Category Archives: vitamin d foods

How Vitamin D Rich Foods May Help Remedy Insomnia

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Here’s a short vitamin D primer that also includes how it can affect insomnia.  Shared by Nutrition Breakthroughs, maker of Sleep Minerals II
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Do you struggle with falling asleep or staying asleep at night? If so, you are not alone. Every night, millions of people lie in bed hoping for a restful night’s sleep that does not come.

It is estimated that one in three people will develop acute insomnia every year, and about 10% of these individuals will struggle with insomnia for several months at a time.

Insomnia can wreak havoc on one’s ability to live a normal, productive life. In fact, lack of sleep can lead to mood changes, memory loss, and impaired judgement. In addition, unresolved or unmanaged sleep disorders can increase the risk of chronic pain, depression, and a compromised immune system.

There are a variety of sleep medications on the market to help manage insomnia. However, the side effects often lead to a new set of health complications. As a result, many people have begun searching for a safer, natural alternative to promote a healthier sleep cycle. Of the options on the market, vitamin D is proving to be a serious contender.

Vitamin D at a glance

Vitamin D has been making media headlines for over two decades. Originally believed to be important solely for bone health, research continues to uncover a wide range of additional health benefits of maintaining optimal levels.

Unfortunately, despite the thousands of studies that have showcased the body’s need for vitamin D, deficiency remains highly prevalent. This is due to a variety of factors, including but not limited to:

  • Indoor lifestyle
  • Sunblock use
  • Avoidance of mid-day sun exposure
  • Lack of supplement use
  • Imbalanced diet
  • Obesity

Often, people who are vitamin D deficient experience symptoms like fatigue, joint and muscle pain, frequent infections and insomnia.

How vitamin D status may impact sleep quality

Vitamin D is not just a vitamin, it’s a hormone. That means, after undergoing a couple of activation processes in the body, it binds to cells throughout the body to regulate a wide range of bodily functions.

Hormones are fat-soluble substances derived from cholesterol. They are produced by glands such as the thyroid, adrenals and pancreas, and then released into the bloodstream to reach target cells. These include cortisol made by the adrenals, testosterone, estrogen and yes, vitamin D.

So, how may vitamin D impact sleep? Vitamin D receiving points are located throughout regions of the brain that regulate our mood and sleep patterns. This has led researchers to theorize that vitamin D helps regulate the circadian rhythm, which is our body’s internal clock that instructs us when to sleep, eat, and rest.

  • Several studies have supported this theory by reporting a relationship between healthy vitamin D levels and improved sleep quality. In addition, a recent study found that vitamin D deficiency is associated with an 11-fold increased odds of resistance to sleep medication. This means that the people who didn’t respond to sleeping drugs had a lower level of vitamin D in their body.

Best sources of vitamin D

Thankfully, there are a variety of ways one can ensure they are receiving enough vitamin D to promote healthy sleep cycles.  This includes safe sun exposure (avoiding getting burned), supplementation, and eating a balanced diet.

Now more than ever, foods are being fortified with vitamin D in an effort to better support the body’s needs. However, people frequently ask, which form is better, vitamin D2 or D3?

Vitamin D2 is obtained through the diet and is produced by plants; whereas D3 is naturally produced when the skin is exposed to the sun and it can be consumed via animal sources in the diet.

Vitamin D3 is more bioavailable than D2, meaning this form is more efficiently utilized by our bodies. For this reason, experts recommend people ensure they are receiving ample amounts of vitamin D3 per day.

Top sources of vitamin D rich foods

  1. Cod liver Oil is the most potent dietary source for vitamin D3. In just one tablespoon, you can receive 1,360 international units (IU) vitamin D3. In addition to vitamin D, cod liver oil is rich in vitamin A and omega-3 fatty acids.
  2. Fatty fish, such as salmon, sardines and mackerel are the best dietary sources of vitamin D, with about 500 IU vitamin D3 content in just three ounces of cooked fish. Also rich in omega-3 fatty acids, these sources offer a heart-healthy option for those looking for a balanced dietary approach to maintaining healthy vitamin D levels.
  3. Plain greek yogurt is another healthy option to provide some of your daily vitamin D needs. Known for its probiotics, greek yogurt helps support a healthy intestinal tract. In addition, it is a great snack for people who struggle with hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) due to its high protein, low carbohydrate ratio. It also contains calcium, magnesium and about 80 IU vitamin D per 6 oz serving.
  4. Eggs offer another beneficial source of vitamin D3. They generally contain about 40 IU per yoke.
  5. Perhaps one of the most popular dietary sources of vitamin D is milk. It offers about 120 IU vitamin D3 per serving. Milk also provides a great source of calcium. For this reason, milk is an important dietary component to protecting bone health.

