Available Abstracts

Calcium and Heart Attacks
Waist Size
Supplement Safety
Allergies
Exercise and Weight Loss
Vitamin B6 Update
Vitamin D Update
Soy
Vitamin B6
Chromium
Omega-3s
Vitamin D


Calcium and Heart Attacks
Researchers from Australia recently published a meta-analysis of studies where subjects were given only calcium supplements for bone health. Their analysis found that there was a slight increase in the risk of heart attacks in subjects who supplemented their diet with calcium. Is this a cause for concern? No. The study included only subjects who took calcium alone and specifically excluded vitamin D and magnesium, two nutrients which help with calcium absorption and utilization. There’s no reason to avoid calcium supplementation based on this research as long as it contains other nutrients such as vitamin D. For more on the study, click here.

Related Amway North America Products:
Nutrilite® Vitamin D3 2000 IU Plus K2
Nutrilite® Cal Mag D
Nutrilite® Double X Vitamin/Mineral/Phytonutrient
Nutrilite® Daily Multivitamin Multimineral
Nutrilite® Daily Free Multivitamin Multimineral

Information from Nutrilite:
Nutrilite® Double X

For a complete list of Amway North America products, associated literature and YouTube videos click here.


Waist Size
In a recent study, researchers examined the mortality rate over 10 years, along with waist size and Body Mass Index in over 100,000 men and women over 50. As you might expect, the higher the BMI, the greater the risk of death. But the research also showed that even with a normal BMI, you could still be at risk for an increased risk of premature death if your waist size is too large. For more on this study, click here.

Related Amway North America Products:
Nutrilite® Glucose Health
Nutrilite® Slimmetry™ Dietary Supplement
Nutrilite® CLA 500

For a complete list of Amway North America products, associated literature and YouTube videos click here.


Supplement Safety
The VITAL Study is a large study being conducted in Washington State to examine the safety of long-term use of dietary supplements. In a recent report from that study, researchers confirmed the safety of long-term use of supplements such as omega-3 fatty acids, ginkgo biloba, chondroitin, and glucosamine. Even more interesting was that they found that subjects taking glucosamine and chondroitin had a reduced mortality rate. For more on the study, click here.

Related Amway North America Products:
Nutrilite® Ocean Essentials Balanced Health
Nutrilite® Ocean Essentials Balanced Heart Health
Nutrilite® Ginkgo Biloba and DHA
Nutrilite® Glucosamine 7

Information from Nutrilite:
Nutrilite® Ocean Essentials Balanced Health
Nutrilite® Ocean Essentials Balanced Heart Health

For a complete list of Amway North America products, associated literature and YouTube videos click here.


Allergies
Every year more people seem to have allergies, but there are some basic nutritional approaches to boost the immune system and reduce the allergic response. Reducing saturated and omega-6 fatty acid intake from vegetable, corn, and cottonseed oil reduces dietary fats that contribute to the inflammatory response. Increasing omega-3 fatty acids, taking a probiotic regularly, and taking phytonutrients such as quercitin can be beneficial to help the immune system. For more information on seasonal allergies, click here.

Related Amway North America Products:
Nutrilite® Ocean Essentials Balanced Health
Nutrilite® Ocean Essentials Balanced Heart Health
Nutrilite® Intestiflora 7
Nutrilite® Concentrated Fruits and Vegetables

Information from Nutrilite:
Nutrilite® Ocean Essentials Balanced Health
Nutrilite® Ocean Essentials Balanced Heart Health
Nutrilite® Concentrated Fruits and Vegetables

For a complete list of Amway North America products, associated literature and YouTube videos click here.


Exercise and Weight Loss
Walking is the most popular form of exercise. It doesn’t require equipment other than a good pair of shoes. Recent research shows that it can help reduce the natural increase in body weight as we age, but the deal is that you have to walk with a purpose. Sauntering, like you might do if you window shop, won’t do it. That doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have any benefit for your mental health—a good saunter may reduce stress or give you a chance to chat with friends and family, and it’s certainly better for your body than sitting. But if you want to prevent weight gain, a little sweat equity is required. For more information on the study, click here.

Related Amway North America Products:
Nutrilite® Diet Trim Body System Kit

For a complete list of Amway North America products, associated literature and YouTube videos click here.


Vitamin B6 Update
Vitamin B6 has been in the science news again, this time related to lung cancer. Researchers examined the blood levels of B vitamins in over 300,000 people. Over the next eight years, those with the highest levels of B6 at the beginning of the study had the lowest rate of lung cancer—and that was true whether they smoked cigarettes or not. The best choice is to quit smoking but even if you quit years ago, vitamin B6 seems to have a benefit. While researchers did not look at intake from food or supplements, it stands to reason that a higher intake is related to higher blood levels. Don’t megadose, but get your vitamin B6 from cereals, multivitamins, and energy drinks. For more information on the study, click here.

Related Amway North America Products:
Nutrilite® Double X Vitamin/Mineral/Phytonutrient
Nutrilite® Daily Free Multivitamin Multimineral
XS® Energy Drinks
Nutrilite® Natural B Complex

Information from Nutrilite:
Nutrilite® Double X
Nutrilite® Natural B Complex

For a complete list of Amway North America products, associated literature and YouTube videos click here.


Vitamin D Update
Research clearly shows that vitamin D is beneficial for health, but the concern is, how much is too much? Researchers in Australia provided us with some insight. They gave a large group of women 500,000 IU vitamin D3 in a single dose. You read that correctly: 500,000 IU! Over the next year, the number of fractures and falls increased in the vitamin D group when compared to placebo. This calls into question the high amounts healthcare professionals recommend once a week to make up for serum vitamin D deficiencies. More conservative amounts such as 2,000 to 4,000 IU taken daily are probably a better approach. For more information, click here.

