A captive hamster's diet should be at least 16 percent protein and 5 percent fat according to Canadian Federation of Humane Societies.
The researchers estimated that replacing one daily serving of red meat with a serving of other protein-rich foods may reduce risk of breast cancer by 14 percent.
For example cooking meat at high temperatures can produce cancer-causing chemicals. Meat proteins may also promote tumors'growth by triggering growth hormones
which could explain the link. Studies have produced mixed results on the link between red meat and breast cancer.
#Forging Biodegradable Plastic From Methane and Plant Waste Molly Morse is chief executive officer of Mango Materials Inc. This article was prepared by the U s. National Science Foundation for the American Institute of Chemical Engineers
What if we could reduce greenhouse gas emissions while replacing up to 30 percent of the world's plastics with a biodegradable substitute?
Scientists at Stanford university and a Palo alto Calif.-based start-up company called Mango Materials have come up with a new way to make PHA from waste methane gas.
PHA is a biodegradable polyester that is produced naturally inside some bacteria under the conditions of excess carbon and limited nutrient availability.
and to accept a carbon source of corn-based sugar. The microorganisms feed on the plant-derived sugars and produce PHA.
Mango Materials'process uses bacteria grown in fermenters to transform methane and oxygen along with added nutrients (to supply excess carbon) into PHA.
After the products made from the PHA have reached the end of their useful life the plastic can be degraded anaerobically (without air) to produce methane gas.
Other processes use sugar as a carbon feedstock whereas Mango Materials uses waste methane which is considerably less expensive than sugar.
By using methane gas as the feedstock we can significantly drive down costs of production Morse says.
This article was prepared by the U s. National Science Foundation for the American Institute of Chemical Engineers
#Natural gas? Cows Toot Out Most Methane A new snapshot of U s. methane emissions in 2004 shows livestock primarily cattle and pigs were the country's worst gas emitters at the time.
The study also found that livestock expelled 40 percent more methane than had been estimated by the Environmental protection agency a result in agreement with a recently published review of hundreds of emissions studies detailed in the journal Science.
The animals also bested the oil and gas industry. We are very confident that livestock emissions were being underestimated said lead study author Kevin Wecht an atmospheric chemist at Harvard university in Massachusetts.
Methane gas comes from natural sources such as decomposing plants in wetlands and from human activities including oil and gas production and animals and manure on farms.
Explore Earth's Atmosphere: Top to bottom (Infographic) Most scientific studies track methane in one of two ways:
either by measuring the gas in the atmosphere with instruments placed on tall towers or flown on aircraft
or by analyzing emissions directly at the source such as at oil and gas wells. The new analysis led by Wecht took a broader look by using satellite monitoring of methane gas levels in the atmosphere over the United states. Wecht
and his co-authors combined satellite and aircraft data to provide a comprehensive look at methane which is a potent but short-lived greenhouse gas.
The researchers only looked at 2004 because that was the year for which the best satellite coverage was said available Wecht.
That same year the researchers found 7 million tons (7. 2 teragrams) of methane came from oil and gas operations.
The EPA attributed 9. 9 million tons (9. 0 teragrams) to oil and gas industries.
The new numbers put livestock well ahead of oil and gas producers in 2004. The latest greenhouse gas inventory published by the EPA still has livestock leading oil and gas in 2012 methane emissions.
Overall the new research finds a total of 33 million tons (30.1 teragrams) of methane was released by human activities in the United states in 2004.
Natural gas numbers off? The review published in February in the journal Science of more than 200 studies found the EPA is underestimating total U s. methane emissions by anywhere from 25 to 75 percent.
and gas boom has had on methane emissions Wecht said. Brandt said researchers would still need to measure methane outputs directly at the source.
and the need to reduce smoke pollution to minimise greenhouse gas emissions and protect human health.
Microscopic fungi called yeast turn the naturally occurring sugar in fruit into a chemical known as ethanol
and build a layer of insulating blubber before the must head to the icy Arctic.
