Are Nitrates Bad? The True Story

The first time I saw nitrate-free bacon at Trader Joe’s I wondered why it wasn’t made with sustainably-sourced pork. “What’s the point?” I thought. Indeed, has the public been mislead to care about one issue, when the real issue is more pervasive and subtle?Let’s first look at the truths surrounding nitrates:

• Nitrates have been used for hundreds of years to preserve meats and dairy products.
• Nitrates convert to nitrites during the curing process.  By adding sodium nitrite manufacturers were able to expedite the curing timeline.
• While both of these components prevent rancidity and the growth of bacteria, consuming excess amounts can be toxic in all mammals.
• Celery, salad greens, cabbage, turnips and spinach all contain nitrates. So does fresh meat.
• Our bodies actually require nitrates in moderation. One function they perform is to kill oral germs, being a compound found in saliva. They have also been found to dilate blood vessels, increasing blood flow. Increased nitrite and nitrate consumption, in the form of nitrate-rich produce, is now being recommended after heart attacks!
• Over the last decade nitrates have gotten a bad rap. Manufacturers began adding vegetable-sourced preservatives, instead of sodium nitrite, usually celery juice or celery powder.

IS CELERY JUICE A GOOD ALTERNATIVE TO CHEMICAL NITRITES?

The short answer is “no.” Nitrate-free has become a popular selling point for many bacon producers. However, celery juice contains high levels of nitrates, which is why it is being used.

The use of celery juice as a source of nitrates is not regulated by the USDA. Strict guidelines are in place for all foods containing sodium nitrite; so its quantity is limited to a small fraction of the recipe. 10 parts per million (or less) remain once the curing process is complete. This is not the case with celery juice. It can be used in lesser, or more commonly, higher quantities with zero regulation or standardization. Therefore, “nitrate-free” bacon will likely have larger amounts of nitrates than bacon without this label, up to ten times the amount, according to the The Journal of Food Protection.

Also, if the ingredients do not say “organic celery juice” celery is one of the “dirty dozen,” a crop heavily treated with pesticides. We are creating a demand for conventional celery and therefore ongoing pesticide use.

WHAT’S THE BIGGER ISSUE?

When we purchase bacon that is “nitrate-free,” but not pasture-raised or organic, we are doing two things:

• We are supporting a meat that has not been sustainably sourced. The meat itself isn’t healthy just because the label says “nitrate-free.” The pork still comes from a concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO). And the pork industry is the among the worst, with pigs literally never seeing the light of day from the time they are born to the time they are slaughtered.
• And secondly, we are perhaps ingesting greateramounts of nitrates, instead of less.Organic producers often standardize their natural preservative quantities, with healthfulness and transparency toward customers in mind.

IF NITRATES ARE NEEDED IN OUR DIET, HOW DID “NITRATE-FREE” BECOME POPULAR?

Here are the health issues concerning nitrates that make them worthy of caution:

• As aforementioned, large quantities of nitrates are not desirable in any mammal diet. There is a carcinogenic compound, called N- nitrosamines, associated with various forms of cancer, leukemia, lung disease and migraines. So while some nitrate consumption is recommended, too much can be disease causing. How to measure? One study said the equivalent of 12 hotdogs a month was the limit. Frankly, (no pun intended), we love Applegate Farm’s grass-fed organic hotdogs*. They’re convenient and well-sourced. But 12 hotdogs a month comes along pretty quickly when my kids eat 2-3 hotdogs in one sitting.
• An additional danger from nitrites and nitrates occurs when they are heated to high temperatures! This was news to me. The carcinogenic compound, N-nitrosamines, is produced. However, there are ways to inhibit this conversion: consuming Vitamins C, D and E. Some people drink orange juice when eating cured meats, to this purpose. Most cured meat companies add ascorbic acid to their meat for the same reason. These vitamins are naturally occurring in the fruits and vegetables that are high in nitrates, which allows them to naturally inhibit the conversion to nitrosamines. (However, the amount of these vitamins found in the amount of celery used to cure meat is not high enough to inhibit the conversion.)
• Nitrosamines are also formed when nitrites combine with protein and stomach acid.  In addition to adding Vitamin C, some meat producers, therefore, add alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E), to prevent this formation. Have you seen ascorbic acid or alpha-tocopherol in your cured meats? Now we know why.
• High-nitrate produce that is not grown organically, using high nitrate fertilizers, will have higher levels of nitrates and a bitter flavor. This increased nitrate content is not desirable, being out of balance with the vegetable’s natural nutritional profile, especially Vitamins C and D. So not only do we want to limit our nitrate consumption from cured meats, we should specifically avoid conventional produce that’s grown with synthetic fertilizers. (The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] even reveals, “Nitrates and nitrites in fertilizers readily migrate from fertilized soil to groundwater.”)

