What is a tanorexic to do? Baking yourself on the beach to a crispy bronze husk is a no-no, according to studies showing that ultraviolet radiation from the sun can scramble your DNA and cause cancer. And now comes equally bad news about the tanner’s next best friend, the indoor tanning salon. Last week the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the cancer division of the World Health Organization, classified tanning beds as “carcinogenic to humans” – the agency’s highest cancer-risk category, which also includes radon gas, plutonium and radium.

Since 1992, the beds had been deemed “probably carcinogenic to humans.” But in the past 17 years, “many more studies have been published, in many countries and in many populations, concluding that exposure to sun beds causes cancer,” says Beatrice Secretan, one of the scientists involved in the new IARC classification. In an analysis of 20 such studies, the IARC found that people who begin using tanning beds before age 30 increase their risk of developing skin cancer 75%. Overall, use of the beds boosts the risk of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, 20%.

Is that warning enough to deter the 28 million Americans who use the booths every year? The Indoor Tanning Association, which oversees the $5 billion annual business of tanning-bed makers, distributors and salon owners, certainly hopes not. On the association’s website, it continues to promote tanning-bed use as a health benefit: in response to the FAQ “Is moderate exposure to the sun or ultraviolet light (UV) good for your health?” the answer reads cheerfully, “Absolutely. There is a growing body of well-conducted, validated scientific research demonstrating that the production of the activated form of vitamin D is one of the most effective ways the body controls abnormal cell growth.”

Nobody would argue with the fact that UV rays – whether of the outdoor or indoor variety – can help your body make more vitamin D, but the more salient question is, How does that benefit stack up against the risk of skin cancer from UV exposure? “My role is not to tell you what the risk is. My role is to give you the other side of the story about the benefits of UV exposure,” says Dan Humiston, president of the Indoor Tanning Association, adding, “Most people are vitamin D deficient, and one of the easiest way to prevent that – it’s simple, it’s free – is to go out in the sun. Or go into a tanning bed, and your skin produces vitamin D.”

Talk to any doctor, however, and he or she will tell you flat out, the risk far outweighs any benefit. “There are so many other forms of getting vitamin D that are healthier than a tanning booth,” says Dr. Ellen Marmur, chief of the division of dermatologic and cosmetic surgery at Mount Sinai Medical Center. “Go for a 10-minute walk three times a week or eat salmon or tuna or eggs or fortified cereal. You don’t need to use a dangerous habit like a tanning booth to get vitamin D.”

Marmur, like most other dermatologists, says the message of the IARC report is clear: “What I’m really hoping for is that people will opt out of using tanning beds.”

View this article on Time.com

Related articles on Time.com: Study: Vitamin D Leads to Longer Life Study: Vitamin D Lowers Risk of Death Vitamin D Lowers Diabetes Risk

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MONDAY, Aug. 17 (HealthDay News) — Vitamins C, E and other
antioxidants do not increase the risk for melanoma, the most serious form
of skin cancer, a new study found.

A recent study had suggested that the risk for melanoma was increased
four-fold among women who took supplemental vitamins C and E, beta
carotene, selenium and zinc. Because 48 to 55 percent of U.S. adults take
vitamin or mineral supplements, the potentially harmful effects of the
supplements was alarming.

“As someone who takes supplements as a preventive measure, I was happy
to see that the authors [of the new study] were able to debunk the claims
of the prior study,” said Dr. Robin Ashinoff, a dermatologist and clinical
associate professor of dermatology at New York University Medical Center,
who was not involved with the new research.

The new report is published in the August issue of the Archives of
Dermatology .

For the study, a team lead by Dr. Maryam M. Asgari, of Kaiser
Permanente Northern California in Oakland, collected data on 69,671 women
and men who participated in the Vitamins and Lifestyle (VITAL) study. It
was designed to look at the use of supplements and the risk for cancer. At
the start of the study, between 2000 and 2002, participants completed a
questionnaire that included inquiries about lifestyle, medical history,
diet, use of supplements and other cancer risk factors.

The researchers found that multivitamins and supplements taken over 10
years, including selenium and beta carotene, were not associated with the
risk for melanoma among both women and men.

“Consistent with the present results, case-control studies examining
serologic [blood] levels of beta carotene, vitamin E and selenium did not
find any association with subsequent risk of melanoma,” the authors wrote.
“Moreover, the Nurses’ Health Study reported no association between intake
of vitamins A, C and E and melanoma risk in 162,000 women during more than
1.6 million person-years of follow-up,” they added.

