eileen

Death May Be Nearer for People Who Lack Vitamin D, Study Says

By Cristina Alesci
Aug. 11 (Bloomberg) -- People whose blood contains less vitamin D, produced naturally from exposure to sunshine, may have a greater chance of dying, according to a study.
Researchers reviewed medical records from 1994 or earlier for 13,331 people. After a median time of 8.7 years, those in the quarter of the group with the least vitamin D were 26 percent more likely to have died than those with the most, the scientists said today in the Archives of Internal Medicine. The difference takes into account risks connected to family history, cholesterol and weight.
About four in every 10 males in the U.S., and a majority of women, have less than optimal amounts of vitamin D in their bodies, the researchers said. Dietary imbalances and a sedentary lifestyle allowing little exposure to sunshine contribute to a vitamin D deficit, said study leader Michal Melamed, an assistant professor at Yeshiva University's Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. Muscle, breast and prostate tissue all contain the vitamin.
``Vitamin D deficiency is just emerging as a risk factor for many diseases,'' including cardiovascular ills and cancer, Melamed said in a telephone interview Aug. 8. ``It has been underappreciated.''
In the study, the quarter of people with the largest concentration had more than 32.1 nanograms per milliliter of vitamin D in their blood, compared with less than 17.8 in the bottom group.
People with more physical activity and those taking vitamin D supplements were better off, other factors being equal, according to the study.
Winter Risks
The lack of vitamin D had already been associated with higher mortality rates in the elderly and in kidney disease patients who can't convert the substance into a form the body can use. The researchers said cardiovascular events are more common in the winter, when vitamin D levels are low. About 10 to 15 minutes of sunlight should be enough to reach optimal levels, Melamed said, if people aren't eating enough vitamin D-rich foods, such as milk and fish.
More research is needed to show whether a paucity of vitamin D causes disease, according to the scientists.
Jeffrey Borer, a cardiologist at New York-Presbyterian Hospital's Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York, said he wouldn't recommend more vitamin D for all of his patients.
``It is a very attractive theory because taking vitamin D is cheap and easy,'' said Borer, who wasn't involved in the study, in a telephone interview Aug. 8. ``Before saying we should supplement vitamin D to make people less likely to die of cardiovascular disease, we would need data that is not available in this study.''
To contact the reporter on this story: Cristina Alesci in New York at calesci@bloomberg.net
Last Updated: August 11, 2008 16:16 EDT

SOURCE LINK: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p...vQE&refer=home

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"under exposure to UV rays is as dangerous as overexposure....this is D life" eileen

eileen

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5...aaxpVuvrNj3mcA

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http://www.14wfie.com/Global/story.asp?S=8822947&nav=3w6r

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"under exposure to UV rays is as dangerous as overexposure....this is D life" eileen

SunEtc

Thank you very much.

eileen

This story is all over TV today, it's getting a lot of press. One station commented I guess you better skip that sunscreen sometimes and don't be so afraid of the sun.

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"under exposure to UV rays is as dangerous as overexposure....this is D life" eileen

engfant

but you might get a wrinkle!!!!