WHAT DOES “UNCURED” MEAN?

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), a division of United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), does not yet recognize natural preservatives, such as celery products, as safe anti-pathogenic curing agents. Therefore, meats that are cured with celery, or other vegetable sources, must be marked “uncured” despite that fact that they are indeed cured. Natural curing agents are considered “flavorings.” 

So it’s not really a cut and dry issue: avoid all nitrates. The issue is more accurately that we need to have an awareness of how many nitrates we are consuming and, on a different note, look at the meat sourcing.

Labels are designed to trick us. Again, nitrate-free does not mean healthy. Look for bacon or other processed meats that say “pasture-raised,” “grass-fed” and “organic.” Also remember to look at the other ingredients in your cured meat and consider the company that makes the product. Is the company sustainably-minded? What are the other ingredients? If your cured meat does not contain a Vitamin C source, consider consuming the meat with a food source of Vitamin C.  Or eat bacon for lunch on a sunny patio, to get your Vitamin D!

~Contributed by Food Renegade

What is the Link between Vitamin D and Asthma?

By The Vitamin D Counsel

Asthma is a lifelong lung disease that makes it difficult to breathe. There are tubes or airways, which carry air to and from the lungs to the mouth and nose. If an individual has asthma, these airways can become swollen, clogged with mucus and constricted by surrounding muscles.[1]

When symptoms worsen and become more intense, this is called an asthma attack. Asthma attacks can be so severe that a person would need emergency care. Individuals can have an asthma attack if they are exposed to things like allergens, smoke, extreme air temperatures and air pollution, or if they become sick or get an infection.

Asthma is treated using inhalers and/or oral medication. These help relax the muscles that surround the airways, or reduce airway swelling. Two common medicines are inhaled steroids and β-agonists.[2] There are also other kinds of asthma medications.

If you have asthma, it’s important to try and avoid coming into contact with the things that trigger attacks, such as allergens and smoke. Most of the time, you manage asthma yourself, taking inhalers and medication regularly and avoiding things that trigger your attack to help keep your condition under control.

What is the link between vitamin D and asthma?

One theory is that vitamin D helps reduce inflammation in the airways caused by asthma.

Vitamin D is a nutrient that the body produces when the skin is exposed to the sun. Supplementation and sun exposure is essential for the body to receive adequate vitamin D. Doctors and scientists believe there is a link between vitamin D and asthma, because individuals are more likely to get asthma if they live in a city, are obese or African American. These people are also more likely to be vitamin D deficient.

If an individual has asthma, their airways swell, clog with mucus and tighten because they become inflamed. Inflammation is the body’s response to an injury, infection or irritation. Doctors and scientists are interested in vitamin D, because it reduces inflammation.[5] So, in theory, it may make the airways healthier by building better airways in early childhood, improving day-to-day symptoms and decreasing the risk for an asthma attack.

