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Drug Directory Home >> Healthy Eating >> Eating Well >> Vitamin D: Why You Need This Vitamin Now
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The New York Times: Bitten Vitamin D: Why You Need This Vitamin Now ========================================
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Share vitamin D nutritionGETTYIMAGES By Julie Upton From Health magazine
You may already know that vitamin D can help build strong teeth and bones, but wait until you hear what else it can do for the rest of your body. D can keep you trim, boost your mood, ward off sniffles, drastically cut your risk of cancer, and more. “We could prevent 150,000 cases of cancer annually if we could just increase vitamin D to optimal levels,” says Cedric Garland, a doctor of public health, a leading vitamin D researcher, and a professor of family and preventive medicine at the University of California, San Diego.
Related links: How to Get Vitamin D in Your Diet
How to Get the “Sunshine Vitamin” Safely Battle Aging With Vitamin D
That’s great news, right? Yes, except for one huge problem: A startling report found that more than a third of all women fail to get enough D for healthy bones—and more than 75% of us lack the higher amounts needed for the vitamin to do its disease-fighting best. Downing a daily glass of milk is a smart way to get more D. But the most significant source is sunlight, and that’s where the trouble lies. Our bodies produce D with exposure to ultraviolet radiation, but as we’ve gotten smarter about dodging skin cancer—staying out of the sun and slathering ourselves with mega-SPF sunblock—our vitamin D levels have plummeted. Fortunately, there are smart and safe ways to boost your intake while you enjoy all the benefits that vitamin D can deliver.
Lower your risk of cancer Vitamin D may substantially cut the risk of breast, colon, prostate, and ovarian cancers, according to a growing body of research. In fact, Dr. Garland found that women with D blood levels that were more than double the current national average of 25 nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml) had a 50% lower risk of breast cancer than those with the lowest blood levels. Scientists believe that D helps regulate genes in a way that protects healthy cells and stops the growth of cancerous ones. There are receptors for vitamin D in virtually all of the body’s cells, and to “feed” them you need an adequate blood level of the vitamin. That depends not only on how much time you spend outside and what you eat but also on where you live. People living at higher latitudes, for example, soak up fewer UVB rays from November through March, which means they’re more likely to have low blood levels of vitamin D and a higher risk of cancer. In fact, studies have shown twice as many colon cancer deaths and 50% more breast cancer deaths in the far North compared with the sunnier South, Dr. Garland says. So how much sun is enough to lower the risk of cancer without upping your risk of skin damage?
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Pages: 1 2 Last Updated: July 17, 2009 Filed Under: Eating Well Also Tagged: health magazine june 2009, Nutrition, skin cancer, vitamins, Weight Loss Most Popular Stories From Health.com: How to Stop Nicotine Cravings
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Comments (23) The following content represents the opinions of Health.com users. It is not editorially reviewed for medical or factual accuracy. It does not constitute medical advice. See your doctor for medical advice.Post a Comment
Kevin It would have been nice if the article included effective ways to get more vitamin D, aside from popping pills and risking skin cancer in the sun.
Reply mike
the sun is the best natural source of vitamin D by far Reply
Allison The first page of the article has a section of related links. One of those links is to an article on how to boost your consumption of Vitamin D.
Reply James Dance
Wow, thats amazing. I can drink a gallon of milk in one sitting! RT http://www.privacy-tools.echoz.com
Reply Pete
Here is an excellent lecture about vitamin D with a lot more detail than in this articleL: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/12/16/my-one-hour-vitamin-d-lecture-to-clear-up-all-your-confusion-on-this-vital-nutrient.aspx Reply
joe paid for by the united dairy farmers of america
Reply joe
I pop a pill of vitamin D per day and it really makes a big difference in teh way that you feel as well. http://www.baseballtraderumors.com
Reply Kevin
I’m not worried about skin cancer. It is one of the most easily detected, easily treated, and most successfully treated cancers. I’m worried about the cancers that are hard to detect and treat that result from a lack of vitamin D. I don’t wear sunscreen unless I am going to be in the sun long enough to get burned. I feel like people who wear sunscreen daily are doing themselves a great disservice. Reply
MikeS Is this really shocking news for people? One fact is that skin cancer isn’t a major killer like the dermatologists make it out to be. If you really do some research, you’ll find that the sunscreen industry is in bed with the dermatologists. Another fact is it only takes a few minutes of sunshine to achieve the desired level of vitamin D, but many doctors are still telling people to pop pills to achieve it. The body can’t overdose on natural vitamin D, but pill form can cause an overdose.
