Tag: vitamin d

Study finds Vitamin D effective for reducing flu and colds 

People who boost their vitamin D levels with supplements reduce their risk of respiratory tract infections, such as the flu, by up to 12%, according to a new systematic review and meta-analysis study of 25 randomised controlled trial (RCT) studies published recently in the British Medical Journal (BMJ).

The study reported that this equates to one person being spared a respiratory tract infection (RTI) for every 33 taking vitamin D supplements. The benefit is greater in those receiving daily or weekly vitamin D versus bolus or monthly dosing, with the number needed to treat dropping to 20. The impact in Canada, based on a population of 35 million people, shows vitamin D could spare 1.75 million people having one RTI per year.

“The results are likely to change the cost/benefit analysis relating to fortification of foods with vitamin D significantly,” said Adrian Martineau, clinical professor of respiratory infection and immunity at Queen Mary University of London.

The magnitude of potential healthcare savings is great when you consider the impact of RTI’s such as time off work, doctor appointments, and prescription costs. Just last year a study found if Canadians could raise their mean level of vitamin D to at least 100 nmol/L, it would prevent approximately 23,000 premature deaths and save $12.5 billion annually in direct healthcare and related costs.

Vitamin D researchers have suspected for a long time that RCT studies which used bolus or monthly dosing and reported minimal benefits were diminishing the true positive effects of vitamin D especially in systematic review and meta-analysis. This new study by Martineau et al. was able to prove that bolus or monthly dosing is ineffective. It found:

• 12% reduction of respiratory tract infections based on all studies and all dosing regimens
• 19% reduction of respiratory tract infections for those receiving daily or weekly vitamin D doses
• No statistically significant effect on risk of respiratory tract infections for those receiving bolus or monthly dosing
• 70% reduction in respiratory tract infections for those with low vitamin D blood levels below 25 nmol/L and receiving weekly or daily dosing of vitamin D

“You can’t expect a monthly bolus dose of vitamin D to provide adequate blood levels of 25(OH)D to respond to daily infectious attacks,” said Dr. Gerry Schwalfenberg, a scientific advisor to the Vitamin D Society and an Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of Alberta. “Vitamin D levels would spike immediately from the bolus dosing and then drop throughout the month back to low untreated levels leaving you open to infections. You need daily vitamin D intake for best results and immune response.”

In Canada, 35% of people or approximately 12 million people have vitamin D levels below 50 nmol/L. This increases to 40% in winter. More than 50 vitamin D scientists recommend that you reach a vitamin D blood level of between 100-150 nmol/L for optimal health.

“This study proves that by increasing your vitamin D blood levels through daily intake you could significantly prevent flu, colds and other respiratory infections,” said Perry Holman, Executive Director of the Vitamin D Society. “One of the reasons we have more flu and colds in the winter is due to the lack of UVB sun exposure and the resulting lower vitamin D levels.”

About the Vitamin D Society:

The Vitamin D Society is a Canadian non-profit group organized to increase awareness of the many health conditions strongly linked to vitamin D deficiency; encourage people to be proactive in protecting their health and have their vitamin D levels tested annually; and help fund valuable vitamin D research. The Vitamin D Society recommends people achieve and maintain optimal 25(OH)D blood levels between 100 – 150 nmol/L (Can) or 40-60 ng/ml (USA).

To learn more about vitamin D, please visit www.vitamindsociety.org.

Pregnant women should increase vitamin D levels - new studies suggest

TORONTO, ON – New studies have shown how important it is for pregnant women to have optimal blood levels of vitamin D to help lower the risk of their babies developing multiple sclerosis and autism.

A newly published study in Neurology from Danish researchers has found that babies born within the lowest quintile of vitamin D levels had twice the risk for future multiple sclerosis (MS) as infants born in the highest quintile. This led the researchers to conclude that low concentrations of neonatal vitamin D are associated with an increased risk of MS.

Earlier this year, a study published in JAMA Neurology on data from the Finnish Maternity Cohort also found that maternal vitamin D deficiency during early pregnancy was associated with a 2-fold increased risk of MS in the offspring compared with women who did not have deficient vitamin D levels.

