“22 Strange Ways the Sun May Affect Your Body”

Skin cancer isn't the only health consequence of sun exposure—and in fact, in some ways, soaking up some rays may actually improve your wellbeing.

THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE SUNNY: You know that the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays can cause skin cancer and premature aging, and that wearing sunscreen (year-round!) is an important way to protect yourself. But research has shown that sunlight also seems to affect health in a lot of other ways, both positively and negatively. "One American dies every hour from skin cancer, and the overwhelming majority of these cancers are caused by overexposure to UV light—there's no question about that," says Darrell Rigel, MD, clinical professor of dermatology at New York University Langone Medical Center. "But that doesn't mean you should stay inside all day or that there aren't plenty of health benefits to being outdoors. You just have to balance everything and use common sense to protect yourself." Here's what you need to know so you can make smart choices when you step outside.

MOOD: Sunlight triggers the release of the feel-good brain chemicals serotonin, so spending time outdoors has been shown to boost mood and relieve stress. And for some people, not getting enough sun during winter months can even trigger a type of depression known as seasonal-affective disorder. (In rare cases, sunlight can trigger depression.) Luckily, you can fight the effects of SAD, or even a bad mood, without exposing yourself to harmful UV rays, says Dr. Rigel. "You don't need ultraviolet light to feel better, you just need visible light," he says. "Just being in a bright room can help." Special light boxes, which don't give off UV rays, may also help.

VITAMIN D LEVELS: Sunlight helps the body make vitamin D—an important nutrient for healthy bones, brains, and more. Vitamin D is found naturally in very few food sources, so people need to get it either from sun exposure, supplements, or fortified foods, like milk. (Fatty fish, such as salmon, naturally contain vitamin D.) You don't need much sunlight to get adequate vitamin D, especially if you have pale skin or red hair; for most people, just 5 to 30 minutes twice a week, with your face, arms, legs, or back exposed without sunscreen is enough. But still, many Americans don’t get enough. And because of very real skin-cancer concerns, the American Academy of Dermatology recommends getting your vitamin D from a healthy diet and/or supplements—not from the unprotected sun exposure.

HEART HEALTH: Many studies have suggested that Vitamin D deficiency is linked to cardiovascular disease. And in 2013, scientists in Denmark found that sun exposure—even when it also causes skin cancer—may actually protect the heart: When they analyzed more than 4 million medical records, they discovered that people who'd been diagnosed with skin cancer were less likely to have had a heart attack (or to have died from any cause) over the course of the study. "As skin cancer is a marker of a substantial sun exposure, these results indirectly suggest that sun exposure might have beneficial effects on health," the study authors wrote. However, they caution that this does not prove a cause-and-effect relationship, and that sunlight's effects on heart health should be studied more directly.

STRONG BONES AND MUSCLES: In that same Danish study, researchers also found that having a history of skin cancer was linked to a lower risk of hip fractures in people younger than 90. That may be because vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium, which is important for healthy bones. Vitamin D is also important to muscle health, and people with low levels are more likely to experience muscle cramps and joint pain. Sunscreen blocks the body's ability to make vitamin D, though, so taking supplements or eating fortified foods are still the safest way to get your fill.

MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS: Getting high levels of vitamin D, either from sun exposure or food, may decrease your risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS). There is strong evidence that people who live at higher latitudes, and therefore get less exposure to UV rays, have a higher risk of the disease than those who live closer to the equator. A 2014 study also found that correcting vitamin D deficiency may slow the progression of MS and related brain lesions, but the researchers only looked at dietary supplementation—not access to sunlight.

PANCREATIC CANCER: Rates of pancreatic cancer—the 12th most common cancer in the world and the seventh most deadly—are highest in countries with the least amount of sunlight, found a 2015 study from the University of California San Diego School of Medicine. "If you're living at a high latitude or in a place with a lot of heavy cloud cover, you can't make vitamin D most of the year, which results in a higher-than-normal risk of getting pancreatic cancer," said lead author Cedric F. Garland, DrPH, in a university press release.