Final thoughts

If you struggle with insomnia and hope vitamin D may help improve your sleep quality, there are a couple important factors to keep in mind. First, consistency is key. Although time of day isn’t important when eating foods rich in vitamin D or taking an oral supplement, it is important that this is done on a regular basis.

Research suggests that taking a couple thousand international units (IU’s) of vitamin D per day between foods and supplements is ideal when addressing sleeplessness and insomnia.

One supplement that contains a good amount of vitamin D is Sleep Minerals II from Nutrition Breakthroughs. It also contains highly absorbable forms of calcium, magnesium, and zinc, which are all blended together with healthy oils to form an absorbable soft gel. Together, these vitamins and minerals work to help facilitate quality sleep.  Vitamin and mineral deficiencies can cause one to wake up in the middle of the night and be unable to fall back asleep.

One Sleep Minerals II user in Massachusetts says: “I had become dependent on sleeping drugs and couldn’t sleep without them. Now I take the Sleep Minerals before bed and can sleep through the whole night without drugs. I’m also able to easily fall back to sleep if I do have to get up.  Another benefit is this helps alleviate my chronic fatigue and aches and pains.”

Vitamin D is one of the master players in the game we all hope to win: Vibrant health, well-being and good sleep. Use it well in foods and supplements, as well as together with those minerals that are best-known for being relaxing insomnia remedies.

For more information, visit the Sleep Minerals II page.

Top 3 Anti Inflammatory Foods for Better Sleep, Good Health

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anti inflammatory foodsThe Top 3 Anti Inflammatory Foods for Better Sleep and Good Health

Inflammation comes into play in our bodies when bacteria, viruses, damaged cells or unhealthy substances are recognized and attacked by our immune system.  Without immunity and inflammation, healing would not take place.

This system defends our health and is made up of white blood cells called “lymphocyte cells”, “natural killer cells” and others – many of which originate in the bone marrow and then travel in the blood to organs and tissues.

In a healthy body, inflammation smooths the healing process but for some people, the body can become confused and begin to mount a defense against its own tissues.  This can lead to arthritis, celiac disease, irritable bowel disease and other “autoimmune” conditions.  In fact, inflammation has been shown to be at the root of the majority of health conditions we face such as heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and more.

Eating naturally anti-inflammatory foods can reduce the symptoms of inflammation and disease and help to repair and heal the body.  Here are the top three food-based anti inflammatory foods.

Vitamin D Foods

Vitamin D has been the subject of many studies for its potent anti-inflammation properties.  The foods highest in vitamin D include sardines, wild caught salmon, mackerel, herring, maitake mushrooms, cod liver oil, and organic vitamin D fortified milk and yogurt.

A study from the Journal of Investigative Medicine found that vitamin D has important functions beyond those of supporting calcium and bones in the body.  It concluded that vitamin D is a boost to immunity and a deficiency is common in autoimmune disease, where the body’s immune system attacks healthy cells by mistake.

Vitamin D has also been studied for its benefits with sleeplessness and insomnia. The results of a vitamin D study was published in a recent issue of the journal “Medical Hypothesis”.  The researchers followed 1500 patients over a 2 year period. A consistent level of vitamin D was maintained in their blood over many months.

This produced normal sleep in most of the participants, regardless of their type of sleep disorder, which suggests that many types of insomnia may share the same cause.  During the research, the authors discovered the presence of high concentrations of vitamin D “receiving sites” or “receptors” in those areas of the brain that are related to the onset and maintenance of sleep.

