Category: Nutrition

Around one-quarter of people may be deficient in vitamin B12.

A poor memory can be a sign of vitamin B12 deficiency, research finds.

People in the study with low levels of vitamin B12 had worse memory for both ideas and events in their lives.

Low levels of vitamin B12 can contribute to brain shrinkage, the study also suggested.

Good sources of vitamin B12 include fish, poultry, eggs and low-fat milk.

Fortified breakfast cereals also contain vitamin B12.

People who may have difficulty getting enough vitamin B12 include vegetarians, older people and those with some digestive disorders, such as Crohn’s disease.

Dr Christine C. Tangney, the study’s first author, said:

“Our findings lend support for the contention that poor vitamin B12 status is a potential risk factor for brain atrophy and may contribute to cognitive impairment.”

For the study, 121 older people were given tests of memory and thinking and had their vitamin B12 levels measured.

Brain scans 4.5 years later revealed brain shrinkage in those who were deficient.

B12 deficiency was also linked to worse scores on cognitive tests.

Dr Tangney said:

“Our findings definitely deserve further examination.

It’s too early to say whether increasing vitamin B12 levels in older people through diet or supplements could prevent these problems, but it is an interesting question to explore.

Findings from a British trial with B vitamin supplementation are also supportive of these outcomes.”

Other, common signs of vitamin B12 deficiency include feeling tired, experiencing muscle weakness and being constipated.

The study was published in the journal Neurology (Tangney et al., 2011).

A pinch of this spice puts your immune system on guard.

Consuming even a tiny amount of pungent ginger compounds could strengthen the immune system.

The spice is traditionally considered an anti-nausea and anti-inflammatory natural remedy.

Ginger contains natural compounds such as gingerol, paradol, zingerone, and shogaol, which are known for their antioxidant activities and boosting the immune system.

Recent laboratory tests carried out by Professor Veronika Somoza and colleagues at Leibniz Institute in Germany, confirms the stimulating effect of ginger on the immune system.

The results show that drinking ginger tea enhanced the white blood cell response against bacterial infection.

Apparently, within 30 to 60 minutes after drinking a litre of ginger tea, a considerable amounts of pungent compounds entered the bloodstream.

The highest levels belonged to [6]-gingerol (gingerol) with a concentration of seven to 17 micrograms per litre (µg/l) in the blood.

Gingerol is a compound responsible for the sharpness of taste and smell of ginger.

How gingerol works

To see how gingerol works, the researchers first identified key receptors on neutrophils.

Neutrophils make up the majority of white blood cells that fight bacteria entering the body.

Next the team discovered that even a small amount of gingerol (equivalent to 15 µg/l) was enough to increase the vigilance of white blood cells.

The results revealed that the cells stimulated with gingerol had a 30 percent stronger response to a bacterial infection.

Dr Gaby Andersen, the study’s first author, said:

“Thus, at least in experiments, very low [6]-gingerol concentrations are sufficient to affect the activity of immune cells via the TRPV1 receptor.

In blood, these concentrations could theoretically be achieved by consuming about one liter of ginger tea.”

Professor Veronika Somoza, study senior author, said:

“So, our results support the assumption that the intake of common amounts of ginger may be sufficient to modulate cellular responses of the immune system.

Nevertheless, there are still many unanswered questions at the molecular, epidemiological and medical levels that need to be addressed with the help of modern food and health research.”

Related

• Plant extracts including ginger root help to relieve hangover symptoms.
• Certain spices such as turmeric and ginger root can block bad memories.
• Low FODMAP foods such as ginger help decrease inflammation.

The study was published in the journal Molecular Nutrition & Food Research (Andersen et al., 2023).

Stomach bloating affects one-third of adults in the US.

Reducing salt intake decreases stomach bloating, research concludes.

In addition, reducing fibre in the diet also combats the amount of stomach bloating.

Stomach bloating affects one-third of adults in the US.

Over 90 percent of people with irritable bowel syndrome experience stomach bloating.

It is caused by a buildup of gas in the gut.

The gas is created as the gut bacteria try to break down fibre.

Dr Noel Mueller, the study’s first author, said:

“Bloating is one of the leading gastrointestinal complaints in the U.S. and can be exacerbated in some people by a high-fiber diet; our results suggest that they might be able to reduce that bloating, without compromising on healthy fiber, by lowering their sodium intake.”

The conclusions come from a study of 412 people with high blood pressure which also collected data on stomach bloating.

It found that a low-fibre diet decreased the risk of bloating by 41 percent.

Men are particularly susceptible to the effect of dietary fibre on bloating.

A low sodium diet, meanwhile, decreased the risk of stomach bloating by 27 percent.

How salt causes bloating is not yet known, although the scientists think it could be because salt causes water retention.

Dr Mueller said:

“We hypothesize that sodium intake also alters the gut microbiome in a manner that modifies bacterial sulfide production.”

The study was published in The American Journal of Gastroenterology (Peng et al., 2019).

