Dear Dr. Ettinger,

I am so confused. Now they (Institute of Medicine) says that levels of Vitamin D3 over 30 ng/mL, INCREASES your chances for developing cancer and other bad conditions. If I back my dose back-down to 2,000 IU’s a day, is that going to make my levels above 30? My co-worker, Husband, and myself just stopped taking any of it because we don’t know what to do. I always thought that levels between 50 – 70 ng/mL were ideal. I take the Vitamin D (Power Vitamin D3 Liquid) that you recommended. They have also stopped suggesting that we take multi-vitamins. I never took a multi, but my Husband did until this came out. He has Parkinson’s  and does very well, but we don’t want to do anything to cause harm. Is there anything safe to take in your line of supplements? I told my co-worker and Husband that I would see what you have to say because I trust your opinion. We all await what you have to say.

Linda.

Linda,

Whatever source said that is either wrong, misinformed or interpreting the data to fit their agenda – one of the three. Go to www.vitamindcouncil.org for all your vitamin D needs. This is where you want to go to find-out the truth about Vitamin D . NaturalNews.com, is another good source for non-biased data. Personally, I will never drop my daily dosage of Vitamin D below 6,000 IU’s (accept during summer when I surf 3 days a week w/o my wetsuit). My 6 year old daughter takes 2,000 IU’s per day. Your husband is fine with 6-10,000 IU’s a day, especially since Vitamin D deficiency linked to Parkinson’s disease, cognitive decline. Make sure he gets routine vitamin D blood tests  for ideal blood levels. Your husband should shoot for blood levels between 50-80 ng/mL. Also, his multi is perfectly okay.

Sincerely,

Marcus Ettinger BSc., DC

Dr. Ettinger,

The IOM expressed concern about excessive intake of vitamin D. But raised the Upper Tolerable Intake Levels (ULs) (above which there is a risk of harm) for vitamin D. The UL for individuals aged 9 and older was set at 4,000 IU’s/daily, up from 2,000 IU’s daily. The IOM noted that some studies showed an increase in adverse events (including overall mortality, some cancers, cardiovascular disease, fractures and falls) at vitamin D blood levels (I.e., 25-(OH)D levels) ranging from about 30 ng/mL to 48 ng/mL (75 to 120 nmol/L).

ConsumerLab.com has updated this review to reflect the IOM recommendations. For a summary of the IOM report, click here.

Linda D.

Linda,

This explains everything and personally I don’t believe or trust a word of it. It’s a government sponsored study and very prejudiced in favor of “not promoting supplements” or true health, for that matter!

Study Sponsors

• Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture
• Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, U.S. Department of Agriculture
• Department of the Army, U.S. Department of Defense
• Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
• Health Canada
• Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
• National Institutes of Health (Division of Nutrition Research Coordination, National Institute on Aging, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin, National Cancer Institute, and Office of Dietary Supplements), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Also, please read this. Dr. Cannell, a vitamin D expert, directly critiques the above study. Dr. John Jacob Cannell, Executive Director of the Vitamin D Council’s response to the IOM’s report – Today, the FBN has failed millions…

Sincerely,

Marcus Ettinger BSc., DC

Dr. Ettinger,

If you have been taking 6,000 of D3 with no bad effects that is good enough for me. I do trust you and Life Extension a whole lot more than anything the government says. I do know that they want to regulate vitamins and make it so you can only get them by prescription. I did not look at who did the study so what you are saying makes perfect sense. If it were going to affect the liver it should show up in blood tests. I’ll start back with my 6,000 of D3 tonight! I have read so many good things about D. I did read to take it with K which I do not do. I will take supplements over drugs any day.

I really do appreciate you being there and taking your time to answer some questions.

Have a very merry Christmas!!!!

Linda

The below cycle of inflammation (also known as an inflammatory cascade) is one of the most profound contributors to ill health and disease we face. Once set in motion, this inflammatory cycle will feed itself and becomes harder to suppress. 75% of the patients I see are in my practice because of the effects inflammation is having on their body. 100% of these effects are a direct result of not following (step 6) at the bottom of the page. The easiest way to avoid disease and ill health is to remove as many stressors (step 1) out of your life.Step 1. Over-exposure or excessive physical, emotional and/or chemical stress’, leading to the activation of  a potent modulator of the inflammatory cycle.

