Category: Diseases

How do we deal with the increasing number of cases of dementia?

Helle Egebjerg

November 15. 2024

How do we deal with the increasing number of cases of dementia?

The short answer is that we need to focus much more on prevention.

And as long as the public sector only steps in once diseases have occurred, prevention is something we ourselves are responsible for.

In 2022, of the 266 billion kroner budgetted for public health, the Danish health authorities spent only 7% on prevention and health promotion, e.g., spending on information campaigns.

Even in the first version of A Comprehensive Danish Brain Plan, the focus seems to be mostly on treating diseases of the brain once they have occurred.

This despite the fact that it is estimated that almost half of dementia cases could be prevented. Of course, the number is probably even higher, as only 2-3% of Alzheimer’s cases are due to genetic predisposition.

What is the status in Denmark regarding the number of people with dementia?

In Denmark, there are just over 96,000 persons aged 65 or above living with dementia.

The number is expected to grow to more than 134,000 people by 2035.*

Among people aged 65 and over, there are approximately 8,000 to 8,700 new registered cases of dementia per year in Denmark. This corresponds to approximately 22 to 24 new cases per day all year round.

There are just over 400,000 relatives of people with dementia.

Think about that for a moment!

This corresponds to almost everyone in cities like Roskilde and Herning combined having dementia today, and in 10 years, everyone from the town Fredericia also having dementia.

In effect, every year, everyone in a city the size of Sorø would also get dementia.

Not only that, everyone who lives in Aarhus and Aalborg is a relative!

Dementia is something that concerns us all.

Our lifestyle has a great influence on the risk of dementia.

There is broad agreement that our lifestyle influences the risk of developing dementia. This is apparent if we look at Videnscenter for demens (the Danish Knowledge Center for Dementia), at the latest Lancet report, or at reports from skilled doctors and researchers in this field. I would especially like to mention Dr. Dale Bredesen’s work on the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s with an Orthomolecular approach and Chris A. Knobbe’s research in relation to the responsibility of vegetable oils for our lifestyle diseases, including dementia*.

It is positive to see that the Knowledge Center for Dementia is focusing on how we can reduce the risk of dementia. They recommend the following:

  1. Keep your brain active
  2. Be social
  3. Get some exercise
  4. Quit smoking, cut down on alcohol, and eat healthily
  5. Control your blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure

According to the Lancet Commission’s 2024 update on dementia, promising new evidence for dementia prevention is highlighted.

This report estimates that there is potential to prevent almost half of all dementia cases by eliminating 14 identified risk factors.

The 14 risk factors are:

  1. Low education and cognitive inactivity
  2. Hearing loss (untreated)
  3. High LDL cholesterol
  4. Depression
  5. Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
  6. Physical inactivity
  7. Diabetes
  8. Smoking
  9. High blood pressure
  10. Obesity
  11. Excessive alcohol
  12. Social isolation
  13. Air pollution
  14. Vision impairment

If we look more specifically at Alzheimer’s, Dr. Dale Bredesen has researched and developed a program for the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s.

Dale Bredesen’s program is structured in three steps: 1) remove things that can lead to cognitive impairment, 2) maintain optimal health, and 3) enable the reconstruction of the brain’s neural network.

Dr. Bredesen points out the importance of keeping an eye on a number of biomarkers throughout life that have an influence on the development of Alzheimer’s.

Ideally, we could reduce chronic inflammation, ensure optimal nutrient levels, hormones and NGF (nerve growth factor), avoid diabetes, get rid of toxins, avoid vascular diseases, and ensure better brain reconstruction after brain trauma.

The biomarker tests Dr. Bredesen recommends relate to toxins and pathogens, nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and fatty acids, long-term blood sugar levels and other factors that can reveal a lack of insulin sensitivity. These are also tests that reveal inflammation. Also important are, optimal levels of CoQ10, glutathione, homocysteine and hormones, among others.

In addition, he recommends tests for the toxins mercury, lead, arsenic, cadmium, organic toxins, herbicides, mycotoxins, and antibodies against pathogens such as borrelia and herpes.

Regarding vitamins, it is especially important that we are NOT deficient in Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B12, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, and Vitamin E.

With respect to minerals, it is especially important that we are not deficient in magnesium, copper, zinc, selenium, and potassium.

With regard to fatty acids, it is especially important that we do not have a deficit of the Omega 3 fatty acids DHA and EPA and that the balance between the pro-inflammatory Omega 6 and the anti-inflammatory Omega 3 is optimal.

