Feed Your Brain With Walnuts

Watch this video to find out why Walnuts are one of The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth.

Walnuts contain more Omega-3s than any other nut. They are also good source of protein, calcium, magnesium, and manganese.

New Research: Vitamin D May Lower Heart Disease Risk

Medical researchers are discovering a greater relationship between heart disease and vitamin D -- a nutrient already linked to reducing certain cancers.

Studies announced Wednesday at an American Heart Association's conference on cardiovascular health showed an increased association between people with high levels of vitamin D and a lower risk of heart disease.

Adolescents in particular could face long-term implications if they don't get enough of the vitamin, which can be absorbed through exposure to the sun and is found in certain fishes and in popular fortified foods, including milk and cereal.

One study found that American teens with low levels of vitamin D in their blood were almost four times more likely to have metabolic syndrome, a cluster of heart disease risk factors such as high blood pressure and abdominal fat.

"If you have other risk factors like obesity, you should be hyper-vigilant," said Jared Reis, a post-doctoral research fellow at The Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health in Baltimore. His study, presented at the conference at the Innisbrook Resort, looked at health data of more than 3,500 American teens from 2001-2004.

Although cardiovascular research about the nutrient is still evolving, previous studies have linked vitamin D intake to lower risks of colon, prostate and breast cancers, according to the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. Together with calcium, it also has been historically used to supplement bone health.

This news comes at a time when Americans appear to be decreasing their vitamin D intake. The percentage of Americans deficient in the nutrient increased to 9.2 percent in 2005-06, from 2.6 percent in 1988-94, said researcher Sandy Saintonge of the New York Hospital Queens.

If you aren't taking vitamin D I recommend at least 1000 IUs daily, preferably 2000IUs. Carlson's Vitamin D is cheap ($5.50) and easy to take, so why wouldn't you?

(Acknowledgments: McClatchy-Tribune Information Services and Mary Shedden of the Tampa Tribune)

Calcium / Vitamin D May Reduce Colon Cancer

Research presented at the American Association for Cancer Research in San Diego this year suggests that vitamin D and calcium supplements may reduce colon cancer risk.

Veronika Fedirko of Emory University presented research showing that giving patients with polyps 2 grams of calcium, 800 IUs of vitamin D or a combination of the two for six months was associated with an increase in a protein that controls programmed cell death (called apotosis). The protein is called Bax. Fedirko found that by increasing Bax in the tissue of the colon, a greater number of precancerous cells- like those found in polyps- may make like those old Mission Impossible tapes and self-destruct. There was the greatest effect in those that received both the calcium and vitamin D which seem to work synergistically in a number of applications.

In a related study presented at the same meeting, Robert Bostick, MD, MPH and colleagues found that individuals who consume high amounts of vitamin D and calcium have increased levels of a protein that moderates the movement and proliferation of colon cells.

The current studies contribute more evidence for a protective role for calcium and vitamin D in colorectal cancer. Dr. Bostick's team is involved in a ten year study at several centers which will evaluate the effects of increased calcium and vitamin D on the recurrence of colon cancer.

One of the best selling supplements on our website has been the Douglas Labs Cal-6-Mag, an inexpensive and effective blend of calcium, magnesium and vitamin D.