Vitamin D

[ellenkushner]

My dad, a research physician, has been telling me about this study. Now it's out and in the news: 'low levels of vitamin D [are] "always significantly associated" with a higher risk of death' and 'people with higher vitamin D levels tended to be healthier and more fit.' According to dad, nobody gets all the Vitamin D they need from sunlight - even people in Hawaii were tested and found deficient! What age to start taking it? "Oh, 11 or 12." How much? This article is more conservative, but I'm sticking with dad: "The studies suggest 500 mg/day, but the researchers themselves are taking 1000 mg!"

Comments

[scbutler.livejournal.com]

Cod liver oil all around. And now I shall sneer at those who sneer at me for snacking on canned sardines.

[ellen-kushner.livejournal.com]

Oh, god. My dad takes a sardine sandwich to work every day in a little plastic bag.

[justinhowe.livejournal.com]

But what if we want to die?

[ellen-kushner.livejournal.com]

Enjoy it while you can.

[kateelliott.livejournal.com]

Yegads! Even the people in Hawaii!?!? Must go take my VitD!

I've actually read about this study.

[shweta-narayan.livejournal.com]

Eek.
*puts vitamin D on the everincreasing list*

[17catherines.livejournal.com]

Heh. One of my current tasks at work is setting up a website about vitamin D, since it's a major research interest in our lab - apparently high vitamin D levels have been associated with lower rates of most autoimmune diseases (type 1 diabetes, arthritis, multiple sclerosis), and also various types of cancer. My medical researcher boss is currently recommending it for everything immunological, and his (extremely enthusiastic) researcher wife is recommending it for everything down to the common cold...

Nice to see this is gaining more widespread popularity, though - it's a hard row to hoe in Australia, because everyone is so fixated on skin cancer.