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EPIDEMICS' TIMING DETERMINED BY LATITUDEGoing back to 1945, Hope-Simpson discovered that influenza epidemics above 30 degrees latitude in both hemispheres occurred during the six months of least solar radiation and that outbreaks in the tropics almost always occured during the rainy season. He thus concluded, "Latitude alone broadly determines the timing of the epidemics in the annual cycle, a relationship that suggests a rather direct effect of some component of solar radiation acting positively or negatively upon the virus, the human host, or their interaction." That is, something may be regularly reducing our immunity every fall and winter. In 2003 researchers confirmed that influenza epidemics in the tropics occur, with few exceptions, during the rainy season, when vitamin D levels should be falling

Are sunlight deprivation and influenza epidemics associated with the onset of acute leukemia? Timonen T, Näyhä S, Koskela T, Pukkala E. Haematologica. 2007 Nov;92(11):1553-6. PMID: 18024404 doi:10.3324/haematol.10799 Month of diagnosis of 7,423 cases of acute leukemia (AL) in Finland during 1964-2003 were linked with data on influenza and solar radiation. Acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML) showed the highest risk in the dark season. During the light season, the incidence decreased by 58% (95% confidence interval, 16-79%) per 1,000 kJ/m2/d increase of solar radiation. Independent of solar radiation, AML increased by 9% (95% confidence interval, 0-19%) during influenza epidemics. Reoccurring at the same time annually, darkness-related vitamin D deficiency and influenza could cause successive and co-operative mutations leading to AL with a short latency.

Epidemic influenza and vitamin D. Cannell JJ, Vieth R, Umhau JC, Holick MF, Grant WB, Madronich S, Garland CF, Giovannucci E. Epidemiol Infect. 2006 Dec;134(6):1129-40. Epub 2006 Sep 7. Review. PMID: 16959053

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.

Cannell JJ, Vieth R, Umhau JC, Holick MF, Grant WB, Madronich S, Garland CF, Giovannucci E. Epidemic influenza and vitamin D.Epidemiol Infect. 2006 Dec;134(6):1129-40. Epub 2006 Sep 7.PMID: 16959053 doi:10.1017/S0950268806007175

Faiz S, Panunti B, Andrews S. The epidemic of vitamin D deficiency. J La State Med Soc. 2007 Jan-Feb;159(1):17-20; quiz 20, 55. PMID: 17396471 [PubMed - in process]

Holick MF. The vitamin D epidemic and its health consequences. J Nutr. 2005 Nov;135(11):2739S-48S. PMID: 16251641 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Obesity and Vitamin D One third of Americans are obese. While much of that epidemic is surely due to playing Nintendo instead of baseball, or the consumption of soft drinks instead of water, does that explain it all? Is it a coincidence that the twin epidemics of obesity and vitamin D deficiency are occurring together?

Online toolkit to educate the public about the childhood obesity epidemic and its effects on physical, mental, social, and economic health.

On the epidemiology of influenza. Cannell JJ, Zasloff M, Garland CF, Scragg R, Giovannucci E. Virol J. 2008 Feb 25;5:29. Review. PMID: 18298852 doi:10.1186/1743-422X-5-29

Vitamin D and type 2 diabetes: are we ready for a prevention trial? Scragg R. Diabetes. 2008 Oct;57(10):2565-6. PMID: 18820212 doi: 10.2337/db08-0879 Despite evidence from the current article (3) and the Finnish study (17), doubts still remain about whether low vitamin status is a cause of type 2 diabetes. Further cohort studies are required, assessing baseline vitamin D status using blood 25(OH)D to be sure that the Ely and Finnish studies are not false-positive results. Glucose clamp studies are also required because we are still not sure of the mechanism influenced by vitamin D-whether it is insulin resistance, secretion, or both. But most importantly, given that nearly three decades have passed since the first studies linking vitamin D with insulin metabolism (6,7), well-designed clinical trials of the effect of vitamin D supplementation on glycemia status and diabetes risk are urgently required to settle this question. And they need to prevent past mistakes. In particular, the vitamin D dose given in such trials needs to be high enough-above 2,000 IU per day (19)-to raise blood 25(OH)D levels above 80 nmol/l because diabetes risk is lowest at this level (9,20). If well-designed trials are carried out and confirm a protective effect from vitamin D, it could be used by the general population as a simple and cheap solution to help prevent the diabetes epidemic.

