Should you be concerned about Vitamin D?

In a word – YES.  Vitamin D may be the new buzz but for good reasons.  Not only is Vitamin D necessary for your bones but low levels are now linked to increased risk of autoimmune diseases, diabetes, heart disease, mood disorders and even the common cold.

How can Vitamin D influence so many things?  For starters, every cell in the body has a Vitamin D receptor and it is thought about 2000 genes are regulated by Vitamin D.  Vitamin D is actually a hormone rather than a vitamin and has more important functions than scientists ever imagined.

According to biochemist and endocrinologist Michael Holick, M.D., Ph.D., author of The Vitamin D Solution, the average levels measured ranged from 22-28 ng/ml.  Although the cutoff for normal is 30-35 most researchers state optimal levels should be over 60 ng/ml.

Higher levels of Vitamin D have been linked with 60% reduction in cancer, and 50% reduction in getting a cold or the flu.  76% of pregnant and lactating women who were taking a prenatal vitamin and drinking 2 glasses of milk per day were vitamin D deficient and 81% of their newborns at birth.  This scenario makes rickets a comeback, something we want to keep as history only.

What is the best strategy for achieving optimal Vitamin D levels? 

• Have your physician check your Vitamin D levels
• Take a minimum of 1000 IU of Vitamin D3 per day
• If your levels are below 45 increase your supplement by 1000 IU for every 6 points you need to raise it
• Monitor your levels yearly as they change depending on your circumstances

Even if you are in the sun chances are you are not getting enough Vitamin D.  In addition, the darker your color of skin the more risk you are at for deficiency since your skin blocks the absorption - raising your risk of medical issues.

Take home message – Vitamin D for health.  Your life may depend on it.

Healthy Carbohydates in the Womb

Since it is Mother’s Day how does a Mother’s diet affect the genetics of what happens in the womb?  Is it really all that significant?  Recent research shows processed foods can do more harm than once realized.

Processed refined carbohydrates are those that are altered from their original form.  Most things you buy in a package fit the definition of a processed carbohydrate – chips, crackers, cookies you buy in the grocery store.

These are “foods” manufacturers alter to make a profit.   Companies add sweeteners, additives, and other ingredients to allow the high markup.

Almost all processed foods come with a price of added sugars, trans fat and other things your body would rather avoid.  These foods are not healthy for anyone, especially not pregnant women.

Recent studies show the blood triglyceride level (fat in the blood) of a pregnant woman is closely tied to the birth weight and body fat of the infant.  Infants born to women with high triglyceride levels have double the body fat of a normal infant.

Even more alarming is high maternal cholesterol and triglyceride levels are associated with a greater risk of fatty streak formation in infant’s arteries, and a high risk of heart disease during childhood.

Eating a balanced diet of healthy protein and fats and unprocessed carbohydrates can keep your cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

Healthy carbohydrate-containing foods are those that are in their natural forms – fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, avocado, yams, etc.

What better Mother’s Day gift to give to yourself and your future child than the gift of health?

Protein Lessons Learned from the Womb

This is the second entry regarding the conference I recently attended on what can shape your future before you were born.

One fascinating tidbit was the research on protein intake of pregnant women.  Before we talk about the results here’s a few quick physiology lesson.

Your pancreas is the organ which produces a hormone called insulin.  Insulin is essential to life since it allows all the cells of your body to be “fed.”  Inside the pancreas are critical cells called beta cells which produce the insulin.

If your beta cells start to die off you become a high risk for diabetes.  Research showed that when pregnant women ate a low protein diet the number of beta cells decreased.

One take home message for pregnant women is the importance of protein intake throughout their pregnancies.  For the majority of us this information can show us the importance of protein on a daily basis.

Not only is protein critical during pregnancy to maintain beta-cells, but during your lifespan eating protein throughout the day can keep your blood sugars even keeled and possibly keep your beta cells alive and well.

Easy sources of protein are eggs, cottage cheese, lean red meat, poultry, fish, nuts/seeds, nut butters, plain yogurt, low fat milk, and cheese.  Eating protein is an easy change to avoiding diabetes – and nothing lost - but gaining important cells to help your sugars.

Gestational Diabetes

Yesterday’s Los Angeles Times had a review on how treating both mild gestational diabetes in addition to gestational diabetes leads to less preterm births and fewer cases of problems with pregnancy and delivery.

Since pregnancy is a state of insulin resistance, many pregnant women are susceptible to blood sugar changes.  Women with gestational diabetes (diabetes brought on by hormones in pregnancy) have a high propensity to have diabetes later in life.  Gestational diabetes mellitus is defined as carbohydrate intolerance of variable severity with onset of first recognition during pregnancy.

Having gestational diabetes can almost be looked at as a blessing since it is a forewarning and can be treated.  If women with gestational diabetes change their diets and lifestyle both during pregnancy and afterward, they can avoid getting adult onset or Type 2 diabetes in the future.  Of course, this is not always the case, but a diet and exercise alteration now can deter or obliterate diabetes later in life for many women.

Treating gestational diabetes can be as simple as eating more protein with a balance of healthy carbohydrates from vegetables, fruits and dairy products with healthy sources of fats such as nuts, seeds, peanut or other nut butters and avocado. 

Checking the blood sugars one and a half to two hours after eating can also be helpful in terms of knowing how your food is affecting you right now.  It is important to get help from a Registered Dietitian who is familiar with diabetes in pregnancy and can help you stay on track.  I have more detailed information on pregnancy and gestational diabetes in my new book A Recipe for Life by the Doctor’s Dietitian, which became available last week.