Listen: Your body might be asking for more vitamin D

[Guest guest]

F.Y.I.

http://tinyurl.com/yokfxg

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/health/orl-

vitamind07apr17,0,2587432,print.story?coll=sfla-news-science

Contrary to current advice, studies show we need a larger dose of the

nutrient in order to reap its benefits.

Kate Santich

Sentinel Staff Writer

April 17, 2007

It's only a simple vitamin, but it sounds like a miracle drug -- one

that top researchers say may help you stave off everything from

osteoporosis to multiple sclerosis to diabetes, schizophrenia and

breast cancer.

A series of recent studies has found that vitamin D, the so-called

sunshine vitamin -- once thought to be critical only to bone health --

is useful throughout the body to strengthen the immune system and

control cell growth. Yet researchers estimate that as many as half of

all Americans are likely deficient in the nutrient.

The problem is particularly serious in people with dark skin, the

elderly and those who are diligent about avoiding sun exposure,

especially if they adhere to the federal government's current

recommended dietary allowance of the vitamin, which many say is far

too low.

" What we're finding is really challenging physicians' long-standing

knowledge about vitamin D, " says Dr. Bodnar, assistant professor

of epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh. She is co-author of

a recent study that found more than 80 percent of pregnant black

women and nearly half of pregnant white women -- and their subsequent

newborn babies -- to be vitamin D-deficient. The women lived in the

Pittsburgh area, but Bodnar says the findings likely apply throughout

the northern United States, where there is little wintertime sun, and

perhaps to the South, as well.

" If people go to their doctor and say, 'I think I should be taking

more vitamin D,' it's very likely their doctor will say they don't

need it. But what people have to understand is that the [current]

dietary recommendation is not based on the best science. And more

science is coming out now confirming that vitamin D intake has got to

be higher if we're going to prevent some of these problems. "

In fact, current research indicates vitamin D deficiency plays a role

in 17 varieties of cancer, plus heart disease, stroke, hypertension,

diabetes, depression, chronic pain, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis,

muscle weakness, muscle wasting, birth defects, periodontal disease

and auto-immune diseases such as lupus. It may not be the lone cause

of these problems, the experts caution, but it appears to be a

contributor.

One study in Finland, for instance, followed children given a

whopping 2,000 international units (IU) of vitamin D per day -- 10

times what the U.S. government currently suggests -- from birth

through their first birthday. After three decades, those who had

received the supplements were found to have reduced their chance of

getting Type I diabetes by 80 percent compared with those who were

given no supplement.

" The data are also pretty strong in relating adequate vitamin D

levels to decreased risk of developing and dying of colon, prostate,

breast and pancreatic cancer, " says professor Dr. Holick,

director of the Bone Health Care Clinic at Boston University Medical

Center and considered one of the world's foremost authorities on

vitamin D. " We also [think] now that the reason African-Americans are

more prone to getting tuberculosis and have more aggressive disease

is that they're more prone to vitamin D deficiency. "

Beware of fortified foods

Historically, mankind's main source of vitamin D has been sunlight,

which penetrates the skin's uppermost layer and, after processing in

the liver and kidneys, becomes cholecalciferol -- the hormone

responsible for vitamin D's healthful benefits.

Such a system worked well as long as man spent most of his days

outdoors with little clothing. But our relatively recent indoor

lifestyle -- as well as dark pigmentation, aging and using sunscreen -

- can all interfere with that process. A mere SPF-8 sunscreen, for

instance, cuts vitamin D synthesis by roughly 95 percent.

Complicating matters is the fact that few foods offer even modest

amounts of natural vitamin D, and those that do are often high in fat

so should be consumed in moderation. They include cream, egg yolks,

cod liver oil and fatty fish.

And though milk and some cereals are fortified with D in this

country, the vitamin is often delivered in the form of synthetic D2,

which is more stable but not easily used by the body. Many

multivitamins also use D2.

" Make sure you're taking D3, . . . the same compound that is made in

sun-exposed skin, " advises best-selling author Dr. Weil, a

physician and strong proponent of holistic medicine. " So often, you

see orange juice or foods that say they're vitamin D-fortified. But

many times, those are fortified with D2. [And] vitamin D has to be

taken with fat. Taking a vitamin D pill with orange juice isn't going

to work; it won't stick to you. "

Too much of a good thing?

