http://www.lookingfit.com/news/2011/11/sun-avoidant-caucasians-lack-vit-d.aspx
Light-skinned people who avoid the sun are twice as likely to suffer from vitamin D deficiency as those who do not, according to a study of nearly 6,000 people by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Surprisingly, the use of sunscreen did not significantly affect blood levels of vitamin D, perhaps because users were applying too little or too infrequently, the researchers speculate.
The study adds to a growing debate about how to balance the dangers of sun exposure with the need for appropriate levels of vitamin D to prevent bone diseases such as osteoporosis and rickets.
"It's not as simple as telling everyone to wear sunscreen," says dermatologist Eleni Linos, MD PhD. "We may instead need to begin tailoring our recommendations to the skin tones and lifestyles of individual patients. It's clearly a very complex issue."
Linos, who is now an assistant professor of dermatology at the University of California-San Francisco, was a Stanford resident when the research was conducted. She is the first author of the research, which will be published online Nov. 4 in Cancer Causes and Control. Assistant professor of dermatology Jean Tang, MD, PhD, is the senior author.
Vitamin D is produced by the skin in response to exposure to the ultraviolet rays in sunlight; too little of the vitamin causes bone weakening and rickets and possibly contributes to many other chronic diseases including cancer. Small amounts of vitamin D can also be acquired by drinking fortified milk, eating fortified breakfast cereals or eating fatty fish such as salmon, tuna and mackerel, as well as from over-the-counter dietary supplements. Although it's not clear exactly how many people may be deficient in the vitamin, experts believe about 30 percent to 40 percent of the United States population may be affected.
Linos and Tang analyzed population-base data from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 2003 to 2006. The survey included questions about sun-protective behavior, inquiring whether respondents frequently wore long sleeves, hats and sunscreen, and whether they sought out shade on sunny days. It also included each respondent's race, as well as their blood levels of a form of vitamin D called 25-hydroxyvitamin D.
The researchers found that Caucasians who avoided the sun with clothing or stayed in the shade had blood levels of vitamin D that were about 3.5 and 2.2 nanograms per milliliter lower than those who did not report such behavior. In contrast, the association between sun avoidance and reductions in vitamin D levels in Hispanic or African-American survey-takers was not statistically significant. "This may be explained by the inherent pigmentation in darker skin, which acts as natural sun protection," Linos shares. (The researchers did not analyze Asians as a separate group.)
The researchers considered any respondent with blood levels of 20 nanograms per milliliter or below to be vitamin D deficient because lower levels have been associated with adverse health outcomes. They found that although about 40 percent of all survey participants were vitamin D deficient, the prevalence increased to 53 and 56 percent among those who wore long sleeves and stayed in the shade. Whites who wore long sleeves and stayed in the shade were twice as likely to be deficient in the vitamin as those who did not (odds ratios of 2.16 and 2.11, respectively).
Race affects vitamin D production because of differences in skin pigmentation. Highly pigmented skin protects against ultraviolet rays, but also leads to lower overall baseline levels of vitamin D in the blood and frequent vitamin D deficiency. In the current study, African-Americans who rarely took sun-protective measures had an average vitamin D blood level of about 14.5 nanograms per milliliter. Hispanics who didn't avoid the sun had an average level of about 19.7 and sun-loving Caucasians, about 26.4. In contrast, those who frequently stayed in the shade had average levels of 14, 19.2 and 22.8 nanograms per milliliter, respectively.
"This confirms that the issue of vitamin D supplementation is increasingly important," says Linos. She cautioned, however, against wholesale use of dietary supplements before more data has been generated; currently there are two large, randomized clinical trials testing the health effects of relatively high doses of vitamin D.
The real surprise came when Linos found that the reported use of sunscreen did not significantly affect vitamin D levels. Because sunscreens block the ultraviolet rays that trigger the vitamin's production, it seems that regular usage should lower vitamin D in the blood.