Vitamin D is vital for regulating the levels of phosphate and calcium in the body.

It is easy to miss the signs of a vitamin D deficiency as it tends not to cause any serious illness.

However, there are certain subtle signs that can indicate a deficiency in what is known as the ‘sunshine vitamin’.

A vitamin D deficiency can cause weight gain and weak muscles.

It has also been linked to developing bone pain or feeling generally fatigued.

Some people experience mood changes or persistent cramps.

Problems with the teeth may be linked to a vitamin D deficiency as well, since vitamin D is important for dental health.

However, all of these symptoms are general and could be related to other conditions.

That is why, if you are worried, it is important to get checked out by a healthcare provider.

Vitamin D is vital for regulating the levels of phosphate and calcium in the body.

These are essential to the bones, teeth and muscles.

Since vitamin D is naturally produced by the action of the sun on the skin, it is vital that people get enough vitamin D in the winter months.

During the darker months, taking 10 mcg of a vitamin D supplement is often recommended.

Another option is to ensure that your diet has enough vitamin D in it.

Foods that contain relatively high amounts of vitamin D include sardines, salmon, mackerel and herring.

Other foods high in vitamin D include egg yolks, liver, mushrooms and red meat.

Cereals and spreads are also typically fortified with vitamin D.

Vitamin D and immunity

Many studies have linked to vitamin D levels to immune function.

Some have suggested that having enough vitamin D can help to boost immunity against upper respiratory tract infections, of which COVID is one.

People with a vitamin D deficiency are also thought to be more susceptible to other everyday viruses, like common colds.

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As many as one-in-eight people could be low in vitamin B12.

Facial twitches and pain in the face can both be signs of vitamin B12 deficiency, studies suggests.

The reason is that the body uses vitamin B12 to make red blood cells and to keep the nervous system healthy.

B12 plays an important role in producing myelin, the protective sheath around nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.

Facial pain can be felt under an eye or in the cheekbone area.

Sometimes it is felt across the forehead and approaching the nose.

Another sign of vitamin B12 deficiency can be cold sores.

Other, more common signs of vitamin B12 deficiency include feeling tired, experiencing muscle weakness and being constipated.

The study included 17 people with facial neuralgia who were given vitamin B12 injections for four weeks.

Dr Jitendra K. Baruah, the study’s first author, said:

“It was somewhat unexpected that vitamin B12 deficiency can cause isolated facial neuralgia.

Treatment for facial neuralgia is sometimes very difficult, and patients may often go into multimodalities treatment without much success.

Knowing that this condition is remediable with vitamin B12 therapy, it is important to identify these patients and treat them accordingly.”

Giving vitamin B12 supplements was also effective in alleviating cold sores, the researchers found.

Dr Baruah:

“It may be possible that having cold sores means there is an active herpes simplex virus located in the gasserian ganglion, indicating that there may be some compromise of that particular side and these trigeminal nerves are found to be more susceptible to deficiencies to vitamins, such as B12.”

Good sources of vitamin B12 include fish, poultry, eggs and low-fat milk.

Fortified breakfast cereals also contain vitamin B12.

People who may have difficulty getting enough vitamin B12 include vegetarians, older people and those with some digestive disorders, such as Crohn’s disease.

The study was published in the journal Pain (Koopman et al., 2009).

Vitamin B12 levels can be boosted by eating foods such as dairy, liver, salmon and eggs.

Ulcers around the mouth can be a sign of vitamin B12 deficiency, research suggests.

The small lesions around the mouth are sometimes known as canker sores.

They can also occur inside the mouth and may make eating painful.

Other, more common signs of vitamin B12 deficiency include feeling tired, experiencing muscle weakness and being constipated.

The conclusions about mouth ulcers come from a study including 58 people who had recurrent mouth ulcers.

Around half of the participants were given B12 supplementation and they were compared to a control group.

The results showed that three-quarters of people were free of ulcers after taking B12 and most saw a reduction in pain.

The authors explain the results:

“The average outbreak duration and the average number of ulcers per month decreased in both groups during the first four months of the trial.

However, the duration of outbreaks, the number of ulcers, and the level of pain were reduced significantly at five and six months of treatment with vitamin B12, regardless of initial vitamin B12 levels in the blood.

During the last month of treatment a significant number of participants in the intervention group reached ‘no aphthous ulcers status’”

Good dietary sources of vitamin B12 include fish, poultry, eggs and low-fat milk.

Fortified breakfast cereals also contain vitamin B12.

People who may have difficulty getting enough vitamin B12 include vegetarians, older people and those with some digestive disorders, such as Crohn’s disease.

Dr Ilia Volkov, the study’s first author, said:

“…the frequency of RAS [Recurrent Aphthous Stomatitis, or mouth ulcers] is as much as 25 percent in the general population, however, until now, there has been no optimal therapeutic approach.”

The study was published in The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine (Volkov et al., 2009).