VITAMIN D UPDATE
Based on advice from the UK Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN), Public Health England (PHE) has set a new reference nutrient intake for vitamin D. Current guidelines are that adults and children over the age of one should consider taking a supplement of 10mcg of vitamin D every day.
Needed primarily for healthy bones and teeth, vitamin D is produced naturally by the action of sunlight on the skin, making supplementation even more important during autumn and winter when the sun is at its lowest in the sky. It is also found in smaller amounts in eggs and fish and fortified foods such as cereals and soya drinks.
BENEFITS OF POMEGRANATE
Pomegranate may hold the secret to a long and healthy life. According to research published in Nature, it contains a miracle ingredient ‘urolithin A’ that has the ability to keep mitochondria, the tiny ‘battery packs’ that power our cells, charged up. Don’t like pomegranates? Walnuts, raspberries and blackberries also contain urolithin, but in smaller amounts.
PASS THE TOMATOES
Here’s some interesting news for men diagnosed with prostate cancer. According to a recent analysis, levels of plant compounds known as carotenoids are linked with less risk of having an aggressive form of the disease. Lycopene is one such carotenoid found in tomatoes as well as in food supplements.
