Revealed: the pill that prevents cancer

[Guest guest]

Yes, vitamin D is very beneficial, but we also need all of the other

required nutrients daily. They all work together. F.

 

 

 

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/science_technology/article335359.ece

 

Revealed: the pill that prevents cancer

By Jeremy Laurance, Health Editor

Published: 28 December 2005

 

 

 

 

A daily dose of vitamin D could cut the risk of cancers of the breast,

colon and ovary by up to a half, a 40-year review of research has

found. The evidence for the protective effect of the " sunshine

vitamin " is so overwhelming that urgent action must be taken by public

health authorities to boost blood levels, say cancer specialists.

 

A growing body of evidence in recent years has shown that lack of

vitamin D may have lethal effects. Heart disease, lung disease,

cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, schizophrenia and multiple

sclerosis are among the conditions in which it is believed to play a

vital role. The vitamin is also essential for bone health and protects

against rickets in children and osteoporosis in the elderly.

 

Vitamin D is made by the action of sunlight on the skin, which

accounts for 90 per cent of the body's supply. But the increasing use

of sunscreens and the reduced time spent outdoors, especially by

children, has contributed to what many scientists believe is an

increasing problem of vitamin D deficiency.

 

After assessing almost every scientific paper published on the link

between vitamin D and cancer since the 1960s, US scientists say that a

daily dose of 1,000 international units (25 micrograms) is needed to

maintain health. " The high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency

combined with the discovery of increased risks of certain types of

cancer in those who are deficient, suggest that vitamin D deficiency

may account for several thousand premature deaths from colon, breast,

ovarian and other cancers annually, " they say in the online version of

the American Journal of Public Health.

 

The dose they propose of 1,000IU a day is two-and-a-half times the

current recommended level in the US. In the UK, there is no official

recommended dose but grey skies and short days from October to March

mean 60 per cent of the population has inadequate blood levels by the

end of winter.

 

The UK Food Standards Agency maintains that most people should be able

to get all the vitamin D they need from their diet and " by getting a

little sun " . But the vitamin can only be stored in the body for 60 days.

 

High rates of heart disease in Scotland have been blamed on the weak

sunlight and short summers in the north, leading to low levels of

vitamin D. Differences in sunlight may also explain the higher rates

of heart disease in England compared with southern Europe. Some

experts believe the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet may have

as much to do with the sun there as with the regional food.

 

Countries around the world have begun to modify their warnings about

the dangers of sunbathing, as a result of the growing research on

vitamin D. The Association of Cancer Councils of Australia

acknowledged this year for the first time that some exposure to the

sun was healthy.

 

Australia is one of the world's sunniest countries and has among the

highest rates of skin cancer. For three decades it has preached sun

avoidance with its " slip, slap, slop " campaign to cover up and use

sunscreen. But in a statement in March, the association said: " A

balance is required between avoiding an increase in the risk of skin

cancer and achieving enough ultraviolet radiation exposure to achieve

adequate vitamin D levels. " Bruce Armstrong, the professor of public

health at Sydney University, said: " It is a revolution. "

 

In the latest study, cancer specialists from the University of San

Diego, California, led by Professor Cedric Garland, reviewed 63

scientific papers on the link between vitamin D and cancer published

between 1966 and 2004. People living in the north-eastern US, where it

is less sunny, and African Americans with darker skins were more

likely to be deficient, researchers found. They also had higher cancer

rates.

 

The researchers say their finding could explain why black Americans

die sooner from cancer than whites, even after allowing for

differences in income and access to care.

 

Professor Garland said: " A preponderance of evidence from the best

observational studies... has led to the conclusion that public health

action is needed. Primary prevention of these cancers has been largely

neglected, but we now have proof that the incidence of colon, breast

and ovarian cancer can be reduced dramatically by increasing the

public's intake of vitamin D. " Obtaining the necessary level of

vitamin D from diet alone would be difficult and sun exposure carries

a risk of triggering skin cancer. " The easiest and most reliable way

of getting the appropriate amount is from food and a daily

supplement, " they say.

 

The cost of a vitamin D supplement is about 4p a day. The UK Food

Standards Agency said that taking Vitamin D supplements of up to

1,000IU was " unlikely to cause harm " .

What it can do

 

Heart disease

 

Vitamin D works by lowering insulin resistance, which is one of the

major factors leading to heart disease.

 

Lung disease

 

Lung tissue undergoes repair and " remodelling " in life and, since

vitamin D influences the growth of a variety of cell types, it may

play a role in this lung repair process.

 

Cancers (breast, colon, ovary, prostate)

 

Vitamin D is believed to play an important role in regulating the

production of cells, a control that is missing in cancer. It has a

protective effect against certain cancers by preventing overproduction

of cells.

 

Diabetes

 

In type 1 diabetes the immune system destroys its own cells. Vitamin D

is believed to act as an immunosuppressant. Researchers believe it may

prevent an overly aggressive response from the immune system.

 

High blood pressure

 

Vitamin D is used by the parathyroid glands that sit on the thyroid

gland in the neck. These secrete a hormone that regulates the body's

calcium levels. Calcium, in turn, helps to regulate blood pressure,

although the mechanism is not yet completely understood.

 

Schizophrenia

 

The chance of developing schizophrenia could be linked to how sunny it

was in the months before birth. A lack of sunlight can lead to vitamin

D deficiency, which scientists believe could alter the growth of a

child's brain in the womb.

 

Multiple sclerosis

 

Lack of vitamin D leads to limited production of 1.25-dihydroxyvitamin

D3, the hormonal form of vitamin D3 which regulates the immune system,

creating a risk for MS.

