Group items tagged

"NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Important news for seniors: A daily dose of vitamin D cuts your risk of falling substantially, researchers reported today. But not just any dose will do. "It takes 700 to 1000 international units (IU) of vitamin D per day and nothing less will work," Dr. Heike A. Bischoff-Ferrari, who directs the Center on Aging and Mobility at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, noted in an email to Reuters Health. Those recommendations - which are higher than those by the U.S. Institute of Medicine -- are based on the results of eight studies that looked at vitamin D supplements for fall prevention among more than 2,400 adults aged 65 and older. Falls were not notably reduced with daily doses of vitamin D lower than 700 IU. An analysis of all eight studies, posted online today in the British Medical Journal, add weight to several others which have shown that vitamin D improves strength and balance, and bone health in the elderly, the researchers note."

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.

"Hi! This is Amy Proal. I wrote the article referenced at the start of the thread about vitamin D. Dr. Marshall is not concerned with vitamin D toxicity. Rather his molecular modeling research has clarified the actions of the two vitamin D metabolites 25-D and 1,25-D. The Vitamin D Receptor (VDR) is a fundamental receptor of the body - it controls the expression thousands of genes, as well as the activity of the innate immune system and the antimicrobial peptides. If you think of the VDR as a switch, 25-D (which is a corticosteroid) turns it off (inactivates it) and 1,25-D turn it on (activates it). What is commonly believed among vitamin D researchers is that if people supplement with extra vitamin D it will be converted into 1,25-D and activate the VDR. Unfortunately, Marshall's work revealed that the type of vitamin D derived from supplements and sun remains, for the most part, in it's precursor form 25-D. This means that the extra vitamin D we get from fortified food products and supplements is turning the VDR off, not on. That causes a decrease in immune function and gene transcription."

"Maybe vitamin D isn't the answer after all. Not only does the above statement ring true, it's also the title of a recent post on "Dr. Len's Cancer Blog" - a website written by Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, Deputy Chief Medical Officer for the national office of the American Cancer Society, in order to facilitate communication with the public on important issues related to cancer. "

"Nykyiset suositukset D-vitamiinin saannille ovat liian alhaiset, jotta D-vitamiinista olisi hyötyä vanhusten kaatumisten ehkäisyssä, kirjoittaa British Medical Journal. Kansainvälisen tutkijaryhmän toteuttaman meta-analyysin mukaan vanhusten kaatumisriski vähenee viidenneksellä, kun päivittäinen D-vitamiinin saantitaso on välillä 17,5 - 25 mikrogrammaa. Alle 17,5 mikrogramman jäävästä D-vitamiinin saannista ei analyysin mukaan ole hyötyä kaatumisten ehkäisyssä. D-vitamiini vähentää vanhusten kaatumisriskiä, koska se parantaa lihasten toimintaa."

Tällä hetkellä suomalaisten 3-60-vuotiaiden D-vitamiinin saantisuositus on 7,5 mikrogrammaa päivässä. Osa tutkijoista olisi valmis nostamaan saantisuosituksia rajustikin. Lamberg-Allardtin mielestä suositusta voisi nostaa hieman. Asian pulmalliseksi tekee se, että rasvaliukoinen D-vitamiini on elintärkeä, mutta myrkyllinen aine. "Emme tiedä mitä seuraa, jos sitä pitkällä tähtäimellä saa liikaa", Lamberg-Allardt sanoo.

