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For Those Interested in the Research of Dr. Weston A. Price |
Score another one for Dr. Price. :)
Posted on 02/18/2005 12:09:05 AM PST by neverdem
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- Getting a little sunshine may be one way for men to cut their risk of prostate cancer. A large study presented at a cancer conference Thursday found that men with higher levels vitamin D in their blood were half as likely to develop aggressive forms of the disease than those with lower amounts.
Doctors are not ready to recommend the ``sunshine vitamin'' without more study, but many see little harm in getting the 15 minutes a day that the body needs to make enough of this nutrient.
``When you were little and your mother said, `Go outside and play,' it wasn't just to get you out of her hair,'' but may have been instinctive advice about something good for health, said Dr. Eric Klein, a prostate cancer specialist from the Cleveland Clinic.
He had no role in the research, which involved nearly 15,000 men in the Physicians' Health Study at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston. Five years ago, this study found that men who consumed a lot of calcium had modestly higher rates of prostate cancer.
The new findings fit with that notion, because too much calcium lowers vitamin D, and are especially believable because researchers got them by measuring blood samples rather than relying on what men said they ate -- an imprecision that has hurt past studies of food and cancer risk.
Blood samples were taken in 1982, when the study began. Eighteen years later, 1,082 of the men had developed prostate cancer. Their levels of two common forms of vitamin D in the stored blood samples were compared with those of 1,701 men in the study who did not get cancer.
Levels of one or the other vitamin D derivative did not make much difference in prostate cancer risk. However, men with higher levels of both had roughly half the risk of developing aggressive tumors -- the kind most likely to kill -- than men with lower levels, said Dr. Haojie Li, who led the study.
That is in keeping with what previous studies have shown about prostate cancer, Klein noted.
Men in northern latitudes have higher cancer death rates, and vitamin D levels are lower in older men, who are most prone to prostate cancer.
Melanin, which gives skin its color, blocks ultraviolet light that spurs vitamin D production. Blacks, who have a lot of melanin, also have the highest rates of prostate cancer.
Experiments also suggest vitamin D inhibits cell growth. ``So there is some lab evidence that vitamin D may be anti-cancer,'' Klein said.
It could be that the risk comes from too little vitamin D, and that consuming lots of vitamin D is not helpful, doctors say.
How much should people get? The recommended daily amount is 400 international units, but most scientists think that is probably low, Li said.
Most milk is fortified with vitamin D, but drinking a lot of it might raise the risk of prostate cancer because of its calcium content. Getting enough vitamin D from food is difficult, but doctors do not recommend supplements because they can cause unsafe levels of calcium to build up.
``If you start overloading on vitamin D you're going to cause other problems,'' said Dr. Durado Brooks, chief of prostate cancer research at the American Cancer Society.
Hence the advice to get a little sunlight -- but not too much, because that can raise the risk of skin cancer.
Researchers presented two other studies from the same group of 15,000 doctors. One found that men who were overweight were 30 percent more likely to die of prostate cancer than normal-weight men. Those who were obese were nearly twice as likely to die.
The second study examined a protein in the blood, acid-labile subunit or ALS, that blocks the effects of a hormone that spurs cells to grow and has been linked to many types of cancer.
Compared with men with low levels of ALS, men with higher amounts of it were 40 percent to 60 percent more likely to develop prostate cancer, and their chances of having advanced cancer more than doubled, said Lorelei Mucci, a Harvard epidemiologist who led the study.
ALS needs more study, but may be a new marker for predicting cancer risk and may be a target for developing new treatments, Klein said.
They also have higher testosterone levels and the lowest rates of osteoporosis. Regarding prostate cancer, I would appreciate it if someone could show me any cases of prostate cancer in eunuchs.
Anyone taking calcium supplements to prevent osteoporosis should buy the ones that come with vitamin D, e.g. Citrical + D, Oscal + D, etc. Pick your dose of calcium in the preparation, but not more than 500 mg per meal according to Calcium, vitamin D, and nutrition in elderly adults.
FReepmail me if you want on or off my health and science ping list.
100% of human beings will die one day.
To get sunshine, I need to cut down my Freeping time.
Actually it's 95% the other 5% lie about it.
Did you ever have to wait to pronounce them so and fill out the death certificate?
I'm going to stick with my "keeping the pipes clean" regimen. Only fun therapy I've ever been on.
Getting your prostate sunburned is a mistake you only make once.
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For Those Interested in the Research of Dr. Weston A. Price |
Score another one for Dr. Price. :)
Lol, my father was one of those 5%. He refused to die. Chiropractor, health food fanatic. However when his wife, my mother walked out on him 20 years ago, he gave up and just sat around screwed up his sleep patterns. He would sleep on the coucn watching the weather channel all night. Wake up with the same clothes on day after day. He died a few years ago from prostate cancer. It was too late. It was through his entire body.
I still think he died of a broken heart.
Somewhat true but Flawed logic here. Vit. D is essential in absorbing calcium. Vit. D therefore, is "used up" in the process. That's like saying people that drive longer distances use more gasoline. Duh!
It isn't the amount of Calcium, or any other Vitamin or mineral, you take, that matters, it's the amount your body absorbs.
One of the things Calcium is essential for is to maintain a proper PH.
A healthy person's PH is slightly lower than 7, or toward the alkaline side.
Apologize for not having the source, but two guys won the Nobel prize by assertaining that all cancer patients have one thing in common: their body PH was too high (acid)
Yet another study, (myopic science alert)ruled that calcium didn't matter: they fed cancer patients with high doses, and did not change the PH. (Re: absorbsion vs. Dosage)
I just read a study that said people can die from a "broken heart". The changes brought about by those type events can stress the heart and other systems in the body leading to sickness and death.
