vitamin D

Identifying the actual reason why you’re not losing weight is the beginning of a successful weight loss/health journey

Weight loss might be the major complaint, but you might be at risk of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes if not placed on a healthy diet.
With this article, we’ll be looking at one major reason why you might not just be losing weight accordingly.

THE THYROID GLANDS
The thyroid glands are located just in front of your neck. They produce hormones that help regulate metabolic rate controlling the heart, muscles, and other important parts.
The thyroids get their information from the pituitary gland which helps to stimulate their hormone release to help in bodily functions
The thyroid glands could either overproduce hormones (hyperthyroidism) or it could underproduce (hypothyroidism). When it does either of these, it affects your weight entirely.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE THYROID GLANDS MALFUNCTION
Hypothyroidism occurs when the thyroid glands are under-producing hormones. This comes with symptoms such as weight gain (finding it difficult to lose weight), slower heart rate, more frequent and stronger heart rate, dry skin, and hair.
With hypothyroidism, the way your body processes energy is quite slow, making it hard for you to put off extra weight. If not supervised, you might just get frustrated on the long run, see how your dietitian can help you out:

HOW YOUR DIETITIAN AN HELP YOU
– Your dietitians duty is to help you plan out adequate number of calories and merge it with exercises that would help enhance your metabolism
– Your dietitian aims to make sure you have the important nutrients that are depleted in you, especially if you have hypothyroidism. Nutrients like iodine, vitamin D, selenium, and B12 are mostly affected when the thyroids malfunction
– Also, he/she makes sure every goitrogen ( substances that interfere with how thyroid hormones are utilized) present in your diet is totally removed. Goitrogens include soy, cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower.
Furthermore, you can help support your thyroids by incorporating these into your diet

Nutrients to support thyroids:
Iodine: fish, cheese, milk, seaweed
Sodium: iodized salt
Potassium kiwi, potatoes, banana
Selenium: fish,
Tyrosine: eggs, plan cut beef
Zinc- liver, oyster

MEDICAL TREATMENT
Diet alone won’t help manage your underactive thyroids, because without medical treatment, dietary management won’t be effective
So, your doctor would most likely place you on an oral synthetic thyroid hormone (levothytoxine) that would help replace the amount of hormone your body is no longer producing.

The absorption of this might be tampered with if you take supplements that contain iron, or calcium, and even some antacids that contain aluminum hydroxide.

The thyroid gland is the major support system that determines how much energy is used up or stored in your body. When it malfunctions, it totally can affect your weight. It is important to speak to your doctor when you notice struggles with losing weight for a correct diagnosis.

Sources:
1.https://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/070112p40.shtml
2. Biondi B, Klein I. Hypothyroidism as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Endocrine. 2004;24(1):1-13
3. Dean S. Medical nutrition therapy for thyroid and related disorders. In: Mahan KL, Escott-Stump S, eds. Krause’s Food, Nutrition, & Diet Therapy. 13th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Saunders; 2008: 711-724
4. Rayman MP. Selenium and human health. Lancet. 2012;379(9822):1256-1268
5. Messina M, Redmond G. Effects of soy protein and soybean isoflavones on thyroid function in healthy adults and hypothyroid patients: a review of the relevant literature. Thyroid. 2006;16(3):249-258

Almost 60% of all women experience hair loss when they approach age 60 and this could lead to low self-esteem, increased stress levels, and increased psychological distress.

Only about 50% of all women maintain a full hair through their life span. Hair loss in women total presents itself differently from men; women lose the volume of their hair due to thinning while men lose it due bald patches or receding hairline.

This article would help to investigate the possible the impacts of nutrition and lifestyle on acute and chronic hair loss in women.

So many factors put together or individually could actually lead to hair loss, and this most times makes it a very challenging situation. Age, weight loss, genetics, diet, stress, medications, illness, ethnicity, hair styles, and the use of hair styling tools and cosmetics all contribute to hair growth and equally loss.

According to the American Academy of Dermatology, typical daily hair loss is between 50 to 100 strands. Any amount higher than this is clinically termed telogen effluvium. Sometimes, excessive hair shedding can be last for a short while (less than four months) following a state of stress or trauma, and might increase in its span, but might return to the normal hair growth cycle. Anagen effluvium is a totally different phenomenon which occurs when hair stops growing.

Hair loss is totally different than hair thinning when you consider their biological processes. Hair loss in women start initially from the middle part with an overall thinning of hair follicles. This phenomenon makes it hard to hide the loss.