BREAST CANCER: Sunlight exposure may also be associated with lower risk for another common cancer, according to a 2014 study published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. Women who reported spending an hour or more outside every day for the last 10 years were less likely to have had breast cancer than those who reported less time in the sun. As with other studies, the authors suspect that vitamin D production is responsible for the link—although they weren't able to find proof on a genetic level. The authors were also surprised to find that sunscreen use did not seem to affect cancer risk, but they point out that it could be because SOF is often applied too sparingly or infrequently.

BLOOD PRESSURE: Rates of hypertension tend to be higher in the winter and in countries farther from the equator, and a 2014 study published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology provides a possible explanation: Exposure to sunlight causes nitric oxide in the skin to be absorbed into the bloodstream, which can help widen blood vessels and lower the pressure inside them. "Our results add to an increasing body of evidence suggesting beneficial effects of sunlight above and beyond those afforded by vitamin D," says study co-author Martin Feelisch, PhD, professor of experimental medicine at the University of Warwick in the U.K. He also adds that spending more time in nature may have psychological effects on stress reduction (which can also help control blood pressure).

LUNG HEALTH: If you live in an urban area that's dense with cars or factories, the sunshine may be making the air you breathe even dirtier. That's because UV rays can trigger the release of smog-forming chemicals from polluted air and the grime that settles on buildings and outdoor surfaces, according to a study presented at the American Chemical Society's 2015 annual meeting. Air pollution has been linked to asthma and early mortality, and possibly a higher risk of stroke, heart disease, and other health problems. Aside from moving away, you may not be able to do much about this problem. But you can keep track of ozone levels in your community, and avoid unnecessary outdoor activity on days that are rated unhealthy. Exercising outside in the mornings can also help, since smog gets worse throughout the day as pollution mixes with sunlight.

ARTHRITIS: A 2013 study published in the Annals of Rheumatic Diseases found that exposure to ultraviolet B radiation—one of two types of rays (UVA and UVB) found in natural sunlight—may reduce women's risk of rheumatoid arthritis. Study participants who lived in the sunniest areas of the United States (like Hawaii and Arizona) were 21% less likely to have developed the degenerative disease than those that got the least sun (like Alaska and Oregon). Interestingly, though, the link was only found among older women. This may be because people have become more careful about sun protection in recent years, and the younger participants likely spent more of their lives wearing sunscreen or actively avoiding the sun.

DIGESTIVE HEALTH: Another study, published in the journal Gut, looked at that same group of women and their levels of inflammatory bowel disease. It found a similar pattern: Participants living in sunny, southern parts of the country were less likely to develop Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis than those in northern, less sunny states. The authors believe that vitamin D levels play a role in the body's immune response, and its regulation of inflammation in the body.

ALLERGIES: Children who live in low-sunlight areas are more likely to be allergic to eggs and peanuts than those who get plenty of rays, according to a 2012 Australian study. Other research has found a link between low vitamin D levels and various types of allergies (both food and non-food), as well as asthma. In a 2012 review of previous studies, the authors note that modern-day lifestyle patterns like "indoor occupation, 'screen time,' and active sun avoidance" leave people susceptible to inadequate vitamin D levels—"a factor that may be playing a role in the current allergy epidemic," they wrote.

ECZEMA AND PSORIASIS: The same Australian study that found a link between food allergies and latitude also found that kids in the south of the country (who get less sunlight) were twice as likely to develop eczema as those in the north. And, in fact, both eczema and psoriasis—another itchy-skin disease—are sometimes treated with UV light, through a process called phototherapy. However, more sunlight is not necessarily a cure for either condition. According to the UK-based National Eczema Foundation, sun exposure can improve some people's eczema, but it can exacerbate others'. And skin damaged caused by sunburn (or tanning beds) can make psoriasis worse, warns the National Psoriasis Foundation.

SLEEP: Exposure to light during the day—and darkness at night—can help you maintain a healthy circadian rhythm, so you feel alert during your waking hours and tired at bedtime. That's why it's a good idea to open the curtains as soon as you wake up in the morning, and to avoid too much artificial light once the sun goes down. People with irregular schedules, like shift workers, can miss out on daytime sun exposure and often have trouble sleeping. Shift work has also been shown to affect metabolism, and has been linked to health problems including diabetes, memory decline, and heart disease.

