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Vitamins

Vitamin D

NEWS:

Could Calcium and Vitamin D Cause Brain Lesions? "Calcium is well-known for its positive effects on bone health, but it also helps in the functioning of nerve and muscle cells. When too much calcium becomes incorporated into bone-like deposits in the blood vessel walls, a loss of elasticity and narrowing of blood vessels can result. Vitamin D may further increase the arterial calcification by regulating calcium retention and activity. If this process affects blood vessels in the brain, lesions may form from that damage."

Low Serum Vitamin D Tied to Respiratory Infection Risk

Mighty Vitamin D Gets More Attention for Cancer Prevention "Vitamin D looks so valuable for preventing cancer that the Canadian Cancer Society told the National Institutes of Health and its Canadian counterpart last week to get on it already. It called for large studies to learn how much of it is needed, how much is too much and how to adjust doses for greater needs at high latitudes and with darker skin…. Garland estimates that half of North American breast and colon cancers would be prevented if everyone got 2,000 international units a day of vitamin D3. His team compared winter blood levels and disease rates throughout the northern hemisphere. Scientists noticed in 1941 that as distance from the equator increased, so did cancer death rates."

Vitamin D and Calcium Can Help Stave Off Cancer in Women "A study found that large doses of the nutrients could protect women aged 55 and over against the disease. Calcium alone can protect against cancer but combining it with vitamin D has a much greater effect. Over four years, 1,179 healthy postmenopausal women were given either daily dosages of 1,400-1,500mg of calcium, or the calcium plus 22.5mcg of vitamin D3, or placebos. … Those in the calcium and vitamin D3 group had a 77 per cut in cancer risk compared to those in the dummy group, while the risk in the calcium-only group was cut by 47 per cent … n 2005 a review showed that a large daily intake of vitamin D cut by up to 50 per cent the risk of breast, ovarian, colon, prostate and other cancers. Vitamin D is found in salmon, tuna and other oily fish, but most of the nutrient that makes it into the bloodstream comes from sun exposure"

Vitamin D and prevention of breast cancer. (Acta Pharmacol Sin. 2007)

Vitamin D may curb type 2 diabetes risk "During a 17-year follow-up of roughly 4,000 men and women, researchers found that individuals with higher blood levels of vitamin D had a 40 percent lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those with lower levels of this vitamin."

Vitamin D may cut risk of colorectal cancer "Taking 1,000 to 2,000 international units (IU) of vitamin D each day may safely reduce the risk of colorectal cancer, according to pooled data from published studies."

More vitamin D can put more pep in seniors' steps "Declining physical performance among some Dutch seniors may not be a simple consequence of aging, it may actually be due to a vitamin D deficiency, results of a new study suggest. … Over the 3-year study, these vitamin D-deficient adults were also twice as likely as their peers to exhibit a decline in physical performance, such as taking longer to rise from a sitting position. … To address this problem, Wellman, a professor and director of the National Resource Center on Nutrition, Physical Activity & Aging, at Florida International University, advises seniors to drink milk or orange juice that is fortified with vitamin D and calcium, since 'both are needed for bone health.' "

ARTICLES:

Are You Getting Enough Vitamin D? "Scientists have known for some time about vitamin D's role in helping the body absorb calcium, in maintaining bone density, and in preventing osteoporosis. But new research suggests it may also help protect against chronic diseases such as cancer, type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and autoimmune diseases. Yet many adults have low blood levels of vitamin D. Vitamin D is not abundant in our usual food choices, so we get most of the vitamin from sun exposure and multivitamins. The problem is that the sun is not a reliable source for everyone. "

JOURNAL ARTICLES:

A Nested Case-Control Study of Plasma 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Concentrations and Risk of Colorectal Cancer. (J Natl Cancer Inst. 2007) "Conclusion Our data provide additional support for the inverse association between vitamin D and colorectal and, in particular, colon cancer risk."

