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Vitamin D - Dr. Weil
"Vitamin D, often referred to as the "sunshine vitamin," is actually a fat-soluble hormone that the body can synthesize naturally. There are several forms, including two that are important to humans: D2 and D3. Vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) is synthesized by plants, and vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) is synthesized by humans when skin is exposed to ultraviolet-B (UVB) rays from sunlight. The active form of the vitamin is calcitriol, synthesized from either D2 or D3 in the kidneys. Vitamin D helps to maintain normal blood levels of calcium and phosphorus"
Vitamin D Deficiency Lead to Disease - Dr. Weil's Weekly Bulletin
"If you're running low on vitamin D - as an estimated 70 percent of the U.S. population is - your immune system may not be functioning as well as it should. As a result, you may be more vulnerable to infectious diseases than you would if your vitamin D levels were optimal. Worse, you could be at higher than normal risk of a long list of diseases including heart disease and several kinds of cancer. A report recently published journal, Future Microbiology, highlighted research at the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University, which has shown that vitamin D induces expression of an antimicrobial peptide gene called cathelicidin that is the "first line of defense" in the immune system's response to minor wounds, cuts and bacterial and viral infections. The regulation of cathelicidin by vitamin D could help explain its vital role in immune function. The report noted that vitamin D is a key cofactor in reducing inflammation, in blood pressure control and helping to protect against heart disease. Author Adrian Gombart explains that there is still much to explore about D's mechanisms of action, the potential use of synthetic analogs of it in new treatments, and its duty in fighting infection."
Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Levels Among US Children Aged 1 to 11 Years: Do Children Need More Vitamin D? - [Pediatrics. 2009] - PubMed result
Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Levels Among US Children Aged 1 to 11 Years: Do Children Need More Vitamin D?
Mansbach JM, Ginde AA, Camargo CA Jr.
Pediatrics. 2009 Nov;124(5):1404-1410.
PMID: 19951983
CONCLUSIONS: On the basis of a nationally representative sample of US children aged 1 to 11 years, millions of children may have suboptimal levels of 25(OH)D, especially non-Hispanic black and Hispanic children. More data in children are needed not only to understand better the health implications of specific serum levels of 25(OH)D but also to determine the appropriate vitamin D supplement requirements for children.
Hypovitaminosis D - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Hypovitaminosis D is a deficiency of Vitamin D. It can result from: inadequate intake coupled with inadequate sunlight exposure (in particular sunlight with adequate ultra violet B rays), disorders that limit its absorption, conditions that impair conversion of vitamin D into active metabolites, such as liver or kidney disorders, or, rarely, by a number of hereditary disorders.[1] Deficiency results in impaired bone mineralization, and leads to bone softening diseases, rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults, and contributes to osteoporosis.[1] Osteomalacia may also occur rarely as a side-effect of phenytoin use
Hypovitaminosis D is typically diagnosed by measuring the concentration in blood of the compound 25-hydroxyvitamin D (calcidiol), which is a precursor to the active form 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (calcitriol).[6] One recent review has proposed the following four categories for hypovitaminosis D:[7]
* Insufficient 50-100 nmol/L (20-40 ng/mL)
* Mild 25-50 nmol/L (10-20 ng/mL)
* Moderate 12.5-25.0 nmol/L (5-10 ng/mL)
* Severe < 12.5 nmol/L (< 5 ng/mL)
Note that 1.0 nmol/L = 0.4 ng/mL for this compound.[8] Other authors have suggested that a 25-hydroxyvitamin D level of 75-80 nmol/L (30-32 ng/mL) may be sufficient
Cooling Inflammation: Inflammation and Vitamin D Deficiency
"Let’s shine some sunlight on these knowledge deficiencies:
* Serum vitamin D levels have been dropping (as chronic inflammation has been increasing) over the last three decades -- has something changed in our diets?
* Vitamin D deficiencies occur globally (not restricted to Northern latitudes or winter) -- related to diet?
* Women are more vulnerable, because of cultural modesty in some countries, but males are still D-deficient.
* A subset of people exposed to ample sunshine are still D-deficient.
* Vitamin D deficient individuals also have elevated TNF.
* Vitamin D deficiency and inflammation are risk factors in the same diseases.
It seems that the simplest conclusion is that chronic inflammation leads to vitamin D deficiency, even though vitamin D deficiency may also contribute to inflammation."
Association of vitamin D deficiency with cognitive impairment in older women. Cross-sectional study -- Annweiler et al., 10.1212/WNL.0b013e3181beecd3 -- Neurology
Association of vitamin D deficiency with cognitive impairment in older women. Cross-sectional study.
Annweiler C, Schott AM, Allali G, Bridenbaugh SA, Kressig RW, Allain P, Herrmann FR, Beauchet O.
Neurology. 2009 Sep 30. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID: 19794127
doi:10.1212/WNL.0b013e3181beecd3
Conclusions: 25-Hydroxyvitamin D deficiency was associated with cognitive impairment in this cohort of community-dwelling older women.
