Healthnotes Newswire (October 4, 2007)—Soy, rich in estrogen-like plant chemicals, has many known health benefits for women, and now a new study has found that men may also have a reason to eat soy: fewer symptoms of benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH).
Healthnotes Newswire (August 2, 2007)—Good news for women looking for ways to keep their bones strong: an ingredient in soy may improve bone mineral density. A new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that 54 mg per day of genistein, a type of isoflavone, had positive effects on bone mineral density in postmenopausal women with mild loss of bone density (osteopenia).
Healthnotes Newswire (May 10, 2007)—A type of omega-3 fatty acid, found primarily in cold-water fish, helps to build strong bones, reports the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Most people associate osteoporosis with women, but the disease can also occur in men. Osteoporosis causes the bones to become weak and brittle, making them more prone to fractures. Whites and Asians are more likely to suffer from the disease. According to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, one in four men over age 50 will develop an osteoporosis-related fracture at some point in their lives.
Healthnotes Newswire (May 3, 2007)—Asthma rates in the northeastern part of the United States are the highest in the nation—and vitamin D deficiency may be one reason, new research shows.
The body can make vitamin D, but only when skin is exposed to sunlight. Pregnant women who live in areas where sunlight is scarce are at a higher risk of vitamin D deficiency, and their children may suffer for this lack later on.
Regarding the effect of maternal diet in pregnancy on the risk of childhood asthma, Carlos A. Camargo, MD, DrPH, associate professor of Medicine & Epidemiology at the Harvard Medical School, and lead author of the new study said, “A few years ago we noted similarities between risk factors for vitamin D deficiency and risk factors for asthma. Vitamin D has many effects on the immune system, so we hypothesized that higher maternal vitamin D intakes might be protective against the development of childhood asthma.”
Healthnotes Newswire (March 29, 2007)—Osteoporosis is one known consequence of long-term antiseizure medicine use—but new research shows that vitamin D can help.
People with epilepsy often need to control their seizures with medications, but many of these medications have an important adverse side effect: they speed up bone breakdown and can cause bone loss and osteoporosis.
Vitamin D is made in the body through a chemical reaction that begins in sunlight-activated skin. Vitamin D increases calcium absorption through the digestive tract and reduces calcium loss in the urine. Because of vitamin D’s actions, more calcium can be deposited and kept in the bones.
