Selenium, a trace mineral found in grains, nuts and meats, may aid in the prevention of high-risk bladder cancer.
A recently published comparing the blood selenium levels of 767 recently diagnosed bladder cancer patients with 1,108 individuals from the general population indicates that selenium levels in the blood is inversely related to bladder cancer incidence among women, some smokers and those with p53 positive bladder cancer.
The data are still preliminary, and there is no causative relationship established indicating that selenium does have chemo-preventive properties, but the data are promising.
“Ultimately, if it is true that selenium can prevent a certain subset of …read more

In a study involving seniors (age 60-80 years), vitamin K1 supplementation has been noted to help reduce the development of insulin resistance, and subsequently, diabetes, in men. Such supplementation benefits were not seen among the elderly women included in the study.
These observations build on previously published reports that vitamin K may have an effect on diabetes development via the vitamin K-dependant protein osteocalcin:
By “knocking out” these genes in mice so that they could not function, the animals lacking a functional osteocalcin gene gained fat, showing that osteocalcin helps regulate the cells that produce insulin in the pancreas and release it …read more

Once again, new data suggests that vitamin D may help lower breast cancer risks.
…Canadian researchers analysed the vitamin D intakes of 759 women with breast cancer, and compared this to the vitamin D intakes of 1,135 healthy controls.
Increased intakes of the vitamin were associated with a 24 per cent reduction in the risk of developing ER+ and PR+ tumours, said the researchers. Moreover, increased intakes were also associated with 26 and 21 per cent reductions in the risk of receptor-negative (ER–/PR–) and mixed receptor (ER+/PR–) tumours. However, these last two associations were not significant, said the researchers.
For further reading you may …read more

As a segues to my previous post on how increasing potassium intake may help ward off cardiovascular disease, here are the top 10 sources of potassium, according to the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference (pdf file):

Tomato products, canned, paste, without salt added
Orange juice, frozen concentrate, unsweetened, undiluted
Beet greens, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt
Beans, white, mature seeds, canned
Dates, deglet noor
Milk, canned, condensed, sweetened
Tomato products, canned, puree, without salt added
Raisins, seedless
Potato, baked, flesh and skin, without salt
Grapefruit juice, white, frozen concentrate, unsweetened, undiluted

My favorite among these? Dates and raisins! Add nuts and you have trail mix, which comes #11! To …read more

Sometimes, it’s the little things that make a big impact. A new article published in last month’s issue of The Journal of Clinical Hypertension indicates that an increased intake in minerals such as potassium, and possibly magnesium and calcium by dietary means may reduce the risk of high blood pressure, coronary heart disease and stroke, as well as decrease blood pressure in people with hypertension.
According to the paper, if Americans were able to increase their potassium intake, the number of adults with known hypertension with blood pressure levels higher than 140/90 mm Hg might decrease by more than 10 percent …read more

Aside from keeping bones healthy, it seems that Vitamin D play a lot of other functions in the body. In a recent animal study, it has been shown that activated vitamin D can protect against heart failure.

Heart muscle cells in untreated rats bred to develop heart failure show signs of disease. Right: Heart muscle cells remain healthy in rats treated with calcitriol, the hormone that Vitamin D becomes in the body. Credit: University of Michigan
In the study, treatments with activated vitamin D prevented heart muscle cells from growing bigger – the condition, called hypertrophy, in which the heart becomes enlarged …read more

In a review of existing scientific literature, scientists say that, among its other impacts on bone health and possibly reducing cancer risks, vitamin D also plays an important in brain development and function.
McCann & Ames point out that evidence for vitamin D’s involvement in brain function includes the wide distribution of vitamin D receptors throughout the brain. They also discuss vitamin D’s ability to affect proteins in the brain known to be directly involved in learning and memory, motor control, and possibly even maternal and social behavior. The review also discusses studies in both humans and animals that present suggestive …read more

Vitamin D deficiency has long been linked to an individual’s predisposition to diabetes type 1 and 2. In addition, it has been noted that type 1 diabetes is more common in countries where exposure to sunlight (which enables the body to manufacture vitamin D) is lower.
In a new study, dietary supplementation with vitamin D has been found to reduce children’s likelihood of developing type 1 diabetes by almost 30%. In a more detailed report, it has also been noted that the timing of the supplementation could also have an impact on the type-1 diabetes risk; supplementation of …read more

Data from a large, prospective epidemiologic study published in this month’s issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition supports previous findings from small-scale investigations on the link between plasma vitamin C concentrations and stroke risk. They found that individuals with high concentrations of vitamin C in the blood plasma had a 42% lower risk of having a stroke compared to those whose plasma Vit C concentrations were in the lower quartile of the study population.
The next question, of course, is how to increase the circulating Vitamin C in your blood. One way is to increase your consumption of fruit …read more

Of course, you can always take folic acid supplements, but folate (aka Vitamin B9) is also naturally present in certain foods.
Leafy vegetables such as spinach and turnip greens, dried beans and peas, fortified cereal products, sunflower seeds and certain other fruits and vegetables are rich sources of folate.
Try out this Kale, Sausage & Lentil Skillet Supper recipe. A serving already covers 79% of the daily value!
For a list of food sources of folate and folic acid, check out the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference and this food chart from the Florida Folic Acid Coalition.