Sun up

Men with low concentrations of vitamin D have higher risk of heart attack

The good news just keeps on coming for vitamin D. A new study of men finds that getting plenty of vitamin D seems to lessen the risk of having a heart attack.

Researchers tracked the effect of vitamin D levels in blood by testing blood samples collected from 1993 to 1995 from more than 18,000 men who were part of a long-term study of physicians. Researchers then monitored these men for 10 years. By analyzing the initial blood vitamin D readings with the men’s subsequent health history, researchers were able to assess whether vitamin D status affected heart attack risk.

The researchers found that 454 men had heart attacks during the 10-year period that followed. Men with the least vitamin D were twice as likely to have a heart attack as men with the most, says Edward Giovannucci of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston. He and his colleagues report the data in the June 9 Archives of Internal Medicine.

The finding stood up even after the researchers accounted for differences between the groups in age, race, family history of heart attacks, weight, alcohol consumption, physical activity, history of diabetes, high blood pressure, ethnicity, fish consumption, cholesterol, triglyceride levels and the region in which they lived.

Although many factors contribute to heart attack risk, some people still have the big one without fitting the profile. Others who do have such factors don’t have heart attacks.

Some earlier studies hinted that people living at high latitudes, typically in the far north, have an added risk that is further elevated during winter months. It’s no coincidence that these are the months of low sunshine and hence low vitamin D production by the body, says Giovannucci, a physician and epidemiologist.

The finding underscores that too little vitamin D “is a straightforward risk factor” for heart attack, says study coauthor Bruce Hollis, a molecular biologist at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. “It’s right up there with high blood pressure and smoking,” he says.

Hollis and Giovannucci also suspect that vitamin D fends off infections, which may indirectly account for some of this heart attack protection, since research has tied infections and the low-grade inflammation they spawn to heart disease. Giovannucci says the winter flu season and the onset of many other respiratory infections in winter might be in part attributable to a lack of vitamin D.

Giovannucci also cites animal studies and some work in people that shows that a lack of vitamin D seems to disrupt proper calcium regulation in the body, leaving less needed calcium in bone and adding more to arteries, where it contributes to hardening and a risk of heart attack.

These and other findings suggest that dermatologists’ campaign to keep people out of the sun to reduce the risk of skin cancer has left many at risk of heart attack, as well as osteoporosis, autoimmune diseases, infections and other conditions that vitamin D seems to fend off, Hollis says.

By Nathan Seppa

source; www.sciencenews.org

BAD BREATH

The words coming out of your mouth are sweet, so why does everyone cringe and back away when you speak to them? Your mother would say it was your imagination, but there might be a reason why you’re repelling your friends and colleagues: you could have a nasty case of halitosis or bad breath.

Simply put, bad breath is the result of odor-causing bacteria gorging and producing waste -- or volatile sulfur compounds -- in your mouth. Odor-causing bacteria are anaerobic, which means they don’t need oxygen to survive. Instead, they prefer a dry, airless environment. This is when a good dental regimen becomes important -- an accumulation of plaque (the white film that appears on teeth, gums and tongues) can distort the mouth’s oxygen ratio, helping the bad guys flourish and making your breath rancid.

The bacterium that causes bad breath feeds on protein, and whether it finds its sustenance in a steak sandwich or the naturally occurring protein in your saliva, you can never fully remove its food source. There are foods other than meat, however, that can either provide a meal for odor-causing bacteria or a friendly environment for them to grow in. We’ve listed some of the most common offenders below.

causes of bad breath

Dairy

Cheese and other dairy products are typically high in protein, giving bacteria that cause bad breath a smorgasbord of material to turn into smelly waste.

Alcohol

Because alcohol is a drying agent, or desiccant, it slows down your mouth’s saliva production, helping to make a perfect environment for odor-causing bacteria to flourish.

Sugar

In a rancid-breath double whammy, sugar can both provide a food source for bacteria and give you a good start toward tooth decay.

Garlic

Garlic, with its high sulfur content, is one of the most notorious bad breath offenders around, and for good reason. When you eat it you will most certainly get bad breath, and it will perhaps even give a particularly nasty tinge to the smell of your sweat.

Smoking

Taking a hit from a cigarette dries out your mouth something fierce, which will make your mouth a great place for bacteria to thrive. Not only that, but the combination of more than 4,000 toxic chemicals in your mouth will cause a potent enough smell to drive away a skunk.

combating bad breath

Breath-friendly foods aside, the No. 1 thing you can do to ensure that your breath is as sweet as your personality is to keep up a diligent oral regimen. This should include brushing (teeth, gums and tongue) and flossing. Let’s paint a picture for you of what bad breath might smell like on a larger scale: You know the smell old meat and vegetables get when you haven’t emptied your garbage in a few days? Imagine smaller pieces of leftover food particles getting just as rancid in your mouth.

If you already have bad breath, there are actions you can take that help you smell fresh and clean again. We’ve listed some cures for bad breath below.

Water

If you have halitosis, drinking a glass or two of water may go a long way toward freshening that pungent reek. Water can flush out food particles that remain in the mouth after meals, along with stimulating saliva production and generally making your mouth a cleaner, less attractive place for bacteria to grow.

Chlorophyll

When taken in liquid or capsule forms, chlorophyll -- which is the pigment that makes plants green -- is touted to be an effective internal deodorizer and breath freshener. Lacking a bottle of the stuff? Try munching on a few sprigs of fresh parsley.

Sugarless gum

The distinct lack of sugar in sugar-free gum will prevent the bad-breath bacteria in your mouth from gorging on sweets and making your breath worse.

Spices

Certain spices have long been known for their freshening qualities. Fennel, a spice whose taste bears a striking resemblance to licorice, is a centuries-old bad breath remedy. Cloves, anise, cardamom, peppermint, and coriander have also been known for their stench-fighting properties. There are many different ways to ingest these spices in an attempt to eradicate bad breath -- from tea to gargles -- but the easiest method is just popping a few pieces into your mouth and chewing them.

bad breath bandits
Although it’s something that everyone will deal with, bad breath can be hugely embarrassing. Bad breath can also be a roadside marker to more serious conditions like diabetes or a mouth infection, and a raunchy smell emanating from the nasal cavity can be symptomatic of sinusitis.

If you think skipping a meal equates skipping over bad breath, you’re wrong. Fasting often goes hand-in-hand with saliva reduction, and for that reason, it’s a major halitosis encourager.

Whatever you do, don’t rely on mouthwash. The strong taste will mask bad breath for a while, but mouthwashes containing alcohol may dry your mouth and decrease your saliva production, potentially making your bad breath worse. If you must use mouthwash, try an antibacterial kind or one that contains chlorine dioxide.

Are you wondering if your own mouth could use some freshness? Don’t bother doing the old “blow into your hands and smell” trick. This doesn’t work because we grow accustomed to our own body’s odors, so you won’t be able to tell if your exhalations are particularly pungent. As much as you may not like to hear this, it’s best to swallow your pride and ask someone to sniff your breath for you.

By Jen Janzen
Article Suggested By: Doug A., Houston, TX
source ; www.badbreath.com.au