Take balanced approach to vitamin D, says cancer society
Last Updated: Monday, April 30, 2007 | 10:42 PM ET
CBC News
In light of emerging research on the benefits of vitamin D, the Canadian Cancer Society said Monday that Canadians could consider brief, unprotected exposure to the sun, increased dietary intake of the vitamin and the use of supplements.

Over the past 18 months, evidence has emerged suggesting that vitamin D may reduce the risk for colorectal cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, multiple myeloma and other diseases such as multiple sclerosis.

Vitamin D, which is produced naturally in the body through exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays, is more available in the summer than in the winter and in the south than the north, said nutrition researcher Reinhold Vieth of Toronto's Mount Sinai Hospital.

"There's a lot of cancers, in particular, you know breast cancer, prostate cancer and bowel cancer, that correlate with latitude," said Vieth. "Even the prospects, your future with that cancer, depends on which season of the year your cancer was diagnosed in."

Balanced approach
Since exposure to the sun carries well-established risks for increased skin cancer, cataracts and premature aging, people need to take a moderate, balanced approach, and not trade cancers for cancer, said Heather Logan, director of cancer control policy for the Canadian Cancer Society.

"Some limited exposure unprotected may in fact reduce your risk of disease," Logan told CBC Newsworld, adding people should still follow sun sense guidelines, such as not overexposing themselves between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., and wearing sunscreen when the UV index is higher than three.
"At the moment, probably going back and forth from your house to your car will be sufficient to maintain optimum levels in Canada," said Logan. "We're not talking about an hour."

Current recommendation low
How much sun people need depends on age, skin colour, where you live, and the intensity of the sun — factors that influence how quickly vitamin D is produced.

Most experts believe the current recommendation of 400 units of vitamin D a day for people up to age 50, and 600 units daily for those over 70, is probably too low, Logan said, suggesting somewhere between 400 units and the upper safe limit of 2,000 units a day.

http://givnology.com/eve/forums?a=tpc&s=92060363&f=5646...651013803#1651013803

Thank you Sue.

I always spend a little time in the sun,
however it gets dark here in the winter so we should consider taking supplements when there is not much sunshine.

Love,
Vicky

Good post Sue. Thank you.



Long recognized for aiding calcium absorption and thus promoting bone health, adequate vitamin D intake helps reduce the risk of osteoporosis. In 2006, studies published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and the Journal of the American Medical Association suggested that vitamin D may help reduce the risk of various other diseases and alleviate the symptoms of certain medical conditions as well.

"These studies add to a growing body of research that suggests adequate vitamin D levels convey a broad spectrum of health benefits, from reducing the risk of breast, colon and prostate cancers to playing a preventative role in multiple sclerosis, diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis," said Lori Hoolihan, Ph.D., R.D., nutrition research specialist at Dairy Council of California. "Emerging research also suggests that vitamin D may be involved in optimal functioning of the immune system, improving mental activities and reducing the risk of periodontal disease."

Dairy Council of California is urging health professionals to get up to speed on this research, because health conditions linked to vitamin D insufficiency are on the rise. Rickets, a childhood softening of the bones that leads to fractures and deformity, has resurfaced in the United States as a public health concern. Rickets reached almost epidemic levels in the early 1900s before it was virtually eradicated by fortifying milk with vitamin D. A review published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition indicated that rickets is now back on the radar among health professionals, with 166 cases of rickets identified in children between 1986 and 2003. Additionally, researchers suspect many children and adolescents have borderline or undetected deficiencies, which could contribute to the development of osteomalacia -- or weak bones -- in addition to other health conditions later in life.

http://www.emaxhealth.com/83/11382.html

Thank you for the post.

I have read several articles confirming this material.
I have been taking cod liver oil every winter and I do spend a little time in the sun.

Cod liver oil is a good source of vitamin D, and it comes in lemon flavour which is not unpleasant at all.

Sincerely,
Gisele

This is a very interesting post.

Maybe we need to use a little less sunscreen.
Use a summer sun hat and skip the sunscreen if we don't plan any long walks in the sun.

Gisele you are right about the cod liver oil. I use it, and the lemon flavoured one. It is not bad at all.

yoko

For decades, vitamin D was appreciated largely for its role in boosting the absorption of calcium, important for bone health. However, over the past decade and especially the past 5 years, research has linked a broad range of additional benefits to having ample vitamin D. It's shown that the nutrient fights cancers and diabetes, is the pivotal feedstock for a hormone that protects muscle, and inhibits autoimmune disorders from multiple sclerosis and lupus to inflammatory bowel disease.

Thank you everyone for your input.
Here are more facts:

http://www.vitamindcouncil.com/

The high rate of natural production of vitamin D3 cholecalciferol in the skin is the single most important fact every person should know about vitamin D because it has such profound implications for the natural human condition.
Vitamin D is a steroid hormone precursor that has recently been found to play a role in a wide variety of diseases. Current research indicates vitamin D deficiency plays a role in causing seventeen varieties of cancer as well as heart disease, stroke, hypertension, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, depression, chronic pain, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, muscle weakness, muscle wasting, birth defects, and periodontal disease—and it probably doesn't stop there, there is still much more research that needs to be done.
This does not mean that vitamin D is the only cause of these diseases, or that you will not get them if you take vitamin D. What it does mean is that vitamin D, and the many ways in which it affects a person's health, can no longer be overlooked by the healthcare industry nor by individuals striving to maintain, or achieve, a greater state of health.


Vitamin D casts cancer prevention in new light[P]erhaps the biggest bombshell about vitamin D's effects is about to go off. In June, U.S. researchers will announce the first direct link between cancer prevention and the sunshine vitamin. Their results are nothing short of astounding...those taking the vitamin had about a 60 percent reduction in cancer incidence, compared with those who didn't take it, a drop so large—twice the impact on cancer attributed to smoking—it almost looks like a typographical error.
And in an era of pricey medical advances, the reduction seems even more remarkable because it was achieved with an over‑the‑counter supplement costing pennies a day.
~ The Globe and Mail


The sunshine superstar: study reveals Vitamin D as "wonder vitamin"Twenty minutes lying in the sun this weekend could provide your best chance of avoiding colds and flu, according to new research which demonstrates that vitamin D, not vitamin C, provides the most efficient protection against cold viruses.
~ The Independent

I found an article in the Globe and Mail newspaper, suggesting that taking vitamin D appears to extend life by 7%.
Maybe we should look at more studies to see if we need to take a daily supplement of vitamin D. With the risk of skin cancer we put on sunscreen and this prevents us from absorbing the vitamin from the sun.

Love,
Vicky

Thank you for bringing back this post Vicky. I read a similar article in one of the magazines lately.

Love,
yoko

Update from the Globe and Mail newspaper, Monday September 24, 2007.

...in June the Canadian Cancer Society said adults should take 1000 IU a day. That call coincided with the release of a U.S. study that found taking the vitamin at levels above those deemed adequate by Health Canada reduced cancer risk by an astounding 60 per cent.