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* Evidence continues to accumulate showing that vitamin D is a strong ally to combat cancer * Low vitamin D levels are linked to an increased risk of cancers, while vitamin D can attach to the vitamin D receptor (VDR) in your cells, setting off a series of signals that may affect how they grow, develop and survive * Although increasing vitamin D levels may help to reduce cancer deaths, health officials rarely recommend optimizing levels for this purpose * Vitamin D targets cancer in multiple ways, including anticancer, antimetastatic and anti-tumorigenic effects * The best way to optimize your...

Researchers have found vitamin D encourages the growth of a type of gut bacteria in mice which improves immunity to cancer. The researchers found mice given a diet rich in vitamin D had better immune resistance to experimentally transplanted cancers and improved responses to immunotherapy treatment. This effect was also seen when gene editing was used to remove a protein that binds to vitamin D in the blood and keeps it away from tissues. Surprisingly, the team found that vitamin D acts on epithelial cells in the intestine, which in turn increase the amount of a bacteria called Bacteroides fragilis....

One in five Americans regularly reach for vitamin D supplements, yet most are unaware that they’re taking not just a vitamin - but a hormone.While renowned for bolstering bone strength and immune health, vitamin D’s story is not straightforward. A blend of myth and established science invites a closer look into its true nature and impact.Vitamin D: Understanding Its Dual RoleVitamin D stands apart in the world of nutrients. It’s a sun-sourced substance acting as both a nutrient and a hormone. This dual role is significant, as hormones, which orchestrate many bodily functions, aren’t typically taken as supplements like vitamins.Endocrinologist...

An increased serum level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) is independently associated with a lower risk for bowel resection with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), according to a study. Lintao Dan and colleagues examined the association between serum vitamin D levels and the risk for bowel resection in individuals with IBD. The analysis included 5,474 individuals with IBD followed for a mean 13.1 years. The researchers found that compared with participants with vitamin D deficiency, nondeficient participants showed a significantly reduced bowel resection risk in IBD (hazard ratio [HR], 0.72), Crohn disease (CD; HR, 0.74), and ulcerative colitis (UC; HR, 0.73). For...

A high dose of vitamin D could improve the function of insulin-producing beta cells in children and young adults recently diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.The discovery, published in JAMA Network Open, could mean that a more cost-effective way of managing the disease affecting 1.45 million Americans has been on pharmacy shelves all along.“Type 1 diabetes affects millions of people and treatment options can often be costly,” Dr. Benjamin Nwosu, chief of endocrinology and director of the diabetes center at Cohen Children’s Medical Center and the principal author of the research paper, said in a press release. “It is exciting to...

The foods we eat can go a long way in boosting our moods. Here are our favorite snacks for happiness, according to science. Achieving happiness is top of mind for many people, and we'll try just about anything to get it. Whether it's therapy, exercise or meditation, we all want to bring more peace and joy into our lives. When we think about what makes us happy, our diet isn't usually at the top of the list (unless your favorite fast-food joint brings joy to mind). The foods we eat actually play a major role in how we feel. Studies...

New research suggests that patients who have insufficient levels of vitamin D before starting paclitaxel treatment are more likely to experience peripheral neuropathy. According to an analysis of 1,191 patients with early-stage breast cancer—using data collected in the SWOG S0221 study—20.7% of patients with vitamin D deficiency experienced at least a grade 3 level of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), compared to 14.2% of those with sufficient vitamin D levels. The researchers also found that inducing vitamin D deficiency in an accompanying mice model study caused neurotoxicity-like symptoms. "These results suggest that vitamin D supplementation in patients with lower levels of...

Are you in the dark about your vitamin D levels? Experts are shedding light on whether or not you might be lacking an important vitamin when the days get shorter. Vitamin D is important for multiple bodily functions and is most responsible for helping the body absorb calcium, essential for strong and healthy bones, according to the National Institutes of Health. It also plays an important role in the immune system and the health of the body’s muscles and nerves. The ways in which people get vitamin is from food, the sun, or supplements, according to Yale Medicine. However, 35%...

Americans may love to eat junk, but we’re nearly as passionate about doing penance, with more than half of us scarfing down dietary supplements on a regular basis. From herbal remedies to energy boosters, vitamins and weight-loss pills, supplements form a massive global industry — one that’s expected to reach $200 billion in value by 2025, according to the AMA Journal of Ethics. Trouble is, it’s a largely “Wild West” scene — and that’s by design, believe it or not. The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 limits the ability of the Food and Drug Administration to regulate...

The Vitamin D Council advises that most healthy people can receive 5,000-10,000 IU of vitamin D3 a day without harm. But high dose vitamin D must be accompanied by sufficient calcium and magnesium…and people with certain diseases should only take supplements under the supervision of a knowledgeable doctor. Vitamin D is essential for the absorption of calcium and the prevention of osteoporosis. Recent studies have shown that it may also boost the immune system and help to prevent cancer. Our body will automatically regulate how much vitamin D it produces from sunshine. Studies show that sunbathing in the summer for...

