VitD Council study released....good read for those using herbals/vitamins

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http://69.6.195.87/Vieth's Study on Depression.htm

PRESS RELEASE

July 28, 2004

For Immediate Release

The Vitamin D Council

9100 San Gregorio Road

Atascadero, CA 93422

805 462-8129

http://www.cholecalciferol-council.com

jjcannell@...

Dr. Reinhold Vieth and his colleagues at the University of Toronto have given

hope to millions of people across the world who are suffering from the

debilitating symptoms of depression.

In a paper published this week, Vieth and co-workers showed that vitamin D

significantly improves mood and helps relieve the symptoms of depression in

patients with vitamin D levels most doctors would mistakenly consider to be

normal.

Vieth studied a total of 130 patients with summertime vitamin D blood levels

less than 24 ng/ml (61 nmol/L) from an endocrinology clinic in two separate

studies. During the winter, they treated half the patients with 4,000 units of

cholecalciferol a day while treating the control group with 600 units a day

(this lower dose is the one recommended officially, by the Food and Nutrition

Board, for the elderly). Ethical considerations prior to the study were, that

the medical literature is now so clear on the dangers of vitamin D deficiency

that no one selected for research because of low vitamin D levels should be

denied vitamin D treatment.

Other authors have called for an end to placebo studies on people who are

likely to benefit from a treatment. However, Vieth is the first vitamin D

scientist to risk studying vitamin D using an active agent in the control group

instead of placebo. Studies using active agents as controls are much less

likely

to show positive differences between treatment groups, thus the researcher

risks getting negative results. As usual, Vieth, who started the current

vitamin

D renaissance with his masterful 1999 paper dispelling the myths surrounding

vitamin D toxicity, Vitamin D supplementation, 25-hydroxyvitamin D

concentrations and safety , remains on the forefront of the revolution.

Vieth measured various symptoms of depression before and after treatment in

both groups of patients using a rating scale that contained typical questions

assessing depression, such as:

1. Has your general energy level been less than average lately?

2. Has your mood been less than average lately?

3. Have you had problems sleeping, either too much or too little?

4. Have you lost interest or pleasure in things you normally enjoy doing?

5. Have you had a decrease in your ability to concentrate?

6. Have you lost/gained weight?

7. Has your general health been less than average lately?

8. Have you felt less rested upon waking from sleep lately?

9. Have you experienced a down feeling or inappropriate guilt?

10. Have you felt less socially active lately?

11. Have you been indecisive lately?

12. Have you felt less productive or less creative lately?

13. Has your appetite increased or decreased?

14. Have you experienced any cravings for carbohydrates (bread, pasta, rice,

sugary foods), more than normal?

15. Has it been more difficult to deal with daily stress?

16. Have you felt irritable or anxious lately?

Both groups of patients improved with treatment. Those taking 4,000 units of

vitamin D improved more than those on 600 units. As expected, 600 units a day

left a number of patients vitamin D deficient while the patients taking 4,000

units a day for six months ended up with acceptable vitamin D blood levels.

There were no signs of toxicity and none of the patient’s blood tests showed

any ill effects from the treatment. In fact, the treatment lowered

parathormone levels (PTH) – a good thing because high PTH is associated with

bone loss.

Most importantly, the patients felt much better.

Vieth’s important work adds to the growing possibility that many patients

suffering from depression, or just not feeling well are, in fact, simply

suffering from undiagnosed and untreated vitamin D deficiency. For a more

thorough

review of vitamin D and depression, see one of our previous newsletters at:

http://www.cholecalciferol-council.com/Depression.pdf

Dr. Vieth’s paper can be accessed in its entirety at

http://www.nutritionj.com/content/pdf/1475-2891-3-8.pdf

Cannell, MD

July 28, 2004