Healthnotes Newswire (July 19, 2007)—The thought of cod liver oil may not make you smile—but taking it might, as a new study suggests that it can prevent depression.
Healthnotes Newswire (July 19, 2007)—The thought of cod liver oil may not make you smile—but taking it might, as a new study suggests that it can prevent depression.
Healthnotes Newswire (August 16, 2007)—Many physicians recommend brief periods of exposure to sunlight each day so that people’s bodies will produce the vitamin D needed to prevent disease and promote health. But a recent study suggests that sun alone may not be enough, as researchers found that a large proportion of Hawaiians exposed to high levels of daily sun have low levels of vitamin D.
Healthnotes Newswire (August 9, 2007)—Women who take calcium and vitamin D know they are doing something good for their bones; now new research suggests they are also preventing cancer.
Healthnotes Newswire (July 19, 2007)—It’s long been known that people who get plenty of vegetables, fruits, fiber, omega-3 fatty acids from fish, calcium, and vitamin D have a lower risk of colon cancer than people who don’t. According to a new study, it appears that meat-eaters who place orders for medium-rare meats further reduce their risk.
Healthnotes Newswire (June 28, 2007)—Vitamin D might prevent age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of severe vision loss in people over age 60, a new study shows.
Macular degeneration is a progressive disease of the eye that causes destruction of the macula, the part of eye responsible for central vision. Damage to the macula results in blurred vision or a blind spot in the center of the visual field. Because this is the part of the eye responsible for straight-ahead vision, tasks such as reading, driving, recognizing faces, and doing detailed work become difficult.
People with a family history of the disease, seniors, women, people with light-colored eyes, smokers, and people with cardiovascular disease are at higher risk for developing macular degeneration. Certain nutritional deficiencies have also been linked to a higher disease risk, while the antioxidant vitamins A, C, E, and zinc seem to help protect against it.
High doses of vitamin D can reduce the risk of developing some common cancers (including breast cancer) by as much as 50%, according to a recent US research paper in The Archives of Internal Medicine.
The suggested dose is one thousand milligrams of calcium and 200 to 600 units of vitamin D a day.
Healthnotes Newswire (June 7, 2007)—Many women start thinking about calcium and vitamin D after menopause, but new evidence suggests that paying attention to these nutrients before menopause could protect against breast cancer.
The new study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, was drawn from the large, long-term Women’s Health Study. The analysis included information about diet and cancer diagnoses over a ten-year period from 10,578 premenopausal women and 20,909 postmenopausal women.
Some of the richest sources of dietary calcium are green leafy vegetables, such as kale, spinach, and broccoli, as well as sea vegetables such as kelp and dulse. Figs and some nuts and seeds also provide high amounts of calcium. Vitamin D has few natural sources (primarily egg yolk and fish oil) but the body is able to make plenty when it has adequate sun exposure.
Healthnotes Newswire (June 7, 2007)—It is well known that physical activity is necessary for people to stay strong as they age, but now it appears that unsuspecting older people might have a vitamin D deficiency working against them. New research finds that getting enough vitamin D helps seniors stay strong.
Staying fit is a major concern to many people as they strive to remain independent while facing their later years. Physical fitness influences mental fitness and helps people avoid disability by reducing risk of chronic diseases.
Over the past few years there has been increasing awareness of vitamin D’s role in overall health. In addition to regulating how bones use calcium, vitamin D also controls the way calcium is absorbed and used by the body, influences immune function, and has some anticancer effects.
I love walking barefoot on the beach on a beautiful sunny day, then lounging under a sun-brella — I imagine Vitamin D penetrating my hide, making my innards feel all warm and fuzzy. But with my fair skin genes, I have to be conscientious about sun protection year-round — slathering it on, daily. But it’s that time of year, when you’re probably shopping SPFs:
Fortunately, there are many good chemical-free sunscreen lotions available today, at various price points. Here’s my round-up of some Good Green Protection from sun’s harmful rays.
Healthnotes Newswire (May 10, 2007)—A new study has concluded that vitamin D, mostly known for its beneficial relationship to calcium in promoting bone strength, may also help prevent colon cancer. Previous research had begun to uncover the mechanisms of this protective effect, but studies in humans have produced unclear results.
“The Women’s Health Initiative demonstrated that [supplementing with] a low dose of vitamin D did not protect against colorectal cancer within seven years of follow-up,” wrote Edward D. Gorham, PhD, of the Moores Cancer Center at the University of San Diego and lead author of the new study. But the analysis pooled data from five studies and showed something different: that a higher intake of vitamin D is associated with a reduced incidence of colorectal cancer.
