Learn more about the 2012 lotions!

We are so excited about all of the new lotions that just came in last month! There are many new formulas and exciting ingredients! Here is a brief synopsis of them!

New Ingredient - Melanobronze
This is perhaps the most exciting (in our opinion) new ingredient! It is a non-staining Melanin builder, WITH OR WITHOUT UV-rays!!! So for all of you cave dwellers get some lotion with this in it and still have some color! HA! Imagine what it does when you actually add UV light!


New Ingredient - ATC Abdomen Tightening System
Reduces soft midsections. What girl (or guy) wouldn't want that! Of course you have to put it on everyday but any little thing to help!

New In the Tanatomy Line

Signature HD

State of the art Super Premium Tanning and Skin Enhancing Lotion works with your skin's natural chemistry and the Science of Self Adjusting Formula. For all skin types and tones; it provides the optimum level of tanning intensifiers yet is DHA bronzer and streak free. High Definition is a personalized prescription for the ultimate tan and superb skin care.
Fragrance: Herbal Apple

Signature Moisturizer

State of the Art Super Tan Enhancing and preserving, deep penetrating lotion. The eight most effective skin-rejuvenating moisturizers and the number one advanced anti-aging complex, plus silicone emulsion, insure a youthful looking, long lasting tan. Use after tanning, after showering/bathing or any time your skin needs intense hydration.
Fragrance: Herbal Apple

Signature Body Wash

State of the Art Super Cleanser and Tan Enhancer and preserving; deep penetrating lotion. The eight most effective non-drying, skin-cleansing ingredients. Use every day, especially after tanning to remove damaging skin pollutants and any time your skin needs rejuvenation.
Fragrance: Herbal Apple

New in the I-Line


iPromise

The exclusive Oil-Free Shimmering Melanocyte Energizer Complex™, advanced Tan Intensifiers and the application and skin texture benefits of Advanced Silicone Emulsion promise you a rich, dark glow. The fabulous golden tan is enhanced with the shimmer of Bronzing Beads and the extra richness provided by sensitive skin friendly immediate and long lasting bronzers; DHA and Streak Free. Fulfill the full potential of your personal promise, a great tan and glowing, irresistible skin.
Fragrance: Bombshell Style

iEnergy

The exclusive High Performance Melanocyte Energizer Complex™, paired with the newest skin energizing compounds, stimulates the darkest level of tanning. Apply the lotion, you can feel the skin energizing action. Immediate and Long Term High Level Bronzers, including revolutionary MelanoBronze, add to the depth and sustaining power of a tan. Enriched Advanced Silicone Emulsion and premium anti-aging, wrinkle-reducing ingredients complete the perfect lotion to prepare for High Energy/High Performance Tanning.
Fragrance: Cool Energy


NEW LINE - Tanique


Tanique Intensifier

The perfect combination of Cosmeceutical skin improvement and tanning technologies in an upscale, easy to use bottle. Inspired by the success and performance of the Largest Department Store Brand, Tanique incorporates the newest ingredients that rejuvenate your skin and produce a glowing tan.
Fragrance: Fragrance / Allergen Free

Tanique Bronzer

The perfect combination of Cosmeceutical skin improvement and tanning technologies in an upscale, easy to use bottle. Inspired by the success and performance of the Largest Department Store Brand, Tanique incorporates the newest ingredients that rejuvenate your skin and produce a dark glowing tan.
Fragrance: Fragrance / Allergen Free

Tanique Face


The perfect combination of Cosmeceutical facial skin improvement and tanning technologies in an upscale, easy to use bottle. Inspired by the success and performance of the Largest Department Store Brand, Tanique incorporates the newest ingredients that renew your skin and produce a soft, elegant tan.
Fragrance: Fragrance / Allergen Free


New in the Bella Soleil Line


Beautiful Sun Dark Bronzer

Inspired by the Mediterranean Sea; European cosmetic and American tanning science. Multiple Tan Intensifiers, intense moisturizers and skin treatment complexes, enhanced with Advanced Silicone Emulsion for even application and glowing, fashion model skin. The deep, dark color is enhanced with an immediate glow and Extreme Levels of Dark Premium Bronzers.
Fragrance: Mediterranean Dreams