Incidence of reported cold/influenza symptoms according to season. The 104 subjects in the placebo group (light shade) reported cold and flu symptoms year around with the most symptoms in the winter. While on 800 IU per day (intermediate shade) the 104 test subjects were as likely to get sick in the summer as the winter. Only one of the 104 test subjects had cold/influenza symptoms during the final year of the trial, when they took 2,000 IU of vitamin D per day (dark shading). Adapted from: Aloia JF, Li-Ng M: Epidemic influenza and vitamin D. Epidemiol Infect 2007; 135: 1095-1096

In his recent essay, Trevor G. Marshall explores how vitamin D supplementation may be contributing to the current epidemics of obesity and chronic disease[1]. Unfortunately, he has overlooked many important papers that disagree with his hypothesis. This letter points out some of the omissions. The health benefits of vitamin D3 have been reviewed recently[2]. The benefits for bone health have been known for nearly a century. Benefits for cancer, infectious diseases, autoimmune diseases, and metabolic diseases have been identified in the past three decades.

Demographic differences and trends of vitamin D insufficiency in the US population, 1988-2004. Ginde AA, Liu MC, Camargo CA Jr. Arch Intern Med. 2009 Mar 23;169(6):626-32. PMID: 19307527 Conclusions National data demonstrate a marked decrease in serum 25(OH)D levels from the 1988-1994 to the 2001-2004 NHANES data collections. Racial/ethnic differences have persisted and may have important implications for known health disparities. Current recommendations for vitamin D supplementation are inadequate to address the growing epidemic of vitamin D insufficiency.

Demographic differences and trends of vitamin D insufficiency in the US population, 1988-2004. Ginde AA, Liu MC, Camargo CA Jr. Arch Intern Med. 2009 Mar 23;169(6):626-32. PMID: 19307527 Conclusions National data demonstrate a marked decrease in serum 25(OH)D levels from the 1988-1994 to the 2001-2004 NHANES data collections. Racial/ethnic differences have persisted and may have important implications for known health disparities. Current recommendations for vitamin D supplementation are inadequate to address the growing epidemic of vitamin D insufficiency.

Dear Colleague: What public health action could you take today that could possibly stop breast cancer and colon cancer, prevent type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis, and reduce the incidence of infectious diseases? What would be the economic impact of this action? A group of physicians and researchers in the vitamin D field are presenting information at this conference to look at the current research and practice with vitamin D to enable everyone to take action today based on what's known to solve the deficiency epidemic, and, to start the prevention of many diseases.

The Paleo Diet is a way of eating in the modern age that best mimics the nutrition of our evolutionary and genetic heritage - the ancestral, Paleolithic diet. For millions of years our hunter-gatherer ancestors ate combinations of lean meat, seafood, plants, fruit, and nuts. But today in America, more than 70% of our dietary calories come from foods that our Paleolithic (Stone Age) ancestors rarely if ever ate ... and that modern humans are not genetically adapted to eat. The result is epidemic levels of cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis, arthritis, acne, gastrointestinal disease, and more. Professor Loren Cordain is widely acknowledged as a leading expert on the diet of our Paleolithic ancestors.

"Here's a page or so (p163-4) from John Yudkin's book "Pure White and Deadly", 1972 edition. Yudkin begins the chapter with an apology for talking about such uncomfortable disagreements in public. But he liked the truth. This quote covers opinion from Prof John Yudkin and Dr Meyer Friedman. You can hear their dislike of Keys. Keys was the architect of what has become the current world obesity epidemic and never one to let the truth get in the way of a good idea, as with his six nations "fat causes heart disease" study. Unfortunately Meyer's list of those easily misled did not include gullible politicians who set food policy. Keys was a very successful politico, with intense conviction of his own correctness. Fine if he had been right, which he wasn't."