Dale Bredesen has developed a program called ReCode.

It is based on a lifestyle and diet pyramid that supports a well-functioning brain.

At the bottom is a foundation of quality sleep, KetoFLEX 12/3, and physical activity.

KetoFLEX 12/3 is partial fasting. The recommendation is that we should not eat in the last 3 hours before we sleep and that at least 12 hours should pass before we eat again after the last meal of the evening.

Partial fasting has many health benefits, including increased insulin sensitivity and the increased ability of the body to use both glucose and ketones as an energy source, as well as an anti-inflammatory effect, all of which are important factors for brain health.

Then we should make sure to eat lots of colorful vegetables with low carbohydrate levels and get healthy fats from avocados, nuts, and olives. Avoid vegetable oils rich in Omega 6, such as sunflower oil, corn oil and grape seed oil. Make sure to consume spices such as turmeric and saffron as well as green tea, as they have important anti-inflammatory properties.

The next layer in the pyramid is upgrading our gut microbiome with prebiotics, fermented foods, and foods high in resistant starch.

Then comes the layer in the pyramid with proteins and good fats. The brain in particular needs Omega 3 from wild-caught fatty fish, as well as choline and B vitamins from eggs. And This also includes berries. Eat a variety of berries and wild organic blueberries, which are the best choice.

At the top of the pyramid is what we are allowed to have just a little of, e.g., chocolate snacks. Alcohol should be avoided, as it is a neurotoxin.

The importance of reducing the intake of vegetable kernel oil is further documented by Cf. Chris A. Knobbe’s extensive work. His hypothesis is, that the root of today’s lifestyle diseases is that we started eating kernel oils such as sunflower oil and grape seed oil, etc. This also applies to the occurrence of dementia.

So, there is hope ahead in terms of doing something about the incidence of dementia, but it requires daily choices for each of us. A brain-friendly diet does not include vegetable oils rich in linoleic acid (LA) / Omega 6 fatty acids, especially sunflower oil, corn oil, and grape seed oil should be avoided.

What can you do today?

Throw away your vegetable seed oil and never buy it again!

So, out with sunflower oil, corn oil and grape seed oil. Out they go!

Read the product labels carefully, as vegetable seed oil is found in many finished products, from pesto to tuna in oil. It is easy to see the contents. There is a surprising occurrence in some oat drinks and as a surface treatment for organic raisins.

The best alternative is to eat only pure foods that do not have an ingredient list!

Top 10 brain foods that you should always have in your kitchen:

  • Fatty fish: herring, mackerel, anchovies, sardines and wild salmon
  • Avocado
  • Broccoli
  • Spinach
  • Eggs
  • Olives and good olive oil
  • Wild blueberries
  • Walnuts
  • Turmeric with pepper
  • Dark chocolate

Top 10 supplements:

  • EPA and DHA from algae oil or fish oil
  • EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) olive oil
  • Coconut oil or MCT (medium chain triglycerides) oil
  • Multivitamins and possibly extra Vitamin B complex, Vitamin E, Vitamin C, Vitamin D
  • Coenzyme Q10
  • Glutathione
  • Pre-, pro- and postbiotics
  • Ginkgo biloba
  • Turmeric with pepper
  • Saffron

From here, just start filling the house with lots of good brain food.

Enjoy your meal.

Take good care of yourself and those around you and remember to embrace life, especially those people close to you who have had memory lapses. They deserve it.

Helle Egebjerg Andersen
Cand.pharm. and lecturer

 

Sources:

https://www.dst.dk/da/Statistik/nyheder-analyser-publ/bagtal/2023/2023-10-11-sundhedsudgifter2022

En samlet dansk hjerneplan skal styrke indsatsen mod sygdomme i hjerne- og nervesystem

FAKTA-ARK OM DEMENSSYGDOMME Hvad er Alzheimers sygdom?

Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2024 report of the Lancet standing Commission

Forekomst af demens i Danmark

Dr. Dale Bredesen; The End of Alzheimer’s

Christ A. Knobbe; The Ancestral Diet Revolution

Treatment of the aftermath of Covid-19 and damage after mRNA vaccines

Claus Hancke

September 20, 2023

Tens of thousands of Danes have suffered long-term consequences from the Covid-19 disease and just as many have suffered serious late consequences after the Covid-19 vaccinations.

