Optimal Health Insider
Research broken down for ease of use
Vitamin C supplements shorten hospital ICU stay
Providing a vitamin C regimen to ICU patients lowered the average stay by 8% according to meta-analysis research conducted at the University of Helsinki. The research was carried-out by Dr. Harri Hemilä from the University of Helsinki, Finland, and Dr. Elizabeth...
Zinc deficiency linked to high blood pressure
Inadequate zinc levels contributed to high blood pressure (hypertension) in a new study conducted on mice. The research demonstrated that lower-than-normal zinc levels altered the way the kidneys handle sodium. Zinc deficiency is common in people with chronic...
Vitamin A supplementation shortens hospital stay of children with pneumonia
A meta analysis of 3,021 patients determined that vitamin A supplementation was beneficial in treating pneumonia in children. At the same time, the research determined that vitamin A supplementation did not reduce the overall mortality of children with pneumonia. The...
Vitamin D deficiency linked to chronic headaches
If you’re suffering from chronic headaches, you may want to consider spending a little more time in the sun—or start taking a quality vitamin D supplement. According to a study from the University of Eastern Finland, vitamin D deficiencies are more common among people...
Antioxidant supplements reduce harmful effects of water contaminants
Rather than loading the nation’s water supplies with the neurotoxin fluoride, we’d be far better off if water policies dictated adding certain nutritional supplements to the water. This is what a reasonable person could deduce from new research by a U.S. university....
Essential fatty acids combat the number one killer of women
Thanks to endless pink “awareness” campaigns, most people think breast cancer is the number one killer of women. But it’s not. It’s not even close. Heart disease is the number one killer of women by a large margin. In fact heart disease kills six times more women than...
The three vitamins Scotland feels are crucial enough to hand out for free
The tide is turning. Just a few years ago news headlines ranted that vitamin supplements were of little to no value. In fact Forbes magazine publishes a long list of vitamin supplements they say you don’t need just about every year. Apparently someone forgot to tell...
B-vitamins offer protection against pollution according to U.S. research
Researchers in the U.S. have found that high doses of B-vitamin supplements may “completely offset” the damage caused by pollution. The study was small---only involving ten subjects---but the positive results provide hope that one more tool for fighting the effects of...
Antioxidant supplements become more mainstream as benefits recognized
According to research conducted by the Natural Marketing Institute, approximately 16% of the general population believes they are deficient in antioxidants. This stat demonstrates a growing awareness regarding the importance of antioxidants for general health. We have...
Heavier weight linked to vitamin D deficiency
Higher levels of belly fat are associated with lower vitamin D levels in obese individuals, according to data presented in Barcelona at the European Society of Endocrinology annual meeting, ECE 2018. The study reports that vitamin D levels are lower in individuals...
Quick introduction to “Antioxidant ORAC”
The antioxidant values of various foods are expressed in ORAC “units.” ORAC is an acronym for “Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity.” ORAC is a the unit of measurement that was developed specifically to have some type of uniform way to measure the differing amounts of...
Higher DHA essential fatty acid linked to better learning for university students
If you have a student in the family who needs help concentrating, you may want to consider supplying them with a daily DHA supplement. DHA—which stands for docosahexaenoic acid—is one of the essential fatty acids that are critical for optimal health. The body cannot...