Adding further support for increased vitamin D supplementation for pregnant women is a new study published in Molecular Psychiatry on autism. The large population-based cohort of mothers and their children found that gestational vitamin D deficiency was associated with an increase in autism-related traits in 6-year-old children linking gestational vitamin D deficiency and altered brain development. The authors concluded: “It is feasible that a safe, cheap and publicly accessible vitamin D supplement in at risk groups may reduce the prevalence of this risk factor. Just as prenatal folate supplementation has reduced the incidence of spina bifida, we speculate that prenatal vitamin D supplementation may reduce the incidence of autism.”

Dr. Reinhold Vieth, Scientific Advisor for the Vitamin D Society and retired professor at the University of Toronto, says that in addition to lowering the risk of developing multiple sclerosis and autism, a clinical trial now shows that risk of premature birth is lower if American women raise their blood vitamin D levels that match amounts that are naturally present in the blood of women living in the tropics.

“Getting vitamin D levels of pregnant women that are ‘natural for human beings’ will have a beneficial effect on infant health that will last a lifetime,” says Dr. Vieth.

Vitamin D scientists recommend that everyone including pregnant women reach a vitamin D blood level of between 100-150 nmol/L. Pregnant Canadian women, especially through winter, should consider taking up to 4,000 IU/d of vitamin D3 supplement for the best health of their future baby. You should test your 25(OH)D blood level after 3 months and see if the 100 nmol/L level has been achieved. If not adjust your dosage.

At the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), The Protect Our Children NOW! Program was launched by GrassrootsHealth and MUSC in 2015. The program helps pregnant women achieve a vitamin D level of greater than 100 nmol/L and frequently requires doses of 4,000 IU/d. It is expected to produce best practice procedures that can be replicated by hospitals worldwide and is based on research conducted by Dr. Hollis and Dr. Wagner of MUSC.

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) and Health Canada have recommended that the tolerable upper intake level (UL) of vitamin D for pregnant women is 4,000 IU/d. This represents the maximum daily intake that is unlikely to cause adverse health effects. Previous randomized controlled trial studies have proved the safety and effectiveness of pregnant women taking 4,000 IU of vitamin D3 supplementation per day.

“This new research adds valuable scientific evidence proving the importance for pregnant women to have optimal vitamin D levels between 100-150 nmol/L for the health of their new infant,” says Perry Holman, Executive Director of the Vitamin D Society. “The Vitamin D Society encourages medical professionals to advise pregnant women to take up to 4,000 IU of vitamin D3 supplementation per day and to reach the required serum level. It’s a safe, easy and inexpensive way to help ensure that they give their infant the best chance for a healthy life. This change to current clinical practices could help prevent future cases of multiple sclerosis and autism in Canadian infants.”

About the Vitamin D Society:

The Vitamin D Society is a Canadian non-profit group organized to increase awareness of the many health conditions strongly linked to vitamin D deficiency; encourage people to be proactive in protecting their health and have their vitamin D levels tested annually; and help fund valuable vitamin D research. The Vitamin D Society recommends people achieve and maintain optimal 25(OH)D blood levels between 100 – 150 nmol/L (Can) or 40-60 ng/ml (USA).

To learn more about vitamin D, please visit www.vitamindsociety.org

About GrassrootsHealth:

GrassrootsHealth is a US based non-profit public health research organization dedicated to moving public health messages regarding vitamin D from science into practice. It has a panel of 48 senior vitamin D researchers from around the world contributing to its operations. If you’d like to learn more about GrassrootsHealth Protect our Children NOW! Project, please contact Jen Aliano, Project manager, at jen@grassrootshealth.org or visit www.grassrootshealth.net.

Study Urges Public Health to Embrace Sunlight Benefits

Just weeks after research warned Canadians that vitamin D deficiency was costing Canadian healthcare $12.5B annually by leading to a higher risk of developing life-threatening illnesses, a new study from the US is supporting the Canadian research and challenging conventional sun exposure advice. The study calls for public health organizations to re-evaluate their current message of sun avoidance and to promote non-burning sun exposure for vitamin D and other health benefits.

The recently published study, written by one of the most qualified and diverse groups of researchers in the fields of pigment cell research, photobiology, melanoma research, dermatology and vitamin D, “The Risks and Benefits of Sun Exposure 2016” by David G. Hoel, Marianne Berwick, Frank R. de Gruijl and Michael F. Holick, has found that insufficient sun exposure is an emerging public health risk.

Published in Dermato-Endocrinology, the report says that the current state of the science behind the risks and benefits of sun exposure suggests that public health advice should be changed to recommend that all men, women and children accumulate sufficient non-burning sun exposure to maintain their vitamin D blood levels at 75 nmol/L (30 ng/ml) especially in northern climates. The research goes further, reporting about the positive benefits of vitamin D and outlines how many other photoproducts produced by sunlight exposure are beneficial to our health.

