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| Science Forum Index » Medicine - Cancer Forum » Vitamin D May Improve Melanoma Survival... |
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| Roman Bystrianyk... |
 Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2009 1:32 am |
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Guest
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Higher levels of vitamin D are linked to less severe, less deadly
melanoma lesions in people with skin cancer, new research suggests.
The findings provide more support for the idea that vitamin D is
crucial to skin health. Many Americans, however, don't get enough of
it, perhaps because they limit sun exposure and drink less milk than
in the past.
"Although avoiding sunburn is very important in order to prevent
melanoma, it is also important to avoid becoming deficient in vitamin
D," said Dr. Julia A. Newton-Bishop, a dermatology professor at the
University of Leeds in England and a study co-author. "This is
especially important for melanoma patients in whom low vitamin D
levels appear to be harmful."
Newton-Bishop and her research colleagues looked at the medical
records of 872 people with melanoma and tried to link their vitamin D
levels to the severity of their lesions and their likelihood of
surviving without a relapse.
Those with higher levels of vitamin D in their bodies had less severe
lesions -- the lesions were thinner -- and a lower rate of relapse,
the researchers found.
The results are reported in the Sept. 14 issue of the Journal of
Clinical Oncology.
"The research suggests that low levels of vitamin D allow the melanoma
tumors to grow better and, therefore, to be more of a threat to the
patient," Newton-Bishop said.
It's not clear how food, sun exposure and supplements contributed to
the higher levels of vitamin D in some people, although they did take
more multivitamins and cod liver oil, she said.
Melanoma is the cause of most skin cancer deaths, even though it
accounts for less than 5 percent of skin cancer cases. The best way to
prevent melanoma is by avoiding excessive sun exposure.
To boosts levels of vitamin D, people with melanoma should take daily
supplements, the authors concluded, and consume foods that contain
vitamin D, such as fatty fish and some fortified cereals.
The study is provocative and "somewhat contrary to traditional
thinking," said Dr. Adit Ginde, an assistant professor of surgery at
the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine. More work needs
to be done to prove that vitamin D levels directly affect skin cancer
development and to determine if increasing the levels will help people
with melanoma, he said.
Vitamin D appears to be more than a cancer fighter. Low levels of
vitamin D have been linked to a variety of health problems, including
heart disease, infections and poor overall health. And adults with low
levels may suffer from lower bone mineral density.
But researchers have noticed that vitamin D deficiency has been on the
rise in recent decades. An earlier study led by Ginde found that more
than 75 percent of Americans don't have high enough vitamin D levels,
with African-Americans and Latinos at especially high risk.
Vitamin D is naturally present in few foods, and some researchers
recommend supplements containing as many as 2,000 International Units
(IU) of vitamin D for many people, and even more for those who are
obese.
The current recommendations, however, are 200 to 600 units a day,
depending on age.
More information
The U.S. National Library of Medicine has more on vitamin D.
Source: Atlanta Journal Constitution
Saturday, 26 September 2009 |
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| trigonometry1972 at (no spam) gmail.com |... |
| Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2009 9:22 am |
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Guest
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On Sep 28, 4:32 am, Roman Bystrianyk <rbystria... at (no spam) gmail.com> wrote:
[quote:d207ae93c8]Higher levels of vitamin D are linked to less severe, less deadly
melanoma lesions in people with skin cancer, new research suggests.
The findings provide more support for the idea that vitamin D is
crucial to skin health. Many Americans, however, don't get enough of
it, perhaps because they limit sun exposure and drink less milk than
in the past.
"Although avoiding sunburn is very important in order to prevent
melanoma, it is also important to avoid becoming deficient in vitamin
D," said Dr. Julia A. Newton-Bishop, a dermatology professor at the
University of Leeds in England and a study co-author. "This is
especially important for melanoma patients in whom low vitamin D
levels appear to be harmful."
Newton-Bishop and her research colleagues looked at the medical
records of 872 people with melanoma and tried to link their vitamin D
levels to the severity of their lesions and their likelihood of
surviving without a relapse.
Those with higher levels of vitamin D in their bodies had less severe
lesions -- the lesions were thinner -- and a lower rate of relapse,
the researchers found.
The results are reported in the Sept. 14 issue of the Journal of
Clinical Oncology.
"The research suggests that low levels of vitamin D allow the melanoma
tumors to grow better and, therefore, to be more of a threat to the
patient," Newton-Bishop said.
It's not clear how food, sun exposure and supplements contributed to
the higher levels of vitamin D in some people, although they did take
more multivitamins and cod liver oil, she said.
Melanoma is the cause of most skin cancer deaths, even though it
accounts for less than 5 percent of skin cancer cases. The best way to
prevent melanoma is by avoiding excessive sun exposure.
To boosts levels of vitamin D, people with melanoma should take daily
supplements, the authors concluded, and consume foods that contain
vitamin D, such as fatty fish and some fortified cereals.
The study is provocative and "somewhat contrary to traditional
thinking," said Dr. Adit Ginde, an assistant professor of surgery at
the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine. More work needs
to be done to prove that vitamin D levels directly affect skin cancer
development and to determine if increasing the levels will help people
with melanoma, he said.
Vitamin D appears to be more than a cancer fighter. Low levels of
vitamin D have been linked to a variety of health problems, including
heart disease, infections and poor overall health. And adults with low
levels may suffer from lower bone mineral density.
But researchers have noticed that vitamin D deficiency has been on the
rise in recent decades. An earlier study led by Ginde found that more
than 75 percent of Americans don't have high enough vitamin D levels,
with African-Americans and Latinos at especially high risk.
Vitamin D is naturally present in few foods, and some researchers
recommend supplements containing as many as 2,000 International Units
(IU) of vitamin D for many people, and even more for those who are
obese.
The current recommendations, however, are 200 to 600 units a day,
depending on age.
More information
The U.S. National Library of Medicine has more on vitamin D.
Source: Atlanta Journal Constitution
Saturday, 26 September 2009
[/quote:d207ae93c8]
It should be noted that at least one who
sat on the IOM committee that set the 200 to 600
IU suggestion are now calling for much higher dosing.
Higher than 2000 IU "Upper Limit" by the way.
Listen to the relevant committee hearing on the IOM website
for the meeting held on Sept 04, 2009.
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