vitamin E

The E-Z way to fight metabolic syndrome

I'm not going to sugarcoat it.

Many patients don't always like the straight talk I deliver, but I've always believed in telling the truth... even when it hurts a little.

And friend, if you've got metabolic syndrome, the truth is you've got some work ahead of you if you want to save your own life.

But not all of the work has to be hard.

Some of it's downright simple -- and the latest research reveals an incredibly easy step you can take right now that can help stop the damage of this disease and put you back on track.

All you have to do is boost your vitamin E intake!

This simple, common, easy-to-obtain nutrient is a powerful antioxidant that can protect cells from the damage that leads to disease.

That's the upside.

The downside is the new study shows how you're almost certainly not getting nearly enough to make a difference.

Of course you're not. Nutritional surveys show that up to 96 percent of Americans don't even get the minimum recommended intake.

The new study shows how even if you meet that target, it's not enough.

Not if you have metabolic syndrome.

It's not just that you're in rougher shape and need more of it. The problem is that as metabolic syndrome kicks in, your body can't use vitamin E as effectively or as completely.

Blame the triglycerides for that.

By definition, metabolic syndrome means you have high levels of triglycerides.

That's a blood fat that can increase your risk of heart disease, and the new study finds one more reason it's so dangerous: It can trap vitamin E and practically hold it prisoner in your blood.

Instead of going into the places it's needed to help repair the damage of metabolic syndrome, it sticks to those triglycerides.

Ready for the worst part?

Because it's there in your blood -- clinging to those triglycerides -- blood tests will show you have normal or even "high" levels of vitamin E.

But you really don't.

It's just the opposite: You're falling well short, and the new study finds you need between 30 percent and 50 percent more of this essential vitamin than everyone else as a result.

Your best source of vitamin E is sunflower seeds, but let's face it: Most of us aren't going to eat those regularly.

But you CAN eat spinach and other greens such as Swiss chard as well as asparagus, broccoli, and even chili peppers.

If you have metabolic syndrome, you may need more than you'll get regularly from diet alone; so, speak to your doctor about a full-spectrum vitamin E supplement or an antioxidant blend that contains E.

This vitamin is more powerful than a pneumonia shot

Flu season is here -- and that means something else is here with it: pneumonia season.

Every year, one million Americans -- mostly seniors -- are hospitalized for pneumonia, and some 50,000 die because of the disease.

But what makes this illness so frightening isn't just the numbers.

It's the speed at which it strikes.

We all know someone who was fit as a fiddle on Tuesday and at death's door by Thursday with a high fever, bone-rattling chills, a hacking cough, and all-over pain.

Maybe it's even happened to you.

It's time to cut that risk.

You know the basics: You need to keep healthy overall to keep your immune system working at full strength. And if you're otherwise healthy, there's one more thing you need to add to your daily routine this time of year.

It's vitamin E.

This powerful immune-boosting vitamin can cut the risk of pneumonia in older men by 69 percent, according to a new study in the British Journal of Nutrition.

Compare that to the vaccine that doctors are pushing, which only cuts the risk of pneumonia hospitalization by 23 percent in seniors, according to a 2013 study.

That makes vitamin E supplements THREE TIMES more effective than the vaccine!

What makes this study stand out so much is that -- unlike so many others -- the researchers didn't simply ask the patients about their diets and then guess how much vitamin E they were getting.

No, this was the real deal.

They used data from another study in which men were given either honest-to-goodness E supplements or a placebo -- and the healthy men who took the vitamin had a much lower risk of pneumonia.

The key word there is "healthy," because the study found one set of men who had a problem with the supplements: smokers who are sedentary.

And if you smoke -- or are exposed to lots of secondhand tobacco smoke -- and don't get much movement yourself, the supplements could actually increase your risk of pneumonia.

But let's face it: If you're a sedentary smoker, vitamin E levels are the least of your worries.

You're already facing a higher risk of pneumonia right out of the gate, along with a higher risk of chronic infections such as bronchitis -- not to mention emphysema, lung cancer, heart disease, and more.

So, kick the habit -- or, if there's someone in your life who smokes, help them break the addiction. Once you do, vitamin E can actually repair the damage to your lungs, and you can learn more in this free report from my House Calls archives.