Vitiman D Findings

I found this article on Vitiman D today. There are new findings on vitimans every day. The first article is about Breast Cancer. There are also studies on Vitiman D and MS.
(AP) -- Breast cancer patients with low levels of vitamin D were much more likely to die of the disease or have it spread than patients getting enough of the nutrient, a study found -- adding to evidence the "sunshine vitamin" has anti-cancer benefits.
The results are sure to renew arguments about whether a little more sunshine is a good thing.
The skin makes vitamin D from ultraviolet light. Too much sunlight can raise the risk of skin cancer, but small amounts -- 15 minutes or so a few times a week without sunscreen -- may be beneficial, many doctors believe.
While the vitamin is found in certain foods and supplements, most don't contain the best form, D-3, and have only a modest effect on blood levels of the nutrient. That's what matters, the Canadian study found.
Only 24 percent of women in the study had sufficient blood levels of D at the time they their breast cancer was diagnosed. Those who were deficient were nearly twice as likely to have their cancer recur or spread over the next 10 years, and 73 percent more likely to die of the disease.
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"These are pretty big differences," said study leader Dr. Pamela Goodwin of Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto. "It's the first time that vitamin D has been linked to breast cancer progression."
But people shouldn't start downing supplements, she warned. Experts don't agree on how much vitamin D people need or the best way to get it, and too much can be harmful. They also don't know whether getting more vitamin D can help when someone already has cancer.
"We have no idea whether correcting a vitamin D deficiency will in any way alter these outcomes," said Dr. Julie Gralow, a cancer specialist at the University of Washington in Seattle.
The study was released Thursday by the American Society of Clinical Oncology and will be presented at the group's annual meeting later this month.
Lots of earlier research suggests vitamin D may help prevent prostate, breast and especially colon cancer. In lab and animal tests, vitamin D stifles abnormal cell growth, curbs formation of blood vessels that feed tumors and has many other anti-cancer effects.
Other evidence: People who live in northern regions of the world have higher cancer rates than those living closer to the equator, possibly because of less sunshine and vitamin D.
The Canadian researchers wanted to see whether it made a difference in survival. They took blood from 512 women at three University of Toronto hospitals between 1989 and 1995, when the women's early stage breast cancer was diagnosed.
A decade later, 83 percent of those who had had adequate vitamin D blood levels were alive without extensive spread of their cancer, versus 79 percent of those whose vitamin D levels were insufficient and 69 percent of those who were deficient, as defined by widely used medical standards for measuring intake.
One red flag: The few women with the very highest levels of vitamin D seemed to have worse survival.
Though the study was too small and those results were not conclusive, "there may be an optimal level of vitamin D in women with breast cancer and it may be possible to take too much," Goodwin said.
The federal government says up to 2,000 international units of vitamin D a day seems OK. Taking 800 units per day will, on average, raise blood levels to the middle of the range that seems best for bone and general health, Goodwin said.
Vitamin D is in salmon and other oily fish, and milk is routinely fortified with it, but dietary sources account for little of the amount of D circulating in the blood, experts say.
"It's very hard to make a recommendation" because how much difference a supplement makes depends on someone's baseline level, which also can be affected by sunlight, skin type and time of year, she explained.
Doctors do suggest breast cancer patients get their vitamin D levels checked to see whether they are deficient. The simple blood test is available in many hospitals and labs for about $25, Goodwin said.
Dr. Nancy Davidson, a Johns Hopkins University cancer specialist who is president of the oncology society, said those tests are growing in popularity, even in ordinary medical care.
Health Library
MayoClinic.com: Breast cancer
"Rightly or wrongly, I'm increasingly seeing physicians who are measuring this," she said.
The Canadian study was paid for by the Breast Cancer Research Foundation in New York, established by cosmetics magnate Evelyn Lauder.
"It's a very provocative paper. It's confirmatory of a tremendous amount of evidence that vitamin D is an important component of health," said Dr. Larry Norton, chief of breast cancer programs at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York and a medical adviser to the foundation.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. About 184,450 cases and 40,930 deaths from the disease are expected in the United States this year

The Road Less Traveled

I was thinking about the saying, "Taking the path of least resistance", today. The least complications, the easier the tasks, the least conflict, are usually what we want from life. Picking a path is often more difficult that following one. Picking a path to take in life, however, is seldom a conscious choice. There are many instances in which our paths are chosen for us, Or so it seems. No one chooses illness, pain and suffering. No one chooses to loose a spouse or loved one, but it sure does alter your path. It can take you down paths you've never thought of or wanted to tread. Life changes, like illness induced retirement, definitely takes you on paths unexplored. Divorce; Wow, what a path change. I don't know anyone who goes into marriage, just waiting to plan the divorce. Most people don't have their divorce attorney on speed-dial. Sometimes It just happens! New paths are not nearly as easy to navigate, as our familiar old beaten ones. Its kind of like being an explorer in a new world. Only those who have the courage go forward on the path, can find what's waiting ahead. The fear of the unknown obstacles on the path often paralyzes us and prevents us from moving on. The surroundings are unfamiliar, and often very scary. The fear of what is at the end of the path is often the most fearsome obstacle of all. Will the end of the path provide us what we were searching for? Will it lead to disappointment? One thing age has provided me is a long history of disappointment and crooked paths. Somehow, I have managed to get back on the straight and narrow path, and maybe the less traveled path. My paths have never been the paths of "least resistance", but the "beaten path", has always beat me. Without faith, I would have been long lost on my travels through this complicated life. Faith, that no man, job, family, or friend can give me. Strength from faith, to keep cutting back the weeds and vines that often obscure the view of the goal, is what we all need. I believe it is the strength we derive from our relationship with God and faith that God is in control. He is there on the path with us, and it is up to us to let him be our guide. I would like to share a couple bible verses which may not be the most known verses in the bible, but really sum up what I believe:

Psalms 16:11
Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for
Psalms 17:5
Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not.

Whatever path you are on, no matter how steep, how overgrown, how crooked, God is always there. He will help us stay on the path that leads to him, if we believe, trust and call on him.

Enjoy your journey today, keep focused on the one true goal!

G