Vitamin D Deficency May Cause Lung Cancer

Scientists from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, United States (US) said low levels of Vitamin D were associated with an increased risk of a disease that causes lung inflammation and scarring.

To this end, an Associate Director of Preventive Cardiology at the Johns Hopkins University’s Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Dr. Erin Michos said that adequate levels of Vitamin D may be important for lung health.

According to the findings of a new study published in the ‘Journal of Nutrition’, lower than normal blood levels of vitamin D were associated with an increased risk of early signs of interstitial lung disease (ILD).

Michos, who is study leader said: “We might now consider adding vitamin D deficiency to the list of factors involved in disease processes, along with the known ILD risk factors such as environmental toxins and smoking.”

Interstitial lung disease may be caused by long-term exposure to hazardous materials, such as asbestos or coal dust, or it can be caused by an auto-immune disease such as rheumatoid arthritis. Once lung scarring occurs, it’s generally irreversible.

Symptoms include a dry cough. Shortness of breath can occur either at rest or after exertion and treatment depends on the underlying cause but often includes steroids.

 The researchers reviewed medical data collected on more than 6,000 adults over 10 years.

Michos said: “We knew that the activated Vitamin D hormone has anti-inflammatory properties and helps regulate the immune system, which goes awry in ILD.”
According to him, there was also evidence in the literature that vitamin D plays a role in obstructive lung diseases such as asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), and we now found that the association exists with this scarring form of lung disease, too.”

COPD is an umbrella term used to describe progressive lung diseases including emphysema, chronic bronchitis, and refractory (non-reversible) asthma. This disease is characterised by increasing breathlessness.

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High Salt Intake Could Lead To Early Death : Researchers

Eating foods that are high in salt is known to contribute to high blood pressure ; and now, new findings has  shown that it is linked to increased risk of cardiovascular disease and death. According to a new study published in the ‘International Journal of Epidemiology,’ there is a direct linear relationship between increased sodium chloride (salt) intake and increased risk of death.
Researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston (BWH), United States (US) and their colleagues carried out the study. Too much sodium consumption can increase blood pressure and cause the body to hold onto fluid. On its part, high blood pressure (hypertension) is a major risk factor for heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular problems.
Cardiovascular disease generally refers to conditions that involve narrowed or blocked blood vessels that can lead to a heart attack, chest pain (angina) or stroke. Other heart conditions, such as those that affect the muscles of the heart, valves or rhythm, also are considered forms of heart disease.

Previous studies shows that high salt intake increases blood pressure, which could lead to heart disease, while high potassium intake could help relax blood vessels and excrete the sodium and decrease blood pressure. Although, it is hard to measure how much sodium a person has consumed, a biostatistician in the Department of Medicine at BWH. Nancy Cook, ScD, said the study team used multiple measures to get a more accurate picture of participants salt intake.

Sodium intake can be measured using a spot test to determine how much salt has been excreted in a person’s urine sample. However, sodium levels in urine can fluctuate throughout the day so an accurate measure of a person’s sodium intake on a given day requires a full 24-hour sample.
In addition, sodium consumption may change from day to day, meaning that the best way to get a full picture of sodium intake is to take samples on multiple days, the ‘science daily’ reported. According to the report, “The gold-standard method showed a direct linear relationship between increased sodium intake and increased risk of death.”
Similarly, “The team found that the Kawasaki formula suggested a J-shaped curve, which would imply that both low levels and high levels of sodium consumption were associated with increased mortality.”

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