In Canada, lab tests relied upon by doctors, consider the sufficient vitamin D blood level range to be between 75 to 150 nmol/L or higher in some provinces. Currently 65% of Canadians, or 2 out of every 3, do not meet the 75 nmol/L vitamin D blood level and have insufficient vitamin D levels.

“The results of our study show that to live a healthier life, it’s important for North Americans to increase their vitamin D levels through non-burning sun exposure,” says Dr. Michael Holick, Scientific Advisor for the Vitamin D Society and Professor of Medicine at Boston University Medical Center. “Insufficient sun exposure has become a major public health problem, demanding an immediate change in the current sun-avoidance public health advice. Generating vitamin D with non-burning exposure to the sun every day or under artificial UVB sources can help prevent the development of serious diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, osteoporosis and others. Remember that the UV index must be above 3 and your shadow shorter than you are to produce vitamin D from the sun.”

A new Canadian study reported that increasing vitamin D intake could spare 23,000 Canadians premature deaths annually and save Canada $12.5 billion in healthcare spending and associated costs. The study found that Canadians vitamin D levels have been dropping  due to lower sunlight exposure putting more people at risk of life-threatening illnesses.

“More and more research is being published urging individuals to increase their vitamin D levels through non-burning sun exposure,” says Perry Holman, Executive Director of the Vitamin D Society. We need to start looking at UV exposure differently and embrace the benefits while controlling for the risks of overexposure.”

Canadians can get their vitamin D levels checked by their physicians, or online, through a simple 25(OH)D blood test to ensure they aren’t deficient.

About the Vitamin D Society:

The Vitamin D Society is a Canadian non-profit group organized to increase awareness of the many health conditions strongly linked to vitamin D deficiency; encourage people to be proactive in protecting their health and have their vitamin D levels tested annually; and help fund valuable vitamin D research. The Vitamin D Society recommends people achieve and maintain optimal 25(OH)D blood levels between 100 – 150 nmol/L (Can) or 40-60 ng/ml (USA).

To learn more about vitamin D, please visit www.vitamindsociety.org

Study Urges Public Health to Embrace Sunlight Benefits

TORONTO – Just weeks after research warned Canadians that vitamin D deficiency was costing Canadian healthcare $12.5B annually by leading to a higher risk of developing life-threatening illnesses, a new study from the US is supporting the Canadian research and challenging conventional sun exposure advice. The study calls for public health organizations to re-evaluate their current message of sun avoidance and to promote non-burning sun exposure for vitamin D and other health benefits.

The recently published study, written by one of the most qualified and diverse groups of researchers in the fields of pigment cell research, photobiology, melanoma research, dermatology and vitamin D, “The Risks and Benefits of Sun Exposure 2016” by David G. Hoel, Marianne Berwick, Frank R. de Gruijl and Michael F. Holick, has found that insufficient sun exposure is an emerging public health risk.

Published in Dermato-Endocrinology, the report says that the current state of the science behind the risks and benefits of sun exposure suggests that public health advice should be changed to recommend that all men, women and children accumulate sufficient non-burning sun exposure to maintain their vitamin D blood levels at 75 nmol/L (30 ng/ml) especially in northern climates. The research goes further, reporting about the positive benefits of vitamin D and outlines how many other photoproducts produced by sunlight exposure are beneficial to our health.

In Canada, lab tests relied upon by doctors, consider the sufficient vitamin D blood level range to be between 75 to 150 nmol/L or higher in some provinces. Currently 65% of Canadians, or 2 out of every 3, do not meet the 75 nmol/L vitamin D blood level and have insufficient vitamin D levels.

“The results of our study show that to live a healthier life, it’s important for North Americans to increase their vitamin D levels through non-burning sun exposure,” says Dr. Michael Holick, Scientific Advisor for the Vitamin D Society and Professor of Medicine at Boston University Medical Center. “Insufficient sun exposure has become a major public health problem, demanding an immediate change in the current sun-avoidance public health advice. Generating vitamin D with non-burning exposure to the sun every day or under artificial UVB sources can help prevent the development of serious diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, osteoporosis and others. Remember that the UV index must be above 3 and your shadow shorter than you are to produce vitamin D from the sun.”

