Obama FDA Wrapping Up Sunscreen Label Changes Resisted by Bush for Years
Review of Sunscreen Literature and Melanoma: Best Sunscreens
New Model Of Cancer Development: Low Vitamin D Levels May Have Role
Lack Of Vitamin D Could Spell Heart Trouble
Vitamin D Found To Fight Placental Infection
People Need More Sun, Expert Urges
Low Levels Of Vitamin D Link To Cognitive Problems In Older People
Low Vitamin D Causes Problems For Acutely Ill Patients
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Since the 1980s I suspected that a sudden surge in Melanoma in Australia which has a large population of Irish inhabitants, I suspected that UVA which penetrates deeply into the skin causes mutations while UVB, the burning rays, is blocked out effectively applying the sunscreens available then, however imperfectly.
A few years ago I saw an article point out that light skin individuals can form 22,000 international units of vitamin D in only 15 minutes of good exposure. My immediate reaction was my gosh, vitamin D must be useful for functions other than keeping bones healthy. I did not find a lot of research on this. I also saw a few articles from Australian scientists pointing out that those who used sunscreen liberally all the time got more melanoma and those who just used a hat and other clothing and tried to stay in the shade when possible hardly develop any melanoma at all!
In the last two years, research on vitamin D intensified and now we have strong evidence that vitamin D is crucial to our health, starting at the fetus level for brain and other development. After birth the baby needs vitamin D to grown the brain more and develop synaptic connections at a very high rate. Children and adults also need lots of vitamin D well above the level recommended. Recently the pediatric level of vitamin D at 200 units was doubled and that may still not be enough because the mother who slobs on sunscreen does not produce much and may not take much vitamin D as a supplement in calcium pills.
More recently research shows how critical it is for the older population’s health!
Take your time and read these articles, preferable in their entirety by following the links for the complete article.
Jim Kawakami, May 27, 2009
Obama FDA Wrapping Up Sunscreen Label Changes Resisted by Bush for Years
Among the Label Changes: SPF Claims of More Than 50+ Won’t Be Allowed
May 21, 2009 -- After years of delay, the FDA is poised to finalize long-awaited sunscreen label changes designed to give consumers a better idea of the sun protection they’re getting.
For the first time, sunscreen manufacturers will be required to provide information on the amount of ultraviolet A (UVA) screening provided by their products. UVA rays do not cause sunburns, but they do contribute to skin cancer and sun-related skin aging. ... WebMD Health News http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/news/20090521/fda-wrapping-up-sunscreen-label-changes
Review of Sunscreen Literature and Melanoma: Best Sunscreens
... To understand how sunscreen can reduce sunburn and at the same time cause melanoma it is necessary to distinguish between direct DNA damage and indirect DNA damage. Genetic analysis has shown that 92% of all melanoma are caused by the indirect DNA damage.[28] Although some people believe that dark-skinned people such as African Americans cannot get sunburns, they are in fact susceptible, and may sunscreen accordingly, as sunscreen has been proven to protect against other cancers such as squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma.[citation needed] ...
Other factors are mutations in or total loss of tumor suppressor genes. Use of sunbeds (with deeply penetrating UVA rays) has been linked to the development of skin cancers, including melanoma.[citation needed] ... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melanoma
Good Sunscreens: http://a.abcnews.com/GMA/OnCall/story?id=3218577
Good discussion of cutaneous melanoma: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melanoma ...
Epidemiology
... Generally, an individual's risk for developing melanoma depends on two groups of factors: intrinsic and environmental.[12] "Intrinsic" factors are generally an individual's family history and inherited genotype, while the most relevant environmental factor is sun exposure.
Epidemiologic studies suggest that exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVA[13] and UVB) is one of the major contributors to the development of melanoma. UV radiation causes damage to the DNA of cells, typically thymine dimerization, which when unrepaired can create mutations in the cell's genes. When the cell divides, these mutations are propagated to new generations of cells. If the mutations occur in protooncogenes or tumor suppressor genes, the rate of mitosis in the mutation-bearing cells can become uncontrolled, leading to the formation of atumor. Data from patients suggest that aberrant levels of Activating Transcription Factor in the nucleus of melanoma cells are associated with increased metastatic activity of melanoma cells[14][15][16]; studies from mice on skin cancer tend to confirm a role for Activating Transcription Factor-2 in cancer progression[17][18]. Occasional extreme sun exposure (resulting in "sunburn") is causally related to melanoma.[19] Melanoma is most common on the back in men and on legs in women (areas of intermittent sun exposure). The risk appears to be strongly influenced by socio-economic conditions rather than indoor versus outdoor occupations; it is more common in professional and administrative workers than unskilled workers[20][21]. Other factors are mutations in or total loss of tumor suppressor genes. Use of sunbeds (with deeply penetrating UVA rays) has been linked to the development of skin cancers, including melanoma.[citation needed]
Possible significant elements in determining risk include the intensity and duration of sun exposure, the age at which sun exposure occurs, and the degree of skin pigmentation. Exposure during childhood is a more important risk factor than exposure in adulthood. This is seen in migration studies in Australia[22] where people tend to retain the risk profile of their country of birth if they migrate to Australia as an adult. Individuals with blistering or peeling sunburns (especially in the first twenty years of life) have a significantly greater risk for melanoma. This does not mean that sunburn is the cause of melanoma. Instead it is merely statistically correlated. The cause is the exaggerated UV-exposure. It has been shown that sunscreen - while preventing the sunburn - does not protect mice, injected with melanoma cells a day after UV exposure, from developing melanoma. [23] Many researchers say that sunscreen can even increase the melanoma risk (see Sunscreens and Cancer by Hans R Larsen).
