Why Are Cancer Researchers Studying A Possible Connection Between Vitamin D And Cancer Risk
Early epidemiologic research showed that incidence and death rates for certain cancers were lower among individuals living in southern latitudes, where levels of sunlight exposure are relatively high, than among those living at northern latitudes. Because exposure to ultraviolet light from sunlight leads to the production of vitamin D, researchers hypothesized that variation in vitamin D levels might account for this association. However, additional research based on stronger study designs is required to determine whether higher vitamin D levels are related to lower cancer incidence or death rates.
Experimental evidence has also suggested a possible association between vitamin D and cancer risk. In studies of cancer cells and of tumors in mice, vitamin D has been found to have several activities that might slow or prevent the development of cancer, including promoting cellular differentiation, decreasing cancer cell growth, stimulating cell death , and reducing tumor blood vessel formation .
How To Prevent And Overcome Cancer From Vitamin Deficiency
The role of vitamins in cancer treatment is significant. Among all the vitamins, vitamin D is considered the most effective supplement for cancer treatment and prevention. Also, vitamin B12, along with B9 and B6, can reduce the risk of several cancers.
This piece discussed the various types of cancer symptoms due to vitamin deficiency and the prevention methods. One must be careful of the symptoms and consult doctors immediately if they notice any of the signs discussed here. However, individuals can avoid such diseases by taking vitamin-rich foods and following a healthy diet.
Why Is Vitamin D So Important
Vitamin D is one of many vitamins your body needs to stay healthy. It plays a crucial role in maintaining the balance of calcium in your blood and bones and in building and maintaining bones.
More specifically, you need vitamin D so your body can use calcium and phosphorus to build bones and support healthy tissues.
With chronic and/or severe vitamin D deficiency, a decline in calcium and phosphorus absorption by your intestines leads to hypocalcemia . This leads to secondary hyperparathyroidism .
Both hypocalcemia and hyperparathyroidism, if severe, can cause symptoms, including muscle weakness and cramps, fatigue and depression.
To try to balance calcium levels in your blood , your body takes calcium from your bones, which leads to accelerated bone demineralization .
This can further result in osteomalacia in adults and rickets in children.
Osteomalacia and osteoporosis put you at an increased risk for bone fractures. Rickets is the same as osteomalacia, but it only affects children. Since a childs bones are still growing, demineralization causes bowed or bent bones.
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Whats The Link Between Vitamin D And Blood Cancers
In the case of blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma, evidence supports the idea that vitamin D actually seems to help certain cancer therapies do their job. Studies have shown a link between vitamin D deficiency and a worse prognosis in various types of blood cancer, including chronic lymphocytic leukemia , and diffuse large B cell lymphoma , the most common type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. But these studies look backward, so it can be hard to tell cause from effect. Might vitamin D be used to increase the power of certain cancer therapies? This remains an open question, but data are encouraging.
There is also the fact that many cancer therapiesand cancers themselveshave the tendency to lead to low bone mass, increasing the risk of osteoporosis, so maintaining adequate levels of calcium and vitamin D can be a part of managing this risk.
Effect Size And Basic Statistical Principles
Though it appears attractive to dismiss any relevant effect of vitamin D on all the conditions that have been studied in those partly very large trials in recent years, it must be considered that often the basic principles for optimal design of a nutrient intervention study were not fulfilled , e.g., measurement of vitamin D at baseline and choosing vitamin D deficiency as an inclusion criterion, using a meaningful intervention able to change vitamin D status, and verification of vitamin D status improvement by repeat measurement.
Moreover, even in the largest trials including thousands of individuals, the sample size was still too small when mostly individuals without vitamin D deficiency and a low baseline risk were included. By modeling future intervention trials, Brenner et al. reported that several hundreds of thousands of participants would be necessary to be able to show an effect on mortality .
On the other hand, even a very small effect may be useful for a substance with such an excellent safety profile and low cost, especially when considering a public health approach. However, to show a small, but meaningful benefit on important outcomes like mortality or infections, very large population samples are needed, but such trials are very costly and will likely be scant.
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Will Vitamin D Supplements Help Improve My Concentration
Yes, some people have experienced improved focus and concentration when they got their vitamin D levels back to normal. However, it’s important to remember that vitamin D is not a cure for concentration problems.
If you’re experiencing difficulties with focus and concentration, speak to your doctor or healthcare team. They can help you identify the cause of your problem and recommend the best treatment options for you.
Vitamin D is an important vitamin that plays a role in many different functions in the body. Vitamin D deficiency can cause a number of neurological problems, including fatigue, memory loss, and difficulty concentrating.
This means having a vitamin D deficiency treated with a supplement can possibly help improve your concentration levels.
