| Dear Friends,
The Cancer Survivor
Center's mission to provide scientifically sound exercise,
nutritional and mental health advice leads us to a discussion
on Vitamin D and three very interesting reports that made
there way to my desk this early November . We have
provided the links so you may refer to the source (and original
research articles) for each of these reports.
- In the current
issue of Scientific
American an article by Tavera - Mendoza and
White sheds some light about 'vitamin D' in an article titled
Scientists now recognize
that vitamin D does much more than build strong bones and that
many people are not getting enough of it. Is widespread D deficiency
contributing to major illnesses?
- This was followed
by a recent report in Environmental
Nutrition November 2007 titled Vitamin
D May Improve Health, Delay Death
Synopsis: Researchers
from the European Institute of Oncology in Milan, Italy, analyzed
18 well-controlled trials of people taking supplemental vitamin
D and concluded that a daily D supplement significantly reduced
the risk of dying during the six years, on average, that the
participants were followed.
Study volunteers
were mostly older, but they ranged in age from 33 to 106.
Most of the trials provided between 400 and 830 International
Units a day and most used vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol), the
form that’s most effective in aiding calcium absorption.
The upshot? People
who took D daily were 7% less likely to die during the time
followed than those who didn’t take D.
The researchers don’t
know exactly how D might delay death, but speculate it could
prevent falls by strengthening bones, reduce the likelihood
of illness by boosting the immune system, cut cancer risk
by inhibiting cell growth or reduce the severity of type
2 diabetes.
- A third report
in Nutrition
Action (from the Center for Science in the
Public Interest) titled "The
risk of too little. Confusion at the Vitamin Counter."
If you do not want
to do all this reading, let me highlight some important points
from these reports and how they may relate to cancer.
- Vitamin D is needed
for bone health as well as immune function and when administered
in large doses may help the body's mechanisms to stop cancer
growth.
- The best source of
vitamin D is UVB (sunlight) 10-15 minutes full body exposure
daily. This typically provides 10,000 IU (international
units).
- Fortified food sources
(cereals, milk, etc) of vitamin D provide 60-100 IU's/day.
So here is where
it gets interesting. The milk industry will have you
believe you need to drink cow's milk for strong bones ("Got
Milk"). However this view is too simplistic as strong
bones are dependent on calcium, magnesium, IGF-1, progesterone
and a number of other hormones regulating bone absorption
and deposition and regular exercise. Yet, according
to the National
Osteoporosis Foundation , fortified milk, cod-liver
oil, egg yolks and supplements are good sources of vitamin
D. Remember that you can make your own vitamin D (see
the Scientific American article) with modest exposure to the
sun which delivers 10x the amount of vitamin D than through
food sources.
Additionally, according
to the National Osteoporosis
Society (different group) Healthy
Eating Habits to prevent osteoporosis"It's
a good idea to avoid:
- Too much protein
- particularly animal protein such as meat and cheese. Excessive
amounts of protein may upset the acid balance within the
body which then takes calcium from the bones to neutralize
it. Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables should keep your
body's acid balance stable."
Our view at the Cancer
Survivor Center is that, high levels of animal proteins found
particularly in cow's milk and beef which are regularly promoted
for bone health may be detrimental to both bone health and
cancer prevention. If
you are worried about bone health and osteoporosis and adequate
intake of vitamin D, there are very sound and safe strategies
to increase bone mineral density without relying on cow's
milk. We suggest limiting the amount of animal protein
(cow's milk, dairy, cheese and beef) and make a substantial
increase in fruits and vegetables, participation in moderate
weight bearing exercise and eliminate all drinks with phosphorous
in them (soda).
If
you would like a view of good foods to eat, please refer to
the following: HEALTHY EATING FOR
LIFE: FOOD CHOICES FOR CANCER PREVENTION AND SURVIVAL, published by the
Cancer
Project
In health,
Riggs Klika |