Other factors also cumulatively affect the process of hair loss and they include weather conditions, humidity, ultraviolet rays and wind. These factors put together, can decrease hair density, growth, and texture. “White and Asian women are more susceptible to damage from weathering, while African Americans are more prone to damage from styling methods, chemical relaxers, and other products”

WHAT ARE THE STAGES OF HAIR GROWTH?
There are 3 stages of hair growth and each strand of hair has a particular timeline it follows. The stages are:
The anagen, or growth, cycle: lasts 2-8 years
-The catagen, or transition/regression, cycle: lasts 4-6 weeks and hair stops growing at this phase
-The telogen, or rest, cycle: hair falls out in this stage and it lasts 2-3 months
On average, 80% to 90% of hair is in the anagen phase at any given time, with 1% to 2% in the catagen phase, and the remaining 10% to 20% in the telogen phase.
The growth can be influenced by both chronologic aging (related to genetics and other fixed variables) and biologic aging, which is affected by diet quality and dietary patterns.

The type of hair loss experienced by any woman can be ascertained by cross-examining the dietary history, medical history, and performing a physical examination on the hair and scalp. To accomplish this, a team comprising a dietitian, primary care physician, and hair care specialist would be involved

CAN I INCREASE THE INTIAL STAGE (ANAGEN)?
How long the anagen stage lasts totally depends on how long your hair is and the ability for you’re the cells at the base of your follicle to multiply and become hair cells.
Research is still ongoing on ways to “switch on” the anagen stage, but until then, there are ways which can help promote healthy hair growth during the anagen stage.
Your hair is made of keratin and dead skin cells. Although there might not be any direct ways to help hair grow rapidly, your dietary choice can help it grow in a healthy way.
These ways would help to make your hair healthy and probably last longer:

1. DIET: an inadequate intake of nutrients affects hair loss. Your choices pertaining to diet can totally determine the strength, quality and health of your hair.
Paying attention to your diet would go a long way to ensuring healthy hair growth.
Vitamins like vitamin B5 and biotin, vitamin D and C, iron, zinc, omega 3 and 6 are important to maintain a healthy hair.
An adequate diet with a variety of proteins, vitamins, and minerals supports the metabolic functions necessary to support hair growth and prevents every possible deficiencies relate with loss or thinning

2. ESSENTIAL OILS: applying essential oils to the scalp could benefit hair growth. Studies show that pumpkin seed increases hair count for men with hair loss by 40 percent. Oils like jojoba oil, peppermint oil and rosemary oil also have their benefits.

3. TOPICAL OINTMENTS: this could be beneficial especially for people with alopecia. A list of ointments that could influence hair growth/loss includes:
– topical melatonin reduces hair loss and increases hair density
– topical minoxidil 5% slows hair loss
– Propecia
– ketoconazole shampoo

4. TRY KETATIN SUPPLEMENTS: there aren’t much studies to support this but One study looked at a product that had 500 milligrams of keratin and other vitamins and minerals. The group that took the supplement showed:
• 12.5 percent reduction in hair loss
• 5.9 percent improved in hair strength
• improved hair brightness and luster

5. USE PROTEINS: Protein helps with hair growth and could prtect the hair from environmental and chemical damage. Taking the right amounts of protein is paramount for any bodily growth process. Ensure to incorporate both from plant and animal sources.

6. CAFFEINATE YOUR HAIR: Studies are still new on the effects of caffeine on hair growth, but a cell studyTrusted Source found that caffeine may have growth-promoting effects on hair. Trying out products with caffeine might just help.

ARE THERE CONDITIONS RELATED TO HAIR LOSS?
oh surely, there are some conditions that supports rapid hair loss especially in women
Hair loss, especially alopecia, is linked to several disease states and endocrine disorders. This section examines hair loss’ relationship with metabolic syndrome, hypothyroidism, type 2 diabetes, and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).

Dietary Implications
Either directly or indirectly, nutrition plays an important role in hair loss or growth. Some nutrients supports the very process involved in hair growth.Common nutrient deficiencies that affect hair growth include iron and vitamins A, B, and D.1 Zinc, selenium, and biotin also are associated with hair loss in patients with low serum values of these minerals.

Iron
The role iron plays in hair loss is totally complex and not fully understood, but one theory is that it regulates many of the genes present in hair follicles.
Iron can either be heme or non heme and could be found in a variety of foods ranging from vegetables, to beef and fortified foods. For better absorption by the body, ensure to take with vitamin c sources.

