Vitamin D News and Research

Latest Vitamin D News and Research

National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention 'Don't Fry Day' campaign to encourage sun safety awareness

Despite skin cancer's being largely preventable, it remains by far the most common type of cancer in the United States. There are over two million new cases of skin cancer diagnosed annually, which is more than new cases of breast, prostate, lung and colon cancers combined.

24 May 2011

Scientific evidence supports benefits of sunscreen usage to prevent skin cancer

The American Academy of Dermatology today reiterated the safety and effectiveness of sunscreens to protect against the damaging effects from exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. As one component of a daily sun-protection strategy, sunscreen is an important tool in the fight against skin cancer, including melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.

24 May 2011

African-Americans with multiple sclerosis have lower vitamin D levels

African-Americans who have multiple sclerosis have lower vitamin D levels than African-Americans who don't have the disease, according to a study published in the May 24, 2011, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

24 May 2011

EMA CHMP recommends positive opinion for marketing authorization of Amgen's XGEVA

Amgen today announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency has recommended a positive opinion for the marketing authorization of XGEVA (denosumab) for the prevention of skeletal-related events (pathological fracture, radiation to bone, spinal cord compression or surgery to bone) in adults with bone metastases from solid tumors.

20 May 2011

Monitoring adherence to mandatory hand-washing protocols can help stop outbreaks of C. diff bacteria

Just like intelligence agents watching for the real terrorists threatening to attack, monitoring healthcare worker adherence to mandatory hand-washing protocols via hand-washing squads in hospitals can go a long way to stop outbreaks of the opportunistic C. diff bacteria, says Irena Kenneley, an infection prevention and control expert and assistant professor of nursing from the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University.

20 May 2011

Consumption of dairy products does not increase heart attack risk

Dairy products can be high in harmful saturated fat but not necessarily in risk to the heart. A newly published analysis of thousands of adults in Costa Rica found that their levels of dairy consumption had nothing to do statistically with their risk of a heart attack.

19 May 2011

Modified vitamin A drug may help prevent age-related macular degeneration

Slowing down the aggregation or "clumping" of vitamin A in the eye may help prevent vision loss caused by macular degeneration, research from Columbia University Medical Center has found.

19 May 2011

Vitamin D plays a key role in protection against childhood asthma

Vitamin D, which is primarily absorbed from the sun, plays a role in protection against childhood asthma. Now, a new study led by Valencian researchers has shown that children who live in colder, wetter cities are at greater risk of suffering from this respiratory problem, since there are fewer hours of sunlight in such places.

19 May 2011

Amgen announces primary results from XGEVA Phase 3 trial in castrate-resistant prostate cancer

Amgen today announced primary results of a pivotal Phase 3 trial demonstrating that XGEVA significantly increased bone metastasis-free survival for more than four months in men with castrate-resistant metastatic prostate cancer that has not yet spread to bone.

18 May 2011

New autism research findings presented at 10th annual IMFAR

Much about autism is unknown, but researchers from the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) are working to learn more about the neurodevelopmental disorder and its most effective treatments. A team of researchers from URMC joins researchers from across the world in San Diego this week for the 10th annual International Meeting for Autism Research (IMFAR).

16 May 2011

Study associates VDR gene variant with onset of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in men

Researchers have linked a variant in the vitamin D receptor gene (VDR) with the onset of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Caucasian men. The study population consisted of participants in the Veterans Administration Normative Aging Study, a multidisciplinary study of aging that began in 1963.

16 May 2011

Vitamin D may improve exercise capacity, respiratory muscle strength in COPD patients

Vitamin D supplements may help patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) get more from their pulmonary rehabilitation programs, according to a study conducted by researchers from Belgium.

16 May 2011

ISCO announces near-term marketing plans for Lifeline Skin Care products

International Stem Cell Corporation today announced the Company's near-term marketing plans for products manufactured by its Lifeline Skin Care subsidiary.

13 May 2011

Healthy alternatives to vitamin D

The recent increase in recommended vitamin D intake from the Food and Nutrition Board may prompt some to seek more summer sun. But, experts at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center say there's no safe amount of time people can stay in the sun without increasing skin cancer risks.

12 May 2011

China Pharma first quarter revenue increases 20% to $18.1 million

China Pharma Holdings, Inc., a fully-integrated specialty pharmaceuticals company in China, today announced financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2011.

11 May 2011

Patients with pneumonia more likely to die if they have Vitamin D deficiency

A new study published in the journal Respirology reveals that adult patients admitted to the hospital with pneumonia are more likely to die if they have Vitamin D deficiency.

11 May 2011

Breast cancer and unhealthy lifestyle choices

Figures have shown that more than one in five British women is classified as obese, and research has found those affected are almost 50 per cent more likely to die from breast cancer than women carrying less weight. Studies have shown that obesity in women leads to changes in sex-hormone levels that may trigger estrogen-dependent tumors, which form the majority of cases. Drinking just one large glass of wine a day also increases the chance of developing breast cancer by a fifth, say experts. It is thought alcohol raises levels of estrogen in the body.

11 May 2011

Season-of-birth factors can cause celiac disease in Massachusetts children

Celiac disease is more common among Massachusetts children born in the spring or summer, and this higher incidence could be related to the intersection of key seasonal and environmental factors, according to researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital for Children.

9 May 2011

Breast cancer linked to lifestyle & three new genes

According to the latest research as many as 20,000 British women could avoid developing breast cancer if they took more exercise, drank less and ate better. The World Cancer Research Fund recommends taking half an hour of physical exercise a day, limiting alcohol consumption to just one drink daily and losing weight.

8 May 2011

New project to explore European diet and healthy ageing

People are living longer. Rising living standards, improved lifestyle and better education, as well as greater access to quality healthcare services has meant that we can expect to reach 78 years of age, an increase of six years compared to the 1980s. However, data also shows that Europeans live to just over 60 years without being limited in their day-to-day activities by ill-health or disabilities.

6 May 2011