EYE HEALTH: Sunglasses aren't just a fashion statement; they also protect against harmful UV rays that can damage your vision. Direct exposure to sunlight can damage your retinas, and too much sun over time can lead to macular degeneration, glaucoma, and cataracts. It's not all bad news, though: A 2009 study from the New England College of Optometry found that kids who spend more time outdoors are less likely to develop myopia, also known as nearsightedness. To protect your peepers, wear sunglasses with 99 to 100% UV protection, even when it's cloudy outside. (Wearing shades without UV protection is even more dangerous than wearing nothing at all, since your pupils will dilate behind dark lenses, letting in more light.)

HEADACHES: For people who get migraines, sun glare or flickering lights—like sunlight filtering through the trees as the wind blows—can trigger headaches. Avoiding bright light can help; so can taking preventative medicine if you know you're at risk and you'll be spending time outdoors. Sun-induced headaches can also be a sign of heat exhaustion or dehydration, especially if you've been outside for a while on a hot summer day. Staying hydrated, seeking out shade, and keeping cool can help you stay safe and pain-free.

PREGNANCY AND FERTILITY: Women who have low vitamin D levels during pregnancy are more likely to experience complications like gestational diabetes and preeclampsia, and to develop multiple sclerosis in the years after giving birth. Their babies are also more likely to be born underweight, and to carry their own increased risk for multiple sclerosis. And if a couple is trying to get pregnant in the first place, the sunshine vitamin may help with that, too. A 2008 Australian study found that when D-deficient men improved their levels through sun exposure and supplements, they decreased their levels of "sperm fragmentation" and had more success conceiving with their partners.

MELANOMA: While sun exposure is the clear cause of the most common types of skin cancer—basal cell carcinoma and squamous carcinoma—it also plays a role in the more rare and dangerous melanoma. Melanomas can develop on parts of the body that rarely see the sun, like the mouth, and in the past, the role of sunlight was unclear. Research now shows that frequent sunburns in childhood and the use of tanning beds can increase the risk of melanoma. The use of tanning beds before age 30 ups the lifetime melanoma risk by 75%.

RICKETS: In the past, children with poor diets who did not get adequate exposure to sunlight often developed a bone deformity known as rickets. Much less common in modern times thanks to vitamin-D fortified foods, rickets brings on symptoms like delayed growth, bowed legs, muscle weakness, and pain in the back, pelvis, and legs. Children with dark skin (which blocks sunlight), who live in countries far from the equator (and thus get less sun), are exclusively breastfed (breast milk lacks vitamin D), or who take medication or have a condition that interferes with vitamin D absorption can be at risk.

 JAUNDICE: Babies who are born with jaundice, a condition that can lead to brain damage or even death, can be treated with sunlight, according to a 2015 Stanford University study. Jaundice occurs when newborns haven't yet developed an enzyme needed to get rid of waste products in the blood stream, and it can cause a yellowish tint to their skin and eyes. Not just any sunlight should be used to treat jaundiced babies, however. This study specifically looked at sunlight that passed through special canopies, which filtered out harmful UV rays. The babies were also monitored for overheating and sunburn throughout their treatment.

SUN ALLERGY: It's extremely rare, but for some people, spending just a few minutes in the sun can cause itching, burning, and debilitating pain. This condition, called erythropoietic protoporphyria and sometimes described as an "allergy to the sun," affects about 500 to 600 people in the United States. Luckily, a new drug currently in development has shown promise in treating people with this disorder. The medication, called afamelanotide, works by stimulating the production of melanin—the pigment that gives skin color, and that protects against sun damage in healthy people.

SKIN DAMAGE (HOURS LATER!): Lastly, it's a well-known fact that sunlight causes skin damage—but did you know it continues to destroy cells for hours after exposure, even once you're indoors or in the dark? That's what Yale University researchers found when they studied the effects of UV light on both human and mouse skin-pigment cells. Dr. Rigel says that skin damage is an obvious sign you're spending too much time in the sun without protection. "Skin cancer is the extreme of skin aging, but before that you can certainly get lines, wrinkles, freckles, broken capillaries—all signs of damage," says Dr. Rigel. "You're aging your skin faster every time you go outdoors without sunscreen."