Beautiful Sun Facial Bronzing Gelee

Inspired by European cosmetic and American tanning science’s research for perfect, flawless, golden facial skin. The formula’s results include; smooth velvet feeling application, glowing skin, immediate bronzed shimmering color and subdued levels of long term bronzing. It is DHA and streak Free. Additional moisturizing, anti-aging and collagen building compounds contribute to the exceptional results. You must experience Bella’s Facial Bronzing Gelee to appreciate your own radiant face.
Fragrance: Light Mediterranean Dreams

New in the Mineral Sun Line



NANO Bronzer

Immediate rich tan color with the MR Double Bronzing Delivery System™: instant color via Pearl Bronze Mineralized Nano Beads™, microscopic molecules that permeate the skin, and additional bronzing agents. Enhanced color via UV exposure, with premium Tanning Intensifiers. Especially formulated for sensitive skin; the lotion is DHA and Paraben Free; fortified with skin soothing natural minerals.
Fragrance: Romantic Radiance

New in the Unique Collection


Just Sayin'

An awesome tan, gorgeous, radiant skin, it is all yours with Just Sayin’ Ultra Dark Tanning Lotion. Potent rapid Intensifiers, longer lasting ultra dark Bronzers, newly discovered skin treatment compounds and natural Black Currant essence, will produce vibrant, youthful looking, tanned skin. You’ll be the envy of all your friends…we’re Just Sayin’!
Fragrance: Cherry Currant


Wild Attraction

Wild Attraction captures an incredible provocative tan and youthful glowing skin; you can be your wildest, exotic self. A rare combination of Advanced Silicone Emulsion, Zemea™ (natural highly effective humectant), Wild Levels of Bronzers and Age Defying, anti-oxidant cosmeceutical compounds restores natural, youthful looking golden tanned skin. Remember; it’s a jungle out there.
Fragrance: Wild and Delicious

New in the Maximum Collection


Justified

Your whole hip being, is justified by the way you look and feel. Nothing enhances that quality like a perfect, glowing natural Tan. Multiple Immediate Cosmetic Bronzing, but DHA and Streak Free, Justified combines Advanced Silicone Emulsion, a rich menu of natural moisturizing skin rejuvenators, multi-Intensifiers  and  superb skin care for the deep, rich color you want and the glowing skin you deserve.
Fragrance: Bold Passion

Dark Body

Your whole hip being, is justified by the way you look and feel. Nothing enhances that quality like a perfect, glowing natural Tan. Multiple Immediate Cosmetic Bronzing, but DHA and Streak Free, Justified combines Advanced Silicone Emulsion, a rich menu of natural moisturizing skin rejuvenators, multi-Intensifiers  and  superb skin care for the deep, rich color you want and the glowing skin you deserve.
Fragrance: Bold Passion

New in the Sun Skin Spa Line




Extreme Bronzer Dark Tanning Serum

Experience the proven results of a Spa while achieving the darkest tan with Extreme Bronzers and state of the art UV Tan intensifiers. The skin enhancing conditioners, moisturizers and therapeutic skin firming complexes insure that the skin will be properly prepared for UV rays and that the life of the resulting tan will be maximized.
Fragrance: Seductive Pleasures

Tan Extending Serum

Experience the pampering care and luxury of a Spa Skin Treatment. Premium Conditioners/Moisturizers, including Advanced Silicone Emulsion, for smooth skin; vitamins, Shea Butter and Sea Microalgae for improved skin resiliency and young, vital looking skin. Ideal to help preserve the life of your tan.
Fragrance: Pomegranate and Cotton Blossom

NCI Admits ‘Sun Scare’ Lacks Proof

From Smart Tan

The U.S. National Cancer Institute — in bold type on an a section added to its web site in June 2010 — admits that there is no evidence that avoiding sunlight or sunbeds actually decreases the risk of skin cancer.

“It is not known if protecting skin from sunlight and other UV radiation decreases the risk of skin cancer,” the NCI writes in an advisory titled “Skin Cancer Prevention.” The article continues, “Sunscreen may help decrease the amount of UV radiation to the skin. One study found that wearing sunscreen can help prevent actinic keratoses, scaly patches of skin that may become squamous cell carcinoma. However, the use of sunscreen has not been proven to lower the risk of melanoma skin cancer.”

