VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY AND DAYLIGHT SAVINGS

Bone & Joint / October 19, 2017

By: Amanda Blount

It is around this time of the year where Daylight Saving Time means you can start getting excited about an extra hour of sleep, but it comes with a drawback: your exposure of sunlight decreases. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble, necessary nutrient that our skin synthesizes when exposed to the sun. With the sun is the major natural provider, a decrease of sunshine due to shorter days and cooler weather means that winter can be a serious problem for people with vitamin D deficiency.

Depending on your location sunlight may be an issue. Through sunlight exposure, the body is designed to change vitamin D into a substance called 25-hydroxyvitamin D.  Your body must have vitamin D to absorb calcium, promote bone growth and regulate other body functions. But, winter months can be harsh enough to keep people indoors, limiting your body’s ability to produce the calcium you need for optimal health.

Due to the winter season, the body’s ability to produce the ideal vitamin D levels may already be subdued.  This is a concern because you become at risk for a weakened immune system, rickets, or the development of bone abnormalities such as soft bones and fragile bones if your body doesn’t get adequate vitamin D.

While being mindful of UV radiation, thirty minutes of sun exposure to the face, back, or legs at least twice a week can provide you with a sufficient amount of vitamin D.  If you find yourself in a place where direct sunlight isn’t a possibility, there are two alternate methods of fulfilling your body’s vitamin D needs. These include food and supplementation. Foods that are naturally rich in vitamin D are fatty fish, eggs yolks, liver, and cheese. They are perfect to add to your diet during the colder, cloudier months of the year.

If you follow a plant-based diet or simply aren’t getting enough vitamin D from your dietary intake, you may need to look to supplementation and fortified foods. Cereals, yogurt, and orange juice are commonly found with added vitamin D, and there are a number of types of non-dairy milk that offer fortified options as well.

Vitamins D2 and D3 two great forms of vitamin D to look out for, although D3 is more commonly recommended because it is the naturally occurring form of vitamin D found in the body.  While time-of-day doesn’t seem to have much impact on the absorption of this supplement, it is fat-soluble which means your body will make better use of it if taken with a meal.

As Daylight Saving Time approaches, don’t forget to be sure you’re getting the vitamin D you need for optimal health this holiday season!

Aloe Juice and Gut Health

The benefits of aloe juice have been revered for centuries. Aloe juice helps soothe and lubricate the stomach lining, stimulate the immune system and restore GI tract health by gently cleansing and stimulating new cell growth. Aloe is an excellent supplement for addressing gastrointestinal conditions such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Ulcers, GERD, Acid Reflux, Ulcerative Colitis or Constipation. Long-term use of commonly prescribed drugs like PPIs (proton pump inhibitors) traditionally used for gastrointestinal conditions can have many negative side effects. Acid-blocking drugs cut acid production too much causing the inadequate breakdown of food, resulting in the inability to effectively absorb calcium, vitamins and minerals in the digestive process. This can adversely affect the balance of the entire body system and in some cases lead to osteoporosis. Withdrawal from PPI’s can lead to severe rebound acid secretion, a complication that can force users to become dependent on them.

Unlike prescription medications aloe juice can be used long-term with no side-effects. Because of this and the added benefits to the entire digestive tract and immune system it is the very first product I use to improve the condition of the digestive tract.

Many who have suffered with acid reflux so severe that they could not sleep lying on their back have received almost instant results using 2-4 ounces of Ultimate Aloe juice every day. Ultimate Aloe won the International Aloe Science Council award for the highest amount of polysaccharides. Many aloe products on the market are not concentrated and do not have enough active ingredients to be effective.

nutraMetrix Ultimate Aloe Juice

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• Ultimate Aloe Juice soothes and calms the GI tract

• Polysaccharides act as anti-inflammatory agents to help renew and rebuild a healthy GI tract.

• Aloe stimulates mucus secretion, protecting and lubricating the GI tract. It may promote bicarbonate secretion, which protects GI tissues from drastic pH changes.

• Promotes healthy epithelium (skin) growth, which helps to repair the intestinal wall.

• Buffers the GI tract, reducing acid damage. It is believed that certain components of aloe may support appropriate hydrochloric acid levels through direct action on histamine receptors.

• Contains digestive enzymes that help to break down and digest foods.

• Creates a mild cleansing effect and a mild laxative effect.

• Contains antioxidants – Antioxidant constituents such as beta-carotene fight free radicals and their damaging effects.

• Contains vitamins – vitamins A, E and B-12, zinc, magnesium, calcium and essential fatty acids.

• Stimulates the immune system. Increases the number and activity of macrophages, natural killer cells and monocytes.

• Supports healthy blood sugar levels.

Great Savings On The Digestive Health Kit… Save 22%

You are what you eat!

In today’s world of processed and fast foods combined with the less than ideal Standard American Diet, the body must work harder to break down food, absorb nutrients and get rid of waste. Maintaining digestive and immune health depends on a combination of optimal bacterial balance and maximum nutrient absorption.

