Guest guest Posted July 27, 2004 Report Share Posted July 27, 2004 > " HSI - Jenny Thompson " > <HSIResearch > After Burn > Mon, 26 Jul 2004 09:03:18 -0400 > > After Burn > > Health Sciences Institute e-Alert > > Monday July 26, 2004 > > ************************************************************** > Dear Reader, > > Summer's here and the time is right for getting out > and soaking up > some healthy sunlight that will prompt your body to > manufacture > vitamin D. The trick, however, is getting just the > right amount of > sun exposure: enough to enhance your supply of D, > but not so > much that you burn your skin. Inevitably, however, > we sometimes > linger too long at the ballgame or the beach, and > come home with a > sunburn. > > When skin is damaged by occasional sunburns, the > stage is set for > the development of actinic keratoses (AK) later in > life. AK shows > up as lesions that are precursors of the two most > common types of > cancer: nonmelanoma squamous cell or basal cell > cancer. > > But a new study demonstrates that if you're one of > the millions > who have this sort of skin damage, you may > substantially lower > your risk of developing skin cancer by increasing > your intake of > one key vitamin. > > - > Bumping up the dose > - > > In a recent issue of Clinical Cancer Research, > scientists at the > Arizona Cancer Center, University of Arizona (UA), > note that a > previous study conducted at UA showed that vitamin A > > supplements significantly reduced the risk of > squamous cell skin > cancer in patients with moderately severe AK. > > The vitamin A dose used in that study was 25,000 IU. > So the UA > team designed another study to test higher doses for > both safety > and efficacy. > > Nearly 130 subjects with severely sun-damaged skin > on their > forearms were divided into four groups to receive > daily doses of > 25,000, 50,000, or 75,000 IU of vitamin A, or a > placebo. Biopsies > were conducted on the damaged skin of each patient > before the > study period began, and then again, one year later, > at the end of the > study. > > The effects of one year of vitamin A supplementation > were > dramatic: > > * Placebo subjects: 25 percent had less skin damage > when their > pre-test and post-test biopsies were compared > * 25,000 IU subjects: 65 percent had less skin > damage > * 50,000 IU subjects: 81 percent had less skin > damage > * 75,000 IU subjects: 79 percent had less skin > damage > > Needless to say, the researchers concluded that > 50,000 IU of > vitamin A is the maximum daily dose required for the > most > effective protection for sun-damaged skin. > > No significant toxic reactions were reported in any > of the four > groups. But side effects sometimes occur with > prolonged use of > vitamin A at very high doses, so usage should be > monitored by a > doctor. Smokers and heavy drinkers are most > susceptible to > vitamin A toxicity. > > ------------------------------- > Checking the sources > ------------------------------- > > In the e-Alert " Type Casting " (5/6/04), I told you > about some of > the dietary and supplementary sources of vitamin A. > But after > sending out that e-Alert I received messages from > HSI members > who questioned some of the conclusions I came to. > > After reviewing the research, I found that on a > couple of points I > zigged when zagging would have been the better > choice. So now > I'll put the record straight with these simple > guidelines for getting > adequate amounts of vitamin A: > > * The problems with vitamin A toxicity are > associated with > supplements of synthetic vitamin A taken in high > doses > * Fruits and vegetables with orange and yellow > coloring, and green > leafy vegetables contain beta-carotene, a > precursor of vitamin A > * The body poorly converts beta-carotene into > vitamin A > * The best source of vitamin A is animal products, > such as eggs > and liver > * Cod liver oil is an excellent natural source of > vitamin A > > If you follow these vitamin A basics, you can't go > wrong. > > ************************************************************** > ...and another thing > > Imagine having a slightly crazy relative who spends > all his time in > a basement laboratory, working on implausible new > inventions, > and he's just come rushing up the stairs to show off > a tablet, > announcing, " It's exercise in a pill! " > > Gee, that's nice, Uncle Henry. Good luck with that. > > Crazy as it sounds, an Australian research team is > developing a > drug designed to trick the body into performing some > of the > metabolic reactions triggered by exercise. No doubt, > there would > be a huge market for a pill that could provide the > benefits of > exercise without having to actually get up out of > your chair. But at > what price? > > During exercise, the body activates an enzyme called > AMP- > activated protein kinase (AMPK). This enzyme > inhibits the > synthesis of cholesterol and fat, while speeding up > metabolism to > replace energy that's lost in the muscles. > > Researchers theorize that a pill that could boost > AMPK would step > up metabolism, even though the muscles wouldn't need > any energy > replaced. Meanwhile, anyone who has bought the > fiction that > cholesterol and fats are bad, might think that > restraining the > synthesis is a great idea. But both cholesterol and > fats are essential > for your body to function normally. When exercise > prompts > changes in their synthesis, that's perfectly > natural. When a drug > blocks the synthesis – without the many other > metabolic reactions > to exercise – you're just taunting Mother Nature. > And she doesn't > like that. > > If the Aussie researchers are successful and their > drug makes it to > market, I have a hunch that the flyer that lists > possible side effects > will be the size of a Sunday newspaper. > > To Your Good Health, > > Jenny Thompson > Health Sciences Institute > > ************************************************************** > To start receiving your own copy of the HSI e-Alert, > visit: > http://www.hsibaltimore.com/ealert/freecopya.html > Or forward this e-mail to a friend so they can > sign-up to > receive their own copy of the HSI e-Alert. > > ************************************************************** > > Sources: > " Safety and Efficacy of Dose-Intensive Oral Vitamin > A in Subjects > with Sun-Damaged Skin " Clinical Cancer Research, > Vol. 10, No. > 6, 3/15/04, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov > " Vitamin A: Natural Skin Repair from Sun Damage " > Maureen > Williams, ND, Healthnotes Newswire, 6/24/04, > pccnaturalmarkets.com > " Science Comes a Step Closer to a Workout in a Pill " > Reuters > Health, 7/16/04, story.news. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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