Vitamin D Could Help Patients with NAFLD

Vitamin D, otherwise known as the "sunshine vitamin", seems to be one of the most versatile nutrients out there, with study after study showing benefits in immune function, neurological health and other areas. Now, another observational study has found that it could also help patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

This study included almost 11,000 men and women enrolled in the NHANES III study, which was conducted from 1988 to 1994. Follow-up mortality data was collected up to 2011. Just over four thousand people had mild, moderate or severe NAFLD as determined by ultrasound imaging, and nearly five thousand of them had vitamin D deficiency.

Increasing levels of vitamin D were linked with decreasing levels of fatty liver disease severity. The level of liver fibrosis, a serious result of liver disease, was also lowest with the highest amounts of vitamin D. Compared to participants with healthy vitamin D levels, people with a deficiency were three and a half times more likely to die from diabetes, and four and a half times more likely to die from Alzheimer's disease. All-cause mortality rates were 16% higher.

Besides vitamin D, there are other nutrients that could help people suffering from NAFLD. In one study, researchers tested the effects of vitamin E and an insulin-sensitising drug on NASH, the advanced middle stage of NAFLD. This is because fatty liver disease has both insulin resistance and oxidative stress as root causes. Patients taking both 400IU of vitamin E and the drug saw better results than those on vitamin E alone, because of the disease's multifactorial nature. In a follow-up study, patients took either 800IU of vitamin E, the same insulin-sensitising drug or a placebo for almost two years. Both treatments were able to reduce inflammation, liver fat and liver cell injury markers. However, only vitamin E could produce significant improvements in the appearance of liver tissue upon biopsy. Why? Vitamin E has multiple effects, as it can reduce inflammation, quench oxidative free radicals and prevent cells from dying. Omega-3 fatty acids may also protect people with NAFLD. These reduce inflammation, improve insulin sensitivity and lower levels of triglycerides, tackling several root causes at once. Long-term human trials have shown that supplementation with omega-3 fats, at about 1,000 mg a day, can also both reduce blood markers of liver damage and improve the appearance of the liver on ultrasound exams. While prevention is better than cure, you don't have to despair if you have been diagnosed with fatty liver disease.

Is Niacin the New Folate?

In the 1990s, the discovery that folate (vitamin B9) deficiency causes many neural tube defects led to a dramatic fall in these conditions. Now, another B vitamin, known as B3 or niacin, has recently been shown to help prevent miscarriage and other types of birth defects such as heart conditions.

Source: Atigobina (CC: 4.0)

Niacin performs many functions in the body, often in a form called nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD). Having low levels of this molecule can be incredibly damaging to tiny embryos when they are first forming organs, leading to birth defects or even death. However, supplementation of niacin increases the embryo's levels of NAD, which may significantly cut down the rate of miscarriages and birth defects. It is estimated that 3% of babies around the world have significant congenital defects, and one in four women will have a miscarriage at least once in their lives. While 3% doesn't look like much, for the families affected it means everything.

How did they find that a "simple" vitamin could do so much? First, they sequenced the genes of four families with a history of miscarriages and birth defects, such as heart, vertebral and kidney problems. They found two genetic mutations that affected the pathway which produces NAD. This is serious because some of NAD's functions are in gene development and repair. Next, they used CRISPR to mimic these mutations in mice. Just like the human families, the mice had offspring with all the same birth defects and NAD deficiency. When they put niacin in the drinking water of pregnant mice, they prevented the birth defects. Niacin is found in many meats and vegetables, as well as multivitamin, prenatal and energy supplements. However, a US study found that one third of women taking pregnancy multivitamins were still low in niacin. Some pharmaceuticals and medications, such as diabetes, coeliac disease, inflammatory bowel diseases and obesity can also impair NAD pathways, so these must be addressed or be answered with supplementation.

