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Vitamin B3 (Niacin) Deficiency

SumptuousTuna For Niacin.
Sumptuous Tuna For Niacin.

What Is Vitamin B3 (Niacin)?

Niacin is an essential water-soluble B vitamin that is required by all cells of the body.

During digestion of food containing it, niacin (the form in food) is changed in the small intestines to the active form niacinamide (niacin plus an amide group), which is then absorbed into the bloodstream. 

Niacinamide is converted by the body into co-enzymes which are present in all cells. These are niacinimide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) and NADP. NADP is formed when the body adds a phosphate to NAD.

Q: How do these enzymes work?

A: These enzymes function in oxidation-reduction reactions essential for release of energy from carbohydrates, fats, and proteins and are needed as components for more than 200 enzymes involved in metabolism.

In addition to producing energy, niacinamide is essential for healthy skin and the mucosal lining of the digestive tract, normal functioning of the brain and nervous system, and production of steroid hormones in adrenal glands and hormones in sex glands.  Functions are more fully described below.

Urinary excretion of niacin cannot be detected when vitamin intake is below the required levels. On the other hand, when intake exceeds saturation in the body, the vitamin and/or its metabolites are actively excreted into urine to prevent excessive toxicity of the vitamins.1

What Is Niacin Deficiency In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?

Sources:
  1. Shibata K, Hirose J, Fukuwatari T. Relationship Between Urinary Concentrations of Nine Water-soluble Vitamins and their Vitamin Intakes in Japanese Adult Males. Nutr Metab Insights. 2014 Aug 5;7:61-75. doi: 10.4137/NMI.S17245. eCollection 2014. [↩]

Subscriber Newsletter August 17, 2015

A Gluten Free Works Notification for Health Guide Subscribers Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Subscriber Newsletter Dear Subscriber:Welcome to the Gluten Free Works Health Guide Newsletter! Heart disease like… 

Subscriber Newsletter July 14, 2015

celiac disease gluten sensitivity treatmentThe management of celiac disease and gluten sensitivity is a gluten-free diet for life1 that meets the nutritional needs of the individual.This diet is highly effective for regaining health because it eliminates the cause of health problems originated by contact with gluten.

Treatment for celiac disease should begin only after a complete diagnostic evaluation including serology (blood test to detect antibodies) and biopsy of small intestine tissue. The institution of a gluten-free diet should result in prompt and often dramatic improvement.

Individual symptoms frequently require more than the gluten-free diet in order to resolve. The Health Guide lays out a 6 Step Plan for each symptom listed on the website that is individualized to that symptom or condition.

Complete healing of the intestines may take up to 5 years or even longer in some individuals, especially in the elderly. Recovery is more rapid and complete in children than in adults.2

There is no cure for celiac disease.  Since research is ongoing and much is yet unknown, it is prudent to treat any gluten sensitivity reaction as if it was celiac disease.

The following are six key elements in the management of individuals affected by celiac disease as advanced by the National Institutes of Health:

Sources:
  1. National Institutes of Health, “National Institutes of Health Consensus Development Conference Statement, Celiac Disease,” August 9, 2004;1-14. [↩]
  2. Murray, J., “The widening spectrum of celiac disease.” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Mar 1999;69(3):354-365. [↩]

Subscriber Newsletter July 7, 2015

A Gluten Free Works Notification for Health Guide Subscribers Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Subscriber Newsletter Dear << Test First Name >>:Welcome to the Gluten Free Works Health Guide Newsletter!… 

Zinc Deficiency

Oysters Have Mega Zinc!
Oysters Have Mega Zinc!

What Is Zinc?

Zinc is an essential trace mineral that is involved in numerous aspects of cellular metabolism, being essential for activation of almost 200 enzymes that have vital roles in the body.

Q: What happens when enzymes do not get activated?

A: When enzymes do not get activated, they cannot perform their necessary functions which, in turn, damages health.

Zinc promotes healthy skin, hair, immunity, fertility, and growth.

A daily intake of zinc is required to maintain a steady state because the body has no specialized zinc storage system.1 Functions are more fully described below.

What Is Zinc Deficiency in Celiac Disease?

Sources:
  1. http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Zinc-HealthProfessional/ [↩]

I Had a Dad bod. Then I Went Gluten Free

“I should look like Brad Pitt.” Back before I went gluten free, I remember looking in the mirror and saying these exact words to myself. I was working out 5 to 6 days a week,… 

Subscriber Newsletter June 23, 2015

A Gluten Free Works Notification for Health Guide Subscribers Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Subscriber Newsletter Dear << Test First Name >>:Welcome to the Gluten Free Works Health Guide Newsletter!… 

PUR Mints Review and $10 Coupon

 

PUR Mints are Gluten and Aspartame Free! And DELICIOUS!!!
Thank YOU, Kendall!

HUGE shout out to Kendall and the PUR Team for sending us samples of their new PUR Mints: Tangerine Tango, Spearmint, Polar Mint, Peppermint and the one I am currently enjoying – Mojito Lime Mint. The mints are gluten-free, aspartame-free and yummylicious! (They are also vegan, nut & soy free, diabetic friendly and non-gmo!)

PUR really promotes the fact that they do not use aspartame to sweeten their products. That’s a good thing. Aspartame is made from genetically modified e-coli, their feces in fact, and I was told it was produced in the same facility as Agent Orange. YUCK! Aspartame gives me migraines, so I stopped eating it even before I found out it was made from bacteria dung.

Instead, PUR uses xylitol, which is pretty smart considering xylitol creates a cooling effect in your mouth. I really like how the packets reseal, so you can save some for later…unless you eat them like candy like I do.  (Mmm. I just crunched into a Peppermint.)

Thanks again, Kendall. The mints are fantastic. I’ll definitely be making PUR my go to mints.

Oh, and Kendall was nice enough to send us a $10 Coupon for our Gluten Free Works Members to use on PUR’s website. Considering they have products for $4.99, you’re looking at FREE STUFF! Woohoo!!! Just enter the coupon code in the image below. 

Subscriber Newsletter June 14, 2015

A Gluten Free Works Notification for Health Guide Subscribers Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Subscriber Newsletter Dear << Test First Name >>: Welcome to the Gluten Free Works Health… 

Subscriber Newsletter June 9, 2015

A Gluten Free Works Notification for Health Guide Subscribers Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Subscriber Newsletter Dear << Test First Name >>: Welcome to the Gluten Free Works Health…