Related Amway North America Products:
Nutrilite® Vitamin D3 2000 IU Plus K2
Nutrilite® Cal Mag D

For a complete list of Amway North America products, associated literature and YouTube videos click here.


Soy
Women hear conflicting stories about soy. First, it’s good for breast health, then it’s not. In a recently published study, researchers monitored breast-cancer survivors. They found that there was an inverse relationship with soy intake—as soy intake increased, the reoccurrence of breast cancer decreased. While no study is definitive, this adds to the body of research that says soy protein is safe for all women. For more information on this study, click here.

Related Amway North America Products:
Nutrilite® Protein Powder
Nutrilite® Black Cohosh and Soy

Information from Nutrilite:
Nutrilite® Protein Powder

For a complete list of Amway North America products, associated literature and YouTube videos click here.


Vitamin B6
In a study recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers examined studies on vitamin B6 to see if there was a relationship between B6 and colorectal cancer. What they found was interesting: as blood levels of vitamin B6 increased, the risk of colorectal cancer decreased. While the association between vitamin B6 from foods and supplements and the rate of colorectal cancer was not as strong, it was still a positive relationship: as intake increased, colorectal cancer decreased. Vitamin B6 is found in cereals, many multivitamins, and in energy drinks. For more on this study, click here.

Related Amway North America Products:
Nutrilite® Natural B Complex
XS® Energy Drinks
Nutrilite® Double X Vitamin/Mineral/Phytonutrient
Nutrilite® Daily Free Multivitamin Multimineral

Information from Nutrilite:
Nutrilite® Natural B Complex
Nutrilite® Double X

For a complete list of Amway North America products, associated literature and YouTube videos click here.


Chromium
The diets of most Americans are high in calories but low in nutrients. As a result, researchers are discovering that sub-clinical deficiencies of nutrients contribute to various conditions. Chromium is just such a nutrient--it’s used to make glucose tolerance factor, which helps your body regulate blood sugar. But a deficiency of chromium is also related to increased triglycerides, decreased HDL-cholesterol (also known as the good cholesterol), increased blood pressure, and visceral obesity according to the latest research. What’s visceral obesity? If you can pinch more than an inch on your waist, you’ve got it. Chromium is found in the food supply in very low amounts and can also be obtained from dietary supplements--the most popular form is chromium picolinate. For more information on chromium from Dr. Chet, click here.

Related Amway North America Products:
Nutrilite® Glucose Health
Nutrilite® Double X
Nutrilite® Daily Multivitamin Multimineral
Nutrilite® Daily Free Multivitamin Multimineral

Information from Nutrilite:
Nutrilite® Double X

For a complete list of Amway North America products, associated literature and YouTube videos click here.


Omega-3s
Omega-3 fatty acids are polyunsaturated fats that are beneficial for health. The problem is that these fatty acids are virtually missing from our food supply unless we regularly eat cold-water fish, nuts, or flaxseed. In a recent study, researchers examined the relationship between omega-3 fatty acids from fish and markers for aging found in our DNA. What they found was that people who had the most EPA and DHA from fish had DNA changes associated with delayed aging. They examined many other factors that could have been associated with healthy DNA and eliminated all of them. If you don’t eat fish, this may be the time to supplement with fish oil. Will other types of omega-3 fatty acids work just as well? We don’t know at this time, but taking omega-3 fatty acids from vegetarian sources has proven effective for other benefits. The message is get your omega-3s. For more information on this study, check out the full story from Dr. Chet at this link.

Related Amway North America Products:
Nutrilite® OCEAN ESSENTIALS® Balanced Health
Nutrilite® OCEAN ESSENTIALS® Heart Health
Nutrilite® Veggie 150 Omega Complex

Information from Nutrilite:
NUTRILITE™ Omega Products

For a complete list of Amway North America products, associated literature and YouTube videos click here.


Vitamin D
The RDA for vitamin D is 200 IU for adults under 50 and 400 IU for those over 50. Based on recent research, that may be enough to prevent Rickets, a disease of the bones, but it’s not enough for optimal health. The Institutes of Medicine has called for a review of the RDA for vitamin D because new research associates the lack of vitamin D with heart disease, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and depression. The research started with a simple question: why do certain diseases seem to be clustered in areas above the 35th parallel? The researchers concluded that the critical factor was sunshine. Specifically, the more people are exposed to ultraviolet light that stimulated their body to make vitamin D, the less we see of those diseases. While we don’t know what the committee evaluating vitamin D will recommend, we know that based on the evidence, up to 2,000 IU vitamin D3 would probably be prudent. For more information on vitamin D, check out the full story from Dr. Chet.

Related Amway North America Products:
Nutrilite® Vitamin D3 2000 IU Plus K2
Nutrilite® Cal Mag D
Nutrilite® Double X
Nutrilite® Daily Multivitamin Multimineral
Nutrilite® Daily Free Multivitamin Multimineral

Information from Nutrilite:
Nutrilite® Double X

For a complete list of Amway North America products, associated literature and YouTube videos click here.


Dr. Chet’s Health Tips are for educational purposes only and are not a substitute for medical advice from your healthcare provider; you should not use these tips to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease. Dr. Chet’s Health Tips are designed to motivate you to work toward better health, which includes seeing your healthcare professional regularly. If anything that you’ve read raises questions or concerns about health problems or possible diseases, talk to your healthcare provider today.