WHAT’S THE SOLUTION? While skin cancer (not to mention premature skin aging) is a very real danger, some experts—like Feelisch—say that avoiding the sun entirely may be an even bigger one. "Balancing beneficial with harmful effects of anything starts with the realization that there may be more to the beneficial side than previously considered," he says. "Considering how humans evolved—being exposed to natural light for almost half of the day—sunlight can't possibly be that bad, can it?" Feelisch believes that increased rates of skin cancer are likely due to people "swinging between extremes" of spending most time indoors, then getting way too much sun on vacations and holidays. His suggestion for balancing it all? "Get as much sunshine as you can regularly, while avoiding getting a sunburn."

Dr. Rigel, on the other hand, takes a cautious approach—an approach that's echoed by the American Academy of Dermatology and the World Health Organization. "You can safely get vitamin D from supplements, so why expose yourself to a known carcinogen when you don't have to?" he asks. His advice is to play it safe: "Wear protective clothing, avoid the mid-day sun when UV rays are strongest, and regularly use sunscreen. Those three things will lower your risk of skin cancer, and allow you to enjoy your time outside."

Amanda MacMillan, Health, June 28, 2017

Much Love, Dr.Shermaine #InformativeRead #PleaseShare #HealthyBodySoulAndSpirit

"It's Not Selfish to Love Yourself, Take Care of Yourself and to Make Your Happiness a Priority. It's a Necessity." (Mandy Hale)

"Self-Care is Not Selfish. You Cannot Serve From an Empty Vessel." (Eleanor Brown)

The contents of the Health Magazine and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine Sites, such as text, graphics, images, and other material contained on the Health Magazine and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine Sites ("Content") are for informational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on the Health Magazine and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine Sites!

If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately. Health Magazine and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine does not recommend or endorse any specific tests, physicians, products, procedures, opinions, or other information that may be mentioned on the Sites. Reliance on any information provided by Health Magazine, Health Magazine employees, others appearing on the Site at the invitation of Health Magazine, and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine or other visitors to the Sites is solely at your own risk. 

“27 Health Problems Linked to Low Vitamin D”

From depression to cancer, many conditions go along with vitamin D deficiency.

THE TRUTH ABOUT VITAMIN D: No doubt you've seen the headlines saying that not getting enough vitamin D may increase your risk of countless health woes. It's important to read those stories carefully, since links don't necessarily prove cause and effect. "There can be many other explanations for the associations observed," says JoAnn Manson, MD, PhD, chief of the division of preventive medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Massachusetts. "Several large-scale randomized trials of vitamin D are in progress, and they will provide conclusive evidence as to whether supplementation with moderate-to-high doses of vitamin D can reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, and other chronic diseases." In other words, don't panic and start popping pills; do consult with your own doctor to be sure you're getting the nutrients you need. Read on for some of the health problems now linked to low vitamin D.    

OBESITY: Obese men, women, and children are 35% more likely to be vitamin D deficient than normal-weight people, and 24% more likely to be D deficient than overweight people, according to a 2015 meta-analysis. One possible explanation: A study published in 2000 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that obesity limits the body's ability to use D from both sunlight and dietary sources, since fat cells hold on to vitamins and don't release them efficiently. Translation: Obesity could actually make vitamin D deficiency worse.

DIABETES: People with diabetes or prediabetes have lower vitamin D levels than those with normal blood sugar, according to a Spanish study published in 2015 in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. The link held for folks across the BMI spectrum—in fact, both lean and morbidly obese people with diabetes or prediabetes had significantly lower D than their nondiabetic counterparts. The study's authors believe that vitamin D deficiency and obesity "interact synergistically" to increase the risk of diabetes and other metabolic disorders.

HEART DISEASE: Heart disease and vitamin D deficiency are known to go hand in hand; one sobering 2009 study found that subjects with extremely low levels of vitamin D were nearly three times as likely to die of heart failure and five times as likely to die of sudden cardiac death. However, experts say there isn't evidence of a direct link between higher vitamin D levels and lowering cardiovascular risk, so it's too soon to say if taking supplements might boost heart health.