"One of the surprises over the past year has been all the research regarding Vitamin D and brain health. Give that many people are spending less time outdoors and more time in front of their computers, we all should be concerned, as Vitamin D comes in part from our exposure to the sun. Low Vitamin D levels have been associated with pain, depression, MS, cancer and now perhaps even dementia. Here are the results of a new study that should cause all of us to pay attention. I frequently check the Vitamin D levels in my patients and frrequently see that they are below the optimal level. Get your levels checked if you have any of these concerns. A new large-scale senior population study has found that a lack of vitamin D in the elderly could be linked to cognitive impairment. The study, conducted on almost 2,000 adults over the age of 65, is the first of its scale to identify this relationship, and prompted researchers to suggest vitamin D supplementation as a possible means of reducing the risk of dementia. "

"Uusi yhdysvaltalainen tutkimus yhdistää D-vitamiinin puutteen sydän-ja verisuonitauteihin. Sen vähäinen saanti näyttää lisäävän selvästi kuoleman riskiä. Pitkään on ollut tiedossa, että D-vitamiini on välttämätöntä pikkulasten luuston kehitykselle. Uusi amerikkalaistutkimus viittaa siihen, että D-vitamiini vahvistaa myös sydäntä. "

"Saantisuosituksia muutetaan aikaisintaan vuonna 2012, jolloin Pohjoismaat niitä yhdessä pohtivat. Asiantuntija kuitenkin neuvoo, että nykyisen virallisen suosituksen voi hyvin ylittää, kunhan pysyttelee alle 50 mikrogramman päiväannoksessa. Hyötyä siitä on varsinkin yli kuusikymppisille. Hyvä nyrkkisääntö on Lamberg-Allardtin mukaan 20 mikrogrammaa päivässä aikuisille ja 10 mikrogrammaa pikkulapsille."

"Cholecalciferol is a form of Vitamin D, also called vitamin D3 or calciol.[1] It is structurally similar to steroids such as testosterone, cholesterol, and cortisol (though vitamin D3 itself is a secosteroid). One gram of pure vitamin D3 is 40 000 000 (40x106) IU, or, in other words, one IU is 0.025 μg. Individuals having a high risk of deficiency should consume 125 μg (5000 IU) of vitamin D daily"

"With daily news reports warning of a swine flu pandemic, members have besieged our health advisors with questions about what they should do to protect themselves against the H1N1 (swine flu) virus. The good news is that Life Extension® members obtain a considerable amount of immune support via the supplements they already use, especially those taking high-dose vitamin D. An important question, however, is what one should do if they develop symptoms of a viral infection? As the days grow colder, the risks of contracting common flu and cold viruses increase. Each year, flu virus infections kill around 36,000 Americans and cause miseries for millions.1 An outbreak of the swine flu virus is expected this winter. While certain supplements (and drugs) purport to shorten the duration of a viral infection, most of them fail to provide significant relief. Over the past 28 years, Life Extension® personnel have experimented with various nutrients, hormones, and drugs in order to minimize the impact of the common cold and typical flu viruses. In this article, I will reveal what has worked for me personally to ward off common cold/flu viruses and what has been validated in the scientific literature to be effective. I will also elaborate on some aggressive prescription drug strategies to consider in the event that you contract a severe form of swine flu or other type of influenza."

"June 29, 2009 | Shelley Wood Boston, MA - A massive, National Institutes of Health-sponsored study looking at whether vitamin-D and/or omega-3 fatty-acid supplementation can reduce the risk of developing heart disease, stroke, or cancer will get under way in January 2010, according to a website for the study. Drs JoAnn Manson and Julie Buring (Harvard Medical School/ Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA) will head up the Vitamin D and Omega-3 Trial (VITAL). The study is aiming to enroll 20 000 men and women, one-quarter of whom will be black. According to a Brigham and Women's Hospital press release, the study is intentionally aiming to illuminate a potential racial and ethnic disparity hypothesized to be linked to vitamin D [1]. "African Americans have a higher risk of vitamin-D deficiency as well as a greater frequency of diabetes, hypertension, and certain types of cancer," a press release notes. For VITAL, women need to be over age 65 to enter the study; men need to be over age 60. Study participants will be randomized to one of four groups: daily vitamin D (2000 IU) and fish oil (1 g); daily vitamin D and fish-oil placebo; daily vitamin-D placebo and fish oil; or daily vitamin-D placebo and fish-oil placebo. The trial will run for five years and is expected to cost US $20 million."