Vitamin D is one of the latest, greatest hot cancer topics. Why? Well, it seems many of us women are vitamin D deficient. Such a deficiency might be linked to breast cancer risk so it's in our best interest to make sure we get a healthy dose of this vitamin. It's not as easy as adhering to the Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) guidelines, though. Follow them and you'll still come up short -- the Food and Nutrition Board, responsible for setting the DRIs, have not yet updated guidelines in light of cancer concerns. So what's a girl to do? For starters, we need to understand that for overall health benefits, 1,000 IU (International Units) per day are necessary. The outdated DRI recommends 200 to 600 IU. This is based on preventing only bone diseases like rickets. Second, keep in mind it's safe to take up to 10,000 IU each day. Third, up your intake of this important vitamin. Here's how:
Fatty fish is the best source of vitamin D. But watch out for high mercury levels. Fortified milk is also good. It has 100 IU of vitamin D per eight-ounce serving, but cow's milk been linked to breast cancer risk as well.
The sun allows our bodies to create vitamin D but in most parts of the country, it's hard to get enough in the winter. Plus, those with dark skin and those who use sunscreen don't get reliable amounts of D. Of course, without sunscreen, we must be ultra careful about getting too much. The same sun that feeds us health can also increase our risk of skin cancer.
Most of us will need a supplement in order to reach 1,000 IU per day. If you take a multivitamin, see how much D is it has. Most have 400 IU, based on the DRI, but you can increase accordingly. Make sure your supplement contains D3 and not D2, which is not utilized as well by the body.
Source: Good Housekeeping, July 2007
1. Diindolylmethane from Broccoli is also a very hot supplement for cancer. It has direct anti-cancer properties and potent immune modulating properties.
References:
http://www.diindolylmethane.org/
http://www.activamune.com/diindolylmethane_dim_immune_activation_data_center.htm
Posted at 9:14PM on Jul 26th 2007 by Mike D