The causes of melanoma have to do with genetic predisposition; sun
exposure, especially in early life; and other yet-to-be determined
factors, Ashinoff said. “Melanoma can occur internally, as in the vagina
and GI [gastrointestinal] tract, as well as in the eye, so sun exposure is
certainly not the entire story,” she said.

Earlier experiments had found that topical antioxidants such as green
tea extracts, vitamin C and E and soy can prevent and reverse some of the
sun’s damage to the DNA and immune systems in the skin, if applied before
sun exposure, Ashinoff said.

“It shows how difficult these studies are to interpret,” she said. “I
am happy to see that these antioxidants have not been shown in a similar
group of people to increase the risk of melanoma.”

Another study in the same issue of the journal found that most
melanomas found by dermatologists are discovered during a full-body
examination of the skin. And these melanomas tend to be thinner and more
likely to affect only the top layer of skin, making a cure more likely.
Melanomas reported by patients tended to be more advanced, the researchers
noted.

“It should come as no surprise to anyone that the keen eye of a trained
dermatologist is superior to that of laypeople in identifying suspicious
lesions and early melanomas,” said Dr. Jeffrey Salomon, an assistant
clinical professor of plastic surgery at Yale University School of
Medicine.

More information

The U.S. National Cancer Institute has more on melanoma.

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Quick quiz: What vital nutrient may protect against cancer, heart disease, stroke, bone fractures, and a host of other diseases? Experts on vitamin D are quick to answer, and, by their reckoning, many Americans are sorely lacking in the nutrient. Just this week, new data from a government-run health and nutrition survey found that most kids weren't getting enough vitamin D and that those with the lowest levels were more likely to have high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and low levels of "good" HDL cholesterol. At a meeting convened Tuesday by the Institute of Medicine, leading vitamin D researchers mentioned this study and many others as they tried to convince an IOM committee to raise the daily recommended intake (DRI) for the nutrient.

"When [the U.S. government] set the DRI in 1997, the amount of vitamin D recommended was based on the prevention of rickets," said Robert Heaney of Creighton University in Omaha. Rickets, a bone malformation condition, has long been linked to severe vitamin D deficiency, as Heaney knows from studying the effects of the vitamin on bones. Vitamin D-fortified milk now gives most people protection from rickets, but we may not be getting enough of the nutrient to benefit from its protective effects against cancer, stroke, and other diseases. Experts like Heaney consider the current recommendations–200 international units for children and adults up to age 50, 400 IUs for ages 50 to 70, and 600 IUs for those 70 and older–to be way too low to help us stay healthy. In fact, they say, most Americans are deficient, especially during the winter, when many Northerners don't get the exposure to the sun that lets their bodies make vitamin D.

Hundreds of studies have shown that people with high levels of vitamin D in their blood have lower rates of diseases and a lower death rate. However, that doesn't prove–and there really aren't any clinical trials showing–that people can lower their risk of illness by taking a supplement to raise their vitamin D level. That's a critical gap in the evidence, said Barry Kramer, editor in chief of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. He cautions that previous research had suggested that high levels of beta carotene were associated with lower rates of cancer, but when people took beta carotene supplements as part of a clinical trial, they were more likely–not less–to die from cancer.

Clinical trials involving vitamin D have yielded only a few promising results. Older women who took a supplement containing 700 to 1,000 IUs a day wound up with fewer bone fractures and fewer falls, according to a review of the research conducted by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Research for other claims is lacking. For example, the Women's Health Initiative study found that breast cancer rates were unaffected when women took 400 IUs of vitamin D combined with a calcium supplement every day for seven years. And a study on pregnant women found that taking 1,200 IUs of vitamin D didn't help prevent a high blood pressure condition called preeclampsia.

How much to take. The vitamin D researchers at this week's meeting countered that these clinical trials may have used supplements that didn't contain enough of the nutrient for patients to achieve an optimal blood level of vitamin D. Michael Holick, a researcher at Boston University, says that most adults probably need to take about 2,000 IUs a day and that kids probably need about 1,000 IUs. Although vitamin D can be toxic at high doses, the latest research suggests that kids and adults can take 5,000 IUs or more a day in supplement form without any ill effects. (Our skin can make far more than that when exposed to sunlight, but any excess we make gets broken down by the body and doesn't cause any harm.)

After the IOM expert panel reviews the research, it most likely will raise the recommended levels of vitamin D, and that could mean more foods being fortified with D, says Bess Dawson-Hughes of Tufts University. She has researched using vitamin D supplementation to prevents falls and fractures. When these new recommendations will be issued and what they will be, however, is still unknown.

