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The Independent
14-05-2025
- Health
- The Independent
The key to getting vitamin D in winter without using supplements
A new study has found the key to maintaining vitamin D levels in winter. Regular, moderate-intensity exercise helps maintain crucial vitamin D levels during the darker months – even without weight loss or supplements. Researchers discovered that overweight and obese adults who participated in a 10-week indoor exercise programme during the darker months experienced significantly less decline in vitamin D compared to a non-exercising control group. This effect was observed even though participants' weight was deliberately kept stable, demonstrating that the benefit stems from the exercise itself, rather than weight loss or supplementation. The key to getting vitamin D in winter without using supplements Exercise completely preserved the body's active form of vitamin D, which plays a key role in supporting bone health, the immune system, and various organs. Previous studies suggest that vitamin D supplements alone do not help maintain this active form. The small-scale study was led by academics from the University of Bath, University of Birmingham and University of Cambridge. Lead author Dr Oly Perkin, from the University of Bath, said: 'This is the first study to show that exercise alone can protect against the winter dip in vitamin D. 'It's a powerful reminder that we still have lots to learn about how exercise benefits our health.' People who exercised saw a smaller drop in their overall vitamin D levels over winter of around 15%, compared with a 25% drop in those who did not exercise. Those who exercised kept healthy levels of the active form of vitamin D, which helps support the immune system and bone health. In the non-exercising group, levels of this active form fell by 15%. Weight was kept stable throughout the study, proving the effect was due to exercise, not weight loss. To ensure sunlight did not skew results, the study ran between October and April – when natural vitamin D production from sunlight is minimal in this part of the UK – and participants were asked to avoid supplements. A previous study from the team showed that a single workout can briefly boost vitamin D levels, but this is the first to show that regular cardio exercise can maintain basal circulating vitamin D levels and offer lasting protection during the winter months. Principal investigator Professor Dylan Thompson, from the University of Bath, said: 'Collectively, the findings from the VitaDEx project show that exercise increases the concentrations of vitamin D metabolites each time you are active and, on top of this, doing regular activity helps to maintain your basal resting levels of vitamin D during winter. 'This means exercise gives you a double benefit to your vitamin D, first in and around each exercise bout, and second through changing your baseline levels.' The study offers compelling evidence that exercise could be an effective winter vitamin D strategy, especially for those who are overweight or obese for whom vitamin D supplements are less effective. Liam Kilawee, who took part in the study, said: 'I was impressed on how thorough the process was and how the team engaged with me during research period. 'The results were pleasing as I could see that my actions had a positive reaction.' – The study, Exercise without Weight Loss Prevents Seasonal Decline in Vitamin D Metabolites: The VitaDEx Randomised Controlled Trial, is published in the journal Advanced Science.
Daily Mail
06-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
The number of oral sex partners that can raise your chance of lethal cancer almost 10-fold, according to experts - are you at risk?
People who have had oral sex with six or more partners in their lifetime are almost 10-times more likely to get throat cancer, a medic has warned. Dr Hisham Mehanna, an expert in cancer at the University of Birmingham, said seven in 10 throat cancers are caused by human papillomavirus (HPV). This normally harmless virus spreads through sexual contact and has been linked to causing changes in cells that can become cancer. Writing for The Conversation Dr Mehanna said: 'Over the past two decades, there has been a rapid increase in throat cancer in the West, to the extent that some have called it an epidemic.' 'This has been due to a large rise in a specific type of throat cancer called oropharyngeal cancer.' Oropharyngeal cancer is the most common type of throat cancer, appearing in the tonsils and back of the throat. Medics consider HPV infection to be the biggest risk factor for developing the disease, outpacing other potential causes like smoking, alcohol and an unhealthy diet. Dr Mehanna explained: 'The prevailing theory is that most of us catch HPV infections and are able to clear them completely.' 'However, a small number of people are not able to get rid of the infection, maybe due to a defect in a particular aspect of their immune system. 'In those patients, the virus is able to replicate continuously, and over time can cause cells to become cancerous.' Dr Mehann added that those with multiple oral sex partners are at increased risk of cancer of the throat and mouth. 'For oropharyngeal cancer, the main risk factor is the number of lifetime sexual partners, especially oral sex,' he said. 'Those with six or more lifetime oral-sex partners are 8.5 times more likely to develop oropharyngeal cancer than those who do not practise oral sex.' In Britain, head and neck cancers — a category including throat cancer— are responsible for more than 12,000 cases of the disease and 4,000 deaths per year. In the US more than 50,000 cases of oral or oropharyngeal cancer are diagnosed each year, causing more than 10,000 annual deaths. But data suggests rates are on the rise. Official data show there were 3,834 new cases of oropharyngeal cancer in England in 2019, a 47 per cent increase since 2013. Separate data show rates of head and neck cancer have surged by more than a third in Britain — with the trend being driven partly by younger patients being diagnosed. Data from the charity Cancer Research UK (CRUK) show a 60 per cent rise in cases among women and a 34 per cent rise in men aged 25 to 49, between 1993 and 2019. CRUK estimates 73 per cent of oropharyngeal cancer cases in the UK are caused by HPV. HPV is a common virus spread through vaginal, anal and oral sex with someone who is already infected. Around eight in 10 people will carry HPV in their body at some point, with around a third of the population infected at any one time, research suggests. There are over 150 types of HPV, but only about 12 can cause cancer. HPV 16 and 18 are the most common high-risk strains that can cause oropharyngeal cancer. It isn't clear if oral sex performed on a woman is riskier in terms of HPV transmission than oral sex performed on a man. Research suggests the overwhelming majority of men (85.4 per cent) and women (83.2 per cent) perform oral sex during intimacy. A vaccine to protect against HPV is available and offered to children aged 12 to 13 in the UK. They are offered the vaccine at this age because the jab is considered to be most effective before someone becomes sexually active. However, it is still offered to older children if they missed out, as well as men who have sex with men as they are considered at greater risk of HPV. The HPV was later also offered to boys who have seen a similar decline in uptake But the latest data for England shows only about seven in 10 eligible children had the jab in the 2023 to 2024 academic year, a significant decline compared to previous years. This is despite research showing the roll-out of the jab helped cut cervical cancer rates among young women in Britain by 90 per cent. US research suggests the jab could also have help slash rates of head and neck cancers. A study involving 5million Americans found it halved rates of the disease in men. In 2013 Hollywood legend Michael Douglas revealed that his mouth cancer was caused by contracting HPV by performing oral sex. The Fatal Attraction and Basic Instinct star, now 79, who is married to Welsh actress Catherine Zeta-Jones, 54, was successfully treated and is still cancer free.
