Vitamin D and Testoterone/The Truth About Phytic Acid/Hydrogen Water

The male reproductive system is well known to have vitamin D receptors, one reason for the link between low vitamin D status and risk of prostate cancer. Existing studies have also suggested an association of vitamin D with testosterone levels in men.

A year-long study, published in the journal Hormone and Metabolic Research, further evaluated whether vitamin D supplementation influences testosterone levels in men. Two hundred healthy, overweight men undergoing a weight reduction program, also participated in a randomized controlled trial in which they were analyzed for testosterone levels.

“Participants received either 3,332 IU of vitamin D daily for 1 year, or placebo. Initial D concentrations were in the deficiency range (< 50 nmol/l) and testosterone values were at the lower end of the reference range in both groups. Mean circulating D concentrations increased significantly by 53.5 nmol/l in the vitamin D group, but remained almost constant in the placebo group. A significant increase in total testosterone levels, bioactive testosterone, and free testosterone levels, were observed in the vitamin D supplemented group. By contrast, there was no significant change in any testosterone measure in the placebo group. Our results suggest that vitamin D supplementation might increase testosterone levels.”

The long and short of it was, researchers found that supplementing with 3332 IU of vitamin D boosted testosterone levels by 25 %, compared with no change in the placebo group.

(Study)

Followers of Weston A. Price and the Paleo diet are adamant that adherents should avoid eating foods containing phytic acid, a compound found in many plant foods (including beans, edible seeds, grains, legumes, potatoes, and nuts).

Phytic acid is the form in which plants store phosphorus (when bound to a mineral it is known as phytate), and the highest levels are found in beans and whole grains (mostly in the bran of grains). Phytates are essential to the life of plants as they provide energy for the sprouting process. When a seed sprouts, phytase enzymes break down the stored phytates, the released phytic acid then provides the essential phosphorus, facilitating plant growth and development.

For the Price and Paleo people (as well as some other nutritional programs), phytic acid is considered an “anti-nutrient” and believed to be detrimental to good health. They believe this because phytic acid can bind minerals in the digestive tract before they are absorbed, making them less available to our bodies, and carrying them out of the body with our waste.

Yet this argument is flawed. For one thing our bodies have adapted to regulating phytate levels fairly well, given that we have been eating grains and beans for thousands of years. Most phytate (37-66%) is broken down in the stomach and small intestines, unless one is severely enzyme deficient (since this process requires the enzyme phytase). And in fact, one study showed that a diet which included 1 – 2 grams of phytic acid per day did not cause any appreciable reduction in mineral bioavailability.

It can even be argued that carrying out excess minerals can be a good thing. For example, if one has iron overload (hemochromatosis), removing excess iron could be of benefit. Excess calcium is now linked to causing hardening of the arteries and calcification in the brain leading to Alzheimer’s disease. And, because phytic acid does not discriminate between minerals, it can also pull out heavy metals from the body, something most of us can benefit from, given these toxic times.

Potential Benefits of Phytic Acid

The fact is there are many benefits to consuming phytic acid, all scientifically well-established. Here is a list of the most common benefits.

~ Metabolites of phytic acid may have secondary messenger roles in cells.

~ It is theorized that it is the phytic acid in whole grains and beans that lends them their protective properties against cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes. (It is the refined grains that contain little or no phytic acid.)

~ When phytic acid binds minerals in the gut, it prevents the formation of free radicals, thus functioning as an antioxidant.

~ The supplement IP6 (Inositol hexaphosphate) is made from phytic acid and is widely used as an alternative cancer therapy.       https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14608114

~ Phytic acid seem to enhance the activity of natural killer cells and inhibit tumor growth, linking its consumption to lower levels of breast and prostate cancer.

~ Phytic acid reduces platelet formation and helps prevent hardening of the arteries, protecting against heart disease.

~ Helps prevent the formation of kidney stones.

~ Plays a role in preventing insulin resistance, since it has a role in pancreatic function, and lowers the glycemic response from certain foods (also making one feel full for longer).

Reducing Your Phytic Acid Intake

Rather than throw out the baby with the bathwater (that is to eliminate whole grains, beans, seeds, and legumes from our diet), we can use certain techniques to reduce the impact of the phytic acid, while still gaining the benefits of the whole foods in question.

Humans have over time developed ways to reduce the impact of phytic acid in foods by a variety of processes, including cooking, fermenting, soaking and sprouting.

Other approaches to reducing the anti-mineral impact of phytic acid include eating foods rich in vitamin C with meals containing high amounts of phytic acid, or using vinegar (ideally apple cider vinegar) at such meals, either in salad dressing or added during the cooking process. (Notice how bean salad is commonly made with vinegar.)

If you have very poor digestion consider supplementing with enzymes that include a good amount of phytase.

If you believe that you may be mineral deficient, or if you have a vegetarian diet very high in phytic acid, you may want to take a mineral supplement.      https://nutristart.com/mineral-mix/

For a much more detailed examination of phytic acid, check out this article at selfhacked.com.

Hydrogen is the first, and most abundant, element in the Universe, and molecular hydrogen served as the original energy source for primordial cellular life. Recent research has shown that cells have not lost this ability to utilize molecular hydrogen.

Currently, there are over 500 research papers and clinical studies (on both animals and people) showing that molecular hydrogen can be a beneficial nutrient in many facets of human physiology, especially at the cellular level.

When hydrogen is absorbed into the body it rapidly enters into cells, mitochondria and throughout the body to deliver its many benefits. One primary benefit is serving as a powerful antioxidant that selectively scavenges hydroxyl radicals. Molecular hydrogen takes this, the most destructive type of free radical, and converts it into harmless water molecules, contributing to cellular hydration (which has its own benefits).

Another important function of molecular hydrogen is its ability to boost levels of other important anti-oxidants, such as glutathione, superoxide dismutase, and catalase. These antioxidants have the ability to detoxify the body of chemicals, xenoestrogens, heavy metals and radiation, and serve to protect the brain and the liver from damage. And hydrogen assists in modulating cell signalling and gene expression, including pathways that dampen inflammation, allergies and obesity.

New products on the market create hydrogen rich water, and are particularly of value for athletes, and those with severe inflammation, or mitochondrial ailments (e.g. chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, MS, and neurological disorders).

Love H2 is a unique formula that converts regular water to hydrogen infused water. These tablets create about 3 times more molecular hydrogen per litre of water than an electronic water ionizer (“Alkaline Water Machines”).