Anthropologists discover how teeth
reveal vitamin D levels: X-rays can now be used to check for deficiency/ Οι
ανθρωπολόγοι ανακαλύπτουν πώς τα δόντια αποκαλύπτουν τα επίπεδα βιταμίνης D: Οι
ακτίνες Χ μπορούν τώρα να χρησιμοποιηθούν για τον έλεγχο της ανεπάρκειας
(Natural News) We often take care of
our oral health to make sure that our breath stays fresh, but did you know that
dental X-rays can be used to determine vitamin D deficiencies (rickets)?
While this is a grave health concern
that often goes undiagnosed, Lori D’Ortenzio and Megan Brickley,
anthropologists from McMaster University, have revealed that it can be determined
with a dental X-ray.
In an earlier study, D’Ortenzio, Brickley, et al. established that human
teeth can present “a detailed and permanent record of serious Vitamin D
deficiency.” With dental X-rays, experts can examine this record, which comes
from microscopic deformities in dentin, one of the four major tissues that make
up the bulk of teeth.
This data can be the key to fully grasping the exact moment when
individuals were deprived of our primary source of vitamin D — sunlight.
Researchers can even use this data to verify the vitamin D levels of people who
lived more than a hundred years ago. Enamel preserves this record because it
can prevent teeth from breaking down. The same can’t be said for bones, which
can decay. (Related: Vitamin D: How to Determine Your Optimal Dose.)
However, there’s a catch: experts must cut open a tooth to interpret the
patterns which reveal an individual’s “vitamin D record.” Since the source of
post-mortem teeth available for study is finite, the scientists tried to devise
a method of isolating teeth “for further study.”
Through dental X-rays, scientists can study the “readily observable”
patterns of pulp horns or the dark shadow that can be seen in the middle of the
image of a tooth. This “consistent, recognizable pattern” is helpful since
experts can use it to look into archaeological teeth, and it can also help
living individuals determine if they have a vitamin D deficiency.
D’Ortenzio, a Ph.D. candidate in anthropology and the lead author of the
paper, says that their discovery came about while they were looking for “a
non-destructive method” that can leave their limited specimens intact while
also revealing the presence of a deficiency. In a healthy individual, pulp
shape mirrors “an arch topped by two cat ears.” In people with a severe vitamin
D deficiency, pulp shape “is asymmetrical and constricted, and typically looks
like the profile of a hard-backed chair.”
In an earlier study, D’Ortenzio and Brickley stumbled upon this
“recognizable pattern.” After analyzing both historic and current teeth, they
confirmed that “X-ray images are consistent and reliable indicators of prior
deficiency.”
Brickley, a Professor of Anthropology who holds the Canada Research Chair
in the Bioarchaeology of Human Disease, concludes that this discovery is a
significant one since “it has the potential to contribute to modern health care
as well.”
Vitamin
D deficiencies have grave consequences, especially
regarding bone health, and this reliable way of identifying the presence of the
disorder can thwart further damage to one’s health. Once a regular dental X-ray
isolates a problem, some blood tests can determine “an ongoing deficiency.”
The researchers shared that this data can make it easier to determine
whether children with growing bones have vitamin D deficiencies or not.
Detecting this health concern early on can help patients stave off serious
“future problems with Vitamin-D related bone deficiency.” With this knowledge,
it will be easier to figure out the best way to protect ourselves from harmful
UV rays while also ensuring that we get enough sunlight ” to maintain a healthy
level” of vitamin D.
Natural sources of
vitamin D
Make sure you’re getting enough vitamin D by incorporating more of the
following foods in your diet:
Oysters – Oysters are low in calories and
full of nutrients.
Shrimp – Unlike other seafood sources of
vitamin D, shrimp is very low in fat.
Egg yolks – The bulk of the protein in an
egg is in the egg white, but the fat, vitamins, and minerals are found mostly
in the egg yolk.
Πηγή :
https://ygeiaerwtaspsyxikhygeia.blogspot.com/
- Επιτρέπεται η αναδημοσίευση του
περιεχομένου της ιστοσελίδας εφόσον αναφέρεται ευκρινώς η πηγή του και υπάρχει
ενεργός σύνδεσμος (link ). Νόμος 2121/1993 και κανόνες Διεθνούς Δικαίου που
ισχύουν στην Ελλάδα.
ΕΠΙΣΗΜΑΝΣΗ
Ορισμένα
αναρτώμενα από το διαδίκτυο κείμενα ή εικόνες (με σχετική σημείωση της πηγής),
θεωρούμε ότι είναι δημόσια. Αν υπάρχουν δικαιώματα συγγραφέων, παρακαλούμε
ενημερώστε μας για να τα αφαιρέσουμε. Επίσης σημειώνεται ότι οι απόψεις του
ιστολόγιου μπορεί να μην συμπίπτουν με τα περιεχόμενα του άρθρου. Για τα άρθρα
που δημοσιεύονται εδώ, ουδεμία ευθύνη εκ του νόμου φέρουμε καθώς απηχούν
αποκλειστικά τις απόψεις των συντακτών τους και δεν δεσμεύουν καθ’ οιονδήποτε
τρόπο το ιστολόγιο.