New research: vitamin K protects against non-Hodgkin lymphoma

By: S. L. Baker

(Natural News) Non-Hodgkin lymphomas belong to a large group of immune system

cancers involving lymphocytes (white blood cells). In 2009, according the National
Cancer Institute (NCI) about 65,980 Americans were diagnosed with this form of cancer
and almost 20,000 died from the disease. But now scientists at the Mayo
Comprehensive Cancer Center in Minnesota think they've found a way to prevent a
huge number of these malignancies. The key is a nutrient found in many leafy, green
vegetables -- vitamin K.

For their study, the first ever to investigate vitamin Kand non-Hodgkin lymphomarisk,
the Mayo researchers enrolled 603 patients who were newly diagnosed with non-
Hodgkin lymphoma as well as 1,007 matched cancer-free research subjects who served
as controls. The participants answered a food questionnaire about their usual intake of
over 120 food items during the two years before they were diagnosed with cancer or
they enrolled in the study as a member of the cancer-free control group. They were also
asked about their use of vitamin and mineral supplements.

The findings of the study, which were recently announced in Washington, D.C., at the
101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR),
showed that the risk of developing non-Hodgkin lymphoma was slashed dramatically --
by 45 percent -- for the study participants who had the highest vitamin K levels
compared to participants with the lowest levels of the vitamin. This association
remained even after the Mayo research team investigated factors such as age, sex,
education, obesity, smoking, alcohol use and consumption of foods with high amounts
of antioxidants.

Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin found in certain plants or formed by bacterial

synthesis. The Mayo study involved intake of the plant form of vitamin K from diet
and/or supplement use. The most common food sources of vitamin K include leaf
lettuce and spinach, with smaller amounts found in other vegetables such as onions,
bell peppers, asparagus and alfalfa sprouts and some fruits, including strawberries.

Consuming a lot of vitamin K was associated with a lower risk of non-Hodgkin

lymphoma whether the vitamin came from natural food sources or from supplements.
However, very high intakes of vitamin K from supplements did not cause a further
reduction in risk.

"These results are provocative, since they are the first work we have done on the
connection between vitamin K and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and this is a fairly strong
protective effect," the study's lead investigator, cancer epidemiologist James Cerhan,
M.D., Ph.D., said in a media statement. "Whether the protective effect we observed is
due to vitamin K intake, or some other dietary or lifestyle exposure, cannot be definitely
assessed in this study. But these findings add to a lot of other data that support a diet
that includes plenty of green leafy vegetables in order to prevent many cancers as well
as other diseases."

Well-known as essential for blood clotting (the name of the vitamin is derived from the
German word "Koagulations"), vitamin K has also been found in recent years to be
important for other functions in the body, including putting a damper on inflammation
and regulating cell growth -- and this might explain its apparent ability to protect from
non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

http://www.naturalnews.com/028772_vitamin_K_lymphoma.html#ixzz17ztBHavy

Vegan Vitamin B12 Deficiency is a Myth

By: Cindy Jones-Shoeman
(Natural News) Some vegetarians will avoid becoming vegan because of one simple
myth they've heard again and again: they've heard that vegans can suffer from vitamin
B12 deficiency based on their diet. Lots of vegetarians decide, based on this faulty
information, that they need to continue eating animal protein. However, nothing could be
further from the truth.

That's not to say that there is no such thing as vitamin B12 deficiency, because it does
exist. People who are deficient of the vitamin experience many symptoms, such as
fatigue, weight loss, gastrointestinal issues (such as upset stomach, diarrhea, or
constipation), numbness, confusion, and memory loss, to name a few. It does exist, but
it's not caused by veganism.

The truth is vegans don't need to worry. They don't need to start taking special
supplements or eating nutritional yeast. The biggest untruth feeding this myth is that
people have been told the only source of vitamin B12 is through animal-based foods
(meat, dairy products, etc.). However, lack of vitamin B12 needn't be a concern, even if
a person only eats plant foods. According to Dr. Vivian V. Vetrano, vitamin B12 actually
comes from coenzymes, which are already present in bacteria found on the human
body (in and around the mouth, for example).

