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A number of previous studies have linked vitamin D with a number of diseases, from cardiovascular to neurological. E. Sherwood Brown and colleagues from The Cooper Institute in Texas examined the results for 12,594 men and women who were seen at the Cooper Clinic from late 2006 to late 2010. The team observed that higher vitamin D levels were associated with a significantly decreased risk of current depression, particularly among people with a prior history of depression.“We found that low vitamin D levels are associated with depressive symptoms, especially in persons with a history of depression,” the researchers report. “These findings suggest that primary care patients with a history of depression may be an important target for assessment of vitamin D levels.”
Hoang, M.T., et al.. Association between low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and depression in a large sample of healthy adults: The Cooper Center Longitudinal Study. Mayo Clin Proc. 86(11):1050-1055.
Moderate Red Wine Consumption May Lower Breast Cancer Risk
Drinking red wine in moderation may reduce one of the risk factors for breast cancer, providing a natural weapon to combat a major cause of death among American women. Chrisandra Shufelt and colleagues from the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute in California studied 36 women who were randomized to drink either cabernet sauvignon or chardonnay daily for almost a month and then switched to the other type of wine. Blood was collected twice each month to measure hormone levels. The researchers wanted to know whether red wine mimics the effects of aromatase inhibitors, which play a key role in managing estrogen and which are currently used to treat breast cancer. The team found that chemicals in the skins and seeds of red grapes slightly lowered estrogen while elevating testosterone in premenopausal women who drank eight ounces of red wine nightly for about a month. “These data suggest that red wine is a nutritional [aromatase inhibitor] and may explain the observation that red wine does not appear to increase breast cancer risk,” the authors conclude, submitting that the data challenge the widely held belief that all types of alcohol consumption heighten the risk of developing breast cancer.
Shufelt, C., et al). Red versus white wine as a nutritional aromatase inhibitor in premenopausal women. Journal of Women’s Health. December.
—Dr. Bob Goldman
www.WorldHealth.net