Protect Your Kidneys with This Pill
The reasons to get your daily dose of the sunshine vitamin just keep piling up. The newest? Kidney protection.
In a study, men who worked outdoors regularly -- and got the most sun -- were 24 to 38 percent less likely to develop renal cell cancer compared with men who got the least sunshine. Experts suspect the link is vitamin D, available in pill or solar-made form.
The Powers of D
Vitamin D is produced in your skin after just 10 to 20 minutes of sun exposure. And researchers suspect D discourages cancer in at least three ways. It inhibits the birth of new cancer cells, it encourages existing "rogue" cells to kill themselves off, and it slows the growth of blood vessels that feed growing tumors. And there's growing evidence that the vitamin protects against more than one type of cancer.
(Here's why D is the "it" vitamin for antiaging.)
Supplemental Decision
But should you take a D supplement or hope for the best between your diet and the sun? Truth is, if you're relying on sunshine and your diet, you're probably deficient. Thanks to the growing use of sunscreen, weak winter sun, sedentary habits that keep us indoors, sun-filtering clothing, flat-out sun avoidance, and a short list of foods that are rich in D, about 75 percent of people don't get enough. To make up for it, the YOU Docs recommend taking 1,000 international units (IU) of D a day -- 1,200 IU if you're over age 60. (Find out what foods are rich in vitamin D.)
Want more ways to baby your kidneys? Try these strategies on for size:
In a study, men who worked outdoors regularly -- and got the most sun -- were 24 to 38 percent less likely to develop renal cell cancer compared with men who got the least sunshine. Experts suspect the link is vitamin D, available in pill or solar-made form.
The Powers of D
Vitamin D is produced in your skin after just 10 to 20 minutes of sun exposure. And researchers suspect D discourages cancer in at least three ways. It inhibits the birth of new cancer cells, it encourages existing "rogue" cells to kill themselves off, and it slows the growth of blood vessels that feed growing tumors. And there's growing evidence that the vitamin protects against more than one type of cancer.
(Here's why D is the "it" vitamin for antiaging.)
Supplemental Decision
But should you take a D supplement or hope for the best between your diet and the sun? Truth is, if you're relying on sunshine and your diet, you're probably deficient. Thanks to the growing use of sunscreen, weak winter sun, sedentary habits that keep us indoors, sun-filtering clothing, flat-out sun avoidance, and a short list of foods that are rich in D, about 75 percent of people don't get enough. To make up for it, the YOU Docs recommend taking 1,000 international units (IU) of D a day -- 1,200 IU if you're over age 60. (Find out what foods are rich in vitamin D.)
Want more ways to baby your kidneys? Try these strategies on for size:
- Put fish on your plate. Here's why it keeps your kidneys in the pink.
- Put a banana in your mouth. Discover the banana mineral that helps kidneys siphon sodium from your bloodstream.
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