Another reason to live life on the D list

A new study indicates that a lack of vitamin D increases your risk of catching the flu or the common cold. You're probably saying to yourself: "Well, no kidding!" Those of you keeping score know that the list of the benefits of vitamin D is longer than your arm. You already know that vitamin D keeps bones strong, teeth healthy, and protects against colon cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, and multiple sclerosis… and that's just a few of its many miracles.

This study specifically looked at people who already have preexisting respiratory diseases like asthma or emphysema. Turns out asthma patients with low levels of D are five times more likely to develop respiratory infections.

The researchers examined data compiled in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey - in all about 19,000 American men and women. People in that study with low levels of vitamin D (less than 10 nanograms per milliliter of blood) were more likely to have experienced a respiratory infection than those with D levels over 30 nanograms.

The findings mesh with earlier studies showing that vitamin D supplementation may help patients that don't respond well to inhaled steroids (the typical asthma treatment) become more responsive to therapy.

Of course, the challenge for many seems to be how to get as much of this good stuff as we need - especially in the winter. And in the winter, sun exposure really relies on where you live. According to Sandon, "If you life north of Atlanta, in the middle of the winter it's hard to get enough vitamin D [from sunlight] even if you're out in the middle of the day."

So what's to be done to make sure you get enough D this winter? Eat plenty of eggs, fish, and dairy products to do it the dietary way. Or you can fortify your body with a daily dose of supplemental vitamin D - up to several thousand IU without worry. But most importantly, expose yourself to as much sunlight as you can: Take the grandkids sledding, go for a snowy hike in the woods behind the house - even just sitting for 15 or 20 minutes a day in front of a sun-soaked window is better than nothing.

Why you should skip your PSA

I only have one problem with the PSA (prostate-specific antigen) test that's used to screen for prostate cancer: it doesn't work.

This shot-in-the-dark screening has been responsible for more needless invasive surgeries (which led to cases of impotence, or incontinence) than it has been for saving lives. And now there's finally a study by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force that vindicates my feelings on this controversial test. In fact, the task force has urged doctors to stop using the test to screen men over the age of 75.

"For the overwhelming majority of men over the age of 75, discontinuing PSA screening is probably a very safe thing to do," said lead researcher Dr. H. Ballentine Carter from Johns Hopkins University.

The study was unable to find ANY cases of men over age 75 with PSA readings of less than 3 nanograms that have died from the disease. And roughly two thirds of men have PSA readings under 3 ng! Which means that when it comes to prostate cancer, the cure - heavy-duty radiation treatments and major surgery - is likely far worse than even the threat of the disease.