Research has demonstrated that low serum vitamin D can cause myalgia, myositis, myopathy, and myonecrosis. Statin-induced myalgia is a major and common cause of statin intolerance. In a study of 146 adults with myalgia related statin intolerance found to have low (<32 ng/mL) serum vitamin D, researchers prospectively assessed whether vitamin D supplementation  to normalize…

Researchers from Italy, Sweden and the USA reviewed the observational cohort studies addressing the relation between potassium intake and the incidence or mortality of total stoke or stroke subtypes published through August 6, 2016.Researchers carried out a meta-analysis of 16 cohort studies based on the relative risk (RR) of stroke, comparing the highest versus lowest…

Most cells are sensitive to a deficiency of co-enzyme Q10 (CoQ10), an essential component of the mitochondrial electron transport chain. Deficiency has been implicated in clinical disorders such as heart failure, hypertension, Parkinson’s disease and obesity. While lipid lowering statin drugs inhibit the conversion of HMG-CoA to mevalonate and lowers plasma CoQ10 concentrations, CoQ10 supplementation…

Researchers, led by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, evaluated the association between the use of chondroitin and glucosamine supplementation and the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) in two prospective cohorts: the Nurses’ Health Study and Health Professionals follow-up Study, consisting of over 96,000 participants. Regular use of the supplements was first assessed…

Researchers investigated the association between celiac disease (CD), a chronic immune mediated disorder, and bone mass density (BMD)(1). CD is characterized by inflammation of the small intestine, and has an increasing prevalence in the population and is often undiagnosed. If unrecognized or untreated it can lead to numerous health complications including malabsorption micronutrient deficiencies. Additionally,…

Researchers performed a case-controlled cross-sectional analysis on 122 autism spectrum disorder (ASD) children, to assess their vitamin D status compared to controls and the relationship between vitamin D deficiency and the severity of autism. They also conducted an open trial of vitamin D supplementation in ASD children. Results showed 57% of the patients in the…

Researchers conducted a study to determine the effects of probiotic supplementation on clinical and metabolic status of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In this randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled trial of patients with RA (aged 25-70) 30 were assigned to the probiotic group and 30 were assigned to the placebo group. The probiotics group received a…

The microbiome modulates numerous aspects of human physiology and is a crucial factor in the development of various human diseases. Vitamin D deficiency and downregulation of the vitamin D receptor (VDR) are also associated with the pathogenesis of diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, cancers, obesity, diabetes and asthma(1). VDR is a nuclear receptor that…

Immune activation contributes to the systemic inflammation associated with metabolic dysfunction in obesity. Researchers looked at forty children and adolescents: 22 obese subjects and 18 age-matched normal weight controls. Obese subjects participated in an 18-month therapeutic protocol based on intensive lifestyle modification including dietary regimen, physical activity and behavior interventions. Gene expression involved in the…

Neuroinflammation is a brain immune response that is associated with neurodegenerative diseases, and is primarily driven by activation of microglia, the brain’s resident macrophages. Dysregulation in peripheral and central inflammatory cytokine signaling interrupts normal microglial function, leading to neuronal dysfunction, neurotoxicity, neurodegeneration , and attenuated neurogenesis, processes that underlie most CNS diseases and result in…