During the past two years, the Vitality Council has received many requests to put together a concise and easy-to-understand program for the treatment of the above-mentioned late sequelae, which have affected a large number of Danes who have not been able to get help in the public health system.

In our newsletters from 20/1-22 and especially 4/7-22, various treatment methods for covid-19 and the consequent injuries after covid-19 vaccination are described.

This newsletter is an update of these combined with the international experiences that has gradually been gathered.

There is much evidence that the consequences after Covid-19 disease (long covid) and after mRNA vaccination follow roughly the same pattern, and they can both be described as a “spike protein disease”.

Since the authorities have neglected and directly opposed the prevention and early treatment of covid-19, it is naturally something that the Vitality Council takes up.

As the authorities and media also downplay the amount and seriousness of side effects from the mRNA vaccines, the Vitality Council must make up for this letdown.

The spike protein is the part of the covid-19 virus that wreaks havoc in the body and causes the disease symptoms. Since the vaccines are a gene therapy that causes our cells to produce precisely this spike protein, it is obvious to treat long-Covid in the same way as the vaccine side effects.

Read much more about this in the newsletter from 4/7-22, where the biochemical backgrounds are also reviewed.

The highly esteemed cardiologist Peter McCullough gave a speech on 13/9-23 in the European Parliament (1), where he warned that 4% of the European population was in constant danger of dying due to the mRNA vaccines, and that the vaccines have been to blame in lots and lots of cardiac arrest in younger, healthy people.

He also said that removing the spike protein is problematic because the vaccine has coded the cells to continue producing it.

However, the protein is more sensitive when circulating in the blood than when it has entered a cell. And that is why research has been conducted in the USA into treatment with direct ultraviolet irradiation of the blood, which has succeeded in reducing the amount of virus and the important marker “D-dimer”, which is a risk marker for blood clots.

In almost all vaccinated people, an increased D-dimer is seen compared to non-vaccinated people.

Many are ill long after the vaccination. A disease which could actually be called “Long-vax”. But often explained away as “Long-Covid”, – even if you have not been ill from covid.

In order not to drown in an argument about whether it is covid or the vaccine that is more harmful, I would prefer to call both “Spike protein disease”, since it is the spike protein that is the culprit, whether you are have been infected with it, or you have produced it yourself after vaccination.

But what can you do once you have been vaccinated and have “spike protein disease”?

In the past year, hundreds of doctors have collaborated internationally with their clinical results, and there is gradually agreement on some basic principles very well described in an easy-to-read overview article (in Danish) from the World Council for Health (2), and in our own Orthomolecular News service there are several good articles on the subject (3).

Here are the main points in the treatment of Spike protein disease:

Anti-inflammatory diet with plenty of vegetables and fruit, healthy fats (butter, olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil), healthy proteins (eggs, light meat, shellfish and fish) without ready-made processed food, alcohol, sugar, sweets, chips, etc.
There are a number of excellent articles on the web and, for nerds, a large number of scientific articles (4).

Ivermectin is a prescription drug primarily intended for scabies and parasites, but has also potent antiviral properties. It prevents the spike protein from binding to the ACE2 receptor in the cell membrane.
Preferably taken at 0.3 mg/kg daily for 1-2 months. Has been known for decades and has a very high level of safety. Do not take together with Quercetin, as they counteract each other. Ivermectin is unfortunately very expensive in Denmark.

Hydroxychloroquine is a drug to prevent malaria, but has also been shown to be able to block the spike protein’s binding to the ACE2 receptor. Often dosed 200 mg 2 x daily for a week and then 200 mg daily for 3 weeks. An old, well-known and cheap medicine with high safety, which in Denmark is available on prescription.

Nattokinase is a fibrinolytic enzyme derived from the microorganism Bacillus natto and found in fermented soybeans in natto, a traditional Japanese dish.
Available as a dietary supplement and has fibrinolytic properties (prevents blood clots). The dose is typically 100 mg daily.

Quercetin is a bioflavonoid from fruit and vegetables with powerful antioxidant properties, just as it also blocks the binding of the spike protein. In addition, it facilitates the uptake of zinc into the cells, whereby enzymes for virus replication are inhibited.
Quercetin and Ivermectin compete for the same receptors, which is why simultaneous treatment with these two will weaken the effect. Quercetin is often taken at 100 mg daily.