A new Canadian study reported that increasing vitamin D intake could spare 23,000 Canadians premature deaths annually and save Canada $12.5 billion in healthcare spending and associated costs. The study found that Canadians vitamin D levels have been dropping  due to lower sunlight exposure putting more people at risk of life-threatening illnesses.

“More and more research is being published urging individuals to increase their vitamin D levels through non-burning sun exposure,” says Perry Holman, Executive Director of the Vitamin D Society. We need to start looking at UV exposure differently and embrace the benefits while controlling for the risks of overexposure.”

Canadians can get their vitamin D levels checked by their physicians, or online, through a simple 25(OH)D blood test to ensure they aren’t deficient.

About the Vitamin D Society:

The Vitamin D Society is a Canadian non-profit group organized to increase awareness of the many health conditions strongly linked to vitamin D deficiency; encourage people to be proactive in protecting their health and have their vitamin D levels tested annually; and help fund valuable vitamin D research. The Vitamin D Society recommends people achieve and maintain optimal 25(OH)D blood levels between 100 – 150 nmol/L (Can) or 40-60 ng/ml (USA).

To learn more about vitamin D, please visit www.vitamindsociety.org

CORVALLIS, Ore. – A growing body of evidence suggests that two natural compounds, vitamin D and xanthohumol, have the ability to address imbalances in gut microbiota that may set the stage for obesity and metabolic syndrome - problems that affect about one out of every three adults in the United States.

To explore and identify the specific mechanisms by which these compounds have beneficial effects, researchers in the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University have received a new five-year, $2.64 million grant from the National Institutes of Health.

The possible payoff of this research, they say, may be an entirely new way to reduce or prevent some of the major diseases that are killing millions of people every year, such as heart disease and type-2 diabetes.

The new approach would attempt, using high dose supplementation, to prevent disease from developing, instead of treating it after the fact.

“The benefits of xanthohumol and vitamin D have been clearly shown in laboratory studies to reduce weight gain and improve gut barrier defenses,” said Adrian Gombart, an associate professor of biochemistry and biophysics in the OSU College of Science, and a principal investigator with the Linus Pauling Institute. “These compounds appear to activate nuclear receptors and pathways that may affect microbe composition, and in the process reduce the damage from metabolic syndrome.”

One study published by OSU researchers two years ago in the Journal of Biological Chemistry found that rats given xanthohumol supplements, which are made from hops, had a 14 percent reduction in weight gain, a 25 percent reduction in plasma fasting glucose, and improved lipid metabolism, compared to a control group of rats that ate the same amount of food. They had a higher rate of fatty acid oxidation and energy metabolism. In simple terms, they burned more fat.

In other studies, higher levels of vitamin D status in humans have been associated with reduced risk of obesity, m
etabolic syndrome, cancer, infectious diseases, autoimmune diseases, and other health problems.

Other lead investigators on this research include Claudia Maier, an OSU professor of chemistry; Fred Stevens, a professor in the OSU College of Pharmacy and also a principal investigator with the Linus Pauling Institute; and Balz Frei, a distinguished professor of biochemistry and biophysics, and director of the Linus Pauling Institute.

The OSU researchers believe some of the benefits of vitamin D and/or xanthohumol may be a strong increase in the expression of the cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide, or CAMP gene. The hypothesis to be tested in this research, using animal models, is that higher CAMP levels improve gut epithelial barrier function, reduce inflammation, modify gut microbiota and in the process reduce problems with obesity and metabolic syndrome.

“Some of the benefits we’re seeing are fairly clear and dramatic, and we need to better understand the mechanisms that cause them,” Stevens said.

The compounds may also affect liver function, shutting down metabolic pathways that produce fat and glucose, he said.

Vitamin D can be obtained through either the diet or produced by the skin, with adequate exposure to sunshine. Millions of people who live in temperate zones around the world, however, have been found to have inadequate levels of this vitamin, but this can be corrected by taking a supplement.

Xanthohumol, a flavonoid, is also a natural compound and is found in the hops used to make beer. Researchers point out, however, that the levels of xanthohumol being used in this research greatly exceed any amount that could be obtained by drinking beer.

Direct health care costs arising from obesity and related disorders accounts for almost 10 percent of U.S. health care expenditures each year, the researchers said. The health care costs of diabetes alone were estimated in the U.S. at $176 billion in 2012, and it’s one of the leading causes of death in the nation.