And the opposite holds for a diet based on foods high in refined sugar (think lollies) one that combines high levels of sugar
and fat and to focus on the long-term benefits of these healthy foods. But other studies point to the potential for people in a good mood consuming comfort foods or overeating.
so consumption of excessive energy (kilojoules) saturated fat and sodium was associated with a worse mood two days later.
Instead they degrade complex organic molecules in their environment into smaller molecules they can absorb to meet their energy and nutrient needs.
The growing tips of the hyphae release enzymes into the environment to degrade complex organic molecules into usable nutrients.
Kids who play outside more often are less likely to develop nearsightedness obesity diabetes and Vitamin d deficiencies.
and chief science officer for Phage Biocontrol Inc. This article was prepared by the U s. National Science Foundation (NSF) for the American Institute of Chemical Engineers publication Chemical engineering Progress.
The most common control measures chemical antimicrobials such as antibiotics do not eliminate the lactic acid bacteria.
and then a molecular screening technique such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or DNA sequencing identifies the bacteria.
and multiply in the sample increasing in concentration from about one particle per milliliter to over 10000 particles per milliliter after a day or so.
and phage particles that is created when a phage lyses (ruptures) a bacterial cell. They are applied best at the beginning of the fermentation cycle;
For example the oil and gas industry faces staggering revenue losses due to product degradation by hydrogen sulfide consuming bacteria and the industry spends an estimated $7 billion per year for chemical biocide treatments.
#Mysterious Energy Ribbon at Solar system's Edge a'Cosmic Roadmap'A strange ribbon of energy and particles at the edge of the solar system first spotted by a NASA spacecraft appears to serve as a sort of roadmap in the sky for the interstellar
particles that originate from supernovas are correlated with the IBEX ribbon. The ribbon is roughly perpendicular to the interstellar magnetic field
The particles themselves are created from interactions between the solar wind and interstellar matter. In the longer term Schwadron said work like this will help scientists better understand more about the boundary between our solar system and interstellar space.
The sun's solar wind of high-energy particles flows within the heliosphere and pushes back against high-energy cosmic rays originating in interstellar space.
A new landmark study in the journal Science found that the U s. Environmental protection agency's (EPA) inventory of greenhouse gases is undercounting total U s. methane emissions by roughly 50 percent.
In the years immediately after it's released methane is a potent greenhouse gas. It causes 86 times as much global warming over a 20-year period as carbon dioxide the single largest contributor to climate change.
At the same time that the scientific community is finding evidence that methane is being undercounted the newly released draft version of the U s. EPA's national greenhouse-gas emission inventory presents data showing that methane emissions from natural gas
The new draft inventory also revised downward estimates for past years because of new information about reduced emission well completions (the process that gets natural gas to start flowing) and other voluntary mitigation steps received from companies.
This treatment of methane emissions from natural gas is difficult to reconcile with the new Science study by Adam Brandt of Stanford university
The EPA greenhouse gas inventory uses data from bottom up studies to develop emission factors for different components of the entire natural gas system from production (extraction from the ground) to processing transmission and distribution.
These emission factors are part of an attempt to calculate representative quantities of pollution released with each of the activities that make up the natural gas system.
The emission factor is multiplied by the number of well completions of each type to estimate their contribution to total emissions from the natural gas system.
A limitation of the bottom-up studies upon which the EPA inventory relies is a requirement that researchers obtain access to natural-gas operations.
The current oil and gas boom has been unleashed by a wave of technological innovation allowing for cost-effective directional drilling hydraulic fracturing and other emerging techniques like acidizing.
Such debris might include the refined sugars found in cookies candy and other treats but can also come from healthy foods like whole grains vegetables and fruits.
According to data from 2004 livestock contributed more to the greenhouse effect than oil and gas operations.
Natural gas? Cows Toot Out Most Methane Magnetic field is weakening: Data from Swarm an ESA satellite array indicates Earth's magnetic field is weakening.