Doctors and scientists are also interested in vitamin D, because it makes the immune system smarter by helping the body produce defenses to fight off infections. A smarter immune system may reduce inflammation and the likelihood of developing an infection along with an asthma attack.[6]

Scientists are looking into whether vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy reduces the chance of the infant developing asthma. They are also researching whether vitamin D sufficient children have a reduced risk of developing asthma.

In addition, researchers are investigating the potential role of vitamin D in the prevention and treatment of asthma. They also want to know if getting enough vitamin D can reduce the likelihood of asthma attacks.

A study in Canada involving people between the ages of 13 to 69 years found that those with vitamin D levels below 20 ng/mL (50 nmol/L) were 50% more likely to have asthma than those with levels between 20 and 30 ng/ml.[7] Those with low levels were also twice as likely to have had asthma at one point in their life.

Can getting enough vitamin D help improve how well asthma medication works?

Budesonide is a medicine that you inhale or use as a nasal spray and it’s sometimes prescribed for people with asthma. In the United States, it is marketed under the names Rhinocort or Pulmicort.

In one study on children with asthma[18] scientists gave all the children budesonide. Then, they gave half the children a dummy pill and the other half 500 IU of vitamin D every day. After 6 months, the children who took vitamin D had fewer asthma attacks than those who took a dummy pill.

Therefore, there is some evidence that vitamin D might help increase the efficacy of budesonide. However, the study was small, so scientists can’t say if vitamin D helps for certain.

A study in India evaluating children with moderate to severe bronchial asthma found that taking 60,000 IU of vitamin D3 per month significantly improved pulmonary function tests (peak expiratory flow rate) and reduced the requirement of steroids, emergency visits and number of asthma exacerbations.[19]

A vitamin D supplement randomized controlled trial of adults with baseline vitamin D level of 19 ng/mL treated with 100,000 IU once followed by 4,000 IU/d for 28 weeks did not reduce the rate of first treatment failure or exacerbation in adults with persistent asthma and vitamin D insufficiency[20].

Can getting enough vitamin D prevent asthma attacks or make them less severe?

There have been some studies that have looked at whether vitamin D can reduce the severity and frequency of asthma attacks in children.

In one study,[21] scientists gave one half of a group of Japanese school children (aged 6-15) 1,200 IU of vitamin D/day and the other half a dummy pill every day. Scientists mainly wanted to know if vitamin D could prevent the flu (it did), but they also wanted to know if vitamin D reduced the number of asthma attacks. The children that took the vitamin D supplement had fewer asthma attacks than the children that took the dummy pill.

A review found that giving children 500 to 2000 IU/day reduced asthma exacerbations by 60%.[22]So vitamin D may help childhood asthma.

Can getting enough vitamin D during pregnancy and early childhood prevent asthma in children?

Several research studies have looked at how much vitamin D mothers get during pregnancy and whether or not their children develop asthma later in life.

Two studies measured the amount of vitamin D in women’s blood during pregnancy:

• One study[12] found that there was no link between vitamin D levels in the mother during pregnancy and the chances of the child developing asthma. Another study[13] found that if a mother had high vitamin D levels in her blood, her child was more likely to develop asthma.

Two studies[14], [15] measured the amount of vitamin D in the umbilical cord right after birth.

• Neither study found a link between the amount of vitamin D in the cord blood at birth and the likelihood of the child later getting asthma.

One study looked at how much vitamin D pregnant mothers got from their diet and then the chances of their child getting asthma.

• This study[16] found that mothers who received the most vitamin D from their diet during pregnancy had children who were less likely to develop asthma.

A study in the United Kingdom found that taking vitamin D during pregnancy reduced the risk of asthma at age 10 years by about 10 to 15%.[17]

Given these mixed findings, it isn’t known whether there is a link between the amount of vitamin D a woman gets during her pregnancy and the chances of her child getting asthma.

There is no research about whether getting enough vitamin D during early childhood, up to the age of 6, can lower the chances of a child developing asthma later in life. However, there is some research underway looking at this.

How common is asthma and what are the symptoms?