No doctor that believes natural sunlight is important is telling people to go out for hours and get a dark tan. A Tanning bed for a few minutes a couple times a week is enough for those that can’t get out doors. Again, we aren’t talking about getting a Tan. UV light from a bed is the same UV the sun produces in a different dosage. 95% of the public is mislead about the dangers of the sun. Who do you call every time a weird spot shows up on your body? I know many people that pay to go see one just to hear that it’s nothing. Thank you ma’am, come again! Why are doctors so scared of the truth here? Visits to them might drop causing a loss of income which could be one reason, or they are really afraid of the average person taking things to the extreme and either sitting in the sun for hours to get more or popping more pills than they are supposed to. Doctors are people that are trying to make a living after all.
Either way, I stopped using sun blocks for every day usage unless I know I’ll be out too long. The FDA hasn’t really made a ruling on sun screens yet either. As far as we know, it’s the sun blocks that are causing more skin cancer over the actual sun. Our bodies were made to get natural sun light, not block it. I remember seeing a breakdown of the types of people that were more prone to skin cancer, and it was the complete opposite of what one would expect. Those that spent most of their time indoors were more prone than ones that were outside a little more often. Our bodies need a balance; we rely too much on fake remedies. Popping pills isn’t the answer. Skin cancer, cancer in general can just run in the family. My grandfather had skin cancer, though he didn’t die from it. He lived a long 82 years. We are living longer and longer these days, and our bodies will show wear and tear over the years, cancer may overcome the body at some point once you are up in age. Doctors need to stop playing god and let our bodies function the way God wanted them to function. For those that are on the evolutionary end. Our bodies evolved to different clients that we live in. Fact is it will take more time in the sun for a dark skinned person to achieve their optimum level of vitamin D.
In closing, use common sense people. The sun isn’t evil. Reply
Saskia My brother died from skincancer at the age of 39 year. He sailed a lot and obviously had too much sunshine on his skin.
Reply Kathe
I have two stories about vitamin D and sunlight. 1. A friend was so deficient in vitamin D that she had rickets. She is a light-skinned, freckled redhead. She never went in the sun and used sunblock anytime she did. She got really sick and her doctor said it was because she was severely lacking vitamin D. He put her on supplements and even vitamin D drops. It made no difference in her vitamin D levels. He suggested that she go to a tanning salon and try that. After just one month of controlled tanning exposure he re-tested her levels and found that they were normal. She feels so much better and isn’t sick anymore.
2. I recently found out that I have very high/dangerously high cholesterol including high LpA. My doctor was so concerned that he did an immediate EKG to check the condition of my heart. The cholesterol levels are caused genetically and I am in very good health otherwise. He said that there is nothing they can do to lower them. I could be an olympic athlete and eat perfectly and would still have it. He said the only thing for me to do is protect my heart. He tested my vitamin D levels because he said lack of vitamin D contributes greatly to heart attacks. He was astonished at how high my levels were. They were above average. He asked me what type of supplements I was taking. None. He asked how in the world did I have such good vitamin D levels living in Michigan in January. I said I tan twice weekly in a tanning salon. He said, keep it up and maybe even go three times a week to be sure.
Whenever someone says something to me about the sun being bad for me I ask them where did you hear that? I say, follow the money. Who has a vested interest in scaring you away from the sun? And please tell me why the sun has been around for thousands of years with little or no skin cancer and then the past 20 – 25 years it has been increasing at alarming rates? Could it possibly be all of the chemicals in sunblocks and other skin care products that we slather on our skin every day, whether we are in the sun or not?
