Determination of the vitamin D status of adults living in the UK and identification of factors influencing the efficacy of dietary intervention The WritePass Journal

Determination of the vitamin D status of adults living in the UK and identification of factors influencing the efficacy of dietary intervention Introduction Determination of the vitamin D status of adults living in the UK and identification of factors influencing the efficacy of dietary intervention . Women recorded a similarly high increase during the same period from 16.4 percent to 25.1 percent. Linking this data to relationship between obesity and vitamin D deficiency, it prudent to highlight that vitamin D deficiency prevalence is a point researchers should note with keenness it deserves. The extent to which vitamin D deficiency is a public health problem in Britain is believed to have increased for several reasons ranging from lifestyle to weather patterns. On lifestyle as a factor, Hypponen and Power (2007) states that the sedentary lifestyle in the western world, including Great Britain,   leads to vitamin D deficiency, which is exacerbated by a number of other factors including working indoors during daylight hours, high latitude and a mostly cloudy climate in regions such as Manchester.   Statistics also indicate that vitamin D dietary intake is much lower in Great Britain compared to other western nations including United States and Canada (Calvo et al, 2005, p.31 4). The variance in dietary intake of vitamin D between Britain, on the one hand, and United States and Canada, on the other, may be due to the mandatory fortification of both milk and margarine in the USA and Canada. Some of the most common food sources rich in vitamin are fish, liver, fortified margarine and fortified cereals. However, clinical nutritional assessments of natural food items suggest that with the exception of fish and cod liver oil, most natural food stuff contains minimal vitamin D, if any (Brough et al., 2010). Significantly, it is important to note that insufficient natural sources for vitamin D is a risk factor in itself, and should be taken into consideration when plans are put into place to tackle the problem. Moreover, vitamin D supplements’ availability cannot be described as reliable since demand always exceeds supply (Brough et al., 2010). Studies have revealed that there are high rates of vitamin D deficiency all over Great Britain, particularly in the cloudy regions like Manchester and Scotland (Pal et al., 2003). Obesity is a well-known risk factor for vitamin D deficiency, and its high prevalence in Great Britain is likely to affect vitamin D status in the population of high-risk regions such as Greater Manchester. In another nationwide study conducted to investigate the demographic characteristics of white population and possibility of supplements use, it emerged that women and non-obese participants were more likely to use vitamin D supplements (Gaddipati et al, 2010). Similarly, residents of Northern England were found to consume less oily fish, an important source of vitamin D, compared to their Southern counterparts. The study concurs with reports that people living on the Northern England and Scotland have higher risk of hypovitaminosis D (Roy et al., 2007; Holick, 2004). In fact, those who are obese and also live in high-risk regions have a likelihood of having vitamin D deficiency twice as high as other obese peopl e living in other areas of Great Britain. Vitamin D deficiency has also been reported to be prevalent among minority communities living in Great Britain (de Roos et al, 2012). Some ethnic minorities living in Great Britain are more susceptible to vitamin D deficiency than other groups. According to Brough et al. (2010), minority ethnic communities, particularly those who trace their roots to Indian subcontinent and Africa as they tend to suffer from rise in skin pigmentation. They are also found to increase their susceptibility to vitamin D deficiency by wearing clothes that tend to cover their entire bodies and staying indoors longer hours during the day (de Roos et al, 2012; Brough et al., 2010). Other researchers recognise the need to increase vitamin D supplement intake among the minority population, amid report that there are no consistent or routine supply of vitamin D; neither are there recognised screening programs targeting this group (Dealberto, 2006). A study looking at population demographics in the North West has revealed that the region has increasing number older people (North West Regional Assembly Report, 2000). As stated earlier, elderly people are at high-risk of vitamin D deficiency. Clinical studies have investigated age-related decline in vitamin D intake, including rate of skin absorption and response to targeted methods of increasing vitamin D through dietary interventions (Shaw and Pal, 2002). Several other studies have also linked low vitamin D status with people living in low economic status (Dealberto, 2006.). In many of these linkages, the authors cite issues such as poor nutrition, poor lifestyle and inability to afford supplements. For instance, poor nutrition intake is prevalent in regions with high poverty rate, mostly affecting middle aged women of child-bearing age (Brough et al., 2010). According to Brough et al. (2010) a socially deprived population cannot afford some of the basic nutrients essential for normal metabolic function such as vitamin D and thus resort to ‘shortcuts of life’ while exposing their immune system to chronic diseases. Poverty report released by the Greater Manchester Poverty Commission in 2002 identified Manchester as one of the regions with the highest cases of extreme poverty, with 