Overall, I don’t like taking a lot of supplements because I think you can get most of what you need from a healthy diet.
However, I make an exception for vitamin D. And I’m currently taking a higher dose than usual, as recent studies have shown that taking high doses may reduce the risk of not only colon cancer, but also dementia. All year round.
I have always followed NHS advice and continued to take the tablets every day during the winter months when the sun is weak. Because we know that vitamin D is very important for a variety of reasons.
But usually around this time of year, when the sun gets stronger and summer approaches, I stop drinking it. After all, I eat a lot of fatty fish and eggs, which are rich in vitamin D, and I go out for walks a lot, so my vitamin D levels should be well-supplied.
However, I plan to continue taking these supplements this year.
Research shows that as we age, our bodies become less able to absorb vitamin D from food and sunlight, which is why Dr. Michael Mosley says he takes supplements year-round.
Part of the reason for that is, surprisingly, I’m getting older every year, and as we age, our bodies become less efficient at absorbing vitamin D from food, and our skin also uses sunlight to absorb this nutrient. Studies have shown that the efficiency of converting into
This, and the fact that older people tend to spend more time indoors and in the shade, means that vitamin D deficiency is very common in people over 60, especially if they have dark skin, even during the summer months. means common.
But how much should you take? That’s where it gets even more controversial. The NHS recommends getting 10 micrograms (mcg) of vitamin D, or 400 international units (IU), per day, while the National Institute for Health Research recommends 15 micrograms (mcg), or 400 international units (IU), for those aged over 70. recommends 20 micrograms.
I take 25 micrograms (1,000 IU), which is within the range considered safe (according to the NHS, less than 100 micrograms per day for adults and 50 micrograms for children), but research The required dose is close to that indicated. It can also be taken to prevent infections, cancer, and even dementia.
Since its discovery in the 1920s, vitamin D’s best-known role is to increase the body’s absorption of calcium and keep bones healthy.
In recent years, scientists have discovered that vitamin D receptors are present in nearly all of our cells, suggesting that their usefulness extends far beyond bones.
But there is growing evidence that higher doses than routinely recommended are needed to reap benefits in these areas, such as preventing colon cancer and maintaining brain health.
For example, when it comes to cancer, a very recent study published in the journal Science found that one of the ways that high doses of vitamin D can work is by treating the intestinal tract, a type of cancer that is particularly good at preventing cancer growth. We showed that this may be due to an increase in internal bacteria. About colon cancer. When researchers at the Francis Crick Institute in London fed mice a vitamin D-enriched diet, they found that levels of Bacteroides fragilis rose, and higher levels of this bacteria were more protective against colon cancer. it was high.
Although there is currently no clear evidence that taking high doses of vitamin D has a similar effect on the human intestine, trials are underway investigating the use of vitamin D in the treatment of colon cancer.
For example, a 2017 study of 139 patients with advanced colon cancer receiving chemotherapy found that patients receiving high doses of vitamin D (100 μg) were more likely to die or have disease progression. They were found to be 36% less likely to have sex. Over the course of the 2-year study, results were higher than in subjects taking the lower dose (10 mcg). Encouraged by this, the researchers are conducting larger, longer-term studies to examine whether high doses of vitamin D can slow or prevent the spread of the disease.
Meanwhile, there is growing evidence of the impact of vitamin D on delaying dementia.
Last year, there was an interesting study by the University of Exeter that looked at the brains of more than 12,000 people participating in the National Alzheimer’s Disease Coordination Center (a project that collects data on Alzheimer’s disease).
The average age of patients at the start of the study was 71 years, they had no dementia, and just over a third (37%) said they regularly took vitamin D supplements. Fans of vitamin D will be pleased to hear that over the next 10 years, people who took the supplement were 40 percent less likely to develop dementia.
This may be because vitamin D has been shown to help prevent the buildup of amyloid and tau, two proteins in the brain that are associated with dementia. It also helps reduce inflammation, another trigger for dementia.
Although convincing, this is not a proper randomized controlled trial, comparing people taking the supplement to a placebo group, and patients are all taking different doses, making it difficult to interpret the results. It Is difficult.
Researchers at the University of Exeter are running a trial in which patients at risk of developing dementia are randomly assigned to receive either a high-dose vitamin D supplement (100 micrograms) or a placebo. We will notify you when the results are published.
In the meantime, take supplements as needed (ask your doctor about the right dosage, especially if you have health problems) and spend at least 10 times to get the vitamin D boost you need over the summer. Make the most of it. Roll up your sleeves and spend a few minutes a day outdoors.
Going down the stairs will ease your heart.
When I go to airports or shopping centers, I’m always surprised (and disappointed) at how many people are on the escalators, even if they’re going downhill.
All I can say is that you are missing out on the chance to get a good heart and possibly extend your life. This is the conclusion of a recent review presented at the European Society of Cardiology conference.
Based on data from 480,000 people, researchers found that people who regularly climb stairs were 39% less likely to die from a heart attack or stroke and 24% less likely to die from any cause. This is because it is a relatively strenuous exercise and will get your heart racing quickly.
Going down the stairs is even more beneficial. A 2017 study by Australia’s Edith Cowan University found that overweight women took the elevator up to the sixth floor and then walked down twice a week, or walked up and took the elevator down. After two weeks, those who went down the stairs saw the greatest benefits in balance, bone strength, and blood pressure. This is probably because going down the stairs means your muscles have to work harder to prevent you from falling.
What should I do about a persistent cough?
As you may have noticed, you have an unpleasant, persistent cough that keeps going around. I got it from my brother-in-law a few weeks ago. My brother-in-law has been infected for at least 3 weeks, and he was also infected by his wife.
I can’t sleep at night because of this, and it doesn’t seem to be getting any better. The problem is that I don’t have much faith in the effectiveness of over-the-counter medications (there’s no good evidence that cough medicine works). But in desperation I turned to cough syrup and zinc supplements. Neither has done anything good so far. I was particularly disappointed with zinc, as research suggested the supplement could shorten colds and reduce coughs by up to 46 percent. (However, this seems to only apply if taken within 24 hours of the onset of symptoms, so I probably missed that boat.)
If you suffer from a similar cough, we recommend drinking plenty of water and occasionally drinking hot lemon and honey (honey helps soothe the throat, and lemon has anti-inflammatory properties) . The NHS urges people to see a doctor if their cough lasts for more than three weeks.
“To catch a thief, you set up a thief” is a well-known adage, and fortunately, it seems to apply to bacteria as well. A new study from the University of Bonn in Germany has found that the common skin bacteria Staphylococcus can kill other bacteria by injecting chemicals that dissolve cell membranes.
The idea is that this could be used to create new antibiotics. This is interesting given that many bacteria are now resistant to antibiotics. These include penicillin, the first truly effective antibiotic. Penicillin saved my life when I had pneumonia as a baby.