#Broccoli Extract May Reduce Autism Symptoms A chemical called sulforaphane derived from broccoli sprouts may help improve symptoms in some people with autism a small new study suggests.
and molecular sciences at Johns hopkins university in Baltimore said in a statement. Before the trial the participants'caregivers and physicians assessed the individuals'autistic traits using two standard scales with higher scores on each scale corresponding with lower abilities in verbal communication and social interactions.
First the levels of sulforaphane precursors which are the compounds that are converted into active sulforaphane by the bacteria within the gut are highly variable in different varieties of broccoli.
if administering the compound might have the same effect on autism symptoms as fever often causes.
The signs of life these rocks contain are not fossils of actual microbes but chemical signatures in the rock:
molecular fossils. When these rocks are analyzed they are found to contain higher than normal levels of carbon-12 isotopes compared to carbon-13 isotopes
(which contain an extra neutron). When living things take in carbon (as CO2) they have a preference for carbon-12
and therefore all living things have proportionally higher levels of carbon-12 compared to nonliving things.
The higher levels of carbon-12 in the Isua rocks can only be explained by the presence of primitive life.
This means that DNA or some precursor molecule had assembled by that point and could begin its relentless self-replication driving the evolution of life.
Life On earth faced its biggest survival crisis about 2. 5 billion years ago when the atmosphere changed from carbon dioxide-dominant to oxygen-rich.
and the chloroplasts in plant cells were once individual organisms before they were engulfed to become eukaryotic organelles
But in the mid-1990s the technology to analyze these chemical remnants just wasn't available he said.
fruits vegetables protein foods dairy foods carbohydrates and snacks. Predictably perhaps vegetables were liked the least food and snacks the most liked.
and protein foods can be attributed to genetic factors and the remainder to environmental factors like what parents choose to feed their children and foods available in the home.
%and fruit (53%)with protein foods close behind (48%).%On the other hand the environment played a larger part in liking for the other food groups:
and food preferences by simply limiting the availability of high fat and high calorie snacks in the home.
Kefir is also a good source of calcium B vitamins and phosphorous. It's a low-fat source of protein too.
Some health experts also claim digestive benefits for kefir but while a few studies have shown it aids in lactose digestion the research is limited.
and food particles that team up with bacteria to form plaque. Plaque produces acid that damages tooth enamel causes cavities and sets the stage for periodontal or gum disease.</
</p><p>Compounds called polyphenols found in black and green teas slow the growth of bacteria associated with cavities and gum disease.
Polyphenols suppress the genes of bacteria that control the production of smelly compounds in the mouth"
Some compounds in raisins also affect the growth of bacteria associated with gum disease Wu has found.</
a New Twist in Protein Lipid Interactions This article was published originally at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Live Science's Expert Voices:
Scientists at La Trobe University published a study this week about a protein found in the flowers of ornamental tobacco plant that targets human cancer cells
Mark Hulett Marc Kvansakul and others from the Biochemistry Department used a range of techniques to examine the structure and function of a protein called Nad1.
This protein is a type of defensin a molecule that protects the plant from fungal infections.
The leakage of ATP (a common molecule) was shown to happen within minutes of the introduction of Nadd1 to lymphoma cells.
In other words they developed bulges and then burst in the presence of this protein. There is unlikely to be a more satisfying experiment than one that results in the explosion of tumour cells.
when bound to lipids that came from the membrane of the target cell called PIP2.
It may be that by binding PIP2 molecules the Nad1 protein undermines the external structure of the cell leading to the aforementioned blebbing and lysis.
They took 2. 5 times as long to bleb compared to cells that did not hold onto their PIP2 lipids.
which seems to contain a molecule that bursts cancer cells. It just goes to show you that life is full of surprises.
and fat than whole milk buttermilk may help to prevent or alleviate gastrointestinal disorders. Though some people drink buttermilk straight cooks also often add it to recipes in place of milk sour cream or other dairy products.
Gluten is a protein found in many grains including wheat barley and rye. People who don't fall into either of these groups would probably not be advised to cut gluten out of their diet in pregnancy
and 60 grams of fat similar to meals of hamburgers and fries offered in popular fast-food restaurants.
