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Life has no certainty, you never know, when your destiny will turn around and provides you unwanted health trouble. Today if we look into our lifestyle then we can realize it that we are so much busy in our day to day lives that we do not even have time for healthier food, and so the reason we somehow rely on the meals which are not excellent for our health. Perhaps our stressful lifetime don't let us a chance to take in, but still it is always essential that we should give main concerns to our health so that we can do our jobs nicely.

Comparison of daily, weekly, and monthly vitamin D3 in ethanol dosing protocols for two months in elderly hip fracture patients. Ish-Shalom S, Segal E, Salganik T, Raz B, Bromberg IL, Vieth R. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2008 Sep;93(9):3430-5. Epub 2008 Jun 10. PMID: 18544622 doi:10.1210/jc.2008-0241 CONCLUSIONS: Supplementation with vitamin D can be achieved equally well with daily, weekly, or monthly dosing frequencies. Therefore, the choice of dose frequency can be based on whichever approach will optimize an individual's adherence with long-term vitamin D supplementation.

A recent Wall Street Journal article "Defending Against Disease -- With Vitamin D New Studies Suggest It Isn't Just Bones That Might Benefit" by the wonderful Melinda Beck highlights benefits of Vitamin D3. In TYP, we've known the benefits for years :) but it's nice to see the rest of the world catching up. The benefits of Vitamin D3 are potent, powerful immunomodulation -- to the point where autoimmune diseases, viral and bacterial infections and cancer are effectively reduced. What is the value for heart disease and diabetes prevention? In hemodialysis patients, great lessons are can be learned. Nephrologists often describe patients with severe (stage 5) chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients on hemodialysis as having 'hearts of stone, blood vessels of glass.' Unfortunately over 70% of chronic hemodialysis patients have coronary artery disease (and Lp(a)). What medical science shows is that Agatston coronary calcification scores can be dramatically reduced when vitamin D is replenished and calcium is restricted. Sevelamer (Renagel) is a calcium-free, metal-free polymer phosphate binder. In 52-weeks, calcium restriction, a phosphate-binder and vitamin D resulted in one individual in a 21% reduction in Agatston CAC score (from 968 to 756; see Figure 2).

Vitamin D supplementation. Eveleigh B. Can Fam Physician. 2007 Sep;53(9):1435; author reply 1435. PMID: 17872869 My concern regarding vitamin D2 is that it is a synthetic analogue and might interact with the vitamin D receptor differently in various cell systems. It has been reported that vitamin D3 might improve glycemic control.7 Vitamin D2 has been reported to cause worsening of glycemic control in people of East Indian descent.8 Is this because of vitamin D receptor polymorphism, or because of enhanced 24-hydroxylase enzyme activation, or is it due to how vitamin D2 interacts with the receptor? Until this has been sorted out, I feel safest using vitamin D3. There are about 2000 synthetic analogues of vitamin D. The search is on for one that can cross the blood-brain barrier to treat certain types of brain cancers without causing hypercalcemia.9 But then again, what other effects would this compound have? There are still so many unknowns

Why is it that vitamin D deficiency can manifest in so many different ways in different people? One big reason is something called vitamin D receptor (VDR) genotypes, the variation in the receptor for vitamin D. Why is it that the dose of vitamin D necessary to reach a specific level differs so widely from one person to the next? VDR genotype, again. Variation in blood levels of 25-hydroxy vitamin D from a specific dose of vitamin D can vary three-fold, as shown by a University of Toronto study. In other words, a dose of 4000 units per day may yield a 25-hydroxy vitamin D blood level of 30 ng/ml in Mary, 60 ng/ml in Paul, and 90 ng/ml in Pete--same dose, different blood levels

Vitamin D, found in fish and produced by sun exposure, can help stave off the mental decline that can affect people in old age, a study has suggested. UK and US researchers looked at 2,000 people aged 65 and over.

