Crohns & Vitamins

According to Google Post, October 12 2007, one of the best ways to avoid malnutrition is to make sure that you have adequate vitamin supplement treatment. Many studies show that Crohns sufferers tend to be generally deficient in vitamins A, B, C, D and E. These deficiencies may relate to dietary restrictions, medications, and poor absorption of nutrients.

Vitamin A assists in maintaining a healthy immune system function by maintaining healthy mucous membrane. The mucosal cells that line the digestive tract, urinary tract, airways and the skin, create a barrier. This is the body's initial defense against infection. Vitamin A also plays a vital role in proper function of the adrenal glands, the main gland to assist in controlling the way we respond to stress.

Vitamin B9, folic acid or folate, is also known as folic acid or folate. It is very important for the production of nucleic acids which are proteins that are essential in cell reproduction and separation. Folic acid deficiency may cause high levels homocysteine, an amino acid thought to play a role in the development of some chronic illnesses. In addition, B9 vitamin is important to Crohns sufferers to prevent intestinal damage that may trigger diarrhea.

Vitamin C is needed to convert folate into folinic acid (its active form). It is also an essential requirement for the formation of collagen, which the body needs for proper growth, maintenance and development. When Vitamin C is taken with bioflavonoids can help alleviate inflammation. It is thought to help prevent the formation of fistulas in crohns sufferers.

Many crohns sufferers experience bone loss. Vitamin D is important for maintaining healthy bones and cartilage. It also helps the body absorb calcium. Adding Vitamin D and a calcium supplement can improve bone mineral density, and help prevent and control the development of osteoporosis and osteopenia.

Vitamin E is primarily an antioxidant. It helps protect tissues and cells from the damaging effects of oxidation, which leads to the formation of many diseases. Vitamin E, in particular, has been found to prevent scarring that can occur from Crohn's Disease.

New Cancer Inhibitor - Black Raspberries

Black raspberries may soon gain a new reputation as the most promising form of cancer treatment. In the 1990s, Gary Stoner, Professor of Internal Medicine at Ohio State University (OSU), began studying the effects of black raspberries on cancer, specifically colon and esophageal cancer. "There are a large number of compounds in berries that inhibit cancer in animals," said Stoner.

Upon close chemical examination of the raspberries, Stoner and other scientists found that anthocyanins, the compounds that gives the berries their color, play a crucial role in preventing the development of cancer. Scavenging free radicals, molecules that alter and destroy DNA, and inhibiting the inflammation process are among the ways scientists believe anthocyanins help prevent and treat cancer.

"The inflammatory process produces cytokines," said Stoner. "Cytokines stimulate cell growth and inhibit cell death - this drives the cancer process."

After seeing the success of Stoner, other Ohio State doctors became anxious to try the fruit compounds on other types of cancer, including oral and non-melanoma skin cancer. Dr. Susan Mallery, Professor for the College of Dentistry at OSU, teamed up with Dr. Russell Mumper, Associate Director of the Center for Pharmaceutical Science & Technology at the University of Kentucky, who created a molecule-adhesive gel from black raspberry extracts for the treatment of oral cancer. Mallery said that while oral cancer is not the most common type of cancer, it does have major side effects. "Treatment is usually to cut the cancer out; it can be very disfiguring" said Mallery. "Even with the cancerous tissue out, many have recurrences."

During the first clinical trial at OSU earlier this year, 20 patients with pre-cancerous lesions, called dysplasia, were brought in to try out the gel before surgery to remove the lesions was performed. Mumper said that the patients were instructed to apply the black raspberry gel to their lesions four times a day over a period of 42 days. At the end of the trial, the patient's lesions were evaluated, and biopsies were used to determine what effect the gel had made at the molecular level.

According to Mumper, half of the patients showed a clinical downgrade in their dysplasia. In some cases, the lesions went away completely. "The berry formulation is having a positive effect at the molecular level, changing enzymes and proteins," said Mumper. "It's very tantalizing. OSU is moving forward with phase two of the trial at several different cancer centers."

Following suit of the Ohio State doctors is Dr. Ramesh Gupta, Professor of Oncological Research at the University of Louisville. Using a mixture of berries including blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, and black raspberries, Gupta has been testing their impact on lung and breast cancer in rats. Gupta explained that for the lung cancer trials, the rats were exposed to cigarette smoke five days a week for nine months. During this time, some of the rats were fed one pound of berries a day. At the end of the trial, Gupta observed that less than 30% of the rats who were fed berries developed tumors as opposed to the rats who were not fed berries.

A similar trial was conducted for rats that were fed chemicals that caused breast cancer, and corresponding results were experienced when the rats who ate berries produced less of the cancer-causing enzymes.

Did You Know ???

• Dairy products lower blood pressure.
  According to Luc Djousse, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, participants who consumed an average of 3 ½ servings of dairy products - such as cheese, milk, and yogurt - daily for more than 1 year lowered their systolic pressure (the upper number) by more than 3 points. The potassium and magnesium in dairy products may play a major role in lowering blood pressure.


• Multivitamins Reduce Low-Weight Infant Deliveries. According to a new report in The New England Journal of Medicine, supplying multivitamin supplements to pregnant women in Tanzania lowered their risk of giving birth to low-weight and small-for-gestational-age infants. The researchers gave a daily multivitamin containing vitamin B-complex, vitamin C, and vitamin E, or a placebo, to 84,468 HIV-negative women at 12-27 weeks of gestation until six weeks following delivery. All participants received folic acid and iron supplements. The supplements reduced the risk of low birth weight (less than 5.5 pounds) by 18% and the risk of delivering an infant that was small for gestational age (less than the tenth percentile) by almost 25% compared to placebo. Women who supplemented with the multivitamin were also less likely to develop anemia.

Did you know that you can save your basket of products that you have ordered from crohns.net and save valuable time with your next order?
Before you check out, simply check on the link that says - SAVE BASKET - type in your nick name and you will be able save one or more baskets. Great for self-management of your order history and re-orders.

NOW AVAILABLE Nordic Naturals PET PRODUCTS

In Good Health.
Pamela Nathan

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