Stressors: Radiation; oxidative stress; physical injury, bacterial endotoxin or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from food-borne bacteria (E. coli and Salmonella); “Leaky Gut Syndrome”; food and environmental allergens; viral infections; excessive consumption of simple sugars (sucrose); consumption of corn oil; arachidonic acid metabolites such as PGE2; nutrient poor, processed food diet; insufficient Omega 3 fatty acids (ALA, EPA, DHA), insufficient GLA and Vitamin D deficiency.

Step 2. Activation of NF-κB

NF-κB is widely used by eukaryotic (cells that contain a nucleus) cells as a regulator of genes that control cell proliferation and cell survival (anti-apoptotic). Blocking NF-κB can cause tumor cells to stop proliferating, to die, or to become more sensitive to the action of anti-tumor agents.

NF-κB also controls many genes involved in inflammation (cytokines [signaling molecules used extensively in intercellular communication], cell adhesion molecules and the pro-inflammatory enzymes: inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS,) cyclo-oxygenase (COX) and lipoxygenase (LPOX). NF-κB is found to be chronically active in many inflammatory diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease, arthritis, sepsis, gastritis, asthma, neurodegenerative diseases, and cardiovascular disease.

Step 3. Cytokines, cell adhesion molecules and the pro-inflammatory enzymes are produced.

*Interleukin-6 (IL-6) → C-Reactive Protein (CRP)
Cyclooxygenase-2 → Prostaglandin-E2 (PGE2) and Thromboxanes
Interleukin-1 (IL-1) → Collagenase-3 (MMP-13)
Lipoxygenase → Leukotrienes
Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase (iNOS) → Nitric Oxide (NO)
Tissue Necrosis Factor (TNFα)
*Cell Adhesion Molecules (CAMs)

Step 4. Health conditions created by prolonged exposure to the above chemicals.

• Pain
• Inflammation (edema, swelling)
• Asthma and Hypersensitivity to Potential Allergens
• Cardiovascular disease
• Thrombosis (blood clots)
• Insulin resistance
• Autoimmune disease (Hashimoto’s, Lupus…)
• Rheumatoid disease
• Neurodegeneration (Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease)
• Cancer

Step 5. IL-1, PGE2, reactive oxygen species and oxidative stress, TNFα and CRP created because of the above health conditions, facilitate the continued activation of NF-κB.

Step 6. In order to break the above inflammatory cycle, stressors need to be removed,  severely reduced or reversed. One of the easiest steps that can be taken is to eliminate table sugar, vegetable oil and hydrogenated fats out of the diet and add in Omega 3 fatty acids, in the form of fish and flax seed oil. Next, is to reduce animal protein (red meat) consumption to 6 ounces per day and add-in nutrient dense foods like: vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds and beans. Increasing antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients is a cost effective measure that will pay dividends in the form of less sickness, disease and an increased life-span. Here are a few of my favorite nutrients that support  anti-inflammatory processes: molecularly distilled fish oil, natural vitamin C, chlorella, vitamin E, selenium, NAC, resveratrol, grape seed extract and curcumin. Here are a few of my favorite antioxidant rich (anti-inflammatory) fruits and vegetables: red bell pepper, tomato, cilantro, spinach, red cabbage, onion, garlic, strawberries, blueberries and red raspberries. Lastly, engaging in mild-moderate exercise (3 days/week), taking a broad-spectrum, enteric-coated probiotic and 4,000 – 10,000 IU’s of vitamin D3 per day, will round-out any  anti-inflammatory protocol.

