Re: RedNova News - Vitamin D Deficiency: Common Cause of Many Ailments

[Guest guest]

wow, paula, great information... i take citrical, 2 in the morning and 2 at

night... sure is something to think about..

rae

[ ] RedNova News - Vitamin D Deficiency: Common Cause of

Many Ailments

Vitamin D Deficiency: Common Cause of Many Ailments

The Institute of Medicine brought experts together recently to explore the

question of whether the RDA or recommended daily allowance, of vitamin D has

been set too low. The impetus for the occasion was the mounting evidence for

this vitamin's role in preventing common cancers, autoimmune diseases, type

1 diabetes, heart disease, and osteoporosis.

Furthermore, studies have shown that vitamin D deficiency is common in the

U.S. Because the typical symptoms are aching bones and muscle discomfort,

vitamin D deficiency is often misdiagnosed as fibromyalgia or chronic

fatigue syndrome, according to F. Holick, MD, PhD, of the Boston

University School of Medicine.

Dr. Holick has conducted a review of all vitamin D studies, which was

published in the December 2004 issue of the American Journal of Clinical

Nutrition. Vitamin D has become the vitamin of the moment, possibly because

researchers in this field want to raise the RDA again. And Dr. Holick's

review, which was funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health,

certainly supports the move.

For most Americans, sunlight provides the lion's share of our vitamin D

requirements because we eat few foods that naturally contain vitamin D, such

as cod liver oil and oily fish (salmon, sardines, and mackerel). But many

Americans do not met the minimum requirement of sun exposure. What's more,

vitamin D deficiency is more pronounced among people living at higher

latitudes, such as the New England States, especially in winter.

Dr. Holick and colleagues conducted a 2002 study at the Boston Medical

Center, which found that, by the end of the winter, 32% of students and

doctors, aged 18 to 29 years, were vitamin D deficient. Winter isn't the

only problem because, year-round, many people spend a lot of time indoors or

slather themselves with sunscreen when they do go outside.

So it was not too surprising that another study conducted in Boston found a

high degree of D deficiency in white (30%), Hispanic (42%) and black (84%)

elderly people at the end of August. Another study found that 38% of nursing

home residents were vitamin D deficient.

Much of the sun avoidance and excessive sunscreen use is attributed to

public education campaigns by dermatologists warning about skin cancers. It

should be noted, however, that the most deadly form of skin cancer,

melanoma, is unrelated to sun exposure, as the disease usually occurs in

areas of the body not exposed to the sun.

Obesity is yet another cause of vitamin D deficiency, according to Dr.

Holick, who found that even when dietary vitamin D intake and sun exposure

are adequate, the vitamin becomes unavailable because it becomes stored in

the large amount of body fat. Aging skin requires more sun exposure. A

70-year-old exposed to the same amount of sunlight as a 20-year-old will

only make 25% of the vitamin D that the young person can make.

Breastfed infants are deficient in vitamin D because human milk is deficient

in vitamin D. Dr. Holick offered this explanation for why deficiencies are

widely overlooked: During the standard blood work-up, doctors tend to focus

on the blood calcium levels, and if they are normal, doctors incorrectly

assume their patients are getting enough D.

Why the seemingly sudden interest in vitamin D when intriguing research goes

back over a half century? In 1949, a researcher published his observation

that people who live at higher latitudes, such as New Hampshire, Vermont,

and Massachusetts, had a higher incidence of cancer deaths, compared with

people living in southern states, such as Texas, Georgia, and Alabama.

In a telephone interview, Dr. Holick was asked why other researchers didn't

pick up on this study and look further. " It was an interesting observation,

but people didn't take epidemiology seriously, " he answered. " Little

attention was paid to it until the 1980s when other researchers reported

that colon and breast cancer rates were higher for those living at higher

latitudes in the U.S. "

Even then, the finding was not taken seriously until researchers understood

the mechanism for how the breast, colon, and prostate activate vitamin D and

use it to regulate cell growth, which Dr. Holick explained as a process that

is, " keeping cell growth in check and possibly preventing the cell from

becoming autonomous and developing into an unregulated cancer cell. "

After the paper explaining the mechanism was published in the British

journal The Lancet, much more research attention began to be paid to vitamin

D. And after 1999, many more observational studies were published showing a

link between vitamin D deficiency and several chronic diseases. For example,

there are higher rates of multiple sclerosis in people who live at higher

latitudes; and another study showed vitamin D intake is inversely associated

with rheumatoid arthritis.

