Posted on 07/05/2021 9:26:40 AM PDT by Signalman
Vitamin D has a host of health benefits, however, new research suggests that there's another reason you should at least consider taking a supplement.
According to a new study that was highlighted at the American Society of Clinical Oncology 2021 virtual annual meeting, having sufficient vitamin D levels is associated with an increased likelihood of surviving breast cancer.
Researchers measured vitamin D levels at the time of breast cancer diagnosis in nearly 4,000 people and then survival outcomes a decade later.
"Our study shows that patients who had sufficient vitamin D levels at the time of diagnosis—blood concentration of at least 20 nanograms per milliliter—had a lower risk of death or cancer recurrence," Song Yao, PhD, a molecular epidemiologist and professor of oncology with the Department of Cancer Prevention and Control at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, and one of the lead study authors told Eat This, Not That!
Nicole Williams, MD, and breast medical oncologist with The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute adds the study revealed that women who had sufficient levels of vitamin D had 27% lower odds of dying of any cause during the 10-year follow up. They also had a 22% lower likelihood of death from breast cancer compared to women who were deficient in vitamin D.
While she says the findings of this study may serve as an opportunity to create an important intervention to improve breast cancer outcomes in women with the disease, "it is too early to broadly adopt vitamin D supplementation in our breast cancer patients as a way to improve survival."
She adds that additional research is needed to assess whether a change in vitamin D levels over time is associated with breast cancer prognosis, or the likely development of the disease. For context, the main assessment in this study was a one-time measurement of vitamin D levels at the time of diagnosis.
The study also revealed that Black women had the lowest vitamin D levels, which Williams says may partially explain why they're are at higher risk of poorer outcomes after a breast cancer diagnosis. An increased risk of death after a breast cancer diagnosis isn't the only major medical issue Black women face—many experts also point out this community of women is disproportionately affected by myriad health issues and disparities due to structural and systemic racism.
There are also a few limitations of this study.
"Our study is an observational study, which means that we cannot prove definitively that increasing vitamin D levels by supplementation after breast cancer diagnosis will improve patients' survival outlook," says Yao.
"Epidemiologic studies like this are an important step in understanding where we have opportunities to improve health, and we look forward to seeing the connections between vitamin D and cancer explored through further studies," he adds.
Yes, D2 and D3 are entirely different compounds.
So why is Falsey talking about Vitamin D every morning afternoon and evening?
I’ve read that the darker your skin, the less vitamin D you produce from sunlight.
Obviously we need reparations to make up for this.
Signalman:
Thanks for posting this information - if having done so saves just one life, you’ve done something truly amazing and worthy of great credit. However, please note that a lot of what gets out in the popular press (including health-related sites like “Eat this not that”) takes seemingly forever to get out to the public where it will actually do some good for peoples’ health. WRT to the topic of this thread, this information has been known for quite some time. Please see the following article: https://www.lifeextension.com/newsletter/2007/2/new-meta-analyses-point-to-strong-colorectal-and-breast-cancer-preventive-benefit-for-vitamin-d
Also see this article: https://www.lifeextension.com/newsletter/2007/8/higher-vitamin-d-levels-could-prevent-600000-cases-of-breast-and-colorectal-cancer-annually
Note that these articles are 14 years old!
“So you have to take A LOT!!! of D supplementation - 100X the RDA for MONTHS - to get to toxicity levels.”
“Note that K2 is recommended along with D to make sure the D doesn’t have a negative effect of calcium levels. K2 supports good calcium levels.”
Regarding the relationship between vitamins K and D, see specifically the “Putting The Pieces Together” section about 1/4 of the way down in this article: https://www.lifeextension.com/magazine/2021/7/why-vitamin-studies-fail
Not just Vitamin K, but also magnesium needs to be taken with Vitamin D for maximum effectiveness - and the combined benefits of D and magnesium are stunning (vs. doing nothing) in many areas of health. Please refer to this article: https://www.lifeextension.com/magazine/2021/7/vitamin-d-magnesium-connection
Here again is that article (the science-based, meant-to-grab-your-attention, opinion piece that always appears first in each issue of Life Extension magazine each month), discussing the failures of a lot of vitamin studies - in this case specifically dealing with the relationship between Vitamin D and Vitamin K (as you pointed out, muffaletaman, Vitamin K is important WRT calcium). Specifically, Vitamin K regulates calcium and keeps much more of it in the bones and teeth, where it belongs, rather than in the bloodstream where it can lead to hardening of the arteries (that’s what the hardening IS - excess calcium in the walls of your arteries!). https://www.lifeextension.com/magazine/2021/7/why-vitamin-studies-fail
Notes:
1) I have been a member of Life Extension Foundation (LEF) for about 27 years. I derive NO benefit whatsoever from putting out their information (and it is voluminous - please check out their website https://www.lifeextension.com, it is completely FREE, FREE, FREE), other than the knowledge that people whom I reach will have the information necessary to improve their (and their loved ones’) health and longevity. Note that among the most valuable parts of the website, IMHO, is the Health Protocols section, which deals with hundreds of different diseases and conditions; it details what they are, what causes them (if medical science knows), how they affect your health and longevity, what the present state-of-the-art typical/convention wisdom treatments are for those diseases and conditions, what innovative procedures and drugs are available (or on the near-term horizon), and how one can ameliorate the effects of (or prevent/postpone in the first place) those diseases and conditions via nutrition (and, oftentimes, by other lifestyle changes such as exercise, better sleep, reducing stress, hormone treatment, etc.). https://www.lifeextension.com/protocols
2) Every issue of their magazine is available FOR FREE on their website. https://www.lifeextension.com/magazine The most recent issue is usually available about 2-3 weeks after members get the magazine in the mail, but the August 2021 issue is now available - and I haven’t even received it yet! Note also that ALL of their articles are extremely well footnoted - they are not selling pseudo-science, but the real thing: actual studies that back up what is being stated in their articles. By the way, many times they will have a feature article that debunks some badly-designed study that comes out against supplements that could help prevent or treat a particular disease or condition. Knowing what has happened WRT the entire Covid-19 situation, any thinking person now knows that the medical establishment is NOT always in our corner, and that it often (especially in conjunction with drug companies) will fund and/or conduct studies that dismissively bad-mouth the role of proper nutrition in preventing and curing diseases and conditions because...follow the money.
