In the News

MARTIN MITTELSTAEDT New research on asthma is giving tantalizing hints that it may be possible to diminish symptoms of the debilitating breathing disorder by using vitamin D. A study, based on children with asthma in Costa Rica, has found that low blood levels of vitamin D were associated with an increased severity of the disease, with those youngsters experiencing significantly more hospitalizations, increased use of inhaled steroids, and weakened immune function.… continue reading

By Kim Painter, USA TODAY Can dark skin be a health hazard? It might be — if you are a dark-skinned person who lives far from the equator, gets little sun exposure and consumes little vitamin D. That describes many African Americans and helps explain why studies find that average African-American children and adults have much lower blood levels of the vitamin than white Americans do.… continue reading

As summer approaches, doctors and public health officials are once again sounding the alarm about skin cancer. It’s one of the most frequently occurring types of cancer to occur in Canada, a statistic MPP Jim Watson knows all too well. Two years ago, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing had surgery to remove a cancer.… continue reading

http://www.thelocal.se/18978/20090420/ A sharp increase in reports of young people being injured from visits to Sweden’s tanning salons may result in stricter regulations, including a ban on clients younger than 18-years-old. Warm weekend forecast for Sweden (24 Apr 09) Gunshots and vandalism in Hovsjö (11 Apr 09) Ground control to cockpit suite: a night at the Jumbo Hostel (7 Apr 09) In the last two years, the numbers of 18- to 24-year-old who have suffered burn injuries in connection with visits to solariums has more than doubled, according to a study commissioned by the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority (Strålskyddsmyndigheten – SSM).… continue reading

By the UV FOUNDATION A new study on nutrition and health shows vitamin D can significantly reduce the risk of several types of cancer. William B. Grant, director of the Sunlight, Nutrition and Health Research Center in San Francisco, reviewed and summarized the ecological studies of solar ultraviolet B (UVB), vitamin D and cancer since 2000.… continue reading