Much More Vit. D Needed to Prevent Cancer

[Guest guest]

Markedly higher vitamin D intake needed to reduce cancer risk, researchers

say

ScienceDaily (Feb. 22, 2011) — Researchers at the University of

California, San Diego School of Medicine and Creighton University School of

Medicine

in Omaha have reported that markedly higher intake of vitamin D is needed

to reach blood levels that can prevent or markedly cut the incidence of

breast cancer and several other major diseases than had been originally

thought.

The findings are published February 21 in the journal Anticancer Research.

While these levels are higher than traditional intakes, they are largely

in a range deemed safe for daily use in a December 2010 report from the

National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine.

" We found that daily intakes of vitamin D by adults in the range of

4000-8000 IU are needed to maintain blood levels of vitamin D metabolites in

the

range needed to reduce by about half the risk of several diseases -- breast

cancer, colon cancer, multiple sclerosis, and type 1 diabetes, " said

Cedric Garland, DrPH, professor of family and preventive medicine at UC San

Diego s Cancer Center. " I was surprised to find that the intakes required

to maintain vitamin D status for disease prevention were so high -- much

higher than the minimal intake of vitamin D of 400 IU/day that was needed to

defeat rickets in the 20th century. "

" I was not surprised by this " said P. Heaney, MD, of Creighton

University, a distinguished biomedical scientist who has studied vitamin D need

for several decades. " This result was what our dose-response studies

predicted, but it took a study such as this, of people leading their everyday

lives, to confirm it. "

The study reports on a survey of several thousand volunteers who were

taking vitamin D supplements in the dosage range from 1000 to 10,000 IU/day.

Blood studies were conducted to determine the level of 25-vitamin D -- the

form in which almost all vitamin D circulates in the blood.

" Most scientists who are actively working with vitamin D now believe that

40 to 60 ng/ml is the appropriate target concentration of 25-vitamin D in

the blood for preventing the major vitamin D-deficiency related diseases,

and have joined in a letter on this topic, " said Garland. " Unfortunately,

according a recent National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, only 10

percent of the US population has levels in this range, mainly people who

work outdoors. "

Interest in larger doses was spurred in December of last year, when a

National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine committee identified 4000

IU/day of vitamin D as safe for every day use by adults and children nine

years and older, with intakes in the range of 1000-3000 IU/day for infants

and chi ldren through age eight years old.

While the IOM committee states that 4000 IU/day is a safe dosage, the

recommended minimum daily intake is only 600 IU/day.

" Now that the results of this study are in, it will become common for

almost every adult to take 4000 IU/day, " Garland said. " This is comfortably

under the 10,000 IU/day that the IOM Committee Report considers as the lower

limit of risk, and the benefits are substantial. " He added that people who

may have contraindications should discuss their vitamin D needs with their

family doctor.

" Now is the time for virtually everyone to take more vitamin D to help

prevent some major types of cancer, several other seriou s illnesses, and

fractures, " said Heaney.

Other co-authors of the article were Leo Baggerly, PhD, and

French.

More facts are available from Anticancer Research:

_www.GrassrootsHealth.net_ (http://www.grassrootshealth.net/) ; and the National

Academy of

Sciences -- Institute of Medicine:

_www.iom.edu/Reports/2010/Dietary-Reference-Intakes-for-Calcium-and-Vitamin-D.as\

px_

(http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2010/Dietary-Reference-Intakes-for-Calcium-and-Vitam\

in-D.aspx)

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____________________________________

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily

staff) from materials provided by _University of California - San Diego_

(http://www.ucsd.edu/) . The original article was written by Kim Ewdards.

____________________________________

Journal Reference:

1. Cedric F. Garland, B. French, Leo L. Baggerly, P.

Heaney. Vitamin D Supplement Doses and Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D in the

Range Associated with Cancer Prevention. Anticancer Research, 2011; 31:

607-612 [_link_

(http://www.iiar-anticancer.org/openAR/journals/index.php/anticancer/article/vie\

w/215) ]

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vitamin D intake needed to reduce cancer risk, researchers say.

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