Vitamin D deficiency is associated with worse cognitive performance and lower bone density in older African Americans. - [J Natl Med Assoc. 2009] - PubMed result
Vitamin D deficiency is associated with worse cognitive performance and lower bone density in older African Americans.
Wilkins CH, Birge SJ, Sheline YI, Morris JC.
J Natl Med Assoc. 2009 Apr;101(4):349-54.
PMID: 19397226
CONCLUSIONS: Vitamin D deficiency in older African Americans was associated with worse cognitive performance and lower BMD of the hip
Correlation of symptoms with vitamin D deficiency and symptom response to cholecalciferol treatment: a randomized controlled trial. - Endocr Pract. 2009 May-Jun;15(3):203-12. - AACE Online - Article
Correlation of symptoms with vitamin D deficiency and symptom response to cholecalciferol treatment: a randomized controlled trial.
Arvold DS, Odean MJ, Dornfeld MP, Regal RR, Arvold JG, Karwoski GC, Mast DJ, Sanford PB, Sjoberg RJ.
Endocr Pract. 2009 May-Jun;15(3):203-12.
PMID: 19364687
Conclusions: Compared with participants in the placebo group, patients in the treatment group showed mild short-term improvement in the overall fibromyalgia impact score, but did not show significant improvement in most musculoskeletal symptoms or in activities of daily living.
Arch Gen Psychiatry -- Depression Is Associated With Decreased 25-Hydroxyvitamin D and Increased Parathyroid Hormone Levels in Older Adults, May 2008, Hoogendijk et al. 65 (5): 508
Depression is associated with decreased 25-hydroxyvitamin D and increased parathyroid hormone levels in older adults.
Hoogendijk WJ, Lips P, Dik MG, Deeg DJ, Beekman AT, Penninx BW.
Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2008 May;65(5):508-12.
PMID: 18458202
Conclusion The results of this large population-based study show an association of depression status and severity with decreased serum 25(OH)D levels and increased serum PTH levels in older individuals.
Low vitamin D linked with CVD risk factors in teens - theheart.org
"March 18, 2009 | Marlene Busko
Palm Harbor, FL - In a large study of adolescents, low serum levels of 25-dihydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) strongly predicted prevalence of hypertension, hyperglycemia, and metabolic syndrome [1]. The findings were reported at the AHA 49th Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention.
Adolescents with vitamin-D levels in the lowest quartile were almost four times more likely to have metabolic syndrome than those with vitamin-D levels in the highest quartile. "I think that is quite alarming," lead author Dr Jared P Reis (Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD) said in an AHA podcast issued to the media."
Urgent action needed to improve vitamin D status among older people in England! - [Age Ageing. 2009] - PubMed result
Urgent action needed to improve vitamin D status among older people in England!
Hirani V, Tull K, Ali A, Mindell J.
Age Ageing. 2009 Nov 23. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID: 19934073
CONCLUSIONS: poor vitamin D status of older people continues to be a public health problem in England. Hypovitaminosis D is associated with many risk factors and poor health outcomes. There is now an urgent need for a uniform policy on assessment and dietary supplementation of vitamin D in older people to prevent poor vitamin D status and its negative consequences
Twice single doses of 100,000 IU of vitamin D in winter is adequate and safe for prevention of vitamin D deficiency in healthy children from Ushuaia, Tierra Del Fuego, Argentina - ScienceDirect - The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Twice single doses of 100,000 IU of vitamin D in winter is adequate and safe for prevention of vitamin D deficiency in healthy children from Ushuaia, Tierra Del Fuego, Argentina.
Tau C, Ciriani V, Scaiola E, Acuña M.
J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2007 Mar;103(3-5):651-4. Epub 2007 Jan 25.
PMID: 17257830
doi:10.1016/j.jsbmb.2006.12.027
These results disclosed that to prevent vitamin D deficiency for children at zones of risk at the south of our country, double supplementation of 100,000 IU of vitamin D during autumn and winter, would be adequate and safe.
Effects Of Vitamin D Deficiency Amplified By Shortage Of Estrogen
"Researchers at Johns Hopkins are reporting what is believed to be the first conclusive evidence in men that the long-term ill effects of vitamin D deficiency are amplified by lower levels of the key sex hormone estrogen, but not testosterone.
In a national study in 1010 men, to be presented Nov. 15 at the American Heart Association's (AHA) annual Scientific Sessions in Orlando, researchers say the new findings build on previous studies showing that deficiencies in vitamin D and low levels of estrogen, found naturally in differing amounts in men and women, were independent risk factors for hardened and narrowed arteries and weakened bones. Vitamin D is an essential part to keeping the body healthy, and can be obtained from fortified foods, such as milk and cereals, and by exposure to sunlight.
Lack of vitamin D may increase heart disease risk
"DALLAS, Jan. 8 — The same vitamin D deficiency that can result in weak bones now has been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, Framingham Heart Study researchers report in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
“Vitamin D deficiency is associated with increased cardiovascular risk, above and beyond established cardiovascular risk factors,” said Thomas J. Wang, M.D., assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Mass. “The higher risk associated with vitamin D deficiency was particularly evident among individuals with high blood pressure.”