The NCI couches its recommendations about sun exposure and UV light with the words “may” and “suggest” — showing that the agency and others continue to blur the line in public health recommendations, encouraging people to avoid UV and mid-day sun even though they do not have cause-and-effect evidence to say that UV “will” cause skin cancer.

“Being exposed to ultraviolet radiation is a risk factor that may increase the risk of skin cancer,” the agency writes in the same advisory. “Studies suggest that being exposed to ultraviolet (UV) radiation and the sensitivity of a person’s skin to UV radiation are risk factors for skin cancer.”

What’s it mean?

“The difference between advising people to avoid sunburn based on what studies suggest and blurring the line to still make it appear that any and all UV exposure is harmful — when evidence does not support that statement — is the wrong way to approach this” Smart Tan Vice President Joseph Levy says. “You keep reading items like this from so many agencies and the inferences all seem to point in the same direction, benefiting the $6 billion chemical sunscreen pharmaceutical market. Still, this article is quite clear: Dermatology leaders need to stop saying point blank that avoiding sun will decrease the risk of cancer. The government does not support that claim.”

BajaBerks' photostream

BajaBerks' photostream on Flickr.

Yes! A dose of sun CAN protect you against skin cancer

Yes! A dose of sun CAN protect you against skin cancer
By Professor Angus Dalgleish

Last updated at 8:01 AM on 24th May 2011
Comments (23) Add to My Stories Share
As a fair-haired Scot with freckles and pale skin I’m a classic case to be more at risk from melanoma. Getting quite badly sunburned on my nose years ago in Spain has pushed my risk up further.

To say I’ve been wary about the sun is an understatement - I specialise in treating patients with advanced melanoma, a deadly form of skin cancer.

I was also in Australia 30 years ago at the start of the Slip-Slop-Slap campaign to warn people to keep out of the sun, and for seven years I never went swimming without being covered in sun lotion and wearing a T-shirt.
Soak up the sun: Your skin needs vitamin D
But now I believe that rather than reducing the risk of skin cancer, following these sun-avoidance guidelines could actually raise it. That’s because we need sun on our skin to make vitamin D - ironically these campaigns may have made millions chronically short of it and put them at risk. t rather than reducing the risk of skin cancer, following these sun-avoidance guidelines could actually raise it.

That’s because we need sun on our skin to make vitamin D - ironically these campaigns may have made millions chronically short of it and put them at risk. The sun’s effects might even protect against melanoma (as reported in the Mail earlier this month).

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I first became interested in vitamin D and its cancer fighting potential about 15 years ago, when working in a team testing it as a treatment for breast cancer. It proved very effective, but the project was abandoned for technical reasons.

I thought this was a mistake because it had become clear that vitamin D can target tumours in many different ways, including speeding up the death of tumour cells.
Later, while researching cancer vaccines, I found good vitamin D levels in patients triggered a stronger immune response - important because it makes the vaccine more potent.

Then, a couple of years ago, researchers at Leeds University made the surprising discovery that a very low level of vitamin D was a major risk factor for melanoma.
Get out in the sun: Earlier reports on the benefit of the sun
This flew in the face of the idea that it was too much sun that pushed up your melanoma risk. Lots of sun actually mean lots of vitamin D - and potentially a lower risk of melanoma.
I immediately began to test my patients’ vitamin D levels and was amazed - I’d expected maybe 30 per cent would be deficient; it was closer to 90 per cent. That changed everything for me.

I now test all my new melanoma patients for vitamin D - if their levels are low, I give them a supplement. The big question is: does this improve their survival rates?

We don’t know yet - we’ve only been doing it for about six months - but I think this is a sensible response to the evidence so far. As for the rest of us, we should probably spend more time in the sun. Young girls have developed rickets because their well-meaning parents slathered them in sunscreen from birth whenever they went out.

I’m pleased that these days the official advice has changed and a few minutes in the sun each day without sunscreen is now recommended.