LUPUS: Lupus, a chronic inflammatory disease in which the body's immune system attacks its own organs and tissues, is frequently associated with vitamin D deficiency—in part because lupus patients are often advised to stay out of the sun (the source of 90% of our vitamin D), and may be prescribed corticosteroids, which are also linked to low levels of D. A recent research review suggested that correcting lupus patients' vitamin deficiencies might help to lessen the severity of their disease.

PRETERM BIRTH: In a study of more than 2,000 mothers-to-be, women with higher levels of 25-hydroxy vitamin D (an indicator of our bodies' vitamin D stores, measurable with a blood test) had a lower risk of giving birth before 37 weeks. The authors suggested that D could be having a protective effect by reducing bacterial infection in the placenta, which can cause preterm birth. In another study, researchers who examined data from the Collaborative Perinatal Project (a study of more than 42,000 women) reported that among nonwhite mothers, higher concentrations of 25-hydroxy D were associated with a reduced risk of birth before 35 weeks.

MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS: In 2013, an international team of researchers examined data from 465 people with early-stage MS, an often-disabling autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system; they reported that higher levels of 25-hydroxy D measured at the onset of symptoms (and then 6, 12, and 24 months later) predicted a slower rate of disease progression. Subjects with higher levels of D had a slower increase in brain lesion volume, fewer new lesions, lower brain volume loss, and lower disability levels than those with low levels of D.

PMS: According to the Nurses' Health Study II, women between the ages of 27 and 44 with a high intake of vitamin D had the lowest risk of experiencing PMS symptoms. (The study found that higher calcium intake was also associated with lower PMS risk.) A 2010 pilot study suggested a connection between vitamin D levels and PMS for younger women as well. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen and naproxen are still the first line of therapy for PMS symptoms, but researchers believe vitamin D supplements are a promising alternative.

INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE (IBD): Vitamin and mineral deficiencies, including D deficiency, are extremely common for people with gastrointestinal health issues that affect their body's ability to absorb nutrients. Patients with active ulcerative colitis, a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), especially those who take corticosteroids, are often deficient in D, a study in Digestive Diseases and Sciences suggested, and some researchers believe deficiency could have a role not only in increasing the risk of developing IBD but in determining the severity of a person's symptoms. 

ALOPECIA AND HAIR LOSS: Women with female pattern hair loss had significantly lower levels of vitamin D than those without hair loss, a study in Skin Pharmacology and Physiology found. The vitamin is crucial for hair cycling, and helps push hair from its resting phase to the growing phase. Turkish researchers found that patients with alopecia areata, an autoimmune disease that attacks follicles and can cause hair loss all over the body, had significantly lower levels of 25-hydroxy vitamin D than folks without the condition, and the lower their D levels, the more severe their disease. 

INSULIN RESISTANCE: Insulin resistance, which leads to glucose buildup in the blood and type 2 diabetes and prediabetes, has been linked to vitamin D deficiency for quite some time; that said, researchers have yet to find that correcting that deficiency can correct the problem. A small study of Norwegian men and women found that vitamin D supplementation doesn’t improve insulin sensitivity in healthy people, and researchers in Iran found that vitamin D supplements had no effect on insulin sensitivity in pre-diabetic patients. 

ECZEMA: Research suggests that children with atopic dermatitis, a type of eczema, have more severe symptoms the lower their vitamin D levels. Indeed, eczema tends to worsen in the winter when the air is dry and we get less sunlight (a major source of D). Supplementing with D in pill form can improve eczema—or if you're looking for an excuse to vacation, one study found that Norwegian kids with eczema who were taken to a sun-drenched subtropical island for 4 weeks experienced relief from their symptoms that lasted for 3 months after they got back home.

TOOTH DECAY IN INFANTS AND TODDLERS: Vitamin D is crucial both to our dental health and the formation of our teeth in the first place—yet another reason taking prenatal vitamins is so important. A study in Pediatrics measured the blood levels of vitamin D in pregnant women, then checked the teeth of their babies at 1 year old. Researchers found that mothers of children with weak enamel and tooth decay had significantly lower vitamin D levels during pregnancy compared to moms of children with healthy teeth.