If niacin becomes the new folate in preventing birth defects, the benefits to our world will be significant. A review of 13 studies found that folic acid at 0.2mg/day could reduce neural tube defects by 20%, but a dose as high as 5mg could reduce their risk by 85%. With 0.2mg/day the US level of fortification, prevalence of spina bifida dropped by 31% with compulsory fortification, and anencephaly by 16%. Zinc deficiency, alcohol abuse and hallucinogen use are other factors behind neural tube defects. MTHFR mutation, which is now widely discussed in natural health circles, can also raise the risk of these defects. We take vitamins for granted too often - for our most vulnerable, a short-term deficiency can mean losing everything.

Vitamin K2 May Help Those With Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is one of the most debilitating chronic illnesses known to humanity. It is an inflammatory disease that affects the whole body, but mostly the joints. We know it is most likely an autoimmune disease, but so far research into causative factors has been centred around genetic predisposition; microbes; allergies; abnormal gut permeability; and diet and lifestyle factors. Now, new research is showing that vitamin K2 may play a key role in fighting the disease.

Natto on rice. Source: Shades0404 (CC: 2.5)

There are several forms of vitamin K. Vitamin K1 is also known as phylloquinone and comes from plant foods, while there are several types of vitamin K2, all known as menaquinone. They come from animal foods and are produced by bacteria. The most important form of K2 for commercial use is MK-7, and is known for its benefits in cardiovascular health and bone strength. It is more bioavailable than MK-4, which has been found in a clinical trial to improve the symptoms and biochemical markers of RA. To see if MK-7 would be even better, researchers divided 84 patients with RA into two groups: one receiving 100 micrograms of K2's MK-7 form, and the other getting a placebo. After three months, markers of inflammation were significantly lower in the treated group, as well as RA disease activity scores. Active levels of osteocalcin, an important marker of bone health, also improved, and all of these benefits were seen in relation to increased levels of MK-7 in the blood. These results are very important partly because of the side effects caused by drugs prescribed for RA. While the disease itself is debilitating, the drugs can be worse enough that many people have to stop taking them.

So where exactly can we get vitamin K2, especially the MK-7 form? Besides supplements, natto and some types of cheese are sources of MK-7. Natto is a fermented soy food from Japan, and although it's very much an acquired taste, it is the best source of the best vitamin K. Some types of meat, cheese and eggs contain the MK-4 form, which is still effective, although less active. Green leafy vegetables contain vitamin K1, and are our main source of dietary vitamin K in the West. This is much less active than vitamin K2 and mainly supports homeostasis. Finally, the MK-10 and MK-13 forms of vitamin K2, which are produced by colonic bacteria, are poorly absorbed and do not provide much activity. While more research on vitamin K2 and RA are probably needed, its use against the disease looks promising, and maybe it's time to suck it up and learn to like natto.

What? Niacin Prevents Cannibalism?

Weird news, or news that at least looks weird at first, is everywhere. Even in the world of natural health, if you know where to look. This round of weird news that I'm talking about comes out of the Universite de Strasbourg in France, where Tissier and colleagues uncovered some shocking behavior in wild hamsters, and a simple way to prevent it.

In the study, the researchers identified wild hamsters that were eating diets mostly made up of corn and only corn, and were exhibiting siblicide (killing siblings) and maternal infanticide (mothers killing their own children). The mother hamsters eating only corn would keep their young babies with their stashes of corn, and eat them too! This and siblicide were so frequent that only 5% of the babies whose mothers were fed corn survived. In those whose mothers had varied diets, 80% survived. However, they only had to supplement the corn-only diets with niacin (vitamin B3) to prevent the cannibalism. Just one vitamin!

Corn is fine in moderation, however.
Source: Sam Fentress (CC BY-SA: 2.0)

This research also raises the question of how our knowledge of nutrition may have shaped world events. Compulsory niacin fortification began around the same time as society began to change from "let's see how many people we can kill/conquer" to "let's rebuild" and more individualistic mentalities. Before this, niacin deficiency was common even in North America, as roller mill processing left out the alkali-soaking technique, previously employed by the ancient Aztecs and Mayans, that enables niacin to be absorbed by our digestive systems. While they were far from anti-war hippies, extreme poverty and struggling for survival was a firmly-entrenched norm around the world until the 19th century. And even though the West is now seen as a paragon of wealth and freedom, niacin deficiency disease, known as pellagra, killed over 100,000 people every year in the southern USA until the vitamin was discovered and added to packaged food.