Related News:

–Time in the Sun: How Much Is Needed for Vitamin D?

–Vitamin D Deficiency Linked to Heart Risk Factors

–Vitamin D and Kids: How Much Sun Should They Get?

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What is a tanorexic to do? Baking yourself on the beach to a crispy bronze husk is a no-no, according to studies showing that ultraviolet radiation from the sun can scramble your DNA and cause cancer. And now comes equally bad news about the tanner’s next best friend, the indoor tanning salon. Last week, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the cancer division of the World Health Organization, classified tanning beds as “carcinogenic to humans” – the agency’s highest cancer risk category, which also includes radon gas, plutonium and radium.

Since 1992, the beds had been deemed “probably carcinogenic to humans.” But in the last 17 years, “many more studies have been published, in many countries and in many populations, concluding that exposure to sun beds causes cancer,” says Beatrice Secretan, one of the scientists involved in the new IARC classification. Based on an analysis of 20 such studies, the IARC found that people who begin using tanning beds before age 30 increase their risk of developing skin cancer by 75%. Overall, use of the beds boosts the risk of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, by 20%.

Is that warning enough to deter the 28 million Americans who use the booths every year? The Indoor Tanning Association, which oversees the $5 billion annual business of tanning bed makers, distributors and salon owners, certainly hopes not. On the association’s website, it continues to promote tanning-bed use as a health benefit: in response to the FAQ “Is moderate exposure to the sun or ultraviolet light (UV) good for your health?” the answer reads cheerfully, “Absolutely. There is a growing body of well-conducted, validated scientific research demonstrating that the production of the activated form of vitamin D is one of the most effective ways the body controls abnormal cell growth.”

Nobody would argue with the fact that UV rays – whether of the outdoor or indoor variety – can help your body make more vitamin D, but the more salient question is, How does that benefit stack up against the risk of skin cancer from UV exposure? “My role is not to tell you what the risk is. My role is to give you the other side of the story about the benefits of UV exposure,” says Dan Humiston, president of the Indoor Tanning Association, adding, “Most people are vitamin D deficient, and one of the easiest way to prevent that – it’s simple, it’s free – is to go out in the sun. Or go into a tanning bed, and your skin produces vitamin D.”

Talk to any doctor, however, and they’ll tell you flat out, the risk far outweighs any benefit. “There are so many other forms of getting vitamin D that are healthier than a tanning booth,” says Dr. Ellen Marmur, chief of the division of dermatologic and cosmetic surgery at Mount Sinai Medical Center. “Go for a 10 minute walk three times a week, or eat salmon or tuna or eggs or fortified cereal. You don’t need to use a dangerous habit like a tanning booth to get vitamin D.”

Marmur, like most dermatologists, says the message of the IARC report is clear: “What I’m really hoping for is that people will opt out of using tanning beds.”

View this article on Time.com

Related articles on Time.com: Assessing the Risks of Tanning Beds The Week That Was

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U.S. health officials are bracing for a resurgence of the new H1N1/09 flu virus this fall, when the influenza season kicks into high gear with the resurgence of cold weather. By October, the government hopes to have 120 million doses of vaccine ready to fight the new virus, which is currently spreading around the world in the first pandemic in more than 40 years. Already, H1N1 is hitting the southern hemisphere hard: Argentina has recorded more than 160 deaths from H1N1, second most after the U.S. That’s because it’s winter in the southern hemisphere, and flu infections tend to spike during the fall and winter months in temperate countries. (Read “Who Should Get the H1N1 Vaccine First?”)

So why do infections tend to go up in the cold winter months and level off in the summer? According to a study from researchers at Mount Sinai Medical School, the flu virus is more stable and able to stay airborne longer when the air is cold and dry. The Mount Sinai researchers, who tested guinea pigs, found that the spread of the virus was most prevalent when the temperature reached a chilly 41°F (5°C); infections slowly decline as the mercury rises, before stopping altogether at 86°F (30°C). (Tropical countries, where fairly constant, high temperatures are prevalent, tend to have relatively even rates of infection all year long, without the sharp peaks and valleys seen in cooler countries.) It’s also possible that the drier air in winter can dehydrate mucus in the nasal passages, lowering the body’s natural defense against the virus. (See five burning questions about swine flu.)