Step 7. Proactive diagnostic blood tests to determine the presence and level of inflammation within the body, as well as tests that will determine risk for development of cardiovascular disease (heart attack) or cerebrovascular disease (stroke). Any of these tests can be ordered by calling our office 714-639-4360

• C-Reactive Protein (CRP) – High Sensitive (Cardiac)
• Homocysteine
• Fibrinogen
• Hemoglobin A1C
• IL-6 – Interleukin – 6
• Sed Rate (ESR)
• Lipid Panel
• D,25 Hydroxycalciferol – Vitamin D

*Atherosclerosis is strongly considered to be a low-grade inflammatory response of the arterial wall to a variety of stimuli in all aspects of coronary syndromes, from the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis to plaque rupture and myocardial cell death. In each of these steps, infiltration of cardiovascular tissue by inflammatory cells is evident and is regulated by a number of cytokines (IL-6 and CRP) and cell adhesion molecules.  Maseri A. N Engl J Med. 1997;336:1014-1016

Hi Dr. Ettinger,

I wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping me be free from all Lyme disease symptoms, for good!

I was diagnosed with Lyme disease about three years ago and received antibiotic therapy about four months exposure. I hadn’t seen any bite or “bullseye”, but went to the doctor after having multiple physical complaints and generally not feeling well. I was treated with antibiotics and felt much better, but the symptoms began to return, especially when I had more stress in my life…. Things like low energy, head fogginess, very poor short term memory, mood swings, left hand tremor… between 2-4 in the afternoon. These were all the symptoms I had upon initial diagnosis, as well as an irregular heartbeat on and off. Anyway, after another run of antibiotic therapy that was only briefly helpful, I went to CAOH.com and “asked the doctor”. You recommended Liquid Power Multi-V, Absolute Acai Powder, Almost Nude Noni, Ultra Supreme Greens, Vitamin D – 5000 IU’s/day and resveratrol. I have to admit I forget to take some of them daily, but I am symptom free for over a year!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I hope this helps other Lyme disease sufferers.

Sincerely,

Jane Buckley


Vitamin D deficiency, levels lower than 32 ng’s/mL, is known to nearly double the risk of cardiovascular disease in patients with diabetes, and researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis now think they know why.

Researchers have found that diabetics deficient in vitamin D can’t process cholesterol normally, so it builds up in their blood vessels, increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke. The new research has identified a mechanism linking low vitamin D levels to heart disease risk and may lead to ways to fix the problem, simply by increasing levels of vitamin D. Recent studies consider the lower limit of 32 ng/mL to be a threshold for optimum health. Hollis BW. J Nutr 2005 Feb 135 (2) :317-22.

“Vitamin D inhibits the uptake of cholesterol by cells called macrophages,” says principal investigator Carlos Bernal-Mizrachi, M.D., a Washington University endocrinologist at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. “When people are deficient in vitamin D, the macrophage cells eat more cholesterol, and they can’t get rid of it. The macrophages get clogged with cholesterol and become what scientists call foam cells, which are one of the earliest markers of atherosclerosis.”

A healthy macrophage cell, at left, with sufficient vitamin D. On the right, a macrophage with inadequate vitamin D has become clogged with cholesterol, an early marker of atherosclerosis.

Macrophages are a type of white blood cell that is dispatched by the immune system in response to inflammation and often are activated by diseases such as diabetes. Bernal-Mizrachi and his colleagues believe that in diabetic patients with inadequate vitamin D, macrophages become loaded with cholesterol and eventually stiffen blood vessels and block blood flow.Bernal-Mizrachi, an assistant professor of medicine and of cell biology and physiology, studied macrophage cells taken from people with and without diabetes and with and without vitamin D deficiency. His team, led by research assistants Jisu Oh and Sherry Weng, M.D., exposed the cells to cholesterol and to high or low vitamin D levels. When vitamin D levels were low in the culture dish, macrophages from diabetic patients were much more likely to become foam cells.

The research team reported that vitamin D regulates signaling pathways linked both to uptake and to clearance of cholesterol in macrophages.

“Cholesterol is transported through the blood attached to lipoproteins such as LDL, the ‘bad’ cholesterol,” Bernal-Mizrachi explains. “As it is stimulated by oxygen radicals in the vessel wall, LDL becomes oxidated, and macrophages eat it uncontrollably. LDL cholesterol then clogs the macrophages, and that’s how atherosclerosis begins.”

