Possible Cancer Prevention
Possible Cancer Prevention
Possible Cancer Prevention
A randomized controlled trial found that 14001500 mg supplemental calcium and 1100 IU vitamin D3 reduced aggregated cancers with a relative risk of 0.402.[49] An observational cohort study found that high calcium and vitamin D intake was associated with "lower risk of developing premenopausal breast cancer."[50] Calcium is one of the most important elements in the diet because it is a structural component of bones, teeth, and soft tissues and is essential in many of the body's metabolic processes. It accounts for 1 to 2 percent of adult body weight, 99 percent of which is stored in bones and teeth. On the cellular level, calcium is used to regulate the permeability and electrical properties of biological membranes (such as cell walls), which in turn control muscle and nerve functions, glandular secretions, and blood vessel dilation and contraction. Calcium is also essential for proper blood clotting .
Because of its biological importance, calcium levels are carefully controlled in various compartments of the body. The three major regulators of blood calcium are parathyroid hormone (PTH), vitamin D , and calcitonin. PTH is normally released by the four parathyroid glands in the neck in response to low calcium levels in the bloodstream (hypocalcemia). PTH acts in three main ways: (1) It causes the gastrointestinal tract to increase calcium absorption from food, (2) it causes the bones to release some of their calcium stores, and (3) it causes the kidneys to excrete more phosphorous, which indirectly raises calcium levels.
Vitamin D works together with PTH on the bone and kidney and is necessary for intestinal absorption of calcium. Vitamin D can either be obtained from the diet or produced in the skin when it is exposed to sunlight. Insufficient vitamin D from these sources can result in rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults, conditions that result in bone deformities. Calcitonin, a hormone released by the thyroid, parathyroid, and thymus glands, lowers blood levels by promoting the deposition of calcium into bone.
Most dietary calcium is absorbed in the small intestine and transported in the bloodstream bound to albumin, a simple protein . Because of this method of transport, levels of albumin can also influence blood calcium measurements. Calcium is deposited in bone with phosphorous in a crystalline form of calcium phosphate.
Toxicity from calcium is not common because the gastrointestinal tract normally limits the amount of calcium absorbed. Therefore, short-term intake of large amounts of calcium does not generally produce any ill effects aside from constipation and an increased risk of kidney stones . However, more severe toxicity can occur when excess calcium is ingested over long periods, or when calcium is combined with increased amounts of vitamin D, which increases calcium absorption. Calcium toxicity is also sometimes found after excessive intravenous administration of calcium. Toxicity is manifested by abnormal deposition of calcium in tissues and by elevated blood calcium levels (hypercalcemia). However, hypercalcemia is often due to other causes, such as abnormally high amounts of PTH. Usually, under these circumstances, bone density is lost and the resulting hypercalcemia can cause kidney stones and abdominal pain. Some cancers can also cause hypercalcemia, either by secreting abnormal proteins that act like PTH or by invading and killing bone cells causing them to release calcium. Very high levels of calcium can result in appetite loss, nausea , vomiting, abdominal pain, confusion, seizures, and even coma.
infants 06 months, 600 mg for infants 612 months, 800 mg for children 110 years, 1,200 mg for ages 1124 years, and 800 mg for individuals over 24 years of age. Pregnant women require additional calcium (RDA 1,200 mg). Many experts believe that elderly persons should take as much as 1,500 mg to help prevent osteoporosis , a common condition in which bones become weak and fracture easily due to a loss of bone density. Dairy products, meats, and some seafood (sardines, oysters) are excellent sources of calcium. Spinach, beet greens, beans, and peanuts are among the best plant-derived sources.