Three hundred million people have asthma worldwide. In the United States, 1 out of every 10 people will have asthma at some point in their life. Most of the time, doctors diagnose asthma in children before they turn six years of age. Around half of all people with asthma will have an asthma attack every year.

People with asthma may experience chest tightness, wheezing and a long-lasting cough. They cannot get their breath.

The main symptoms of asthma include: [3]

• Chest tightness
• Wheezing
• Long-lasting cough
• Difficulty breathing

When an individual has an asthma attack, one may experience the above symptoms with an increased level of severity. [4]

Symptoms of severe asthma attacks may include:

• Little to no improvement after use of medication
• Bluish fingers and lips
• Exhaustion and confusion

It’s important to prepare a treatment plan with a doctor to manage future asthma attacks. Doctors often setup a set of rules to follow depending on the severity of the asthma attack.

What causes asthma?

Doctors and scientists don’t fully understand the etiology of asthma. The number of people diagnosed with asthma has increased exponentially since the 1960s. Doctors and scientists think this is a result of a change in diet, behavior and environment. Some think that not getting enough sun exposure and vitamin D may be one cause of asthma, but we don’t know yet if this is the case.

Key points from research

• At this time, it isn’t known if receiving adequate vitamin D from sun exposure, or taking supplements when pregnant, can affect the chances of the child developing asthma. Research also doesn’t show whether maintaining sufficient vitamin D levels during childhood affects the risk of developing asthma later in life.
• A couple of small studies have found that vitamin D supplementation reduced the risk of asthma attacks in children.
• A large well-designed and well-executed study in adults showed vitamin D does not help adult asthma.

What does this mean for me?

There is some evidence that supports adequate vitamin D levels may help reduce the number of asthma attacks for children.

If you’re pregnant or have a young baby, there is currently some evidence that more vitamin D, through either supplementation or sunshine, will reduce the risk of your child getting asthma. However, taking a vitamin D supplement is helpful for other reasons and important for your baby’s development.

If your child takes a budesonide, like Rhinocort or Pulmicort, there is some evidence that taking a daily vitamin D supplement may be helpful in reducing the number of asthma attacks your child has.

Research also shows that getting enough vitamin D may be able to reduce the number of asthma attacks for children between the ages of 6-15 years old, whether or not they are taking a budesonide.

If you or your child has asthma and want to take vitamin D, it’s unlikely to harm you or make your symptoms worse. However, you may not see any improvement in your symptoms either.

You should not take vitamin D in the place of other medications for your condition. Talk to your doctor about taking vitamin D or any other supplement.

How much vitamin D to take?

The Vitamin D Council recommends that healthy children take 1,000 IU of vitamin D a day for every 25 lbs of their weight, rounded up. So for example, if your child weighs 35lbs, he or she should take 1,400 IU of vitamin D/day. This amount is higher than the amount that has been used in research studies of children with asthma. So it isn’t known if this amount is helpful for children with asthma; though, it is unlikely to do any harm.

For adults, the Vitamin D Council recommends taking 5,000 IU of vitamin D a day. This amount hasn’t been tested on adults with asthma, though the federal government says taking up to 10,000 IU of vitamin D a day is unlikely to do any harm.

For pregnant mothers, the Vitamin D Council recommends 6,000 IU of vitamin D a day. How this affects the risk of your child developing asthma later in life isn’t known but that amount of vitamin D appears to reduce pregnancy complications. [23]

References

[1] National Institute of Health. What is Asthma? 2014.

[2] Lommatzsch, M. and C.J. Virchow, Severe asthma: definition, diagnosis and treatment. Dtsch Arztebl Int, 2014. 111(50): p. 847-55.

[3] Brown, S.D., H.H. Calvert, and A.M. Fitzpatrick, Vitamin D and asthma. Dermatoendocrinol, 2012. 4(2): p. 137-45.

