Fish Oil and Mental Health

From eNewsletter 11/18/2024

DID YOU KNOW that there's a difference between vitamin B12 deficiency and functional vitamin B-12 deficiency?

According to a study from Journal of the American Nutrition Association, vitamin B-12 deficiency is discovered from low blood levels of vitamin B12 (cobalamin) and/or methylmalonic acid. Functional deficiency is defined as high blood levels of vitamin B12 (cobalamin) and/or methylmalonic acid.

Why would high levels be considered a deficiency? As we've seen for years, because of genetic predisposition, vitamin B12 may be malabsorbed and instead of being utilized at the cellular level, it just circulates in the blood, causing high levels. This is why we recommend genetic testing. Those with mutations of vitamin B12 genes can use a source such as adenosyl/hydroxy that is better absorbed.

There are caveats to the aforementioned. For those already supplementing with vitamin B12, B-complex, or high-dose multi, if you do not stop your supplements 48 hours prior to your blood draw, levels can be artificially high but does not mean you have functional deficiency.

To read the res of today's issue, please go to this page.

Prevent, Reduce Depression Naturally

From eNewsletter 11/13/2024

DID YOU KNOW that there is a way you can combine walking with mindfulness?

Mindful walking is less about the destination and more about bringing awareness to this everyday activity. Like most mindful activities, it can be performed anywhere.

To the mindful, when in a state of appreciation, the experience of early morning sunlight hitting a dirty puddle on a city street is equal to the setting sun in a mountain scene. Rather than the outing to the local store being an annoyance to be hurried through, it becomes a restorative feast of the senses. A walk to the bus stop or taking the dog out, when combined with an appreciation of the here and now, becomes a ready-made mindfulness session.

How Do You Walk Mindfully?

As you walk, pay attention to the sensations of the body. How do your feet feel? How do the other muscles of your body compensate for changes in balance? Note how your arms swing as you walk.

Become more aware of your surroundings, not just practically, but with an open mind, enjoying the immediacy of the sights, sounds, and smells. Open up your senses.

Mindful walking benefits from its simplicity and is most successful when you are in the moment. No tools or equipment are required, only somewhere to walk. And it can easily fit into your daily routine.

To read the rest of today's issue please go to this page.

Your Age With or Without Sugar

From eNewsletter 11/11/2024

DID YOU KNOW that researchers have found a link between following a diet that is rich in vitamins and minerals, especially one without added sugar, and having a younger biological age at the cellular level?

I know you know this, but is always nice to see in a journal like JAMA Network Open. Moreover, the study is one of the first to show a link between added sugar and epigenetic aging, and the first to examine this link in a heterogenous group of midlife women, including black, hispanic, and white.

Finally, they scored the women's diets against a measure they created called the Epigenetic Nutrient Index, which is based on nutrients (not foods) that have been linked to anti-oxidative or anti-inflammatory processes and DNA maintenance and repair. Vitamins A, C, B12 and E, folate, selenium, magnesium, dietary fiber and isoflavones were ranked highest. Moreover, adherence to the Mediterranean diet had the strongest association with lower epigenetic age.

Given this finding that epigenetic patterns can be reversible, the authors suggest that eliminating each 10 grams of added sugar per day is akin to turning back the biological clock by 2.4 months. With the amount of sugar the average American consumes daily, this can amount to a significant reversal of aging!

To read the rest of today's issue, please go to this page.