Vitamin D supplementation during Antarctic winter. Smith SM, Gardner KK, Locke J, Zwart SR. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009 Apr;89(4):1092-8. Epub 2009 Feb 18. PMID: 19225122 doi:10.3945/ajcn.2008.27189

Long-term effects of giving nursing home residents bread fortified with 125 microg (5000 IU) vitamin D(3) per daily serving. Mocanu V, Stitt PA, Costan AR, Voroniuc O, Zbranca E, Luca V, Vieth R. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009 Apr;89(4):1132-7. Epub 2009 Feb 25. PMID: 19244376 doi:10.3945/ajcn.2008.26890

March 27, 2009 - A significant decrease in serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) levels has led to an increase in vitamin D insufficiency in the US population, especially in racial and ethnic groups, according to results of a population-based study reported in the March 23 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine. "Vitamin D insufficiency has been associated with increases in cardiovascular disease, cancer, and infection," write Adit A. Ginde, MD, from the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, and colleagues. "Vitamin D supplementation appears to mitigate the incidence and adverse outcomes of these diseases and may reduce all-cause mortality." [...] "These findings have important implications for health disparities and public health," the study authors conclude. "Our data provide additional evidence that current recommendations for vitamin D supplementation (200-600 IU/d) are inadequate to achieve optimal serum 25(OH)D levels in most of the US population." They add that large, randomized controlled trials of higher doses of vitamin D supplementation are needed to evaluate their effect on general health and mortality.

Prevention of nonvertebral fractures with oral vitamin D and dose dependency: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Bischoff-Ferrari HA, Willett WC, Wong JB, Stuck AE, Staehelin HB, Orav EJ, Thoma A, Kiel DP, Henschkowski J. Arch Intern Med. 2009 Mar 23;169(6):551-61. PMID: 19307517 Conclusion Nonvertebral fracture prevention with vitamin D is dose dependent, and a higher dose should reduce fractures by at least 20% for individuals aged 65 years or older.

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.

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

The same annual dose of 292 000 IU of vitamin D(3) (cholecalciferol) on either daily or four monthly basis for elderly women: 1-year comparative study of the effects on serum 25(OH)D(3) concentrations and renal function. Pekkarinen T, Välimäki VV, Aarum S, Turpeinen U, Hämäläinen E, Löyttyniemi E, Välimäki MJ. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 2009 May 25. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 19486025 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2265.2009.03637.x

ScienceDaily (Aug. 3, 2009) - Seven out of ten U.S. children have low levels of vitamin D, raising their risk of bone and heart disease, according to a study of over 6,000 children by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University. The striking findings suggest that vitamin D deficiency could place millions of children at risk for high blood pressure and other risk factors for heart disease.

Glerup H, Mikkelsen K, Poulsen L, Hass E, Overbeck S, Thomsen J, Charles P, Eriksen EF. Commonly recommended daily intake of vitamin D is not sufficient if sunlight exposure is limited.J Intern Med. 2000 Feb;247(2):260-8.PMID: 10692090 [PubMed - indexed f

Cancer incidence and mortality and vitamin d in black and white male health professionals.

Dusso AS, Brown AJ, Slatopolsky E. Vitamin D. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol. 2005 Jul;289(1):F8-28. Review. PMID: 15951480 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Pittas AG, Harris SS, Stark PC, Dawson-Hughes B. The Effects of Calcium and Vitamin D Supplementation on Blood Glucose and Markers of Inflammation in Non-diabetic Adults. Diabetes Care. 2007 Feb 2; [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 17277040 [PubMed - as sup

Matsumoto T, Miki T, Hagino H, Sugimoto T, Okamoto S, Hirota T, Tanigawara Y, Hayashi Y, Fukunaga M, Shiraki M, Nakamura T. A new active vitamin D, ED-71, increases bone mass in osteoporotic patients under vitamin D supplementation: a randomized, double-

Grant WB, Garland CF, Gorham ED. An estimate of cancer mortality rate reductions in Europe and the US with 1,000 IU of oral vitamin D per day. Recent Results Cancer Res. 2007;174:225-34. PMID: 17302200 [PubMed - in process]

Li H, Stampfer MJ, Hollis JBW, Mucci LA, Gaziano JM, et al. (2007) A Prospective Study of Plasma Vitamin D Metabolites, Vitamin D Receptor Polymorphisms, and Prostate Cancer. PLoS Med 4(3): e103 doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.0040103

Giovannucci E, Liu Y, Willett WC. Cancer incidence and mortality and vitamin d in black and white male health professionals. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2006 Dec;15(12):2467-72. Epub 2006 Nov 28. PMID: 17132768 [PubMed - in process]