- ALLERGY, RESPIRATORY
- Keep Asthma, Allergies at Bay for the Holidays
- Folic Acid Might Offer Allergy Relief
- New Spray Could Benefit Cystic Fibrosis Patients
- ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
- Acupuncture May Help Restore Lost Sense of Smell
- New Insights Show Ginseng Fights Inflammation
- Wristbands May Lessen Nausea After Radiation
- ANIMAL CARE
- 'Comfort Dogs' Come to Emotional Rescue
- Separation Anxiety, Canine-Style
- Beware of Dog Bites
- BONES & JOINTS
- Rheumatoid Arthritis Hits Women Harder
- Scientists ID New Genes Tied to Crohn's Disease
- Gene Therapy May Ease Rheumatoid Arthritis
- CANCER
- Multiple Screening Strategy Boosts Cervical Cancer Detection
- Spice Compounds May Stem Tumor Growth
- Acupuncture May Help Relieve Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
- CAREGIVING
- Babies Born in High Pollen Months at Wheezing Risk
- Organ Donation Policies Vary Among Children's Hospitals
- Medication Errors Could Be Cut: Experts
- CIRCULATORY SYSTEM
- Health Tip: Are You Anemic?
- Laughter Can Boost Heart Health
- A Brisk Pace May Keep Stroke at Bay
- COSMETIC
- Mouse Study Finds Molecule That Tells Hair to Grow
- Health Tip: After Liposuction
- New Genetic Links to Baldness Discovered
- DENTAL, ORAL
- Biological Product Shows Promise Against Gum Disease
- Periodontal Disease Impacts Whole Health
- Most Insured Adults Worry About Health Care Costs: Poll
- DIABETES
- Insulin Resistance Tied to Peripheral Artery Disease
- Red-Grape Compound May Improve Diabetes
- Vitamin K Slows Insulin Resistance in Older Men
- DIET, NUTRITION
- Compound in Red Wine Fights Ravages of Age
- Coffee Drinking Lowers Women's Stroke Risk
- Caffeine May Offer Some Skin Cancer Protection
- DISABILITIES
- Could Your Cell Phone Help Shield You From Alzheimer's?
- Review Finds Marijuana May Help MS Patients
- ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
- Exhaust From Railroad Diesel Linked to Lung Ailments
- Pregnant Rural Women More at Risk
- Short-Term Air Pollution Exposure May Damage DNA
- EYE CARE, VISION
- Kids' Eye Injuries From Golf Clubs Rare But Severe
- Antioxidant-Rich Diet May Protect Against Eye Disease
- Magnetic Pulses to Brain Improve Lazy Eye in Adults
- FITNESS
- Simple Exercise Precautions To Help Keep Baby Boomers Fit
- Avoiding a Holiday Season of Discontent
- Run for Your Life
- GASTROINTESTINAL PROBLEMS
- New Yogurt May Ease Stomach Ulcers
- Intestinal Bacteria Trigger Immune Response
- Gum Chewing May Speed Colon Surgery Recovery
- GENERAL HEALTH
- Heavy Alcohol Use Linked to Cancer
- Retail Clinics Attracting Those Without Regular Doctors
- Health Gains From Lowered Smoking Rates in Jeopardy
- HEAD & NECK
- Many Children Will Outgrow Headaches
- Zen May Thicken Brain, Thwart Pain
- Ski Helmets Encouraged for All
- HEALTH & TECHNOLOGY
- Airport Full Body Scanners Pose No Health Threat: Experts
- The Internet Is Becoming One-Stop Shopping for Health Help
- Magnet Therapy May Ease Hard-to-Treat Depression
- HEART & CARDIOVASCULAR
- Rheumatoid Arthritis a Threat to the Heart
- Too-Low Blood Pressure Can Also Bring Danger
- Kids With Vitamin D Deficiency Linked to Heart Trouble
- INFECTIOUS DISEASE
- Bacterial Infections May Succumb to Honey
- Grapefruit Compound Inhibits Hepatitis C Virus
- Poor Restroom Cleaning Causes Cruise-Ship Sickness
- KID'S HEALTH
- Combo Treatment Eases Wheezing in Babies
- Eating Fish, Breast-Feeding Boost Infant Development
- Coconut Oil May Help Fight Childhood Pneumonia
- MEN'S HEALTH
- Vigorous Exercise Cuts Stroke Risk for Men, Not Women
- Could Chinese Herb Be a Natural Viagra?
- Countdown to Hair Loss
- MENTAL HEALTH
- Fear Response May Stem From Protein in Brain
- Vitamin C Protects Some Elderly Men From Bone Loss
- Psychotherapy Can Boost Happiness More Than Money
- PREGNANCY
- Sleeping Could Help Women Lose The Baby Fat
- Placebo Acupuncture Tied to Higher IVF Pregnancies
- For Baby and Mom Alike, Breast-Feeding May Be Best
- SENIORS
- Could Your Cell Phone Help Shield You From Alzheimer's?
- Want Better Health in the New Year, Add Exercise to Your Day
- Video Gaming Just Might Fight Aging
Low Vitamin D Levels May Initiate Cancer Development
By eHolistic.com Published: 05/22/2009
FRIDAY, May 22 (HealthDay News) -- Low levels of vitamin D may contribute to cancer development, U.S. researchers have found.
"The first event in cancer is loss of communication among cells due to, among other things, low vitamin D and calcium levels," study leader Cedric Garland, an epidemiologist at the Moores Cancer Center at the University of California, San Diego, said in a university news release.
Garland and colleagues developed a scientific model that suggests "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."
This cellular disruption could account for the earliest stages of many cancers, according to the study, which was published online in the Annals of Epidemiology.
Maintaining adequate levels of vitamin D may help stop cancer development, Garland suggested.
"Vitamin D may halt the first stage of the cancer process by re-establishing intercellular junctions in malignancies having an intact vitamin D receptor," Garland said.
He noted that appropriate vitamin D levels can be restored and maintained through diet and supplements. More research into the link between vitamin D and cancer is required, but Garland recommended that people get their vitamin D levels tested during annual check-ups.
More information
The Office of Dietary Supplements at the U.S. National Institutes of Health has more about vitamin D.
-- Robert Preidt
SOURCE: Annals of Epidemiology, news release, May 22, 2009
Last Updated: May 22, 2009
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