:(
I agree with that study. I watched my dad get sicker and sicker. After 33 years of marriage, and 9 children, my mother left all of us. She married a man who is a nice person. (he did not know she did this). None of her children will speak to her. She lives a life of a woman who had no children at all.
We live in the same community. She is 3 blocks away from me. I do see her husband occasionally, and he regrets marrying her. She has made his life miserable too. She mistreats him, his son, and his sons new wife.
She is one piece of work. My children don't care for her either.
When it comes to nutritional supplements, there are never enough studies. More research is always required. If a manufactured medicine had these results, they would be marketing it already.
The FDA is drug oriented. Simple explanation. The Medical profession is the same as well. Don't get me wrong, they have their place. Just simple observation.
At least you live where the sun always shines and it never rains.
Oh great! We get to choose between prostate or skin cancer.
That's what my wife told me when she dragged me out here!
First winter here was 92 and we damn near drowned.
Ha! No Sun and rain again today!
Feb has been the best Summer Eureka ever had...
If a person's blood pH is lower than 7, they are in a world of hurt, i.e. an acidosis, whether metabolic, respiratory or a combination of both.
Normal blood pH is approximately 7.4 plus or minus 0.05, IIRC.
Water with a neutral pH is 7.0. Less than 7 is acidic. More than 7 is basic, i.e. alkaline.
This is also important.
I have read conflicting reports re: calcium. Many nutritionists will maintain that we get plenty of calcium in our diet.
Recently, however, they are changing their tune. A recent announcement by USDA, I think, said that by 2020 half of adults, male and female, will have serious osteoporosis.
Personally, I take 1500-3000 mgs calcium a day. And I know if I miss a day, because my mood goes to hell.
Much of the calcium that used to be there no longer is - it was in the water. For a large part of the country, it still is, but there are regions that have much less minerals in the water.
As far as the prostate goes, I have heard that one of the commonalities of prostate cancer is zinc deficiency. It's no coincidence that the highest concentration of zinc in a males body is in his prostate and testes.
You may get your perineum burned, but if a prostate is burned, then either you're getting radiation therapy, or an explosion or fire occured, and you probably don't have any more worldly worries.
My Doctor has me on Saw Palmetto...
I am 50. I have been taking it for 5 Years. I do not hit the bottom numbers on the PSA test.
One of the best ways to help prevent calcium deficiency is to enjoy a diet rich in calcium and Vitamin D. Unfortunately, we don’t always get the calcium we need from the foods we eat...so supplemental calcium is important for both men and women. The advanced formulation of Cal Defense gives you both calcium and Vitamin D...in a form that allows your body to maximize the absorption of these essential elements.
Thanks to early diagnosis I'm fine now after having it removed.
This site is a very good source of information that does not repeat the accepted line. It is worth a look. Especially the mental health, depression, heart disease and inflamatory issues.
The effects of chronic Vitamin D deficiency, given todays society's habits is going to be more and more evident.
Regarding prostate cancer, I would appreciate it if someone could show me any cases of prostate cancer in eunuchs.
True!
Another observation just for some thought. Testosterone levels peak in the late teens and early 20's. The rate of prostate cancer is very low then. In another new study I read recently older men in the highest quartile of free testosterone levels had the lowest prostate cancer rates while those with relatively higher rates of one of testosterone's bound metabolites, had the highest rates.
The later is much easier to diagnose and remove.
The later is much easier to diagnose and remove.
Basal cell carcinomas are usually no big deal. Squamous cell carcinomas can be more problematic. Melanomas have a nasty reputation.
Thanks for the link. I still tell folks "everything in moderation".
Amen. However it does matter how moderation is defined!
Agreed. But if given the choice, I'd prefer to deal with an early stage melanoma rather than prostate problems.
Are there other vitamins and minerals recommended for keeping/building bones?
The stage of a lesion usually determines prognosis. While this article deals with aggressive prostate cancer, most folks with prostate cancer usually die from something else, e.g. cardiovascular disease.
IIRC, the prognosis with melanoma is determined by the depth of the lesion below the skin. However biopsy criteria has been the ABCD system where D means a diameter greater than 6 mm. Melanoma can be quite insidious.
Not that I'm aware of. The only other recommendation to prevent osteoporosis that I know is weight bearing exercise.
Primarily because of the back injury you develop from getting into the right position.
Sorry, but I never mentioned blood - which has approx. the same saline concentration as seawater - I said the body's PH.
Test the saliva, NOT the blood, urea, sweat or stool.
Test the saliva, NOT the blood, urea, sweat or stool.
I have only seen arterial blood, semen and urine pH measurements. How do you test the body's pH, and do you have any links to reference?
Absolutely, there is an entire system of minerals and other compounds involved in building bone density. Vit. D in some natural form and calcium go hand in hand. Vit. K in leafy greens helps, too. A certain amount of saturated fat is also required.
Similarly, there are factors, mostly dietary, that reduce calcium absorption: stress, sugar, excessive phosphorus (from colas), excessive phytates (from grains and high fiber foods), and so on.
There's a lot of information on the topic out on the web. But all of the studies and articles all come back to exercise and a sensible, varied diet of nutrient-rich foods.
Vitamin K is important in bone loss.
Classic
You can use a simple PH strip, or a meter.
Good info. Thanks!
I will echo that. Thanks for the ping list. (I hope you don't get banned for it anymore;-)
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