Over the next seven hours the researchers measured participants'metabolic rates a number that shows how fast the body is burning calories and fat.
and lower rates of burning fat suggesting they were storing more fat stated the study published today (July 14) in the journal Biological Psychiatry.
but high-fat choice she said. 13 Kitchen Changes That Can Help You Lose weight Email Bahar Gholipour
along with these nutrients the weed also transports RNA the genetic material cells use to translate instructions in the organism's DNA into cellular machinery or proteins.
These tiny molecules were thought to be too fragile to be passed between plant species yet Westwood found that large amounts of mrna were moving from the tomato and Arabidopsis to the strangleweed and vice versa.
The findings may demonstrate an exciting new means of communication between plants which are known already to engage in sophisticated chemical signaling.
The ideal treatment is one that is completely safe free of harmful chemicals readily available without a prescription easy to use and inexpensive according to the AAP.
If no resistance to insecticides is suspected the AAP recommends using products that contain pediculicides known as pyrethrins or the chemical permethrin.
However these chemicals are known to be toxic to humans and should be used with caution according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
If you choose to use a chemical treatment for lice be sure to follow dosing instructions correctly
This means that these chemicals need to be reapplied to the scalp seven to 10 days after the initial treatment.
There are also several other chemicals that can be used to treat lice including lindane which is available as a cream or a shampoo.
This chemical has been known to cause severe seizures in children and cannot be prescribed to individuals who weigh less than 110 pounds (49.9 kilograms) according to the AAP.
Other chemical treatments have also been linked to dangerous side effects in children which is why organizations such as the NPA do not recommend the use of chemical treatments for lice.
The manual removal of lice recommended by the NPA can be performed using the same type of fine-toothed louse comb used to check the scalp for lice.
The evidence came from measuring carbon trapped by forests. Overall a forest full of whippersnappers sucked more carbon from the atmosphere than a same-sized acreage filled by elderly trees.
Trees store carbon in their tissues such as wood bark and leaves. So scientists assumed the older trees were growing more slowly
because they ate less carbon. But these early data weren't measuring individual trees and that's where the rub comes in said Todd Dawson a forest biologist at the University of California Berkeley who was involved not in the study.
People had this misconception because forests showed a decline in productivity as they grew older.
The findings do not mean scientists need to rejigger their models for how forests remove carbon from the atmosphere though.
As earlier research shows on a forest-wide scale younger forests capture more carbon simply
Storing carbon But on a tree-by-tree basis ancient giants are much more effective at removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than young trees.
We realize now the big old trees are the ones pulling carbon most rapidly out of the atmosphere Stephenson said.
so they contain more old trees would help trap more carbon (making the forest a carbon sink).
If you want a forest to be a carbon sink you may want to manage it to make sure you always have a lot of older trees in it.
Mixed Gas Diving; and the Antarctica Scientific Diving Manual which includes this advice: drilling a safety hole allows continued surface access in cases where a Weddell seal appropriates the primary dive hole.#
In the past 200 years the ocean has absorbed 50 percent of our skyrocketing carbon emissions and even if we hugely curb our destructive output the ocean is headed still for a record change in temperature and chemical makeup.
Todgham and her team want to know how the combination of warming and acidity will impact these fragile fish
From vitamins to folate to potassium fruits and vegetables provide vital nutrients and help keep everyone healthy.
#'Plant That Ate the South'Boosting Carbon Pollution This article was published originally at The Conversation.
When it takes over ecosystems this invader causes soils to surrender their carbon and release it as greenhouse gas.
Its invasion may also be contributing to the rise in global greenhouse gases by altering soil composition.
Soil holds a phenomenal amount of carbon. In fact there is more carbon stored in soil than in the atmosphere and in terrestrial plants combined.
Soil carbon comprises roots from plants dead matter and waste from plants and animals and a vast population of microbes.
Together they are known as soil organic matter. Much of this comes from plants mainly dead leaves
The carbon in the organic matter largely stays locked away in the soil like an enormous reservoir.
Over time carbon is released as greenhouse gases carbon dioxide and methane when the matter is degraded by soil microbes.