 

Rickets and osteoporosis

 

The vitamin strengthens bones, protecting against childhood rickets

and osteoporosis in the elderly.

 

A daily dose of vitamin D could cut the risk of cancers of the breast,

colon and ovary by up to a half, a 40-year review of research has

found. The evidence for the protective effect of the " sunshine

vitamin " is so overwhelming that urgent action must be taken by public

health authorities to boost blood levels, say cancer specialists.

 

A growing body of evidence in recent years has shown that lack of

vitamin D may have lethal effects. Heart disease, lung disease,

cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, schizophrenia and multiple

sclerosis are among the conditions in which it is believed to play a

vital role. The vitamin is also essential for bone health and protects

against rickets in children and osteoporosis in the elderly.

 

Vitamin D is made by the action of sunlight on the skin, which

accounts for 90 per cent of the body's supply. But the increasing use

of sunscreens and the reduced time spent outdoors, especially by

children, has contributed to what many scientists believe is an

increasing problem of vitamin D deficiency.

 

After assessing almost every scientific paper published on the link

between vitamin D and cancer since the 1960s, US scientists say that a

daily dose of 1,000 international units (25 micrograms) is needed to

maintain health. " The high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency

combined with the discovery of increased risks of certain types of

cancer in those who are deficient, suggest that vitamin D deficiency

may account for several thousand premature deaths from colon, breast,

ovarian and other cancers annually, " they say in the online version of

the American Journal of Public Health.

 

The dose they propose of 1,000IU a day is two-and-a-half times the

current recommended level in the US. In the UK, there is no official

recommended dose but grey skies and short days from October to March

mean 60 per cent of the population has inadequate blood levels by the

end of winter.

 

The UK Food Standards Agency maintains that most people should be able

to get all the vitamin D they need from their diet and " by getting a

little sun " . But the vitamin can only be stored in the body for 60 days.

 

High rates of heart disease in Scotland have been blamed on the weak

sunlight and short summers in the north, leading to low levels of

vitamin D. Differences in sunlight may also explain the higher rates

of heart disease in England compared with southern Europe. Some

experts believe the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet may have

as much to do with the sun there as with the regional food.

 

Countries around the world have begun to modify their warnings about

the dangers of sunbathing, as a result of the growing research on

vitamin D. The Association of Cancer Councils of Australia

acknowledged this year for the first time that some exposure to the

sun was healthy.

 

Australia is one of the world's sunniest countries and has among the

highest rates of skin cancer. For three decades it has preached sun

avoidance with its " slip, slap, slop " campaign to cover up and use

sunscreen. But in a statement in March, the association said: " A

balance is required between avoiding an increase in the risk of skin

cancer and achieving enough ultraviolet radiation exposure to achieve

adequate vitamin D levels. " Bruce Armstrong, the professor of public

health at Sydney University, said: " It is a revolution. "

 

In the latest study, cancer specialists from the University of San

Diego, California, led by Professor Cedric Garland, reviewed 63

scientific papers on the link between vitamin D and cancer published

between 1966 and 2004. People living in the north-eastern US, where it

is less sunny, and African Americans with darker skins were more

likely to be deficient, researchers found. They also had higher cancer

rates.

 

The researchers say their finding could explain why black Americans

die sooner from cancer than whites, even after allowing for

differences in income and access to care.

 

Professor Garland said: " A preponderance of evidence from the best

observational studies... has led to the conclusion that public health

action is needed. Primary prevention of these cancers has been largely

neglected, but we now have proof that the incidence of colon, breast

and ovarian cancer can be reduced dramatically by increasing the

public's intake of vitamin D. " Obtaining the necessary level of

vitamin D from diet alone would be difficult and sun exposure carries

a risk of triggering skin cancer. " The easiest and most reliable way

of getting the appropriate amount is from food and a daily

supplement, " they say.

 

The cost of a vitamin D supplement is about 4p a day. The UK Food

Standards Agency said that taking Vitamin D supplements of up to

1,000IU was " unlikely to cause harm " .

What it can do

 

Heart disease

 

Vitamin D works by lowering insulin resistance, which is one of the

major factors leading to heart disease.

 

Lung disease

 

Lung tissue undergoes repair and " remodelling " in life and, since

vitamin D influences the growth of a variety of cell types, it may

play a role in this lung repair process.

 

Cancers (breast, colon, ovary, prostate)

 

Vitamin D is believed to play an important role in regulating the

production of cells, a control that is missing in cancer. It has a

protective effect against certain cancers by preventing overproduction

of cells.

 

Diabetes

 

In type 1 diabetes the immune system destroys its own cells. Vitamin D

is believed to act as an immunosuppressant. Researchers believe it may

prevent an overly aggressive response from the immune system.

 

High blood pressure

 

Vitamin D is used by the parathyroid glands that sit on the thyroid

gland in the neck. These secrete a hormone that regulates the body's

calcium levels. Calcium, in turn, helps to regulate blood pressure,

although the mechanism is not yet completely understood.

 

Schizophrenia

 

The chance of developing schizophrenia could be linked to how sunny it

was in the months before birth. A lack of sunlight can lead to vitamin

D deficiency, which scientists believe could alter the growth of a

child's brain in the womb.

 

Multiple sclerosis

 

Lack of vitamin D leads to limited production of 1.25-dihydroxyvitamin

D3, the hormonal form of vitamin D3 which regulates the immune system,

creating a risk for MS.

 

Rickets and osteoporosis

 

The vitamin strengthens bones, protecting against childhood rickets

and osteoporosis in the elderly.