"This finding was both interesting and surprising," Linos muses. The apparent contradiction is likely due to sunscreen users not using the protection effectively. "People are probably not applying it often or thickly enough," she suggests. "Often, people use sunscreen when they anticipate getting a lot of sun exposure, unlike others who spend time in the shade in order to avoid the sun."
Other Stanford researchers involved in the study include undergraduate Elizabeth Keiser; clinical professor of dermatology and chief of dermatology at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center Matthew Kanzler, MD; clinical assistant professor of health research and policy Kristin Sainani, PhD; and former undergraduate student Wayne Lee. The research was supported by a Damon Runyon Clinical Investigator Award and the National Institutes of Health.
Showing posts with label vitamin D. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vitamin D. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Friday, May 27, 2011
Sunshine linked to fatherhood: Vitamin D boosts sperm quality
Male sexual health may be improved with vitamin D and sun exposure, University of Copenhagen researchers reported this week — another reason researchers are saying that overzealous sun avoidance is unnatural and has potential negative side effects.
“Would-be fathers should make the most of the next sunny day by taking off their shirt and topping off their tan,” London’s Daily Mail reported in a story Saturday. “A study of 340 men found that vitamin D, produced by the body when exposed to the sun, boosts the quality of sperm.”
According to the research team, sperm in vitamin D sufficient men were better at swimming toward an egg, had more speed and were better able to penetrate the egg. Their findings were published this month in the journal Human Reproduction and correspond to previous research linking low vitamin D levels to decreased sperm production.
To read the Daily Mail report click here.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Breast cancer breakthrough: vitamin D in combination with sun exposure is key to prevention
Breast cancer breakthrough: vitamin D in combination with sun exposure is key to prevention
A large and potentially groundbreaking French study appears to have the answer: the key to breast cancer prevention may well be taking higher amounts of vitamin D through diet and supplements combined with regular, direct sunshine exposure.
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/031042_breast_cancer_sunshine.html#ixzz1BQJnBdy4
A large and potentially groundbreaking French study appears to have the answer: the key to breast cancer prevention may well be taking higher amounts of vitamin D through diet and supplements combined with regular, direct sunshine exposure.
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/031042_breast_cancer_sunshine.html#ixzz1BQJnBdy4
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Vitamin D Recommendations May Increase for Children : Internal Medicine News
The report “Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium and Vitamin D” will be released to the public on Nov. 30, 2010, at 10 a.m. EST. The Chairman of Pediatrics at Memphis’ University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Dr. Russell Chesney, predicts this will coincide with an increase in the Institute of Medicine’s daily vitamin D recommendations for kids.
At the annual American Academy of Pediatrics meeting, the professor acknowledged the vast number of vitamin D-related health benefits, chiding: “Vitamin D truly is the center of the universe."
Although he admits the need for more studies on the vitamin’s superpower status, Chesney is supportive of ongoing health claims, noting the role of UV light in synthesizing the hormone. He also echoed the sentiment of the meeting’s keynote speaker – that today’s children are practically on “house arrest,” which could be fostering epidemic proportions of vitamin D deficiency worldwide.
Currently, the Institute of Medicine recommends 200 IU/day of vitamin D for anyone 50 or younger. Chesney reports that several organizations contacted the group with concerns that this amount was too low.
Source: Vitamin D Recommendations May Increase for Children : Internal Medicine News
At the annual American Academy of Pediatrics meeting, the professor acknowledged the vast number of vitamin D-related health benefits, chiding: “Vitamin D truly is the center of the universe."
Although he admits the need for more studies on the vitamin’s superpower status, Chesney is supportive of ongoing health claims, noting the role of UV light in synthesizing the hormone. He also echoed the sentiment of the meeting’s keynote speaker – that today’s children are practically on “house arrest,” which could be fostering epidemic proportions of vitamin D deficiency worldwide.
Currently, the Institute of Medicine recommends 200 IU/day of vitamin D for anyone 50 or younger. Chesney reports that several organizations contacted the group with concerns that this amount was too low.
