Vitamin D Day

New studies suggest that higher levels of vitamin D may protect people from premature death from cancer and heart disease, and that low levels actually increase the risks. They also suggest that higher levels of Vitamin D help level blood pressure and stave off other diseases, especially in women. Vitamin D supplementation has been both supported and debunked as a lifespan booster, and researchers are expecting these new studies to be more definitive. The body produces vitamin D when exposed to sunlight and in certain foods like eggs, milk, yogurt, tuna, salmon, cereal and orange juice. Vitamin D could help people live longer, because of the way it acts like a hormone.

Studies in Europe and the United States tracked thousands of men and women and proved there is more interest in Vitamin D as a benefit.  Those with the lowest levels of vitamin D were more likely than those with the highest levels to die from heart disease and cancer during the periods of the studies. Those with low levels of vitamin D were 1.7 times more likely to die.  It's entirely possible that the range of vitamin D levels actually reflect a persons overall health, as lower levels of vitamin D may just be a sign of poor health.

Here is a compilation of the results from recent studies:

At Boston University, after people with high blood pressure were exposed to UVA and UVB rays for three months, their vitamin D levels increased by more than 100% -- and more impressively, their high blood pressure normalized. One theory about how vitamin D reduces blood pressure: It decreases the production of a hormone called renin, which is believed to play a role in hypertension.

In a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in December 2003, of more than 3,000 veterans (ages 50 to 75) at 13 Veterans Affairs medical centers, those who consumed more than 645 IU of vitamin D a day along with more than 4 grams per day of cereal fiber had a 40% reduction in their risk of developing precancerous colon polyps.

In a report in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society in February 2004, researchers at the University of Basel in Switzerland showed that elderly women who took a vitamin D supplement plus calcium for three months reduced their risk of falling by 49% compared with consuming calcium alone. Those women who had fallen repeatedly in the past seemed to gain the most benefit from vitamin D.

A study in the Jan. 13, 2004 issue of Neurology indicated that women who get doses of vitamin D that are typically found in daily multivitamin supplements -- of at least 400 international units -- are 40% less likely to develop multiple sclerosis compared with those not taking over-the-counter supplements.

Source: Web MD