Vitamin D News and Research

Latest Vitamin D News and Research

Lycopene may be able to inhibit the growth of prostate tumours

A study by Dutch and German researchers has provided evidence that lycopene may be able to inhibit the growth of prostate tumours and that its effect may be enhanced if it is combined with vitamin E.

30 Sep 2004

Vitamin supplements not effective in protecting against gastro-intestinal cancer

A systematic review and meta-analysis (pooled analysis) of previously published randomised trials in this week’s issue of THE LANCET provides strong evidence that antioxidant supplements (such as vitamin supplements) are not effective in protecting against gastro-intestinal cancer.

30 Sep 2004

Guideline evaluates treatments for postherpetic neuralgia

A new guideline from the American Academy of Neurology evaluates treatments for postherpetic neuralgia. The guideline is published in the September 28 issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

28 Sep 2004

Arsenic trioxide - invented as a treatment for a rare type of leukaemia

Arsenic trioxide – a highly poisonous substance best known as an effective weed killer or pesticide and notorious for being a favourite ‘weapon’ of choice in murder mystery novels, is being re-invented as a treatment for a rare type of leukaemia.

28 Sep 2004

Don't choose tomatoes based on colour

If a tomato is bright red, round and reasonably large, it should be a tasty tomato, right? Wrong!

27 Sep 2004

Folic acid can dramatically reduce the incidence of spina bifida and other birth defects

A study, published today in BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, shows that the proportion of babies born with neural tube defects in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador dropped by 78% after the Canadian Government directed that folic acid must be added to flour, cornmeal and pasta. The study supports the continuation of this food fortification strategy.

23 Sep 2004

University of Arizona spin-off investigates DNA damage to human skin

Niadyne, Inc., a Tucson-based spin-off biopharmaceutical company co-founded by two University of Arizona professors, has received a Small Business Innovation Research grant of nearly $750,000 to continue investigating the prevention of DNA damage to human skin

22 Sep 2004

Fish oils appear to reduce breast cancer risk

Researchers who found that fish oils appear to reduce breast cancer risk have now discovered that the oils may especially benefit women with particular genetic makeups.

21 Sep 2004

New oral gel used instead of injection to deliver drugs

Scientists in India have developed a new gel that is taken orally and is capable of delivering drugs to manage diseases often requiring an injection.

20 Sep 2004

40 percent of women of childbearing age take folic acid

A record 40 percent of American women of childbearing age reported taking a daily multivitamin containing folic acid in 2004, up from 32 percent last year and the highest level since the March of Dimes began surveying women in the 1990s, according to the organization's latest survey, which was published today in Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report.

18 Sep 2004

Study hints at antioxidants being able to prevent and restore hearing loss

In a preliminary study, researchers find that vitamin E may be effective in restoring sudden onset hearing loss of unknown origin (idiopathic sudden hearing loss). These findings suggest that further research may reveal the role of antioxidants in the prevention and restoration of hearing loss.

18 Sep 2004

Consumption of milk seems to be evaporating

Just as the milkman disappeared from America’s cultural horizon, the consumption of milk seems to be evaporating, replaced by more — and more super-sizing — soda drinkers.

17 Sep 2004

Shade structures are not built effectively

Skin cancer causes more than 1000 deaths in Australia, and costs the health care system over $700 million each year.

14 Sep 2004

Treatment with vitamin A and an omega-3 fatty acid slows down the progression of retinitis pigmentosa

Patients with retinitis pigmentosa, a progressive eye disease that can cause vision loss, who were treated with vitamin A and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), a kind of omega-3 fatty acid, did not experience slowing of the progression of their disease

12 Sep 2004

Gene mutations cause 85 percent of colon cancers

Mutations in the adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) tumor suppressor gene have been found to cause 85 percent of colon cancers.

9 Sep 2004

Childhood leukaemia significantly lower in Asia than in Western countries

The incidence of childhood leukaemia in Britain increased dramatically during the twentieth century. The increase has mainly affected the under-five age group, in whom the risk increased by more than 50 per cent during the second half of the century alone.

9 Sep 2004

Protein sources, such as beef and beans beneficial in lowering childhood leukemia risk

A new study suggests that eating more vegetables, fruit and protein before pregnancy may lower the risk of having a child who develops leukemia, the most common childhood cancer in the United States.

8 Sep 2004

Ramipril reduces rate of sudden cardiac death and nonfatal cardiac arrest by 21 percent

Ramipril, a high blood pressure and heart failure drug, can reduce the rate of sudden cardiac death and nonfatal cardiac arrest by 21 percent in people at high risk for heart attack or stroke, according to a study reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

7 Sep 2004

Protein-rich teething rusk to help stop children suffering Kwashiorkor

Two food technology students from RMIT University, Australia, who developed a teething rusk for malnourished children in developing countries have won a national award.

4 Sep 2004

Researchers work to defeat acne by understanding it better on a molecular level

To defeat an enemy, you must first understand it, or so the saying goes. And for nearly every teenager and young adult, acne is a formidable foe, causing damage to their skin and their self-image that can leave long-lasting physical and emotional scars.

2 Sep 2004