By Charlie Schmidt
As a nutrient, vitamin D is totally essential—without it, we are able to't absorb the calcium and phosphorus we'd like for healthy bones. But research is increasingly pointing to other advantages of vitamin D. One of them is feasible protection against cancer. Scientists have found that vitamin D can decelerate the expansion of abnormal cells. It may also starve the tumor by making it difficult for it to grow latest blood vessels.
New findings suggest that prostate tumors particularly could also be more aggressive when a person's vitamin D levels are too low. A report within the Journal Clinical Cancer Research It showed The lower the vitamin D level, the more aggressive the prostate cancer..
During the study, investigators measured blood levels of vitamin D in nearly 700 men who underwent first-time prostate biopsies at several urology clinics within the Chicago area. Half of the boys were of European descent, while the opposite half were African-American.
Lower vitamin D levels were related to higher-grade, more advanced tumors in each groups. In addition, vitamin D deficiency has also been linked to a better risk of developing prostate cancer in African American men. This was not true in European American men, for whom low vitamin D intake was only related to more aggressive tumors.
Few foods contain vitamin D.Especially some varieties of fatty fish, eggs, certain varieties of mushrooms, and vitamin-fortified foods, akin to milk and other dairy products. Another strategy to get vitamin D is to make it yourself by getting sunlight.
Dark-skinned men absorb less ultraviolet light from the sun than lighter-skinned men, and subsequently make less vitamin D. This may explain why in addition they have a better risk of prostate cancer, the investigators speculated. In fact, prostate cancer is more common amongst African American men, they usually have a better death rate from the disease.
The latest study has some limitations, including that a one-time measurement of vitamin D may not reflect chronic vitamin D deficiency. But the findings add to growing evidence that vitamin D helps protect against prostate cancer, and that a healthy lifestyle that features secure sun exposure is one strategy to reduce the possibility of developing it. It's an excellent way.
National guidelines Recommend 600 international units of vitamin D day by day for men as much as age 70 and 800 international units thereafter.