GUM DISEASE AND TOOTH LOSS: The sunshine vitamin has a key role in protecting our teeth as we age; in one study, older adults who took 700 international units (IU) of vitamin D (along with calcium) each day for three years were less likely to lose teeth than those who took placebo pills, even two years after they stopped taking the supplements. Researchers have also reported strong evidence that D deficiency is a risk for gum disease—and that it can worsen dental problems once we have them.

ALZHEIMER’S AND DEMENTIA: Studies have linked low vitamin D to abnormalities in brain structure, cognitive decline, and dementia. In a recent study in JAMA Neurology, which measured vitamin D and cognitive function each year in an ethnically diverse group of elderly patients (about half of whom had some form of cognitive impairment at the start of the study), lower levels of D were associated with accelerated cognitive decline. Research is now underway to determine whether or not supplements can offer hope for prevention and treatment. 

UTIs: Vitamin D helps prevent infection by helping our bodies produce natural antibiotics, and a study in Archives of Disease in Childhood found that D deficiency is a risk factor for urinary tract infections in children, especially girls. It's a bit too soon to call vitamin D the new cranberry juice, but low levels are associated with UTIs for adults, too; a study of women who suffered from recurrent UTIs found that they had lower levels of vitamin D than women who didn't.

FEMALE INCONTINENCE: Since vitamin D is critical for muscle strength, deficiency can contribute to weakness in the pelvic floor—that is, the hammock of muscles that supports the bladder, vagina, uterus, and rectum—and lead to urinary incontinence (as well as, potentially, fecal incontinence) in women, according to a 2012 research review published in International Urogynecology Journal. For women who suffer from poor bladder control, maintaining healthy levels of vitamin D could prove to be as important as performing pelvic floor exercises.

ASTHMA: According to a large Israeli study published in Allergy that tracked more than 21,000 adults with asthma, while people with asthma were no more likely to have low D than those in the general population, asthmatics who did have a vitamin D deficiency were 25% more likely to experience acute attacks and to need to see a doctor more frequently for their asthma. The study's authors say that their findings support the importance of vitamin D level screenings for patients with severe asthma—and that supplements could be necessary for those falling short.

SCHIZOPHRENIA: There's a strong link between vitamin D deficiency and this mental health disorder: In a 2014 review of 19 studies, researchers found that 65% of schizophrenia patients had low levels of vitamin D, and people with vitamin D deficiency were more than twice as likely to have schizophrenia. That correlation doesn't necessarily mean that deficiency causes schizophrenia. In fact, experts hypothesize that the reverse may be true, with schizophrenia causing people to make lifestyle and diet choices that lead to deficiency. 

DEPRESSION: Female college students who had low levels of vitamin D were more likely to have clinically significant symptoms of depression, according to a 2015 study published in Psychiatry Research. A larger meta-analysis of more than 31,000 research subjects, published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, found a correlation as well. There's hope that vitamin D supplements might help: A very small study presented to the Endocrine Society in 2012 found three women with moderate to severe depression experienced improvement in their symptoms after they received treatment for vitamin D deficiency. Experts have yet to prove vitamin D's effect on mood in large-scale clinical research—but if it can be confirmed, correcting that deficiency could make a whole lot of people a whole lot happier.

COLORECTAL CANCER: Researchers have known about a connection between vitamin D and cancer risk since the 1940s, when a researcher from the Medical College of Virginia demonstrated a link between latitude (which predicts our exposure to sunlight, our main source of D) and death from cancer. More recently, a 2011 meta-analysis that included more than 1 million study subjects found that greater vitamin D intake and higher vitamin D levels were linked to lower risk of colorectal cancer. On the other hand, a 2006 clinical trial as part of the Women’s Health Initiative found that women who took calcium and vitamin D supplements for an average of seven years had no reduction in colorectal cancer risk compared to those who took a placebo. More research is needed to shed light on these mixed results.