But this is a long way from acknowledging how vital it is to have a healthy level of vitamin D.
Research shows that a large percentage of people in the UK are deficient in vitamin D partly because we can’t make any from the sun for about six months of the year.
As well as checking the vitamin D levels of my patients I also check my own occasionally and take a supplement of 1000 international units about three times a week.

Meanwhile, I’d like to see all other cancer units automatically checking their patients’ blood levels. It’s cheap and quick and I guarantee they would be amazed at just how low many were.
So how much sun exposure is enough? And if we give supplements, how much do people need?
Finding the right answers could bring big benefits for very little cost. In the meantime, my own approach has changed dramatically since those early days. If I’m playing tennis or skiing I’ll only use sun cream on my face or arms in very hot or mid-day sun.
Going slightly pink is OK (although at the first tingling sign that I’ve been too exposed, I’ll put on some block, and I always protect my nose where it was burnt).
But my message is: don’t be afraid of the sun - enjoy it!

Explore more:Places: Spain, United Kingdom, Australia

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1390243/Sun-CAN-protect-skin-cancer.html#ixzz1RuFPXDXs

NATURAL HEALTH: Enjoy the sun — it’s not your enemy!

NATURAL HEALTH: Enjoy the sun — it’s not your enemy!


Catherine Stack, RN, DO
May 16, 2011

NATURAL HEALTH: Enjoy the sun — it’s not your enemy!
By Catherine Stack
Niagara Gazette The Niagara Gazette Mon May 16, 2011, 12:48 PM EDT

Column by Catherine Stack — Living in Western New York is a bit challenging when the long winters lead into a chilly, dreary spring. It is no wonder that our Vitamin D levels are exceptionally low and our cancer rates are exceedingly high.

Warm, sunny days are just around the corner and if you are anything like me, you will want to spend every possible minute outside. Will I avoid the sun because I think it causes cancer? Absolutely not! Will I slather my skin with brand named SPF 50? Absolutely never! Believe it or not, growing up near the ocean and spending many summer days on the beach actually decreased my risk for skin cancer.

Yes, I do need to protect my sun-deprived skin from burning when I travel to the Caribbean during the winter months. Burning will accelerate the aging process and I do not need or want any help in that department. During the summer months, sunscreen is only applied if I will be out all day.

It is now common knowledge that adequate Vitamin D3 levels protect you against at least 22 different types of cancers including breast, colon and prostate cancer. You want your levels above between 55-100ng/ml to protect yourself so supplementation is necessary. Up to 2000iu daily will not raise a low level — you need more. Sun exposure is Mother Nature’s natural resource for Vitamin D — and to our detriment, we have become well versed in hiding from it. We have been bombarded with scare tactics that would lead us to think sunshine is unhealthy and even causes cancer. There is nothing further from the truth.

A lack of sunshine has been linked to depression, bone loss, heart disease, cancer, multiple sclerosis and more. Does being outside on a sunny day lift your spirits? Sure it does. Your body needs sunlight the same way it needs essential nutrients to optimize health.

Has anyone noticed the incidence of skin cancer has dramatically increased since we have been slathering on sunscreen and hiding from the sun? Melanoma (the deadly skin cancer) rates have risen 1,800 percent since our grandparent’s generation. Most individuals I know who have been diagnosed with melanoma have never been sun worshipers or had jobs that kept them outdoors. Those working outdoors have the lowest risk of this deadly form of skin cancer.

There are actually three kinds of skin cancer. Basil cell and squamous cell carcinomas are more commonly seen with frequent sun exposure over many years but are rarely fatal with early detection. The sun is a contributing factor but it is the internal environment that makes you likely or unlikely to be a candidate for cancer. Melanoma is a deadly form of skin cancer. If melanoma rates were associated with sun exposure, we would see higher rates in sunny climates — but the opposite is actually true.

A cumulative overview of all the published research was reported in the International Journal of Cancer. The report reveals people with “heavy occupational exposure” to the sun have a significantly lower risk of melanoma.

As summer approaches, daily exposure to the sun in small to moderate quantities will actually improve your health and your mood. Enjoy this time of the year and don’t hide from the sun — it is one of my favorite supplements.

Catherine Stack is a doctor of naturopathy and certified nurse midwife. Her practice is located at Journey II Health in Niagara Falls. She can be reached at 298-8603 or at her website at journeyiihealth.com.