It also adds further weight to orthomolecular medicine, a concept that has been studied and practiced for decades. While this category of therapies, involving large doses of vitamins, is commonly known for high-dose vitamin C to treat infections, niacin can also be used in this way for a range of conditions. This may even include so-called "genetic" diseases. In fact, some researchers say that around 50 genetic diseases caused by defects in enzyme-producing genes could be treated by high doses of the enzyme's vitamin component, which would at least partially restore its production. Mental health issues may be some of the problems treatable by niacin too, as population studies have shown a link between high-corn (therefore, low niacin) diets and higher levels of violence. However, treating clinical mental health issues would require high-quality supplementation at therapeutic doses, and a qualified professional to prescribe it.

Could Vitamin C Save Patients From Sepsis?

A Virginian doctor recently claimed to have found that vitamin C could be an essential part of treatment for sepsis, a life-threatening complication of infection when the pathogenic load and immune response are too great. As sepsis kills thousands every year, including over 44,000 in the UK, it's time to take notice of the power of vitamin C.

Dr Paul Marik, a critical care specialist, says he came up with the treatment as a last resort when a 48-year-old woman arrived with a case of sepsis that would have otherwise killed her. Her kidneys and lungs were failing, but after his "outside the box" treatment, she left the hospital after two days. His treatment? An injected infusion of vitamin C, a low dose of steroids, and vitamin B1, also known as thiamine. While other experts believe that this is "too good to be true", he has already published some results of his own research showing that this was not a once-off miracle. In this retrospective, before-after clinical study, 47 consecutive patients were treated with this infusion over a seven month timeframe, and were compared with 47 untreated patients from the previous seven months. The treated group only had a mortality rate of 4 out of 47 patients (8.5%), compared to 19 out of 47 (40.4%) in the control group. This is about an 80% reduction! No patients in the treated group developed progressive organ failure. All treated patients also stopped needing vasopressors, after an average of 18 hours. The control patients used them for an average of 54 hours, a bit over two days. Although these findings were described as preliminary and in need of larger follow-up studies, they were clinically significant and seen as a way to prevent organ failure and death from sepsis.

The dismissal of this case as "too good to be true" is also infuriating because of just how far research on vitamin C and infections goes back to. In an article from over sixty years ago, a doctor describes studies and cases of vitamin C injections resolving a range of infections. One case, which was similar to prior research, saw a young girl's chickenpox disappear in a day or two as opposed to the typical "seven to nine days". Children with polio and encephalitis from severe cases of mumps and measles were also described as having rapid, uneventful recoveries after beginning vitamin C injections. Even a baby recovered from measles in 60 hours, without developing a rash or having to deal with a fever for long. Many studies and case reports on vitamin C and infections came in the decades after, including three controlled studies analysed in a review showing an 80% drop in pneumonia incidence. In another of several hundred young adults, vitamin C administration cut cold and flu symptoms by 85%. Even a report on New Zealand's 60 Minutes, of a man saved from viral pneumonia with vitamin C, after doctors initially refused to administer it, seems to have failed to change the pharmaceutical drug-only public opinion on the vitamin. However, despite all of the censorship and narrow-mindedness of the public, there is real hope for the future when it comes to using natural medicines in the fight against infections, whether they be deadly or just inconvenient.

Vitamin C and Exercise May Share the Same Benefits

We sometimes find that beneficial foods, lifestyle interventions and medicinal herbs share the same mechanisms of action. Now it seems that this is also the case for exercise and vitamin C, as they have been found to share one of the same pathways for protecting cardiovascular health. While this doesn't mean you can swap exercise for supplements, it could mean that using both together is best.