BREAST CANCER: Some recent evidence has suggested a link between higher levels of vitamin D and a lowered risk of breast cancer: one meta-analysis, for example, found that a small increase in vitamin D levels could reduce risk of postmenopausal women by 12%. Other studies, on the other hand, have found that blood levels of vitamin D have no link with breast cancer. A new randomized trial, the VITAL study, is looking at the effects of higher doses of vitamin D on both heart disease and cancer; those results will provide better answers about if and how it can impact risk. 

PANCREATIC CANCER: People with the highest vitamin D levels were 35% less likely to develop pancreatic cancer than those with the lowest levels, according to a 20-year study of nearly 120,000 people conducted by researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Massachusetts. And in exciting news for this deadly form of cancer, researchers are currently studying how a modified form of vitamin D may help "deactivate" a certain type of cell that feeds pancreatic tumor growth, making tumors more vulnerable to treatment with chemotherapy. 

PROSTATE CANCER: Low levels of vitamin D were associated with more advanced, aggressive prostate tumors in biopsy patients in a 2014 study in Clinical Cancer Research; among African American men, low vitamin D was also associated with a higher risk of developing prostate cancer in the first place. A small pilot study from the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston found that when prostate cancer patients received 4,000 IU of vitamin D per day for 60 days, 60% of them showed improvement in their tumors; another study is now underway to determine if those results can be replicated on a larger scale.

OSTEOPOROSIS: Our bodies rely on vitamin D to help absorb calcium and grow bones that stay dense and strong throughout our lives. In fact, more than 50% of women treated for bone loss have inadequate vitamin D levels. Accordingly, the National Osteoporosis Foundation recommends an intake of 400 to 800 IU of vitamin D per day for adults under the age of 50, and 800 to 1,000 IU for those over the age of 50 (the risk of osteoporosis increases with age).

RICKETS: Rickets, or the softening and weakening of bones in children, is usually caused by an extreme and prolonged vitamin D deficiency; children who are 3 to 36 months old are at highest risk because their bones are growing so fast. In the late 19th century, doctors realized that vitamin-D-rich cod liver oil helped to prevent and treat rickets in children; manufacturers added vitamin D to milk for the first time in the 1930s, and rickets has since become rare in the United States. When nutritional rickets is diagnosed, supplementation with calcium and vitamin D corrects most bone damage within a few months, sometimes within a few days.  The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all infants, children, and adolescents receive a minimum daily intake of 400 IU of vitamin D. 

ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION: Vitamin D deficient men were 32% more likely to suffer from erectile dysfunction than men with higher levels, according to research presented at the 2015 annual meeting of the American Heart Association. The study authors say those findings reflect the effect that vitamin D has on vascular function, including vessels that carry blood to the genitalia. If additional research supports the link, measuring vitamin D levels could become a tool for assessing ED risk—and correcting deficiencies could one day become a treatment.

CHILDHOOD LANGUAGE IMPAIRMENT: Women who had low levels of vitamin D at 18 weeks pregnancy had nearly double the risk of having a child with signs of language impairment at ages 5 and 10 compared to women with higher levels, according to an Australian study published in Pediatrics. The results don't prove that vitamin D causes those difficulties, but they do highlight its importance in fetal brain development; it's possible that prenatal vitamin D supplementation may reduce the risk of developmental language problems in children.

Lauren Oster, Health, March 15, 2016

Much Love, Dr.Shermaine #InformativeRead #PleaseShare #HealthyBodySoulAndSpirit #IWantYou2Live  

"It's Not Selfish to Love Yourself, Take Care of Yourself and to Make Your Happiness a Priority. It's a Necessity." (Mandy Hale)

"Self-Care is Not Selfish. You Cannot Serve From an Empty Vessel." (Eleanor Brown)

The contents of the Health Magazine and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine Sites, such as text, graphics, images, and other material contained on the Health Magazine and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine Sites ("Content") are for informational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on the Health Magazine and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine Sites!

If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately. Health Magazine and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine does not recommend or endorse any specific tests, physicians, products, procedures, opinions, or other information that may be mentioned on the Sites. Reliance on any information provided by Health Magazine, Health Magazine employees, others appearing on the Site at the invitation of Health Magazine, and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine or other visitors to the Sites is solely at your own risk.