We are being scared out of the sun and we are getting sick because of it. Reply
Amanda People should be aware that while SOME skin cancers are easily detected and treated, not all of them are. Detecting skin cancer relies heavily on the physician’s experience… a lot of lesions look like “nothing” when they are something and vice versa. Melanoma is the most aggressive (it can quickly spread to organs) and often deadly type of skin cancer. And if it doesn’t kill you, it will more than likely leave you highly disfigured. It is normally highly pigmented and SHOULD be easy to detect (as long as a person pays attention) but there have been cases recently of non-pigmented melanoma’s appearing in teens and pre-teens – exactly where doctors don’t expect it. The blanket statements about skin cancer being ‘basically nothing’ are NOT true. My husband is a researcher focusing on melanoma so he’s seen plenty of it. It IS due to excessive sun exposure, don’t believe anyone who tells you otherwise.
BALANCE is the key – yes we need Vitamin D from the sun but we should not just disregard the sun as harmless. 10-15 minutes in the sun several times a week will provide plenty of vitamin D with very little skin damage risk (depending on your skin – some people burn that fast). And as one person mentioned, a tanning bed is a fair option if you live somewhere without a lot of sunshine. I live in Southern California where there is no shortage of sunshine. I wear an SPF 15 sunblock on my face every day, not because I don’t want to tan – because I don’t want my skin to age prematurely! Thank you but I don’t want to look like I am 80 when I’m 60. Regardless of cancer risk, excessive sun exposure WILL lead to premature aging of the skin. I am reminded of that every time I go to the beach and see people who have lived here all their lives (I moved here from Canada) and did not know/care about the risk – their skin looks like leather! As for my vitamin D – I regularly sit outside at lunch to get some sun and I’d recommend more people do the same.
Oh and the reason why there have been more cancers in the last 20 years is because MORE UV rays are reaching the earth (and our skin) due to global warming and depletion of the ozone layer and it’s only going to get worse. Reply
hoosierville Pablo, I’d rather have a few wrinkles than die of any kind of Cancer. You make your choices and I’ll make mine.
Reply Amanda
Agreed, we all make our choices… but people should be aware of ALL the risks to make an informed decision. There are plenty of risk factors for all cancers, does it mean we avoid all of those? no. Moderation and balance. I never said I don’t go out in the sun. I do almost every day but I am aware of the other effects of the sun so I put sunscreen on my face and expose my arms and legs instead – vitamin D without the wrinkles :) Reply
interactive health Vitamin D is essential and helpful – many overlook the importance of natural as well as supplimental amounts of vitamins overall. Vitamin D production requires only a small amount of overall sunshine – The risks do not outweight the benefit – unless of course you are spending hours without sunscreen.
http://www.iahealth.net/nutrition Reply
Dr. Jonas Sackofshee I have de vitamin dee in my bloob. It got there by me eating a whospire goopah ONE, TWO THREE PPPPFFFFFFFFFFOT
Reply Dr. Jonas Sackofshee
No doccer told me how to get it, so I just ran it pist my computer google Reply
Mrinali thanks for this great information.. keep digging..
Reply mike
If you are interested in vitamin D you should take a look at http://www.vitaminD3world.com The Canadian Cancer Society now recommends that everyone take vitamin D to prevent cancer. The site has good summaries of the data and offers a new preparation of vitamin D in a micro-pill formulation. The pills have been formulated with cellulose which absorbs water very quickly. This ensures that the pill breaks up very quickly to provide for maximum absorption. The micro pill is tiny and tasteless. Many vitamin D pills on the market have very poor dissolution properties resulting in poor absorption. The site also offers to supply customers with a free supply of 400IU for their children and it also has a good newsletter. Reply
Mr. Ram Hi, Can you tell us what items contains in vit.- D:
Thanks Reply
Mike You cannot get anywhere near enough vitamin D from diet compared to exposing yourself to the sun. Suggesting folk get it through milk, you would have to drown in it to get enough. 8ozs of milk contains 100IU and you need several thousand units per day. With our present lifestyle and the fact that you cannot get adequate sun for 6 months of the year in Northern regions even if you were out in it all day, the only solution is to take supplements or move. You can see all the data on http://www.vitaminD3world.com The site has a good newsletter so sign up for it
Reply Blender Benefits
I remember I went to a tanning salon once and they were advertising the benefits of vitamin D. I definitely think getting your D from the sun is an important thing, but in moderation. From a tanning bed though, thats another story. Reply
gloria Are there any bad symtoms of taking to much vitamin D supplements. anyone know?
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