Vitamin D and Diabetes Risk

We have spoken on several occasions of the need for higher Vitamin D intakes, which holds great promise to alleviate many of the chronic and increasingly prevalent diseases of modern society. For instance, growing evidence finds an association between sub-optimal levels of Serum 25-Hydroxy Vitamin D and Diabetes risk.

The following is a summary from LEF of a recent research article appearing in the Ocotober 2008 issue of the jounal Diabetes:

Lower vitamin D levels predict increased blood sugar and insulin resistance

The October, 2008 issue of the journal Diabetes published the outcome of a study of middle-aged men and women which found that lower serum vitamin D levels were associated with an increase in the risk of developing insulin resistance and elevated blood sugar over a ten year follow up period. Researchers at the Institute of Metabolic Science in Cambridge, England followed 524 nondiabetic participants in the Ely Study, a prospective study established in 1990. Upon enrollment, the vitamin D marker serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D, serum parathyroid hormone, insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and other factors were measured, and personal health habits such as smoking status and physical activity levels were ascertained. Weight, height, waist circumference, blood pressure, plasma glucose, lipids, and fasting insulin were measured during the initial and ten year follow-up visits. At the end of the follow-up period, having a higher serum vitamin D level was associated with a lower adjusted ten-year risk of elevated blood sugar, insulin resistance, and high metabolic syndrome score. An association between increased IGF-1 levels and metabolic syndrome risk observed in an earlier study was not noted in the current research.

For the complete article at LEF click here.

Dr. Becker Partners with Titleist Performance Institute

Dr. Becker has partnered with Titleist Performance Institute to offer golf-specific fitness services to patients and clients of WellPro Chiropractic.

Dr. Becker has been trained by Titleist to identify and resolve specific physical restrictions that may be limiting your golf potential and rendering you vulnerable to injury. He will evaluate and cover with you the cutting edge of golf health and fitness, from golf swing biomechanics, to physical screening techniques, to exercise prescriptions, to the most recent research and developments in the field of golf swing analysis.

What does all this mean to you? This means that when you schedule a golf fitness evaluation with Dr. Becker, you will be taken through various “screening” movements to help determine the major physical performance factors that are affecting your game and restricting your potential. Once this is completed, the Doctor will choose and prescribe customized drills and exercises to help eliminate these limitations from your swing, for good. He will use follow-up visits and may also utilize 2 and 3-dimensional motion and video technology to analyze performance and swing mechanics, as he charts your personal progress.