Group items tagged

The Toronto group gave a fixed low dose (2,000 units) of the prehormone, cholecalciferol, a very safe compound that never causes high calcium in the doses used. In fact, the lowest dose of cholecalciferol known to cause high blood calcium is more than 20,000 units. Therefore, the Toronto group got better results with one-tenth the comparable dose of deltanoids! Vieth wanted to use more cholecalciferol but widespread ignorance about the physiology and pharmacology of vitamin D remains and he could not get adequate dosing past the various review committees.

Both high and low levels of blood vitamin D are associated with a higher prostate cancer risk: a longitudinal, nested case-control study in the Nordic countries. Tuohimaa P, Tenkanen L, Ahonen M, Lumme S, Jellum E, Hallmans G, Stattin P, Harvei S, Hakulinen T, Luostarinen T, Dillner J, Lehtinen M, Hakama M. Int J Cancer. 2004 Jan 1;108(1):104-8. PMID: 14618623 DOI: 10.1002/ijc.11375

Association of low 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations with elevated parathyroid hormone concentrations and low cortical bone density in early pubertal and prepubertal Finnish girls. Cheng S, Tylavsky F, Kröger H, Kärkkäinen M, Lyytikäinen A, Koistinen A, Mahonen A, Alen M, Halleen J, Väänänen K, Lamberg-Allardt C. Am J Clin Nutr. 2003 Sep;78(3):485-92. Erratum in: Am J Clin Nutr. 2006 Jan;83(1):174. PMID: 12936933 CONCLUSIONS: Vitamin D-deficient girls have low cortical BMD and high iPTH concentrations, which are consistent with secondary hyperparathyroidism. A low vitamin D concentration accompanied by high bone resorption (TRAP 5b) may limit the accretion of bone mass in young girls.

High prevalence of vitamin D deficiency despite supplementation in premenopausal women with breast cancer undergoing adjuvant chemotherapy. Crew KD, Shane E, Cremers S, McMahon DJ, Irani D, Hershman DL. J Clin Oncol. 2009 May 1;27(13):2151-6. Epub 2009 Apr 6. PMID: 19349547 DOI: 10.1200/JCO.2008.19.6162 Conclusion Vitamin D deficiency is highly prevalent in women with breast cancer. The current recommended dietary allowance of vitamin D is too low to increase serum 25-OHD greater than 30 ng/mL. Optimal dosing for bone health and, possibly, improved survival has yet to be determined.

Healthy elderly French women living at home have secondary hyperparathyroidism and high bone turnover in winter. EPIDOS Study Group. Chapuy MC, Schott AM, Garnero P, Hans D, Delmas PD, Meunier PJ. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1996 Mar;81(3):1129-33. PMID: 8772587 These results show that vitamin D status of a French aged population in good health and living at home depends mainly on lifestyle. Like institutionalized women, old women living at home exhibit clear evidence of senile hyperparathyroidism in the winter, secondary in part to a reduced 25OHD level and associated with biological signs of increased bone turnover. The maintenance of PTH within the normal range for healthy adults by vitamin D and calcium treatment might constitute an approach for the prevention of bone loss in the entire

A high prevalence of hypovitaminosis D in Finnish medical in- and outpatients. Kauppinen-Mäkelin R, Tähtelä R, Löyttyniemi E, Kärkkäinen J, Välimäki MJ. J Intern Med. 2001 Jun;249(6):559-63. PMID: 11422663 DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2796.2001.00847.x CONCLUSION: Hypovitaminosis D is very common amongst Finnish in- and outpatients in both sexes, causing secondary hyperparathyroidism in females. More extensive studies are warranted to elucidate the vitamin D status of the Finnish population.