As a high-risk group for cardiovascular diseases, overweight and obese people are strongly urged to exercise regularly, although more than half ignore this advice. For those who do, however, one of the benefits is a reduction in a protein known as endothelin-1 (ET-1). This constricts the small blood vessels, making it harder to deliver oxygen and nutrients, as well as clear out toxins, in every tissue, including the heart, which increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. Recently, Colorado researchers revealed their findings that 500mg of time-released vitamin C reduced ET-1 just as much as walking for exercise. Of course, this does not mean you can use vitamin C to get out of exercising, as it has many other benefits to muscle and bone health, among other parts of the body (and we are designed for physical activity!). However, this does build on the research of Linus Pauling, who hypothesised that our usually low intake of vitamin C (he recommended 10-12 grams) is behind the epidemic of cardiovascular disease.

Other research has also shown a protective effect of vitamin C against cardiovascular issues. An earlier case-control study (100 cases, 198 controls) aiming to see if vitamin C and other nutrients could protect against heart attacks found that, compared to the lowest quartile for vitamin C intake, those in the highest had an 80% lower risk of heart attack! Vitamin E and fibre both reduced heart attack risk by 70%. Vitamin C may also protect against repeat cardiovascular events. In a study of 800 people who already had heart attacks, those given vitamin C supplementation suffered a collective total of 55 events, compared to 75 in the placebo group. High doses of vitamin C can have fast-acting effects too. When healthy male volunteers were given 2000mg of vitamin C, arterial stiffness was reduced by almost 10% within hours! This may have been because it protected nitric oxide against oxidation. With these studies and more showing the benefits of vitamin C, why not combine vitamin C-rich foods and exercise for the best results?

Plastic May Lower Vitamin D Levels

The research denouncing BPA, a chemical commonly used in plastics, seems to be building up all the time. BPA is now one of the most widely known endocrine disruptors, named as such because of their documented negative effects on our hormones. Another type of endocrine disruptor is the phthalates, which are found in many cosmetics and children's products, as well as medical tubing and food packaging. These seem to be less well-known, maybe because of the hard-to-remember name. Now, a new study is showing a link between these chemicals and low levels of vitamin D.

"Nearly every person on the planet is exposed to BPA and another class of endocrine-disrupting chemicals called phthalates, so the possibility that these chemicals may even slightly reduce vitamin D levels has widespread implications for public health," said the study's first author, Lauren Johns. Vitamin D plays a key role in the maintenance of muscle and bone health; a severe deficiency in childhood can cause rickets, a disease that results in soft, weak bones and associated deformities. Inadequate sun exposure and nutritional deficiencies are the main causes of rickets, which is rare in Australia but on the rise. Less severe deficiencies have been linked with cardiovascular diseases, some cancers, diabetes and autoimmune conditions. Higher levels of vitamin D may also protect the independence of the elderly. A study of over 2,000 people found that those with vitamin D levels under 50nmol/L had a 29% higher risk of mobility limitation, and a 93% higher risk of mobility disability, than people with levels higher than 75nmol/L. Volunteers whose levels were between 50 and 75nmol/L had a 27% higher risk of limitations and a 30% higher risk of disability.

This study examined data from 4,667 adult volunteers in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), from 2005 to 2010. This is a cross-sectional study aiming to collect health and nutrition data from a sample of US adults meant to represent the general population. Information on vitamin D levels were taken from blood test results, and endocrine disruptor exposure was measured by urine samples. The study found a link between the level of phthalates, another type of endocrine disruptor, and low levels of vitamin D in both sexes, although the link was stronger in women. The link between higher BPA levels and low vitamin D was only significant in women. While more research is needed, these endocrine disruptors are thought to alter the active form of vitamin D, possibly by the same mechanisms that they use to interfere with thyroid and reproductive hormones.