What can high-vitamin D foods do for you? * Help prevent a growing list of chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, osteoporisis, breast cancer, colon cancer, and ovarian cancer * Help keep your bones and teeth strong and healthy * Regulate the growth and activity of your cells * Reduce inflammation What events can indicate a need for more foods rich in vitamin D? * Bone pain and/or soft bones * Frequent bone fractures * Bone deformities or growth retardation in children

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is essential for maintaining normal calcium metabolism (1). Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) can be synthesized by humans in the skin upon exposure to ultraviolet-B (UVB) radiation from sunlight, or it can be obtained from the diet. Plants synthesize ergosterol, which is converted to vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) by ultraviolet light. Vitamin D2 is less active in birds than vitamin D3 and may also be less active in humans (2). When exposure to UVB radiation is insufficient for the synthesis of adequate amounts of vitamin D3 in the skin, adequate intake of vitamin D from the diet is essential for health.

"We are fond of grumbling about Britain's grey skies, but there may be a good medical reason for doing so. It seems the dreary weather is bad for our hearts - worse, even, than raised cholesterol and an unhealthy diet. That's the controversial claim being made by Dr David Grimes, a gastroenterologist from Blackburn. He's been gazing at the sky for 20 years for clues about why his patients get more sick than those in the south of the country. And what he's found turns key assumptions about heart disease on their head. 'It's not diet or cholesterol levels that raise your risk of heart disease,' he claims. 'It's where you live. People in the north are more likely to be ill because they get less sunshine Basically they are suffering from 'latitude' sickness. The link is vitamin D. While we get some from our diet, the main source is the sun - sunlight converts a compound in the skin into vitamin D, so the amount you make is directly related to the amount of sunshine you get. In a new book Dr Grimes argues the higher the level of vitamin D in your blood, the lower your risk of heart disease and a range of other illnesses. If he's right, what we need is not diet and lifestyle advice, but food fortified with vitamin D. For years the vitamin was thought to be useful only for preventing rickets. So how does he treat them? 'You can do it with diet,' he says 'One Bangladeshi woman eats oily fish every day and now has a vitamin D blood level of 40. 'We give supplements of 1,000 international units (IU) a day or we can give an injection of 300,000 IU that lasts for a year. 'The patients respond well,' says Grimes 'but what's needed is a proper controlled, long-term trial and who is going to fund that? Not a drug company.'"

Table of Contents Ch. I Is calcidiol an active hormone? 1 Ch. II Vitamin D as a neurosteroid hormone : from neurobiological effects to behavior 29 Ch. III Inhibitors of vitamin D hydroxylases : mechanistic tools and therapeutic aspects 67 Ch. IV Vitamin D analogues as anti-cancer therapies 145 Ch. V Paricalcitol : a vitamin D2 analog with anticancer effects with low calcemic activity 169 Ch. VI Vitamin D use among older adults in U.S. : results form national surveys 1997 to 2002 181 Ch VII Vitamin D deficiency in migrants 199 Vitamin D is a fat-soluble steroid hormone precursor that contributes to the maintenance of normal levels of calcium and phosphorus in the bloodstream. Strictly speaking, it is not a vitamin since human skin can manufacture it, but it is referred to as one for historical reasons. It is often known as calciferol. The major biologic function of vitamin D is to maintain normal blood levels of calcium and phosphorus. Vitamin D aids in the absorption of calcium, helping to form and maintain strong bones. It promotes bone mineralisation in concert with a number of other vitamins, minerals and hormones. Without vitamin D, bones can become thin, brittle, soft or misshapen. Vitamin D prevents rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults -- skeletal diseases that result in defects that weaken bones. This book gathers international research on the leading-edge of the scientific front.