Association between vitamin D and age-related macular degeneration in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988 through 1994. (Arch Ophthalmol. 2007) "CONCLUSION: This study provides evidence that vitamin D may protect against AMD. Additional studies are needed to confirm these findings."

Childhood sun exposure influences risk of multiple sclerosis in monozygotic twins (NEUROLOGY 2007) "Result: Each of the nine sun exposure–related activities during childhood seemed to convey a strong protection against MS within MZ twin pairs ... Conclusion: Early sun avoidance seems to precede the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS). This protective effect is independent of genetic susceptibility to MS."

[Favourable and unfavourable effects of exposure to sunlight] (Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd. 2007) "The negative effects of sunlight include the more frequent or earlier development of skin cancer and degenerative changes in the skin, and the occurrence ofphotodermatoses. - However, sunlight also has a favourable effects; specifically, it may inhibit the development and progression of diseases of the bones, muscles and skin, ofvarious malignancies (carcinoma of the prostate, breast, colon and ovary, non-Hodgkin lymphoma), and may prevent certain autoimmune diseases, particularly multiple sclerosis."

Prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and the serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin d in the United States: data from the third national health and nutrition examination survey. (Arch Intern Med. 2007) "CONCLUSIONS: Serum 25(OH)D levels are associated with important cardiovascular disease risk factors in US adults."

Prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency in elderly ambulatory outpatients in Denver, Colorado. (Am J Geriatr Pharmacother. 2007) "CONCLUSIONS: Vitamin D insufficiency is prevalent in ambulatory, and especially obese, elderly living in Denver, Colorado, despite vitamin D intake consistent with national recommendations. Dietary intake of vitamin D appeared to be unreliable to prevent insufficiency. Based on our results, along with other published data, we feel that national recommendations for vitamin D intake in the elderly should be increased to at least 800 to 1000 IU/d of over-the-counter supplemental cholecalciferol."

Prevalence of vitamin D deficiency rickets in adolescent school girls in Western region, Saudi Arabia. (Saudi Med J. 2007)

Prevalence of vitamin D inadequacy in European postmenopausal women. (Curr Med Res Opin. 2007) "CONCLUSION: This study indicates a high prevalence of vitamin D [25(OH)D] inadequacy in European postmenopausal women. The prevalence could be even higher in some particular countries. A greater awareness of the importance of vitamin D inadequacy is needed to address this public health problem."

Prospective Study of Serum Vitamin D and Cancer Mortality in the United States (JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute 2007) "Conclusions: Our results do not support an association between 25(OH)D and total cancer mortality, although there was an inverse relationship between 25(OH)D levels and colorectal cancer mortality."

Review: Vitamin D, immunity and lupus. (Lupus. 2008)

Risk assessment for vitamin D (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2007)

Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D, Ethnicity, and Blood Pressure in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (American Journal of Hypertension 2007) "Background: Populations with low vitamin D status, such as blacks living in the US or UK, have increased blood pressure (BP) compared with whites. We analyzed the association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) and BP to determine whether low 25OHD explains any of the increased BP in blacks. … Vitamin D status, which is amenable to intervention by safely increasing sun exposure or vitamin D supplementation, was associated inversely with BP in a large sample representative of the US population."

Severe Vitamin D-deficiency and the Health of North China Children. (Matern Child Health J. 2007) "Conclusions: Northern climate and cloistering of children creates a host of health risks for north China children. Vitamin D-deficiency, lead poisoning and respiratory disease are significantly worse during the winter months. These children need vitamin D supplementation during the winter and improved overall nutritional status during the summer to maintain ideal growth and development."

Sun Exposure and Prostate Cancer Risk: Evidence for a Protective Effect of Early-Life Exposure (Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention 2007) "These findings suggest that, in addition to sun exposure in adulthood, sun exposure in early life protects against prostate cancer."

Sun protection and Vitamin D: Three dimensions of obfuscation. (J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2007)

Supplementation with calcium + vitamin D enhances the beneficial effect of weight loss on plasma lipid and lipoprotein concentrations (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2007) " Conclusion: Consumption of calcium+D during a weight-loss intervention enhanced the beneficial effect of body weight loss on the lipid and lipoprotein profile in overweight or obese women with usual low daily calcium intake."

