"Pohjolan kitsas aurinko tarjoaa D-vitamiinia seuraavan kerran maaliskuussa. Talvella luustovitamiinit pitää tankata ruoasta tai purkista. Kala on D-vitamiininlähteistä parhaita. D on se aurinkovitamiini, jota jokainen muistaa lapsena napsineensa - onnekkaimmat Vitol-helmien tai peräti suklaan muodossa, karskimpien perheiden kasvatit kalanmaksaöljynä. Ilman D-vitamiinia ihmisen elimistö ei kykene käyttämään hyväkseen ruoasta tulevaa kalsiumia, ja se näkyy luustossa. Riisitauti on puutostautien klassikko, jota tavataan meillä yhä. Joka vuosi siihen sairastuu muutama pikkulapsi, jolle ei ole annettu D-vitamiinilisää. D-vitamiinin puute pehmentää aikuistenkin luustoa, mutta silloin taudin nimi on osteomalasia. D:n puutteen katsotaan olevan myös yksi osteoporoosin riskitekijöistä. - D-vitamiinin vajaus ei tunnu olossa eikä näy päälle, ennen kuin luut tosiaan alkavat pehmentyä. Omaa vitamiinitilannettaan kannattaa miettiä, jos ei syö lainkaan kalaa ja käyttää vain vähän D-vitaminoituja maitovalmisteita, toteaa dosentti Christel Lamberg-Allardt Helsingin yliopistosta."

Benefits of Vitamin D Supplementation Joel M. Kauffman, Ph.D. Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons Volume 14 Number 2 - Summer 2009 Clinical trials show that vitamin D supplementation at higher levels than previously recommended is beneficial for many conditions. It decreases the frequency of falls and fractures, helps prevent cardiovascular disease, and reduces symptoms of colds or influenza. Benefits are also seen in diabetes mellitus, multiple sclerosis, Crohn disease, pain, depression, and possibly autism. Sunlight does not cause an overdose of vitamin D production, and toxicity from supplementation is rare. Dose recommendations are increasing, but appear to be lagging the favorable trial results. A number of common drugs deplete vitamin D levels, and others may limit its biosynthesis from sunlight. People with adequate levels from sun exposure will not benefit from supplementation. While dietary intake is helpful, supplementation is better able to raise serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D , the major circulating metabolite, to the level now thought adequate, 30-50 ng/mL. Where there is inadequate daily sun exposure, oral doses of 1,000-2,000 IU/d are now considered routine, with much higher doses (up to 50,000 IU) for rapid repletion now considered safe.

"THURSDAY, Dec. 3 (HealthDay News) -- New research points to the possibility of a genetic link between vitamin D and heart disease. People with high blood pressure who had a gene variant that reduces vitamin D activation in the body were found to be twice as likely as those without the variant to have congestive heart failure, the study found. The finding may lead to a way to identify people at increased risk for heart disease, according to Robert U. Simpson, an assistant professor of pharmacology at the University of Michigan Medical School and his research colleagues. They analyzed the genetic profiles of 617 people. One-third had hypertension, one-third had hypertension and congestive heart failure, and the remaining third served as healthy controls. The researchers found that a variant in the CYP27B1 gene was associated with congestive heart failure in people with hypertension. The study is in the November issue of Pharmacogenomics."

Vitamin D for cancer prevention: global perspective. Garland CF, Gorham ED, Mohr SB, Garland FC. Ann Epidemiol. 2009 Jul;19(7):468-83. Review. PMID: 19523595

"Juuri julkaistun tutkimuksen mukaan optimaalinen D-vitamiinin saanti sijoittuu haarukkaan 1800-4000 IU/vrk (45-100 mcg/vrk). Tätä määrää ei kannata edes uneksia saavansa tavallisesta ruoasta, joten purkilla on käytävä. Suomessa D-vitamiinin saanti on keskimäärin naisilla 5,2 mcg/vrk ja miehillä 7,1 mcg/vrk. Tutkimusta johtivat Zürichin yliopistosairaalan tutkijat, mutta mukana oli myös muun muassa kuuluisa ravitsemusepidemiologi Walter Willett Harvardin yliopistosta. "

Benefit-risk assessment of vitamin D supplementation. Bischoff-Ferrari HA, Shao A, Dawson-Hughes B, Hathcock J, Giovannucci E, Willett WC. Osteoporos Int. 2009 Dec 3. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 19957164 Conclusion Our analysis suggests that mean serum 25(OH)D levels of about 75 to 110 nmol/l provide optimal benefits for all investigated endpoints without increasing health risks. These levels can be best obtained with oral doses in the range of 1,800 to 4,000 IU vitamin D per day; further work is needed, including subject and environment factors, to better define the doses that will achieve optimal blood levels in the large majority of the population.