Vitamin D has long been known to prevent rickets -- a disease that

can leave children with soft and misshapen bones. For years, the

United States has based its advice on how much vitamin D people need

on the minimum necessary to prevent rickets. Too much D, they warned,

could be toxic.

But scientists now say those warnings have been overblown.

" Even at 10,000 units of vitamin D, I know of no adverse health

consequences seen in studies, " Bodnar says. " There's a study right

now going on in pregnancy, for instance, that is looking at the

safety and effectiveness of supplementing pregnant women with up to

4,000 units a day. And they're doing it in both black and white women

to see, for instance, if black women need more vitamin D simply

because of the dark pigment in their skin. "

The consensus at this point, though, is that 1,000 to 2,000 units a

day is probably a good amount to maintain health. Holick says he --

and everyone in his family -- now takes 1,000 units daily.

Still, the government's official recommendation, last revised a

decade ago, is a mere 200 IU for people age 50 and younger, 400 IU

for those 51 to 70 and 600 IU for those 70 and older.

Why the discrepancy?

" It has taken science and medicine a long time to figure out how

vitamin D really works, " explains Dr. Luke Bucci, a biochemist and

vice president of research for Schiff Nutrition

International. " People were afraid because they thought it

accumulates in the body. Well, no, it doesn't.''

a=z

PS Sure glad I bought the wife a K.B.D. vitamin D sunlamp. :-)

[Guest guest]

Hi Aequalsz:

Any input about sunlamps you think might be helpful would be much

appreciated. TIA. I see the KBD lamp sells for $210 + $15 shipping.

Rodney.

--- In , " aequalsz " <aequalsz@...>

wrote:

>

> F.Y.I.

>

> http://tinyurl.com/yokfxg

>

> http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/health/orl-

> vitamind07apr17,0,2587432,print.story?coll=sfla-news-science

>

>

> Contrary to current advice, studies show we need a larger dose of

the

> nutrient in order to reap its benefits.

>

> Kate Santich

> Sentinel Staff Writer

>

> April 17, 2007

>

> It's only a simple vitamin, but it sounds like a miracle drug --

one

> that top researchers say may help you stave off everything from

> osteoporosis to multiple sclerosis to diabetes, schizophrenia and

> breast cancer.

>

> A series of recent studies has found that vitamin D, the so-called

> sunshine vitamin -- once thought to be critical only to bone

health --

> is useful throughout the body to strengthen the immune system and

> control cell growth. Yet researchers estimate that as many as half

of

> all Americans are likely deficient in the nutrient.

>

> The problem is particularly serious in people with dark skin, the

> elderly and those who are diligent about avoiding sun exposure,

> especially if they adhere to the federal government's current

> recommended dietary allowance of the vitamin, which many say is far

> too low.

>

> " What we're finding is really challenging physicians' long-standing

> knowledge about vitamin D, " says Dr. Bodnar, assistant

professor

> of epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh. She is co-author

of

> a recent study that found more than 80 percent of pregnant black

> women and nearly half of pregnant white women -- and their

subsequent

> newborn babies -- to be vitamin D-deficient. The women lived in the

> Pittsburgh area, but Bodnar says the findings likely apply

throughout

> the northern United States, where there is little wintertime sun,

and

> perhaps to the South, as well.

>

> " If people go to their doctor and say, 'I think I should be taking

> more vitamin D,' it's very likely their doctor will say they don't

> need it. But what people have to understand is that the [current]

> dietary recommendation is not based on the best science. And more

> science is coming out now confirming that vitamin D intake has got

to

> be higher if we're going to prevent some of these problems. "

>

> In fact, current research indicates vitamin D deficiency plays a

role

> in 17 varieties of cancer, plus heart disease, stroke,

hypertension,

> diabetes, depression, chronic pain, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis,

> muscle weakness, muscle wasting, birth defects, periodontal disease

> and auto-immune diseases such as lupus. It may not be the lone

cause

> of these problems, the experts caution, but it appears to be a

> contributor.

>

> One study in Finland, for instance, followed children given a

> whopping 2,000 international units (IU) of vitamin D per day -- 10

> times what the U.S. government currently suggests -- from birth

> through their first birthday. After three decades, those who had

> received the supplements were found to have reduced their chance of

> getting Type I diabetes by 80 percent compared with those who were

> given no supplement.

