Is Exposure to Antibiotics in Early Life Related to Increased Asthma Rates?

In March of 2006, a study was published that analyzed the association between antibiotic exposure in the first year of life and the development of childhood asthma.  Asthma is the most common chronic disease of children, affecting about 12.5% of children in America.  It has increased significantly over the last 30 years and is a major public health concern.  In this article, the health status of over 40,000 children were studied.  The authors discovered that an increase in antibiotic use in children coincides with an increase in physician visits for ear infections, and a high rate of inappropriate prescribing for viral upper respiratory infections and bronchitis.  They also found that the increased asthma risk after antibiotic exposure in the first year of life was 105%.  For each additional course of antibiotics in the first year of life, the risk of developing asthma increased 16%.  This study suggested that exposure to at least one course of antibiotics in the first year of life appears to be a risk factor for the development of childhood asthma.  The reason for this correlation is known as the hygiene hypothesis.  It suggests that growing up in a more hygiene-conscious environment with less microbial exposure may increase atopic immune responses and, thus, the development of asthma.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Aging

Omega-3 fatty acids from wild caught, deep sea fish such as salmon, mackerel and albacore tuna have for years been shown to help lower levels of heart disease and cardiac death.  However, a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that patients with high omega-3 intake have relatively longer "telomeres," which are stretches of DNA whose length correlates with longevity. 
Cardiologists from the University of California, San Francisco, measured telomere length over five years in 608 patients who had previous heart attacks and coronary-artery blockage.  They found that people with high levels of omega-3 fatty acids in their white blood cells experienced significantly less shortening of telomeres over five years, as compared with patients with lower omega-3 levels.   This demonstrates a potential new link between omega-3 fatty acids and the aging process.  However, the study focused only on "marine" omega-3 found in fish, not the type found in vegetable sources like flax seed and walnuts.
This is yet another study confirming the importance of consistently consuming wild caught, deep sea fish in addition to supplementing with an omega-3 fish oil supplement. 

Vitamin D Deficiency Tied to Diabetes in Obese Children

A recent article published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism demonstrated that obese children are more likely to be deficient in vitamin D and that low vitamin D levels were associated with insulin resistance, a classic physiological symptom of type 2 diabetes.
Researchers measured serum vitamin D levels in 411 obese children, ages 6 through 16 years, and 87 non-overweight children.  Fifty percent of the obese children and 22% of the healthy-weight children had vitamin D levels that were considered insufficient.  Of the obese children, 33% reported routinely skipping breakfast, which is a strong predictor of vitamin D deficiency.  The authors reported that "the two strongest predictors of decreased vitamin D levels were skipping breakfast and soda intake."
They also reported that "obese children with lower vitamin D levels had higher degrees of insulin resistance" and "low vitamin D levels may play a role in the development of type 2 diabetes.
This study demonstrates why it is important for children NOT to skip breakfast and why it is important to reduce or eliminate soda intake.
As a side note, obese children in this study had a body mass index above the 95th percentile for age and sex, which now includes approximately 19% of US children aged 6 through 19 years.

Vitamin D and Flu Prevention

Vitamin D has long been considered important for overall systemic health.  It plays a role in the absorption of certain minerals, such as calcium and magnesium.  It is important for bone health and regulates over 1000 human genes.  Some studies suggest it may prevent certain cancers, cardiovascular disease and multiple sclerosis. 

One of the most interesting responsibilities of vitamin D in the human body is its role in the regulation of the immune system.  It has been shown to regulate the body's production of anti-microbial peptides (protein fragments responsible for attacking foreign bacteria and viruses) from the innate immune system, which is the body's rapid-responding first line of defense against foreign invaders.

Vitamin D is synthesized in our bodies due to sunlight exposure.  Twenty minutes of sun exposure a day to our skin between 10 am and 2 pm is enough for our bodies to produce the required vitamin D needed.  However, because of our lack of sun exposure during the fall, winter and spring seasons, deficient levels of vitamin D is very common in our country, especially in the midwest region.  Recently, causal relationships have been connected between the the influenza season (October through April of each year) and lack of vitamin D synthesis during these same months as one explanation for high rates of influenza infection.

In a 2007 study, 104 women given vitamin D were three times less likely to report cold and flu symptoms than placebo controls.  A Low dose (800 IU/day) not only reduced reported symptoms, it abolished the seasonality of reported colds and flu.  A higher dose (2000 IU/day) virtually eradicated all reports of colds or flu.

Because of this, we recommend investing in a vitamin D supplement.  It is an effective way to prevent the flu for you and your family, free of preservatives, chemicals and allergens.