Vitamin d and autoimmune disease. (Acta Med Indones. 2007)

Vitamin D and calcium supplementation reduces cancer risk: results of a randomized trial (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2007)

Vitamin D and its implications for musculoskeletal health in women: An update (Maturitas 2007) "Factors contributing to low vitamin D levels include low sunlight exposure, decreased skin synthesis and intestinal absorption, and inadequate diet. The simplest way to correct hypovitaminosis is adequate nutrition and supplements. However, few patients with osteoporosis and/or fractures, receive adequate supplements. Vitamin D insufficiency may alter the regulatory mechanisms of parathyroid hormone and may induce a secondary hyperparathyroidism that increases the risk of osteoporosis and fractures, although the necessary degree of this is not established. Monitoring of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels is the only way to assess vitamin D status. The ideal healthy blood levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D are controversial, although a range from 30 to 60 ng/mL is widely accepted. The role of vitamin D supplementation is to provide humans with the nutrient in an amount closer to the biological norm for our species."

Vitamin D and prevention of breast cancer: Pooled analysis. (J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2007) "CONCLUSIONS: Intake of 2000IU/day of Vitamin D(3), and, when possible, very moderate exposure to sunlight, could raise serum 25(OH)D to 52ng/ml, a level associated with reduction by 50% in incidence of breast cancer, according to observational studies."

Vitamin D and the skin: an ancient friend, revisited. (Exp Dermatol. 2007) "Most vertebrates need vitamin D to develop and maintain a healthy mineralized skeleton. However, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25(OH)(2)D(3)], the biologically active vitamin D metabolite, exerts a multitude of important physiological effects independent from the regulation of calcium and bone metabolism. We know today that the skin has a unique role in the human body's vitamin D endocrine system. It is the only site of vitamin D photosynthesis, and has therefore a central role in obtaining a sufficient vitamin D status."

Vitamin D and vascular calcification. (Curr Opin Lipidol. 2007) "SUMMARY: Available data indicate that vitamin D exerts a biphasic 'dose response' curve on vascular calcification with deleterious consequences not only of vitamin D excess but also of vitamin D deficiency."

Vitamin D deficiency is associated with the metabolic syndrome in morbid obesity (Clinical Nutrition 2007)

Vitamin D in childhood and adolescence. (Postgrad Med J. 2007)

[Vitamin D deficiency in elderly men living in urban areas, at home or in institutions.] (Presse Med. 2007)

Vitamin d in patients with kidney disease: cautiously optimistic. (Adv Chronic Kidney Dis. 2007)

Vitamin D intake and breast cancer risk in postmenopausal women: the Iowa Women's Health Study. (Cancer Causes Control. 2007)

Vitamin D Supplementation and Total Mortality (Arch Intern Med. 2007) "Conclusions Intake of ordinary doses of vitamin D supplements seems to be associated with decreases in total mortality rates. The relationship between baseline vitamin D status, dose of vitamin D supplements, and total mortality rates remains to be investigated. Population-based, placebo-controlled randomized trials with total mortality as the main end point should be organized for confirming these findings."

Vitamin-D nutrition and bone mass in adolescent black girls. (J Natl Med Assoc. 2007) "CONCLUSION: Vitamin-D insufficiency is a widely prevalent problem among adolescent African-American girls. Our data implies that enhancing vitamin-D nutrition resulting in lower serum PTH levels could potentially influence their peak bone mass."

INTERNET SITES:

NIH - Fact Sheet: Vitamin D

NIH - Medical Encyclopedia 25-hydroxy vitamin D

NIH - Medical Encyclopedia Rickets

NIH - Medical Encyclopedia Vitamin D

NIH - Medical Encyclopedia Vitamin D benefit

NIH - Medical Encyclopedia Vitamin D source

NIH - Vitamin D and Related Compounds (Systemic)

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