Vitamin D requirements during lactation: high-dose maternal supplementation as therapy to prevent hypovitaminosis D for both the mother and the nursing infant. Hollis BW, Wagner CL. Am J Clin Nutr. 2004 Dec;80(6 Suppl):1752S-8S. PMID: 15585800

Assessment of dietary vitamin D requirements during pregnancy and lactation. Hollis BW, Wagner CL. Am J Clin Nutr. 2004 May;79(5):717-26. Review. PMID: 15113709 We found that high-dose maternal vitamin D supplementation not only improves the nutritional vitamin D status of breastfeeding infants but also elevates the maternal concentrations into the mid-normal range. Thus, a dual benefit is achieved from high-dose maternal supplementation. It is noteworthy that in the Finnish study, the authors added a disclaimer, "A sufficient supply of vitamin D to the breastfed infant is achieved only by increasing the maternal supplementation up to 2000 IU/d. Such a dose is far higher than the RDA [DRI] for lactating mothers [and therefore] its safety over prolonged periods is not known and should be examined by further study." This point of concern was valid when this study was conducted in 1986 (92); however, on the basis of the current findings of Vieth et al (2) and of Heaney et al (3)-which showed that vitamin D intakes <= 10 000 IU/d (250 µg) are safe for prolonged periods (up to 5 mo)-we believe that it is time to reexamine the understated DRI of vitamin D for lactating mothers. This work is now being conducted in our clinics and laboratory.

Gonzalez G, Alvarado JN, Rojas A, Navarrete C, Velasquez CG, Arteaga E. High prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in Chilean healthy postmenopausal women with normal sun exposure: additional evidence for a worldwide concern. Menopause. 2007 May-Jun;14(3

van der Mei IA, Ponsonby AL, Engelsen O, Pasco JA, McGrath JJ, Eyles DW, Blizzard L, Dwyer T, Lucas R, Jones G. The High Prevalence of Vitamin D Insufficiency across Australian Populations Is Only Partly Explained by Season and Latitude. Environ Health

The high prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency across Australian populations is only partly explained by season and latitude. van der Mei IA, Ponsonby AL, Engelsen O, Pasco JA, McGrath JJ, Eyles DW, Blizzard L, Dwyer T, Lucas R, Jones G. Environ Health Perspect. 2007 Aug;115(8):1132-9. PMID: 17687438 doi: 10.1289/ehp.9937. Conclusion Vitamin D insufficiency is common over a wide latitude range in Australia. Season appears to be more important than latitude, but both accounted for less than one-fifth of the variation in serum 25(OH)D levels, highlighting the importance of behavioral factors. Current sun exposure guidelines do not seem to fully prevent vitamin D insufficiency, and consideration should be given to their modification or to pursuing other means to achieve vitamin D adequacy.

"ScienceDaily (Oct. 8, 2009) - Women with breast cancer should be given high doses of vitamin D because a majority of them are likely to have low levels of vitamin D, which could contribute to decreased bone mass and greater risk of fractures, according to scientists at the University of Rochester Medical Center." Scientists funded by the NCI analyzed vitamin D levels in each woman, and the average level was 27 nanograms per milliliter; more than two-thirds of the women had vitamin deficiency. Weekly supplementation with high doses of vitamin D -- 50,000 international units or more -- improved the levels, according to Peppone's study. The U.S. Institute of Medicine suggests that blood levels nearing 32 nanograms per milliliter are adequate.

A phase 2 trial exploring the effects of high-dose (10,000 IU/day) vitamin D(3) in breast cancer patients with bone metastases. Amir E, Simmons CE, Freedman OC, Dranitsaris G, Cole DE, Vieth R, Ooi WS, Clemons M. Cancer. 2009 Nov 13. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 19918922 DOI: 10.1002/cncr.24749 METHODS: Patients with bone metastases treated with bisphosphonates were enrolled into this single-arm phase 2 study. Patients received 10,000 IU of vitamin D3 and 1000 mg of calcium supplementation each day for 4 months. The effect of this treatment on palliation, bone resorption markers, calcium metabolism, and toxicity were evaluated at baseline and monthly thereafter. CONCLUSIONS: Daily doses of 10,000 IU vitamin D3 for 4 months appear safe in patients without comorbid conditions causing hypersensitivity to vitamin D. Treatment reduced inappropriately elevated parathyroid hormone levels, presumably caused by long-term bisphosphonate use. There did not appear to be a significant palliative benefit nor any significant change in bone resorption. Cancer 2010. © 2009 American Cancer Society.

