With all the buzz about vitamin D, many people are confused about the importance of this vitamin in their lifestyles. To raise community awareness about vitamin D and its role in the lives of people with cancer and chronic disease, Centegra Health System will sponsor a program at McHenry County College from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 6.
To begin the program, Dr. Geoffrey Smoron, director of radiation oncology at the Centegra Sage Cancer Center, will present a general update on the county’s top cancers. Dr. Terrence Bugno, radiation oncologist at the center, will then present and discuss the impact of Vitamin D on cancer rates as well as present other news in integrative cancer care. Dr. Syed Zahir, independent oncologist on the medical staff at Centegra, will join these physicians for a question and answer session. To register for this event, call 877-CENTEGRA or go to Centegra.org.
“Many reports about vitamin D have had conflicting recommendations,” Bugno said. “Recommended daily allowance (RDA) values are for disease prevention, however we also aim to teach people about optimal levels of vitamin D so people can reap its complete benefits.”
Bugno said whole foods with intact nutritional value are always the best way to supply vitamins, however it would be virtually impossible to get enough vitamin D through foods alone. While most people in greater McHenry County are vitamin D deficient, people with cancer and chronic diseases have special vitamin D needs.
“Researchers have recognized a link between the oral intake of vitamin D and cancer rates since the 1970s, when there was a study that hypothesized that vitamin D and calcium are protective against cancer,” Bugno said. “The 19-year historical cohort study, which was in Chicago, revealed that people who had vitamin D and calcium intakes in the top 20 percent had half the colon cancer rates as those in the bottom 20 percent.”
Bugno also talks about the Chicago Blackhawks’ successes after players began vitamin D supplementation and cites a Centegra Health System study of the vitamin D levels of Associates, which showed that 43 percent of participants were below the recommended range for the vitamin and only 28 percent had optimal vitamin D levels.
“Vitamins are essential for metabolism, and most enter our bodies through our diets,” Bugno said. “Vitamin D is unique because it enters our bodies through sunshine. It acts both as a vitamin and as a hormone, and many people are not yet aware of its potential to help our bodies enjoy optimal health and wellness.”
