Vitamin D Can Help People Live Longer Says Study

The Telegraph (UK) ^ | 6-24-2008 | Graham Tibbetts

[blam]

Vitamin D can help people live longer says study

By Graham Tibbetts
Last Updated: 1:34AM BST 24/06/2008

People with normal levels of vitamin D in their body are more likely to live longer than those with a deficiency, researchers have discovered. People with normal levels of vitamin D in their body are more likely to live longer than those with a deficiency, researchers have discovered.

The vitamin, produced when the skin is exposed to sunlight, helps the body absorb calcium and is considered important for bone health.

A team in Austria has found that it can also have an impact on death rates, the Archives of Internal Medicine reports.

"This is the first association study that shows vitamin D affects mortality regardless of the (primary) reason for death," said Dr Harald Dobnig of the University of Graz, who led the study.

Vitamin D, known as the "sunshine vitamin", is added to milk and is found in fatty fish like salmon but many people do not get enough of it.

A lack of the vitamin can lead to rickets in children and osteoporosis in adults.

Recent studies have indicated that it may offer a variety of other health benefits, including protecting against cancer, peripheral artery disease and tuberculosis.

[REDWOOD99]

Put down the video game and go outside.

[Flavius]

oh geez just the D what about the rest of the Alphabet

what about if the Alphabet is from China

is that better or worse because its cheaper

does that make the extra life cheaper as well

[Lijahsbubbe]

peripheral artery disease and tuberculosis.

Well that's interesting. I had a relative who died at 100 looking lovely and never suffered bone disease. She would "sun" just about every day.

OTOH, I had a relative who died from P.A.D. who was very pale and spent no time in the sun.

[philly-d-kidder]

I Just Bought some yesterday!

[swatbuznik]

What if I get a sunburnt? Is that too much “D?”

[luckystarmom]

I knew someone (my brother) who spent lots of time outside, and died of skin cancer at 48.

I’d rather supplement with vitamin D then risk skin cancer.

[maine-iac7]

Well that's interesting. I had a relative who died at 100 looking lovely and never suffered bone disease. She would "sun" just about every day.

Imagine that! the 'experts' are discovering that Vit D in necc. to good health.

I have been writing about this for decades -

Used to be, back when I was little and when I was raising my own kids, the watch-word was "at least 2 hours of fresh air and sunshine a day." And my kids were bundled up and out, even in winter.

One day, I will be vindicated in my protestations that the increase in skin cancer these past 30 years has a direct correlation with the chemical ridden sun-screens and a chemical reaction with the sun.

Vit. D in tab form is a good idea, especially in the long winter months when people go to work in the dark and come home in the dark...but actual sunshine is the optimum for good health, both physically and mentally.

My rule of thumb is to trust The Creator. He created us and everything we would need for a healthy life.

When man decides he knows better, we reap the consequences.

It's amusing, to me, that the medical field is slowly admitting that we need sunshine - and is upping the time we should spend in it.

Myself, I have a series of Burma Shave type warning signs down my long, forest lined driveway. They say: "TOOT" "OR" "Con-see" "quences"...because I have my chaise lounge and my hammock - and my tan without tan lines.

People have learned to toot.

[maine-iac7]

What if I get a sunburnt? Is that too much “D?”

Everything in moderation...

You eat too much, you risk health problems that could kill you.

You drink to much alcohol ....

You drive too fast...

You stay in the sun too long before getting a good tan, you get sunburned....

I still use what we used when we were kids: baby oil with a few drops of iodine mixed in...and get the tan GRADUALLY - never getting to the burn stage.

It's called using common sense...

[444Flyer]

“I knew someone (my brother) who spent lots of time outside, and died of skin cancer at 48.

I'd rather supplement with vitamin D then risk skin cancer.”

I'm so sorry to hear about your brother. I agree with supplementation. My father has had Melanoma three times, thank God they have caught it early each time. I have avoided the sun for 20 years now. I'm in my early forties, and even living in SO CAL (leather skin capital of the US) I get compliments on my skin. I'm fair skinned but I hope to avoid what my Dad has gone through.

[zerosix]

The Vitamin D that is being spoken of is NOT the kind you purchase over the counter, however, you can get your hands on the right kind.

You need Vitamin D3 and it is available with a little research.

My doctor is giving me 50,000 once per week.

[philly-d-kidder]

Vitamin D3-50 (50 000 IU - 100 Caps)
Other products by Vitamin D

---

Price: $35.00

Amazon..

2 used & new available from $29.00

[philly-d-kidder]

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Careful, this is a high dose of Vitamin D3, March 16, 2008
By Milton Hare “Sunlight-Vitamin D” (Oakland, CA USA) - See all my reviews

A great product, but don’t use this as a daily Vitamin D3 supplement.

