Health, Microbes, and More
Researchers in Canada found that sunlight (or UVB light) on the skin changes the gut microbes (gut microbiome), especially in people with lower levels of vitamin D, that is, who are vitamin D deficient. UVB (Ultraviolet B light) exposure increased beneficial gut microbe diversity and richness in these people, as well as increasing their vitamin ...continue reading "Exposure To Sunlight Improves Gut Microbes and Vitamin D Levels"
For years researchers have been finding links between vitamin D and all sorts of health benefits, including lower incidence of cancer with higher vitamin D levels. A recent study by Michigan State physicians found that taking vitamin D supplements for at least 3 years resulted in cancer patients living longer, that is, "having significant reduction ...continue reading "Vitamin D and Cancer"
For a few years I've been noticing that studies of vitamin D have had mixed results for a number of medical conditions. A number of times initial studies found an association with low levels of vitamin D and a number of medical conditions, but follow up well-designed studies are just not finding the same results ...continue reading "Recent Vitamin D Studies Have Mixed Results"
The results of a recent study by Vanderbilt University may help explain why some people have difficulty raising their low vitamin D levels - it may be that their magnesium levels are low. It appears that magnesium may regulate vitamin D levels - when vitamin D levels are low, magnesium supplementation raises vitamin D levels, ...continue reading "Magnesium Regulates Vitamin D Levels In the Body?"
Long-awaited vitamin D studies are finally appearing this year. A large international study found that higher levels of vitamin D in a person's blood is associated with a lower risk of colorectal cancer. Those with the highest vitamin D levels had a 21% lower risk (compared to the lowest group) of colorectal cancer after an ...continue reading "Vitamin D and Colorectal Cancer Risk"
The last post was about several reviews of vitamin D studies, and how when people are put randomly into different groups and then followed for a while - that the studies generally are not finding the same wonderful effects of higher levels of vitamin D in the blood that observational studies are finding - instead ...continue reading "Five Studies Looking at Vitamin D and Health"
The controversy over whether people should be supplementing with vitamin D or not, and whether there are health benefits or harms from vitamin D supplementation is heating up. While observational studies have found health benefits with higher vitamin D blood levels, the beneficial results have generally not held up (or mixed findings) when people were ...continue reading "Mixed Findings In Vitamin D Supplement Studies"
Vitamin D supplements are incredibly popular, but whether vitamin D supplements should be taken during pregnancy and at what dose is still debated, and studies have had conflicting results. Now a review by Canadian researchers of 43 studies of vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy found that there is "insufficient evidence to guide recommendations during pregnancy". ...continue reading "Vitamin D Supplements During Pregnancy?"
Two more studies found that higher levels of vitamin D in the blood are associated with better health outcomes - one study found a lower risk of breast cancer, especially among postmenopausal women, and in the other - better outcomes after a metastatic melanoma diagnosis. The breast cancer study suggested that a fairly high blood ...continue reading "Vitamin D, Breast Cancer, and Melanoma"
I've frequently mentioned that when taking vitamin D supplements, the one to take is vitamin D3, and not D2. Medscape (the medical site) has an article explaining that results of a recent study showed that vitamin D3 is twice as effective as D2 in raising blood levels of vitamin D. The vitamin D3 form is ...continue reading "Which Form of Vitamin D to Take?"