Vitamin A May Increase Risk of Hip Fractures

The Missing Links

First, the studies: Researchers in Sweden took a long-term
look at hip fracture occurrence in men starting between the
ages of 49 and 51 and followed up for 30 years.
They determined that those men who had the highest levels
of vitamin A were at a greater risk of hip fracture. A second
study that came out about eight months later here in the U.S.
looked at women 50-74 years old. They found that both too
much AND too little vitamin A increases the rate of fracture.

It sounds ominous, but there are a few important factors
missing in both these investigations. First, depending on
where you live, your diet, and how you supplement with
vitamins and minerals, your intake of vitamin A may not be
the problem -- it could be your imbalance between vitamins
A and D. There's a complex relationship between vitamin A
and vitamin D that neither study considered. Neither of these
vitamins is produced by your body -- so you have to consume
them or acquire them through other sources.

While it is relatively easy to get enough vitamin A through
your diet (it's found in animal protein, and betacarotene from
fruits and vegetables converts into it in the body), this may
not be the case for vitamin D: The best and primary source of
vitamin D is sunlight.

Dr. Wright has frequently warned readers about a number of
factors that might be affecting their vitamin D levels,
including the overuse of sun block in recent years; the fact
that as people get older they often aren't getting enough
exposure to sunlight; and that food sources consumed by
adults are low in vitamin D. These are all critical factors in
the equation that neither of these studies, nor many
physicians, take into consideration.

Another player in bone health is your thyroid hormone --
which is also a missing link in these studies. Hypo- and
hyperthyroidism play significant roles in osteoporosis, and
imbalances between vitamins A and D can affect thyroid
hormone and contribute to these conditions.

Rather than taking these studies at face value and simply
cutting back on your vitamin A intake, you might want to
visit with a nutritionally oriented physician and assess where
you stand with the many factors that converge to make up
your bone health. You can contact the American College of
Medicine for a list of such physicians in your area (800-532-
3688, 949-583-7666, www.acam.org).

**************************************************************
     READ YOUR BODY'S WARNING SIGNS

Take a Close Look In The Mirror Tonight...

Do you see any of these urgent warning signs written across
your body?

 * Forehead wrinkles
 * Cracked lips
 * Varicose veins
 * Pale tongue
 * Weak fingernails
 * Earlobe creases

To discover how to read your body's secret language...and
prevent - even cure - lurking illness...visit below ...
read more: 

A Closer Look...
**************************************************************
Sour news on sweetener

Q: I recently read your article about using stevia as a
sweetener, which I have done in the past. But recently I
switched to Splenda because I had heard it was a healthful
sugar substitute. Do you still think stevia is best?

JVW: Splenda is actually the brand name of the artificial
sweetener sucralose. Sucralose is created by adding chlorine
molecules to sugar.

In a study published in the FDA's Federal Register, rats who
have been given sucralose have experienced shrunken
thalamus glands, enlarged liver and kidneys, reduced growth
rate, reduced red blood cell count, and diarrhea. Independent
human tests to determine long-term safety have not been
done.

Stevia, on the other hand, has been used for years with no
reports of adverse side effects, and I recommend it over
refined sugar and any of the artificial sweeteners. 

**************************************************************
     Discover Mother Earth's 9 best 'patented'
        medicines for a long, healthy life

In this day and age, mineral deficiencies are very real -
and they can make you very sick...even be fatal. But you
can be ahead of the game...by replenishing your mineral
reserves. Let Dr. Wright guide you to the miracle mineral
therapies you won't discover at the corner HMO clinic - and
help you conquer more than 35 conditions that could ruin
(or shorten) your life. Find out more: 

Learn how to live a long, healthy life!
       

************************************************************

What is...sucralose?

As Dr. Wright mentions above, sucralose is the generic name
for the articifial sweetener Splenda. It is made in a laboratory
by selectively substituting three hydrogen-oxygen groups on
the sucrose (sugar) molecule with three atoms of chlorine.
This is why manufacturers can claim that sucralose is a
derivative of sugar and make it sound safer than other
sweeteners.

But sucralose is a chlorocarbon, and chlorocarbons have long
been suspected of causing organ, genetic, and reproductive
damage. Thus it is important to stress that if you experience
kidney pain, cramping, or an irritated bladder after using
sucralose you should stop using it immediately and pay your
doctor a visit.

Yours in good health,
Amanda Ross
Managing Editor
Nutrition & Healing

Sources: 
Opotowsky AR, Bilezikian JP. "Serum vitamin A
concentration and the risk of hip fracture among women 50
to 74 years old in the United States: a prospective analysis of
the NHANES I follow-up study." Am J Med 2004; 117(3):
169-174

Michaelsson K, Lithell H, Vessby B, Melhus H. "Serum
retinol levels and the risk of fracture." N Engl J Med 2003;
348(4): 287-294.

"12 Questions You Need To Have Answered Before You Eat
Splenda," Dr. Joseph Mercola's website
(www.mercola.com), 1/10/04

"Food Additives Permitted for Direct Addition to Food for
Human Consumption; Sucralose: 21 CFR Part 172 [Docket
No. 87F–0086]," FDA Federal Register 1998; 63(64):
16,417-16,433

Sign-up for the free Health e-Tips e-letter  Health e-Tips  Archives  2005 June  2005 May  2005 April  2005 March  2005 February  2005 January  2004 December  2004 November  2004 October  2004 Sept  2004 August  2004 July -