van der Wielen RP, Lowik MR, van den BH, de Groot LC, Haller J, Moreiras O, van Staveren WA (1995)
Serum vitamin D concentrations among elderly people in Europe.
Lancet 346: 207-210
These findings show that free-living elderly Europeans, regardless of geographical location, are at substantial risk of inadequate vitamin D status during winter and that dietary enrichment or supplementation with vitamin D should be seriously considered during this season.
Serum 25(OH)-vitamin D concentration and risk of esophageal squamous dysplasia.
Abnet CC, Chen W, Dawsey SM, Wei WQ, Roth MJ, Liu B, Lu N, Taylor PR, Qiao YL.
Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2007 Sep;16(9):1889-93.
PMID: 17855710
doi: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-07-0461
Background: Squamous dysplasia is the precursor lesion for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, and nutritional factors play an important role in the etiology of this cancer. Previous studies using a variety of measures for vitamin D exposure have reached different conclusions about the association between vitamin D and the risk of developing esophageal cancer.
Conclusions: Higher serum 25(OH)D concentrations were associated with significantly increased risk of squamous dysplasia. No obvious source of measured or unmeasured confounding explains this finding.
In conclusion, we found that a higher serum 25(OH)D concentration was associated with an increased risk of esophageal squamous dysplasia, the precursor lesion for ESCC. This finding concurs with our previous prospective study which found that higher vitamin D status was associated with increased risk of incident ESCC in this same population. These unexpected findings suggest that further studies of the association of vitamin D and digestive tract cancers are needed before the effect of vitamin D in different populations can be elucidated.
"Retinol-induced Intestinal Tumorigenesis in Min/+ Mice and Importance of Vitamin D Status.
Hetland RB, Alexander J, Berg JP, Svendsen C, Paulsen JE.
Anticancer Res. 2009 Nov;29(11):4353-60.
PMID: 20032378
The effects of life-long dietary exposure, starting in utero, to high retinol, low vitamin D, or high retinol in combination with low vitamin D on intestinal tumorigenesis in Min/+ mice were investigated. In males, high retinol alone significantly increased the number (2.6-fold) and size (1.3-fold) of small intestinal tumours; in females no significant increase in tumour number or size was seen. In both genders, low vitamin D intake alone did not affect intestinal tumorigenesis. In males, intake of the combined high retinol/low vitamin D diet did not further increase the effects caused by high retinol alone. In females, however, the high retinol/low vitamin D-induced increase in tumour number (3.1-fold) and tumour size (1.5-fold) exceeded that of high retinol alone. In conclusion, a high dietary intake of retinol stimulated intestinal tumorigenesis in Min/+ mice. Furthermore, the results indicate a combined effect of high retinol and low vitamin D on tumorigenesis in females"
Is a lower dose of vitamin D supplementation enough to increase 25(OH)D status in a sunny country?
Pignotti GA, Genaro PS, Pinheiro MM, Szejnfeld VL, Martini LA.
Eur J Nutr. 2009 Nov 28. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID: 19946776
CONCLUSION: The dose given (400 IU/day) was not enough to achieve 25(OH)D concentration, considered optimal for bone health.
Strong and healthy hair not only add to the beauty of a person, but is also an indication of good health and psychological status. In this setting, we are going through eight highly effective nutrition, for skin health and beauty.
Vitamin D supplementation and total mortality: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Autier P, Gandini S.
Arch Intern Med. 2007 Sep 10;167(16):1730-7. Review.
PMID: 17846391
Conclusions Intake of ordinary doses of vitamin D supplements seems to be associated with decreases in total mortality rates. The relationship between baseline vitamin D status, dose of vitamin D supplements, and total mortality rates remains to be investigated. Population-based, placebo-controlled randomized trials with total mortality as the main end point should be organized for confirming these findings.
Wyeth Pharmaceuticals announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted a new "fast track" designation for temsirolimus (CCI-779), an investigational mTOR kinase inhibitor, in the first-line treatment of poor-prognosis patients
A positive dose-response effect of vitamin D supplementation on site-specific bone mineral augmentation in adolescent girls: a double-blinded randomized placebo-controlled 1-year intervention.
Viljakainen HT, Natri AM, Kärkkäinen M, Huttunen MM, Palssa A, Jakobsen J, Cashman KD, Mølgaard C, Lamberg-Allardt C.
J Bone Miner Res. 2006 Jun;21(6):836-44.
PMID: 16753014
doi: 10.1359/jbmr.060302
We conclude that the current vitamin D recommendation for adolescent girls, at least in the northern latitudes, is too low to ensure sufficient vitamin D status during winter. Intake of vitamin D at rates of 10-15 μg/day aids to maintain stable S-25(OH)D concentrations during winter. Vitamin D induced BMC augmentation by decreasing bone resorption, but not affecting bone formation, which was reflected by the biochemical markers of bone turnover. Optimizing bone mineral gain in adolescence is crucial to the prevention of osteoporosis later in life. Increasing vitamin D intake to 10-15 μg/day aids in attaining this goal.