Vitamin C is strongly antiviral and an antioxidant, is tolerated in very large doses and can be given both intravenously and in tablet form. Depending on the condition, it can be taken as powder, tablets, liposomal or intravenously at a doctor.
If you take it yourself, you start with 2-3 grams twice a day, and if there is a need, you slowly increase the dose by a few grams a day until the stool starts to become loose. Then you cannot achieve a better effect that way.
If it is a serious condition where larger doses are necessary, then it must be given intravenously.

EPA/DHA are potent anti-inflammatory fatty acids and are usually taken as fish oil capsules.
There are also algae-based products that are excellent. Take 2 grams morning and evening – typically corresponding to 4 capsules.

The other recommendations should basically be taken as follows:

Vitamin D3 80 µg (3200 IU) daily is immune stimulating and dampens a possible cytokine storm.
Zinc 50 mg daily inhibits virus replication.
Magnesium 300-500 mg daily (depending on whether it is Mg-citrate or Mg-carbonate) may possibly taken as oil. Necessary for the effect of vitamin D.
Vitamin K2 100 µg daily is, among other things, anti-inflammatory.
Selenium 200 µg daily is antiviral and antioxidative. Selenium yeast is absorbed best.
NADH + Niacin for cellular energy
Coenzyme Q10—for cellular energy
N-acetylcysteine 600 mg daily. Is an antioxidant.
Melatonin 3 mg before bed is anti-inflammatory and an antioxidant.
Perhaps low dose Hydrocortisone 5 mg daily to reduce the inflammation.
Perhaps LDN (low-dose Naltrexone) 4.5 mg daily, which is believed to be immune stimulating.

In severe cases, treatment must be done by a doctor, and here there can be a good effect of Intravenous vitamin C and Hyperbaric oxygen treatment.

The list is long, and it is not intended that you should take everything mentioned. But it is a good starting point for the doctors and others who are at a loss when faced with a person with spike protein disease long after vaccination.

And if you still have doubts about whether you should take a new mRNA vaccine, listen again to Dr. McCullough’s speech in the European Parliament! (1)

Take care of yourself and others.

Claus Hancke MD
Specialist in general medicine

  1. https://rumble.com/v3hwcgm-dr.-mcculloughs-speech-at-the-european-parliament.html
  2. https://worldcouncilforhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/SpikeDetoxSummary_DANISH.pdf
  3. http://www.orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/index.shtml
  4. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=anti-inflammatory+nutrition

Lipoic Acid. Perhaps The Medicine Of The Future?

Admin

January 25, 2006

Lipoic acid is a simple fatty acid which is produced in all human cells. It is considered to be the ideal antioxidant and it may actually be highly beneficial against diabetes, neurological damage, and more. However, it is banned in Denmark.

Is lipoic acid the medicine of the future? There are many who believe this is so. One of the worlds leading experts in the field of antioxidants, Lester Packer of Southern California University, has emphasized that lipoic acid is the ideal antioxidant and a recent article by Polish researchers cautiously comes to the same conclusion.

Packer maintains that “from a therapeutic viewpoint, few natural antioxidants are ideal.” He continues by indicating that an ideal antioxidant should fulfil many demands: It should be absorbable by the intestines, occur in a form useful to the cells and have many antioxidant effects (including interaction with other antioxidants) in both cell membranes and the organism’s aqueous phase. It also must be completely non-toxic. Packer believes that lipoic acid is unique among antioxidants because it fulfils these demands. Lipoic acid is a potentially very effective medicine in many situations where free oxygen radicals are implicated.

Lipoic acid is a small sulphur containing fatty acid. It was discovered in 1950, but its special anti-oxidative properties were first noticed during the 1980’s. It is a very strong antioxidant, considerably stronger than vitamin C. It is also both fat and water soluble, which means that it can enter and have effects both outside and inside the cells. When other antioxidants such as vitamins E and C are used up, they can be “recharged” by lipoic acid so that they can be used again. It is also necessary for the cells’ metabolism and for a period it was considered to be a vitamin, but when laboratory animals did not suffer damage from lipoic acid deficiency, this idea was dropped.

Diabetes and nerve damage
The question of whether or not it is a good idea to take lipoic acid supplements should be addressed. The previously mentioned Polish researchers analysed some of the as yet very limited knowledge in this area and found that lipoic acid may be especially interesting for diabetics. Studies on animals with type II diabetes have shown strong improvement of their diabetes with lowered blood sugar levels and better utilization of their bodies own insulin with lipoic acid supplements. Many studies have shown that lipoic acid improves nerve function in diabetics with nervous inflammation.

