MTHFR Mutation: A Missing Piece in the Chronic Disease Puzzle

Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) is one of the most important enzymes in human physiology, having influence on at least as many biochemical processes as it has syllables in its name. Deficiencies in this enzyme increase the risk of CVD, several types of cancer, congenital defects, and inflammatory bowel disease. Fortunately, deficiencies are correctable with targeted supplementation.

Can Probiotics Influence Fertility? It’s Conceivable!

Presence or absence of particular strains of beneficial bacteria in the female digestive and reproductive tracts have a much greater influence on fertility than most people realize.

Blood Viscosity: The Unifying Parameter In Cardiovascular Disease Risk

Increased blood viscosity is the only biological parameter that has been linked with all of the other major heart disease risk factors, including high blood pressure, elevated LDL cholesterol, low HDL, type-II diabetes, metabolic syndrome, obesity, smoking, age, and male gender. Until recently, technological limitations made it impractical for doctors to measure this key risk factor. Fortunately, that’s changing.

Blood Viscosity: The Unifying Parameter In Cardiovascular Disease Risk

Increased blood viscosity is the only biological parameter that has been linked with all of the other major heart disease risk factors, including high blood pressure, elevated LDL cholesterol, low HDL, type-II diabetes, metabolic syndrome, obesity, smoking, age, and male gender. Until recently, technological limitations made it impractical for doctors to measure this key risk factor. Fortunately, that’s changing.

Blood Viscosity: The Unifying Parameter In Cardiovascular Disease Risk

Increased blood viscosity is the only biological parameter that has been linked with all of the other major heart disease risk factors, including high blood pressure, elevated LDL cholesterol, low HDL, type-II diabetes, metabolic syndrome, obesity, smoking, age, and male gender. Until recently, technological limitations made it impractical for doctors to measure this key risk factor. Fortunately, that’s changing.

A Medical Food Turbocharges Mediterranean Diet for Reversing Metabolic Syndrome

People with metabolic syndrome who add a soy-based “medical food” to a low-glycemic load Mediterranean-style diet can push the cardiometabolic benefits well beyond what is obtainable with the diet alone.

Sublingual Immunotherapy: Allergy Relief Under Your Tongue

Sublingual immunotherapy is a safe, highly effective alternative to injection-based treatments for managing allergies. Moreover, it enables primary care physicians to treat patients that they are currently referring out to specialists.

Consensus Builds on High-Dose Vitamin D for Breast Cancer Prevention–Despite IOM Report

Despite the Institute of Medicine’s recent report, many nutrition-minded oncologists believe high-dose vitamin D supplementation—upwards of 4,000 IU/day—has potential to markedly reduce risk of primary breast cancer as well as breast cancer recurrence, with minimal risk of toxicity.

Who’s in Bed with the IOM? Vitamin D Report Prompts Conflict of Interest Suspicion

The Institute of Medicine’s Nov. 30 consensus statement claiming most Americans do not need supplemental vitamin D—a position that runs counter to the views of many clinicians and researchers⎯has some folks wondering if committee members had preexisting biases or vested interests against supplementation.

It turns out that at least two members of the committee hold patents on synthetic vitamin D analogs in development or already on the market as prescription drugs, and significant relationships with companies involved in vitamin D drug development.

Telomeres, Aging, & Disease Prevention: Do Telomere-Targeted Treatments Have a Role in Clinical Practice?

Telomeres—segments of chromosomes that prevent aberration or loss of genetic information during cell division—are among the hottest research topics these days, and they’ve become the focus of “anti-aging” and chronic disease prevention strategies. Like many areas of genetic research, the work on telomeres raises as many questions as it answers. Anti-aging specialist Dr. Stephen Holt explores the many nuances of telomere and telomerase research, offering his own clinically tested recommendations.