"Dr. Jodie Burton is the acting principal investigator (PI) of the dose-escalation trial of oral vitamin D3 with calcium supplementation in patients with multiple sclerosis with Dr. O'Connor. She started the trial as his fellow, while doing an additional 2 years of training in MS specifically after she received her neurology certification. She completed her fellowship training in 2007. Now she is staff doing clinical research and continuing with the vitamin D trial. As of August 2009, she will be Assistant Professor in Neurology in the Department of Clinical Neuroscience in Calgary and at the University of Calgary. She will be part of the MS team there with Dr. Luanne Metz and the MS group. Please scroll down for an abstract of the trial: A Phase I/II dose-escalation trial of oral vitamin D3 with calcium supplementation in patients with multiple sclerosis." Conclusions: High-dose VD3 (~10 000 IU/day, possibly higher) in MS is safe and tolerable, with evidence of clinical improvement."

"Olmesartan (trade names Benicar, Olmetec) is an angiotensin II receptor antagonist used to treat high blood pressure. The prodrug olmesartan medoxomil is marketed worldwide by Daiichi Sankyo, Ltd. and in the United States by Daiichi Sankyo, Inc. and in India by Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd. under the trade name Olvance. Olmesartan may possess high affinity for the Vitamin D Receptor, based on molecular modeling studies[2], but these results have not been duplicated in clinical trials. Because of the role of the Vitamin D receptor in innate immunity[3], this would indicate that olmesartan has immune modulatory properties. This theory is currently the premise underlying the Marshall Protocol, which uses olmesartan to impose a chemical blockade on 1,25 Vitamin D as part of a treatment of sarcoidosis and other diseases. The Marshall Protocol asserts that, assuming the etiology of these diseases is based on infection by cell-wall-deficient bacteria, restoring proper Vitamin D ratios via olmesartan dosing, combined with pulsed antibiotic dosing, would result in a cure.!

Conclusion: Vitamin D3 at doses equivalent to 2000 IU/d for 1 yr is safe in adolescents and results in desirable vitamin D levels. Short- and long-term safety of weekly high-dose vitamin D3 supplementation in school children. Maalouf J, Nabulsi M, Vieth R, Kimball S, El-Rassi R, Mahfoud Z, El-Hajj Fuleihan G. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2008 Jul;93(7):2693-701. Epub 2008 Apr 29. PMID: 18445674 doi:10.1210/jc.2007-2530

High prevalence of vitamin D inadequacy and implications for health.\nHolick MF.\nMayo Clin Proc. 2006 Mar;81(3):353-73. Review.\nPMID: 16529140 \ndoi: 10.4065/​81.3.353\n

Seasonality of UV-radiation and vitamin D status at 69 degrees north. Brustad M, Edvardsen K, Wilsgaard T, Engelsen O, Aksnes L, Lund E. Photochem Photobiol Sci. 2007 Aug;6(8):903-8. Epub 2007 Jun 27. PMID: 17668121 The generally high dietary intakes of vitamin D, especially in winter, mask largely the effect of seasonal variation in UV-exposure, causing an atypical seasonal variation in vitamin D status. The UV-hour variable significantly predicted 25(OH)D levels in blood when adjusted for intakes and artificial UV-radiation exposure and sun holidays abroad.

Low vitamin D status, high bone turnover, and bone fractures in centenarians. Passeri G, Pini G, Troiano L, Vescovini R, Sansoni P, Passeri M, Gueresi P, Delsignore R, Pedrazzoni M, Franceschi C. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2003 Nov;88(11):5109-15. PMID: 14602735 We conclude that the extreme decades of life are characterized by a pathophysiological sequence of events linking vitamin D deficiency, low serum calcium, and secondary hyperparathyroidism with an increase in bone resorption and severe osteopenia. These data offer a rationale for the possible prevention of elevated bone turnover, bone loss, and consequently the reduction of osteoporotic fractures and fracture-induced disability in the oldest olds through the supplementation with calcium and vitamin D.

Age-related changes in the 25-hydroxyvitamin D versus parathyroid hormone relationship suggest a different reason why older adults require more vitamin D. Vieth R, Ladak Y, Walfish PG. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2003 Jan;88(1):185-91. PMID: 12519850 This study shows that all age groups exhibit a high prevalence of 25(OH)D insufficiency and secondary hyperparathyroidism. Older adults are just as efficient in maintaining 25(OH)D, but they need more vitamin D to produce the higher 25(OH)D concentrations required to overcome the hyperparathyroidism associated with their diminishing renal function