In a study of 1,739 offspring from Framingham Heart Study participants (average age 59, all Caucasian), researchers found that those with blood levels of vitamin D below15 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) had twice the risk of a cardiovascular event such as a heart attack, heart failure or stroke in the next five years compared to those with higher levels of vitamin D."
Low vitamin D levels associated with several risk factors in teenagers
"• Low levels of vitamin D were associated with increased risk of high blood pressure, high blood sugar and metabolic syndrome in teenagers.
• The highest levels of vitamin D were found in whites, the lowest levels in blacks and intermediate levels in Mexican-Americans.
PALM HARBOR, Fla., March 11, 2009 — Low levels of vitamin D were associated with an increased risk of high blood pressure, high blood sugar and metabolic syndrome in teenagers, researchers reported at the American Heart Association’s 49th Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention."
Vitamin D Deficiency and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease -- Wang et al. 117 (4): 503 -- Circulation
Vitamin D deficiency and risk of cardiovascular disease.
Wang TJ, Pencina MJ, Booth SL, Jacques PF, Ingelsson E, Lanier K, Benjamin EJ, D'Agostino RB, Wolf M, Vasan RS.
Circulation. 2008 Jan 29;117(4):503-11. Epub 2008 Jan 7.
PMID: 18180395
doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.107.706127
Conclusions— Vitamin D deficiency is associated with incident cardiovascular disease. Further clinical and experimental studies may be warranted to determine whether correction of vitamin D deficiency could contribute to the prevention of cardiovascular disease.
Vitamin D Shows Heart Benefits in Study - Well Blog - NYTimes.com
"A new study suggests many Americans aren’t getting anywhere nearly enough of the vitamin, and it may be affecting their heart health.
In the study, researchers looked at tens of thousands of healthy adults 50 and older whose vitamin D levels had been measured during routine checkups. A majority, they found, were deficient in the vitamin. About two-thirds had less vitamin D in their bloodstreams than the authors considered healthy, and many were extremely deficient.
Less than two years later, the researchers found, those who had extremely low levels of the vitamin were almost twice as likely to have died or suffered a stroke than those with adequate amounts. They also had more coronary artery disease and were twice as likely to have developed heart failure.
The findings, which are being presented today at an American Heart Association conference in Orlando, don’t prove that lack of vitamin D causes heart disease; they only suggest a link between the two. "
Low Vitamin D Levels May Raise Heart Risk
"Study Shows Vitamin D Supplements May Be Useful in Preventing Heart Disease
Nov. 16, 2009 (Orlando, Fla.) -- Some men with low levels of vitamin D in their blood are at particularly high risk of developing heart disease and weakened bones that can lead to osteoporosis, researchers report.
In a study of more than 1,000 men, those with low levels of both vitamin D and the sex hormone estrogen were at significantly increased risk of having cardiovascular disease, says study head Erin Michos, MD, a cardiologist at Johns Hopkins.
"They were also at dramatically increased risk of osteopenia," or bone loss that can lead to osteoporosis, she says.
"Our results suggest that vitamin D supplements, which are already prescribed to treat osteoporosis, may also be useful in preventing heart disease," Michos tells WebMD.
Men with low levels of vitamin D and testosterone, on the other hand, were not at heightened risk for heart disease or osteopenia."
Prevalence of low serum vitamin D concentration in an urban population of elderly women in Poland. - [Pol Arch Med Wewn. 2009] - PubMed result
Prevalence of low serum vitamin D concentration in an urban population of elderly women in Poland.
Napiórkowska L, Budlewski T, Jakubas-Kwiatkowska W, Hamzy V, Gozdowski D, Franek E.
Pol Arch Med Wewn. 2009 Nov;119(11):699-703.
PMID: 19920793
CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of low vitamin D concentrations in an urban population of elderly women in Poland is very high. Lower vitamin D levels are associated with a higher PTH concentration
New study links vitamin D deficiency to cardiovascular disease and death
"Study finds inadequate levels of Vitamin D may significantly increase risk of stroke, heart disease and death
MURRAY, UT – While mothers have known that feeding their kids milk builds strong bones, a new study by researchers at the Heart Institute at Intermountain Medical Center in Salt Lake City suggests that Vitamin D contributes to a strong and healthy heart as well – and that inadequate levels of the vitamin may significantly increase a person's risk of stroke, heart disease, and death, even among people who've never had heart disease.
For more than a year, the Intermountain Medical Center research team followed 27,686 patients who were 50 years of age or older with no prior history of cardiovascular disease. The participants had their blood Vitamin D levels tested during routine clinical care. The patients were divided into three groups based on their Vitamin D levels – normal (over 30 nanograms per milliliter), low (15-30 ng/ml), or very low (less than 15 ng/ml). The patients were then followed to see if they developed some form of heart disease."
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