Hu FB, Willett WC.
Optimal diets for prevention of coronary heart disease.
JAMA. 2002 Nov 27;288(20):2569-78. Review.
PMID: 12444864 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Overview and perspective in human nutrition.
Willett WC.
Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2008;17 Suppl 1:1-4. Review.
PMID: 18296289
For the last decade, the focus of nutritional advice for prevention of chronic disease has been to limit or reduce
total fat intake and to consume large amounts of carbohydrate. However, this advice is inconsistent with many
lines of evidence indicating that unsaturated fats have beneficial metabolic effects and reduce risk of coronary
heart disease. More recent evidence has also shown that the large majority of carbohydrates in Western diets,
consisting of refined starches and sugars, have adverse metabolic effects and increase risks of coronary heart
disease and type 2 diabetes. Unfortunately, a major opportunity for health improvement has been lost by failing
to distinguish healthy from unhealthy forms of carbohydrates and fats. Recent analyses indicate that moderate
changes in diet, together with regular physical activity and not smoking, can prevent the large majority of heart
disease, type 2 diabetes, and some forms of cancer. These findings have substantial relevance for many populations
in Asia, where incidence of type 2 diabetes is rising rapidly.
A nested case control study of plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations and risk of colorectal cancer.
Wu K, Feskanich D, Fuchs CS, Willett WC, Hollis BW, Giovannucci EL.
J Natl Cancer Inst. 2007 Jul 18;99(14):1120-9. Epub 2007 Jul 10.
PMID: 17623801
Bischoff-Ferrari HA, Giovannucci E, Willett WC, Dietrich T, Dawson-Hughes B.
Estimation of optimal serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D for multiple health outcomes.
Am J Clin Nutr. 2006 Jul;84(1):18-28. Review.
PMID: 16825677
A prospective study of egg consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease in men and women.
Hu FB, Stampfer MJ, Rimm EB, Manson JE, Ascherio A, Colditz GA, Rosner BA, Spiegelman D, Speizer FE, Sacks FM, Hennekens CH, Willett WC.
JAMA. 1999 Apr 21;281(15):1387-94.
PMID: 10217054
CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that consumption of up to 1 egg per day is unlikely to have substantial overall impact on the risk of CHD or stroke among healthy men and women. The apparent increased risk of CHD associated with higher egg consumption among diabetic participants warrants further research.
Giovannucci E, Liu Y, Rimm EB, Hollis BW, Fuchs CS, Stampfer MJ, Willett WC.
Prospective study of predictors of vitamin D status and cancer incidence and mortality in men.
J Natl Cancer Inst. 2006 Apr 5;98(7):451-9.
PMID: 16595781 [PubMed - indexed fo
Conclusion: The associations suggest that replacing SFAs with PUFAs rather than MUFAs or carbohydrates prevents CHD over a wide range of intakes.
Major types of dietary fat and risk of coronary heart disease: a pooled analysis of 11 cohort studies.
Jakobsen MU, O'Reilly EJ, Heitmann BL, Pereira MA, Bälter K, Fraser GE, Goldbourt U, Hallmans G, Knekt P, Liu S, Pietinen P, Spiegelman D, Stevens J, Virtamo J, Willett WC, Ascherio A.
Am J Clin Nutr. 2009 May;89(5):1425-32. Epub 2009 Feb 11.
PMID: 19211817
doi:10.3945/ajcn.2008.27124
Fracture prevention with vitamin D supplementation: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Bischoff-Ferrari HA, Willett WC, Wong JB, Giovannucci E, Dietrich T, Dawson-Hughes B.
JAMA. 2005 May 11;293(18):2257-64. Review.
PMID: 15886381
Conclusions Oral vitamin D supplementation between 700 to 800 IU/d appears to reduce the risk of hip and any nonvertebral fractures in ambulatory or institutionalized elderly persons. An oral vitamin D dose of 400 IU/d is not sufficient for fracture prevention.
Prospective study of predictors of vitamin D status and cancer incidence and mortality in men.
Giovannucci E, Liu Y, Rimm EB, Hollis BW, Fuchs CS, Stampfer MJ, Willett WC.
J Natl Cancer Inst. 2006 Apr 5;98(7):451-9.
PMID: 16595781
doi:10.1093/jnci/djj101
Conclusions: Low levels of vitamin D may be associated with increased cancer incidence and mortality in men, particularly for digestive-system cancers. The vitamin D supplementation necessary to achieve a 25(OH)D increment of 25 nmol/L may be at least 1500 IU/day.
