Vit D & cacer colon

Vit D& Cnacer Colon

Researchers have found that patients with colon cancer who were among the top 25% in levels of vitamin D before being diagnosed were less likely to die during the study period than those who were among the 25% with the lowest levels of the vitamin

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"Our data suggest that higher prediagnosis ... levels of [vitamin D] after a diagnosis of colorectal cancer may significantly improve overall survival," .

Previous research published this year linked higher levels of vitamin D to a reduced risk of colorectal cancer, but the vitamin's effect onCANCER survival wasn't known at that time.

The body makes vitamin D after the skin absorbs some of the sun's rays. You can also get vitamin D by eating or drinking fortified foods and beverages, such as milk, cereals, and certain brands of orange juice

The study researchers say it's too early to recommend vitamin D supplements to patients with colon cancer, but they encourage future trials to see if such treatment might be beneficial.

A study examining vitamin D supplementation in combination with post-surgery chemotherapy is being discussed.

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thanx....

The study appears in the June 20 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology

Eye Protein Could help Against MS

naturally occurring protein called alphaB-crystallin may help protect against multiple sclerosis-related nerve cell damage and symptoms

The protein is found primarily in the lens of the eye.
It's not normally found in the brain, but develops in response to injuries inflicted on nerve cells by multiple sclerosis (MS).

The body's immune system considers expression of the protein in the brain a danger signal and attacks it
But in tests on mice with an MS-like disease, the researchers found that alphaB-crystallin helped reduce MS-related symptoms such as inflammation and reduced MS-related cell death. When the protein was injected into the mice, it helped reverse their paralysis

The protein restored order by suppressing the cellular processes causing the damage the mechanism is similar to the process used in allergy shots, when a person with an allergy gets an injection of the protein that is causing problems for the body, so it can learn to ignore it.

If the results achieved using alphaB-crystallin in mice can be duplicated in humans, the protein may someday be used to treat MS

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SOURCE: Stanford University, news release, June 13, 2007