The extent to which carbon is determined by its susceptibility to microbial degradation. The problem with kudzu is that it changes the rate at
which carbon remains locked away in the soil. It changes the degradation rate of the organic matter.
and graduate student Mioko Tamura of Clemson University show that kudzu invasion results in an increase of carbon released from the soil organic matter into the atmosphere.
but despite this soil carbon decreased by nearly a third in those forests. Tharayil and Tamura attribute the release of carbon from kudzu-invaded forests to the fact that kudzu adds material to the soil that is susceptible to degradation relative to that produced by pine.
Simply put kudzu leaves and stems are easy for microbes to degrade pine needles and stems are not.
This means that carbon is locked in with waste from pines; whereas it gets released by kudzu.
Tharayil has estimated that kudzu invasion might cause the release of 4. 8 tonnes of carbon per year.
This is the equivalent of the amount of carbon stored almost 5m hectares of forest or the amount of carbon released by burning 2. 3m tonnes of coal annually.
That is approximately the same as the annual carbon footprint for a city of 1m in that part of the world.
The release of this amount of carbon into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide could itself contribute to global warming.
This could create a snowball effect as elevated temperature would enable kudzu to extend its range to more northern latitudes.
They found that knotweed resulted in a net increase in carbon locked away in the soil.
This is not to say that allowing knotweed to run rampant is the solution to kudzu s carbon-releasing menace.
Instead the findings point to the fact that plant composition in different ecosystems could actually be managed to reinforce carbon retention in the soil
and prevent carbon release into the atmosphere. In the meantime though we are going to have to find a way to restrain the plant that ate the south before it loads our skies with more carbon.
Next read this: Why one hectare of rainforest grows more tree species than US and Canada combined Malcolm Campbell receives funding from the Natural sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and from Genome Canada.
#Vitamin b12: Deficiency & Supplements Vitamin b12 is crucial to the human body which needs it to produce new DNA red blood cells proteins hormones and lipids (fats).
Vitamin b12 is also key to the health of nerves. Vitamin b12 is part of the Vitamin b complex which includes thiamin niacin Vitamin b6 folate and Vitamin b12.
Each of these vitamins has its own unique role in the body but most B vitamins have a role in helping your body's cells to produce energy said Heather Mangieri a spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and owner of Nutrition Checkup in Pittsburgh.
The typical American diet meets or exceeds the daily recommended amount of Vitamin b12. However Vitamin b12 deficiency remains a common problem in the United states
because it can be affected by other factors like age and digestion. Seniors vegans and pregnant women are especially prone to Vitamin b12 deficiency.
People may not realize Vitamin b12 is missing from their diets because the liver can store a 5-year supply in reserve.
A Vitamin b12 deficiency has a wide range of symptoms. Someone with low Vitamin b12 may lose their appetite lose weight
or feel tired and weak. Depression poor memory and trouble thinking can all be symptoms of a Vitamin b12 deficiency.
Other symptoms of a Vitamin b12 deficiency include a numb or tingling feeling in the hands and feet a loss of balance a sore mouth or tongue and constipation.
Yellowed skin anemia paranoia and hallucinations may also indicate a Vitamin b12 deficiency according to Harvard Health Publications.
If you notice any of these symptoms you should consult a health care professional rather than trying to self-treat with supplements experts say.
People shouldn't jump to supplements if they have said these symptoms Vandana Sheth a registered dietitian nutritionist and spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Many of these symptoms can be signs of another condition Sheth said adding that blood tests can confirm a deficiency
and a diet assessment may help people get their needed nutrients without resorting to supplements.
Age and digestive problems can cause a Vitamin b12 deficiency even if a person gets plenty of Vitamin b12 from food.
Nearly one-third of people over age 50 suffer from atrophic gastritis a thinning of the stomach lining that interferes with Vitamin b12 absorption.
The U s. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 3. 2 percent of adults over age 50 are deficient in Vitamin b12.
