Sun Exposure, Vitamin D Can Affect Breakdown of Medicines

May 2, 2011 | by

Genetic variation has been though to be responsible for the differences between people to metabolize certain drugs. The results of a recent study from the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden suggest that it may be even more complicated. Swedish reserchers have found that the body’s ability to break down medicines may be closely related to sunlight exposure and vitamin D, and thus may vary with the seasons. The study, published in the journal Drug Metabolism & Disposition, offers a completely new model to explain individual differences in the effects of drugs [1].

Sunlight can influence the breakdown of medicines in the body

Irreversible Gene Expression Changes From Smoking

September 4, 2007 | by

Recent research published in the online open journal BMC Genomics shows that smoking leads to changes in gene expression, some of which are reversible and some of which are permanent. Genes that are irreversibly changed may help to explain why former smokers, even after 10 years of not smoking, are still more susceptible to lung cancer than those who have never smoked.