Is a suntan just as bad as a sunburn? Isn’t it good to get some Vitamin D from sun exposure?How bad is a suntan, really? And how do UV rays affect your skin? Although rates of indoor tanning have been dropping in the United States, many people still try to get a tan outdoors. According to a National Cancer Institute analysis of data from the 2020 National Health Interview Survey, about 39 per cent of women and 29 per cent of men in the United States had intentionally sought an outdoor tan in the past year. Yet while bronzed skin...

More than eight million people in the U.S. experience psoriasis, a condition in which skin cells build up and form itchy dry patches. A person's vitamin D levels could play an important role in psoriasis severity, according to one of the largest studies to date. The analysis, which included almost 500 psoriasis cases from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), showed a linear relationship between increasing psoriasis severity and decreasing vitamin D levels measured through blood tests. "Topical synthetic vitamin D creams are emerging as new therapies for psoriasis, but these usually require a doctor's prescription," said Rachel...

Vitamin D supplements may reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events such as heart attacks among people aged over 60, finds a clinical trial. The researchers stress that the absolute risk difference was small, but say this is the largest trial of its kind to date, and further evaluation is warranted, particularly in people taking statins or other cardiovascular disease drugs. Observational studies have consistently shown a link between vitamin D levels and CVD risk. Researchers set out to investigate whether supplementing older adults with monthly doses of vitamin D alters the rate of major cardiovascular events. Their D-Health Trial...

People with diabetes run the risk of nerve damage if they at the same time suffer from vitamin D deficiency, research suggests. Called neuropathy, the nerve problem which gets worse over time, afflicts 50% of patients in the United Arab Emirates, according to Dr. Bashair M. Mussa. Science illustrates that "about 30% to 50%" of patients with type 2 diabetes experience neuropathy at a point in their life, Dr. Mussa states. However, Dr. Mussa's study finds that neuropathy is at the highest documented rate among UAE's diabetes patients. The research involved 600 Emirati patients. The cross-sectional study examined data in...

New research indicates that for patients with advanced skin cancer, it may be important to maintain normal vitamin D levels when receiving immunotherapy medications called immune checkpoint inhibitors. Vitamin D has many effects on the body, including regulation of the immune system. To see whether levels of vitamin D might impact the effectiveness of immune checkpoint inhibitors, investigators analyzed the blood of 200 patients with advanced melanoma both before and every 12 weeks during immunotherapy treatment. A favorable response rate to immune checkpoint inhibitors was observed in 56.0% of patients in the group with normal baseline vitamin D levels or...

Vitamin D deficiency could be the reason African American men experience more aggressive prostate cancer at a younger age compared with European American men, new research suggests. The study could pave the way for revised nutritional guidelines. While previous research has investigated vitamin D in the context of health disparities, this is the first study to look at its functions in a genome-wide manner in African American versus European American men. "African American men are more likely than European American men to develop prostate cancer, and are twice as likely to die from the disease," said Moray Campbell, Ph.D. "Large-scale...

Clinical data increasingly has shown that patients with low vitamin D levels have a greater chance of COVID-19 infection—and severe disease and death. Now, research points to an explanation for the link and provides evidence that higher vitamin D intake can help fight off the disease. The study indicates the vitamin strengthens the lung lining and possibly also reducing fluid leakage into the airways, which causes pneumonia. "Your body is mostly sacs and tubes," said James Mullin, Ph.D. "If their linings are in good shape, you're in good shape. If they're leaking and fail to provide a proper barrier, it's...

If you work indoors, live in the north, avoid the sun, are lactose intolerant, vegan, elderly or darker skinned, chances are you may be deficient in vitamin D. It's a common problem affecting as many as 25% of Americans, according to a recent study. Deficiency rates are even higher among Black Americans, reaching 60%. Low levels of this key nutrient during pregnancy could have negative child health outcomes, according to Melissa Melough. Melough has discovered a link between gestational vitamin D and behavioral outcomes in children. Melough examined nearly 3,200 mother and child pairs from across the country. As many...

Surely to the chagrin of anti-vitamin D “brought to you by Pfizer” jihadists like CNN, more evidence mounts that increasing your vitamin D levels might be the single most effective strategy for longevity and quality of life.Via research published by the Alzheimer’s Association:In this longitudinal study of dementia-free NACC participants, exposure to vitamin D was associated with higher dementia-free survival and lower dementia incidence rates over 10 years. These findings were consistent across each vitamin D formulation: calcium–vitamin D, cholecalciferol, and ergocalciferol. Interaction analyses revealed that while exposure to vitamin D was associated with lower dementia incidence across all strata...

Vitamin D Supplement Sunshine A study published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring found that taking vitamin D was linked to a longer period of living without dementia. The group that took vitamin D supplements also had 40% fewer dementia diagnoses. People get vitamin D from sun exposure, foods (such as fatty fish), and supplements. Taking vitamin D supplements may help ward off dementia, according to a new, large-scale study. Researchers at the University of Calgary’s Hotchkiss Brain Institute in Canada and the University of Exeter in the UK explored the relationship between vitamin D supplementation and...