| The natural health news is abuzz with reports that | | | | The even larger Nurses Health Study and Health |
| vitamin D lowers the risk of cancer, but in the | | | | Professionals Follow-Up Study in the USA followed |
| case of pancreatic cancer, this is not always the | | | | 75,427 women and 46,771 men for 14 years. |
| case. Smokers do not have the same response | | | | Their findings? |
| to vitamin D as non-smokers. | | | | Men and women with the highest consumption of |
| The Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer | | | | vitamin D from foods, 600 IU a day or more had |
| Prevention Study in Finland followed the vitamin | | | | a 41 per cent lower risk of pancreatic cancer. |
| consumption of 29,133 men aged 50 to 69 who | | | | The effect was slightly greater in men. |
| smoked at least 5 cigarettes a day. During the | | | | How can the two conflicting results be reconciled? |
| nearly 17 years of the study, certain patterns | | | | The Finnish study measured bloodstream |
| were observed in the participants who developed | | | | concentrations of vitamin D in male smokers, |
| pancreatic cancer. They were: | | | | while the American studies estimated vitamin D |
| - Taller, | | | | consumption in groups of men and women |
| - Thinner, | | | | including both smokers and non-smokers. The |
| - Had lower blood pressure, | | | | body makes its own vitamin D when the skin is |
| - And were about twice as likely as men who did | | | | exposed to sunlight, and it may be that |
| not develop pancreatic cancer to have had | | | | over-production of vitamin D somehow occurs in |
| asthma or diabetes. They ate less fish, drank | | | | smokers. |
| more milk, and were more likely to have spent | | | | But these massive studies don't really tell us what |
| their working lives at desk jobs. None of these | | | | the difference is. And a third study done at |
| differences were so striking, however, as to | | | | Harvard to be released in April 2008 finds that |
| suggest gaining weight, raising blood pressure, | | | | African-Americans have yet another pattern of |
| eating more fish, drinking less milk, or getting a | | | | pancreatic cancer risk as relates to vitamin D. |
| job as a lumberjack might prevent pancreatic | | | | I've spent the best part of my working years |
| cancer. | | | | writing about and formulating herbal and nutritional |
| Where pancreatic cancer sufferers showed a | | | | supplements, but sometimes nutritional |
| marked difference from men who did not | | | | supplements simply are not appropriate. It seems |
| develop pancreatic cancer--this being in cohort of | | | | sensible to avoid vitamin D supplements if: |
| all-smokers--was in vitamin D. Men who had the | | | | - You're a man, |
| highest concentrations of vitamin D in their | | | | - You smoke, and |
| bloodstreams had a 150 to 500 per cent greater | | | | - You have a family history of pancreatic cancer. |
| risk of developing the cancer. | | | | For everyone else, vitamin D supplements are |
| But this was not the only study vitamin D and the | | | | probably safe, but it's more useful to make sure |
| risk of pancreatic cancer. | | | | you get plenty of vitamin B, especially folic acid. |