That process becomes accelerated when a person is deficient in vitamin D, and people with type 2 diabetes are very likely to have this deficiency. Worldwide, approximately one billion people have insufficient vitamin D levels, and in women with type 2 diabetes, the likelihood of low vitamin D is about a third higher than in women of the same age who don’t have diabetes.

The skin manufactures vitamin D in response to ultraviolet light exposure. But in much of the United States, people don’t make enough vitamin D during the winter — when the sun’s rays are weaker and more time is spent indoors.

The good news is when human macrophages are placed in an environment with plenty of vitamin D, their uptake of cholesterol is suppressed, and they don’t become foam cells. Bernal-Mizrachi believes it may be possible to slow or reverse the development of atherosclerosis in patients with diabetes by helping them regain adequate vitamin D levels.

“There is debate about whether any amount of sun exposure is safe, so oral vitamin D supplements may work best,” he says, “but perhaps if people were exposed to sunlight only for a few minutes at a time, that may be an option, too.”

Oh J, Weng S, Felton SK, Bhandare S, Riek A, Butler B, Proctor BM, Petty M, Chen Z, Schechtman KB, Bernal-Mizrach L, Bernal-Mizrachi C. 1,25 (OH) vitamin D inhibits foam cell formation and suppresses macrophage cholesterol uptake in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Circulation, vol. 120(8);pp. 687-698. Aug. 25. 2009. Published online August 10, 2009 doi:10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.109.856070

Orange County chiropractor, Dr. Marcus Ettinger, shares simple techniques to a better quality of life. Below are 11 easy rules, that if followed, will improve the overall integrity of your back (spine and supporting muscles) while at the same time reducing the potential for the development of degenerative arthritis, low back injury and low back pain.

1. Always warm-up and stretch before exercise or other strenuous physical activity. If you are beginning an exercise program for the very first time or are starting back after a prolonged period of inactivity, begin your exercise program with routine, low-impact exercises. Yoga, swimming, speed walking, or stationary bike riding just 30 minutes a day can increase low back muscle strength, over-all posture and flexibility. Ask your chiropractor for a list of low-impact, ‘core stabilizing’ exercises appropriate for your age. Core stabilizing exercises focus on strengthening, in tandem, the lower back and abdominal musculature.
2. Don’t slouch when standing or sitting. When standing, keep your weight balanced on your feet. Your back supports weight most easily when curvature is reduced.
3. At home or work, make sure your work surface is at a comfortable height for you.
4. Sit in a chair with good lumbar support and proper position and height for the task. Keep your shoulders back. Switch sitting positions often and periodically walk around the office or gently stretch muscles to relieve tension. A pillow or rolled-up towel placed behind the small of your back can provide some lumbar support. If you must sit for a long period of time, rest your feet on a low stool or a stack of books.
5. Wear comfortable, low-heeled shoes with supportive arches.
6. Sleep on your side or back to reduce any curve in your spine. Always sleep on a firm surface.
7. Drink eight, eight ounces of purified water each day. 75% of the weight of the upper body is supported by water volume that is stored in the disc core; 25% is supported by fibrous material around the disc. (Batmanghelidj MD)
8. Don’t try to lift objects too heavy for you. Lift with your knees, pull in your stomach muscles, and keep your head down and in line with your straight back. Keep the object close to your body. Do not twist when lifting or when setting the object down.
9. Maintain proper nutrition and diet to reduce and prevent excessive weight, especially weight around the waistline that stresses lower back muscles. Sufficient daily intake of vitamin D, magnesium, calcium and phosphorus, along with weight-bearing exercise will help promote new bone growth.
10. If you smoke, quit. Smoking reduces blood flow and oxygen to the muscles and spine, causing the muscles and intervertebral ‘spinal’ discs to degenerate.
11. Visit a chiropractor for routine check-ups. Keeping your spine and other joints of the body are in proper alignment and moving freely with unrestricted range of motion will reduce ware and tear by keeping the body bilateral and symmetrical; it will also promote unrestricted nerve and blood flow throughout the body

US Centers for Disease Control (CDC)

U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention Epidemic Intelligence Service has just reported in the April edition of Prevention, that most infants and mothers are not receiving enough vitamin D and should be taking vitamin D3 supplementation to compensate for this deficiency

In a study conducted between 2005 and 2007, which analyzed data from the Infant Feeding Practices Study II, discovered that more than half of the infants and more than a third of the mothers were considered vitamin D deficient.  More than a third of the infants (38%) and a fifth of the mothers (23%) were considered severely deficient.