Source: Vitamin D Recommendations May Increase for Children : Internal Medicine News
Monday, August 16, 2010
Stay sharp mentally with indoor tanning, benefits of Vitamin D from Livestrong
Mental benefits of Vitamin D from Livestrong.com
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
What Do You Lack? Probably Vitamin D
Published: July 26, 2010
Vitamin D promises to be the most talked-about and written-about supplement of the decade. While studies continue to refine optimal blood levels and recommended dietary amounts, the fact remains that a huge part of the population — from robust newborns to the frail elderly, and many others in between — are deficient in this essential nutrient. ... (more)
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Helath Care, Vitamin D, and Indoor Tanning
A great summary of the benefits of indoor tanning / UV exposure coupled with links to research that popular media (and dermatologists) seems to be largely ignoring: Just 'D' Facts
"It is a shame that this Congress is doing everything backwards. Moderate and controlled non-burning exposure to Sunshine would reduce Health Care costs, not add to it."
"It is a shame that this Congress is doing everything backwards. Moderate and controlled non-burning exposure to Sunshine would reduce Health Care costs, not add to it."
Friday, May 21, 2010
Canadian Doctor says: Moderate exposure to UVB light through indoor tanning can solve vitamin D deficiency
TORONTO, ONTARIO, MEDIA RELEASE--(Marketwire - May 13, 2010) - It's time to take a common sense approach to UVB light exposure primarily because moderate UVB light exposure year round will help solve Canada's vitamin D deficiency epidemic, says Dr. Zoltan Rona, a Toronto doctor specializing in complementary and alternative medicine.
"All cells, tissues and organs in the body have vitamin D receptors, meaning they await the arrival of the vitamin to perform various vital functions," said Dr. Rona. A recent Statistics Canada survey found 65 per cent of Canadians are vitamin D deficient. "I believe the actual number is much higher. In my own practice, over 90 per cent of my new patients are vitamin D deficient."
A study published last month in the peer reviewed Molecular Nutrition & Food research journal, An Estimate of the Economic Burden and Premature Deaths Due to Vitamin D Deficiency in Canada showed vitamin D deficiency is contributing to 37,000 deaths per year in Canada.
In his new book, Vitamin D, The Sunshine Vitamin, Dr. Rona recommends Canadians consider using a sunbed that emits UVB light during the winter months to maintain healthy vitamin D blood levels.
He says Canada must overcome its case of sunphobia - a condition imposed on the population by sun paranoid dermatologists who are paid to promote sunscreens and telling Canadians to spend too much time indoors due to the fear of aging from sun damage, as contributing factors to vitamin D deficiency. "The truth is that the benefits of ultraviolet light have been underestimated while its dangers have been grossly exaggerated", said Dr. Rona "It's not too late to return to some balance as it relates to our relationship with the sun."
Because of the country's northern latitudes, Canadians can't produce vitamin D naturally from the sun for four to six months of the year.
"We need to re-examine our current condemnation of all UV exposure. The health implications of vitamin D deficiency caused by anti sun messaging have put our health at risk. This needs to change. Due to its relationship with UVB light and its ability to produce vitamin D the skin could turn out to be the body's most important organ as it relates to disease prevention," Dr. Rona said.
Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to a number of diseases such as cancer, autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular diseases and adverse pregnancy outcomes.
"Human beings evolved under ultraviolet light. This is the way our bodies were biologically designed to produce vitamin D and it is a mistake to ignore this. In Canada we are unable to produce adequate vitamin D from sunlight six months of the year," Dr. Rona said. "For this reason, all sources of vitamin D need to be utilized. If you can't bask in the summer sun, then jump into a tanning bed or take a supplement to get your vitamin D levels up," he added.