Just as interesting, lipoic acid may be an effective weapon against the protein damage caused by heightened blood sugar. In a process called protein oxidation the proteins change structure in a way which is similar to what happens when an egg is boiled. This oxidation is an important part of the explanation for diabetics’ tendency to get cataracts, where the lens of the eye becomes clouded. In animal studies this is counteracted by lipoic acid.

The apparent nerve protective properties have lead to studies in Alzheimer’s treatment. In two studies it was found that the disease was halted by lipoic acid, but these results should be considered as provisional. The same result has been found in studies of Parkinson’s disease.

Does lipoic acid prevent cancer? The Polish researchers are uncertain. Their tissue studies indicate that small doses promote growth, while large doses inhibit growth. Dare we claim that this effect speaks for supplementation? We produce small doses of lipoic acid without help.

Only about 1,000 articles on lipoic acid can be found in the medical database, Medline. Research is still in its infancy. Even so, entering lipoic acid into Google gives over two million links (search “lipoic acid”).

By: Vitality Council

Reference:
Bilska A et al. Lipoic acid – the drug of the future? Pharmacological Review 2005;57:570-77.

Vitamins against aging

Admin

January 9, 2006

The need for many vitamins increases with age. A deficiency can be compared to radiation exposure, which causes mutations, decreased energy production, cancer, and age-related changes in the body, according to one of the World’s leading nutrition scientists.

When Bruce Ames was 70, President Clinton surprised him with U.S.A.’s highest scientific recognition, The National Medal of Science, for his research in nutrition, cancer, and aging.

Today he is 77, but still an almost incomprehensibility active researcher and professor at the famous Berkeley University in California. He is also the man behind the world renown Ames test, a lightning fast method to find out whether a specific chemical can cause mutations, and thereby cancer.

This introduction shows that Ames it a researcher to be listen to, and therefore we have decided to discuss one of Ames’s latest and most important scientific articles.

The article was published in a periodical for the European organization of molecular biologists (EMBO reports). It describes how it is possible to reduce the tendency for cancer and aging by taking more than the recommended dose of diverse vitamins and other important substances.

How does it do this? In his study Ames found that deficiencies of vitamins C, E, B6, and B12 as well as of folic acid and zinc can have exactly the same effect on cells as radioactivity. This means that such deficiency causes mutations, for example as a result of breakage of the chromosomes.

Folic acid deficiency causes such breakage because it leads to the introduction of a wrong substance (uracil) in uncountable places along the DNA molecules. These mutations affect the cells the same way as a virus affects a computer. In the worst cases, the system beaks down.

But deficiency does not only lead to mutations. Another result is weakening of the energy producing mitochondria, otherwise known as the cells’ power plants. In order for the mitochondria to function, they must have access to certain enzymes, which can be regarded as the power plant’s machinery. The enzymes work together so that the product from one “machine” is processed further by the next in a chain of reactions which result in the conversation of oxygen and hydrogen into water, and the production of energy. But where do the enzymes come from? Without the necessary building blocks they do not exist at all!

Ames has among other things proven that deficiencies of zinc or the B vitamins biotin and pantothenic acid weaken the fourth reaction in this chain of reactions. They are the building blocks of the “machines” which carry out this step in the process. Not only is the production of energy reduced by such deficiency, but oxygen is also insufficiently converted to water. As a result the mitochondria empty free radicals into the surrounding cell where they can cause mutations, cancer, and weakness.

More Energy
Why does Ames believe that it is necessary to take more vitamins than recommended? This is as a result of the third and last point in his thought process. It regards the consequence of the uncountable mutations which by the aforementioned methods unavoidably arise during ones life. These mutations cause the cells to produce less effective enzymes that bind less effectively to the vitamins which they need to aid their function. Ames maintains that this poor binding can be overcome simply by increasing the amount of vitamins. This makes the enzymes work again.

A particular problem in this regard is the weakening of the mitochondria which occurs with age. Without energy, nothing functions within the cell and the degeneration of the mitochondria is central to what we call aging. But Ames emphasizes that it is possible to make old rats faster by giving them supplements of the two vitamin-like substances lipoic acid and carnitine.