[4] http://www.acaai.org/allergist/asthma/symptoms/Pages/asthma-attack-symptoms.aspx

[5] Gupta, A., Bush, A., Hawrylowicz, C., et al., Vitamin D and asthma in children. Paediatr Respir Rev, 2012. 13(4): p. 236-43; quiz 243.

[6] Gupta, A., Bush, A., Hawrylowicz, C., et al., Vitamin D and asthma in children. Paediatr Respir Rev, 2012. 13(4): p. 236-43; quiz 243.

[7] Niruban, S.J., Alagiakrishnan, K., Beach, J., et al., Association between vitamin D and respiratory outcomes in Canadian adolescents and adults. J Asthma, 2015: p. 1-33.

[8] Krstic, G., Asthma prevalence associated with geographical latitude and regional insolation in the United States of America and Australia. PLoS One, 2011. 6(4): p. e18492.

[9] Arnedo-Pena, A., García-Marcos, L., Fernández-Espinar, J.F., et al., Sunny hours and variations in the prevalence of asthma in schoolchildren according to the International Study of Asthma and Allergies (ISAAC) Phase III in Spain. Int J Biometeorol, 2011. 55(3): p. 423-34.

[10] Arnedo-Pena, A., García-Marcos, L., Bercedo-Sanz, A., et al., Prevalence of asthma symptoms in schoolchildren, and climate in west European countries: an ecologic study. Int J Biometeorol, 2013. 57(5): p. 775-84.

[11] Uysalol, M., Mutlu, L.C., Saracoglu, G.V., et al., Childhood asthma and vitamin D deficiency in Turkey: is there cause and effect relationship between them? Ital J Pediatr, 2013. 39: p. 78.

[12] Morales, E., Romieu, I., Guerra, S.,et al., Maternal vitamin D status in pregnancy and risk of lower respiratory tract infections, wheezing, and asthma in offspring. Epidemiology, 2012. 23(1): p. 64-71.

[13] Gale, C.R., Robinson, S.M., Harvey, N.C., et al., Maternal vitamin D status during pregnancy and child outcomes. Eur J Clin Nutr, 2008. 62(1): p. 68-77.

[14] Camargo, C.A., Jr., Ingham, T., Wickens, K., et al., Cord-blood 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and risk of respiratory infection, wheezing, and asthma. Pediatrics, 2011. 127(1): p. e180-7.

[15] Rothers, J., Wright, A.L., Stern, D.A., et al., Cord blood 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels are associated with aeroallergen sensitization in children from Tucson, Arizona. J Allergy Clin Immunol, 2011. 128(5): p. 1093-9 e1-5.

[16] Erkkola, M., Kaila, M., Nwaru, B.I., et al., Maternal vitamin D intake during pregnancy is inversely associated with asthma and allergic rhinitis in 5-year-old children. Clin Exp Allergy, 2009.39(6): p. 875-82.

[17] Allan, K.M., Prabhu, N., Craig, L.C., et al., Maternal vitamin D and E intakes during pregnancy are associated with asthma in children. Eur Respir J, 2014.

[18] Majak, P., Olszowiec-Chlebna, M., Smejda, K., et al., Vitamin D supplementation in children may prevent asthma exacerbation triggered by acute respiratory infection. J Allergy Clin Immunol, 2011. 127(5): p. 1294-6.

[19] Yadav, M. and K. Mittal, Effect of vitamin D supplementation on moderate to severe bronchial asthma. Indian J Pediatr, 2014. 81(7): p. 650-4.

[20] Castro, M., et al., Effect of vitamin D3 on asthma treatment failures in adults with symptomaticasthma and lower vitamin D levels: the VIDA randomized clinical trial. JAMA, 2014. 311(20): p. 2083-91.

[21] Urashima, M., Segawa, T., Okazaki, M.,et al., Randomized trial of vitamin D supplementation to prevent seasonal influenza A in schoolchildren. Am J Clin Nutr, 2010. 91(5): p. 1255-60.