Fair and red-headed people, persons with multiple atypical nevi or dysplastic nevi and persons born with giant congenital melanocytic nevi are at increased risk.[24]
A family history of melanoma greatly increases a person's risk because mutations in CDKN2A, CDK4 and several other genes have been found in melanoma-prone families.[25] Patients with a history of one melanoma are at increased risk of developing a second primary tumour.[26]
The incidence of melanoma has increased in the recent years, but it is not clear to what extent changes in behavior, in the environment, or in early detection are involved.[27]
To understand how sunscreen can reduce sunburn and at the same time cause melanoma it is necessary to distinguish between direct DNA damage and indirect DNA damage. Genetic analysis has shown that 92% of all melanoma are caused by the indirect DNA damage.[28] Although some people believe that dark-skinned people such as African Americans cannot get sunburns, they are in fact susceptible, and may sunscreen accordingly, as sunscreen has been proven to protect against other cancers such as squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma.[citation needed] ... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melanoma
New Model Of Cancer Development: Low Vitamin D Levels May Have Role
ScienceDaily (May 26, 2009) — In studying the preventive effects of vitamin D, researchers at the Moores Cancer Center at the University of California, San Diego, have proposed a new model of cancer development that hinges on a loss of cancer cells' ability to stick together. The model, dubbed DINOMIT, differs substantially from the current model of cancer development, which suggests genetic mutations as the earliest driving forces behind cancer.
"The first event in cancer is loss of communication among cells due to, among other things, low vitamin D and calcium levels," said epidemiologist Cedric Garland, DrPH, professor of family and preventive medicine at the UC San Diego School of Medicine, who led the work. "In this new model, we propose that this loss may play a key role in cancer by disrupting the communication between cells that is essential to healthy cell turnover, allowing more aggressive cancer cells to take over." ... University of California - San Diego (2009, May 26). New Model Of Cancer Development: Low Vitamin D Levels May Have Role. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 26, 2009, from http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2009/05/090522081212.htm
Lack Of Vitamin D Could Spell Heart Trouble
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081201200032.htm ScienceDaily (Dec. 2, 2008) — Vitamin D deficiency—which is traditionally associated with bone and muscle weakness—may also increase the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). A growing body of evidence links low 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels to common CVD risk factors such as hypertension, obesity and diabetes, as well as major cardiovascular events including stroke and congestive heart failure. ...
"Vitamin D deficiency is an unrecognized, emerging cardiovascular risk factor, which should be screened for and treated," said James H. O'Keefe, M.D., cardiologist and director of Preventive Cardiology at the Mid America Heart Institute, Kansas City, MO. "Vitamin D is easy to assess, and supplementation is simple, safe and inexpensive."
It is estimated that up to half of U.S. adults and 30 percent of children and teenagers have vitamin D deficiency, which is defined as a 25(OH)D level of <20ng/ml.>
Recent data from the Framingham Heart Study suggest patients with vitamin D levels below 15 ng/ml were twice as likely to experience a heart attack, stroke or other CV event within the next five years compared to those with higher levels. This risk remained even when researchers adjusted for traditional CV risk factors. ...
Vitamin D Basics
Vitamin D deficiency is more prevalent than once thought, and greater attention to its treatment is warranted, according to Dr. O'Keefe. Although most of the body's vitamin D requirements can come from sun exposure, indoor lifestyles and use of sunscreen, which eliminates 99 percent of vitamin D synthesis by the skin, means many people aren't producing enough.
"We are outside less than we used to be, and older adults and people who are overweight or obese are less efficient at making vitamin D in response to sunlight," said Dr. O'Keefe. "A little bit of sunshine is a good thing, but the use of sunscreen to guard against skin cancer is important if you plan to be outside for more than 15 to 30 of intense sunlight exposure."