Both substances are important intermediates for energy production in the mitochondria. With age they bind poorly to the enzymes which cause the mitochondria to function poorly. But this poor binding can also be overcome with supplements. As well as making the rats faster it was possible to measure that their mitochondria once again functioned normally. Clinically such treatment has been able to result in improvement in people with mild Alzheimer’s.

The unique thing about Ames is that his arguments are based on biochemistry. This means that he refers to elementary chemical reactions which are demonstrable in the organism. Many others base their views of more or less uncertain clinical trails, sometimes without knowledge of the biochemistry behind them. It might not be coincidental that The Nobel Prise in medicine typically is given to a biochemist.

By: Vitality Council

References:
1. Bruce N Ames. Increasing longevity by tuning up metabolism. EMBO reports 2005;6:S20- S23.
2. Memory loss in old rats is associated with brain mitochondrial decay and RNA/DNA oxidation: Partial reversal by feeding acetyl-L-carnitine and/or R-a-lipoic acid. J. Liu et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA.2002;99:2356-61.
3. B N Ames et al. High-dose vitamins stimulate variant enzymes with decreased coenzyme-binding affinity (increased Km): Relevance to genetic diseases and polymorphisms. Am J Clin Nutr 2002;75:616-58.

Vitamin D as a Universal Remedy

Claus Hancke

September 13, 2005

Vitamin D, which most people lack in the winter and many lack in the summer, has an increasing number of roles to play. A deficiency in Vitamin D increases the risk of multiple sclerosis, several types of cancer, skin diseases, and even increased blood pressure.

Vitamin D plays an important role in the public consciousness, but even a bigger role in the minds of those who develop new medicine. Substances which are related to vitamin D are central to the treatment of many serious diseases. This is shown by a comprehensive and very well documented summary from the American pharmaceutical giant Eli-Lily.

In this summary the status and possibility of vitamin D treatment for (among others) prostate cancer, enlarged prostate, breast cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, leukaemia, multiple sclerosis, type I diabetes, skin cancer, hypertension, and of course osteoporosis is examined.

Here are some examples:

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a so called autoimmune disease, which means that it is a disease where the body’s immune system turns against parts of the body itself, in this case nerve tissue. In animal models of this disease it is possible to avoid outbreaks with the help of calcitriol. Calcitriol is the active version of the vitamin and is created as needed by the body so long as the vitamin D deposits are sufficient. MS is most common in temperate countries, where the sun in relatively low in the sky and vitamin D deficiency is common.

Rheumatoid arthritis is also an autoimmune disease, but with this disease the joints are attacked by the immune system. People with small vitamin D depots more often suffer from rheumatoid arthritis and the risk is higher in temperate countries than in subtropical climes. In animals it is possible to avoid worsening of symptoms if calcitriol is given early enough.

Psoriasis is already treated with salves which contain the vitamin D containing substance calcipotirol (Daivonex), which helps at least 70% of sufferers. Sunlight also helps. Like vitamin D, calcipotirol has the ability to help cells become mature and specialized without growing uncontrolled.

Death rates from prostate cancer are lowest in sunny countries, and the risk of getting this disease is highest in men who have small vitamin D deposits. In a study prostate cancer growth was inhibited in six out of seven patients with the help of calcitriol tablets (0.5-2.5 microgram per day). This is also explained by the vitamin’s effects on the cells. Because normal prostate cell growth is also slowed, researchers also see a possibility of using such treatment for enlarged prostate.

Breast cancer and colon cancer are more common in people who do no get much sun. Both the growth and the spread of breast cancer are reduced by calcitriol in animal studies. Regarding colon cancer, increased growth has been seen in animals that were artificially given vitamin D deficiency. This cancer inhibiting property is predicted to play an important role in future treatment.

Finally, hypertension should be considered. Lack of sunlight and vitamin D in the blood are believed to contribute to high blood pressure. High blood pressure is quickly caused (in mice) by avoiding vitamin D.

All of the above illnesses have the common factor that they can be provoked by lack of sunlight, the most important source of vitamin D. They are also counteracted by vitamin D and vitamin D like substances.

One could wish that it would be possible to treat and prevent these illnesses with the active form of vitamin D, calcitriol. But this is a risky method which can lead to increase calcium levels in the blood and kidney stones. Therefore we must be content with getting vitamin D the natural way, which is to say from sunlight or by eating fatty fish, and then let the organism create calcitriol as needed.