Avoiding The Flu This Winter, Or Summer

Some of my blog posts, and my interest, lies in natural means to reduce mortality rates, so I was pleased to hear recently that falling death rates in the UK have been significant enough to affect the shares of funeral parlours. Unfortunately, this article also stated that there was a recent rise in mortality rates because of a particularly nasty flu season. With winter arriving in Australia soon, I would like to share some ways to reduce the risk of catching influenza, which kills many immunocompromised each year.

I will start with a vitamin that has for a long time been associated with the prevention of infections...not vitamin C, but vitamin D. Researchers from Winthrop University Hospital found that giving vitamin D supplements to women of an Afro-Caribbean background (darker skin reduces vitamin D production) reduced common cold and influenza infections by 70% over three years. These researchers stated that the additional vitamin D increased stimulation of innate immunity, that is, the immunity that you don't have to take days to "learn" whenever your immune system meets a new disease-causing microbe. The drop in vitamin D production that comes with spending less time in the sun is a likely trigger of the "flu season", and partly why the elderly are more vulnerable to influenza as other health problems can mean spending less time outside. The news article describing this study also discussed research showing protective effects of vitamin D against multiple sclerosis, cancer and cardiovascular disease.

Giant kelp, a vegetable rich in iodine.

Older research, published in 1945, shows a protective effect of iodine against influenza. When mice were exposed to the influenza virus, the disease was prevented by putting iodine solution on the snouts of the mice. It is said that students in some classrooms were once protected from influenza by iodine aerosol sprays, so why not the elderly in nursing homes? It is likely that many elderly people have suboptimal iodine levels, because while it is added to table salt, many doctors advise against salt consumption. A quote attributed to Dr Volney S Cheney also describes an ability of sodium bicarbonate to either prevent influenza or turn an often serious disease into a mild infection, while living in the shadow of the Spanish Flu Epidemic of 1918-19. In animal studies, another mineral, selenium, has been found to significantly cut down the severity of influenza infections. Selenium is one of the nutrients required for glutathione production, an antioxidant produced by our bodies which can prevent damage, to our immune cells and other tissues, caused by infection-induced inflammation. The top food source of selenium is Brazil nuts. While there are many herbs which can fight influenza, such as Pelargonium sidoides, I focused on affordable nutrients in this post because of the financial restrictions of many elderly people, who are usually the worst affected during the flu season.

Vitamin D Is Not Useless

Recently I have heard of a few mainstream news articles about studies that "prove" vitamin D is useless at preventing and treating disease, one of them being a JAMA "review" stating that vitamin D is ineffective in treating hypertension. Fortunately, Life Extension has already written a rebuttal, which saves me a lot of time in coming up with one myself.

Of the 46 studies used in the review, only 16 included participants that gave an average systolic blood pressure of over 140mmHg, so most of the 4,541 participants did not even have hypertension. If it proved anything, it is that vitamin D does not lower blood pressure in those within healthy ranges. One of the studies on normotensive participants actually used doses often considered too low to be therapeutic (200, 400 or 600 IU), while another excluded people with clinical vitamin D deficiency, and yet another excluded people with hypertension but was still included to prove a lack of effect on hypertension! Another tested the effect of one oral dose of 100,000 IU on patients with peripheral arterial disease, hoping for positive changes after just one month. PAD doesn't appear overnight, so why would it instantly disappear? And besides, often you simply do not absorb too much more of a vitamin than what you need, but 100,000 IU is probably overdosing anyway so I wouldn't even recommending injecting that amount. Another failed study showed no effect of 50,000 IU per week for six months in patients with heart failure. If you wanted an effect, you should probably have started earlier instead of telling people that fat is unhealthy, the sun is evil and supplementation is a waste of time.

