More Good News For Vitamin D And Fish Oil:

05/15/07

By Nurse Mark

Will wonders never cease?

It seems that even the mighty National Institutes of Health's National Eye Institute has taken notice of vitamins and dietary supplements lately.

Not only has fish oil been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, researchers are also looking at it to see if it can slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease.

News reports this week tell us that a study sponsored by the NEI has shown that Omega-3 fatty acids - such as are found in fish oil - can help to prevent macular degeneration.

This is not the first study to look at Omega-3 oils and it confirms earlier research suggesting that omega-3 fatty acids help ward off macular degeneration. The study's authors say that fatty acids may promote cell survival and improve blood vessel function, reduce inflammation and maintain energy balance.

The same report goes on to say that a separate study demonstrated that taking Vitamin D can help to reduce the risk of early Age-related Macular Degeneration, though it does not alter the effects of advanced Age-related Macular Degeneration.

While this is not really news to us here at the Wellness Club, it is good news in that this information that was noted in the Archives of Ophthalmology - a prestigious mainstream medical journal. That means that a lot of conventional doctors will be exposed to it, and because of that, hopefully patients will find it easier to talk with their doctors about incorporating these important elements into their medical treatment plans.

We do offer a caution here though: as we mentioned in last week's HealthBeat News article "What's Burning You", if your digestion is impaired you could take boat-loads of Vitamin D, fish oil, and all sorts of other supplements and still get no benefit from them. Without proper and adequate digestion the body simply cannot assimilate or make use of the nutrients that it is offered - and that includes Vitamin D and fish oil.

All the more reason to enjoy the sunshine (or take your Vitamin D supplements) and enjoy a nice fish dinner - salmon is our favorite!

Oh, and perhaps a kind word and tip o' the hat to the National Institutes of Health's National Eye Institute for having the courage to look at natural substances in it's quest for cures.