In fact, vitamin B12 deficiency is often, according to Dr. Vetrano, a symptom of a larger
problem; that is, it's not caused from a poor diet but rather from deficiency diseases that
usually can't be treated simply by having the patient ingest additional vitamin B12. It is
often caused by a digestive problem; Dr. Vetrano states that in the case of deficiency
the body has a problem absorbing nutrients from food. Vitamin B12 deficiency, rather
than being caused by diet, is often caused by Crohn's disease, celiac disease, and
other digestive disorders.

Vegetarians who have heard that they don't get enough protein in their diets and know
this myth is untrue can rest assured that vitamin B12 deficiency is a myth as well.
Instead, vegans need to concentrate on eating plenty of healthy raw foods, nuts, seeds,
grains, vegetables and fruits. The truth is people don't have to eat meat or other animal
products to survive and thrive. Vitamin B12 deficiency due to a vegan diet is simply a lie
that finally needs to be put to rest.

http://www.naturalnews.com/029531_vitamin_B12_vegan.html#ixzz17zuID1nc

Vitamin B6 found to slash risk of Parkinson's disease

By: Natural News
(Natural News) New research in the journal Neurology indicates that increased
consumption of vitamin B6 could significantly reduce the risk of Parkinson's disease.

Researchers from the Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands studied around 5,300
participants over the age of 55, and found that those who had the highest intake of
vitamin B6 had up to a 50 percent reduction in Parkinson's disease risk.

The researchers believe that vitamin B6 may prevent the disease by decreasing levels
of homocysteine -- an amino acid that is potentially toxic to brain cells. Vitamin B6 could
also have an antioxidant effect that might aid in preventing Parkinson's, researchers
say.

The study tracked the participants from 1990 through 2003 through questionnaires and
physical examinations, including neurological exams. Ten years into the study, 72 new
cases of Parkinson's had been diagnosed. The researchers found that those who had a
daily vitamin B6intake of 230.9 micrograms or more experienced a 54 percent decrease
in Parkinson's risk over those with daily doses of 185.1 micrograms or less.

The researchers also studied the participants' consumption of foliate and vitamin B12
and found no significant reductions in Parkinson's risk, but the authors could not entirely
rule out the possible effects of those nutrients.

"This research presents yet more encouraging information about the role of nutrition in
preventing degenerative diseases like Parkinson's disease," says Mike Adams,
consumer health advocate and creator of the NutrientReference.com website that
includes a page on vitamin B6. "Despite what conventional medicine believes, the
human nervous system does not simply deteriorate after a period of time -- it stays
healthy and functional for as long as it receives the necessary nutritional support and
sufficient stimulation."

http://www.naturalnews.com/019868_Parkinsons_disease_vitamin_B6.html#ixzz17zusF
eQA

Vitamin D deficiency could be a cause of autism

By: Ethan A. Huff

(Natural News) A new Danish study published in the journal Pediatrics has identified a
link between neonatal jaundice and autism. Babies born with jaundice have a
significantly increased risk of developing both general psychological problems and
autism, and researchers believe a vitamin D deficiency is to blame.

Formed from data on over 733,000 Danish children born between 1994 and 2004, the
study revealed that jaundiced newborns are 87 percent more likely to develop a
psychological disorder than newborns without jaundice. Jaundiced babiesare also 56
percent more likely to develop autism than their otherwise healthy counterparts.

Part of the reason why experts believe vitamin D deficiency might relate to autism is the
fact that babies born between October and March were about twice as likely to develop
autism than children born during other parts of the year. The months between October
and March are during the wintertime in Denmark, when sunlight exposureis at a
minimum. And besides producing vitamin D in the body, sun light exposurealso breaks
down bilirubin, a substance implicated in causing jaundice.