Another 20 percent of adults may have borderline deficient levels of Vitamin b12. In fact the CDC recommends all people 51 years of age and older should get most of their daily Vitamin b12 through supplements containing Vitamin b12
or foods fortified with Vitamin b12. Pregnancy can also lower Vitamin b12 levels as can hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid)
if it causes the person to produce too much body heat according to the NIH. Pregnant or breastfeeding women who do not get enough Vitamin b12 may cause their babies to have low Vitamin b12 levels.
Low levels of stomach acid can also lead to overgrowth of bacteria in the small intestine These bacteria in turn leach Vitamin b12 from the body.
Supplement makers market Vitamin b12 as an energy and endurance booster particularly for athletes. People also take Vitamin b12 to improve their mood and concentration as well as their immune system.
Vitamin b12 supplements are purported to reduce the risk of breast cancer lung cancer and cervical cancer. Vitamin b12 supplements are said also to protect against the poisons in tobacco smoke.
Some people use Vitamin b12 supplements to help treat male infertility sleep disorders depression inflammatory bowel disease asthma multiple sclerosis allergies and the skin condition vitiligo.
Vitamin b12 supplements are touted frequently to prevent osteoporosis diabetes cardiovascular disease and stroke. Vitamin b12 is said also to help some sleep disorders some mental disorders
and slow the progression of dementia in the elderly. Supplement makers also say Vitamin b12 supplements can help treat conditions such as Lyme disease gum disease some skin infections liver disease and kidney disease.
Combining avocado oil and Vitamin b12 in a topical treatment can supposedly improve psoriasis or eczema symptoms and Vitamin b12 is said also to help reduce ringing in the ears and swollen tendons.
Vitamin b12 supplements can treat a deficiency but dietitians recommend getting your Vitamin b12 from food if possible before trying a supplement.
Many meat and dairy products have Vitamin b12. Clams crab beef liver and many fish are particularly high in Vitamin b12.
Eliminating meat dairy and fortified cereals from your diet may require you to supplement vitamin B12 Sheth said.
In general Vitamin b12 is found in animal products Sheth said so strict vegetarians and vegans must actively seek out another source of the vitamin.
In people who are making the transition to a vegan diet a Vitamin b12 deficiency may not show up for a while Sheth said.
Nutritional yeast is the best vegetarian source of Vitamin b12 Sheth said. Just 2 teaspoons (6 grams) a day of nutritional yeast should cover an adult's Vitamin b12 needs.
Additionally most multivitamins contain the daily recommended amount of Vitamin b12 and fortified cereals typically provide ample Vitamin b12.
Other strict diets may unintentionally cut Vitamin b12. A lot of people have cut grains and a lot of B vitamins are fortified in our grain products Mangieri said.
If you're going to eliminate something from your diet investigate what you have eliminated and where else you can get those nutrients.
You have to really work with a registered dietitian or do your homework. The average adult should get 2. 4 micrograms of Vitamin b12 per day.
Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding need more about 2. 8 micrograms a day according to recommendations from the National institutes of health's Office of Dietary Supplements.
The body requires both stomach acid and a protein made in the stomach called intrinsic factor to digest Vitamin b12.
First stomach acid breaks off a protein that comes attached to Vitamin b12. Then the intrinsic factor is attached to the Vitamin b12 molecule.
Once in this form Vitamin b12 can be used in cells throughout the body. A problem with either stomach acid or intrinsic factor can lead to a Vitamin b12 deficiency.
Oral Vitamin b12 supplements contain a form of Vitamin b12 that is easy to absorb without stomach acid
but these pills may not treat all causes of Vitamin b12 deficiency. People who have undergone gastric bypass surgery for example can develop a deficiency in the intrinsic factor.
They could be taking all the B12 orally that they want and they won't be absorbing it properly Mangieri said.
Some autoimmune conditions such as pernicious anemia attack and destroy intrinsic factor according to the NIH's Office of Dietary Supplements.
People with celiac disease or Crohn's disease may also have difficulty absorbing the Vitamin b12 from food or vitamin supplements.
