AIDS forum closes with calls for funds, action on prevention (AFP)

AFP - The world AIDS conference ended here Friday with appeals for further funds coenzyme q10 care for people infected by HIV and a scaleup of efforts to root out AIDS stigma and prevent the lethal virus from spreading.

Vitamin D, a group of chemicals that play a role in hormone production, bulk methylsulfonylmethane msm primarily produced by the skin in response to sunlight, and so it follows that those who do not receive enough sun may be deficient in it. Vitamin D is important for regulating calcium in the body, and thus is directly related to bone health. A severe lack of this wholesale dehydroepiandrosterone dhea can lead to bone problems but also quite possibly cancer.

Strange as it may seem, the campaign to get people out of the sun to decrease skin cancer rates may actually be helping skin cancer thrive. A few recent studies have suggested that a deficiency in vitamin D may actually play a role in cancer mortality, and that regular sun exposure (in moderation, of course) or supplementation may have some anti-cancer effects.

So how do you know if you are deficient or not? There are a few risk factors that you can be aware of, and adjust your sunlight intake (or supplementation) as necessary. Keep in mind that while you obviously shouldn't go overboard, overdosing on vitamin D is difficult at best.

• You don't get enough sunlight. The most obvious one first. If you sit in your cubicle all day, and stay indoors all weekend, you may still get enough from fortified food such as milk. But then again, you may not. You may want to consider about 20 minutes of sunblock-free sun exposure at least two or three times a week. Keep in mind that skin stops producing vitamin D after about 20 minutes, so more is not necessary.
• You live in a high latitude. This follows from above; if you live in northern Canada, Russia, Norway, etc. you may not get enough sun even if you do go outdoors a lot, thanks to a sun angle that remains too low even in summer. Supplementation is generally recommended for people in these areas.
• You are dark skinned. People with dark skin have higher concentrations of melanin in their skin, which is a pigment that keeps sunlight from being absorbed by the skin. You'll need to spend much more time outdoors to get the same amount of sunlight that, say, a "ginger kid" would get.
• You're old. The older people get, the less their bodies are able to produce vitamin D and the more they need. This is when the effects of vitamin D deficiency can really begin to show in the form of osteoporosis. Supplementation is definitely recommended for people that are reaching their twilight years.
• You're fat. Overweight people will have a harder time with vitamin D as their bodies just won't have enough in their bloodstream that is available for use.
• You're a baby being breastfed by a mother who is unaware of the dangers of vitamin D deficiency in breastfed infants. Doctors recommend against taking a baby out into sunlight, and breast milk doesn't contain sufficient levels of vitamin D. Fortified formula is usually recommended, or a few minutes of sunlight per day.

Vitamin D deficiency is a serious problem around the world, in an estimated one billion people, and can creep up on you in the form of bone disorders without any short-term effects. And obviously, if you are a fat black baby or a fat black old person who lives at the north pole, you're going to be in serious trouble if you don't begin supplementing. Fast.

Want to know how vitamin D can protect against cancer? Read more about vitamin D at http://www.supplementzone.org, a website devoted to telling the truth about nutritional supplements.