Vitamin D for cancer - tanTALK

eileen · 07-03-2007, 09:26 AM

Great article.....sending this one to the printer.

http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070703/LIFESTYLE/707030307

Vitamin D for cancer: Look for future emphasis
By Dan Gold For the Trbiune

What would you think if your doctor advised you to avoid the sun to prevent skin cancer, and to get a good suntan to prevent and kill cancer? That is conflicting advice to be sure, and yet both advisories have merit. What is a person to do? The answer revolves around the use of vitamin D.
This conundrum has come to light because of a recent study in Nebraska where researchers reported a significant reduction in cancer rates for people taking three times the normal daily supplement dose (400 international units) of vitamin D. The statistics implied that those who took the increased rates of vitamin D were 60 times less likely to get cancer than those in the placebo group. That is huge!

In fact, it is thought that cancers of the breast, colon, prostate, skin and other organs are susceptible to vitamin D therapy. Also, it comes in the face of growing evidence that vitamin D deficiency may be behind many other disease processes as well. In fact, the roots of this story may extend all the way back to the Garden of Eden. We have known for years that the active form of vitamin D is produced in the body, for the most part, by exposure to sunlight. UV rays in sunlight change vitamin D2 storied in the epidermis to D3.

D3 then passes through the liver where it converts into 25-D3. From the liver, it travels through the bloodstream to the kidneys where it is converted to 1,25-D3, which is the active vitamin. Unfortunately, humans do not get adequate levels of D3 through milk and cereal, which are fortified. So exposure to sunlight is key.
In Eden, or other "cradles of civilization" scattered about the globe, humankind walked essentially naked on the earth in equatorial climes. This insured high doses of sun exposure so vitamin D deficiency probably was not known to primitive peoples.
Then, with the migration of tribes into Northern and Southern hemispheres and away from bright direct, equatorial sunlight, vitamin D deficiency became a historical problem that still exists today.
The further north you live and the darker your skin is, the more likely you are to have a vitamin D deficiency.
Today, there is adequate dietary vitamin D in our food supply to prevent soft bones in children (rickets), but an inadequate level to prevent cancer and other disease.
In fact, scientists are now rethinking the issue of minimal vitamin D level recommendations. We know one thing for sure. If high doses of vitamin D prevent and/or kill cancer, probably few of us in North America have enough vitamin D in our bodies.
Historically, doctors have treated proven vitamin D deficiency with 50,000 i.u. once a week for one to two months followed by 1,000 i.u. per day. Daily vitamins contain about 400 i.u. of vitamin D. In the Nebraska study, patients were given three times the daily dose or about 1,200 i.u. per day.
Still, some authorities are not ready to recommend these higher doses until more studies are done. There is such a thing as vitamin D overdose.
Finally, one must wonder, of all the vitamins we take, why does vitamin D have such power and hold forth such promise? The answer lies in the fact that vitamin D is actually a hormone which activates our cells at the nuclear (most basic) level to enhance protein synthesis and cellular growth. As a result, we know that cellular immunity can be enhanced mightily. In retrospect, it does make sense.
Contrast this to all the benefits, most now disproven, of vitamin C. Dr. Linus Pauling, the only two-time individual winner of the Nobel Prize, touted vitamin C for its medicinal properties even, albeit erroneously, proclaiming it as a curefor the common cold. That avenue of research was never fruitful.
Vitamin D, however, seems to be the "real deal." I am excited about future research into this compound and what it might mean for our collective health. Perhaps cancer's days truly are numbered ... by a cancer drug that cost a few cents a day.
Dr. Dan Gold is medical director at Big Sandy Medical Center. The Healer's Corner is a general information medical column and is not intended for use in self-diagnosis and treatment of individual medical problems.

07-03-2007, 09:26 AM	#1 (permalink)
eileen kiss me I'm Derf Join Date: Feb 10 2005 Posts: 7,981 Rep Power: 21	Vitamin D for cancer Great article.....sending this one to the printer. http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070703/LIFESTYLE/707030307 Vitamin D for cancer: Look for future emphasis By Dan Gold For the Trbiune What would you think if your doctor advised you to avoid the sun to prevent skin cancer, and to get a good suntan to prevent and kill cancer? That is conflicting advice to be sure, and yet both advisories have merit. What is a person to do? The answer revolves around the use of vitamin D. This conundrum has come to light because of a recent study in Nebraska where researchers reported a significant reduction in cancer rates for people taking three times the normal daily supplement dose (400 international units) of vitamin D. The statistics implied that those who took the increased rates of vitamin D were 60 times less likely to get cancer than those in the placebo group. That is huge! In fact, it is thought that cancers of the breast, colon, prostate, skin and other organs are susceptible to vitamin D therapy. Also, it comes in the face of growing evidence that vitamin D deficiency may be behind many other disease processes as well. In fact, the roots of this story may extend all the way back to the Garden of Eden. We have known for years that the active form of vitamin D is produced in the body, for the most part, by exposure to sunlight. UV rays in sunlight change vitamin D2 storied in the epidermis to D3. D3 then passes through the liver where it converts into 25-D3. From the liver, it travels through the bloodstream to the kidneys where it is converted to 1,25-D3, which is the active vitamin. Unfortunately, humans do not get adequate levels of D3 through milk and cereal, which are fortified. So exposure to sunlight is key. In Eden, or other "cradles of civilization" scattered about the globe, humankind walked essentially naked on the earth in equatorial climes. This insured high doses of sun exposure so vitamin D deficiency probably was not known to primitive peoples. Then, with the migration of tribes into Northern and Southern hemispheres and away from bright direct, equatorial sunlight, vitamin D deficiency became a historical problem that still exists today. The further north you live and the darker your skin is, the more likely you are to have a vitamin D deficiency. Today, there is adequate dietary vitamin D in our food supply to prevent soft bones in children (rickets), but an inadequate level to prevent cancer and other disease. In fact, scientists are now rethinking the issue of minimal vitamin D level recommendations. We know one thing for sure. If high doses of vitamin D prevent and/or kill cancer, probably few of us in North America have enough vitamin D in our bodies. Historically, doctors have treated proven vitamin D deficiency with 50,000 i.u. once a week for one to two months followed by 1,000 i.u. per day. Daily vitamins contain about 400 i.u. of vitamin D. In the Nebraska study, patients were given three times the daily dose or about 1,200 i.u. per day. Still, some authorities are not ready to recommend these higher doses until more studies are done. There is such a thing as vitamin D overdose. Finally, one must wonder, of all the vitamins we take, why does vitamin D have such power and hold forth such promise? The answer lies in the fact that vitamin D is actually a hormone which activates our cells at the nuclear (most basic) level to enhance protein synthesis and cellular growth. As a result, we know that cellular immunity can be enhanced mightily. In retrospect, it does make sense. Contrast this to all the benefits, most now disproven, of vitamin C. Dr. Linus Pauling, the only two-time individual winner of the Nobel Prize, touted vitamin C for its medicinal properties even, albeit erroneously, proclaiming it as a curefor the common cold. That avenue of research was never fruitful. Vitamin D, however, seems to be the "real deal." I am excited about future research into this compound and what it might mean for our collective health. Perhaps cancer's days truly are numbered ... by a cancer drug that cost a few cents a day. Dr. Dan Gold is medical director at Big Sandy Medical Center. The Healer's Corner is a general information medical column and is not intended for use in self-diagnosis and treatment of individual medical problems. Last edited by eileen; 07-03-2007 at 10:03 AM. Reason: changed the font color

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