CP) - People who take vitamin D supplements appear to have a lower risk of death from any cause, an analysis of numerous studies has found, adding to the weight of evidence suggesting that the "sunshine nutrient" confers widespread health benefits.

In an analysis of data pooled from 18 randomized controlled trials, researchers at the International Agency for Research on Cancer and the European Institute of Oncology found that subjects who took at least 500 international units of vitamin D daily had a seven per cent lower risk of death, on average, compared with control groups given a dummy pill.

The 18 clinical trials involved a total of more than 57,000 subjects, who were followed for almost six years. Most of the studies, with participants mainly over age 65, were investigating the role of vitamin D in keeping bones strong and preventing fractures.

In the nine trials that collected blood samples, participants who took supplements had an average 1.4-to 5.2-fold higher blood level of vitamin D than those who did not, the analysis shows.

Previous studies have suggested that vitamin D deficiency may be linked to a higher risk of dying from cancer, heart disease and diabetes - illnesses that account for 60 per cent to 70 per cent of deaths in high-income countries, the authors say.

"If the associations made between vitamin D and these conditions were consistent, then interventions effectively strengthening vitamin D status should result in reduced total mortality," the authors write.

Researchers can't say for sure what it is about vitamin D that seems to improve health and apparently prolong life.

"It's still a little bit obscure," co-author Dr. Philippe Autier, chief of epidemiology and biostatistics at the Agency for Research on Cancer, said Monday from Lyon, France. "There's one area of research quite recently that showed that vitamin D had the possibility to delay, to r******, the progression of certain diseases, essentially cancer and some cardiovascular diseases."

http://www.mytelus.com/ncp_news/article.en...ticleID=2751225

There's a bit of a catch 22 with Vitamin D. Your body produces vitamin D when sunrays hit your skin, which in turn make you healthier. But then there's the fact that the sun rays themselves are dangerous. However, to account for the sunrays being dangerous, you have sunscreen... which, in turn, prevents your body from producing vitamin D... So... it looks like suppliments are the way to go.

Me, personally, I'm not a fan of injesting/absorbing any sort of inorganic compounds unnecessairly, and since I dont burn easily, I dont wear sunscreen. Half of the stuff we put in our bodies already are riddled with plenty of toxic chemicals anyway. Human bodies are taking much longer to decompose now than they were in the past due to the amount of preservatives injested in our foods now... I'll stay away from that stuff as much as possible and let you know how my life goes

I have only taken supplements for a few days in a row a few times, the first time I ended up with a stinking cold.

Coincidence, I thought, I tried again a few months later, same thing happened and it happened yet again a third time. After that, I refused all supplements.

I'll get all vitamins from the food I eat and going out into the fresh air.

Out of interest, what vitamin is it, that you can end up being poisoned if you take too much - is it A, D or C or one of the others? I know one of them you have to be very careful with.

You can't OD on vitamin C, the excess will just flush out of your body. Not too sure on the other two, though.

Steller, you would know this probably, "Who was the Greek ph9ilosopher who said "All things in moderation"? Personally, I think that is a pretty good rule for us today. A little sunlight but, don't go out and cook yourself. No, you don't have to waste hours of your life in a tanning bed, (or as we in Georgia call them, "Blonde Toasters"), you could just go for a drive, a walk or spend a few hours in the yard, away from that damned T.V.

Other than that, I really don't know that extra vitamin D will really add years to your life. It could I guess but, I don' t know. I used to take vitamin D for a whil and it didn't seem to make me live any longer. Maybe we should just wait and see how it works out for the next guy. If he lives longer, then I'll try it again. (Heh-heh).

In all honesty, Doctor Lord Umbarger suggests eating a well balanced diet high in fruits and vegatables, preferably from your own garden whenever possible so you know what went into them. Besides, a little garden work would do most of us some good. The ocasional supliment from time to time won't hurt but, I don't think that it's worth going into debt to buy them. To borrow a little logic from Grandpa Lord Umbarger, "Why take vitamins when food taste so much better?". No, that doesn't mean go out and eat ten buckets of KFC's best, it just means use a little common sence. You know, a few turkey and cheese on rye are as filling as a sack full of Krystals. Salad with a vinegarette is usually ceaper than a Whopper and go with the fruit over the Big Mac from time to time. Don't deny yourself the basic pleasure of eating but, use your head. If you crave those fries, go get some. If you are eating them all day every day, that's just not smart. And believe it or not, a baked potato without butter is pretty damned good. I actually prefer it that way.

By the way, if you spend too much time worrying about what you eat, you'll get an ulcer.

So lower risk of being run over by a car, stung to death by bees, shot, stabbed or beaten to death? What about having your head run over repeatedly by a lawnmower?