A Schilling test can determine if a person is absorbing Vitamin b12 properly. Doctors may prescribe Vitamin b12 injections to treat people who have a deficiency
but would not benefit from Vitamin b12 pills. Vitamin b12 can also be administered in a nasal gel according to the NIH's Office of Dietary Supplements.
Thanks to its association with the amino acid homocysteine Vitamin b12 is touted for its supposed ability to help several conditions.
Someone with low Vitamin b12 levels typically has high levels of homocysteine in the blood. High levels of homocysteine are commonly found in people with osteoporosis dementia heart disease cognitive impairment and depression.
Studies have shown a combination of Vitamin b12 folic acid and Vitamin b6 can lower homocysteine levels. However research has confirmed not that using vitamins to lower homocysteine levels actually treats
or prevents health problems. For example one study of 5522 people with vascular disease showed a Vitamin b supplement did not reduce the risk of dying from heart attack.
Researchers assigned some volunteers to a placebo and others to a combination of folic acid Vitamin b6 and Vitamin b12 supplement.
Vitamins reduced homocysteine levels in the study participants but the placebo group and the group taking vitamins had a similar risk of dying from major cardiovascular events during the five-year study according to the paper published in August 2006 in the New england Journal of Medicine.
Vitamin b12 supplements most likely won't reduce your risk for heart disease according to the NIH's Office of Dietary Supplements.
It's still unknown whether Vitamin b12 supplements have an effect on diabetes high cholesterol or preventing arteries from reclogging after a stent procedure according to the U s. National Library of Medicine.
A few preliminary studies some that provided supplements and some that simply recorded Vitamin b12 levels in people over time have found a weak link between Vitamin b12 supplements
and a reduced risk of osteoporosis. However more studies are needed to see if Vitamin b12 could help reduce osteoporosis risk according to the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State university.
Some preliminary studies have found a weak link between Vitamin b12 and a reduced cancer risk
but the connection is still unclear. One study compared blood samples and diet questionnaires of 712 breast cancer patients and 712 women without breast cancer.
Diet questionnaires (taken from 1980 through 1990) and blood samples (taken in 1990) showed that higher levels of Vitamin b12 were associated with a lower risk of breast cancer
but only among women who had not yet hit menopause. Levels of folate and Vitamin b6 had a stronger link to breast cancer risk in the study according to the March 2003 paper published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Preliminary evidence has not found that Vitamin b12 blood levels affect lung cancer according to the National Library of Medicine
but combining folic acid thiamine riboflavin and Vitamin b12 may help prevent cervical cancer. Low levels of Vitamin b12 are linked commonly to health problems
but recent research found that having abnormally high levels of Vitamin b12 in the blood may indicate a cancer risk.
Researchers examined lab tests and cancer diagnoses of more than 300000 patients in a Danish medical registry from 1998 to 2010.
Only 6 percent of the people in the study had Vitamin b12 levels higher than the recommended upper limit
and these people had a higher risk of being diagnosed with cancer within one year of their abnormal blood tests especially a cancer related to smoking (lung cancer)
or alcohol according to the December 2013 paper published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
It is not likely that Vitamin b12 is an effective treatment for sleep disorders in seniors at least
when it's used in combination with Vitamin b6 and folic acid according to the National Library of Medicine.
Low Vitamin b12 levels are commonly found with other physical signs of mental decline such as high homocysteine levels or low folate levels.
And people diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and dementia often have low Vitamin b12 levels. However studies have not conclusively shown that Vitamin b12 supplements will improve memory or thinking skills in the elderly in Alzheimer's patients in dementia patients or among stroke survivors.
The NIH's Office of Dietary Supplements says that more large clinical trials are needed to prove
whether Vitamin b12 can influence cognitive function and the risk of developing dementia. More studies are needed to determine
whether Vitamin b12 supplements can improve depression symptoms. Preliminary evidence suggests that depressed people respond better to treatment
if they have healthy levels of Vitamin b12. Researchers in Finland took blood samples from 115 patients diagnosed with major depression disorder.
The patients underwent six months of treatment including therapy and medication before giving another blood sample.