[22] Pojsupap, S., Iliriani, K., Sampaio, T.Z., et al., Efficacy of high-dose vitamin D in pediatric asthma: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Asthma, 2014: p. 1-9.

[23] Wagner CL, Baggerly C, McDonnell S, Baggerly KA, French CB, Baggerly L, Hamilton SA, Hollis BW. Post-hoc analysis of vitamin D status and reduced risk of preterm birth in two vitamin D pregnancy cohorts compared with South Carolina march of dimes 2009-2011 rates. Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2015 Nov 7.

This page was last updated November 2015.

Your Brain On Stress

Brain Health needs to be on all of our minds.

“You know that stress can make you feel tense or impulsive, but did you know that it also alters the actual structure of your brain? These changes can impact your personality, memory, and decision-making skills.

According to a recent HuffPo piece by physiologist Jenny C. Evans, stress shrinks areas of your brain that help you cope while increasing the size of an area that makes you feel more anxious.

When you’re stressed, your body releases a hormone called cortisol. Cortisol shrinks the hippocampus, the part of your brain that Evans says, “is critical for learning, memory and emotional regulation, as well as shutting off the stress response after a stressful event is over.”

Cortisol also shrinks your prefrontal cortex, the part of your brain that helps with decision-making, memory and impulse control.

While your hippocampus and prefrontal cortex shrink in response to cortisol, that same hormone causes your amygdala to increase in size. Evans says that, “The changes cortisol creates [in your amygdala] increase negative emotions such as fear, anxiety, and aggression.”

The good news is there is a supplement made by Shaklee Corporation that actually blunts cortisol called Stress Relief Complex. Further good news is that you can make your brain more “stress-resistant” with another simple habit: exercise.

Exercise helps offset the damage that cortisol does to your brain. It helps you generate new neurons where you need them most. And the best part? You don’t have to spend hours at the gym or hitting the pavement for a long run to get these benefits. Evans says that “A single bout of sprinting for 30 seconds can generate a six-fold increase in HGH, with levels peaking two hours later.” HGH — human growth hormone — is a hormone that stimulates brain growth, which helps counteract the effects of cortisol.

Evans says that five minute bursts of exercise are actually ideal for protecting your brain from stress. That means a quick walk can do the trick. If you find yourself stressed at work, maybe propose that an upcoming meeting be a walking meeting rather than one where you’re confined to an office or conference room. Kids stressing you out? Try a short family walk around the block or even a two-song dance party in the living room.”

From “How Stress Shrinks Your Brain (+ How to Stop It)” By Becky Striepe

You could also get up right now and walk to the kitchen to take your Shaklee Stress Relief Complex and MindWorks to help provide more oxygen to your brain, provide better memory & focus, and help prevent brain shrinkage. As a nutrition
Consultant I receive employee discounts on many supplements If you would like to try them at my special employee discount message me or give me a call. 714-536-6555

 -Gotta go and take mine before I forget!~Michele 

Amazing Eczema Testimonials

Here are a couple recent testimonials of children's eczema that has been greatly improved by our Shaklee Natural Health Team.

Thank you Allison and Claudia for sharing your son's stories about eczema. I know it will help so many! 

"I didn't have nut/egg allergy with my son but severe eczema, before Shaklee, I of course believed doctors with creams, steroids, antibiotics and when I finally found Shaklee earlier this year, I first bought the cleaning products. Saw improvement and started my 3 year old on Incredivites, mighty smarts, probiotic, and calming complex. I noticed a change right away when I first used the calming complex (no burning like with coconut oil or vaseline) and within 3 days, his bare to the bone skin was healed."~Allison, IL 2014