ScienceDaily (Dec. 5, 2009) - A new study has found that the amount of vitamin D in patients being treated for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma was strongly associated with cancer progression and overall survival. The results will be presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology in New Orleans. Also, several recent reports have concluded that vitamin D deficiency is associated with poor outcomes in other cancers, including breast, colon and head and neck cancer. This is the first study to look at lymphoma outcome

How to optimize vitamin D supplementation to prevent cancer, based on cellular adaptation and hydroxylase enzymology. Vieth R. Anticancer Res. 2009 Sep;29(9):3675-84. Review. PMID: 19667164

"Under year round UV exposure conditions (low latitudes, broken line, "High UV") there is no association between 25(OH)D and either prostate or pancreatic cancer. At high latitudes (Solid line, "Low UV") there is a positive association between blood levels of 25(OH)D and these cancers. The average year round levels of 25(OH)D actually tend to be higher in northern latitudes, higher than those where there is year-round solar UVB. Vieth explains that we know almost nothing about the enzymes controlling tissue 1,25(OH)2D levels and much of his discussion is extrapolated from renal enzyme activity."

"D-vitamiini ja verenpainetauti liittyvät toisiinsa, osoitti suuri amerikkalainen sairaanhoitajien terveysseuranta. Nyt Connecticutin yliopiston professorit William White ja Pooja Luthra aloittavat uuden 3-vuotisen tutkimuksen selvittääkseen D-vitamiinin puutteen merkityksestä verenpainetaudin synnyssä ja hoidossa. "Potilaat eivät useinkaan ymmärrä, että heillä on puutetta D-vitamiinista tai he eivät osaa yhdistää D-vitamiinia muuhun kuin luuston sairauksiin", sanoo sisätautiopin professori William B. White. "

"Women with fertility problems may benefit from taking vitamin D supplements, research has found. A study has found a link between low levels of Vitamin D and problems with ovulation. The research may offer a simple, cheap and safe option for women to try before resorting to drugs."

Athletic performance and vitamin D. Cannell JJ, Hollis BW, Sorenson MB, Taft TN, Anderson JJ. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009 May;41(5):1102-10. Review. PMID: 19346976 doi: 10.1249/MSS.0b013e3181930c2b Conclusions: Vitamin D may improve athletic performance in vitamin D-deficient athletes. Peak athletic performance may occur when 25(OH)D levels approach those obtained by natural, full-body, summer sun exposure, which is at least 50 ng·mL-1. Such 25(OH)D levels may also protect the athlete from several acute and chronic medical conditions.

"So why is Dr Vieth so frustrated? You might think he'd have cause for celebration. But for him and other vitamin D researchers around the world, the good news comes with a bitter aftertaste. They believe they can prove vitamin D could help millions live longer and be healthier and yet they have not been able to convince their own governments. In the US and Canada, official vitamin D policy is set by the Institute of Medicine. And in the opinion of Vieth, the current recommendations - 200 International Units per day for people under 50, 400 for people aged 51-70, and 600 for those 71 and older - are outrageously low. Bruce Hollis, professor of paediatrics at the Medical University of South Carolina, calls 400 IU a day "a joke". That's because the best research suggests that to achieve the higher vitamin D blood levels associated with disease prevention, most adults in the US would need to take 1,000-2,000 IU a day: five to 10 times more than the current official recommendation for adult In 1999, Reinhold Vieth (pictured right) published a review of vitamin D research in response to the IOM conclusions. In it, he argued that there was no evidence that amounts lower than 20,000 IU a day could be toxic. "Throughout my preparation of this review, I was amazed at the lack of evidence supporting statements about the toxicity of moderate doses of vitamin D," Vieth wrote. Studies have since shown 10,000 IU a day of vitamin D to be safe. While any substance will become toxic in excess, vitamin D researchers today accept that the current vitamin D recommendations could be more than quadrupled with no fear of toxicity.!