A Must-Read Book: The Sunlight Solution

Wednesday, April 27, 2011 | posted in: Headline Story
What’s the most under-rated book on vitamin D produced from the sun?

“The Sunlight Solution” is written by a medical historian who chastises those who continue to cling to sun-phobic behavior that so clearly is denying our bodies the benefits that nature intended. Laurie Winn Carlson — a regular indoor tanning client in sun-deprived Oregon — is an adjunct assistant professor of history at Western Oregon University and the author of 20 books. Her own experience with vitamin D deficiency led her to pen this book, which is available through most booksellers.

Her main point: Sunlight is a vital component of good health. Like plants that thrive in the sun, we humans too depend on sunlight, in our case for the production of vitamin D. In the past few decades, however, cultural trends have steered us away from sun exposure. From fear of the potential dangers of UV radiation and the heavy promotion of sunscreen products to artificial work and recreational environments centered on virtual reality, we are all spending much more time indoors and away from the sun. In THE SUNLIGHT SOLUTION: WHY MORE SUN EXPOSURE AND VITAMIN D ARE ESSENTIAL TO YOUR HEALTH (Prometheus Books, $19.98), Laurie Winn Carlson delves into benefits of sunlight and the consequences we would face without it.

In this informative overview of an often-neglected topic, Carlson examines the historical and cultural factors that have created our indoor lifestyles and the medical evidence that suggests we need to get out in the sun.

“The Sunlight Solution is a wealth of knowledge about the history of vitamin D,” says Bruce W. Hollis, Ph.D. Professor of Pediatrics, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Director of Pediatric Nutritional Sciences at the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston. He adds, “Even I, who have studied this topic my whole career, learned a significant amount about the history. Also, the practical knowledge in this text will aid in maintaining the health of the general public.”

Carlson begins by tracing the behavior patterns that have caused a shift indoors. She notes that it was common decades ago for children to spend hours playing outside. The lure of video games and computers has changed all that. Adults also live and work in the perpetual twilight of electric lighting. Though we feel comfortable, there is evidence that our bodies have not really adjusted to a lifestyle that is less than a century old. In fact, we may be suffering from the unnatural hours we work and sleep. The sun was once our wake up call. Now, alarm clocks determine the start of our days without any regard for daylight or nighttime darkness.

Dr. Michael F. Holick, of the Boston University School of Medicine says, “The reader will be enlightened by the historical perspective and how our sunphobic attitudes have resulted in this insidious vitamin D deficiency.”

The production of Vitamin D from sun exposure is crucial to maintaining the body’s calcium levels and is an important factor for building and repairing bones. Vitamin D is also necessary for regulating insulin, cell growth, and the immune system. Carlson explains the growing body of research that challenges government and health industry warnings against the dangers of sunlight by detailing the new benefits of Vitamin D and sun exposure scientists and researchers continue to find. An increased intake of vitamin D may help in preventing heart disease, obesity, and even cancers. There is also evidence of the sun’s beneficial effects on psychological disorders such as seasonal depression or difficulty sleeping. Carlson explains why vitamin D from supplements and nutrition sources is simply not enough to fulfill our health needs.

The public has been repeatedly warned about the potential dangers of tanning and UV rays. The heavy and mandatory sunscreen use that’s been promoted in recent years has affected how much beneficial sun exposure people receive when they are outdoors. Carlson discusses common misconceptions about the benefits of sunscreen and sun-avoidance. She argues for a more balanced approach to sun exposure, maintaining that although the risk of skin cancers should not be ignored, excessive avoidance of the sun can be just as risky to our health, if not more so.

Now more than ever we need to be concerned with the quality and quantity of sun exposure that we can get. Because of pollutants and changing weather patterns, fewer of the sun’s rays are reaching us. The world is literally becoming a darker place. In areas of high pollution, particles in the air absorb or deflect the sun’s rays, keeping them from reaching the surface of the Earth. Those rays that do reach us have been decreasing in radiation strength. The environmental affect of solar dimming on plant life, animals, and humans is a growing area of research.