Vitamin D can also be consumed through supplements and food intake. Natural food sources of vitamin D include salmon, sardines, cod liver oil, and vitamin D-fortified foods including milk and some cereals.
Major risk factors for vitamin D deficiency include: older age, darkly pigmented skin, increased distance from the equator, winter season, smoking, obesity, renal or liver disease and certain medications.
Treating Vitamin D Deficiency
In the absence of clinical guidelines, the authors outline specific recommendations for restoring and maintaining optimal vitamin D levels in CV patients. These patients should initially be treated with 50,000 IU of vitamin D2 or D3 once weekly for 8 to 12 weeks. Maintenance therapy should be continued using one of the following strategies:
- 50,000 IU vitamin D2 or D3every 2 weeks;
- 1,000 to 2,000 IU vitamin D3 daily;
- Sunlight exposure for 10 minutes for Caucasian patients (longer for people with increased skin pigmentation) between the hours of 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Vitamin D supplements appear to be safe. In rare cases, vitamin D toxicity (causing high calcium levels and kidney stones) is possible, but only when taking in excess of 20,000 units a day.
Vitamin D deficiency is more prevalent than once thought, and greater attention to its treatment is warranted, according to Dr. O'Keefe. Although most of the body's vitamin D requirements can come from sun exposure, indoor lifestyles and use of sunscreen, which eliminates 99 percent of vitamin D synthesis by the skin, means many people aren't producing enough. ... American College of Cardiology (2008, December 2). Lack Of Vitamin D Could Spell Heart Trouble. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 12, 2009, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081201200032.htm
Vitamin D Found To Fight Placental Infection
ScienceDaily (Dec. 10, 2008) — A team of UCLA researchers reports for the first time that vitamin D induces immune responses in placental tissues by stimulating production of the antimicrobial protein cathelicidin.
The study involved exposing cultured human trophoblast cells to the active form of vitamin D, leading to production of cathelicidin and an increased antibacterial response in the trophoblast cells.
The team, headed by Dr. Martin Hewison, suspects that the ability of the placenta to synthesize cathelicidin varies widely among women. Their discovery suggests that placental innate immunity can be enhanced if pregnant women supplement their diets with vitamin D. ... Society for the Study of Reproduction (2008, December 10). Vitamin D Found To Fight Placental Infection. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 12, 2009, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081201162125.htm
Guidelines Doubling Infant Vitamin D Supplements May Not Be Enough if Mother is Deficient in Vitamin D ScienceDaily (Oct. 14, 2008) — The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is doubling the amount of vitamin D it recommends for infants, children and adolescents. The new clinical report, "Prevention of Rickets and Vitamin D Deficiency in Infants, Children, and Adolescents," recommends all children receive 400 IU a day of vitamin D, beginning in the first few days of life. The previous recommendation, issued in 2003, called for 200 IU per day beginning in the first two months of life. ...
"Breastfeeding is the best source of nutrition for infants. However, because of vitamin D deficiencies in the maternal diet, which affect the vitamin D in a mother’s milk, it is important that breastfed infants receive supplements of vitamin D,” said Carol Wagner, MD, FAAP, member of the AAP Section on Breastfeeding Executive Committee and co-author of the report. “Until it is determined what the vitamin D requirements of the lactating mother-infant dyad are, we must ensure that the breastfeeding infant receives an adequate supply of vitamin D through a supplement of 400 IU per day.”
The new recommendations include:
- Breastfed and partially breastfed infants should be supplemented with 400 IU a day of vitamin D beginning in the first few days of life.
- All non-breastfed infants, as well as older children, who are consuming less than one quart per day of vitamin D-fortified formula or milk, should receive a vitamin D supplement of 400 IU a day.
- Adolescents who do not obtain 400 IU of vitamin D per day through foods should receive a supplement containing that amount.
Given the growing evidence that adequate vitamin D status during pregnancy is important for fetal development, the AAP also recommends that providers who care for pregnant women consider measuring vitamin D levels in this population.
American Academy of Pediatrics (2008, October 14). New Guidelines Double Amount Of Recommended Vitamin D For Young. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 12, 2009, from http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2008/10/081013141737.htm
Older People Need More Sun, Expert Urges
ScienceDaily (May 12, 2009) — Spending more time in the sunshine could help older people to reduce their risk of developing heart disease and diabetes.
Exposure to sunlight stimulates vitamin D in the skin and older people are more likely to have a vitamin D deficiency due to the natural aging process and changes in lifestyle.
Researchers at the University of Warwick have shown vitamin D deficiency is significantly associated with metabolic syndrome, a combination of medical and metabolic disorders that increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and diabetes. ...