What Is The Prognosis
Vitamin D deficiency typically has a favourable prognosis. Treatment usually improves both the vitamin levels and the symptoms. However, it can take months for bones to heal and symptoms like pain to improve.
The consequences of a concomitant decrease have been discussed. Rickets and osteomalacia can take place in children and adults, respectively. These diseases impact the strength and visual appeal of bones, and if left untreated or delayed, can result in permanent bone deformities.
Vitamin D deficiency is linked to a variety of conditions, including bone and muscle health. Obesity, coronary heart disease, breast cancer, bowel cancer, Alzheimers disease, and other diseases are among them. The precise significance of these associations is still unknown.
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Symptoms And Health Risks Of Vitamin D Deficiency
Symptoms of bone pain and muscle weakness can mean you have a vitamin D deficiency. However, for many people, the symptoms are subtle. Yet, even without symptoms, too little vitamin D can pose health risks. Low blood levels of the vitamin have been associated with the following:
- Increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease
- Cognitive impairment in older adults
- Severe asthma in children
Research suggests that vitamin D could play a role in the prevention and treatment of a number of different conditions, including type1 and type 2 diabetes, hypertension, glucose intolerance, and multiple sclerosis.
Low Vitamin D Levels For Skin Cancer Patients
Study Shows People With Basal Cell Nevus Syndrome More Likely to Have Vitamin D Deficiency
Oct. 18, 2010 — Protecting your skin from the sun to help prevent skin cancer may have an unhealthy side effect: vitamin D deficiency.
A new study shows vitamin D deficiency is increasingly common among people with a genetic predisposition to sun-related skin cancers known as basal cell nevus syndrome.
Researchers found people with basal cell nevus syndrome were three times more likely to have low vitamin D levels than the general population.
âVitamin D deficiency has been associated with an increased risk of autoimmune disease, fractures, cancer, cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality,â write researcher Jean Y. Tang, MD, PhD of Stanford University, and colleagues in the Archives of Dermatology. âThere is increasing concern that sun protection, recommended by dermatologists to prevent further UV damage in populations susceptible to skin cancer, may result in abnormally low levels of , which may have subsequent detrimental effects on health.â
In the study, researchers took periodic blood samples from 41 people with basal cell nevus syndrome over a period of two years. The results show 23 of the participants had vitamin D deficiency.
Blood levels of vitamin D were lower among those with basal cell nevus syndrome who were overweight and in those who had blood samples taken in winter compared with summer.
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Does Vitamin D Heal The Brain
Vitamin D, along with calcium and magnesium, has been shown to have a significant beneficial effect on cognitive function. According to a growing number of studies, vitamin D has several roles in brain health, including assisting in the development of the brain and spinal cord delaying neurodegenerative disease progression lowering inflammation promoting blood vessel growth and more.
Frequent Illness Or Infections
One of the most important roles of vitamin D is supporting immune health, which helps you ward off viruses and bacteria that cause illness.
Vitamin D directly interacts with the cells that are responsible for addressing infections .
If you often become sick, especially with colds or the flu, low vitamin D levels may be a contributing factor. Several large observational studies have shown a link between a deficiency and respiratory tract infections such as colds, bronchitis, and pneumonia (
11 ).
Recently, vitamin D deficiency has been linked to an increased risk of COVID-19, as well as an increased risk of experiencing severe effects from the condition. However, it is important to note that taking vitamin D supplements at any dosage will not prevent COVID-19 .
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Do I Need To Sunbathe To Get Enough Vitamin D
No, you dont need to sunbathe to get enough Vitamin D.
The amount of sunlight we need to make vitamin D in the UK is different for each person. It depends on your skin type and the time of day or year.
Short breaks in the sun without sun protection should be enough for people with lighter skin that burns easily. But if you have darker skin that hardly ever burns, you might need longer to make enough vitamin D.
And remember, too much sun can cause sunburn and increase the risk of skin cancer.
Why Do I Need Vitamin D And How Do I Get It
Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium. Calcium is one of the main building blocks of bone. Vitamin D also has a role in your nervous, muscle, and immune systems.
You can get vitamin D in three ways: through your skin, from your diet, and from supplements. Your body forms vitamin D naturally after exposure to sunlight. But too much sun exposure can lead to skin aging and skin cancer, so many people try to get their vitamin D from other sources.
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Vitamin D Deficiency And Diabetes
The connection between low levels of vitamin D and diabetes is clear. Again we see a relationship between vitamin D deficiency and diabetes, says Byrn. Just why theres a link is still unknown, but researchers have hypotheses.
Some researchers believe the link is related to the role of vitamin D in insulin sensitivity and resistance however, randomized controlled trials dont all support evidence that increasing vitamin D levels through vitamin D supplements results in improvements in insulin sensitivity, says Byrn. Previous research points to these mixed results.