3) For those who think that LEF benefits greatly from articles in its magazine (i.e. that they’re pushing vitamins, minerals, etc. to make money), please understand that both Vitamin D3 and magnesium are incredibly cheap, so there is no substantial profit to be made (and I personally have obtained my D3 from either Costco or Sams Club for years, as it is cheaper than at LEF - the simple fact is that D3 is D3, and the only thing that you need to do to absorb it well is to consume it with dietary fats. However, other formulations available through LEF (or other reputable suppliers - and there are several) will generally have higher bioavailability (and cost more because achieving that isn’t free) than generic brands sold at grocery and drug stores, and certainly those sold online as the cheapest vitamins & minerals. Yes, quality counts. Note also that LEF puts the vast majority of profits back into research that they fund - though (and this is a BIG deal) they take research that is valuable from wherever it comes and make it available to their members and anyone else who frequents their website (again, FOR FREE). Here is the sitemap, so that anyone can check out areas that are of interest to them: https://www.lifeextension.com/sitemap
Note that they also have free e-books available for download (see about 1/2 way down the sitemap page).
3a) Their membership is cheap, only $40/year for 12 issues. As a member, you get discounts on all supplements, and (THIS IS IMPORTANT) also on lab tests through LabCorp for a very wide variety of blood measures - and knowing what is going on with your body is of critical importance (and you would also like to be able to see how taking certain supplements, such as Vitamin D in particular dosages, affects the level of those nutrients that are available to your body).
This tells you about the lab tests available to members:
https://www.lifeextension.com/lab-testing
Here’s a list of the lab tests available, with pricing: https://www.lifeextension.com/lab-testing/lab-tests-a-to-z
Note that you do NOT need a prescription (or a time-consuming and possibly expensive visit to a doctor’s office) to get “permission” to have these tests; these tests are obtained through LEF and are discounted for members (because of the high volume of business given to LabCorp) and are, even if not on sale, often cheaper than even your insurance deductible or co-pay!
3b) They have periodic sales for supplements and lab tests (and there is a sale on lab tests going on right now), so you can save even more.
3c) They have a loyalty program for $49.95/year, but as soon as you buy it you get a $50.00 credit for whatever you wish to buy. With the program you get free shipping on all products, plus 4% back as “LE Dollars” from every purchase to use as a credit on future purchases.
Anyone seeing this post who knows LEF, or who (after looking at their site) believes as I do that they are a first-rate organization that is oriented toward improving everyone’s health and longevity, is invited to copy the post and send it along to whomever they wish. I don’t need any credit, as I don’t benefit in any way from others joining or buying from LEF. I suppose that I might benefit when God judges me for having helped people (or tried to, at any rate), but I am really posting all of this information just because I think that it is the right thing to do for my fellow human beings.
D3 is the kind that you wish to supplement with (assuming that you have decided to do so); it is much more absorbable and, in almost all cases, when someone is talking about or selling “Vitamin D,” they are talking about or selling D3.
Note that the absorption of D3 is enhanced when you take it with fats (it is fat-soluble). Typically, D3 comes in a capsule that contains some fat, but not very much. I tend to take mine with my fish oil and vitamin K supplement in the evening, after a dinner with some fats in it...plus the fish oil IS fat and the K comes like the D3 in a capsule that contains fat.
“Excess vitamin d reduces vitamin k. You only need more vitamin k if you take excess vitamin d.”
What D does is to increase your absorption of calcium from the food that you eat (and, as I pointed out in Post #45, magnesium helps D to do its job). Too much calcium in your body can cause nausea, digestive issues and making hardening of the arteries more likely (or cause it sooner than otherwise). What K does is to help regulate where in your body (bones and teeth vs. the bloodstream) the calcium goes, so if you have a lot of extra calcium in your system because you are taking a lot of D, then you probably need more K (i.e. the K already in your system isn’t destroyed by the D, it is merely used up more rapidly because more is needed).
Please see the references that I cited in Post #45 for more detailed (and reliable) information about these topics than I can provide (because I am not a doctor or biochemist, and the sources cited in the articles in that post were conducted by people who have the requisite qualifications).
While it is true that taking excessive amounts of D will increase the need for K, it is not definitely proven that excessive D actually reduces the levels of K
I forgot to mention that taking excess vitamin D also reduces gamma tocopherol. People who claim very high doses are needed to take a toxic amount don’t even look at whether it changes the blood level of gamma tocopherol.
Yep
Thank you for the info. I’ve been taking D3 for some months now, but used to take D. I’ve been unusually healthy most of my 87 years because I take most of the best vitamins, especially Vitamin C+ Rose hips.
Supplements are better for people with fair skin who are more susceptible to skin cancer.
Thanks....bookmarked
D is one of the cheapest supplements around. For dark skinned people and people who work indoors, the risk of getting too much D is far less than the risk of not getting enough.
Then there’s the risk of skin cancer from sun exposure.
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