22 WDDTY | ISSUE 01 | AUG/SEP 2019 FACEBOOK.COM/WDDTYAUNZ
UPFRONTThe mineral deficiency that could
cause high blood pressure
High blood pressure (hypertension) could be a symptom
of zinc deficiency—and taking zinc supplements may
be all that’s needed to normalize levels, researchers
have discovered.
Zinc deficiency has already been linked to
type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease,
but it can also cause hypertension, say
researchers from Wright State University in
Ohio and Emory University in Georgia.
It’s all down to the way our kidneys handle
sodium, either when they are excreting it
into the urine or re-absorbing it into the body.
In both cases, a protein called the sodium chloride
cotransporter (NCC) plays a part—and this also happens to help control
blood pressure levels.
Doctors know that low sodium levels in urine are an indication of
hypertension—but they may not realize that zinc can help regulate the
function of NCC. In turn, zinc can also help control blood pressure, the
researchers say.
In tests on laboratory mice, they noted that the ones that were zinc-
deficient developed hypertension—and they were also excreting less
sodium in their urine. Half were then fed a zinc-rich diet, at which point
their blood pressure levels started to return to normal and their urinary
sodium levels rose.
Am J Physiol Renal Physiol, Jan 16, 2019CBD oils pulled from UK
stores following EU alert
CBD oil products are being pulled from stores
across the UK as health watchdogs clamp
down on their sale until they are proven to be
safe and effective.
The move is part of a Europe-wide ban
after the EU’s European Commission
reclassified the oils—derived from cannabis
and hemp—as ‘novel foods.’ Acting on the
ruling, the UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA)
is instructing local trading standards officers
to seize supplies being sold in stores. An FSA
spokesman said it was “putting in transition
measures to aid enforcement.”
Under EU rules, a ‘novel food’ is any food
that was not being widely consumed before- Chia seeds, krill oil and vitamin K have
also been hit by the same ruling, and these
could also start disappearing from the shelves.
The ban could last for 18 months as the FSA
determines whether CBD (cannabidiol) oils—
considered a form of medical marijuana—are
safe and effective. However, the World
Health Organization has already declared
that CBD oils are well tolerated and safe,
and the US National Institutes of Health has
reported an “explosion of research” into
CBD oil, demonstrating in animal tests and
human studies that it can help with a range
of health problems, from epilepsy to pain and
inflammation.
Sales of CBD oil products have exploded in
the past 18 months as people have found they
help ease pain and inflammation, and this has
hit sales of painkilling drugs.
CBD oil contains just 0.2 percent THC
(tetrahydrocannabinol), the element that
makes the user ‘high’.
Daily Mail, Jan 28, 2019HEALTH FACT
Women with high
B vitamin levels are less
likely to suffer from
PMS, and B vitamin
supplements can
reduce PMS
symptoms.