Walnuts

A recent research study in the journal “Nutrients” has a lot of good things to say about the benefits of walnuts.  The authors say: “Walnuts could be predicted to be more anti inflammatory than other nuts for two reasons. First, walnuts are the only nuts that contain substantial amounts of ALA (alpha-linolenic acid is a kind of omega-3 fatty acid found in plants).

ALA is described as one of the more anti-inflammatory fatty acids. And second, walnuts are also particularly rich in ellagic acid (a natural plant chemical found in fruits and vegetables), which has shown potent anti-inflammatory properties in experimental studies.”

Eating a handful of walnuts before bedtime may also be a good way to soothe sleeplessness and insomnia due to the melatonin they contain. Russel Reiter, Ph.D., a professor of cellular biology at the University of Texas says: “Relatively few foods have been examined for their melatonin content. Our studies demonstrate that walnuts contain melatonin, that it is absorbed when it is eaten, and that it improves our ability to resist the stress caused by toxic molecules. Walnuts also contain large amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to inhibit certain types of cancer and to keep the heart healthy.”

Olive oil

Oleic acid is the main fatty acid found in olive oil.  This substance has been shown to greatly reduce levels of inflammation in the body.  A study from the “Current Pharmaceutical Design” journal writes that “Chronic inflammation is a critical factor in the development of many inflammatory disease states including cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, degenerative joint diseases and neurodegenerative diseases. Popular methods to deal with inflammation and its associated symptoms involve the use of non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, however the use of these drugs are associated with severe side effects.”

”Therefore, investigations concerned with natural methods of inflammatory control are warranted. A traditional Mediterranean diet has been shown to confer some protection against chronic diseases through the reduction of pro-inflammatory foods and this has been partially attributed to the high intake of virgin olive oil in this diet. Virgin olive oil contains numerous compounds that exert potent anti-inflammatory actions.”

The anti-inflammatory effects of olive oil also extend to brain health and it’s known to help with depression and insomnia.  Olive oil can help balance hormones and keep the neurotransmitters in the brain functioning well. Neurotransmitters are those molecules that keep the cellular communications moving.

In another study from the journal “Nutrients” researchers found that people who eat a Mediterranean diet of fruit, vegetables, whole grains, olive oil, legumes and fish have better sleep quality.  In fact, the authors said that “exclusion of no individual component, besides olive oil, showed significant association with the aspects of sleep quality, including sleep duration and efficiency. This suggests that olive oil may play an independent role in sleep quality.”

Olive may accomplish this benefit to good sleep by stabilizing blood sugar levels, calming the heart, inducing relaxation, and cleansing the body of toxins,

Other top anti-inflammation foods include broccoli, green leafy vegetables, blueberries, bok choi, pineapple, coconut oil, turmeric, ginger, wild salmon, beets, garlic, oysters, yogurt and other probiotic dairy foods.  Enjoy a wide variety of them to reduce inflammation, increase overall health, and ensure a good, sound sleep.

This natural health news is provided by Nutrition Breakthroughs, a publisher of nutrition articles and supplier of natural remedies since 2002. Nutrition Breakthroughs makes Sleep Minerals II, the effective natural sleep aid with calcium, magnesium, zinc and vitamin D, and also Joints and More, the natural solution for joint relief, aches and pains, stronger hair and nails and more energy.

What is the most effective natural anti inflammatory?

Vitamin D rich foods such as sardines, wild caught salmon, mackerel, herring, cod liver oil, and organic vitamin D fortified milk and yogurt. Other top ones include natural fats like walnuts and especially olive oil. Additional foods are broccoli, green leafy vegetables, blueberries, pineapple, coconut oil, turmeric, ginger, beets, garlic and oysters.

Can anti inflammatory foods help arthritis?

In a healthy body, inflammation smooths the healing process but for some people, the body can become confused and begin to mount a defense against its own tissues. This can lead to arthritis, celiac disease, irritable bowel disease and other “autoimmune” conditions. Eating naturally anti inflammatory foods can reduce the symptoms of inflammation and help to repair and heal the body.

Do anti inflammatory foods work?

One study from Italy found that an anti inflammatory Mediterranean-type diet reduces inflammation in women with diabetes and also provides cardiovascular benefits and healthier insulin sensitivity. A Mediterranean diet focuses mostly on vegetables, fruit, whole grains, olive oil, legumes and fish. Virgin olive oil in particular, contains numerous compounds that exert potent anti-inflammatory actions in the body.