Daily duration of vitamin D synthesis in human skin with relation to latitude, total ozone, altitude, ground cover, aerosols and cloud thickness. Engelsen O, Brustad M, Aksnes L, Lund E. Photochem Photobiol. 2005 Nov-Dec;81(6):1287-90. PMID: 16354110 Vitamin D production in human skin occurs only when incident UV radiation exceeds a certain threshold. From simulations of UV irradiances worldwide and throughout the year, we have studied the dependency of the extent and duration of cutaneous vitamin D production in terms of latitude, time, total ozone, clouds, aerosols, surface reflectivity and altitude. For clear atmospheric conditions, no cutaneous vitamin D production occurs at 51 degrees latitude and higher during some periods of the year. At 70 degrees latitude, vitamin D synthesis can be absent for 5 months. Clouds, aerosols and thick ozone events reduce the duration of vitamin D synthesis considerably, and can suppress vitamin D synthesis completely even at the equator. A web page allowing the computation of the duration of cutaneous vitamin D production worldwide throughout the year, for various atmospheric and surface conditions, is available on the Internet at http://zardoz.nilu.no/~olaeng/fastrt/VitD.html and http://zardoz.nilu.no/~olaeng/fastrt/VitD-ez.html. The computational methodology is outlined here.

On 29th September, Dr Michael Holick appeared on the "Coast to Coast" radio show, hosted by George Noory: http://www.coasttocoastam.com/guest/holick-dr-michael/41323 As many of you can't afford a subscription to listen to the whole show, I have edited the broadcast into an MP3 file of short snippets, so that we can (intelligently) discuss what was said. There is a "beep tone" to separate each snippet of info. You can download it from: http://MarshallProtocol.com/video/Holick.mp3 First is the introduction, setting out Dr Holick's overview of Vit D.

"Study Shows Vitamin D Supplements May Be Useful in Preventing Heart Disease Nov. 16, 2009 (Orlando, Fla.) -- Some men with low levels of vitamin D in their blood are at particularly high risk of developing heart disease and weakened bones that can lead to osteoporosis, researchers report. In a study of more than 1,000 men, those with low levels of both vitamin D and the sex hormone estrogen were at significantly increased risk of having cardiovascular disease, says study head Erin Michos, MD, a cardiologist at Johns Hopkins. "They were also at dramatically increased risk of osteopenia," or bone loss that can lead to osteoporosis, she says. "Our results suggest that vitamin D supplements, which are already prescribed to treat osteoporosis, may also be useful in preventing heart disease," Michos tells WebMD. Men with low levels of vitamin D and testosterone, on the other hand, were not at heightened risk for heart disease or osteopenia."

"Hypervitaminosis D is a state of vitamin D toxicity. The recommended daily allowance is 400 IU per day. Overdose has been observed at 1925 µg/d (77,000 IU per day). Acute overdose requires between 15,000 µg/d (600,000 IU per day) and 42,000 µg/d (1,680,000 IU per day) over a period of several days to months, with a safe intake level being 250 µg/d (10,000 IU per day).[1] Foods contain low levels, and have not been known to cause overdose. Overdose has occurred due to industrial accidents, for example when incorrectly formulated pills were sold or missing industrial concentrate cans misused as cans of milk. Vitamin D toxicity is unlikely except when certain medical conditions are present, such as primary hyperparathyroidism, sarcoidosis, tuberculosis, and lymphoma."

Vitamin D and Diabetes-Can We Prevent it? Frank C. Garland

Can vitamin D supplementation prevent winter-time blues? A randomised trial among older women. Dumville JC, Miles JN, Porthouse J, Cockayne S, Saxon L, King C. J Nutr Health Aging. 2006 Mar-Apr;10(2):151-3. PMID: 16554952 CONCLUSIONS: Supplementing elderly women with 800 IU of vitamin D daily did not lead to an improvement in mental health scores.

"Friday Oct 16, 2009 (foodconsumer.org) -- Results of a new trial presented at an international research conference in Bruges suggest that vitamin D supplementation can reduce the risk of premature births and boost the health of newborn babies, the Times reported Oct 10. Vitamin D deficiency, which is common everywhere, has been linked in many previous studies to a variety of illnesses from heart disease, cancers, multiple sclerosis and many others. In the trial, Dr. Bruce Hollis and Dr. Carol Wagner of the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, gave one group of pregnant women 4,000 IUs per day of vitamin D at about three months of pregnancy. They gave a second group 400 IUs per day, amounts recommended by U.S. and UK"