The Sunlight Solution provides information for people to begin incorporating the sun and its vitamin D into a healthy lifestyle. Carlson includes ways for individuals to measure their ideal level of sun exposure. She explains on a cellular level how the body creates its own vitamin D from UV light and the multiple ways it is used. The digestive process of absorbing and activating vitamin D from foods and supplements is also discussed.

Part history, part prescription, and part environmental warning, The Sunlight Solution is an essential look at our vital relationship with the sun.

At Harvard Forum, experts debate how much vitamin D is enough

At Harvard Forum, experts debate how much vitamin D is enough

Posted March 29, 2011, 4:15 pm
P.J. Skerrett, Editor, Harvard Heart Letter
How much vitamin D is enough, and what’s the best way to get your daily dose of the so-called sunshine vitamin? It depends who you ask.

I just attended the latest Forum at the Harvard School of Public Health. The title, “Boosting Vitamin D: Not Enough or Too Much?” was a tip-off that we weren’t going to get a simple take-home message. (Watch a video of the event beginning Wednesday, March 30.)

Some background: Vitamin D isn’t really a vitamin. It’s a hormone. The body makes it when sunlight strikes the skin. This converts a cousin of cholesterol into a substance that ultimately becomes vitamin D. It is best known for helping the digestive system absorb calcium and phosphorus, so it is important for bone health. New research suggests—emphasis on suggests—that vitamin D may also be involved with regulating blood pressure, fighting cancer, and improving the immune system.

In November 2010, a panel of experts assembled by the Institute of Medicine presented its recommendation for vitamin D: 600 international units (IU) for everyone aged 1 to 70, and 800 IU for those over age 70. This was a substantial boost from the previous recommendation of 400 IU. JoAnn E. Manson, an IOM panelist, told the Forum that the new recommendations would help make sure that an estimated 97.5% of Americans were getting enough vitamin D to keep bones healthy.

Walter C. Willett and Bess Dawson-Hughes challenged that coverage, saying that the IOM’s recommendations would leave millions of people with too little vitamin D in circulation. It’s a valid concern, since a growing number of Americans don’t, or can’t, get enough vitamin D from the sun. People prone to having too little vitamin D in circulation include those who:

•are dark skinned
•are obese
•don’t get outside
•wear sunscreen or protective clothing
•have digestive problems like celiac sprue or inflammatory bowel disease, which make it difficult to absorb vitamin D.
Willett and Dawson-Hughes say the evidence from large follow-up studies shows that taking higher amounts of vitamin D is safe and will help prevent disease.

All of the talk focused on taking vitamin D pills or fortifying food with it, not about getting it the way humans have for millions of years—from the sun. It’s a hot-button issue, since too much exposure to the sun can cause skin cancer.

So here’s my take from the Forum: If you’re between the ages of 1 and 70, get at least 600 IU of vitamin D a day, or at least 800 if you’re over 70. Food is the best way to get most vitamins, but not vitamin D. Only a few foods—salmon, tuna, sardines, milk, and fortified cereals—can give you more than 100 IU per serving. Supplements are the simplest, safest way to get vitamin D.

Being of sound mind and body, and responsible for my actions only, I also get my vitamin D the old-fashioned way. It’s a sunny afternoon, and I’m going out for a walk

NCI Admits ‘Sun Scare’ Lacks Proof

The U.S. National Cancer Institute — in bold type on an a section added to its web site in June 2010 — admits that there is no evidence that avoiding sunlight or sunbeds actually decreases the risk of skin cancer.

“It is not known if protecting skin from sunlight and other UV radiation decreases the risk of skin cancer,” the NCI writes in an advisory titled “Skin Cancer Prevention.” The article continues, “Sunscreen may help decrease the amount of UV radiation to the skin. One study found that wearing sunscreen can help prevent actinic keratoses, scaly patches of skin that may become squamous cell carcinoma. However, the use of sunscreen has not been proven to lower the risk of melanoma skin cancer.”

The NCI couches its recommendations about sun exposure and UV light with the words “may” and “suggest” — showing that the agency and others continue to blur the line in public health recommendations, encouraging people to avoid UV and mid-day sun even though they do not have cause-and-effect evidence to say that UV “will” cause skin cancer.