Unfortunately at our latitudes the fours summer months from May to August are the only months where there is enough sun that we create vitamin D in the skin. Those who do not come out in the sun or are covered in clothing, do not create near enough. This makes it necessary to take vitamin D in pill form.

The task is to get enough vitamin D. This is not possible during the dark months without vitamin supplements or eating a lot of fatty fish. Deficiency creates a larger problem than many are aware.

By: Vitality Council

Reference:
Nagpal S et al. Noncalcemic actions of vitamin D receptor ligands. Endocrine Reviews 2005;26:662-87.

edrv.endojournals.org
www.iom.dk

No Danger from Vitamin E and C

Niels Hertz

May 23, 2005

Many of the worlds reknown scientist state that vitamin E and C are safe to take, even in high dosages. At the same time, the theory that the two vitamins prevent chronic illnesses, is still very much alive.

A number of world-leading researchers in vitamin E and vitamin C have concluded that the two antioxidants are completely safe over a very wide dose range. Thus, they reject claims to the opposite which are expressed in particular to the public, and to a lesser degree to the scientific community.

The article draws attention to the hypothesis that antioxidants reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s, certain types of cancer, calcification of the coronary arteries of the heart, etc. – is still very viable. Although obvious deficiency diseases are rare in the Western world, low intake can accelerate more indicators of aging. This may at least be due in part to inadequate protection against free oxygen radicals.

………………………………………

By: Vitality Council

Reference:
Hathcock JN et al. Vitamins E and C are safe across a broad range of intakes. Am J Clin Nutr 2005;81:736-45.

www.ajcn.org
www.iom.dk

Not All Antioxidants Prevent Cancer

Claus Hancke

October 1, 2004

The Cochrane Institution is very well-respected for its objective consideration of medical issues. The last report from The Lancet today does not actually reveal anything truly new, despite a very useful summary of results from earlier prevention studies made with antioxidants. The results are listed after each antioxidant and after each type of cancer in the gastrointestinal tract.

The good news is that it looks as if selenium may very effectively prevent cancer diseases in the gastrointestinal region, as selenium both halves the frequency of cancer as well as the rate of death in the group of people taking selenium compared with the group taking placebo.

The disappointing news is that certain other antioxidants do not have any cancer-preventive effect in the studies mentioned and in some cases they even have harmful effects – mainly attributed to beta-carotene. This is a well-known fact.

The authors are inclined to think that the ones who might be harmed by antioxidants are people who are not very strained by the harmful free radicals in the first place. However, the authors will not warn against taking moderate doses of antioxidants or eating fruits and vegetables, and they thereby recognize the importance of getting moderate amounts of these antioxidants.

The study should be a memento for the authorities who prevent the public from being informed with fair and useful information on effects as well as side effects of dietary supplements. This censorship conceals positive as well as negative research results to the consumer who is left only to pure speculation about the use and dosage of the antioxidants which could be very beneficial if used correctly.

Antioxidants prevent atherosclerosis with great probability, but, naturally, this must happen before the atherosclerosis is far advanced. Based on his own research, the Californian Nobel Prize Winner Louis Ignarro, one of the world’s leading experts in vascular surgery, has recently in very clear terms encouraged anyone who want to avoid having blood clots to take supplements of vitamin C and -E.

In the last three months alone, the Vitality Council have posted at least six press releases about new scientific research regarding antioxidants; all involving important – in some cases essential – new knowledge from the leading research centres around the world.

By: Vitality Council

Reference:
Goran Bjelakovic, Dimitrinka Nikolova, Rosa G Simonetti, Christian Gluud Antioxidant supplements for prevention of gastrointestinal cancers: a systematic review and meta-analysis Lancet 2004; 364: 1219-28.

www.lancet.com
www.cochrane.dk/index.htm
www.iom.dk

Related articles:
Vitamin E or False Indication of Goods – 12-11-04 09:15
Biased Cochrane Study – 07-10-04 12:00
A Dangerous Cocktail – 03-10-04 12:00

The First Table of the Antioxidant Content of Food

Claus Hancke

August 12, 2004

Because of the growing interest in antioxidants, two scientific institutions under the American Ministry of Agriculture have prepaired the first extensive table of antioxidants in the diet.

The growing interest in antioxidants has made two scientific institutions under the American Ministry of Agriculture compile the first comprehensive table of the antioxidant content of food.

