Can vitamin D protect against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)?

 Can taking a vitamin D supplement prevent infection with the virus that causes the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)?

Answer From William F. Marshall, III M.D.

There isn't enough data to recommend use of vitamin D to prevent infection with the virus that causes COVID-19 or to treat COVID-19, according to the National Institutes of Health and the World Health Organization.

Several recent studies have looked at the impact of vitamin D on COVID-19. One study of 489 people found that those who had a vitamin D deficiency were more likely to test positive for the virus that causes COVID-19 than people who had normal levels of vitamin D.

Other research has observed high rates of vitamin D deficiency in people with COVID-19 who experienced acute respiratory failure. These people had a significantly higher risk of dying. And a small, randomized study found that of 50 people hospitalized with COVID-19 who were given a high dose of a type of vitamin D (calcifediol), only one needed treatment in the intensive care unit. In contrast, among the 26 people with COVID-19 who weren't given calcifediol, 13 needed to be treated in the intensive care unit.

In addition, vitamin D deficiency is common in the United States, particularly among Hispanic and Black people. These groups have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19. Vitamin D deficiency is also more common in people who are older, people who have a body mass index of 30 or higher (obesity), and people who have high blood pressure (hypertension). These factors also increase the risk of severe COVID-19 symptoms.

However, in recent years two randomized clinical trials that studied the effects of vitamin D supplementation had less hopeful results. In both trials, high doses of vitamin D were given to people who had vitamin D deficiencies and were seriously ill — not with COVID-19. Vitamin D didn't reduce the length of their hospital stays or their mortality rates when compared with those given a placebo.

Further research is needed to determine what role, if any, vitamin D and vitamin D deficiency might play in the prevention of and treatment of COVID-19.

In the meantime, if you have a vitamin D deficiency, talk to your doctor about whether a supplement might be right for you. If you're concerned about your vitamin D level, ask your doctor about getting it checked.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/expert-answers/coronavirus-and-vitamin-d/faq-20493088

Mayo Clinic: Comparing the differences between COVID-19 vaccines

 A coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine can help you develop immunity to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, without getting ill. While each type of vaccine works in a different way, all COVID-19 vaccines prompt an immune response so that your body remembers how to fight the virus in the future.

The safety of the COVID-19 vaccines is being closely monitored by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Even after a vaccine is authorized for use, vaccine safety monitoring systems continue to watch for side effects.

Here's what you need to know about the different COVID-19 vaccines:

What vaccines are available?

Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine

• mRNA vaccine
• 95% effective at preventing the COVID-19 virus with symptoms
• FDA emergency use authorization
• Greater than 89% effective in preventing people with health conditions, such as diabetes or obesity, from developing the COVID-19 virus with symptoms
• Doesn't contain eggs, latex or preservatives

Moderna vaccine

• mRNA vaccine
• 94% effective at preventing the COVID-19 virus with symptoms
• FDA emergency use authorization
• Greater than 90% effective in preventing people with health conditions, such as diabetes or obesity, from developing the COVID-19 virus with symptoms
• Doesn't contain eggs, latex or preservatives

Janssen/Johnson & Johnson

• Vector vaccine
• 66% effective at preventing the COVID-19 virus with symptoms
• 85% effective at preventing the COVID-19 virus with severe illness
• FDA emergency use authorization
• Doesn't contain eggs, latex or preservatives

How many doses are needed, and when does protection start?

Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine

• Two doses are needed, 21 days apart (or up to six weeks apart, if needed)
• Some protection provided after the first dose

Moderna vaccine

• Two doses are needed, 28 days apart (or up to six weeks apart, if needed)
• Some protection provided after the first dose

Janssen/Johnson & Johnson

• One dose is needed
• Some protection provided two weeks after vaccination

Who should or shouldn't get the vaccine?

Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine

People age 16 and older should get the vaccine

Moderna vaccine

People age 18 and older should get the vaccine

Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna:

• People who've had an immediate or severe allergic reaction to any of the vaccine's ingredients or after a prior dose of the vaccine shouldn't get the vaccine
• People who've had an immediate allergic reaction to any vaccine or injectable medication should be cautious about getting the vaccine

Janssen/Johnson & Johnson

• People age 18 and older should get the vaccine
• People who've had a severe allergic reaction to any of the vaccine's ingredients and people who are allergic to polysorbate shouldn’t get the vaccine

What are the vaccine's possible side effects?

Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine

Injection site pain, fatigue, headache, muscle pain, chills, joint pain, fever, nausea, feeling unwell and swollen lymph nodes

Moderna vaccine

Injection site pain, fatigue, headache, muscle pain, chills, joint pain, swollen lymph nodes in the arm that was injected, nausea, vomiting and fever

Janssen/Johnson & Johnson

Injection site pain, headache, fatigue, muscle pain, chills, fever and nausea

https://www.mayoclinic.org/coronavirus-covid-19/vaccine/comparing-vaccines

Different types of COVID-19 vaccines: How they work

Curious about how mRNA vaccines and other types of COVID-19 vaccines can help you develop immunity to the COVID-19 virus? Understand how different technologies work with the immune system to provide protection.

By Mayo Clinic Staff

A coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine can help you develop immunity to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, without getting ill. But how exactly do the different types of COVID-19 vaccines work?

Vaccines prompt an immune response so that your body remembers how to fight a virus in the future. Some vaccines use a whole virus to cause your immune system to respond. Other vaccines use parts of the virus or genetic material that provides instructions for making specific proteins like those in the virus.

Many COVID-19 vaccines involve a spikelike structure on the surface of the COVID-19 virus called an S protein. The S protein helps the virus get inside your cells and start an infection.

Manufacturers around the world are working on different types of vaccines. The main types of COVID-19 vaccines currently available in the U.S. or in large-scale clinical trials include:

• Messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine. This type of vaccine uses genetically engineered mRNA to give your cells instructions for how to make a harmless piece of the S protein found on the surface of the COVID-19 virus. After vaccination, your immune cells begin making the S protein pieces and displaying them on cell surfaces. This causes your body to create antibodies. If you become infected with the COVID-19 virus, these antibodies will fight the virus.

  After the mRNA helps your cells make the protein pieces, the mRNA is immediately broken down. It never enters the nucleus of your cells, where your DNA is kept. Both the Pfizer-BioNTech and the Moderna COVID-19 vaccines use mRNA.

• Vector vaccine. In this type of vaccine, genetic material from the COVID-19 virus is inserted into a different kind of weakened live virus, such as an adenovirus. The weakened virus (viral vector) serves as a delivery system. When the viral vector gets into your cells, it delivers genetic material from the COVID-19 virus that gives your cells instructions to make copies of the S protein. Once your cells display the S proteins on their surfaces, your immune system responds by creating antibodies and defensive white blood cells. If you become infected with the COVID-19 virus, the antibodies will fight the virus.

  Viral vector vaccines can't cause you to become infected with the COVID-19 virus or the viral vector virus. Also, the genetic material that's delivered doesn't become part of your DNA. The Janssen/Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine is a vector vaccine. AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford are also working on a vector COVID-19 vaccine.

• Protein subunit vaccine. Subunit vaccines include only the parts of a virus that best stimulate your immune system. This type of COVID-19 vaccine contains harmless S proteins. Once your immune system recognizes the S proteins, it creates antibodies and defensive white blood cells. If you become infected with the COVID-19 virus, the antibodies will fight the virus.

  Novavax is working on a protein subunit COVID-19 vaccine.

In the U.S., the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given emergency use authorization to the Pfizer-BioNtech, Moderna and Jansssen/Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines. More types of vaccines are expected to be authorized for use in the coming months.

A COVID-19 vaccine might prevent you from getting COVID-19 or from becoming seriously ill or dying due to COVID-19. Consult your local health department for the latest information on how and when you can receive a vaccine.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/in-depth/different-types-of-covid-19-vaccines/art-20506465

Mayo Clinic - Brain Tumours - Signs and symptoms Video

Mayo Clinic - GERD - Causes and Effect of

Researchers link Alzheimer’s gene to Type 3 diabetes

Researchers have known for several years that being overweight and having Type 2 diabetes can increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. But they’re now beginning to talk about another form of diabetes: Type 3 diabetes. This form of diabetes is associated with Alzheimer's disease.

October 25, 2017

Type 3 diabetes occurs when neurons in the brain become unable to respond to insulin, which is essential for basic tasks, including memory and learning. Some researchers believe insulin deficiency is central to the cognitive decline of Alzheimer’s disease. Mayo Clinic’s Florida and Rochester campuses recently participated in a multi-institution clinical study, testing whether a new insulin nasal spray can improve Alzheimer’s symptoms. The results of that study are forthcoming.

