323-651-4540
HELIOTHERAPY
VITAMIN D IS AN 'INEXPENSIVE SOLUTION' TO HEART DRUGS FIND SCIENTISTS AS THEY REVEAL THE SUNSHINE SUPPLEMENT CAN REPAIR AND PREVENT THE DAMAGE CAUSED BY DIABETES AND HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE
Stimulates the production of nitric acid, which helps to regulate blood flow
Also prevents blood clots and lowers 'internal stress' in the cardio-system
Vitamin D may be able to repair damaged cells elsewhere, such as in the brain
Heart disease is defined as any disorder affecting the organ or blood vessels
Is the leading cause of death in adults in the US; resulting in one in four fatalities
By Alexandra Thompson Health Reporter For Mailonline
PUBLISHED: 08:05 EST, 31 January 2018 | UPDATED: 12:16 EST, 31 January 2018
Vitamin D is an 'inexpensive solution' to drugs as scientists discover the sunshine supplement repairs and prevents damage to the heart caused by diabetes and high blood pressure.
The sunshine supplement stimulates the production of nitric acid, which is involved in regulating blood flow and preventing the formation of blood clots, according to the first study of its kind.
It also reduces 'internal stress' in the cardiovascular system, which could avoid heart-related incidents, the research adds.
Study author Dr Tadeusz Malinski from Ohio University, said: 'There are not many, if any, known systems which can be used to restore cardiovascular cells which are already damaged, and vitamin D can do it.
'This is a very inexpensive solution to repair the cardiovascular system. We don't have to develop a new drug. We already have it.'
Heart disease, which is any disorder affecting the organ or blood vessels, is the leading cause of death in adults in the US, resulting in one in four fatalities.
How the research was carried out
The researchers analyzed heart cells taken from a group of Caucasian and African Americans.
They used special sensors to track the impact of vitamin D in these cells.
'This is a very inexpensive solution'
Dr Malinski said: 'Generally, vitamin D is associated with the bones. However, in recent years, in clinical settings people recognize that many patients who have a heart attack will have a deficiency.
'It doesn't mean the deficiency caused the heart attack, but it increased the risk.
'There are not many, if any, known systems which can be used to restore cardiovascular cells which are already damaged, and vitamin D can do it.
This is a very inexpensive solution to repair the cardiovascular system. We don't have to develop a new drug. We already have it.'
The researchers believe vitamin D may also be able to repair damage to other types of cells, such as those found in the brain after a stroke.
The findings were published in the journal Nanomedicine.
PAPER REITERATES UV’S LINK TO ‘OVERALL GOOD HEALTH’
Thursday, January 25th, 2018
The cardiovascular impact of sunlight — reducing blood pressure by triggering the release of nitric oxide from the skin — outweighs any potential risk factors of exposure, researcher Dr. Richard Weller wrote in a 2016 paper published in the journal Blood Purification. Weller pioneered research on the subject in 2013.
Here are some of the key statements from the new paper:
“All-cause mortality should be the primary determinant of public health messages. Sunlight is a risk factor for skin cancer, but sun avoidance may carry more of a cost than benefit for overall good health.”
“For the general white-skinned population, sunlight is the major preventable risk factor for skin cancers, but the pattern of sun exposure varies with cancer type. Intermit- tent sun exposure and sunburn, particularly in childhood, increase the risk of melanoma, whereas chronic occupational exposure may be protective”
“Dose dependently, the higher the sun-seeking behaviour, the lower the all-cause mortality, with those scoring 4 having half the mortality of sun- avoiders. Extrapolating from these data, the authors calculate that 3% of deaths in Sweden can be accounted for by inadequate sun.”
“Importantly, vitamin D is not solely responsible for these proposed health benefits of sunshine. Supplementation with oral vitamin D is not adequate to reduce cardiovascular disease. Alternative mechanisms must exist to account for these benefits of sunlight.”
“Ultraviolet therapy might well have a therapeutic role beyond the treatment of skin disease.”
“Public health advice on sunlight exposure is at the crossroads. Almost a century of data has confirmed the carcinogenic effects of UV radiation on the skin, and delineated the mechanisms by which this occurs. There is however a remarkable absence of any evidence that UV reduces lifespan, in sharp contrast to other risk factors (e.g. hypertension, smoking, alcohol) on which we advise. A substantial body of evidence shows that sunlight has health benefits and that these are independent of vitamin D and thus cannot be reproduced by oral supplementation. The UV-induced reduction of cutaneous nitrate and its export to the systemic vasculature, which I have helped delineate, is an additional mechanism by which sunlight may exert beneficial effects on health, but other mechanisms surely exist. All-cause mortality and its reduction should be the primary aim of physicians, not the narrow avoidance of skin cancer.”