Since June i have changed so many things in my diet, Cadens diet, detergent,lotions and meds to get this Excema under control. So many sleepless nights and money spent on products that were not relieving my kids allergies/rashes. Heck i even have my own aloe extraction process of my own(so easy and does wonders to skin). Finally now i can say i have it under control with lots of trial and error, eliminating certain ingredients and including whole foods vs. Processed foods. Now my happy guys recovers much faster from an allergic reaction and doesn't need prescribed lotions. Jacob/Cadens skin looks and feels 10x better. Yes mommy will cheat once in a while but i realize its not worth it for them to stay up scratching all night and not letting us rest. Thank goodness for vitamins/Probiotics because they really are helping them. Thank you Rachel King Terracino for all your help and wonderful Shaklee Products. The first pictures where from June and the rest are now (Sept). Way better! Thanks to these changes mommy and daddy are in good health and rather have home cooked healthy meals than restaurant food.~ Claudia 2014

Low Vitamin D Levels Linked to Postpartum Depression

Postpartum depression (PPD) is one of the most common psychiatric conditions women develop after childbirth and is also a major cause of maternal mortality worldwide. While incidence has been reported to be as low as 0% of women in Singapore and as high as 56% of women in Brazil, typical estimates of PPD range between 10% and 40%. Symptoms usually begin within three months after childbirth.

Globally, the four main contributors to PPD are socio-economic status, demography, family history, and maternal and social support.

While several previous studies have linked low vitamin D levels with PPD, they have mainly evaluated the effects of vitamin D status during pregnancy and have not yet looked at Chinese populations.

There are a few lines of evidence to suggest a role for vitamin D in depression. First, the brain has numerous vitamin D receptors and vitamin D deficiency may interfere with normal cognitive functioning. Vitamin D has been shown to play a role in brain development and in the production of norepinephrine and dopamine, two hormones linked to depression.

This study was designed to see if symptoms of PPD are more common in Chinese women who have low vitamin D immediately following giving birth.

Women delivering full-term babies at the Peking Union Medical College Hospital were invited to take part in the study. Blood samples were drawn 24-48 hours after delivery to determine their 25(OH)D levels.

Women were excluded from participating in the study if they were under psychiatric care during pregnancy, had a stillborn infant, were giving birth to more than one baby, or had an infant that was immediately admitted to intensive care after birth. Two hundred and thirteen women with a median age of 31 years completed the study.

Three months later the women returned to complete the Chinese version of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), a screening tool used to identify if new mothers are suffering from depression. They were also interviewed to find out if they were breastfeeding, experiencing any health problems, and to report other lifestyle and socio-demographic factors that may confound the results.

The researchers wanted to know if vitamin D status within 24-48 hours after giving birth was significantly related to PPD and if this relationship persisted after adjusting for confounding factors.

Here’s what the researchers found:

• Overall, 26 of the women were identified as having PPD.
• There was a significant negative relationship between vitamin D status and EPDS score (P < .0001). This remained significant after adjusting for factors such as age, stressful life events, education, partner support, and previous psychiatric care (P = .006).
• Women with 25(OH)D levels above 14.3 ng/mL were the least likely to suffer from PPD (p < .0001)
• Women with 25(OH)D levels below 8.3 ng/mL were the most likely to suffer PPD (P < .0001)
• After adjusting for the above factors, the analysis showed that women with higher vitamin D status had a significant 19% reduced risk of PPD (P < .0001).

The authors identified some limitations of the study:

• They did not measure 25(OH)D levels during pregnancy to see if the women were low during pregnancy too and not just immediately after delivery.
• Even though women were excluded from the study if they had been receiving psychiatric care, some of the women who participated could have had undiagnosed mental health conditions.
• The PPD diagnosis process did not include a structured clinical interview.

Vitamin D supplementation is a low-cost and safe intervention and all pregnant women should be screened for vitamin D deficiency to prevent the severe deficiency states seen in the women in this study.

In a new study published this month in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Chinese researchers examined how timing of vitamin D measurement related to postpartum depression.

Fu CW, Liu JT, Tu WJ, Yang JQ, Cao Y. Association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels measured 24 hours after delivery and postpartum depression. BJOG. 2014; DOI: 10.1111/1471-0528.13111.

