Vitamin D May Help You Live Longer, Lower Risk of Certain Cancers
More studies show potential benefits of important nutrient
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Did you know? Your body only produces vitamin D after it’s been exposed to sunlight. And even if you love the sun, you probably aren’t getting the D you need. Eighty percent of people living in the United States don’t get enough of the nutrient, and some individuals are at an especially high risk of deficiency, including:
- Older Americans (because aging skin loses the ability to convert vitamin D to an active form)
- Homebound individuals
- People in northern latitudes
- People who cover their bodies for religious reasons
- Those whose occupations prevent them from getting sun exposure
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Vitamin D and mortality
It’s been known for years that vitamin D promotes the body’s absorption of calcium, and is essential for normal development and the maintenance of strong bones and teeth. Now, a new report shows that people who take “the sunshine vitamin” may actually live longer than those who don’t.
Conducted by doctors at the International Agency of Research on Cancer (France) and the European Institute of Oncology (Italy) and published in the Archives of National Medicine, the report focused on 18 different vitamin D trials involving mortality rates. During the trials, more than 57,000 adults in the United States, United Kingdom and Europe took either vitamin D supplements or placebos for an average of about six years. During this period, nearly 5,000 participants died from any cause, and those taking vitamin D were 7 percent less likely to die during the studies.
The reasoning behind these results isn’t clear – but it is clear that this important nutrient should be further explored in a number of arenas: including cancer. Several reports show that vitamin D may prevent certain types of cancers from occurring.
Vitamin D and cancer
Researchers at the University of California compiled data from numerous studies showing an inverse relationship between vitamin D levels and breast and colon cancers. Published in the journal Nutrition Reviews, the report concluded that up to 50 percent of colon and breast cancer cases could actually be prevented by a widespread increase in vitamin D intake.
While the vitamin’s current recommended daily intake is 200 IU for those ages 19 to 50, 400 IU for those ages 51 to 69, and 600 IU for those older than 70; research supports the growing consensus that we need to consume a lot more – up to 1,000 IU – to keep blood levels of vitamin D where they need to be. Experts conducting the University of California research recommend even higher levels: To achieve that 50 percent reduction in colon cancer, we’d have to consume about 2,000 IU of vitamin D per day, and to reach that same level of breast cancer reduction, we’d have to consume about 3,500 IU per day.
Experts at Northwestern University, Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard Medical School and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston suggest that higher levels of vitamin D may lead to a reduced risk of pancreatic cancer, as well.
In surveying more than 120,000 American men and women, the Northwestern/Harvard/Dana-Farber researchers found that those who consumed 600 IU or more of vitamin D each day experienced a 41 percent lower risk for pancreatic cancer when compared to those consuming 150 IU or less.
While experts do note that more studies are necessary to determine the relationship between vitamin D and cancer development, this information coincides with analyses dating back to the 1940s, when scientists demonstrated a link between geographic latitudes and deaths from cancer. Those who lived in warmer climates with more exposure to sunlight (and therefore higher vitamin D levels) had lower death rates from colon, breast and prostate cancers.
Vitamin D during pregnancy
In addition to geographical location, pregnancy can also affect a person’s nutrient needs: Expecting and lactating mothers should take special care to ensure they aren’t vitamin-D deficient. Human milk contains little vitamin D as it is, and women who have vitamin-D deficiencies provide even less of the nutrient to their newborns.
A new University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences study shows that women who don’t get enough vitamin D early in pregnancy have an increased risk for preeclampsia, a serious complication of pregnancy and the leading cause of premature delivery. The Pittsburgh researchers recommend vitamin D supplementation during early pregnancy should be further examined – to prevent this condition from occurring and also to promote neonatal well-being.
Sunlight and supplementation
Even when the weather’s nice, you don’t want to depend on sunlight for your vitamin D requirements – too much sun exposure will age your skin and increase the likelihood of developing skin cancer. And unless you’re eating oily fish frequently, you aren’t going to get that much vitamin D from dietary sources, either. So for many, sensible sunlight – even just 15 minutes a day – combined with vitamin D supplementation makes the most sense. But be sure to talk to your doctor about your individual situation and what level of supplementation would be best suited to your needs.
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