Each product in the nutraMetrix Digestive Health Kit works synergistically to support digestive comfort, regularity, immune function, proper nutrient absorption and promotes the balance of good bacteria in the gut. Plus, by purchasing the nutraMetrix Digestive Health Kit instead of buying these products individually you save 22% – a $19.90 value!

Digestive enzymes are required for the body to properly absorb and utilize nutrients from food. A lack of digestive enzymes puts additional strain on your system and results in an incomplete digestive process. As you age, the body’s ability to make certain digestive enzymes decreases.

nutraMetrix Isotonix® Digestive Enzyme Formula with Probiotics is an isotonic-capable supplement designed to replenish essential digestive enzymes, contributing to good digestive health. Maintaining bacterial balance is a key component of a healthy digestive tract. The digestive tract is home to 400-500 different types of bacteria. These bacteria include both healthy bacteria (probiotics) and potentially unhealthy bacteria. Maintaining optimal digestive and immune health depends in large part on making sure the good bacteria outnumber the bad. With such tremendous diversity naturally present in the digestive tract, it is important to supplement with not just one strain, but numerous strains of probiotics, so that the most comprehensive benefit is received.

nutraMetrix NutriClean® Probiotics are 10 carefully selected bacterial strains with a unique role to help your body maintain bacterial balance and optimal digestive health. The digestive system is a primary part of immune defense, containing approximately 70 percent of the body’s immune system. Studies have shown that aloe consumed orally promotes normal digestion and supports a healthy immune system.

nutraMetrix Ultimate Aloe® is derived from whole leaf aloe and retains the qualities of naturally occurring aloe vera through a proprietary extraction process. This aids in supplying critical enzymes and removing the undesirable components such as aloin and emodin that may cause digestive discomfort. Because of this, nutraMetrix Ultimate Aloe delivers superior results you can depend on time after time

SLEEP AND WEIGHT: WHAT’S THE CONNECTION?

By:Deedra Mason, ND  nutraMetrix® | Director of Clinical Education & Research

Do you ever wonder why doctors, health experts, and your mom are always bugging you about getting enough sleep? A good night’s rest is vital for health and well-being, but essential when it comes to weight control.  Healthy weight and sleep go hand in hand.

While many dieters buy into the idea that a healthy lifestyle is as easy as watching what you put into your mouth, it isn’t the whole story but it is a great start.  True well-being understands the importance of all “fat factors” including nutrient sufficiency and sleep.

Sleep maintains a balance of the appetite hormones ghrelin and leptin. When you do not get enough sleep, your levels of ghrelin, the hormone that makes you feel hungry, increase. Simultaneously, your levels of leptin, the hormone that makes you feel full, decreases. Therefore, you feel hungrier when you are not well rested, and even after eating, you may feel less satisfied.

One target you want to hit to make sure you are doing what is best for your sleep, your cravings and your healthy weight is optimizing your neurotransmitters.   Lack of sleep disrupts the balance of our feel-good hormones dopamine and serotonin (2).  This may lead to increased cravings and fragment sleep.

The ability to make healthy levels of serotonin, the neurotransmitter responsible for optimal mood & healthy weight, also quiets food cravings and assists you in the production of melatonin for better sleep quality.  Serotonin is dependent on your dietary, or supplement levels of Vitamin D3, Magnesium, Vitamin C and B-vitamins.  (2)

There are also amino acids like taurine, glycine, and tyrosine necessary to balance your dopamine levels in the body so you can relax when you need to for a better disposition and ready yourself for sleep (3).

This approach is not just good for the late night hours, but benefit you throughout the day as well.  A healthy balance of serotonin and dopamine can help you make good choices during your day-to-day activities.  With a balance in your mind, you are less likely to choose take out or other quick and easy food options.   Without a balance, you may decide to skip your workout or become less productive at work.

You have many choices in how you support your waking and sleep cycles.  It appears the right combination of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids do some of the heavy lifting for a day with robust energy and a peaceful deep sleep.

Suggested Products:

nutraMetrix® Isotonix Essentials™ Turn Down:  features a custom blend of vitamins, amino acids and minerals all in one easy-to-use packet. The formula contains effective key ingredients to help you quiet down your body, promote mental clarity, control mental tension and support healthy sleep quality.

nutraMetrix® Isotonix Essentials™ Turn Up:  This unique energy supplement offers a synergistic blend of vitamins, amino acids and minerals designed   to boost energy in the body and the mind

Resources

1- Endocr Rev. 2005 May;26(3):439-51. ; Exp Clin Endocrinol Diabetes 2005; 113(9): 534-537

2- Bradley’s Neurology in Clinical Practice, 2-Volume Set / Edition 7 by Robert B. Daroff, Joseph Jankovic, John C Mazziotta, Scott L Pomeroy

3- Food Funct. 2015 Feb;6(2):383-93. doi: 10.1039/c4fo00758a.