Vitamin A
Vitamin A is functions entails stimulating the growth of hair follicle stem cells. Commonly consumed sources of vitamin A include fortified cereals with skim milk, eggs, and dark green, orange, or yellow produce rich in beta-carotene.

Vitamin D
Vitamin D is the primary nutrient involved in the growth phase of the hair follicle and affects the cells that form the outer root sheath.11 Rodent studies have indicated a potential link between rickets—a form of vitamin D deficiency—and hair loss, and these results were replicated in a study conducted involving women with either telogen effluvium or FPHL. Topical application of a solution containing vitamin D (calcipotriol) for three months resulted in full hair regrowth and no loss at six months in a 7-year-old boy with alopecia areata.

Zinc
Zinc deficiency has been linked to telogen effluvium and changes in hair structure, but a reversal is possible with adequate dietary consumption. Animal proteins, particularly oysters, red meat, and poultry, as well as a few plant foods such as fortified cereal and baked beans, are good to excellent sources of dietary

zinc.
In a study published in Annals of Dermatology, serum zinc was compared in four different hair loss patient groups: alopecia areata (44 men, 50 women); male pattern hair loss (84 men, 0 women); FPHL (0 men, 77 women); and telogen effluvium (11 men, 36 women). All four groups were compared with a control group of 32 healthy individuals not suffering from hair loss (14 men, 18 women). Mean serum zinc concentrations across all four hair loss groups was 84.33 ± 22.88 mcg/dL, while the control group exhibited a significantly higher zinc value of 97.94 ± 21.05 mcg/dL. When directly compared, the alopecia areata and telogen effluvium groups had the lowest zinc concentrations.

Selenium
Selenium helps in the formation of hair follicles and protection against damage; deficiency is not very common in healthy adults living in developed countries. More research is needed.

Fatty Acids
An absence of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in the diet or an inadequate intake of them is associated with hair loss both from the scalp and eyebrows and lightening of hair color. Consumption of dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids has been linked to hair growth due to proliferation of hair follicle cells and a mechanism similar to that of the FDA-approved drug finasteride, which is used to treat alopecia.

Role of the RD
The role of a dietitian is to help access nutrient deficiencies and combat them with dietary means. Since treatment approach to hair loss is a multidisciplinary way, dietitians should ensure that they manage every nutrient deficiencies noticed.
Hope Remains
A Brazilian study found that women had an equivalent fear of experiencing a heart attack and baldness, and Glamour magazine reports that more than 50% of women feel that a bad hair day can make them feel unattractive. For better results, women with possibilities of having hair loss should be encouraged by health professionals on adequate measures to take to curb the possible effects.

SOURCES:
https://www.healthline.com/health/beauty-skin-care/grow-hair-faster#hair-growth-tips
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24836650/
https://www.hindawi.com/journals/tswj/2014/641723/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4606321/

 

Sickle cell disease is an inherited blood that affects the shape of red blood cells.

Normally, red blood cells assume a disc shape while flowing through blood vessels, but in sickle cell anemia, red blood cells assume a crescent like shape.
Devastating as the disease might be, no cure has been found yet.
Interestingly, through research and a bid to increase knowledge, it has been found out that nutritional problems are fundamental to the severity of the disease.  The need for increasing interests to promote dietary supplementation in order to help reduce morbidity and to help improve the quality of patient’s life.

METHODS OF TREATMENT 

Several methods of treatment and management have been in use for quite a while now and they include:
-Hydroxycarbamide (or hydroxyurea) This substance helps to reduce the number of painful episodes in Hbss patients.
-Blood transfusion: A number of observational and randomised controlled trials have established the pivotal role of transfusion therapy in the management of SCD, most notably in primary stroke prevention.
-Allogeneic HSCT and gene therapy: Allogeneic haemopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) is the only curative treatment for SCD and is successful in 85%–90% of patients. Transplantation offers disease-free survival and stabilisation of neurological lesions.
Features as growth retardation, impaired immune function, and delayed menarche do suggest a relationship between sickle cell disease and undernutrition.

IS NUTRITION RELATED?

