Curly
Member
http://www.dentonrc.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/052706dnnatvitamind.350e4ee.html
A little sun may ward off cancer
[SIZE=+1]Experts say vitamin D has loads of health benefits but warn not to ditch the sunblock
[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]12:18 AM CDT on Saturday, May 27, 2006
[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]By LAURA BEIL / The Dallas Morning News[/SIZE]
Just in time for summer, medical researchers are warming to the idea of sunlight.
While it's still the same cancer-causing, skin-shriveling hazard it always was, the sun also primes the skin to make vitamin D, which – if a flurry of recent evidence stands – may help protect against many major ailments: colon, breast and prostate cancer; diabetes; high blood pressure; tuberculosis; arthritis and more.
Even cancer specialists who have championed sun restraint for a generation are seeing a new light.
"I've gone from being a skeptic to, if not a believer, someone who would say there is something there," said Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, deputy chief medical officer for the American Cancer Society. This week, his organization, along with the Canadian Cancer Society and other groups, issued new advice about obtaining vitamin D.
But don't ditch the Coppertone. No one advises wallowing in the sun. If you're fair-skinned and sitting outside to read this story, you will probably make the vitamin D you need by the time you reach last sentence, with the sunlight absorbed by the hands and face.
JEREMIAH COUGHLAN / The (Vancouver, Wash.) Columbian
An outdoor study session is both good and bad for Emily Simon (left) and Crystal Nylund. Though sunlight primes the body to produce vitamin D, it is still harmful in large doses.
In fact, many dermatologists, who spend their days trying to repair sun-baked skin, fear that unchecked enthusiasm for vitamin D threatens years of work in cancer prevention. Even if vitamin D does live up to its billing, seeking out the sun and giving up sunblock is unhealthy and unnecessary, says Dr. Stephen Stone, president of the American Academy of Dermatology. A person can make sufficient vitamin D just going about life, he says.
Vitamin D also comes in supplements, and is found in milk, some fatty fish like salmon and sardines, cod liver oil and fortified orange juice.
The concern, Dr. Stone said, is that the new research on vitamin D will be "used as a justification for tanning and tanning salons." This worry has even led to stark disagreements within scientific circles.
"I was fired," said Dr. Michael Holick, a vitamin D expert who was on the dermatology faculty of Boston University. That is, until he penned a book titled, The UV Advantage. He remains at BU in another appointment.
Even Dr. Holick advises only about five to 10 minutes of sun on the extremities, two to three times a week, to get enough vitamin D, though specifics depend on location, time, and skin tone. (Some of Dr. Holick's critics point out that he gets funding from the tanning industry, and he does. His reply is that the money flows directly to the university and represents a small fraction of his budget.)
Programmed by nature
Scientists have long noted intriguing observations that raise the possibility of a role for vitamin D in cancer prevention. Common cancers strike more frequently among those in higher latitudes. African-Americans – whose skin pigment hinders vitamin D production – also show an increased risk of malignancies.
This week, a group comprising the American Cancer Society, the Canadian Cancer Society and a half-dozen other organizations released new advice about vitamin D and sun exposure. Among the key points:
• Strong evidence suggests that UV radiation from the sun contributes to skin cancer and some cataracts.
• A growing body of evidence suggests that vitamin D, triggered by sun exposure, benefits skeletal health and protects against several types of cancer, particularly colorectal cancer.
• Doctors advise that diet, supplements and small amounts of sun exposure are preferred to get adequate vitamin D, in order to minimize the health risks of too much sun.
• Certain groups – including the elderly, people with dark skin, exclusively breast-fed babies and those living at higher latitudes in the winter – are at risk of inadequate amounts of vitamin D.
To read the entire report, visit the Web site of the Canadian Cancer Society at www.cancer.ca.
A little sun may ward off cancer
[SIZE=+1]Experts say vitamin D has loads of health benefits but warn not to ditch the sunblock
[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]12:18 AM CDT on Saturday, May 27, 2006
[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]By LAURA BEIL / The Dallas Morning News[/SIZE]
Just in time for summer, medical researchers are warming to the idea of sunlight.
While it's still the same cancer-causing, skin-shriveling hazard it always was, the sun also primes the skin to make vitamin D, which – if a flurry of recent evidence stands – may help protect against many major ailments: colon, breast and prostate cancer; diabetes; high blood pressure; tuberculosis; arthritis and more.
Even cancer specialists who have championed sun restraint for a generation are seeing a new light.
"I've gone from being a skeptic to, if not a believer, someone who would say there is something there," said Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, deputy chief medical officer for the American Cancer Society. This week, his organization, along with the Canadian Cancer Society and other groups, issued new advice about obtaining vitamin D.
But don't ditch the Coppertone. No one advises wallowing in the sun. If you're fair-skinned and sitting outside to read this story, you will probably make the vitamin D you need by the time you reach last sentence, with the sunlight absorbed by the hands and face.
An outdoor study session is both good and bad for Emily Simon (left) and Crystal Nylund. Though sunlight primes the body to produce vitamin D, it is still harmful in large doses.
In fact, many dermatologists, who spend their days trying to repair sun-baked skin, fear that unchecked enthusiasm for vitamin D threatens years of work in cancer prevention. Even if vitamin D does live up to its billing, seeking out the sun and giving up sunblock is unhealthy and unnecessary, says Dr. Stephen Stone, president of the American Academy of Dermatology. A person can make sufficient vitamin D just going about life, he says.
Vitamin D also comes in supplements, and is found in milk, some fatty fish like salmon and sardines, cod liver oil and fortified orange juice.
The concern, Dr. Stone said, is that the new research on vitamin D will be "used as a justification for tanning and tanning salons." This worry has even led to stark disagreements within scientific circles.
"I was fired," said Dr. Michael Holick, a vitamin D expert who was on the dermatology faculty of Boston University. That is, until he penned a book titled, The UV Advantage. He remains at BU in another appointment.
Even Dr. Holick advises only about five to 10 minutes of sun on the extremities, two to three times a week, to get enough vitamin D, though specifics depend on location, time, and skin tone. (Some of Dr. Holick's critics point out that he gets funding from the tanning industry, and he does. His reply is that the money flows directly to the university and represents a small fraction of his budget.)
Programmed by nature
Scientists have long noted intriguing observations that raise the possibility of a role for vitamin D in cancer prevention. Common cancers strike more frequently among those in higher latitudes. African-Americans – whose skin pigment hinders vitamin D production – also show an increased risk of malignancies.
This week, a group comprising the American Cancer Society, the Canadian Cancer Society and a half-dozen other organizations released new advice about vitamin D and sun exposure. Among the key points:
• Strong evidence suggests that UV radiation from the sun contributes to skin cancer and some cataracts.
• A growing body of evidence suggests that vitamin D, triggered by sun exposure, benefits skeletal health and protects against several types of cancer, particularly colorectal cancer.
• Doctors advise that diet, supplements and small amounts of sun exposure are preferred to get adequate vitamin D, in order to minimize the health risks of too much sun.
• Certain groups – including the elderly, people with dark skin, exclusively breast-fed babies and those living at higher latitudes in the winter – are at risk of inadequate amounts of vitamin D.
To read the entire report, visit the Web site of the Canadian Cancer Society at www.cancer.ca.