Signs of a Vitamin D Deficiency and Natural Remedies

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vitamin d deficiencyGreetings to you,

Here are some of the most recent studies done on vitamin D deficiency and its role in supporting good health:

1. Vitamin D and Insomnia: One study on vitamin D supplements for people with insomnia was published in the journal “Medical Hypothesis”. The researchers followed 1500 patients over a 2 year period. A consistent level of vitamin D3 was maintained in their blood over many months. This produced normal sleep in most of the participants, regardless of their type of sleep disorder.

2. Vitamin D and Muscle Strength: Researchers in Brazil conducted a research trial and at the conclusion, the women who received the placebo ended up having reduced muscle mass and muscle degeneration of 6.8%.  They also had twice as many falls as the vitamin D group.  On the other hand, the women who took the vitamin D supplement had a major increase in their muscle strength of over 25%.

3. Vitamin D and Autoimmune Disease: A study from the Journal of Investigative Medicine found that vitamin D has important functions beyond those of supporting calcium and bones in the body.  It concluded that vitamin D is a boost to immunity and a deficiency of the vitamin is common in autoimmune disease – a disease where the body’s immune system attacks healthy cells by mistake. These include multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes and inflammatory bowel disease.

4.Vitamin D Inhibits Inflammation: ScienceDaily reports that researchers have discovered specific molecular and cellular events by which vitamin D inhibits inflammation in the body. Conditions with chronic inflammation include asthma, ulcers, arthritis, gum disease and liver disease.

5. How to Increase Vitamin D Levels: The vitamin D council recommends exposing as much of the skin surfaces as possible to sunlight for around half the time it takes for the skin to turn pink and begin to burn.  For a fair, light skinned person, this could be fifteen minutes.  For a dark skinned person, this may take a couple hours. During this time, the body may produce 10,000 to 25,000 vitamin D units. If a person is unable to get adequate sun exposure, then taking a vitamin D3 supplement is encouraged.

Good health to you,

Jobee Knight
Nutrition Breakthroughs
Maker of Sleep Minerals II with calcium, magnesium and vitamin D

This natural health news is provided by Nutrition Breakthroughs, a publisher of nutrition articles and supplier of effective natural remedies since 2001. Nutrition breakthroughs makes Sleep Minerals II, the effective natural sleep aid with calcium, magnesium, zinc and vitamin D, and also Joints and More, the natural solution for joint relief, aches and pains, stronger hair and nails and more energy.

Food for Sleep: Study Says Salmon Remedies Insomnia

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This natural health news is shared by Nutrition Breakthroughs,
maker of Sleep Minerals II
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A good night’s sleep is one of the four main pillars of health, with the other three being eating healthy food, getting regular exercise, and having a positive outlook.

The U.S. National Institutes of Health reports that up to 70 million U.S. adults experience sleeplessness and insomnia, with 63 billion dollars lost each year in productivity.

On a personal level, those who have trouble sleeping are familiar with the many ways it affects their lives.  In an effort to help people sleep better, research scientists are discovering that eating certain foods can have a profound effect on the quality of sleep.

One good example is a recent study from the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.  Researchers in Norway have combined two of the major health pillars into one by proving that eating fish has a positive impact on good sleep and overall daily functioning.

In this study, 95 males were divided into two groups: one that ate salmon three times per week, and the other group that ate an alternative meal (chicken, pork or beef). During the 6 month study period, their quality of sleep was measured in several ways including the amount of time needed to fall asleep, and the actual time spent sleeping in bed vs. their time awake.

The results showed that eating fish had a positive impact on sleep in all the ways it was measured. The researchers mentioned that fish is a source of the amino acid tryptophan, which is a precursor for melatonin, and that other studies have found tryptophan in foods increases sleepiness in the evening. The fish group also reported better daily functioning, alertness and performance.

In this study, vitamin D levels were also found to have a significant impact on sleep quality.  Blood samples were collected during the study that measured the participant’s vitamin D, and those in the fish-eating group had a level that was closer to optimum.  The study revealed a major, positive relationship between daily functioning and a better vitamin D level.  Those eating the salmon had higher levels of vitamin D and had better sleep quality, shorter wake times, and a higher percentage of sleeping time while in bed.