Another possibility of the link is related to the role of vitamin D in inflammation, because people with type 2 diabetes also have higher chronic inflammation, notes Byrn.
A review published in March 2017 in Biochemical Journal found that when vitamin D is deficient, many cellular processes in the body begin to break down, and this sets the stage for the onset of diseases such as diabetes.
Still, people at risk for diabetes shouldnt start an aggressive supplement regime. A large, multicenter study called D2d, which was funded in part by the National Institutes of Health, found that its still unclear that supplementing with vitamin D prevents type 2 diabetes, since the findings in that well-designed study, which was published in August 2019 in the New England Journal of Medicine, were not statistically significant.
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Vitamin D Deficiency: Symptoms Causes And Treatment
Vitamin D deficiency can prove to be severe, however in most cases, the ailment is both preventable and treatable. Read ahead to know more.
Vitamin D is essential for strong bones. It helps the body to absorb calcium properly from the diet. But increasingly, research is revealing the importance of vitamin D in protecting against a host of other health problems.
Vitamin D deficiency is a common vitamin deficiency, which can cause issues with our bones and muscles. It most commonly affects people over the age of 65 and/or people who have darker skin. It can prove to be severe, however in most cases, the ailment is both preventable and treatable.
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Should I Take Other Medications For Neurological Problems With My Vitamin D Supplement
You should speak to your doctor about all medications you are taking, including vitamin D supplements. Some medications can interact with vitamin D and cause serious side effects.
Some of the medications that could interact with vitamin D and cause serious side effects include:
· Thiazide diuretics, such as hydrochlorothiazide and chlorthalidone
· Bone marrow transplant medications, such as busulfan, cyclophosphamide, and etoposide
· Corticosteroids, such as prednisone and dexamethasone
There are several reasons why vitamin D can interact with other medications. One reason is that vitamin D can affect the absorption of other medications. When taken together, the two medications may not be absorbed properly, leading to serious side effects.
Another reason why vitamin D can interact with other medications is because it can alter the levels of certain drugs in the blood. This can lead to serious side effects, such as an increased risk of bleeding or bone loss.
You should always speak to your doctor before starting any new medications, including vitamin D supplements. They will be able to advise you on whether or not the supplement is safe for you to take.
Who Is At Risk For Vitamin D Deficiency
There are certain groups of people who are at a higher risk for vitamin D deficiency. These include:
· People who live in northern latitudes – Vitamin D is produced in the skin when it is exposed to sunlight.
· Elderly people – As we age, our bodies become less efficient at converting vitamin D into its active form.
· People with dark skin – Melanin is a pigment that gives skin its color. It also decreases the skin’s ability to produce vitamin D in response to sunlight exposure.
· People who are obese – Vitamin D is stored in fat tissue and is released into the bloodstream as needed. If you are obese, your body may not be able to access stored vitamin D as efficiently.
· People who have digestive disorders – Certain digestive disorders can interfere with the absorption of vitamin D from food.
· People who do not eat enough vitamin D-rich foods – Vitamin D is found in a limited number of foods, including fatty fish, eggs, and fortified dairy and grain products.
Vitamin D deficiency can be a serious problem, so it’s important to be aware of the signs and symptoms. If you think you may be at risk, talk to your doctor about getting a blood test. With proper treatment, you can maintain healthy vitamin D levels and avoid the serious health problems associated with deficiency.
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Treatment For Vitamin D Deficiency
Treatment for vitamin D deficiency involves getting more vitamin D — through diet and supplements. Although there is no consensus on vitamin D levels required for optimal health — and it likely differs depending on age and health conditions — a concentration of less than 20 nanograms per milliliter is generally considered inadequate, requiring treatment.
Guidelines from the Institute of Medicine increased the recommended dietary allowance of vitamin D to 600 international units for everyone ages 1-70, and raised it to 800 IU for adults older than age 70 to optimize bone health. The safe upper limit was also raised to 4,000 IU. Doctors may prescribe more than 4,000 IU to correct a vitamin D deficiency.
If you don’t spend much time in the sun or always are careful to cover your skin , you should speak to your doctor about taking a vitamin D supplement, particularly if you have risk factors for vitamin D deficiency.
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How Will I Know How Much Vitamin D To Take
The amount of vitamin D you need will depend on a number of factors, including your age, health condition, and whether you’re taking any other medications.
Another thing to keep in mind is that you can get vitamin D from sunlight, so if you’re spending time outside, you may not need to take as much.
It’s important to speak to a healthcare professional before taking any supplements, so they can recommend the right amount for you. You should also have your blood levels checked regularly to make sure you’re not taking too much.
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