Diabetes is the leading cause of end-stage renal disease worldwide. This requires either a kidney transplant or kidney dialysis treatments for survival. A research team from Wake Forest University School of Medicine and the University of Heidelberg has found that diabetics that have a particular type of gene involved with the protective factor Carnosine do not develop kidney failure.

Increased intake of vitamin B6 from diet and supplements may reduce the risk of colorectal cancer by over 20% according to a large Scottish study. Almost 5,000 people took part in the study by researchers from the University of Edinburgh, Western General Hospital and the University of Aberdeen; the results were dose-dependent meaning the greater the intake of Vitamin B6 between the lower the risk of colorectal cancer. The study adds to an ever growing body of science supporting the potential colorectal benefits of higher intake of the B vitamins.

There is a prevalence of both hypertension and a lack of vitamin D in residents of the United States. Recent clinical trials and animal studies have suggested that vitamin D insufficiency is likely associated with elevated blood pressure. Scientists at Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA used cross-sectional data to determine whether vitamin D concentrations were related to systolic blood pressure (SBP) in the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Vitamin D supplements plus calcium may lower the risk of falls among older women who have a high risk of falling, according to a year-long clinical study conducted in Perth, Australia. Elderly women who are at risk of falling can benefit from extra vitamin D and calcium to reduce their risk by 53-63 percent a year according to the scientists from the University of Western Australia, Perth. In addition, they can expect that this treatment will reduce their fracture risk by about 20 percent over five years.