A variety of micronutrient deficiency has been suggested in sickle cell disease.
– Several reports indicate that vitamin E levels are low in sickle erythrocytes. Since these abnormal red cells both generate excessive oxidation products and are more sensitive to oxidant stress, supplementation with vitamin E is advised in people with sickle cell anaemia.
– Complications of sickle cell disease as poor ulcer healing, growth retardation, delays in sexual development, immune deficiencies have been linked to zinc deficiency. It is also pertinent that zinc be supplemented in people with sickle cell.
– Deficiency of Vitamin D is common in sickle cell disease due to dark skin pigmentation, limited sun exposure, increased catabolism and decreased nutrient and energy intake. Vitamin D in it’s entirety is crucial for calcium homeostasis and essential for bone mineralization. Therefore, a high dose of 100,000 International units (IU) (equivalent to 3,333 IU/day) versus the standard treatment 12,000 IU (equivalent to 400 IU/day) of oral vitamin D3 supplements might just help in reducing risk of respiratory infections.
– Amino acids like arginine and glutamine also play important roles in the synthesis of nitric oxide. Nitric oxide makes it possible for easy blood flow by dilating the blood vessels properly. Increased deficiency of the duo might lead to metabolic stress, increased resting energy expenditure (REE), muscle wasting and decreased immune function. Supplementing with 600mg/kg/day of glutamine showed improved nutritional status of glutamine.

EMERGING INTERVENTIONS
Recently, derivatives from plants has been studied to show their effects in treating people with SCD. Some plants which contain peculiar antioxidants are being studied and there might just be hope to managing SCD.
Exploration of extracts from Moringa oleifera (Moringa), Cajanus cajan (pigeon pea) , Zanthoxylum zanthoxyloides (artar root), and Carica papaya (paw paw) are all being studied to see their possible effects in treating oxidative stress in SCD patients.
With these ongoing experiments, it has been noticed that extracts from these plants could aid in the resistance of hemolysis and reduce the number of sickled red blood cells.
Also, it has been noticed that exercise might play an important role in SCD patients. Exercise helps in reducing oxidative stress and also in the release of nitric oxide which helps in the proper flow of blood through vessels.

CONCLUSION
The nutritional risks faced by SCD patients are usually high and mostly unnoticed. Its imperative to include nutrition as an adjuvant therapy for addressing chronic diseases related with SCD in order to aid effective management.

SOURCES: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3551592/
https://www.dovepress.com/nutrition-in-sickle-cell-disease-recent-insights-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-NDS
https://www.health.harvard.edu/a_to_z/sickle-cell-anemia-a-to-z
https://adc.bmj.com/content/100/1/48
https://www.todaysdietitian.com/news/042412_news.shtml

In a society and age where everyone has become a nutrition guru, it’s best to always look out for and rely on strong science based articles which debunk so many pseudoscience on the internet. 

IS DAIRY REALLY THE VILLAIN? 

In a recent article in The New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. Walter Willet and some other colleagues stated thus : “A central rationale for high lifelong milk consumption has been to meet calcium requirements for bone health. Paradoxically, countries with the highest intakes of milk and calcium tend to have the highest rates of hip fractures”

Really, this is a ‘fallacious argument’- very deceptive arguments that seem convincing but lack scientific rigor. Possible truths may be found in the paper, but is there an identification of limitations? Research is not carried out based on personal bias but on neutral grounds right?

Let’s look at some potholes in this paper shall we? 

SHAKY EVIDENCE 

The paper clearly starts out by stating that there has not been any health benefits related with the HIGH intake of milk products. Well, i would like to ask this: What’s your explanation of high intake? 1 litre of milk? A  bucket of milk? Per sitting? Per month? Just state it.

We can’t deny the fact that before this new age of funny health shaky-umentaries,  there has been so much research to prove that consumption of milk and its product are beneficial to health. 

The paper even goes along to suggest that consumption of milk is related to the incidence of bone fracture through correlative data. Are you kidding me now? So many meta-analyses confirm that foods high in calcium, protein and vitamin D (especially dairy) are preventative for good bone health.

 There are obviously other sources of calcium, protein and vitamin D that are healthy and beneficial, but demonising  a particular food group just to push the vegan agenda doesn’t alright. 

Before stating the correlation of a data, so many things like vitamin D status, genetics, longevity, exercise, environmental factors, or overall diet quality should be considered – because a lot more goes into building strong bones than simply calcium.

“Aside from bone fracture risk, the authors also look at how dairy consumption links to cardiovascular disease. They state that milk is beneficial to the heart when being used as a substitute for sugary beverages (like pop or juice) and then state that milk isn’t beneficial if it replaces whole fruit, nuts, and legumes in the diet” My question is – Why do you think milk is replacing those other foods? What do you term an adequate diet?

