Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Interesting Facts on Calcium and Vitamin D

-Vitamin D 800-1000 IU/Day reduces cancer, osteoporosis, and possibly the risk of M.S.
-Vit D production decreases with age, so especially elderly people need higher levels.
-The Canadian Cancer Society in June called for all Canadian adults to get 1,000 IU of
vitamin D daily.

Vitamin D deficiency is now associated with higher risks of 22 forms of cancer, heart disease, multiple sclerosis, osteoporosis, flu and many other disorders.

Published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in June, 2007, a four-year clinical trial followed 1,200 women who took high levels of vitamin D and matched them against a control group who did not take the vitamin. Those rich in vitamin D had up to 77 percent fewer cancers as compared to the control group. That's twice the impact on cancer risk attributed to smoking!

Pregnant women should consult their physicians about getting 2,000 international units (IU) of vitamin D daily - 10 times the current government recommendation

1200 mg of Calcium per day decreases risk of colon cancer by 27 percent

Ideally, healthy adults should get between 1200 to 1500 mg. of Calcium per day. After age 35 women can no longer deposit calcium into their bones using most regular supplements. A supplemental form of calcium which can build bone in women after age 35-- and even after menopause--is called microcrystalline hydroxyapitate. It is available from a few different companies, but the one I recommend is “Bone Up” by Jarrow Formulas. Six (6) capsules per day supply sufficient calcium, magnesium, some vitamin D, and many other cofactors for continued bone growth and maintenance.

More than 50% of women already being treated for osteoporosis are Vit D deficient.
25-50 % of the population over age 50 is Vit D deficient
Vit D deficiency is associated with increased risk of…
- 22 types of cancer including breast, colon, and prostate
- Multiple sclerosis
- Hypertension
- Rhuematiod Arthritis
- Type I Diabetes
- Chronic Pain Syndromes (90 percent of people with chronic non-specific pain have Vit D deficiency)


*Sometimes less than 10 Minutes of daily sun exposure can prevent Vit D deficiency *

…The time of year, the latitude at which we live, the amount of clothing we wear, our skin pigmentation, and the amount of sun screen we have on are all factors which affect how much Vitamin D we can produce from the sun…

Click here to read an excellent article explaining these factors in detail.


Conditions Contributing to Vitamin D Deficiency (partial list)

Geography – northern latitudes have decreased amounts of sun radiation
Weather/Season – overcast, rainy, or cold regions requiring less outdoor time and more clothes cover for the body
Statin Drug users or patients on cholesterol lowering medications
Malabsorption syndromes – especially interfering with fat digestion
Normal ageing
Institutionalized elderly patients with decreased sun exposure
Lack of sun exposure and sunscreen use – the UV(B) burning rays that sunscreens are designed to block are the same wavelength necessary to produce Vitamin D in the skin.
People who largely spend their days indoors due to work, climate, habit
Cancers: prostate, colon, breast
Long-term: use of prednisone, anti-convulsant medications
Use of medications with photosensitivity precautions
Liver and kidney disease – including kidney stones and gall stones
Congestive heart failure
Peripheral arterial disease
Rickets
Systemic Lupus Erathematosus (S.L.E.)
Osteoporosis
Osteomalacia