25 percent of its population living in abject poverty (GMPC, 2012). The report further reveal that poor families cannot protect themselves from winter temperature, which makes them stay indoors longer than other UK residence with average annual income. This can only mean that they have higher risk from vitamin D deficiency. OECD report (2014) suggests that the first step in ensuring low income community members in the United Kingdom are protected from lifestyle related diseases is through social interventions. Tests have revealed that modest rise in vitamin D intake of up to 20  µg per day for this group can significantly reduce the rate of bone fracture (Hyppà ¶nen and Power, 2007). The findings have raised focus by agencies and researchers, who have recommended that vitamin D intake for the elderly should raised from the current 5 µg per day to between 10-20 µg per day in order to maintain the normal hydroxy vitamin D of 25 (de Roos, 2012, p.6). Considering the need to increase vitamin D intake among the population at risk of vitamin D deficiency, the UK Committee on Medical Aspects of Food Policy (COMA) recommended that people eat at least 280 g of fish per week, with preference to oily fish (de Roos, Sneddon and Macdonald, 2012, p.6). The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) endorsed the COMA recommendation, emphasising that this is the bare minimum fish consumption recommended for the average population goal to achieve the desired vitamin D status. However, they acknowledged that this recommendation does not represent the level of fish consumption required for optimal nutritional benefits. The campaign to encourage more UK population, particularly those living in North Western region, should be directed at increasing oily fish intake by at least 280  µg per week as statistics indicate that majority of them do not consume enough fish (de Roos, 2012; Holick, 2011; Hyppà ¶nen and Power, 2007). Although studies (de Roos, 2012; Holick, 2004) have dwelt on the need for multiple interventions ranging from dietary to medical, of more significant for the efficacy of dietary intervention is the need for education among the population on the importance of adopting healthy diet and lifestyle. This is mostly recommended for the high-risk persons including the low-income population, those living in marginally wet and cloudy regions including Manchester, obese, and young women of child bearing age group. References Brough. L., Rees, G., Crawford, M.A. Morton. R.H. and Dorman, E.K. 2010. Effect of multiple- micronutrient supplement on maternal nutrient status, infant birth weight and gestational age at birth in a low-income, multi-ethnic population. British Journal of Nutrition, 104 (3): 437- 445. Calvo, M.S., Whiting, S.J. and Barton, C.N. 2005. Vitamin D intake: a global perspective of current status. J Nutr 135: 310–6. de Roos, B. Sneddon, A. and Macdonald, H. 2012. Fish as a dietary source of healthy long chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC n-3 PUFA) and vitamin D: A review of current literature. Food Health Innovation Service, available at abdn.ac.uk/rowett/documents/fish_final_june_2012.pdf. Dealberto, M.J. 2006. Why immigrants at increased risk for psychosis? Vitamin D insuffiency, epigenetic mechanisms, or both? Medical Hypothesis, Vol. 68, pp. 259- 267. Esteghamati, A., Aryan, Z. and Nakhjavani, M. 2004. Differences in vitamin D concentration between metabolically healthy and unhealthy obese adults: Association with inflammatory and cardiometabolic markers in 4391 subjects. Diabetes Metabolism, 5 May 2014, Available online at sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1262363614000469 Gaddipati, V.C., Kuriacose, R. and Copeland R., et al. 2010. Vitamin D deficiency: an increasing concern in peripheral arterial disease. J Am Med Dir Assoc. 11(5): 308-11. Greater Manchester Poverty Commission (GMPC). 2012. Research Report . The Centre for Local Economic Strategies. Holick, M.F. 2011. Vitamin D: a d-lightful solution for health. J Investig Med. 59(6):872-80. Holick MF. 2004. Sunlight and vitamin D for bone health and prevention of autoimmune diseases, cancers, and cardiovascular disease. Am J Clin Nutr 80 (suppl):1678S–88S. HSCIC. 2014. Statistics on Obesity, physical Activity and Diet. Health Social Care Information Centre, England 26 February 2014. Hyppà ¶nen, E. and Power, C. 2007. Hypovitaminosis D in British adults at age 45 y: nationwide cohort study of dietary and lifestyle predictors. Am J Clin Nutr, 85(3): 860-868. North West Regional Assembly, 2000. An Aging Population: Impact for the North West. North West Regional Laboratory. Lancaster University. Available at www.northest-england.org.uk. OECD Report. (2014). Society at a Glance 2014 Highlights: United Kingdom OECD Social Indicators. Last accessed on 19 May 2014 at oecd.org/unitedkingdom/OECD-SocietyAtaGlance2014-Highlights-UnitedKingdom.pdf Pal , B.R., Marshall ,T. and James, C. 2003. Shaw NJ. Distribution analysis of vitamin D highlights differences in population subgroups: preliminary observations from a pilot study in UK adults. J Endocrinol. 179:119–29. Pearce, S.H. and Cheetham, T.D. January, 2010. Diagnosis and management of Vitamin D deficiency. BMJ, 11: 340. Roy D.K, Berry J.L., Pye, SR et al. 2007. Vitamin D status and bone mass in UK South Asia women. Bone 40(1): 200-4. Epub 2006 Sep 6. Shaw, N.J and Pal, B.R. 2002. Vitamin D deficiency in UK Asian families: activating a new concern. Arch Dis Child, 86: 147-149, Available at http://adc.bmj.com/content/86/3/147.full Zittermann A, Schleithoff SS, Koerfer R. 2005. Putting cardiovascular disease and vitamin D insufficiency into perspective. Br J Nutr   94: 483–92.