His team found a high correlation between low vitamin D levels and the prevalence of metabolic syndrome. They found 94% of people in the study had a vitamin D (25-hydroxyvitamin D) deficiency or insufficiency. The results showed 42.3% of these people also had metabolic syndrome. University of Warwick (2009, May 12). Older People Need More Sun, Expert Urges. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 12, 2009, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090511090940.htm
Low Levels Of Vitamin D Link To Cognitive Problems In Older People
ScienceDaily (Jan. 24, 2009) — Researchers from the Peninsula Medical School, the University of Cambridge and the University of Michigan, have for the first time identified a relationship between Vitamin D, the "sunshine vitamin", and cognitive impairment in a large-scale study of older people. The importance of these findings lies in the connection between cognitive function and dementia: people who have impaired cognitive function are more likely to develop dementia.
The study was based on data on almost 2000 adults aged 65 and over who participated in the Health Survey for England in 2000 and whose levels of cognitive function were assessed. The study found that as levels of Vitamin D went down, levels of cognitive impairment went up. Compared to those with optimum levels of Vitamin D, those with the lowest levels were more than twice as likely to be cognitively impaired. ...
According to the Alzheimer's Society, dementia affects 700,000 people in the UK and it is predicted that this figure will rise to over 1 million by 2025. Two-thirds of sufferers are women, and 60,000 deaths a year are attributable to the condition. It is believed that the financial cost of dementia to the UK is over £17 billion a year.
Dr. Iain Lang from the Peninsula Medical School, who worked on the study, commented: "This is the first large-scale study to identify a relationship between Vitamin D and cognitive impairment in later life. Dementia is a growing problem for health services everywhere, and people who have cognitive impairment are at higher risk of going on to develop dementia. That means identifying ways in which we can reduce levels of dementia is a key challenge for health services."
Dr Lang added: "For those of us who live in countries where there are dark winters without much sunlight, like the UK, getting enough Vitamin D can be a real problem – particularly for older people, who absorb less Vitamin D from sunlight. One way to address this might be to provide older adults with Vitamin D supplements. This has been proposed in the past as a way of improving bone health in older people, but our results suggest it might also have other benefits. We need to investigate whether vitamin D supplementation is a cost-effective and low-risk way of reducing older people's risks of developing cognitive impairment and dementia." ...
The Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry (2009, January 24). Low Levels Of Vitamin D Link To Cognitive Problems In Older People. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 12, 2009, from http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2009/01/090122093918.htm
Low Vitamin D Causes Problems For Acutely Ill Patients
ScienceDaily (May 2, 2009) — A group of endocrinologists in Sydney have observed that very sick patients tend to have very low levels of Vitamin D. The sicker they are, the lower the levels. ...
"Last year, we published several cases showing that Vitamin D deficiency can cause acute complications in the intensive care unit."
"Recently, Vitamin D has been recognised for its many roles beyond the musculoskeletal system. It has been implicated in diabetes, in the immune system, in cancers, in heart disease and in metabolic syndrome."
"Vitamin D appears to have roles in controlling sugar, calcium, heart function, gut integrity, immunity and defence against infection. Patients in ICU suffer from different degrees of inflammation, infection, heart dysfunction, diarrhoea and metabolic dysregulation – so vitamin D deficiency may play a role in each of these common ICU conditions."
"So we did a preliminary study and found that 45% of people in our ICU were Vitamin D deficient. There may be a bias, in that all patients were referred to endocrinology, so the numbers may not reflect the prevalence in a standard ICU cohort. However 45% is still a significant proportion.
When the team correlated the Vitamin D levels with a disease severity score, there was a direct correspondence between sickness and Vitamin D deficiency. In other words, the sicker someone was, the lower the levels of Vitamin D. Out of the 42 patients studied, there were 3 deaths. The 3 patients who died all had the lowest level of Vitamin D in the cohort. ...
"But when we are very sick, the "sick organs" draw upon any vitamin D available to function properly, therefore we may need extra Vitamin D to maintain organ function during critical illness. However, at this stage, we don't know whether Vitamin D deficiency is just a marker of ill health, or whether it contributes to disease severity." ...
"However, Vitamin D is very safe. It's inexpensive and has a very large safety window, making toxicity unlikely, unless there are underlying diseases causing high calcium. Giving vitamin D to severely deficient patients is very unlikely to cause harm. In addition, ICU patients are lying in bed for a long time, and are at risk of bone loss and osteoporosis. So if nothing else, Vitamin D will help protect their bones." These findings will be published as a letter in the April 30, 2009 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. Garvan Institute of Medical Research (2009, May 2). Low Vitamin D Causes Problems For Acutely Ill Patients. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 2, 2009, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090430091052.htm
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