This high-dose Vitamin D3 pill is a specialized product used to quickly raise the blood levels of Vitamin D3 in an individual who is severely Vitamin D3 deficient. This dosage of Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) is used primarily for Stoss Therapy. The usual dose is one 50,000 iu pill once a week for six to eight weeks. This dosage should normally be used in conjunction with a blood test to establish serum levels of 15 hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) before and after administration of six to eight weeks of once-weekly doses.

Although warnings about the toxic effects of Vitamin D3 have been exaggerated, a daily dose of 50,000 iu Vitamin D3 taken long-term has been shown to frequently induce spillage of calcium into the urine, and, in some individuals, kidney stones. The FDA says the high safe dose of Vitamin D3 is 2000 iu, which is very conservative. Based on recent research, several journal articles argue for daily doses ranging from 2,000 to 5,000 iu daily. None recommend 50,000 iu daily.

Supplementation is very appropriate if you are dark-skinned, older, do not expose skin to midday sun, or, if you regularly wear sunblock products. Vitamin D3 has been shown to reduce the incidence of cancer, many auto-immune diseases, and, inflammatory and infectious processes. Vitamin D3 is also protective of bone and muscle.

Again, the 50,000 iu dose is used in Stoss therapy. Don’t use this product on a daily basis.

The optimal daily dose ranges from 2,000 to 5,000 iu of Vitamin D3. 2,000 iu is most appropriate for young and middle-age adults who are light-skinned and receive some Vitamin D3 from sun. 5,000 iu is most appropriate for older adults who absorb less Vitamin D3 from the gut and dark-skinned adults who do not create as much Vitamin D3 when they are exposed to sunlight. Biotech Labs also markets a 5,000 iu pill. Again, the FDA says 2,000 iu is the high safe dose for Vitamin D3.

You can also request a routine 25 hydroxyvitamin D test from your physician to establish your own Vitamin D3 blood level. 50 nanomoles/microliter are thought by current researchers to be adequate; 80 nanomoles/microliter are thought to be optimal. The majority of Americans are Vitamin D3 deficient.

The Vitamin D Council (vitamindcouncil.com)written primarily by Dr. John Cannell, MD is a good place to start your research.

Technical:
Several Vitamin D3 researchers are currently arguing for a daily dose of 2,000 to 5,000 iu to achieve an optimal Vitamin D3 serum (blood) level of 70 to 80 nanomoles per liter.

Here’s a representative quote from one researcher:

“Generally, blood levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), the non-active ‘storage’ form, of 50 nanomoles per litre (nmol/L) are suggested as the lower limit of the normal range. Studies have reported however that levels of parathyroid hormone (PTH), a hormone that regulates calcium balance, and calcium absorption are not optimised below serum 25(OH)D levels of 80 nanomoles per litre.”

The researcher, Sonia Talwar, reported that the a dose of 800 iu raised 25(OH)D levels from a baseline average of 47 nmol/L to 71.4 nmol/L after three months. After additional three months at a higher dose (2,000 IU), the average serum concentration of 25(OH)D was 87 nmol/L.”

Cited from:

“Dose response to vitamin D supplementation among postmenopausal African American Women.” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition; Sonia A Talwar, et al., Bone Mineral Research Center, Winthrop University Hospital, Mineola, NY

I should note that I am not a researcher or a medical professional.

[upchuck]

FWIW, I’ve been taking 5000UI daily of Vitamin D3.

Don’t feel much different, but I’m hoping the long term effects are correct.

Costs less than $20/year.

[unlearner]

The vitamin D being spoken of is the kind the body manufactures from skin being exposed to UV and the kind we get from our food.

The cheap Cholecalciferol (D3) that you can find anywhere for a few pennies per dose does an excellent job of supplementing and making up for deficiencies in diet and sun exposure.

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

Importantly, Vitamin D3 is believed to have strong anti-viral properties, a breakdown product damaging the protective coating around viruses.

http://tinyurl.com/4urdms

Interestingly, it is important to know if you are sensitive to Vitamin D3, as a small minority of people have a tolerance as low as 2,000-5,000 IU/day. However, most people have a tolerance far above that.

In one study of Vitamin D3 as an antiviral, it was suggested that a single, 50,000 IU dose be taken to rapidly raise serum levels of the vitamin, and then it be followed by a maintenance dose from 3,000-5,000 IU/day.

Of course, this option would not be available if you have a sensitivity to the vitamin.

[Lijahsbubbe]

Myself, I have a series of Burma Shave type warning signs down my long, forest lined driveway. They say: "TOOT" "OR" "Con-see" "quences"...because I have my chaise lounge and my hammock - and my tan without tan lines.

=:O Hilarity!

[Lijahsbubbe]

I still use what we used when we were kids: baby oil with a few drops of iodine mixed in...

That cracks me up. I remember everyone using that in the sixties, with their transistors nearby!