The study also uncovered that eating fish creates a positive improvement in heart rate variability.  This is a measurement of the length of time between heart beats, and a greater variability between the beats shows that a person is stronger, more adaptive and physically flexible.  In addition, the fish group had a significant increase in basic heart power.

Several other foods have also been proven to help with sleep and insomnia such as bananas, walnuts, tart cherries, turkey, almonds, and supplements containing vitamin D, zinc, calcium and magnesium.  In a study from the European Neurology Journal, researchers uncovered that calcium levels were higher in the body during the deepest levels of sleep and that insomnia is related to a calcium deficiency.  When the blood calcium level was normalized, optimum sleep was restored.

This natural health news is provided by Nutrition Breakthroughs, a publisher of nutrition articles and a supplier of effective natural remedies since 2002. Nutrition Breakthroughs makes Sleep Minerals II, the effective natural sleep aid with calcium, magnesium, zinc and vitamin D, and also Joints and More, the natural solution for joint relief, aches and pains, stronger hair and nails and more energy.

 

Reference: Fish Consumption, Sleep and Daily Functioning – http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4013386/

New Menopause Study: Vitamin D Builds Muscle

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Research studies on the benefits of vitamin D for postmenopausal women have had conflicting results, with some showing no benefit and others showing great benefits for muscle, bone, reduced falls and lower fracture risk.

Now a new study has emerged from researchers in Sao Paulo Brazil which has conclusively shown that vitamin D supplements can reduce loss of muscle, increase muscle strength, and lessen the risk of falls after menopause.

Vitamin D is known as the “Sunshine Vitamin” because spending time outdoors in the sun is known to increase vitamin D levels in the body via the skin.

Our ancestors spent a considerable amount of their time outdoors, but for the first time in history, large amounts of the world population spend most of their time inside their offices and homes.  This has lead to a widespread vitamin D deficiency.  Spending some time in the sun a few days a week is good, and when taking supplements, vitamin D3 is the best form.

Besides strengthening muscle and bone, researchers have also discovered that vitamin D helps to regulate the sleep-wake cycle and its deficiency has a role in the current global epidemic of sleep disorders. This makes vitamin D a vital benefit in insomnia, which is another condition that can often plague menopausal women.

The newest vitamin D study from Brazil focused on muscle strength in postmenopausal women and took place over a nine-month period.  It was a placebo controlled trial and was double-blinded – which means that neither the participants nor the researchers knew which women received the vitamin D and which didn’t.

Three types of tests were used to measure muscle strength: A chair rising test that measured leg strength when standing up from a chair, a total body x-ray, and a hand-grip test.

At the conclusion of the trial, the women who received the placebo ended up having reduced muscle mass and muscle degeneration of 6.8%.  They also had twice as many falls as the vitamin D group.  On the other hand, the women who took the vitamin D supplement had a major increase in their muscle strength of over 25% — even when taken 12 years after menopause. The results of the research were presented at the annual meeting of the North American Menopause Society.

Dr. L.M Cangussu of the Botucatu Medical School at Sao Paulo State University in Brazil said: “We concluded that the supplementation of Vitamin D alone provided significant protection against the occurrence of sarcopenia, which is a degenerative loss of skeletal muscle.”

Vitamin D has many vital roles in the health of the body, including supporting the heart, brain and nerves.  Additionally, a study from the Journal of Investigative Medicine found that vitamin D is a strong boost to immunity and that deficiency is common in autoimmune disease – a group of diseases where the body’s immune system attacks healthy cells by mistake. These include multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes and inflammatory bowel disease.

Some good vitamin D-rich foods include cod liver oil, sardines, salmon, mackerel, eggs and herring. The best supplement form to take is vitamin D3, as this is the natural form made by the sun on skin, rather than D2.

This natural health news is provided by Nutrition Breakthroughs, a publisher of nutrition articles and supplier of effective natural remedies since 2001. Nutrition breakthroughs makes Sleep Minerals II, the effective natural sleep aid with calcium, magnesium and vitamin D3.