Vitamin D and Bladder Cancer/Krill Oil and Athletes/The Myth of Drug Addiction/How Not to Die

Vitamin D and Bladder Cancer

A new study out of the University of Warwick was designed to investigate the link between vitamin D levels and bladder cancer risk. They reviewed seven existing studies (ranging from 112 to 1125 participants) and discovered that, in five out of the seven studies, low vitamin D levels were associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer.

“More clinical studies are required to test this association, but our work suggests that low levels of vitamin D in the blood may prevent the cells within the bladder from stimulating an adequate response to abnormal cells,” said lead author Dr Rosemary Bland. “As vitamin D is cheap and safe, its potential use in cancer prevention is exciting and could potentially impact on the lives of many people.”

“Low vitamin D is associated with increased bladder cancer risk; a systematic review and evidence of a potential mechanism.”  Rosemary Bland, et al. The University of Warwick, Coventry, UK; 2University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire, Coventry, UK.  (Study)

Krill Oil and Athletes

NutriStart Krill is one of our most popular products and with good reason: we use the best Krill Oil in the world – Superba™ from Aker Biomarine – which is sustainably harvested and extracted without chemical solvents (unlike other brands which use acetone).

There is constantly new research being done on krill oil, and now one done specifically with Superba™ has looked into the benefits that it might provide to athletes. This study, done at University of Glasgow, Scotland, describes the benefits of Superba™ Krill oil for athletes in the exercise recovery phase.

Participants were randomly assigned to either a placebo or krill oil group, in order to determine if two grams (4 capsules) of krill oil daily for 6 weeks could strengthen the immune function of healthy male and female participants, after a simulated cycling time trial.

The results showed that supplementing with Superba™ Krill oil significantly increased the percentage of Omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) in red blood cells of the participants. As well, the study showed a significant increase in the production of IL-2 (a signaling molecule regulating the activity of immune cells), and the activity of natural killer (NK) cells in the recovery period after exercise.

According to study coordinator Dr. Stuart Gray, “NK cells are the first line of defense, reacting quickly to threats such as bacteria and viruses to keep them under control until the antigen-specific immune system responds. Their activity can be decreased by up to 60% for several hours after extended exercise. Krill oil might therefore help to increase host protection after intense exercise.”

This ability of krill oil to positively influence immune function indicates that regular consumption of omega-3 phospholipids from krill oil might be a helpful nutritional approach to support athletes in the post-exercise recovery phase.

(Study)

The idea that drug addiction is just the result of addictive chemicals is based on an experiment done in the 1970s, in which rats were put in bare cages with two water bottles, one with normal water and the other containing an addictive opiate. The rats would inevitably get hooked on drinking the water with the drugs in it, becoming addicted and eventually dying from malnutrition. These studies led to the concept that, once drugs are consumed on a semi-regular basis, addiction is unavoidable, and this material was used in part to justify the “war on drugs”.

Shortly after this study came out, another scientist, Bruce Alexander, looked at it differently.

He believed that keeping rats in uncomfortable cages, without any stimulation, would motivate them to becoming addicted to the drugged water, and he tried a variation on that experiment. He created a large rat home with plenty of other rats and stimulating items, as well as clean food and water, with the option of the same drugged water. Then he took rats that had been addicted for about 2 months and put them in this new environment. In this more natural environment the addicted rats started to reduce their use of the drugged water, eventually stopping it altogether. This has been observed with humans as well; if they come home addicted after war, and they have a safe environment with a social structure, they usually have no problem breaking a drug addiction.

As well, when severely injured patients are given powerful and addictive painkillers, they normally have no problem coming off of them, once returning to the comfort of their own home and surrounding themselves with family and friends.

See a quick animated overview of the above rat studies called: Addiction and the Rat Park Experiments

How Not to Die

According to Dr. Michael Greger, nutrition expert, physician, and founder of NutritionFacts.org, the vast majority of premature deaths can be prevented through simple changes in diet and lifestyle.

In his book, How Not to Die, he examines the fifteen top causes of premature death in America – including heart disease, cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure – and explains how nutritional and lifestyle interventions can often surpass the medical approach to treating these ailments.

In addition to showing what to eat to help treat the top fifteen causes of death, How Not to Die includes a list of the twelve foods we should consume every day, and is full of practical advice and cutting edge nutritional science.

HOW NOT TO DIE: Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease, by Michael Greger