However, some of the studies used in this review actually reported a positive effect of vitamin D on hypertension. In one of these, 34 type II diabetic patients with serum vitamin D under 20ng/mL were given 100,000 IU of vitamin D2 or placebo, and monitored for eight weeks. The vitamin D2 decreased systolic blood pressure by 14mmHg, and this was deemed "significant". In another, 148 women with serum vitamin D under 20ng/mL were prescribed 1,200mg of calcium with or without 800IU of vitamin D3 for eight weeks. 81% of the women taking vitamin D showed a decrease in systolic blood pressure of 5mmHg or more, compared with 47% in the calcium-only group. Then, in a double-blind study of 283 African-Americans using doses as high as 4,000IU per day, blood pressure was once again significantly lowered. But is vitamin D really useless for heart failure? Another on 23 patients with chronic heart failure involved 13 of the patients being given 4,000 IU daily over six months, and resulted in a lower systolic blood pressure and higher ejection fraction among the treated patients.

As for mortality rates, vitamin D may also have a benefit there. A year-long study of 510 patients with serious, life-threatening illnesses compared "quintiles" of vitamin D levels with mortality rates (most likely yearly), and found that while the probability of survival in the lowest quintile was 66.7%, those in the highest quintile had a 96.1% chance of survival! (Clin Chem) No one with vitamin D levels of over 58.5ng/mL died during the follow-up. A much larger study, this time with 10,170 people, investigated risk ratios for mortality for each 10-unit increase in serum vitamin D (Am J Med). The most significant decreases in mortality risk were from 0 to 10ng/mL and 10 to 20ng/mL, with smaller improvements up to 60ng/mL. So if vitamin D levels mattered more, life expectancy would probably increase, but it is hard to tell by how much because it isn't really known how many people are vitamin D deficient because of how undervalued this vitamin is. It is not tested like serum iron or even B12 are, but should be.

Natural Alternatives for Shingles

So last week, for a change, I decided to cut off my almost waist-length hair in favour of a shingle bob (think Phryne Fisher, but without the fringe), with plans to eventually grow it out. Since then I have been meaning to write a blog post about shingles-the-disease and how to treat it naturally. Why? Sure it's usually not as serious as diabetes/aging/cancer/etc, but from all accounts I have heard, it is a painful, debilitating problem that can put you out of action for 3-4 weeks!

One treatment for shingles that should be more available is vitamin C injections, however I have heard of people achieving similar results with liposome-coated vitamin C as this apparently aids absorption. In one study, Dr Frederick Klenner gave 2,000-3,000mg of vitamin C by injection every 12 hours, as well as 1,000mg by mouth in fruit juice every two hours to eight patients with shingles. In seven of these eight, complete pain relief was observed within two hours of the first injection! Those lucky little - Anyway, their blisters also healed very quickly, with complete resolution in 72 hours (three days)! However treatment must go on for a few more days in order to prevent recurrence, according to Dr Klenner, who saw similar results with chickenpox (caused by the same virus as shingles, chicken pox is the original infection, shingles is the recurrence). Another study from 1950 showed complete resolution of shingles again within 72 hours in all 327 patients! These results are amazing, and with all of the other studies and case reports of viral infections being wiped out by vitamin C injections or intravenous administration, I am surprised that research and use did not continue.

Despite all of this success, upon describing the study with 327 patients to a teacher, he asked me, "is it right?" in terms of naturopathic philosophy. Well...it's natural, safe and effective so I would say YES! We are treating the cause (by also boosting immunity); using the power of nature; teaching patients of vitamin C's benefits; and doing no harm! I would much rather have this than another vaccination (I know very damaged young men), and if I did get chickenpox or shingles, I would seek out vitamin C injections or highly bioavailable oral supplements. I am not, nor will I ever be, another "wellness warrior" who makes her money off martyrdom and does not use the best natural therapies available because they do not fit in with narrow, arbitrary principles! I do not care if it appears to be "green allopathy" from a distance, as long as it works and I am not poisoning myself/giving myself another disease in the process then I'm for it. That is why I still mentioned chilli/capsaicin in another post on neuropathy. And also why I am linking to this study here, showing that reishi mushrooms, among other things, can reduce pain associated with this infection. Capsaicin can help with post-herpetic neuralgia too, but because these are symptomatic treatments only, I would recommend them alongside things to actually boost immunity and kill off as much virus as possible.