In a 2001 study published in The Lancet, children treated with 2,000 IU

daily of vitamin D from their first birthday onward had an 80% decreased

risk of developing type 1 diabetes throughout the next 20 years. And in the

last few years, several studies have been published indicating a link

between schizophrenia and decreased exposure to sunlight. Dr. Holick's

review states that animal studies have successfully shown that type 1

diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and multiple sclerosis can be prevented

using mice prone to these diseases.

To Dr. Holick, who is an endocrinologist, it is clear from studies like

these (and many more that go unmentioned in this article for lack of space)

that vitamin D should no longer be thought of only as the nutrient necessary

for the prevention of rickets in young children. He said that his work has

been instrumental in the vitamin D fortification of several common foods,

including milk products, bread, and orange juice.

In the telephone interview, Dr. Holick was asked whether an increase in the

RDA for vitamin D was imminent, given the fact that the Institute of

Medicine, a division of the National Academy of Science, recently held a

meeting on the topic. " No, it usually takes 10 to 15 years to change an

RDA, " he answered. " A huge bureaucratic system is involved. " In the

meantime, he and other vitamin D researchers recommend a minimum of 1,000 IU

vitamin D daily. This increase, he explained, will maximize the absorption

of calcium.

As for the risk of overdose, Dr Holick said, " You'd have to take 10,000 to

20,000 IU daily to approach toxicity. " Is the type of vitamin D important?

" Multivitamins usually have D2 which comes from yeast, but it's probably

only 20-40% as effective as D3, " which, he believes is better and longer

lasting.

Then there's the question of what constitutes an adequate amount of

sunlight: " Five to ten minutes of exposure of the arms and legs or the

hands, arms and face two or three times a week, " stated Dr. Holick, adding a

way of determining the right timing, " 25% of the time that it would take to

cause a light pinkness to the skin. "

For More Information:

Read Dr. Holick's book, co-authored with Mark and written for the

general public, The UV Advantage (New York: Simon & Schuster/ ibooks, 2003).

http://www.rednova.com/news/display/?id=126369

[Guest guest]

wow, paula, great information... i take citrical, 2 in the morning and 2 at

night... sure is something to think about..

rae

[ ] RedNova News - Vitamin D Deficiency: Common Cause of

Many Ailments

Vitamin D Deficiency: Common Cause of Many Ailments

The Institute of Medicine brought experts together recently to explore the

question of whether the RDA or recommended daily allowance, of vitamin D has

been set too low. The impetus for the occasion was the mounting evidence for

this vitamin's role in preventing common cancers, autoimmune diseases, type

1 diabetes, heart disease, and osteoporosis.

Furthermore, studies have shown that vitamin D deficiency is common in the

U.S. Because the typical symptoms are aching bones and muscle discomfort,

vitamin D deficiency is often misdiagnosed as fibromyalgia or chronic

fatigue syndrome, according to F. Holick, MD, PhD, of the Boston

University School of Medicine.

Dr. Holick has conducted a review of all vitamin D studies, which was

published in the December 2004 issue of the American Journal of Clinical

Nutrition. Vitamin D has become the vitamin of the moment, possibly because

researchers in this field want to raise the RDA again. And Dr. Holick's

review, which was funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health,

certainly supports the move.

For most Americans, sunlight provides the lion's share of our vitamin D

requirements because we eat few foods that naturally contain vitamin D, such

as cod liver oil and oily fish (salmon, sardines, and mackerel). But many

Americans do not met the minimum requirement of sun exposure. What's more,

vitamin D deficiency is more pronounced among people living at higher

latitudes, such as the New England States, especially in winter.

Dr. Holick and colleagues conducted a 2002 study at the Boston Medical

Center, which found that, by the end of the winter, 32% of students and

doctors, aged 18 to 29 years, were vitamin D deficient. Winter isn't the

only problem because, year-round, many people spend a lot of time indoors or

slather themselves with sunscreen when they do go outside.

So it was not too surprising that another study conducted in Boston found a

high degree of D deficiency in white (30%), Hispanic (42%) and black (84%)

elderly people at the end of August. Another study found that 38% of nursing

home residents were vitamin D deficient.