>

> " The data are also pretty strong in relating adequate vitamin D

> levels to decreased risk of developing and dying of colon,

prostate,

> breast and pancreatic cancer, " says professor Dr. Holick,

> director of the Bone Health Care Clinic at Boston University

Medical

> Center and considered one of the world's foremost authorities on

> vitamin D. " We also [think] now that the reason African-Americans

are

> more prone to getting tuberculosis and have more aggressive disease

> is that they're more prone to vitamin D deficiency. "

>

> Beware of fortified foods

>

> Historically, mankind's main source of vitamin D has been sunlight,

> which penetrates the skin's uppermost layer and, after processing

in

> the liver and kidneys, becomes cholecalciferol -- the hormone

> responsible for vitamin D's healthful benefits.

>

> Such a system worked well as long as man spent most of his days

> outdoors with little clothing. But our relatively recent indoor

> lifestyle -- as well as dark pigmentation, aging and using

sunscreen -

> - can all interfere with that process. A mere SPF-8 sunscreen, for

> instance, cuts vitamin D synthesis by roughly 95 percent.

>

> Complicating matters is the fact that few foods offer even modest

> amounts of natural vitamin D, and those that do are often high in

fat

> so should be consumed in moderation. They include cream, egg yolks,

> cod liver oil and fatty fish.

>

> And though milk and some cereals are fortified with D in this

> country, the vitamin is often delivered in the form of synthetic

D2,

> which is more stable but not easily used by the body. Many

> multivitamins also use D2.

>

> " Make sure you're taking D3, . . . the same compound that is made

in

> sun-exposed skin, " advises best-selling author Dr. Weil, a

> physician and strong proponent of holistic medicine. " So often, you

> see orange juice or foods that say they're vitamin D-fortified. But

> many times, those are fortified with D2. [And] vitamin D has to be

> taken with fat. Taking a vitamin D pill with orange juice isn't

going

> to work; it won't stick to you. "

>

> Too much of a good thing?

>

> Vitamin D has long been known to prevent rickets -- a disease that

> can leave children with soft and misshapen bones. For years, the

> United States has based its advice on how much vitamin D people

need

> on the minimum necessary to prevent rickets. Too much D, they

warned,

> could be toxic.

>

> But scientists now say those warnings have been overblown.

>

> " Even at 10,000 units of vitamin D, I know of no adverse health

> consequences seen in studies, " Bodnar says. " There's a study right

> now going on in pregnancy, for instance, that is looking at the

> safety and effectiveness of supplementing pregnant women with up to

> 4,000 units a day. And they're doing it in both black and white

women

> to see, for instance, if black women need more vitamin D simply

> because of the dark pigment in their skin. "

>

> The consensus at this point, though, is that 1,000 to 2,000 units a

> day is probably a good amount to maintain health. Holick says he --

> and everyone in his family -- now takes 1,000 units daily.

>

> Still, the government's official recommendation, last revised a

> decade ago, is a mere 200 IU for people age 50 and younger, 400 IU

> for those 51 to 70 and 600 IU for those 70 and older.

>

> Why the discrepancy?

>

> " It has taken science and medicine a long time to figure out how

> vitamin D really works, " explains Dr. Luke Bucci, a biochemist and

> vice president of research for Schiff Nutrition

> International. " People were afraid because they thought it

> accumulates in the body. Well, no, it doesn't.''

>

>

>

> a=z

>

> PS Sure glad I bought the wife a K.B.D. vitamin D sunlamp. :-)

>

[Guest guest]

--- In , " Rodney " <perspect1111@...>

wrote:

>

> Hi Aequalsz:

>

> Any input about sunlamps you think might be helpful would be much

> appreciated. TIA. I see the KBD lamp sells for $210 + $15

shipping.

>

> Rodney.

>

Hi Rodney,

Well the wife and I have been using ours for a couple of months and I

really can't notice any health benefits. If it keeps me from getting

prostate cancer say 5 years from now, I think it will be well worth

the cost however. The wife's arthritis seems to be better but that

could be due to other factors like her better diet or exercise plan,

who knows. At least the lamp is very safe because it comes with two

protective goggles and it has a five minute timer.

I did find a little additional info about the KBD vitamin D Lamp in

the following abstract. (I'd referred to this abstract in an earlier

post.)

http://www.moviestartanning.com/2007/Sperti/vitamin_D_abstract.htm

But I haven't bothered to try to track down the actual proceedings.

Anyone here have access to a copy of these conference proceedings?

PS Am probably at least 30 years older than the two models shown

above and am not interested in getting a suntan. Just seeking the

health benefits of vitamin D. :-) This lamp is not design for

suntanning.