But how is this tied to the Alzheimer’s gene APOE?

A new study from Guojun Bu, Ph.D., a Mayo Clinic neuroscientist and Mary Lowell Leary Professor of Medicine, found that the culprit is the variant of the Alzheimer’s gene known as APOE4. The team found that APOE4, which is present in approximately 20 percent of the general population and more than half of Alzheimer’s cases, is responsible for interrupting how the brain processes insulin. Mice with the APOE4 gene showed insulin impairment, particularly in old age. Also, a high-fat diet could accelerate the process in middle-aged mice with the gene. “The gene and the peripheral insulin resistance caused by the high-fat diet together induced insulin resistance in the brain,” Dr. Bu says. Their findings are published in Neuron.

Watch: Dr. Bu discusses the link between diabetes and Alzheimer's.

Journalists: Broadcast-quality sound bites with Dr. Bu are in the downloads.

The team went on to describe how it all works in the neurons. They found that the APOE4 protein produced by the gene, can bind more aggressively to insulin receptors on the surfaces of neurons than its normal counterpart, APOE3. As if playing a game of musical chairs, the APOE4 protein outcompetes the normal protein and blocks the receptor. APOE4 goes on to do lasting damage to brain cells. After blocking the receptor, the sticky APOE4 protein begins to clump and become toxic. Further, once the protein enters the interior of the neuron, the clumps get trapped within the cell’s machinery, impeding the receptors from returning to the neuron surface to do their work. The insulin signal processing gets increasingly more impaired, starving brain cells.

“This study has furthered our understanding of the gene that’s the strongest genetic risk factor known for Alzheimer’s disease,” says Dr. Bu, who adds that, ultimately, the finding may personalize treatment for patients. “For instance, an insulin nasal spray or a similar treatment may be significantly more helpful for patients who don’t have the APOE4 gene. Patients who have the gene may need additional medications to help prevent cognitive decline.”

Co-first authors of this study are:

• Na Zhao, M.D., Ph.D., Mayo Clinic
• Chia-Chen Liu, Ph.D., Mayo Clinic

In addition to Dr. Bu, other researchers on the team include:

• Alexandra Van Ingelgom
• Yuka Martens, Ph.D., Mayo Clinic
• Cynthia Linares, Mayo Clinic
• Joshua Knight, Mayo Clinic
• Patrick Sullivan, Ph.D., Duke University School of Medicine
• Meghan Painter, Ph.D.

https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/researchers-link-alzheimers-gene-to-type-iii-diabetes/

Starve Cancer to Death with the Ketogenic Diet

June 15, 2013

Explained by Thomas N. Seyfried, PhD, Boston College

 

A 65-year-old woman with brain cancer had surgery to remove the tumor, but the operation couldn’t remove it all. The woman started following the ketogenic diet—a diet very high in fat, moderate in protein and very low in carbohydrate. She also had chemotherapy and radiation. After six weeks on the diet, a brain scan showed that the tumor had disappeared. A brain scan five months later showed it was still gone. However, the patient stopped the diet—and a scan three months later showed that the tumor had returned.

 

Yes, a special diet called the ketogenic diet can fight cancer. Here is a video of Dr. Thomas H. Seyfried speaking on manipulating energy metabolism in the body to target cancers.

 

 

This diet is being used to manage brain cancer and advanced (metastatic) cancer, which is when the disease has spread beyond the original tumor to other parts of the body (such as breast cancer that spreads to the liver and bones). It may be effective in fighting most, if not all, cancers, but it must be done under the supervision of an experienced oncological nutritionist.

 

Here, what you need to know about this little-known therapy for cancer…

 

HOW IT WORKS

 

The ketogenic diet is very high in fat—the ratio is four grams of fat to one gram of protein/carbohydrate. It has long been used to control epilepsy and is offered as an epilepsy treatment at hundreds of hospitals and clinics around the world, including The Johns Hopkins Epilepsy Center, Mayo Clinic and Mattel Children’s Hospital at UCLA.

 

It eases epilepsy by stabilizing neurons (brain cells). It does so by reducing glucose (blood sugar), the main fuel used by neurons, and increasing ketones (beta-hydroxybutyric acid and acetoacetic acid), a by-product of fat metabolism used by neurons when glucose levels are low. Reducing glucose and increasing ketones play key roles in fighting cancer as well.

