HEALTH BEAT 1-1-1998

Meetings & Conventions: Short Cuts January 1998
January 1998
Short Cuts:
HEALTH BEAT

GET BACK IN THE SUN. What's worse: skin cancer or breast cancer? That's a question medical professionals are now pondering, in light of eye-opening evidence linking sun avoidance -- long-recommended to prevent skin cancer -- to more serious forms of the dreaded disease.

Now that the public has been conditioned to shun the sun and slather on the sunscreen, several convincing studies have related these actions to vitamin D deficiency, which has been linked to increased risks of colon cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, ovarian cancer, osteoporosis and hip fractures, according to an online report in International Health News (vvv.com/healthnews/).

The latest advice: "Regular, prudent, unprotected exposure to sunlight is the most effective way of maintaining an adequate vitamin D status," reads the article. During the winter months, elderly people and those who spend most of their time indoors are encouraged to take vitamin D supplements of 400 to 800 IU per day. *