RightHealth Daily Dose » inflammation http://dailydose.righthealth.com We feature the one health item you simply cannot afford to miss. Fri, 19 Mar 2010 04:18:31 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 Vitamin D May Reduce Heart Attacks In Blacks http://dailydose.righthealth.com/diet-nutrition/vitamin-d-may-reduce-heart-attacks-in-blacks/ http://dailydose.righthealth.com/diet-nutrition/vitamin-d-may-reduce-heart-attacks-in-blacks/#comments Fri, 08 Jan 2010 05:40:20 +0000 Steven http://dailydose.righthealth.com/?p=2553 New research appearing in next month’s Annals of Family Medicine suggests that vitamin D deficiency may contribute to the disparity seen between whites and blacks in regards to rates of heart attacks and strokes. After looking at data from over 15,000 Americans the researchers found that vitamin D deficiency was associated with higher death rates among all subjects. However, blacks had a 38% higher risk of death than whites – this did not change even when taking into account socioeconomic status. The researchers also found that the risk of death decreased as vitamin D levels increased. It should be noted that this is only an observational study, not a controlled trial. But, given these findings further studies are warranted especially if vitamin replacement, which is relatively easy to do, could reduce the risk of death.

Vitamin D deficiency can lead to a chronic inflammatory state that is associated with heart disease and cancer. Since vitamin D is produced in the skin in a process involving sunlight, dark-skinned individuals may produce less of it because their skin pigment blocks the UV light needed for vitamin D synthesis. [via Medical News Today]

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]]> http://dailydose.righthealth.com/diet-nutrition/vitamin-d-may-reduce-heart-attacks-in-blacks/feed/ 13 From Stomach Ulcer To Cancer http://dailydose.righthealth.com/cancer-oncology/from-stomach-ulcer-to-cancer/ http://dailydose.righthealth.com/cancer-oncology/from-stomach-ulcer-to-cancer/#comments Sun, 24 Aug 2008 16:34:59 +0000 Steven http://dailydose.kosmix.com/?p=336 Helicobacter pylori is a bacteria known to cause most ulcers of the stomach. In some cases these ulcers can eventually lead to stomach cancer. Until now, it was unclear as to why this change occurs, but scientists have a new hypothesis. Researchers now report that certain strains of H. pylori can induce surrounding stomach cells to lower their immune defenses, essentially allowing inflammation to occur. This environment of persistent inflammation can then reduce the threshold required for more serious diseases, like cancer, to develop. However, is H. pylori necessarily a “bad” bacterium? Some scientists believe that H. pylori actually helps to regulate acidity in our stomach. Furthermore, some studies show that eradicating H. pylori with antibiotics actually raises the prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease, heartburn, and even asthma. Full story.

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