IN: HEALTH, OTHER
For more information, please contact
Peter Turkington
Primary Phone: 905-901-9218
E-mail: pturkington@stratcommsolutions.ca
Article appears at http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/-1259681.htm
"All cells, tissues and organs in the body have vitamin D receptors, meaning they await the arrival of the vitamin to perform various vital functions," said Dr. Rona. A recent Statistics Canada survey found 65 per cent of Canadians are vitamin D deficient. "I believe the actual number is much higher. In my own practice, over 90 per cent of my new patients are vitamin D deficient."
A study published last month in the peer reviewed Molecular Nutrition & Food research journal, An Estimate of the Economic Burden and Premature Deaths Due to Vitamin D Deficiency in Canada showed vitamin D deficiency is contributing to 37,000 deaths per year in Canada.
In his new book, Vitamin D, The Sunshine Vitamin, Dr. Rona recommends Canadians consider using a sunbed that emits UVB light during the winter months to maintain healthy vitamin D blood levels.
He says Canada must overcome its case of sunphobia - a condition imposed on the population by sun paranoid dermatologists who are paid to promote sunscreens and telling Canadians to spend too much time indoors due to the fear of aging from sun damage, as contributing factors to vitamin D deficiency. "The truth is that the benefits of ultraviolet light have been underestimated while its dangers have been grossly exaggerated", said Dr. Rona "It's not too late to return to some balance as it relates to our relationship with the sun."
Because of the country's northern latitudes, Canadians can't produce vitamin D naturally from the sun for four to six months of the year.
"We need to re-examine our current condemnation of all UV exposure. The health implications of vitamin D deficiency caused by anti sun messaging have put our health at risk. This needs to change. Due to its relationship with UVB light and its ability to produce vitamin D the skin could turn out to be the body's most important organ as it relates to disease prevention," Dr. Rona said.
Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to a number of diseases such as cancer, autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular diseases and adverse pregnancy outcomes.
"Human beings evolved under ultraviolet light. This is the way our bodies were biologically designed to produce vitamin D and it is a mistake to ignore this. In Canada we are unable to produce adequate vitamin D from sunlight six months of the year," Dr. Rona said. "For this reason, all sources of vitamin D need to be utilized. If you can't bask in the summer sun, then jump into a tanning bed or take a supplement to get your vitamin D levels up," he added.
IN: HEALTH, OTHER
For more information, please contact
Peter Turkington
Primary Phone: 905-901-9218
E-mail: pturkington@stratcommsolutions.ca
Article appears at http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/-1259681.htm
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Vitamin D From Sun Exposure Reduces Cancer Risk, Ecological Studies Find
From http://www.cancermonthly.com/iNP/view.asp?ID=244
Getting enough vitamin D can significantly reduce the risk of several different types of cancer, and ecological studies done over the past decade have confirmed that sun exposure is a critical source of this vitamin, according to a recent report in Annals of Epidemiology.
Researchers have been looking at the connection between vitamin D from sunlight and cancer risk since 1980, when researchers Cedric and Frank Garland looked at geographic maps of cancer deaths and found that mortality from colon cancer was highest in places where residents got the least amount of sun exposure (such as in high latitudes).
William B. Grant, PhD., Director of the Sunlight, Nutrition, and Health Research Center (SUNARC) in San Francisco, California, has been one of the foremost researchers on vitamin D and cancer incidence since 2000. In a 2002 study, he identified 14 different types of cancers that were linked to insufficient UVB exposure, and estimated that between 17,000 and 23,000 people die prematurely each year in the U.S. due to a lack of vitamin D from the sun.
The strongest associations between vitamin D from the sun and cancer have been with colon and breast cancers, but links have also been found with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, ovarian cancer, and kidney cancer. Studies have also connected vitamin D to a reduced incidence of other diseases, such as colds and flu, coronary heart disease, stroke, and congestive heart failure.
