostly consist of flexible cartilage, and as we grow
older the cartilage fuses together into solid bone.

During the teenage years growth plates located on the ends
of the longer bones will eventually lengthen, but sooner or
later they will stop. Nothing can make them start
lengthening again.

But during those growing years, regular exercising to get
taller really does help to speed up the growth process.
Doing so will also make your bones stronger, as they have to
carry the additional weight of gained muscles.

Also keep in mind that you should stay away from junk-food.
Keeping a healthy diet can help prevent bone weakening
diseases that people often get when they grow old. Having
strong and healthy bones will also help your body prevent
some of the shrinking that happens to everyone as they grow
older.

Another advantage of exercises to get taller while you're
still growing is that it will release height growth
hormones, also known as HGH, which speeds up the growth
process.

So what exercises can you do to help you gain height?
Contrary to what you might have been told earlier, most
exercises that release HGH don't involve stretching.
Instead of thinking that you're doing this to get taller,
try to focus on building muscles instead. Doing so will
improve your overall appearance, as well as strengthen your
bones.

Yes, rBGH is a thing of the past, so we are told

"...yogurt can only serve as a source of absorbable calcium if it is prepared from unpasteurized milk and is unsweetened."

Yoplait, the not real yoghurt stuff promoted mainly to women under many sorts of advertising, especially connected to the fraudulent pink lid campaign, may still be hiding health from you.

While everyone is now happy with General Mills for telling us they decided, after a lot of pressure, to stop using rBGH (recombinant or genetically modified - bovine growth hormone containing milk for their Yoplait brand of products.

Of course you need to ask what else they might not be telling you.

Yoplait might not be telling you that aspartame is still in their "light" versions. Aspartame is a known carcinogen and that is exactly why people in Hawaii and New Mexico are now attempting to get the substance banned from their states.

They might also not be telling you that using low fat or non fat milk to manufacture their product will keep you from getting to be able to sue the calcium that you think is in all dairy food and helps give you healthy bones. Yes, ladies, you really do need fat in milk to be able to absorb and utilize the calcium because it is a fat dependent nutrient.

Have they mentioned that the sugar used ion their fruit versions also block the absorption of both calcium and protein?

And what about the high level of phosphorus in their products?

And just why is it so hard these days to get unpasteurized (raw) milk, something previously easy to purchase within the last 20 years?

Be that as it is, a colleague happened to send along this morning from one of his recent articles:

Yogurt is also heavily promoted as a good calcium source. Aside from the fact that a great many people have dairy food sensitivities that make these foods congesting and a causative factor in a wide variety of catarrhal disorders, yogurt can only serve as a source of absorbable calcium if it is prepared from unpasteurized milk and is unsweetened. The uptake of calcium from the small intestine into the blood is inhibited by the presence of sugar.

Plain unadulterated milk made at home into health promoting yoghurt is a longevity secret of the Bulgarians. Here's some information to help you do some thinking about grocery store quality products.

If you'd rather have a healthier brand try Nancy's or Strauss. Better yet make your own.