Those with higher levels of Vitamin b12 at the start and end of the study were more likely to fully respond to treatment according to the study published in December 2003 in the online journal BMC Psychiatry.
Researchers considered 40 people in the study to have a full response to depression treatment 34 had a partial response
and 41 people had no response. Yet other preliminary studies have failed to show that Vitamin b12 supplements alone can help depression.
A two-year study of 909 elderly people examined whether groups assigned to exercise mental health education
or vitamin supplements had fewer depression systems. In the study folic acid and Vitamin b12 supplements did not change depression symptoms any more than a placebo did.
Four follow-up surveys over the span of two years found that only mental-health education changed depression symptoms according to the July 2012 paper in The british Journal of Psychiatry.
Vitamin b12 will not enhance athletic performance or increase energy levels in people who are not deficient in Vitamin b12 according to the NIH's Office of Dietary Supplements.
There is not yet enough scientific evidence to determine if Vitamin b12 supplements have an effect on allergies multiple sclerosis psoriasis and other immune system problems.
And there is too little evidence to see if Vitamin b12 has an effect on Lyme disease signs of aging fatigue or chronic fatigue syndrome according to the National Library of Medicine.
However Vitamin b12 is possibly effective at preventing age-related macular degeneration a common eye condition that leads to vision loss.
Limited research supports that Vitamin b12 supplements are effective at treating shaky leg syndrome eczema and canker sores.
However more studies are needed to prove the connection according to the National Library of Medicine. Vitamin b12 has a low risk of overdose in the body.
Supplement makers put a lot of B vitamins into capsules sometimes as much as 200 percent of the recommended daily intake.
Because they are water soluble humans can pee out excess vitamins safely Mangieri said. For this reason the Institute of Medicine does not set a limit on how much Vitamin b12 a person can safely take in a day.
Vitamin b12 also appears to be applied safe when to the skin to treat psoriasis according to the National Library of Medicine.
Vitamin b12 may increase the risk that an artery narrows around a stent a device that widens a blocked artery.
And Vitamin b12 supplements can potentially harm the optic nerve and cause blindness in people with the rare hereditary condition called Leber's disease.
Common treatments for heartburn and GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) also known as acid reflux such as H2 blockers and proton-pump inhibitors may contribute to a Vitamin b12 deficiency.
Proton-pump inhibitors slow the release of gastric acid which is needed to start digesting and absorbing Vitamin b12 found in food.
But studies have yet to conclude if proton-pump inhibitors interfere enough with digestion to result in low Vitamin b12 levels.
The NIH's Office of Dietary Supplements recommends that doctors monitor the Vitamin b12 status of patients on proton-pump inhibitors.
H2 blockers can interfere with Vitamin b12 absorption because they slow the release of hydrochloric acid in the stomach.
H2 inhibitors could cause problems in people who do not get enough Vitamin b12 and who take the medication for more than two years according to the NIH's Office of Dietary Supplements.
Other drugs that affect stomach acid have been linked to poor Vitamin b12 absorption including the cholesterol drug cholestyramine;
the antibiotics chloramphenicol and neomycin; and the gout treatment colchicine. The diabetes drug metformin may interfere with the body's absorption of Vitamin b12 not through stomach acid but because of the drug's effect on calcium
which is needed also to absorb Vitamin b12. More research is needed to determine if calcium supplements may help Vitamin b12 absorption in diabetes patients according to the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State university.
Potassium supplements may reduce the body's ability to absorb Vitamin b12 as can heavy drinking for more than two weeks according to the National Library of Medicine.
Large amounts of folic-acid supplements don't interfere with Vitamin b12 absorption but folic acid can mask the symptoms of a Vitamin b12 deficiency.
Folic acid can correct a condition called megaloblastic anemia which is caused by low Vitamin b12 levels. A person who has this condition won't experience symptoms of anemia
but an underlying Vitamin b12 deficiency will still damage the nervous system. The NIH's Office of Dietary Supplements recommends healthy people get no more than 1000 micrograms of folic acid per day.
This article is for informational purposes only and is meant not to offer medical advice. o
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