Vitamin D2 is as effective as vitamin D3 in maintaining circulating concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D.
Holick MF, Biancuzzo RM, Chen TC, Klein EK, Young A, Bibuld D, Reitz R, Salameh W, Ameri A, Tannenbaum AD.
J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2008 Mar;93(3):677-81. Epub 2007 Dec 18.
PMID: 18089691
Conclusion: A 1000 IU dose of vitamin D2 daily was as effective as 1000 IU vitamin D3 in maintaining serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and did not negatively influence serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 levels. Therefore, vitamin D2 is equally as effective as vitamin D3 in maintaining 25-hydroxyvitamin D status.
Serum vitamin D and subsequent occurrence of type 2 diabetes.
Knekt P, Laaksonen M, Mattila C, Härkänen T, Marniemi J, Heliövaara M, Rissanen H, Montonen J, Reunanen A.
Epidemiology. 2008 Sep;19(5):666-71.
PMID: 18496468
doi: 10.1097/EDE.0b013e318176b8ad
Conclusions: The results support the hypothesis that high vitamin D status provides protection against type 2 diabetes. Residual confounding may contribute to this association.
A critical review of Vitamin D and cancer: A report of the IARC Working Group on vitamin D
William B. Grant
Dermato-Endocrinology. Volume 1, Issue 1
January/February 2009
Pages: 25 - 33
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) released a report, Vitamin D and Cancer, on November 25, 2008. The report focused on the current state of knowledge and level of evidence of a causal association between vitamin D status and cancer risk. Although presenting and evaluating evidence for the beneficial role of UVB and vitamin D in reducing the risk of cancer, it discounted or omitted important evidence in support of the efficacy of vitamin D. The report largely dismissed or ignored ecological studies on the grounds that confounding factors might have affected the findings. The report accepted a preventive role of vitamin D in colorectal cancer but not for breast cancer.
Wintertime vitamin D insufficiency is common in young Canadian women, and their vitamin D intake does not prevent it.
Vieth R, Cole DE, Hawker GA, Trang HM, Rubin LA.
Eur J Clin Nutr. 2001 Dec;55(12):1091-7.
PMID: 11781676
INTERPRETATION: The self-reported vitamin D intake from milk and/or multivitamins does not relate to prevention of low vitamin D nutritional status of young women in winter. Recommended vitamin D intakes are too small to prevent insufficiency. Vitamin D nutrition can only be assessed by measuring serum 25(OH)D concentration.
Geographic variation of prostate cancer mortality rates in the United States: Implications for prostate cancer risk related to vitamin D.
Grant WB.
Int J Cancer. 2004 Sep 1;111(3):470-1; author reply 472. No abstract available.
PMID: 15221981
10.1002/ijc.20220
The implications of our results and those of Tuohimaa et al.[1] include the following. Vitamin D supplementation should be undertaken in wintertime, a period when it is impossible to produce vitamin D by solar UVB exposure in northeastern states.[13] Given these new results, the optimal vitamin D intake and production and serum 25(OH)-vitamin D3 levels for prostate cancer appear to be lower than for other cancers. However, when developing guidelines for vitamin D fortification, many factors should be included in the analysis, including all of the potential health benefits and possible risks of vitamin D, as well as age, sex, residence, child-bearing status, etc.[14] Also, the suggestion that daily vitamin D3 supplement doses of 100 g (4,000 IU)/day are safe[15] should be reexamined. Finally, in terms of preventing prostate cancer, more attention should be given to diet, which has the greatest environmental impact on risk of prostate cancer, with animal products being important risk factors and vegetable products, especially onions and other allium family members, being important risk-reduction factors.[16]
Ecological studies of ultraviolet B, vitamin D and cancer since 2000.
Grant WB, Mohr SB.
Ann Epidemiol. 2009 Jul;19(7):446-54. Epub 2009 Mar 9.
PMID: 19269856
CONCLUSION: These findings provide strong evidence that vitamin D status plays an important role in controlling the outcome of cancer. Support for the UVB-vitamin D-cancer theory is now scientifically strong enough to warrant use of vitamin D in cancer prevention, and as a component of treatment. More research studies would help to explore whether there are benefits beyond the substantial effects that have been observed.
The review, published in Osteoporosis International, provides a global perspective of vitamin D status across different regions of the world and identifies common and significant determinants of hypovitaminosis D. Six regions of the world were reviewed-Asia, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Latin America, North America, and Oceania-through a survey of published literature.
Vitamin D from dietary intake and sunlight exposure and the risk of hormone-receptor-defined breast cancer.
Blackmore KM, Lesosky M, Barnett H, Raboud JM, Vieth R, Knight JA.
Am J Epidemiol. 2008 Oct 15;168(8):915-24. Epub 2008 Aug 27.
PMID: 18756015
doi:10.1093/aje/kwn198
This study suggests that vitamin D is associated with a reduced risk of breast cancer regardless of ER/PR status of the tumor. Future studies with a larger number of receptor-negative and mixed tumors are required.