Prevention of nonvertebral fractures with oral vitamin D and dose dependency: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Bischoff-Ferrari HA, Willett WC, Wong JB, Stuck AE, Staehelin HB, Orav EJ, Thoma A, Kiel DP, Henschkowski J.
Arch Intern Med. 2009 Mar 23;169(6):551-61.
PMID: 19307517
Conclusion Nonvertebral fracture prevention with vitamin D is dose dependent, and a higher dose should reduce fractures by at least 20% for individuals aged 65 years or older.
Cod liver oil, vitamin A toxicity, frequent respiratory infections, and the vitamin D deficiency epidemic.
Cannell JJ, Vieth R, Willett W, Zasloff M, Hathcock JN, White JH, Tanumihardjo SA, Larson-Meyer DE, Bischoff-Ferrari HA, Lamberg-Allardt CJ, Lappe JM, Norman AW, Zittermann A, Whiting SJ, Grant WB, Hollis BW, Giovannucci E.
Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol. 2008 Nov;117(11):864-70. Review.
PMID: 19102134
Until we have better information on doses of vitamin D that will reliably provide adequate blood levels of
25(OH)D without toxicity, treatment of vitamin D deficiency in otherwise healthy children should be individualized
according to the numerous factors that affect 25(OH)D levels, such as body weight, percent body fat,
skin melanin, latitude, season of the year, and sun exposure.2 The doses of sunshine or oral vitamin D3 used
in healthy children should be designed to maintain 25(OH)D levels above 50 ng/mL. As a rule, in the absence
of significant sun exposure, we believe that most healthy children need about 1,000 IU of vitamin D3 daily
per 11 kg (25 lb) of body weight to obtain levels greater than 50 ng/mL. Some will need more, and others less.
In our opinion, children with chronic illnesses such as autism, diabetes, and/or frequent infections should be
supplemented with higher doses of sunshine or vitamin D3, doses adequate to maintain their 25(OH)D levels
in the mid-normal of the reference range (65 ng/mL) - and should be so supplemented year round. Otolaryngologists
treating children are in a good position to both diagnose and treat vitamin D deficiency.
Prospective study of predictors of vitamin D status and survival in patients with colorectal cancer
K Ng, B M Wolpin, J A Meyerhardt, K Wu, A T Chan, B W Hollis, E L Giovannucci, M J Stampfer, W C Willett and C S Fuchs
Br J Cancer 101: 916-923; advance online publication, August 18, 2009; doi:10.1038/sj.bjc.6605262
Vieth R, Bischoff-Ferrari H, Boucher BJ, Dawson-Hughes B, Garland CF, Heaney RP, Holick MF, Hollis BW, Lamberg-Allardt C, McGrath JJ, Norman AW, Scragg R, Whiting SJ, Willett WC, Zittermann A. \nThe urgent need to recommend an intake of vitamin D that is
Mercury and the risk of coronary heart disease in men.
Yoshizawa K, Rimm EB, Morris JS, Spate VL, Hsieh CC, Spiegelman D, Stampfer MJ, Willett WC.
N Engl J Med. 2002 Nov 28;347(22):1755-60.
PMID: 12456851
Conclusions Our findings do not support an association between total mercury exposure and the risk of coronary heart disease, but a weak relation cannot be ruled out.
Low-carbohydrate-diet score and the risk of coronary heart disease in women.
Halton TL, Willett WC, Liu S, Manson JE, Albert CM, Rexrode K, Hu FB.
N Engl J Med. 2006 Nov 9;355(19):1991-2002.
PMID: 17093250
Conclusions Our findings suggest that diets lower in carbohydrate and higher in protein and fat are not associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease in women. When vegetable sources of fat and protein are chosen, these diets may moderately reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.
Benefit-risk assessment of vitamin D supplementation.
Bischoff-Ferrari HA, Shao A, Dawson-Hughes B, Hathcock J, Giovannucci E, Willett WC.
Osteoporos Int. 2009 Dec 3. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID: 19957164
Conclusion Our analysis suggests that mean serum 25(OH)D levels of about 75 to 110 nmol/l provide optimal benefits for all investigated endpoints without increasing health risks. These levels can be best obtained with oral doses in the range of 1,800 to 4,000 IU vitamin D per day; further work is needed, including subject and environment factors, to better define the doses that will achieve optimal blood levels in the large majority of the population.