• B6 plays a vital role in supporting your blood, brain, immune system and metabolism, among other areas
• Signs of B6 deficiency include anemia, confusion, depression, mouth and tongue inflammation and a weakened immune system

Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) is a water-soluble vitamin first isolated in the 1930s.¹ The human body cannot synthesize B6, so one must obtain this nutrient from the diet or in the form of a dietary supplement.  B6 is naturally present in many foods, added to others (like fortified breakfast cereal). B6 is a generic term for six compounds with vitamin B6 activity, namely:^2,3

• Pyridoxine, an alcohol
• Pyridoxal, an aldehyde
• Pyridoxamine, which contains an amino group
• And their phosphorylated forms

About B6, the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) writes:

Vitamin B6 in coenzyme forms performs a wide variety of functions in the body and is extremely versatile, with involvement in more than 100 enzyme reactions, mostly concerned with protein...

Silymarin is the active component of the herbal plant known as milk Thistle.  It has been used for centuries for various diseases to include liver disorders, gastrointestinal disorders, digestion, and has also been indicated in various illnesses of different organs such as prostate, lungs, CNS, kidneys, pancreas, and skin¹. Silymarin can suppress inflammation of cells in the body similar to ways that exercise can help coordinate the response of stressors.  The results of the anti-inflammatory pathways that silymarin can signal leads to cellular repair and maintenance².

Properties of Silymarin include:

• Reduces inflammation
• Acts as an antioxidant reducing free radicals
• Stimulating the production of new liver cells
• Reduce the toxic effects of chemical exposures

Silymarin has been used to treat a range of disorders and is considered safe and well-tolerated. The most common use of silymarin is for the liver.  If the liver if functioning poorly, so is almost...

If you enjoy South Asian and Middle Easter cuisine, chances are you’ve come in contact with a spice called turmeric. It is one of the main ingredients in curry dishes and has a vibrant color and flavor¹. One of the main reasons why turmeric has been linked to its main health and medical benefits is due to its active ingredient known as curcumin. A typical turmeric root may contain 2-7% concentration of curcumin¹. There are over a million articles on the web and in journals supporting turmeric and its multiple pharmacological activities. Some examples of these benefits are listed below.

• Anticarcinogenic
• Anti-inflammatory
• Cardiovascular protectant
• Helps support the liver
• Supports the nervous system
• Cancer prevention and treatment adjunct

Anti-carcinogenic Effects:

An anticarcinogen is defined as a substance that counteracts the effects of a carcinogen or inhibits the development of cancer². Turmeric has demonstrated that it is capable of having an anti-carcinogenic...

In preparation to write this newsletter, for your educational pleasure, I went to pubmed.com and simply typed into the search bar: B vitamins brain.  In less than 5 seconds I had 458 different research studies to peruse.

B vitamins in the vast majority of the forms help our bodies think properly, regulate mood, fight off neural degeneration and assist in stress modulation among many other less heralded functions.  Many of us that spend time reading and researching vitamin therapy probably already have heard that these common uses for B vitamins exist.  One use for B12 in particular that you may not have heard about is for protection against “air pollution”.

A small-scale human trial¹ found B vitamins may help protect against air pollution^2,3.

At high doses, which I will give you later, B vitamins were able to completely “offset” damage delivered by fine particulate matter.

According to a World Health Organization study released in 2016,...

Vitamin A is a fat soluble vitamin that serves as an aid to vision, immune system and cell growth.

Vitamin A is available in the human diet in two forms: a preformed vitamin A which includes retinol and a provitamin A carotenoid ⁽¹⁾.  Typically preformed vitamin A is found in animal products which include dairy and meat.  Provitamin A is derived from beta-carotene, which is a part of the carotenoid family and is responsible for the red, orange or yellow color of fruit, oil, grains and vegetables ⁽³⁾.  Both forms of vitamin A must be converted to retinal and retinoic acid in order to support the body’s biological functions ^(1-2).

Are you at Risk for Vitamin A Deficiency?

Vitamin A deficiency is more common in developing countries then in the United States. One of the first signs of Vitamin A deficiency is night blindness.  There are four kinds of photopigments located in the eye that store vitamin A. One is called, Rhodopsin, which is...

History and Initial Applications:

In 1957, Professor Frederick Crane and colleagues discovered CoQ10 from beef heart mitochondria at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Enzyme Institute.¹⁵ R.A. Morton, from the United Kingdom, isolated the compound in rat liver just after Dr. Crane’s discovery. It was Morton who named the compound ubiquinone, meaning ubiquitous quinone or one that “exists everywhere.” ^3,6 Scientists at Merck synthesized CoQ10 in 1958. In 1962, Peter D. Mitchell, PhD from University of Edinburgh determined how CoQ10 produces energy at the cellular level and in 1978 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for chemistry based on his discovery.⁶

Are there established safe intake levels?

The safety of escalated doses of CoQ10 has been evaluated in a randomized, placebo-controlled trials in patients with early Parkinson’s disease.⁹ A total of 80 patients received doses of 300 mg to 1200 mg per day of CoQ10 for up to 16 months, and...

Vitamin B12 is a water soluble vitamin that serves as an aid to the nervous system and plays a vital role in red blood cell formation and DNA synthesis. Ultimately it is responsible for normal neurological functions and beneficial for overall health.
Vitamin B12 is considered a unique vitamin based off of its structure and absorption into the body. It’s structure is unique because it’s the only vitamin that contains a metal- cobalt part. This is why cobalamin is the term used to express B12 activity. The most common type of cobalamin is found in most dietary supplements of B12, cyanocobalamin, and is quickly transformed into an active form of B12 in the body ⁽⁸⁾.

The other unique trait to vitamin B12 is its multi-step process needed for absorption into the body. B12 is found in animal protein. After consuming the animal protein with B12 bound to it, it heads down towards the stomach where hydrochloric acid is needed to release B12 from the protein. Once B12 is...

In case you missed last month’s issue, we talked about Vitamin D deficiency and its relationship with pregnancy complications and hormonal imbalances. We’ll continue this month talking about Vitamin D and its relationship to cancer, heart disease and cognitive function.

Cancer

The high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency, combined with the discovery of increased risks of certain types of cancer in those who are deficient, suggest that vitamin D deficiency may account for several thousand premature deaths from colon, breast, ovarian, and prostate cancer annually.⁵
A study designed in Norway involving over 115,000 diagnosed cases of breast, colon, and prostate cancers concluded that a high level of vitamin D3 at the time of diagnosis, and thus, during cancer treatment, may improve prognosis of the three cancer types.6 Another interesting part of the study suggested that diagnoses during summer and fall, the seasons with the highest level of vitamin D3, revealed the...

“Vitamin D deficiency and its consequences are extremely subtle, but have enormous implications for human health and disease. It is for this reason that vitamin D deficiency continues to go unrecognized by a majority of health care professionals.” —Dr. Michael Holick, University of Boston

Vitamin D is a hormone that needs sunlight in order for the body to produce it. There are many factors that can affect the body’s ability to make and absorb vitamin D. Such variables include where you live, the different seasons, time spent outside, skin pigmentation, age, and absorption capacity.

Vitamin D’s benefits have been widely studied. However, most Americans are deficient in vitamin D and daily multivitamins don’t provide enough. Compelling research has demonstrated that vitamin D blood levels in the range of 50 to 80 ng/mL are associated with reduced mortality and a lower risk of common diseases.¹

For the next 2 issues, we’ll take a look at some...