How To Make DIY Disinfectant Wipes

My business partner Rachel from Ecolicious Mama shared how to make her own disinfecting wipes for a fraction of the price! I absolutely LOVE the Get Clean NON-TOXIC (found at this website http://healthysteps.myshaklee.com/us/en/ enter "wipes" in the search bar) I usually always use these terrific disinfecting wipes for home or in the car. However for all the disinfecting we have to do around here with my husband's new tracheotomy I decided to go this economic, yet very disinfecting route .

I truly appreciate when household things can be done simply and quickly and these very simple, inexpensive, and powerful cleaning and disinfectant wipes take less than 5 minutes!

Many people love the Clorox Wipes, Lysol Wipes, toilet wipes, surface wipes… the list goes on and on. If it’s a wipe, usually people love it! But they can get pretty pricey, not to mention highly toxic, so I wanted to share my easy way of making your own for just pennies of solution per canister! The paper towels are the only real expense with this project since I re-purpose old canisters, like the Shaklee 180 protein canisters which are the perfect size for this!

 To make your own wipes, it costs just pennies of the same cleaning solution, so if you have 5 minutes go ahead and whip up some of these wonderful and crazily inexpensive wipes! (Yep, that’s all it took me! 5 minutes!)

Here’s exactly how to do it, all of the details are below!

Cost Comparison:

Clorox or Lysol Wipes – Approximately $2.99-$4.99 per canister of 35 wipes

DIY Basic G Wipes - Approximately $.45 to $.65 per canister of 48-50 wipes, depending on the cost of the paper towels

I buy all my nontoxic cleaning products from my favorite natural health supplier Shaklee. (You can  order them from the web site above).They have a complete line of nontoxic cleaning concentrates to save money, trucking costs, and packaging waste because they are highly concentrated. Can  you believe 1 bottle of multipurpose concentrate equals over 7000 bottles of Windex? 

The cleaning concentrates that you dilute into spray bottles are super convenient.

For more nontoxic cleaning tips visit Rachel's blog at: http://www.ecoliciousmamablog.com/is-your-spring-cleaning-polluting-your-home/

Toxic Weed Killer on Your Food-Manufacturer Trying to Get Approval

The EPA is currently reviewing an application from the biotech giant, Dow Chemical Co., to approve Enlist Duo, a dangerous mix of glyphosate (the main ingredient in RoundUp) and the even more toxic weed killer, 2,4-D. Dow is hoping to be able to use Enlist Duo on the next generation of genetically modified crops, which Dow has engineered to withstand 2,4-D. Tell the EPA to deny Dow’s application to use 2,4-D on GMO crops!  Human exposure to 2,4-D has been linked to an increased risk of both Parkinson’s diseases and non-Hodgkin lymphoma along with thyroid, immune and reproductive system problems. If Dow’s application is approved the use of 2,4-D in the US would more than triple from today's levels by 2020! We need to act now to make sure the EPA keeps this toxic week killer away from us and out of our food! The EPA is currently seeking comments from the public on Dow’s application. Before the EPA makes its final decision make sure they hear from YOU. Stand with us today by adding your name to our petition telling the EPA to deny the approval of Enlist Duo for use on GMO crops! Thank You. Gary Hirshberg Chairman Just Label It  Donate to Just Label It | Sign the Petition

We're building a movement of concerned citizens – parents, health care workers, small business owners, farmers, and more – who care about what's in the food we eat. In October 2011, the Just Label It campaign was formed when the Center for Food Safety filed a petition with the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to require the labeling of all foods produced using genetic engineering. Days later, we asked citizens from around the country to join us and tell the FDA to "Just Label It." More than 1.2 million Americans have contacted to the FDA urging them to label genetically engineered foods. Ask others to sign on at www.JustLabelIt.org/takeaction. Like us on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter | Learn more at www.JustLabelIt.org