Tag Archives: vitamins

After a recent story in the BBC News, we thought it would be useful to pass on some information regarding vitamin D deficiency.

Vitamin D deficiency is associated with an increased risk of serious ailments, such as:

• Osteoporosis
• Bone fractures (and falls – especially in elderly women)
• Rickets in children – up to 25% of toddlers in the UK are deficient!
• Infectious diseases (vitamin D can act as an up-regulator for anti-viral and anti-bacterial proteins)
• Cardiovascular diseases

More and more people are taking a daily supplement of vitamin D, a nutrient that is touted for its huge impact on human health. Obtaining vitamin D3 through daily supplementation all year round is the safest way to increase vitamin D levels within the body.

Our modern lifestyles are depriving us of the sunshine we need as they keep us in our homes and offices for extended periods. The foods we eat rarely contain enough vitamin D3, if any at all. We need at least 2 hours unprotected sun exposure per week to satisfy our basic physical requirements for vitamin D3 and the British weather is not helping!

What makes a good supplement?

Vitamin D is lipisoluble (which means it needs fat to be absorbed by the body). This is a very important factor. Also, look out for supplements that:

1. Contain at least 800 IU of vitamin D3 (many studies have used 800+ IU to obtain their compelling results)
2. Use the biological form of vitamin D, which is D3 (cholecalciferol). This is bio-identical and used more effectively by the body.
3. Contain natural, healthy oils (such as olive oil) to enhance the absorption of the vitamin D3
4. Use blister packaging. Most vitamins are very sensitive to light and atmosphere. Blister packs prevent all the capsules being damaged before they are taken
5. Prioritise pharmaceutical standards. This ensures consistency and quality. Ask for certificates of analysis.

Vitamin D-sensitive diseases causes more than half of global deaths. Based on existing research, researcher WB Grant estimated that by doubling the blood levels of vitamin D, the total life span could be increased by an average of 2 years, making Vitamin D supplementation the most cost-effective method to reduce global mortality.

Research on vitamin D has virtually exploded over the past decade. Now vitamin D is no longer just about the regulation of calcium in the body, but about many different areas, with nearly every cell in the body having a vitamin D receptor.

Human and economic benefits
The types of disease that are susceptible to the body’s vitamin D levels are cardiovascular disease, cancer, respiratory infections, tuberculosis and diabetes. Additionally Alzheimer’s disease, falls, meningitis, Parkinson’s disease, maternal sepsis, maternal hypertension and multiple sclerosis account for a further 2-3 percent of global deaths. A doubling of blood vitamin D content of 54 to 110 nmol / l is estimated to reduce mortality by approx. 20%. Also society’s economic burden from these diseases is estimated to be reduced by approx. 10%!

The value 54 nmol / l which is used in this study is an average value calculated on the basis of a meta-analysis of vitamin D content in the blood of people worldwide.

The reduction in all-cause mortality rates range from 7.6% for African females to 17.3% for European females. Reductions for males average 0.6% lower than for females. The estimated increase in life expectancy is 2 years for all regions.

Researchers are generally cautious in their recommendations and usually complete their articles to recommend more research before they dare to recommend their findings put into practice. In this case, Dr. Grant believes that such reservations are unnecessary and will only delay the acceptance of such approach. The reason is that vitamin D is not medicine but a natural, inexpensive product necessary for optimal health.

There have been studies concluding that vitamin D only benefits the bones and that blood levels at 50 nmol / l is sufficient. These studies have however been severely criticized for being inadequate.

2-3 ordinary Bio-Vitamin D3 D-Pearls a day
Dr. Grant mentions several possible methods for raising blood levels of vitamin D. There is food fortification, but this has to be adapted to individual communities. You can also encourage people to get more sunlight on their skin, possibly from tanning beds, and finally vitamin D in the form of supplements can be made more accessible. (In practice, it only requires e.g. 2-3 capsules of 20 ug Bio-Vitamin D3 D-Pearls a day. Ed. Note).

Ref.
Grant WB. An estimate of the global reduction in mortality rates through doubling vitamin D levels. Eur J Clin Nutr 2011. E-pub. ahead of print.

About Bio-Vitamin D3 800IU D-Pearls
Pharma Nord produces Bio-Vitamin D3 D-Pearls which are 800IU (20mcg) vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) dissolved in cold pressed olive oil to improve absorption. Bio-Vitamin D3 800IU D-Pearls come in hygienic blister packs and are manufactured to strict Danish pharmaceutical standards.

Vitamin D in oil has better absorption

Supplements with vitamin D in oil are absorbed more easily by the body than those in powder or ethanol form, according to American researchers. The Bio-Vitamin D3 800IU  D-Pearls supplement from Pharma Nord uses oil for this exact reason.

More and more people are taking a daily supplement of vitamin D, a nutrient that is touted for its huge impact on human health. They may be doing themselves a favour by choosing a supplement with vitamin D in oil, as this appears to increase the absorption of the vitamin.

Better absorption in oil
According to American scientists who have reviewed four clinical studies of different vitamin D formulations, supplements that use oil as a transport vehicle have better bio-availability than products that use powder or ethanol. Their research is published ahead of print in Molecular Nutrition & Food Research.

