Researchers conducted a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled study, assigning 27 Crohn’s disease (CD) patients in remission to 2000 IU/day of vitamin D3 or placebo for 3 months. They determined intestinal permeability (IP), plasma-cathelicidin (LL-37), human-beta-defensin-2 (hBD2), disease activity [Crohn’s Disease Activity Index (CDAI)], c-reactive protein (CRP), fecal calprotectin, Quality of Life (QoL) and serum vitamin d…

Melatonin is an uncommonly effective direct free radical scavenger and indirect antioxidant. It detoxifies both reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS), both of which are produced in the brain. Researchers from the Dept. of Cellular and Structural Biology, University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, conducted and published a review…

Mounting evidence supports a protective effect of high 25(OH)D, an indicator of vitamin D status, on risk of various cancers including lung cancer. Researchers carried out a dose-response meta-analysis to elucidate the 25(OH)D – lung cancer association. Eligible studies were identified by searching PubMed and EMBASE databases, and the summary relative risks (RRs) with 95%…

In this study, researchers looked at magnesium intake and the risk of progression to type 2 diabetes from incident prediabetes and/or insulin resistance. After adjusting for age (participants were 26-81 yrs old at baseline) and energy intake, those with the highest magnesium intake had a 37% lower risk of incident metabolic impairment as compared to…

A human study of 420 severe heart failure patients (Q-SYMBIO) compared individuals randomly selected to take CoQ10 or placebo, and who were monitored for 24 months. The goal was to measure the time it took for patients to experience a major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE), including cardiovascular death. The research showed that CoQ10 reduced the…

In a randomized, placebo controlled trial, more than 600 patients (vet¬erans, almost all male) with mild to moderate Alzheimer disease, were studied. Participants took 2000 IU of vitamin E daily, Namenda (memantine), both or neither. Note: all patients were taking a acetylcholinesterase inhibitor at enrollment time. During an average 2.3 year follow-up, patient decline was…

New research shows that EFAs from fish oil enhances white blood cell activity, challenging the idea that the sole role of fish oil in preventing disease is by reducing inflammation.1 Research, led by Dr. Jenifer Fenton, found that in mice, fish oil enhanced B cell activation and select antibody production. In a human study, researchers…

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is common in children, especially impacting African American (AA) and obese children. Researchers conducted an observational cross-sectional study of children (mean age 6.8 yrs). The children underwent overnight polysomnographic evaluation and a fasting blood draw the morning after the study, along with a lipid profile, homeostatic model of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR),…

Although Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is commonly diagnosed in children, the etiopathogenesis of ADHD is obscure. As low levels of vitamin D are found to be associated with many disorders, including neuropsychiatric diseases, a group of researchers decided to investigate serum vitamin D levels in pediatric ADHD patients. Participants included 60 ADHD patients and…

Past research has shown that vitamin D impacts the growth and differentiation of benign and malignant prostate cells in cell lines (in-vitro) and in animal models of prostate cancer. Recently, researchers examined serum vitamin D levels with prostate biopsy results in men with an abnormal prostate specific antigen (PSA) and/or digital rectal examination (DRE). Of…