Brain and Behaviour
Those of us who are now in the depths of winter may be suffering not just from the cold, but the relative lack of light too. Shortened days have the ability to depress the mood and precipitate ‘seasonal affective disorder’ (SAD) or ‘winter blues’. Back in October I wrote about this condition, and in particular […]
Nutrients and Supplements
One of my projects for 2009 has been to optimise my vitamin D levels. My first ever check was in April, which revealed a frankly low vitamin D level of 15 ng/ml (37 mmol/l). I subsequently set about correcting this by taking 3000 IU of vitamin D (in gel caps) a day. In July my […]
Sunlight
I am writing this on a train, and as I look out of the window I can see the British West Country go by. It is bathed in sunlight. And this stunning day reminds me of the last few days we’ve had here in the UK that have been cold, wet and grey. The general […]
Healthy Eating
There’s a fair chance that at least once in your life you’ve been advised to eat slowly. I think this is good advice, at least in part because slower eating generally means more thorough of chewing of food (which aids digestion and reduces the risk of symptoms such as indigestion, reflux and heartburn). However, another […]
Brain and Behaviour
I was out last night with a friend, and he mentioned his mother’s depression. Seeing as we’re now deep into the autumn here in the UK, I asked if there was any seasonal component to this. There is. Like a lot of people, his mother’s mood takes a distinct turn for the worse in the […]
Diabetes/Metabolic Syndrome
In a recent post I highlighted a study which has found that higher vitamin D levels are associated with a reduced risk of death. This evidence actually comes on the back of other studies showing the same thing, and while therefore strengthens the association between vitamin D and death risk, cannot be used to claim […]
Nutrients and Supplements
A month ago I wrote a blog describing some research which found that supplementing elderly individuals with vitamin D led to improvements in their muscular strength without any physical training. I made the point that this sort of effect is important because it means vitamin D may be able to prevent disability. I also mentioned […]
Nutrients and Supplements
Earlier this month I blogged about a study which found that supplementing elderly individuals with vitamin D was found to enhance their muscle strength. This has at least some relevance because as people age, they can tend to go out less, and therefore be a particular risk for vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D deficiency is […]
Nutrients and Supplements
Scanning some on-line newspapers today my eye was caught by reports of a couple of studies concerning vitamin D and cancer. The link between this nutrient and this condition is not new ” there is a huge stack of evidence now which shows as association between higher levels of vitamin D in the body and […]
Nutrients and Supplements
Back in May, one of my blogs focused on some evidence which suggests that vitamin D has the capacity to improve a range of measures of physical function, including fitness, muscular strength, balance and reaction time. Strange though this may seem, there indeed appears to be evidence that simply sitting the sun may be all […]