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Discovering New Health Benefits Of Vitamin D

A sunny evening by the beach in Itacare, Brazil
A sunny evening by the beach in Itacare, Brazil
Walter Feldman and Cicero Galli Coimbra*

SAO PAULO — Vitamin D was named as such when it was first discovered in 1910, but it wasn't until two decades later that its real structure was identified. In fact, it is a steroid hormone. Even today, the use of the term "vitamin" is a source of debate among health professionals.

Vitamin D deficiency is no longer considered a nutrition problem but rather an endocrine system disorder. In practical terms, the production of sufficient quantities of this hormone depends on sun exposure, not on diet.

Still, the deficiency has become pandemic all over the globe due to a drastic change in lifestyles, with the progressive urbanization of populations even in tropical areas, where living in confined and air-conditioned spaces and using sunscreen have become commonplace.

Today, nine in 10 people on the planet have unsatisfactory levels of vitamin D.

Traditionally, vitamin D is known to be essential for the metabolism of calcium and for good bone and teeth health. But scientific advances have unveiled more health benefits, some of which are very surprising. For example, vitamin D is a powerful anti-cancer agent and strengthens the immune system.

Following these discoveries, there have been debates about the ideal dosage for prevention or treatments. The diversity of its positive functions on our bodies drew the ironic and misguided reaction that a "vitamin" can be a panacea, capable of curing or preventing every ill. That said, prolific studies demonstrate that its benefits are myriad and very real.


[rebelmouse-image 27088041 alt=""Sunbathing" original_size="4368x2912" expand=1]

Sunbathing on a beach in Croatia — Photo: Alex Proimos

Thousands of scientific articles cite vitamin D deficiency as either a cause or a risk factor for about 100 disorders, including 17 types of cancer, hypertension, diabetes and autoimmune diseases, as well as cardiovascular and infectious diseases. Now with the Internet, never has misinformation had such short legs.

Our attachment to the basic principles of medical practice (first, do no harm, and second, always act in the patient's best interest) led us to use an innovative therapy, consisting of high doses of vitamin D under close supervision. As a result, a large majority of our patients carrying such diseases as multiple sclerosis can return to normal or almost normal lives, depending on the consequences of the disease prior to the treatment.

There is nothing as rewarding for somebody who has been defending these hypotheses. No pseudo-scientific arguments can argue with the facts.

*Walter Feldman is a doctor and former Brazilian Parliament member. Cicero Galli Coimbra is a neurologist and professor at the University of São Paulo.

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FOCUS: Russia-Ukraine War

That Man In Mariupol: Is Putin Using A Body Double To Avoid Public Appearances?

Putin really is meeting with Xi in Moscow — we know that. But there are credible experts saying that the person who showed up in Mariupol the day before was someone else — the latest report that the Russian president uses a doppelganger for meetings and appearances.

screen grab of Putin in a dark down jacket

During the visit to Mariupol, the Presidential office only released screen grabs of a video

Russian President Press Office/TASS via ZUMA
Anna Akage

Have no doubt, the Vladimir Putin we’re seeing alongside Xi Jinping this week is the real Vladimir Putin. But it’s a question that is being asked after a range of credible experts have accused the Russian president of sending a body double for a high-profile visit this past weekend in the occupied Ukrainian city of Mariupol.

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Reports and conspiracy theories have circulated in the past about the Russian leader using a stand-in because of health or security issues. But the reaction to the Kremlin leader's trip to Mariupol is the first time that multiple credible sources — including those who’ve spent time with him in the past — have cast doubt on the identity of the man who showed up in the southeastern Ukrainian city that Russia took over last spring after a months-long siege.

Russian opposition politician Gennady Gudkov is among those who confidently claim that a Putin look-alike, or rather one of his look-alikes, was in the Ukrainian city.

"Now that there is a war going on, I don't rule out the possibility that someone strongly resembling or disguised as Putin is playing his role," Gudkov said.

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