 

The typical American diet is about 50% to 60% carbohydrate (fruits, vegetables, breads, cereals, milk and milk products, and added sugars in sweetened foods and beverages). The body turns carbohydrate into glucose, which is used for energy.

 

Cancer cells gorge on glucose. Eating a ketogenic diet deprives them of this primary fuel, starving the cells, which stop growing or die. Also, ketones are a fuel usable by normal cells but not by cancer cells, so this, too, helps stop cancer growth. In addition, the diet…

 

Puts you into a metabolic state similar to that of fasting—and fasting has repeatedly been shown to arrest cancer.

 

Lowers levels of insulin (the glucose-regulating hormone) and insulin-like growth factor—both of which drive tumor growth.

 

CASE HISTORIES

 

The first case report about the ketogenic diet for cancer appeared in Journal of the American College of Nutrition in 1995. The ketogenic diet was used by two children with advanced, inoperable brain cancer who had undergone extensive, life-threatening radiation and chemotherapy. They both responded remarkably well to the diet.

 

A case report that I coauthored, published in Nutrition & Metabolism in 2010, told the story (see beginning of this article) of the 65-year-old woman with glioblastoma multiforme—the most common and most aggressive type of brain tumor, with a median survival of only about 12 months after diagnosis. Standard treatment—surgery to remove as much of the tumor as possible, plus radiation and/or chemotherapy—extends average survival time only a few months beyond that of people who aren’t treated.

 

My viewpoint: In animal research, the ketogenic diet is the only therapeutic approach that deprives tumors of their primary fuel…stops tumor cells from invading other areas…stops the process of angiogenesis (blood supply to tumors)…and reduces inflammation, which drives cancer. The diet also could reduce the need for anticonvulsant and anti-inflammatory medications in brain cancer patients.

 

Considering how ineffective the current standard of care is for brain cancer (and for metastatic cancer), the ketogenic diet could be an attractive option for many cancer patients.

 

WORKING WITH AN EXPERT

 

The ketogenic diet for cancer is not a diet you should undertake on your own after reading a book or other self-help materials. It requires the assistance of an oncological nutritionist or other health professional who is familiar with the use of the regimen in cancer patients. Ask your oncologist for a referral.

 

Important aspects of the ketogenic diet include…

 

• Measuring glucose and ketone levels. For the management of cancer, blood glucose levels should fall between 55 mg/dL and 65 mg/dL, and ketone levels between 3 mmol and 5 mmol. In order to monitor those levels—and adjust your diet accordingly—you need to use methods similar to those used by patients with diabetes. These methods include glucose testing several times a day with a finger stick and glucose strip…daily urine testing for ketones…and (more accurate) home blood testing for ketones, perhaps done weekly.

• Starting with a water-only fast. If you are in relatively good health (aside from the cancer, of course), it is best to start the ketogenic diet with a water-only fast for 48 to 72 hours, which will quickly put you in ketosis—the production of a therapeutic level of ketones. This fast should be guided by a health professional.
  
  If you are fragile or in poor health, you can skip the water fast and initiate ketosis with the ketogenic diet, reducing carbohydrates to less than 12 grams a day. This should produce ketosis within two or three weeks.

• Macronutrient ratios and recipes. Working with a nutritionist, you will find the fat/protein/carbohydrate ratio that works best for you to lower glucose and increase ketones…and the recipes and meal plan that consistently deliver those ratios. A food diary, a food scale and the use of a “KetoCalculator” (available on Web sites such as KetoCalculator.com/ketocalc/diet.asp) are necessary tools to implement the ketogenic diet.
  
  Helpful: The oncological nutritionist Miriam Kalamian, EdM, MS, CNS, managed her own son’s brain tumor with the ketogenic diet, and she counsels cancer patients around the world in the implementation of the diet. You can find more information on her Web site, DietaryTherapies.com.

CLINICAL TRIALS

Currently, there are several clinical trials being conducted using the ketogenic diet for cancer.

• Brain cancer. There are trials at Michigan State University and in Germany and Israel testing the diet’s efficacy as a complementary treatment with radiation for recurrent glioblastoma…and by itself to improve the quality of life and survival time in patients with brain cancer. Michigan State University currently is recruiting patients for its trial. Contact: Ken Schwartz, MD, 517-975-9500, e-mail: ken.schwartz@ht.msu.edu.