This study just helped validate mine, and others long standing belief that vitamin D deficiency is a world-wide epidemic.  It’s sad that so many doctors and the general public are totally unaware of the need for extra vitamin D supplementation.  The really sad part is that the ones who will suffer the most are those with no voice, our infants and children.  In the last two years I’ve found that 99.8% of every patient I’ve Vitamin D tested has shown moderate to severely low vitamin D levels.  The recommended daily allowance of 400 IU’s is a joke.  This level should be bumped to at least 1,000-2,000 IU’s per day.

Low vitamin D levels is a predisposing factor to the development of  just about every bad condition that can affect the human body.  I highly recommend that everyone take vitamin D3 supplementation daily.  I personally take 6,000 IU’s and my 5 1/2 year old daughter takes 2,000 IU’s daily.  I take Liquid Vitamin D Forte by Biotics Research ($20).  Need some, give us a call at 714-639-4360.

Diseases and disorders associated with vitamin D deficiency: Alzheimer’s, cancer, diabetes, autoimmune, psoriasis, acne, MS, autism, depression, mental illness, osteoporosis and many, many others.

Use of Supplemental Vitamin D Among Infants Breastfed for Prolonged Periods
PEDIATRICS Vol. 125 No. 1 January 2010, pp. 105-111

Conclusion:
A minority of breastfed infants received vitamin D supplementation.  Educational efforts directed at both physicians and parents are needed to increase compliance with vitamin D supplementation guidelines.

Obstetrics & Gynecology: April 2010 – Volume 115 – Issue 4 – pp 795-803

A newly released research study suggests that vitamin D deficiency in women may be a predisposing factor to developing pelvic floor disorders like urinary incontinence and fecal incontinence.

“Higher vitamin D levels were associated with a decreased risk of any pelvic floor disorder in all women,” write researcher Samuel Badalian, MD, PhD, of SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, N.Y. “Given the increase in the number of patients with pelvic floor disorders, further evaluation of the role of vitamin D is warranted.”

Researchers say one in four women suffers from at least one type of pelvic floor disorder, such as urinary incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, and fecal incontinence, and the risks of developing these disorders increase with age.

The Researchers came to the conclusion that higher vitamin D levels in women could improve pelvic muscle strength and reduce the risk of pelvic floor disorders, especially incontinence.

Vitamin D3 has several forms:

• Cholecalciferol, (sometimes called calciol) which is an inactive, unhydroxylated form of vitamin D3)
• Calcifediol (also called 25-hydroxyvitamin D3), which is the form measured in the blood to assess vitamin D status
• Calcitriol (also called 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3), which is the active form of D3.

More on Vitamin D

Vitamin D Council

]]> http://www.advancedhealing.com/blog/2010/03/22/low-vitamin-d-linked-to-pelvic-floor-disorders-in-women/feed/ 0 http://www.advancedhealing.com/blog/2010/01/28/vitamin-d-integrative-medicine-orange-california/ http://www.advancedhealing.com/blog/2010/01/28/vitamin-d-integrative-medicine-orange-california/#comments Fri, 29 Jan 2010 01:42:44 +0000 Dr. Marcus Ettinger http://www.advancedhealing.com/blog/?p=553 I love vitamin D, and I personally feel everyone should be taking it.  From this day forward I will put a link to every vitamin D report I read.

