Vitamin D lets the sun shine on Alaskans

Vitamin D lets the sun shine on Alaskans


• Rep. Seaton pushing legislation to help with Alaskan’s severe D deficiencies

By Alida Dunning

Homer Tribune



Most Alaskans may be vitamin D deficient, a problem Rep. Paul Seaton wants to highlight in a new statewide health policy that concentrates on disease prevention instead of treatment.

Vitamin D is important for prevention of bone diseases, diabetes and other maladies.

Recent studies at the University of California, San Diego found daily intake of 1,000 International Units of vitamin D appears to lower the risk of developing certain cancers – including breast, bladder and colon cancer – by up to 50 percent. Research predicts 75 percent of deaths from these cancers could be prevented with adequate intake of vitamin D and calcium.

A goal of Seaton’s work as the Alaska Legislature starts back up this month is work on legislation to get preventive treatment recognized by insurance companies and Medicaid.

“I’ve been talking to the Health and Social Services Committee chairman and we will be scheduling a hearing. I will be introducing a resolution encouraging a change from a treatment model to a prevention model,” Seaton said.

He believes encouraging appropriate levels of the nutrient could have a strong impact in preventing and treating several illnesses, including bone and muscle health in older adults, type I diabetes and respiratory illness in children.

“There has been data coming through showing that the survival rate after treatment for breast cancer is much higher with adequate levels of vitamin D. However, I feel that early screening for vitamin D levels in the blood is better than waiting until a problem develops,” Seaton said. “I’m attempting to move the state in the direction of keeping the people healthy.”

According to Patricia Cue, the nutrition services manager and clinical dietitian at South Peninsula Hospital, vitamin D is synthesized using cholesterol in the skin and ultraviolet light from the sun.

“The Institute of Medicine recommends 400-600 units of vitamin D daily for adults, although this may be inappropriately low. The Council for Responsible Nutrition has published a peer reviewed journal that 10,000 IU vitamin D per day is safe,” Cue said.

Alaskans are in the right spot for a high-vitamin D source of food. In 2007, researchers at Boston University Medical Center found that wild salmon contains 988 IU per 3.5 oz serving, compared to farmed salmon at 245 IU. The only one testing higher was cod liver oil, at 1,360 IU’s per tablespoon. But exposure to sunlight or taking supplements is far more likely than food to provide adequate vitamin D.

The D deficiency in Alaskans has Seaton concerned that a simple remedy like its use is important to publicize. He saw a University of California Satellite T. V. program on the Second International Conference on Vitamin D.

“I saw that we could have a significant impact on quality of life if we focused on disease prevention rather than just treatment. I began following research based on studies showing which segment of the population gets bladder and colon cancer. The studies examining the portion of the population low in vitamin D versus those having adequate amounts indicated we could prevent 50 percent of cancer,” Seaton said.

Alaska’s high rates of suicide, domestic violence and alcoholism could be related to Seasonal Affective Disorder, he added.

Seaton referred to a study by F. Michael Gloth, in which subjects given 100,000 IU at the start of the trial showed much more improvement a month later than those exposed to full spectrum light two feet away for two hours per day.

“Studies show that 80-90 percent of Alaskans have vitamin D deficiency, especially in winter. Studies in the upper Canadian coast among the Inupiat people showed that blood levels of vitamin D for people eating a traditional native diet were nowhere near as low as people eating a western diet,” said Seaton,

“When people see the data showing how much more vitamin D is in wild salmon than farmed salmon people will pick up those threads. Most people are not eating enough salmon to maintain preventative levels of vitamin D in the blood,” he said.

For seven months in Alaska, the sun is too low on the horizon for skin to produce vitamin D, although other factors reduce the exposure even more. “A lot of places in Southeast have a lot of cloud cover. The micro-climate around where people live drastically influences the amount of UVB you get,” he notes.

Studies between Fairbanks and Ketchikan all show severe insufficiency of vitamin D.

“You’d think because of the lower latitude that Ketchikan would do better than Fairbanks, but the deficiencies there were actually more severe,” Seaton said.

People who can’t afford a visit to the tropics have another option – indoor tanning.

Debbie Seymour, owner of Tan-It-All tanning salon on Pioneer Drive, sees the benefits among her customers. People can get vitamin D by using a tanning bed.

“People come in, not just to tan, but for the light exposure. You can see the mood change. I have a lot of articles and information posted on the walls here at the salon and have many studies available so people can learn more,” Seymour said.

“One person came in because his employees insisted, so he wouldn’t be so grumpy in the winter. People come in who say their doctor recommended they come to help with their psoriasis, eczema or SAD. Word is getting out about cancer prevention,” said Seymour.

Seymour promotes moderation at her tanning salon, and has set limits on how often her clients can visit. “Moderation is important. We don’t live in Mexico, we don’t need to look chocolate brown,” she said.



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Posted by Newsroom on Jan 5th, 2011 and filed under More News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response by filling out the following comment form, or trackback to this entry from your site. Please read the comment policy before commenting.