It became known that scientists have found a unique way to reduce the risk of cancer. The researchers analyzed blood samples and personal data from volunteers aged 40 to 69 years. 33 people took part in the experiment. They were continuously monitored for sixteen years.
Features of the study
An international group of biologists has found that a high concentration of vitamin D in the human body prevents the occurrence of benign and malignant neoplasms. They analyzed questionnaires and blood of volunteers (almost all the subjects were residents of Japan). In the experiment, a person’s lifestyle, chronic diseases, the history of oncological diseases of family members, and nutrition played a role.
The following factors were also taken into account: body weight; age; physical activity; the use of alcoholic beverages and drugs; smoking and others. The results of the test indicated that a high content of vitamin D can reduce the risk of cancer in men and women by at least 20 percent. With a high concentration of the vitamin in the blood plasma, there is a reduced likelihood of developing liver cancer (up to 50%). According to studies, men are less prone to cancer.
Scientists are confident that the results of the experiment fully confirmed the relationship between vitamin D and the appearance of cancerous tumors. A group of biologists does not exclude the fact that with a minimum amount of a substance in the blood, the effect may be insignificant. The authors of the scientific work admit that unaccounted for environmental factors could affect the outcome of the test. The strengths of the experiment are the sample, the duration of observation of the subjects, a large amount of data on blood plasma analyzes.
What foods contain vitamin D?
The substance is found in various foods: oatmeal, parsley, potatoes, alfalfa, nettles, chicken yolks, seafood, liver, cottage cheese, cheese, cod, halibut, herring, tuna, mackerel, mackerel.
The highest concentration of ergocalciferol and cholecalciferol was found in: herring, canned salmon, sour cream, quail and chicken yolks, semi-fat milk, butter, beef, chicken and pork liver.
Newborns should take 400 IU per day (10 micrograms of the vitamin), in adolescence, 400 to 500 IU should be consumed daily (within 10-13 micrograms of the substance). For men and women, 24 IU (up to 100 micrograms of ergocalciferol and cholecalciferol) are allowed in 2,5 hours.
Hypovitaminosis and hypervitaminosis
Vitamin D deficiency can be acquired or hereditary. With an acquired disease, insufficient intake of a substance into the human body along with food is detected, with hereditary hypovitaminosis, a genome defect is observed.
Signs of a lack of ergocalciferol and cholecalciferol in newborns and adolescents are: rickets, hypercalciuria, hyperphosphaturia and aminoaciduria. There are cases when in infants in the body the substance is contained in low concentrations or is completely absent. When a child is breastfed, he gets only four percent of the daily vitamin D dosage that is required daily.
The causes of the disease are:
- the use of a large dosage of vaseline oil and glucocorticoid drugs;
- hepatic and renal insufficiency;
- jaundice and steatorrhea; lack of ultraviolet light.
An excess of vitamin D is called hypervitaminosis. It may occur due to excessive use of drugs or dietary supplements containing ergocalciferol and cholecalciferol.
Symptoms of the disease are:
- nausea, vomiting;
- migraine;
- diarrhea;
- decreased appetite;
- weakness;
- metallic taste and dry mouth;
- growth retardation in adolescents.
Late signs of hypervitaminosis are: pain in the bones; itching of the skin; drowsiness; weight loss; cloudy urine; arterial hypertension; photosensitivity of the organ of vision; cardiac arrhythmia.
With an excess of a substance in the blood, side effects occur: the deposition of calcium salts in soft tissues, kidneys and lungs; violation of the work of blood vessels and the heart; acute renal failure. Prevention and treatment of the disease is carried out under the strict and regular supervision of a qualified doctor.