Calcium absorption is affected by many factors, including age, the amount needed, and what foods are eaten at the same time. In general,
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Too Much Vitamin A May Put Some Women at Risk for Hip Fractures
For women who consume large amounts of vitamin A, also known as retinol, lowered bone mass and an increased risk of hip fractures may result, say researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health in a recent issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. Previous research has shown that too much vitamin A in the diet can suppress the body's ability to make new bone and may actually reduce a person's existing bone mass, thereby increasing the risk of fractures. Researchers studied over 72,000 postmenopausal women for 18 years to assess the relationship between high vitamin A intake from foods and supplements and the risk of hip fractures. The women in the study completed regular food questionnaires and provided information about health habits, use of hormones and supplements and weight. During the 18-year study period, over 600 women experienced hip fractures. Women who had the highest total vitamin A intake had a significantly higher risk of hip fracture when compared to women who consumed the least amount of vitamin A. The researchers maintained that the increased risk was mainly attributable to retinol, the vitamin A found in foods of animal origin, not beta carotene, which is contained in fruits and vegetables and can be converted to retinol by the body. Vitamin A, a fat-soluble vitamin, is an important dietary element - it is involved in the formation and maintenance of healthy skin, hair and mucous membranes. How much
vitamin A is too much? The 1989 RDA for vitamin A has been set at 800 retinol equivalents (RE) per day for women 19 to 50 years of age, and 1,000 retinol equivalents for men 19 to 50 years of age, so check your multivitamin or supplements to make sure youre not exceeding that amount. Remember, too, that foods contain vitamin A - one carrot has about 2025 RE of vitamin A, which is 203% of a man's recommended daily intake.
Type II Diabetes
Type II diabetes also tends to run in families. In fact there seems to be even stronger evidence for some kind of genetic cause for Type II than for Type I diabetes. Type II is more common among Asian, Hispanic, Native and African Americans. Although Type II diabetes usually develops after age 40, about half of all people diagnosed with the disease are older than 55. This may be because as people age, they tend to become more sedentary and to gain weight. Eating too much food and being inactive can make you obese and you are more likely to develop Type II diabetes if you are obese. Obesity is, by far, the greatest risk factor for this kind of diabetes. Where the weight is distributed seems to be a factor, too. If you tend to have an appleshaped body in which you store fat around the tummy, you are more at risk for Type II diabetes. Those with a pear shape in which fat is stored in the hips are somewhat less at risk.
Gestational Diabetes
Any woman can develop gestational diabetes during pregnancy, but some women are more at risk than others. Some risk factors include obesity, a family history of diabetes, having previously given birth to a very large baby, a stillbirth, a child with a birth defect or having too much amniotic fluid. Women who are older than 25 are at higher risk than younger women. About 135,000 women develop gestational diabetes every year.
Pregnancy in diabetes
Gestational diabetes
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Both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes are associated with long-term complications that threaten life and the quality of life. The disease is the leading cause of adult blindness, end-stage kidney disease(ESRD) and amputations (as a result of nerve disease). People with diabetes are two to four times more likely to have coronary heart disease and stroke than people who don't have it. Diabetes complicates pregnancy and results in more birth defects than babies born to women without the disease. Heart disease is the leading cause of diabetes-related deaths. Adults with diabetes have heart disease death rates about two to four times higher than adults without diabetes. The risk of stroke is two to four times higher. An estimated 60 to 65 percent of people with diabetes have high blood pressure. Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness in adults 20 to 24 years old. More than half the limb amputations in the United States occur among people with diabetes.
It's important to know how serious the complications of diabetes can be. If you have diabetes, you will be the person most responsible for working to avoid the worst effects of the disease. You will want to know about these problems so that you can be alert to detecting them and preventing them. Diabetes care is a 24-hour-a-day effort, and preventing complications is worth establishing good self-care routines. The most effective way to avoid complications from either type of diabetes is to keep your blood sugar levels as close to normal as you can. Click on
cholesterol were more than twice as common among people with diabetes; obesity and insufficient physical activity were also more prevalent among them. This study noted that doctors are not counseling their patients adequately to make the lifestyle changes that can reduce those risks.
walking to stimulate the formation of new blood vessels around those that are blocked. Drugs to dilate blood vessels or thin the blood may be given; in severe cases, angioplasty or bypass procedures may be indicated.