People can get vitamin D in two ways: from the diet (in foods such as salmon, milk, and eggs) and through sunlight exposure (the skin produces vitamin D when exposed to the sun’s UVB rays). Yet diet supplies only about 200 to 300 IU of vitamin D each day; a fraction of the recommended dose for cancer prevention, according to Dr. Grant. “The amount of vitamin D in diet is just not sufficient to have an impact, he says.
The sun is a much more potent source of vitamin D. “In the United States in the summer, people can make 1,500 IU of vitamin D just from casual [sun] exposure,” Dr. Grant says. For people who are relatively young, as little as five to 10 minutes of midday sun exposure without sunscreen is enough to produce the 4,000 IU of vitamin D he recommends daily for disease prevention. Those who are over age 60 may need to spend a few extra minutes outside each day because their bodies don’t produce the vitamin as efficiently.
Despite the mounting evidence that a few minutes of daily sun worshipping is good for the health, dermatologists and cancer investigators have been at odds when it comes to sun advice. For years, dermatologists have been warning Americans to stay out of the sun when possible, and to wear sunscreen when exposed, to avoid developing melanoma—the deadliest form of skin cancer. Yet Dr. Grant says melanomas tend to be caused by UVA rays, which are highest during the morning hours, rather than the cancer-protective UVB rays, which increase at around 1 p.m. “You go out for a shorter time at midday and make your vitamin D, and then cover up,” he advises.
During the winter months or in more northern climates where sun exposure is generally lower, Dr. Grant advises taking vitamin D supplements to ensure that you’re getting enough.
To learn more about getting the optimum levels of vitamin D for your individual situation talk to your licensed healthcare provider.
Source:
Grant WB, Mohr SB. Ecological studies of ultraviolet B, vitamin D and cancer since 2000. Annals of Epidemiology, 2009.
Other sources:
Garland CF, Garland FC. Do sunlight and vitamin D reduce the likelihood of colon cancer? International Journal of Epidemiology. 1980;9:227-231.
Getting enough vitamin D can significantly reduce the risk of several different types of cancer, and ecological studies done over the past decade have confirmed that sun exposure is a critical source of this vitamin, according to a recent report in Annals of Epidemiology.
Researchers have been looking at the connection between vitamin D from sunlight and cancer risk since 1980, when researchers Cedric and Frank Garland looked at geographic maps of cancer deaths and found that mortality from colon cancer was highest in places where residents got the least amount of sun exposure (such as in high latitudes).
William B. Grant, PhD., Director of the Sunlight, Nutrition, and Health Research Center (SUNARC) in San Francisco, California, has been one of the foremost researchers on vitamin D and cancer incidence since 2000. In a 2002 study, he identified 14 different types of cancers that were linked to insufficient UVB exposure, and estimated that between 17,000 and 23,000 people die prematurely each year in the U.S. due to a lack of vitamin D from the sun.
The strongest associations between vitamin D from the sun and cancer have been with colon and breast cancers, but links have also been found with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, ovarian cancer, and kidney cancer. Studies have also connected vitamin D to a reduced incidence of other diseases, such as colds and flu, coronary heart disease, stroke, and congestive heart failure.
People can get vitamin D in two ways: from the diet (in foods such as salmon, milk, and eggs) and through sunlight exposure (the skin produces vitamin D when exposed to the sun’s UVB rays). Yet diet supplies only about 200 to 300 IU of vitamin D each day; a fraction of the recommended dose for cancer prevention, according to Dr. Grant. “The amount of vitamin D in diet is just not sufficient to have an impact, he says.
The sun is a much more potent source of vitamin D. “In the United States in the summer, people can make 1,500 IU of vitamin D just from casual [sun] exposure,” Dr. Grant says. For people who are relatively young, as little as five to 10 minutes of midday sun exposure without sunscreen is enough to produce the 4,000 IU of vitamin D he recommends daily for disease prevention. Those who are over age 60 may need to spend a few extra minutes outside each day because their bodies don’t produce the vitamin as efficiently.