O Come All Ye Faithful in Spanish

O Come All Ye Faithful in Spanish One of the oldest Christmas carols still sung is often known by its Latin title, Adeste fideles, in Spanish. Here is one popular version of the song with an English translation and vocabulary guide. Venid, adoremos Venid, adoremos, con alegre canto;venid al pueblito de Belà ©n.Hoy ha nacido el Rey del los ngeles.Venid y adoremos, venid y admoremos,venid y adoremos a Cristo Jesà ºs. Cantadle loores, coros celestiales;resuene el eco angelical.Gloria cantemos al Dios del cielo.Venid y adoremos, venid y adoremos,venid y adoremos a Cristo Jesà ºs. Seà ±or, nos gozamos en tu nacimiento;oh Cristo, a ti la gloria ser.Ya en la carne, Verbo del Padre.Venid y adoremos, venid y adoremos,venid y adoremos a Cristo Jesus. Translation of Venid, adoremos Come, lets us worship with a happy song;come to the little town of Bethlehem.Today the King of the angels has been born.Come and worship, come and worship,Come and worship Christ Jesus. Sing him praises, heavenly choirs;may the angelical echo sound.Let us sing glory to the God of heaven.Come and worship, come and worship,come and worship Christ Jesus. Lord, we rejoice in your birth;O Christ, the glory will be yours.Now in the flesh, Word of the Father.Come and worship, come and worship,come and worship Christ Jesus. Vocabulary and Grammar Notes Venid: If youre familiar with only Latin American Spanish, you might not know this verb form of venir well. The -id is the ending for a command that goes with vosotros, so venid means you (plural) come or simply come. Canto: Although this word, meaning song or the act of singing, isnt particularly common, you should be able to guess its meaning if you know that the verb cantar means to sing. Coros, eco: Both of these words have English cognates (choir and echo, respectively) where the c of Spanish is the ch in English, although the sounds of both are the hard c. The sound of I and ch in  in these words comes from the chi or χ of Greek. Among the many other word pairs like these are cronologà ­a/chronology and caos/chaos.   Pueblito: This is a diminutive form of pueblo, meaning (in this context) town or village. You may have noticed that in the translation of O Little Town of Bethlehem that the form pueblecito is used. There is no difference in meaning. Diminutive endings can sometimes be applied freely; in this case pueblito was used because it fit the rhythm of the song. Belà ©n: This is the Spanish name for Bethlehem. It isnt unusual for names of cities, particularly those well-known centuries ago, to have different names in different languages. Interestingly, in Spanish the word belà ©n (not capitalized) has come to refer to a nativity scene or a crib. It also has a colloquial use referring to confusion or a confusing problem. Cantadle: This is the familiar command form of cantar (cantad), and le is a pronoun meaning him. Cantadle loores, coros celestiales means sing him praises, heavenly choirs. Resuene: This is a conjugated form of the verb resonar, to resound or to echo. Loor: This is an uncommon word meaning praise. It is seldom used in everyday speech, having mostly liturgical use. Seà ±or: In everyday use, seà ±or is used as a mans courtesy title, the same as Mr. Unlike the English word Mr., the Spanish seà ±or can also mean lord. In Christianity, it becomes a way of referring to Jesus. Nos gozamos: This is an example of a reflexive verb usage. By itself, the verb gozar would typically mean to have joy or something similar. In the reflexive form, gozarse typically would be translated as rejoice. Nacimiento: The suffix -miento offers one way of transforming a verb into a noun. Nacimiento comes from nacer, a verb meaning to be born. Carne: In everyday use, this word typically means meat.   Verbo del Padre: As you might guess, the most common meaning of verbo is verb. Here, verbo is an allusion to the Gospel of John, where Jesus is referred to as the Word (logos in the original Greek). The traditional Spanish translation of the Bible, the Reina-Valera, uses the word Verbo rather than Palabra in translating John 1:1 from Greek.