Article Image

IPFS News Link • Health and Physical Fitness

High-dose vitamin D found to HEAL sunburns by activating skin repair genes…

• http://www.naturalnews.com

(Natural News) The list of Vitamin D's known health benefits continues to grow as scientists have now discovered it has the power to heal sunburned skin.

In a new trial out of Case Western Reserve University that is the first of its kind, 20 participants were given a sunburn on their inner arm using a UV lamp and were then administered either a placebo pill or one containing vitamin D in dosages that ranged from 50,000 to 200,000 international units (IU).

The researchers then followed up with the participants 24, 48, and 72 hours after the experiment, as well as one week later, to collect skin biopsies and conduct further testing. The researchers found that Vitamin D was able to significantly reduce the skin redness and swelling that are hallmarks of sunburn, and even more surprisingly, it also activated skin repair genes that promote healing. Among those participants in the study who took a Vitamin D supplement an hour after getting burned, their level of healing was correlated to their dosage of Vitamin D.

This healing is being attributed to Vitamin D's ability to boost the levels of the skin's anti-inflammatory enzyme known as arginase-1. Not only does arginase-1 boost tissue repair following damage, but it also activates other anti-inflammatory proteins. The double-blind, placebo-controlled study was published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology and is the first trial to demonstrate Vitamin D's strong anti-inflammatory benefits.

Results very promising, but more studies are needed

Researchers point out that the study involved very high Vitamin D doses that are far greater than the daily allowances; some volunteers took 200,000 IU of vitamin D versus the FDA's daily recommended allowance of 400 IU for adults. While they don't recommend that people take such high amounts to deal with a sunburn just yet, they say the results are promising and deserve further investigation.

They are also looking into how this might help to prevent skin cancer, which the CDC reports is the country's most common type of cancer.

This is just the latest triumph for this powerful vitamin, which has already been linked to many other important benefits. Research has found that sun exposure, which boosts your body's production of Vitamin D, can reduce a person's risk of dementia, cancer, macular degeneration, cardiovascular disease and multiple sclerosis. Higher levels of Vitamin D have also been linked to lower risk of several types of cancer.


Free Talk Live