More benefits seen with the sunshine vitamin!

Increased intakes of vitamin D are associated with a big reduction in the risk of diabetes, according to new research.

Researchers from Tufts Medical Center and Carney Hospital in Massachusetts also report that people with the highest blood levels of vitamin D, measured as more than 25 nanograms per milliliter, had a 43 percent lower risk of developing type-2 diabetes than people with the lowest blood levels (less than 14 ng/ml).

Vitamin D deficiency has previously been linked to impaired insulin secretion in animals and humans, and has also been linked to insulin resistance in healthy, glucose-tolerant subjects.

Vitamin D deficiency in adults appears to lead to or worsen osteopenia, osteoporosis, muscle weakness, fractures, common cancers, autoimmune diseases, infectious diseases and cardiovascular diseases. There is also some evidence that having higher serum levels of the vitamin may reduce the incidence of several types of cancer and type-1 diabetes.

“Vitamin D and type 2 diabetes: a systematic review”
Authors: J. Mitri, M.D. Muraru, A.G. Pittas European Journal of Clinical Nutrition

Green Tea and Tai Chi Enhance Bone Health and Reduce Inflammation in Postmenopausal Women

Green tea, historically consumed in the Orient and now an international mainstay, is chock full of compounds called polyphenols known for their potent antioxidant activity. Dozens of epidemiological (observational) studies have shown that people who consume the highest levels of green tea polyphenols (GTP) tend to have lower risks of several chronic degenerative diseases such as cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis.

A new study found that consumption of Green Tea Polyphenols (at a level equivalent to about 4-6 cups of steeped green tea daily) and participation in tai chi independently enhanced markers of bone health by 3 and 6 months, respectively. A similar effect was found for muscle strength at the 6-month time point. Women taking tai chi classes also reported significant beneficial effects in quality of life in terms of improving their emotional and mental health. Perhaps most remarkable, however, was the substantial effect that both GTP and tai chi had on biological markers of oxidative stress. Because oxidative stress is a main precursor to inflammation, this finding suggests that green tea and tai chi may help reduce the underlying etiology of not only osteoporosis, but other inflammatory diseases as well.

Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) 2011