World Health News, Harvard School of Public Health, is boasting a couple of exciting reports on vitamin D here and here.

In the first report, Vitamin D is slashing colon and breast cancer by a whopping 25%! These cancers are two of the most deadly malignancies and they may be prevented with the help of 2,000 IU of Vitamin D a day.

Researchers have determined that the vitamin is involved in everything from telling cells when to die, a process known as apoptosis, to the production of proteins that suppress tumours.One theory is that vitamin D may be able to prevent cancers, or slow down their development, because it is important in producing E-cadherins, a kind of biological mortar that binds cells tightly together and limits their ability to grow out of control.

Researchers are focusing on this aspect of vitamin D because normal cells are supposed to be tightly packed together, much like the bricks in a wall, a configuration that limits their ability to subdivide and proliferate. If there isn't enough E-cadherins, cells aren't as tightly packed in together...
 
...Advocates for vitamin D as a therapy say that at any point in the development of cancer at its initial site, or after it spreads in a process known as metastasis, the nutrient is able to coax cells into proper behaviour. Those who are recommending vitamin D say it may stop cells from proliferating into full-blown tumours, or keep tumours under better control.

The second report demonstrates the high prevalence of disease in pregnant women as a result of (all too common) vitamin D deficiency.

"Bacterial vaginosis affects nearly one in three reproductive-aged women, so there is great need to understand how it can be prevented," said Lisa M. Bodnar, the Pitt assistant professor of epidemiology obstetrics and gynecology. The infection "is not only associated with a number of gynecologic conditions, but also may contribute to premature delivery -- the leading cause of neonatal mortality -- making it of particular concern to pregnant women..."

They conclude that African-Americans' dark skin inhibits the conversion of sunlight to vitamin D and that "poor diet and obesity also contribute to a vitamin D deficiency."

Hooray for sunshine; it's free, it's fabulous, and you simply can not live without it.