“Being exposed to ultraviolet radiation is a risk factor that may increase the risk of skin cancer,” the agency writes in the same advisory. “Studies suggest that being exposed to ultraviolet (UV) radiation and the sensitivity of a person’s skin to UV radiation are risk factors for skin cancer.”

What’s it mean?

“The difference between advising people to avoid sunburn based on what studies suggest and blurring the line to still make it appear that any and all UV exposure is harmful — when evidence does not support that statement — is the wrong way to approach this” Smart Tan Vice President Joseph Levy says. “You keep reading items like this from so many agencies and the inferences all seem to point in the same direction, benefiting the $6 billion chemical sunscreen pharmaceutical market. Still, this article is quite clear: Dermatology leaders need to stop saying point blank that avoiding sun will decrease the risk of cancer. The government does not support that claim.”

To read the NCI advisory click here.

Source: www.smarttan.com

Vitamin D may lower melanoma risk in women with history of skin cancer

http://www.privatemdlabs.com/blood-testing-news/Vitamin_D_Deficiency-Diagnosis_and_Treatment_/Vitamin-D-may-lower-melanoma-risk-in-women-with-history-of-skin-cancer---$800412799.php


Vitamin D may lower melanoma risk in women with history of skin cancer
Updated: 2011-02-17 13:44:50 CST Category: Vitamin D Deficiency-Diagnosis and Treatment

For women who have had certain types of skin cancer, vitamin D testing may help predict their future risk of developing melanoma, according to a new report for the Institute of Medicine.

Researchers found that postmenopausal women who had previously had non-melanoma skin cancer who took vitamin D and calcium supplements for a period of seven years were 50 percent less likely to develop melanoma than women who did not take supplements. Additionally, women who had the lowest vitamin D test results were five times more likely to develop melanoma during the study period.

The researchers said that it is too early to say that the type of skin cancer and vitamin D levels are definitely connected. However, the association between the two matters is interesting and should warrant further investigation.

Currently, the U.S. Office of Dietary Supplementation recommends that adult women get between 400 and 600 international units of vitamin D every day. The nutrient is produced naturally in the skin following sun exposure but can also be found in fish, mushrooms and nutritional supplements.

Study Finds Vitamin D Decreases Swine Flu Death Risk

By Ronnie Koenig Jan 10th 2011 1:04PM

Categories: News

Vitamin D, which plays a key role in healthy bone development, may also decrease the risk of dying from H1N1 swine flu, a study finds.

The vitamin appeared to especially benefit people in high risk groups, including people who are obese. Obesity increases the risk of dying from viral diseases. Last year's H1N1 pandemic was especially deadly for pregnant women and people who were obese, according to health officials.

But a report, which will be published in the February 1 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases found that vitamin D can help cut mortality rates.

The study, conducted by Janice Louie of the California Department of Public Health in Richmond, Calif., looked at 500 obese patients with a body mass index of 40 or more. It was found that these patients were three times more likely to die from viruses, like the flu, than people with a healthy BMI.

Dr. Rebecca S. Boxer, a geriatrician at University Hospitals Case Medical Center, says that vitamin D is important to the health of the immune system on a cellular level.

"Vitamin D also has a relationship to inflammation and obese patients may already have a degree of inflammation," she told AOL Health. "One way to understand this is that the volume of distribution of vitamin D might be greater for obese people. Vitamin D is fat-soluble. So the bigger you are, the more you need for it to show up at adequate levels in your blood. It spreads throughout the fat tissue and less of it is in your blood. So it can be difficult to find obese patients with enough vitamin D because it's sinking into their fat tissue."

Boxer says that there has been a lot of interest in vitamin D in relation to general health and well-being but that studies have not yet shown a direct cause and effect when it comes to the swine flu. "People are getting bigger, which can contribute to lower vitamin D levels. Also people do not get enough sun exposure," she said.

Eating foods high in vitamin D, such as fatty fish, including wild salmon, is a good way to maintain healthy levels of this vitamin, Boxer said.

"Everyone should be getting their levels checked," said. "If anything, we know that it can help keep bones healthy. We can't say that it will prevent the swine flu, but it's important to make sure you're getting enough.