Isn’t it one that has all food groups in right proportions and quantities?

IS THERE A ROOM FOR DAIRY INTOLERANCE?

Dairy has never posed any health problems as claimed by everyone on the internet, but really, there are some individuals that won’t be able to tolerate dairy products.

Many people are lactose intolerant (carbohydrates found in dairy) and have serious digestive problems when they consume dairy products. So it’s best they eliminate dairy products from their diets so they won’t have complications.

Some folks are also allergic to cows milk which could lead to hives, skin rash and anaphylaxis. But hey, these people are not the ALL people yes?

Dr Willet also stated that 67% of children with diagnosed intolerance to cow’s milk had reduced symptoms immediately they were switched to an alternative- soy milk (plant based). OH YES! They sure will since they were given an alternative to cow’s milk which don’t contain lactose. But really, the agenda was to kick against the consumption of cow’s milk.

If you feel better and don’t get digestive problems when you eliminate milk from your diet, no problems. But doing it out of fear? We dietitians won’t support that.

MILK AND MUCUS PRODUCTION 

The texture of any fluid determines the texture and amount of mucus produced after consumption of said fluid. 

Mucus is produced by cells within the nose, sinuses and lungs.  It consists of water, salt and various proteins that help trap germs and particles of dirt.

“There is a belief among some members of the public that the consumption of milk and dairy products increases the production of mucus in the respiratory system. Therefore, some who believe in this effect renounce drinking milk. According to Australian studies, subjects perceived some parameters of mucus production to change after consumption of milk and soy-based beverages, but these effects were not specific to cows’ milk because the soy-based milk drink with similar sensory characteristics produced the same changes. In individuals inoculated with the common cold virus, milk intake was not associated with increased nasal secretions, symptoms of cough, nose symptoms or congestion. Nevertheless, individuals who believe in the mucus and milk theory report more respiratory symptoms after drinking milk. In some types of alternative medicine, people with bronchial asthma, a chronic inflammatory disease of the lower respiratory tract, are advised not to eat so-called mucus-forming foods, especially all kinds of dairy products. According to different investigations the consumption of milk does not seem to exacerbate the symptoms of asthma and a relationship between milk consumption and the occurrence of asthma cannot be established. However, there are a few cases documented in which people with a cow’s milk allergy presented with asthma-like symptoms”. 

That being stated, lets focus on the benefits of dairy products 

BENEFITS OF DAIRY PRODUCTS 

Dairy products like milk, yogurt, cheese, and cottage cheese, are good sources of calcium, vitamin D and protein which helps maintain bone density and reduces the risk of fractures. Adults up to age 50 need 1,000 milligrams (mg) of calcium per day. Women older than 50 and men older than 70 need 1,200 mg. (For comparison, a cup of milk has 250 mg to 350 mg of calcium, depending on the brand and whether it’s whole, low-fat, or nonfat. A typical serving of yogurt (plain) has about 187 mg of calcium.) Milk is also fortified with vitamin D, which bones need to maintain bone mass.

WHICH DAIRY IS PREFERRABLE?

The American Heart Association still recommends adults stick to fat-free or low-fat dairy products. But new research suggests full-fat dairy might not be much of a threat to heart health. A report presented at the 2018 Congress of the European Society of Cardiology looked at 20 studies involving almost 25,000 people, and found no association between the consumption of most dairy products and cardiovascular disease.

Some science has even suggested that the right kind of dairy may prevent heart disease. A study involving 2,000 men published by the British Journal of Nutrition found that those who ate plenty of fermented dairy products like yogurt and cheese had a smaller risk of coronary artery disease than men who ate less of these products. This supports earlier studies that showed that fermented dairy products have more healthful effects on blood lipid profiles and the risk of heart disease than other dairy products.

 

BOTTOM LINE 

On the issues of overall health benefits, dairy products {especially milk) are neither poison or potion. The right quantity added to your daily diet is important in benefiting from vital nutrients for every day activities and function. 

 An adequate diet cannot be over emphasized; elimination or demonising food groups won’t solve any problems.

 

SOURCES: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/dairy-health-food-or-health-risk-2019012515849

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMra1903547

https://www.allergy.org.au/patients/food-other-adverse-reactions/milk-mucus-and-cough

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16373954

https://ignitenutrition.ca/blog/is-dairy-deadly/?utm_campaign=meetedgar&utm_medium=social&utm_source=meetedgar.com