I learned something new about vitamin D deficiency today. Apparently, people who undergo gastric bypass surgery—a procedure that makes the stomach smaller and allows food to bypass part of the small intestine—are commonly found to be vitamin D deficient because their bodies have a difficult time absorbing vitamins post-surgery. Here’s the excerpt from the article in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette:

Eight years ago, Lauren Hill began having sharp pain in her feet. Her doctor said a lack of calcium had weakened her bones and led her to have stress fractures in two major foot bones.

“My feet hurt so bad,” recalls Hill, who spends a lot of time on her feet as manager of the bariatric program at Baptist Health Medical Center-Little Rock.

Hill was diagnosed as vitamin D deficient about a decade after having gastric bypass surgery. She was directed to wear an orthopedicboot to allow her foot to heal and to take more vitamin D.

“Back then we didn’t know to look for vitamin D,” she says.

Today, Baptist Health tests vitamin D levels in all gastric bypass patients. Many patients whohave the surgery are found to be vitamin D deficient because their bodies have a difficult time absorbing vitamins, Hill says. People with less than 30 nanograms per millimeter of vitamin D are considered deficient. However, part of the problem with addressing vitamin D deficiency is that it isn’t routinely measured, so many people don’t know they’re deficient.

The rest of the Gazette article went on to cover the debate regarding vitamin D deficiency and sun exposure. Click here to read it.

~Danielle

There is a rumor circulating that Original Dr. Müller is calling it a day—but here's the real scoop: it has been acquired. Netherlands-based Zonnepark Holding BV has acquired Original Dr. Müller from the German company, AUVL Gmbh.

Original Dr. Müller will become a full member of the Zonnepark group, which currently oversees the production and distribution of Ultrasun, Gardasun, Sunfit and Stayl equipment in 55 countries.

By joining the Zonnepark group, Original Dr. Müller and its customers will enjoy the benefits of Zonnepark’s centralized production facilities in Germany, global leadership and worldwide partnerships in the professional tanning market.

~Judie

I’m sure most of you have read—or read about—the recent article in The Boston Globe involving Kelli Pedroia. The wife of Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia, Kelli recently joined the Melanoma Foundation of New England as a volunteer spokeswoman to warn teens about the dangers of tanning. (Click here to read the full article.)

When I first read this article, I shook my head—it was the same old story: I was diagnosed with melanoma and indoor tanning is to blame. However, Kelli doesn’t seem to have acknowledged what effect her actions, while tanning both indoors and outdoors, may have had on her melanoma diagnosis. That is why I was glad to see the comment, “Seek Shade, Not A Kibosh On Salon Industry,” posted by Francie Hauck, president of Boston-based Perfect Tan, Inc., in response to the article. Here is what she had to say:

While we can appreciate Kelli Pedroia's enthusiasm to educate teens about the dangers of developing melanoma, her crusade against indoor tanning is misplaced ("A Light Went Off," Living/ Arts, April 29). The wife of Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia, Kelli admits she tanned illegally in salons when she was underage, and that "my mother and I would just fry ourselves with tanning oil and no sunscreen."

It is this kind of irresponsible behavior that we members of the tanning industry also find self-destructive. Controlled indoor tanning with moderate use has not been proven to be a cause of melanoma.

When Pedroia was getting burned at her chosen tanning parlor, she should have reported the problem and avoided any repeated burning. Responsible indoor tanning is exactly that—responsible—in spite of what the MelanomaFoundation of New England implies.

Tanning salons are heavily regulated at both federal and state levels to ensure safe UV exposure. Reputable salons are careful to follow these guidelines in order to provide a positive experience for their clients. The risk of severe sunburn is far greater on any sunny day at Fenway Park than in the controlled environment of a tanning salon.

Way to voice what so many of us in the industry were thinking!

~Danielle