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Monday 9:15am - 6:45pm Tuesday 9:15am - 5:45pm Wednesday 9:15am - 5:45pm Thursday 9:15am - 6:45pm Friday 9:15am - 5:45pm Saturday 9:15am - 5:45pm

Do Nutrition

Dave Okupniak, MS CNS, has over 30 years of experience helping people of all fitness levels achieve their wellness goals.

05/11/2026

More vitamin K2?
Doctors can’t directly measure vitamin K in the body, and instead use matrix Gla protein—levels of which are high when vitamin K is low—as a marker for vitamin K. In this study, doctors evaluated vitamin K by measuring matrix Gla protein levels in 491 men and women, aged 19 to 71.
They found a direct link: as levels of matrix Gla protein increased, participants were more likely to have arterial stiffness, high blood pressure, obesity, and a history of heart and circulatory events.

Reference: Journal of Clinical Biochemistry; 2020, Vol. 83, 49-56

05/04/2026

Vitamins D and K extend life

This is the first study to test for a link between levels of vitamins D and K and life expectancy in the general population. A total of 4,742 men and women, average age 53, enrolled in this 14-year study during which doctors measured blood levels of vitamins D and K, and tracked all causes of death.
Twenty percent of study participants were low in both vitamins D and K, and were 22 percent more likely to have died from any cause compared to 7 percent for participants with high levels of vitamins D and K. Those who were low in both vitamins were also more likely to have heart and circulatory events.
Doctors considered levels of vitamin D below 20 nanograms per milliliter of blood (ng/ml), or 50 nanomoles per liter (nmol/L), to be low. Because doctors can’t measure vitamin K directly, they used matrix Gla protein—which is high when vitamin K levels are low; and which doctors flagged as high when above 361 picomoles per liter.

Reference: European Journal of Nutrition; 2020, s00394-020-02352-8

04/27/2026

CBD increases brain blood flow

CBD may improve medical conditions relating to memory processing, but doctors don’t know how it works. In this study, 15 healthy adults with little or no history of cannabis took a placebo or 600 mg of oral CBD, after which doctors measured blood flow to the hippocampus, the area of the brain involved in memory.
Compared to placebo, those taking CBD saw blood flow to the hippocampus increase significantly. Blood flow also increased in the orbitofrontal cortex, the area of the brain involved in decision-making.
Doctors said CBD changes how the brain processes emotional memories, which may help explain its benefit in PTSD and other psychiatric disorders.

Reference: Journal of Psychopharmacology; 2020, 0269881120936419

04/19/2026

Omega-3 DHA and Alzheimer’s disease
People with a gene mutation known as APOE4 (E4) are four times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Doctors thought those with E4 would need larger doses of the omega-3 DHA—one of the most prevalent fatty acids in the brain—to have adequate levels in their brain matter.
In this six-month study, 33 men and women, 15 with E4, at least age 55, with a family history of AD, but without the disease themselves, took a placebo or 2,152 mg of DHA per day, which included 0.1 percent EPA. Both groups restricted other polyunsaturated fatty acids, and took B complex vitamins including 1 mg of vitamin B12, 100 mg of B6, and 800 mcg of folic acid per day. B-vitamins help the body process omega-3s.
Discussing the findings, doctors said, “E4 carriers, despite having the same dose, had less omega-3s in the brain.” E4 carriers also had one-third the increase of EPA in spinal fluid compared to non-E4 participants.

Reference: The Lancet; 2020, PIIS2352-3964(20)30258-9

04/06/2026

Vitamin D and infection rates
New research from Quest Diagnostics and Boston University reveals those whose vitamin D levels fell below 20 nanograms per milliliter of blood (ng/ml), or 50 nanomoles per liter (nmol/L), were 54 percent more likely to test positive for Covid-19.
Doctors took the measurements from mid-March to Mid-June, 2020, covering 191,779 people from all 50 states, and matching with their vitamin D levels during the preceding 12 months.
There was a direct link between vitamin D levels and testing positive: a 12.5 percent rate for those with less than 20 ng/ml; an 8.1 percent rate for those with 30 to 34 ng/ml, and a 5.9 percent rate for those with vitamin D levels of at least 55 ng/ml.

Reference: PLOS ONE; September, 2020, 0239252

03/30/2026

Zinc and hospitalizations
Between March 15, 2020, and April 30, 2020, doctors measured fasting levels of zinc in 249 Covid patients admitted to a university hospital in Barcelona, Spain. Zinc levels averaged 61 micrograms per deciliter of blood (mcg/dL), and among those who later died in the hospital, average zinc levels were 43 mcg/dL.
Overall, those whose zinc levels fell below 50 mcg/dL were 2.3 times more likely to die in the hospital than those with levels at or higher than 50. While the infection was active, those with better zinc levels also had lower levels of interleukin-6, the proteins that signal systemic inflammation.
The findings led doctors to conclude lower zinc levels at admission were linked to higher inflammation and poorer outcomes in those with Covid-19.