My favorite Vitamin D supplement is, Liquid Vitamin D Forte by Biotics Research. Each drop provides 2,000Iu’s of Bioactive vitamin D3. There are 700+ drops in the bottle and it’s only $20.00. If you would like to purchase a bottle please call Rene at 714-639-4360

Liquid Vitamin D Forte by Biotics Research

Vitamin D May Ease Asthma

Adequate Levels of Vitamin D May Lower Colon Cancer Risk

Low Vitamin D Has a Role in Heart Risk

Vitamin D Reduces the Risk for Broken Bones

Vitamin D Deficiency Boosts C-Section Risk

Vitamin D May Reduce Falls in Elderly Nursing Home Residents

Vitamin D During Pregnancy May Lower Baby’s Risk of Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

Low Levels of Vitamin D Linked to Asthma

Commentary: I have to take issue with this study.  One because it is going to scare, needlessly, a lot of people and second, because it failed to include lifestyle, genetics, geographic location and other beneficial dietary factors (homocysteine reducing nutrients – fruits and vegetables), into of the overall Alzheimer’s equation, that could lesson or even negate the negative impact from eating only this type of diet.  This study is solely one of, “let’s see what will happen to a bunch of mice if we only feed them….” I am sure that adding the above factors into their final conclusion would most likely have negated their findings.

Now, let’s take a look at a population group  that has the lowest rate per of Alzheimer’s in the world, Northern India – specifically the state of Haryana.  The other northern states, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir also have very low per capita rates of Alzheimer’s.   Why is this?  Well, it’s not from a lack of consuming the above foods, because these foods just so happen to be staples in their diet.

Let’s look at the dietary habits of North India.  The cuisine of Northern India can be broken down into these regional styles: Punjabi cuisine, Mughlai/Moghul cuisine, cuisine of Kashmir, Awadhi cuisine, cuisine of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthani cuisine, Bhojpuri cuisine, Bihari cuisine, and Sindhi cuisine.  The commonality between these regional styles is the proportionally high use of meat (chicken, lamb/mutton, goat and no pork); dairy products (milk, yogurt and cheese/paneer); flat breads (the primary dietary starch) some tandoor/griddle (roti/chapati, naan, parantha) and some deep-fried in oil (puri/poori and bhatoora); many varieties of lentils/dal;  seasonal vegetables; fresh fruit (apples (apples, cherries, plums and strawberries); Nuts (pistachios, almonds); seeds/spices (cloves, cumin, cinnamon, cardamom ghee, Garam masala, sesame, turmeric [curcumin], onion, garlic, ginger and bay leaves, fennel, coriander, nutmeg, and paprika); and the samosa.  The samosa is a popular North Indian snack.  Commonly filled with boiled, fried, or mashed potato and other fillings like minced meat, cheese, mushroom, and chick pea.  (Due to sub-cultures and climate extremes within these geographic regions there will always be exceptions/exclusions to my ingredient list above).

Conclusion: Per this recent study and the fact that the diet of the Northern Indian population, which is rich in red meats, lentils, onions, garlic, yogurt and seeds, you would expect that there would be a high, per capita rate of Alzheimer’s; well, there isn’t.  In fact it’s the lowest in the world!

Let’s take a look closer to home.  The rate of Alzheimer’s in the United States is far higher than Northern India, but again based on the above study, lets look it the correlates to real life.  Below are the top ten states and bottom ten sates for rates of Alzheimer’s disease deaths  per 100,000 residents (source).

The top 10 states with the highest rates of Alzheimer’s disease deaths are:

1. Tennessee (age-adjusted death rate per 100,000 = 36.2)
2. Washington (35.9)
3. Louisiana (34.2)
4. Alabama (33.2)
5. South Carolina (32.4)
6. Arizona (31.3)
7. N Dakota (29.8)
8. N Carolina (29.5)
9. Idaho (29.4)
10. Maine (29.1)

The top 10 states with the lowest rates of Alzheimer’s disease deaths are:

1. New York (age-adjusted death rate per 100,000 = 9.2)
2. Hawaii (11.4)
3. Connecticut (16.1)
4. Nevada (17.1)
5. Maryland (17.5)
6. New Jersey (17.6)
7. New Mexico (18.3)
8. Florida (18.4)
9. Rhode Island (18.8)
10. Pennsylvania (18.9)

Do you think that New Yorker’s or Hawaiian’s eat any less red meat or fish than citizens of Tennessee, Washington or Louisiana?  No!  Do Hawaiian’s or New Yorker’s eat less eggs, onions, yogurt, garlic or seeds than the fine citizens of Tennessee, Washington or Louisiana?  No!