Much of the sun avoidance and excessive sunscreen use is attributed to

public education campaigns by dermatologists warning about skin cancers. It

should be noted, however, that the most deadly form of skin cancer,

melanoma, is unrelated to sun exposure, as the disease usually occurs in

areas of the body not exposed to the sun.

Obesity is yet another cause of vitamin D deficiency, according to Dr.

Holick, who found that even when dietary vitamin D intake and sun exposure

are adequate, the vitamin becomes unavailable because it becomes stored in

the large amount of body fat. Aging skin requires more sun exposure. A

70-year-old exposed to the same amount of sunlight as a 20-year-old will

only make 25% of the vitamin D that the young person can make.

Breastfed infants are deficient in vitamin D because human milk is deficient

in vitamin D. Dr. Holick offered this explanation for why deficiencies are

widely overlooked: During the standard blood work-up, doctors tend to focus

on the blood calcium levels, and if they are normal, doctors incorrectly

assume their patients are getting enough D.

Why the seemingly sudden interest in vitamin D when intriguing research goes

back over a half century? In 1949, a researcher published his observation

that people who live at higher latitudes, such as New Hampshire, Vermont,

and Massachusetts, had a higher incidence of cancer deaths, compared with

people living in southern states, such as Texas, Georgia, and Alabama.

In a telephone interview, Dr. Holick was asked why other researchers didn't

pick up on this study and look further. " It was an interesting observation,

but people didn't take epidemiology seriously, " he answered. " Little

attention was paid to it until the 1980s when other researchers reported

that colon and breast cancer rates were higher for those living at higher

latitudes in the U.S. "

Even then, the finding was not taken seriously until researchers understood

the mechanism for how the breast, colon, and prostate activate vitamin D and

use it to regulate cell growth, which Dr. Holick explained as a process that

is, " keeping cell growth in check and possibly preventing the cell from

becoming autonomous and developing into an unregulated cancer cell. "

After the paper explaining the mechanism was published in the British

journal The Lancet, much more research attention began to be paid to vitamin

D. And after 1999, many more observational studies were published showing a

link between vitamin D deficiency and several chronic diseases. For example,

there are higher rates of multiple sclerosis in people who live at higher

latitudes; and another study showed vitamin D intake is inversely associated

with rheumatoid arthritis.

In a 2001 study published in The Lancet, children treated with 2,000 IU

daily of vitamin D from their first birthday onward had an 80% decreased

risk of developing type 1 diabetes throughout the next 20 years. And in the

last few years, several studies have been published indicating a link

between schizophrenia and decreased exposure to sunlight. Dr. Holick's

review states that animal studies have successfully shown that type 1

diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and multiple sclerosis can be prevented

using mice prone to these diseases.

To Dr. Holick, who is an endocrinologist, it is clear from studies like

these (and many more that go unmentioned in this article for lack of space)

that vitamin D should no longer be thought of only as the nutrient necessary

for the prevention of rickets in young children. He said that his work has

been instrumental in the vitamin D fortification of several common foods,

including milk products, bread, and orange juice.

In the telephone interview, Dr. Holick was asked whether an increase in the

RDA for vitamin D was imminent, given the fact that the Institute of

Medicine, a division of the National Academy of Science, recently held a

meeting on the topic. " No, it usually takes 10 to 15 years to change an

RDA, " he answered. " A huge bureaucratic system is involved. " In the

meantime, he and other vitamin D researchers recommend a minimum of 1,000 IU

vitamin D daily. This increase, he explained, will maximize the absorption

of calcium.

As for the risk of overdose, Dr Holick said, " You'd have to take 10,000 to

20,000 IU daily to approach toxicity. " Is the type of vitamin D important?

" Multivitamins usually have D2 which comes from yeast, but it's probably

only 20-40% as effective as D3, " which, he believes is better and longer

lasting.

Then there's the question of what constitutes an adequate amount of

sunlight: " Five to ten minutes of exposure of the arms and legs or the

hands, arms and face two or three times a week, " stated Dr. Holick, adding a

way of determining the right timing, " 25% of the time that it would take to

cause a light pinkness to the skin. "

For More Information:

Read Dr. Holick's book, co-authored with Mark and written for the

general public, The UV Advantage (New York: Simon & Schuster/ ibooks, 2003).

http://www.rednova.com/news/display/?id=126369