Tiny capsules of vitamin D
Bio-Vitamin D3 800IU from Pharma Nord contains 20 micrograms of biologically active D3-vitamin in cold-pressed olive oil in soft gelatine capsules.  RRP £6.95 for 120 caps.  Blister-packed for quality and bio-availability.

Source: Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, April 2010.

Dean Forbes and Trevor Pill of the Pharma Nord UK marketing team romped home in the 13.1 mile Great North Run 2011, powered by Bio-Quinone Q10.

“We’re both passionate about Pharma Nord’s products, so we practised what we preached and began taking Q10 to improve our muscular energy levels and recovery times,” said Dean, PR and Marketing Executive, based in Morpeth, Northumberland.

Graphic Designer and Marketing Assistant Trevor added, “I ran the Great North Run in 2009 without Q10 and it was gruelling to say the least.  This year I found that I could push myself further and the amount of muscle pain during and after was greatly reduced.”

Dean Forbes (right) and Trevor Pill (left) tackle the half marathon with Q10.

Dean, 30, and Trevor, 28, both ranked in the top 4000 finishers out of 54,000 runners in the World’s biggest half marathon.  Between them, they have managed to raise almost £1000 for their chosen charities; North East Motor Neurone Disease Trust and The Stroke Association.

Coenzyme Q10 has long been considered an essential nutrient for anyone seeking to keep their muscles healthy during exercise.  It plays a vital role in energy production within most of the body’s 100 trillion cells.  Muscle cells, including the heart, consume huge volumes of Q10 and our natural levels start to decline from our mid-twenties onwards.  By the age of 40, we may only have the Q10 levels of a two year-old.

Dean declared, “We were determined to do our best for our charities and also to enjoy the run without battling exhaustion and pain throughout, so we began taking one Bio-Quinone Q10 GOLD capsule daily with breakfast, four weeks before the big event.”

Many people expect Q10 supplements to be the reserve of heart patients or those suffering from statin myopathy, but the benefits are broad-ranging.  In fact, Bio-Quinone Q10 capsules have been used by British swimmers, footballers and Team GB athletes, all of whom seek natural support for their muscular energy and heart health.

“In such a popular and intense race, you need something to give you the edge.  Next year we both hope to beat our times, aided by regular training and of course, our Q10,” states Trevor.

Coenzyme Q10 is a natural vitamin-like substance, with no known adverse effects.  It is best taken in an oil-based capsule form that is blister-packed to protect it from the environment.  For more information visit www.Q10.co.uk or call 0800 591 756.

Ever heard of selenium? It is a nutrient that we get from our food, only we don’t get enough, experts claim. This may affect our health and make us more vulnerable to disease.

If you are like most other people, you get up in the morning, eat your breakfast, have lunch later in the day, and finish off with dinner in the evening. You get your three meals a day and chances are you feel reasonably healthy. Well, here is something you probably didn’t know: you are most likely not getting enough selenium.
Selenium is a nutrient like so many others but science has discovered that selenium plays a crucial role in human health. Our immune system, our ability to reproduce, and the mechanisms our body uses to defend each and every cell are fueled by selenium. Not only are we highly dependent of this nutrient, we need a certain amount in order to keep these functions in good working order.

Our diet lacks selenium
The selenium content in the average European diet is far less than it should ideally be. In England, the selenium intake has been reduced by more than fifty per cent in the last 20-30 years. Experts recommend a daily intake of around 100-200 micrograms, possibly even more, but most of us have difficulty getting even half that amount.
The solution, if something must be done about the problem, is to add selenium to fertilizers like they have done in Finland since 1985, or to take a daily selenium supplement, something which more and more people are doing as a way of safe-guarding their health.

Published research has shown that selenium fuels more than 20 different protective proteins in the body. These proteins are part of our built-in defence against inflammation, cardiovascular disease, infertility, rheumatism, cancer, and many other diseases and conditions. With too little selenium, these important functions fail to work properly and our health is affected negatively by it.

How to find the right supplement

Most selenium supplements look alike and it is tempting to assume that they are pretty much the same in terms of quality and effect. Nonetheless, there are huge differences and that is something you should be aware of. When you go shopping for selenium, make sure to stick with these two basic rules:

1. Choose organic selenium
Organic selenium is more bio-available than the inorganic selenium sources that are often used in inexpensive supplements. The body makes better use of organic selenium

2. Ask for documentation
If a manufacturer of selenium is not able to document the quality and bio-availability of the preparation you may be wasting your money on something that is essentially worthless. Ask for documentation, it is your right.

Danish selenium yeast sets the standard

The Danish pharmaceutical company Pharma Nord which is one of Europe’s leading manufacturers of high-quality food supplements and natural remedies has developed and patented a special selenium yeast (SelenoPrecise®) that has become the official benchmark for quality internationally. This selenium yeast can documented that 88.7% of its selenium content is absorbed. In addition, it can document that at least 55% of the selenium in the yeast is L-selenomethionine, a selenium species that is known to have higher biological activity than others. Pharma Nord is the only supplier in EU that has such an organic selenium yeast.

Pharma Nord make the world's most bio-available organic selenium