The reason for this is the increasing belief in antioxidants protecting against atherosclerosis, cancer, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, old age blindness – and for that matter ageing in general. The latest news is that people who develop oesophageal and gastric cancer generally get significantly less dietary antioxidants than others.

The new table has required an enormous amount of laboratory work and comprises 100 foodstuffs from the vegetable kingdom which, as we know, are the main source of dietary antioxidants. Not only does it show which foodstuffs contain the most antioxidants, it also points out the one with the fewest antioxidants. The type of antioxidants (vitamin E or -C, phenols, carotenoids) is not specified – only the total effect.

Among berries and fruits, the most antioxidants can be found in cranberry, blackcurrants, raspberry, red apples, prunes, and plums. By contrast, bananas, kiwis, mangoes, watermelons, and pineapples are quite poor sources.

In the vegetable group, artichoke is number one, but also dried beans, onions, cabbage, peppers, spinach, and boiled potatoes are good sources of antioxidants, while salad (particularly Iceberg salad), green peas, and raw tomatoes contain significantly less antioxidants. At the bottom is cucumbers with a very low content of antioxidants.

90% of the antioxidants are water-soluble while the rest are fat-soluble and have other properties. It is difficult to get enough of these through the diet but they are present in nuts, oatmeal, avocadoes, broccoli, and artichokes.

Incredibly rich sources of fat-soluble vitamins are the spices cinnamon and (particularly) clove, followed by oregano and basil quite a way down the list. Even small amounts of these spices can have important effects. Chocolate also provides a decent supplement.

Compared to vegetables, berry, fruits, and nuts, cereals such as cornflakes and white bread contain only few antioxidants. People who live on a diet of bread and meat without many spices, who have a traditional breakfast, rarely get other kinds of fruits than bananas, and stick to Iceberg salad with cucumber and tomato will not get many dietary antioxidants!

By: Vitality Council

Reference:
Xainli Wu, Gary R Beecher, Joanne Holden et al. Lipophilic and hydrophilic antioxidant capacities of common foods in the United States. J Agric. Food Chem. 2004;52:4026-37.

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Alcohol Counteracts the Effect of Folic Acid in Women

Claus Hancke

October 29, 2003

Epidemiologic study shows folic acid deficiency in women with a daily alcohol consumption of 2-3 drinks and thereby increased risk of chronic joint disease, coronary disease (blood clots) and breast cancer.

Women who drink 2-3 glasses of red wine or more daily have an increased risk of developing chronic joint disorders, cardiovascular disease and breast cancer due to lack of folic acid.

A study by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston shows that daily alcohol consumption not only reduces the effects of folic acid, but also significantly increases the risk of disease.

The researchers, who have just published the study in an article in the American Journal of Epidemiology, have followed approx. 83,000 women aged between 34 and 59 over a period of 16 years.

The researchers found the highest risk of getting cardiovascular disease and breast cancer in women who received only a small amount of folic acid – 180 micrograms – daily, and who also had a high alcohol consumption of 30 grams of alcohol a day or 2.5  Danish unit of alcohol. The greatest risk was found in women under 60 years of age.

Conversely, women who did not drink alcohol and received a lot of folic acid – 400-599 micrograms daily – had the lowest risk of developing the same diseases.

Against this background the Vitality Council comes with a call for women who drink more than 2-3 units of alcohol a day or 17-18 units of alcohol a week. Partly to reduce the intake of alcohol in accordance with the Danish Health and Medicines Authority’s recommendations and partly to take an extra supplement of folic acid:

“To prevent the increased risk of cardiovascular disease and breast cancer, women with a daily alcohol consumption should consider taking a folic acid supplement,” says Vitality Council Chairman, Specialist in general medicine, Claus Hancke.

“Thus, we do not want to encourage women to continue drinking. As the risk is significantly increased and the statistics show that about 15 percent or every sixth woman in the age group drinks more than the National Board of Health’s recommended maximum of 14 units of alcohol per week, one should take this seriously” the chairman of the Vitality Council points out.

As it is difficult to get enough folic acid through the diet, it is recommended to take a vitamin pill or a multivitamin tablet with folic acid. In the diet, especially vegetables like broccoli and kale are rich in folic acid.

The Danish National Board of Health already recommends pregnant women take approx. 400 micrograms of folic acid daily to prevent spina bifida in children.

By. Vitality Council

Reference:
American Journal of Epedemiology 2003;158:760-771.

aje.oupjournals.org
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