Vitamin D supplementation reduces insulin resistance in South Asian women living in New Zealand who are insulin resistant and vitamin D deficient - a randomised, placebo-controlled trial. von Hurst PR, Stonehouse W, Coad J. Br J Nutr. 2009 Sep 28:1-7. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 19781131 In conclusion, improving vitamin D status in insulin resistant women resulted in improved IR and sensitivity, but no change in insulin secretion. Optimal vitamin D concentrations for reducing IR were shown to be 80-119 nmol/l, providing further evidence for an increase in the recommended adequate levels. Registered Trial No. ACTRN12607000642482.

"Last Wednesday night I gave a lecture to my clients on hunter-gatherer diets. The turnout was great and the information was well-received. I had it professionally video-recorded and will probably offer this as a DVD for sale (with the handout included). Watch for it in the future. Part of what I discussed was vitamin D3 supplementation. Since I have been supplementing with 4,000-10,000 Units of D3 per day I have noted enhanced recovery and size response from my training. Apparently, skeletal muscle has both surface receptors and nuclear receptors for D3 that augment calcium flux during contraction (from surface receptors) and have steroid-like effects at the nuclear level WRT protein synthesis. This D3 supplementation is not really "supplementation" but is instead "augmentation" to levels that would be normal if we got normal sun exposure as we did in our evolutionary past. Check out www.vitamindcouncil.org for more information. Also, check out this abstract below for your consideration. Also, check out this article."

Onko D-vitamiini ihmelääke? Auringosta tai purkista saatavan supervitamiinin väitetään suojaavan syövältä, sydänsairauksilta, sikainfluenssalta, masennukselta ja auttavan jopa laihtumaan. Monet kokevat kaamosmasennuksen helpottavan, kun syövät riittävän korkeita määriä D-vitamiinia. Kuulostaa liian hyvältä ollakseen totta. Vanha tuttu D-vitamiini onkin yhtäkkiä kuin taikajuoma, joka auttaa melkein mihin tahansa. Se laihduttaa, ehkäisee syöpää, laskee verenpainetta, kohottaa mielialaa. Vitamiini tuntuu tekevän melkein mitä tahansa, kunhan se on positiivista. Uusista hyötyvaikutuksista kerrotaan päivittäin. Time-lehti julisti jo pari vuotta sitten D-vitamiinin saannin ja vaikutuksien selvittämisen yhdeksi tieteen tärkeimmistä tutkimuskohteista! "D-vitamiini on hyvä tietokilpailukysymys, kun kysytään, mihin sairauteen sen puute ei näytä jotenkin liittyvän", toteaa Jouni Karhu. Hänet tunnetaan verkkokeskusteluissa väsymättömästi D-vitamiinia suitsuttavana nimimerkki Neonomidena, jonka monipuolisten tietojen innoittamana monet ovat marssineet apteekin vitamiinihyllylle tai tilanneet D-pillereitä verkkokaupasta.

"Numerous studies link Vitamin D and influenza, as well as Vitamin D and respiratory infections more generally. This vitamin up-regulates genetic expression of various endogenous antimicrobial peptides (AMP), which exhibit broad-spectrum microbicidal activity against bacteria, fungi, and viruses. Reports discussed below indicate that susceptibility to influenza is reduced with higher levels of sun exposure or vitamin D supplementation. Seasonal variation of vitamin D levels in humans can help explain the seasonality of flu epidemics."

"Calbindin describes calcium binding proteins first described as the vitamin D-dependent calcium binding proteins in intestine and kidney."

"Vitamin D-dependent calcium binding proteins were discovered in the cytosolic fractions of chicken intestine, and later in mammalian intestine and kidney, by workers including Robert Wasserman of Cornell University. They bound calcium in the micromolar range and were greatly reduced in vitamin D-deficient animals. Expression could be induced by treating these animals with vitamin D metabolites such as calcitriol. They were found to exist in two distant sizes with a molecular weight of approximately 9 kDa and 28 kDa. They were renamed calbindin; calbindin-D9k is found in mammalian intestine and calbindin-D28k in avain intestine and in kidney."

"Ergocalciferol (Deltalin, Eli Lilly and Company) is a form of vitamin D, also called vitamin D2. It has the systematic name "(3β,5Z,7E,22E)-9,10-secoergosta-5,7,10(19),22-tetraen-3-ol". It is created from viosterol, which in turn is created when ultraviolet light activates ergosterol."