Reference: ESCMID Conference on Coronavirus Disease (ECCVID); September 23, 2020, Reports

03/09/2026

Ashwagandha for Sleep

Ashwagandha improved sleep quality and mental alertness in those with and without insomnia. In this study, 40 insomniacs and 40 non-insomniacs took a placebo or 600 mg of ashwagandha per day.
After eight weeks, compared to placebo, both groups saw improvements in sleep efficiency—how quickly sleep came at bedtime, and how long it continued uninterrupted—total sleep time, and mental alertness on rising. Participants also had improved anxiety scores on a standard mood scale.
Although both groups benefited, those with insomnia benefited most. Ashwagandha was safe for all parti-cipants, with none reporting side effects, regardless of health condition or age.

Reference: Journal of Ethnopharmacology; 2021, Vol. 264, 113276
NOTE From Dave Okupniak ; Please check with your doctor before taking Ashwagandha, particularly if you are on medications.

03/02/2026

Astaxanthin, tocotrienols, and cognition

A new, objective, digitized test can measure and monitor brain performance, and reliably detect mild or subtle cognitive deficits compared to healthy individuals. In this study, 44 men and women, average age 55, healthy but complaining of memory loss, took a placebo or 9 mg of astaxanthin plus 50 mg of tocotrienols, daily before or after breakfast.
After 12 weeks, those taking the astaxanthin/tocotrienols combination showed significant improvements in tests of short-term, long-term, and verbal memory. In addition to the objective tests, participants reported better memory of names of people and things, compared to placebo.
The new test, called Cognitrax®, also measures motor performance—how the body responds to brain signals; attention, and neural processing speed. Doctors said astaxanthin and tocotrienols safely improved memory performance.

Reference: Journal of Clinical Biochemistry & Nutrition; June, 2020, Vol. 19, No. 116

02/23/2026

Omega-3s and air pollution

Earlier studies found omega-3s reduced brain damage due to lead and mercury, but there are no studies on omega-3s and air pollution. Fine particle matter, 2.5 microns in size—30 times smaller than the width of a hair—can directly enter the bloodstream through the respiratory tract, damaging body systems including the brain. Maintaining brain volume, or size, is essential for healthy cognition later in life.
In this study, doctors compared omega-3 index scores in 1,315 dementia-free women, average age 70, who had a brain structure MRI in the tenth year of the study. All the women lived in areas with high air pollution.
Compared to women with the lowest omega-3 index scores, women with the highest scores had a greater volume of white matter in the frontal, parietal, and temporal brain lobes. Volume in the hippocampus—the area of the brain involved in short- and long-term memory, and in spatial memory that enables navigation—was also larger for women with higher omega-3 index scores.

Reference: Neurology; August, 2020, Vol. 95, No. 8, WNL 10074

NOTE From Dave Okupniak ; Please check with your doctor before taking omega 3 supplements.

02/16/2026

Black cohosh and rhodiola improved menopause

Physical, psychological, quality of life improvements
In this study, 220 women, average age 52, with menopausal symptoms, took black cohosh by itself at a low or high dose, black cohosh with rhodiola, or a placebo.
After 12 weeks, compared to all other groups, women taking the black cohosh with rhodiola reported the most relief—averaging about 70 percent reductions—from hot flashes, joint pain, ge***al and general physical symptoms; and a 25 percent improvement in quality-of-life measurements, including social and emotional symptoms.
Discussing the findings, doctors said the menopausal transition usually lasts about seven years, and that black cohosh combined with rhodiola appeared to effectively reduce general physical, sexual and ge***al symptoms, and to improve emotional well-being, and that “Given the extended time women may experience the menopausal transition, reducing and improving symptoms with black cohosh and rhodiola in a relatively short 12 weeks is a promising outcome.”

Reference: Pharmaceuticals (Basel); 2020 May; 13(5): 102

NOTE From Dave Okupniak ; PLEASE CHECK WITH YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE TAKING BLACK COHOSH OR RHODIOLA FOR DRUG INTERACTIONS AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS. DO NOT TAKE EITHER HERB IF YOU ARE PREGNANT.

02/09/2026

Curcumin, lutein, zeaxanthin, and vitamin D

Nutrients improved dry eye
Dry eye occurs when the eye does not produce enough tears, or when the tears evaporate too quickly. In the lab, doctors blended curcumin, lutein, zeaxanthin, and vitamin D into an oil suspension, and gave the solution to rats with dry eye. After four weeks, there was significant improvement in tear volume, increase in tear breakup time, improvement in tear film integrity, and reduced overall inflammation. Discussing the findings, doctors said the dry eye benefit may come from these antioxidants lowering oxidative stress.

Reference 3: Current Developments in Nutrition; 2020, 4 (Supplement 2), 441

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Holiday Island, AR
72631

Opening Hours

Monday	9:15am - 6:45pm
Tuesday	9:15am - 5:45pm
Wednesday	9:15am - 5:45pm
Thursday	9:15am - 6:45pm
Friday	9:15am - 5:45pm
Saturday	9:15am - 5:45pm

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+19086272325

Website

http://donutrition.net/

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