So, obviously there must be another or other factors, besides excess methionine, that’s contributing to their predilection for developing Alzheimer’s disease.  My thought’s are that a lack of  vitamin D, magnesium, omega 3 fatty acids (EPA/DHA), fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, exercise, chiropractic adjustments, continual engagement in intellectual activities (chess, crossword puzzles, social interaction…) and prolonged smoking are all predisposing/contributing factors.

Basically what this all proves, is that sensational research studies like this, translated into real world applications, which they don’t – are bull shit.

If you are interested in taking proactive steps that may protect you from developing neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, dementia, Parkinson’s, MS and others, please contact our office in orange, California.  FYI: It is not required that clients come directly to the office to receive help. Call Dr. Marcus Ettinger for more information 714-639-4360

There are also many dietary, nutritional and exercise actions that can be taken even if someone is already experiencing one of the above conditions.  The sooner these steps are implemented the better the overall results will be.  Time is of the essence when it comes to neurodegenerative type conditions.

Mediterranean Diet, Physical Activity, Cognitive Function, and Dementia Risk

Scarmeas and colleagues investigated the association between amount of physical activity, alone or in combination with adherence to a Mediterranean-type diet, and incidence of Alzheimer disease (AD). For a mean of 5.4 years, the investigators followed 1880 community-dwelling, nondemented elders in New York City. Approximately every 1.5 years, participants completed physical-activity and food-frequency questionnaires and underwent cognitive and clinical assessments to determine dementia onset. A total of 282 participants developed AD. After adjustments for multiple confounders (including age, education, sex, ethnic background, presence of apolipoprotein E ε4 gene, baseline cognitive function, body-mass index, caloric intake, leisure activities, medical comorbidities, and smoking), the risk for AD was lower in participants with a high diet score (hazard ratio, 0.60), high physical activity (HR, 0.67), or both (HR, 0.65).

The Mediterranean Diet consists of low meat intake, moderate intake of alcohol (wine) and dairy products (sheep’s milk products), and high intake of fruits, nuts, vegetables (primarily greens), cereals/grains, and fish (small fish like sardines, high in omega 3′s), and flavoring foods with herbs, spices and natural sea salt. The researchers found dose-response relationships for:

Olive Oil Benefits More Than The Heart

1. fruits and nuts
2. monounsaturated-to-saturated fats ratio
3. legume (beans) intake

The higher the intake of fruits, nuts, monounsaturated fats (olive oil) and beans – The more profound the beneficial results were.

Archives of General Psychiatry 2009;66:1090-1098.

ADDITIONAL: E-mail to Dr. Nikolaos Scarmeas MD one of the foremost researchers into the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet.

Dr. Scarmeas,

I just read your study in JAMA, very nice! I have a Integrative medicine practice in southern California for twenty years now and advocate that my clients follow a Mediterranean Diet. I have followed this way of eating for over twenty years and at 45 I have ideal blood markers.

My question is this: what do you feel is the most important aspect (most profound physiological benefits) of the Mediterranean diet?

Is it the red wine (polyphenols, especially resveratrol and its ability to increase NO synthase?)
or
Is it olive oil and omega 3’s from the fish and almonds?
or
Does the diet itself inhibit/reduce inflammatory cytokines, reducing the incidence of cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer’s?
or
?

I would really appreciate any insight you can share.

Thank you in advance.

Marcus Ettinger

Reply (brief but to the point):

Dear Dr Ettinger.

We are investigating some of it. Currently it is not clear. It may be a combination of all the above – biological synergy. Physical activity seems equally important.

Thank you for your interest.

Note:

Below is a paragraph from my post on The True Cause of Alzheimer’s? The deficiencies that may predispose one to developing this terrible disease can be corrected by following a Mediterranean Diet and engaging in regular exercise, throughout one’s life.

“My thought’s on predisposing/contributing factors for developing Alzheimer’s disease and senile dementia: A severe lack of vitamin D, magnesium, omega 3 fatty acids (EPA/DHA), fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, exercise, chiropractic adjustments, continual engagement in intellectual activities (chess, crossword puzzles, social interaction…) and prolonged smoking.”