Another
reason to be thankful winter is over and there’s some sunshine in your life: low levels of vitamin D could increase your
risk of prostate cancer and the spread of the disease, a new Northwestern
University study reports.
Researchers looked at vitamin D levels in the blood from 667 men between the ages of 40 and 79 with abnormal PSA or digital rectal exams of their prostate before undergoing their first biopsy. They found that severe deficiency of a measure of vitamin D—25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OH D)—was associated with later-stage, more-aggressive prostate cancer.
Vitamin D has been shown to slow the growth of prostate tumor cells in animal models of prostate cancer, says study author Adam B. Murphy, M.D. The vitamin also regulates the growth of new blood vessels, which is important for keeping cells in your body healthy, he says.
The healthy range of 25-OH D in your blood is 30 to 80 nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml) for men. On average, levels appear lower among African-American men (16.7 ng/ml) compared with European-American men (19.3 ng/ml) in the study. When D levels were drastically lower than that, African American men were at nearly 5 times more risk of aggressive prostate cancer. (European-American men were about 3½ times more at risk with severely low levels.)
One possibility is that African-Americans have more melanin in their skin, which blocks sun UV rays and prevents the creation of vitamin D, says Murphy. So depending on where you live, the color of your skin, and the weather, counting on the sun—your body’s main source of vitamin D absorption—might not cut it.
To make sure you avoid vitamin D deficiency—and protect your prostate at the same time—eat vitamin D-rich foods including salmon, tuna, portobello mushrooms, fortified milk, juice, and cereal, suggests Murphy. The National Institutes of Health recommends adults get 600 IU of vitamin D per day. Supplements are safe, says Murphy, but consult with your physician before beginning any supplementation regimen.
http://www.menshealth.com/
Researchers looked at vitamin D levels in the blood from 667 men between the ages of 40 and 79 with abnormal PSA or digital rectal exams of their prostate before undergoing their first biopsy. They found that severe deficiency of a measure of vitamin D—25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OH D)—was associated with later-stage, more-aggressive prostate cancer.
Vitamin D has been shown to slow the growth of prostate tumor cells in animal models of prostate cancer, says study author Adam B. Murphy, M.D. The vitamin also regulates the growth of new blood vessels, which is important for keeping cells in your body healthy, he says.
The healthy range of 25-OH D in your blood is 30 to 80 nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml) for men. On average, levels appear lower among African-American men (16.7 ng/ml) compared with European-American men (19.3 ng/ml) in the study. When D levels were drastically lower than that, African American men were at nearly 5 times more risk of aggressive prostate cancer. (European-American men were about 3½ times more at risk with severely low levels.)
One possibility is that African-Americans have more melanin in their skin, which blocks sun UV rays and prevents the creation of vitamin D, says Murphy. So depending on where you live, the color of your skin, and the weather, counting on the sun—your body’s main source of vitamin D absorption—might not cut it.
To make sure you avoid vitamin D deficiency—and protect your prostate at the same time—eat vitamin D-rich foods including salmon, tuna, portobello mushrooms, fortified milk, juice, and cereal, suggests Murphy. The National Institutes of Health recommends adults get 600 IU of vitamin D per day. Supplements are safe, says Murphy, but consult with your physician before beginning any supplementation regimen.
http://www.menshealth.com/
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