Bilirubin is a natural metabolite that the liver normally processes and eliminates, but
newborns are incapable of breaking it down, which leads to jaundice. And excess
amount of bilirubin are known to cause serious brain injury when left untreated, lending
credence to the hypothesis that the chemical may be somehow involved in causing
autism.

According to Dr. John Cannell, vitamin D expert and director of the Vitamin D Council,
prenatal vitamin D deficiency is strongly linked to autism. Vitamin D not only naturally
eliminates bilirubin, but it cures neonatal jaundice as well.

Dr. Cannell suggests that women take 5,000 IU of vitamin D a day during pregnancy.
He also suggests that babies born with jaundice be exposed to natural sunlight as an
effective treatment, and in order to avoid brain injuries.

http://www.naturalnews.com/030032_vitamin_D_autism.html#ixzz17zvQ0ZhK

Curcumin and Vitamin D3 may Dissolve Plaques of Alzheimer's Disease

By: Cindie Leonard

(Natural News) Research into methods of preventing or reversing the damaging effects
on the brain caused by Alzheimer's disease is heating up -- namely with a common
spice, turmeric, and something so simple, the sun. A new study by UCLA scientists and
colleagues from UC Riverside and the Human Bio Molecular Research Institute, cited in
the July issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, reports findings suggesting the
possibility that Vitamin D3 and a chemical, curcumin, found in the spice turmeric, might
possibly not only prevent, but may help reverse damage done by the typical plaques
and tangles which are characteristics of Alzheimer's disease.

The theory is that the combination of vitamin D3 and curcumin stimulate the immune
system in a fashion that helps clear amyloid beta, the "gunk" that forms the damaging
plaques in the brain. This small study used blood samples from Alzheimer's patients,
measuring the effects of curcumin and vitamin D3 on amyloid beta. Dr. Milan Fiala,
study author and researcher, states: "We hope that vitamin D3 and curcumin, both
naturally occurring nutrients, may offer new preventive and treatment possibilities for
Alzheimer`s disease."

The promising results of this research could not be timelier. A study was recently
released predicting that the number of people with Alzheimer`s disease will double
every 20 years. Globally, an estimated 35.6 million people will be living with dementia
by the year 2010. According to the National Institutes of Health, in the United States
alone, one in seven Americans over the age of 71 will have some sort of dementia.
These numbers are especially daunting as the emotional, physical, and financial toll of
Alzheimer's disease can be devastating.

The standard protocol for treating Alzheimer's disease is to use pharmaceuticals. Drugs
currently on the market are generally only effective when treatment is begun in the early
stages. Common drugs for early stage treatment are Aricept, Reminyl, and Exelon.
Namenda is a newer drug which offers some relief for persons in the later stages of
Alzheimer`s. These drugs (which have many side-effects) can only slow the progression
of the disease, not reverse the damage.

In a recently published article in Natural News, Sheryl Waters contributes:

"India has one the lowest numbers of people suffering with Alzheimer's in the world. In
fact just 1% of Indians over 65 suffers from the disease while that number is more like
10% in America. For years scientists and Doctors had struggled to understand exactly
why this is, but research in to the medical properties of a well known spice may just
have provided the answer. Early research in to Turmeric was based totally around the
spice`s amazing ability to stop the growth of cancerous cells. But as the spice was
investigated further researchers found that it may also prevent the progression of
Alzheimer's."

Previous studies involving curcumin demonstrate the protective binding of amyloid beta.
This more recent study conducted at UCLA suggests that the addition of vitamin D3
amplifies this positive effect.

An essential nutrient for bone and immune system health, along with psychological well-
being, vitamin D3 is synthesized through the skin. Vitamin D3 deficiencies are
associated with numerous serious health conditions such as cancer, heart disease,
multiple sclerosis, diabetes, and depression.

Perhaps something as simple as a regular sprinkling of turmeric in our meals and

regular doses of sunshine may ward off the dreaded disease called Alzheimer`s.

http://www.naturalnews.com/027130_disease_Alzheimers_vitamin_D3.html#ixzz17zvzU
CsA