Neon Beach

Thu Apr 13, 2006 12:54pm ET

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - In men, low levels of vitamin D appear to be associated with increased cancer incidence and mortality -- particularly cancers of the digestive system -- researchers report in the April 5th issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Co-author of an accompanying editorial, Dr. Gary G. Schwartz of Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina told Reuters Health that "these observations add to a growing body of evidence that vitamin D, whose major source is casual exposure to sunlight, may play important roles in the natural history of many cancers."

"The idea that sunlight might inhibit the growth of human cancers, proposed by several epidemiologists, and once widely scoffed at," he concluded, "now appears to be having its rightful day in the sun."

Dr. Edward Giovannucci who led the research effort told Reuters Health: "Vitamin D deficiency is common and is important to identify and treat for multiple reasons. An increasing body of evidence suggests that a reduction in risk of some cancers may turn out to be another benefit."

Giovannucci of Harvard School of Public Health, Boston and colleagues note that vitamin D has potent anticancer qualities.

To help quantify its effect, the researchers first correlated determinants of vitamin D exposure with serum levels in some 1000 men. Items involved were dietary and supplementary vitamin D, skin pigmentation, adiposity, geographical residence and leisure-time physical activity, and hence sunlight exposure. The researchers then computed vitamin D levels for 47,800 men in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study.

From 1986 to 2000, the researchers documented 4286 incident cancers and 2025 cancer deaths in the cohort. These figures excluded organ-confined prostate cancer and non-melanoma skin cancer.

An increment of 25 nmol/L in the predicted blood level of vitamin D was associated with a 17 percent reduction in total cancer incidence, a 29 percent reduction in total cancer mortality and a 45 percent reduction in digestive system cancer mortality.

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=healthNews&storyid =2006-04-13T165404Z_01_COL360235_RTRUKOC_0_US-VITAMIN-D.xml

devastoj

Good Read - Thanks Neon

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bronzeman11

Just sent it to my dermotologist.......actually , i'm putting a copy to read at the salon.

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Go Giants !!!!!!!!!!!!

totaleclipse1

NICE >>>>>

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OFFICIALLY MRS. V !!
HOLLA!

Sherin

It makes you wonder huh?

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War does not determine who is right, war determines who is left.