But cold temperatures aren’t the only reason for the fluctuations. Most of us spend less time in the sun during the winter, and that means we can end up vitamin D–deficient, leaving us vulnerable to any number of infections. And spending more time indoors can also put us in the line of infection for the flu, particularly if we share enclosed spaces with others. School is in session during the fall and winter in the northern hemisphere, and classrooms are excellent vectors of infection for all illnesses, including the flu. (Read “Think H1N1 Is Bad Now? Wait Till Flu Season.”)

Although so far the virus doesn’t appear to have a significantly higher fatality rate than the usual seasonal flu, no one has immunity to the new strain – meaning we’re likely to see very high infection rates. H1N1 is still spreading in the U.S., even during the summer – chiefly in summer camps and military installations, where young people are spending a lot of time in close contact. That alone shows just how transmissible this new virus is: we’re dry kindling, and H1N1 is the match. But as with previous viruses in previous years, the real test for H1N1 – and for public-health officials who are planning their response to it – will come in the fall and winter.

Read “The Year in Medicine 2008: From A to Z.”

See how to prevent illness at any age.

View this article on Time.com

Related articles on Time.com: H1N1 Virus: Swine Flu Still Spreading Rapidly To Thwart the Next Swine Flu, Better Testing of Animals Needed Judging the WHO’s Reaction to the H1N1 (Swine Flu) Threat It’s Official: H1N1 Flu Is a Pandemic Was the Alarm over Swine Flu Justified?

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About 70 percent of U.S. children have low levels of vitamin D,
which puts them at higher risk for bone and heart disease, researchers
said today.

“We expected the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency would be high,
but the magnitude of the problem nationwide was shocking,” said Dr.
Juhi Kumar of Children’s Hospital at Montefiore Medical Center.

Cases of rickets, a bone disease in infants caused by low vitamin D levels, have also been increasing, other research shows.

The new finding, from a nationwide study, adds to growing evidence that children as well as many adults also lack the vitamin.

“Several small studies had found a high prevalence of vitamin D
deficiency in specific populations of children, but no one had examined
this issue nationwide,” said study leader Dr. Michal L. Melamed of the
Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University.

The cause? Poor diet and lack of sunshine, the researchers conclude today in the online version of the journal Pediatrics.

Millions of children

The researchers analyzed data on more than 6,000 children, ages 1 to
21, collected by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
2001-2004.

The researchers found that 9 percent, or 7.6 million children across
the country, were vitamin D deficient and another 61 percent, or 50.8
million, were vitamin D insufficient.

Low levels were especially common in girls, African-Americans,
Mexican-Americans, the obese, those who drank milk less than once a
week, and those who spent more than four hours a day watching TV,
playing videogames, or using computers. The deficiency was more common
among the older children in the data set, too.

Lighter skin is more efficient at producing vitamin D. So darker-skinned people produce less when exposed to sunlight.

The decline in vitamin D levels in the United States was reported widely a year ago and has been underway for 20 years, Melamed said.

“Kids have more sedentary lifestyles today and are not spending as
much time outdoors,” Melamed said. “The widespread use of sunscreens,
which block UV-B rays, has only compounded the problem.”

The body uses UV-B sunlight to convert a form of cholesterol in the skin into vitamin D.

What to do

Melamed recommends that children should consume more foods rich in
vitamin D, such as milk and fish. “But it’s very hard to get enough
vitamin D from dietary sources alone,” she said.

Vitamin D supplementation can help. In the study, children who took
vitamin D supplements (400 IU/day) were less likely to be deficient in
the vitamin. However, only 4 percent of the study population actually
used supplements.

The American Academy of Pediatrics, which recently updated its
vitamin D guidelines, now recommends that infants, children, and teens
should take 400 IU per day in supplement form.
Supplements are especially important for children living in northerly
regions where the sun may be too weak to maintain healthy vitamin D
levels. Supplements are also critical for infants who are breast-fed,
the researchers said in a statement today. Breast milk contains
relatively little vitamin D, while formula is fortified with the
vitamin.

What else can parents do?”It would good for them to turn off the TV
and send their kids outside,” Melamed said. “Just 15 to 20 minutes a
day should be enough. And unless they burn easily, don’t put sunscreen
on them until they’ve been out in the sun for 10 minutes, so they get
the good stuff but not sun damage.”

Other experts caution that extended exposure to the sun – tanning and burning – increases the risk of deadly skin cancer.

Top 10: Good Food Gone Bad
Video – Sun and Skin: A Complex Relationship
Vitamins C and E Get an F

Original Story: Lack of Vitamin D in Children ‘Shocking’
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