Despite the mounting evidence that a few minutes of daily sun worshipping is good for the health, dermatologists and cancer investigators have been at odds when it comes to sun advice. For years, dermatologists have been warning Americans to stay out of the sun when possible, and to wear sunscreen when exposed, to avoid developing melanoma—the deadliest form of skin cancer. Yet Dr. Grant says melanomas tend to be caused by UVA rays, which are highest during the morning hours, rather than the cancer-protective UVB rays, which increase at around 1 p.m. “You go out for a shorter time at midday and make your vitamin D, and then cover up,” he advises.
During the winter months or in more northern climates where sun exposure is generally lower, Dr. Grant advises taking vitamin D supplements to ensure that you’re getting enough.
To learn more about getting the optimum levels of vitamin D for your individual situation talk to your licensed healthcare provider.
Source:
Grant WB, Mohr SB. Ecological studies of ultraviolet B, vitamin D and cancer since 2000. Annals of Epidemiology, 2009.
Other sources:
Garland CF, Garland FC. Do sunlight and vitamin D reduce the likelihood of colon cancer? International Journal of Epidemiology. 1980;9:227-231.
Sunbathing 'boosts men's sex drive'
From http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/7127197/Sunbathing-boosts-mens-sex-drive.html
A spot of sunbathing boosts men's sex drive, reveals a new study.
Testosterone levels in men's blood rise accordingly with doses of vitamin D.
The vital nutrient is produced in the body after exposure to sunlight and can also be obtained from eating oily fish and meat.
Researchers at the Medical University of Graz in Austria found men with more vitamin D per millilitre of blood had much more of the main male sexual hormone circulating than those with less.
And the average amount of testosterone over the course of the year was subject to the same fluctuations as the vitamin D level.
Both decrease from October - at the beginning of the winter months - and reach their lowest level in March because of the weaker solar radiation during this period.
Ad Brand, spokesman of the Sunlight Research Forum in Veldhoven in the Netherlands, said: "Men who ensure their body is at least sufficiently supplied with vitamin D are doing good for their testosterone levels and their libido among other things."
The new findings back up previous research that found an hour of sunshine can boost a man's testosterone by 69 percent.
Testosterone is the most important male sexual hormone. In males it is mainly responsible for the development of the sex organs, the formation and maintenance of the typical male sexual characteristics, sperm production and the controlling of male desire.
Stimulated by UV radiation, 90 per cent of vitamin D in the body is produced by the skin. An average vitamin D level of 30 nanograms per millilitre of blood (30 ng/ml) represents the scientific value from which vitamin D has a sufficiently positive effect. Optimal values are between 40 and 60 ng/ml.
A spot of sunbathing boosts men's sex drive, reveals a new study.
Testosterone levels in men's blood rise accordingly with doses of vitamin D.
The vital nutrient is produced in the body after exposure to sunlight and can also be obtained from eating oily fish and meat.
Researchers at the Medical University of Graz in Austria found men with more vitamin D per millilitre of blood had much more of the main male sexual hormone circulating than those with less.
And the average amount of testosterone over the course of the year was subject to the same fluctuations as the vitamin D level.
Both decrease from October - at the beginning of the winter months - and reach their lowest level in March because of the weaker solar radiation during this period.
Ad Brand, spokesman of the Sunlight Research Forum in Veldhoven in the Netherlands, said: "Men who ensure their body is at least sufficiently supplied with vitamin D are doing good for their testosterone levels and their libido among other things."
The new findings back up previous research that found an hour of sunshine can boost a man's testosterone by 69 percent.
Testosterone is the most important male sexual hormone. In males it is mainly responsible for the development of the sex organs, the formation and maintenance of the typical male sexual characteristics, sperm production and the controlling of male desire.
Stimulated by UV radiation, 90 per cent of vitamin D in the body is produced by the skin. An average vitamin D level of 30 nanograms per millilitre of blood (30 ng/ml) represents the scientific value from which vitamin D has a sufficiently positive effect. Optimal values are between 40 and 60 ng/ml.
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