Checking the level of 25-hydroxycholecalciferol in your blood measures your vitamin D status. According to new research from the University of Minnesota when people went on a calorie restricted diet (they reduced the amount of food they ate to loose weight) for every increase of 1 ng/mL in the level of 25-hydroxycholecalciferol there was a corresponding increase in the amount of weight lost by an additional 0.2 kg. Similarly for each 1-ng/mL increase in the active form of vitamin D (1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol), subjects lost an additional 0.107 kg.

DHA is one of the two healthy fats found in fish such as salmon or sardine. DHA is also available in supplement form from either fish or from a vegetarian source (algae source). In this study researchers from Tufts University and the University of Wisconsin showed that people with a higher intake of DHA had a 27% reduced risk of developing the worst form of age related macular degeneration (ARMD); the neovascular form that leads to blindness (it is also referred to as wet macular degeneration).

A combination of antioxidant supplements and resistance training may protect against bone loss in postmenopausal women, according to a new study from the University of Sherbrooke in Canada. The women who received a combination of Vitamin C and E, and exercise did not experience any bone loss during a six-month period, while women receiving placebo did experience detrimental bone loss. “These results are interesting because this is the first study to examine the combination of these interventions in healthy elderly women suggesting another effective strategy to delay age-related BMD loss,” wrote the researchers, led by Isabelle Dionne, PhD.

Supplements of co-enzyme Q10 (CoQ10) may improve the motility and density of sperm in infertile men, according to a new study using Kaneka’s ingredient. Dr. Mohammad Reza Safarinejad from Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran, Iran, recruited 212 infertile men and randomly assigned them to receive 300mg of Kaneka’s CoQ10 daily or placebo for 26 weeks.

In this new study researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine randomized 62 patients with elevated LDL-cholesterol and statin intolerance (due to muscle pain) to receive 3 capsules containing 600 milligrams Red Yeast Rice or a placebo twice daily for 24 weeks. Participants were additionally provided with weekly educational meetings over a 12 week period on the subjects of cardiovascular disease, nutrition, exercise and relaxation techniques. Total, HDL and LDL cholesterol and other blood values were measured at the beginning of the study, at 12 weeks, and at the study’s conclusion.