• Pancreatic cancer. A trial at Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center at University of Iowa is recruiting patients with pancreatic cancer for a trial using the ketogenic diet along with radiation and chemotherapy. Contact: Jane Hershberger, RN, BSN, 319-384-7912, e-mail: jane-hershberger@uiowa.edu.

• Lung cancer. The University of Iowa also is recruiting lung cancer patients for a similar trial. The contact information is the same as for the trial on pancreatic cancer.

• Metastatic cancer. The VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System is recruiting patients with metastatic cancer for a study of the effect of the ketogenic diet on quality of life, tumor growth and survival. Contact: Jocelyn Tan, MD, 412-360-6178, e-mail: jocelyn.tan@va.gov.


You can find out more about these trials at ClinicalTrials.gov. Enter “Ketogenic Diet” into the search engine at the site for a complete listing of cancer trials and trials testing the ketogenic diet for other conditions, including epilepsy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Lafora disease (a severe neurological disease), Parkinson’s disease and obesity.



CAN THE DIET PREVENT CANCER?


Cancer survivors and people with a family history of cancer may wonder if they should go on the ketogenic diet as a preventive measure. It is not necessary for people to follow the diet if they do not have cancer. A six-to-seven-day water-only fast done once or twice a year—under a doctor’s supervision—can be effective in reducing the risk for recurrent cancer in survivors and in those individuals with a family history of cancer. Fasting reduces glucose and elevates ketones.

Source: Thomas N. Seyfried, PhD, a professor of biology at Boston College and author of Cancer as a Metabolic Disease: On the Origin, Management, and Prevention of Cancer (Wiley). His numerous scientific articles have appeared in Nature Medicine, Science, The Lancet Oncology, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Journal of Oncology, Cancer Letters, Journal of Neurochemistry and many other medical and scientific journals.

http://www.bottomlinepublications.com/content/article/health-a-healing/starve-cancer-to-death-with-the-ketogenic-diet?


Also read Dr Mercola's article on:   

Ketogenic Diet in Combination with Calorie Restriction and Hyperbaric Treatment Offer New Hope in Quest for Non-Toxic Cancer Treatment         

New risk for rheumatoid arthritis

New risk for rheumatoid arthritis: What women should know

By Kathleen Blanchard RN on May 1, 2012 - 9:36pm for eMaxHealth


Researchers find a surge in rheumatoid arthritis among women, driven perhaps by obesity. According to Mayo Clinic researchers, there appears to be a link between the two. Being obese could be fueling the painful autoimmune disorder among women that attacks and inflames the joints.

The study, published in the American College of Rheumatology journal Arthritis Care & Research, found obesity significantly boosts a woman’s risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis.

The finding is important for women who want to maintain independence and quality of life through early lifestyle interventions.

Medical records show obesity, rheumatoid arthritis link

Researchers found the link between obesity and RA when they looked at medical records from 1980-2007 from the Rochester Epidemiology Project. They looked at equal number of adults – one group with rheumatoid arthritis and a control group who were matched by age, gender and calendar year. They also noted smoking status, height and weight. Sixty eight percent were women and approximately 30% in each group were obese.

There was a 9.2% increase found in RA per 100,000 women from 1985 to 2007; 52% of which was the result of obesity.

Study co-author Eric Matteson, M.D., chair of the Division of Rheumatology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester said in a news release, "We know that fat tissues and cells produce substances that are active in inflammation and immunity. We know too that obesity is related to many other health problems such as heart disease and diabetes, and now perhaps to autoimmunity. It adds another reason to reduce and prevent obesity in the general population."

The researchers aren’t sure why obesity might trigger rheumatoid arthritis. The cause is unknown and once RA develops there is no cure.

In addition to painful joints, the condition can damage other organs. Smoking, periodontal disease and environmental exposure to silica mineral all are reported to raise the risk of disease. The new study suggests obesity might also raise a woman’s risk for rheumatoid arthritis. Women can cut their chances of developing the painful condition by cutting calories and remaining active to maintain a normal BMI.

Source:
Arthritis Care & Research
April 25, 2012

Image credit: Wikimedia commons

http://www.emaxhealth.com/1020/new-risk-rheumatoid-arthritis-what-women-should-know