Vitamin D

This DRI report presents calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, vitamin D, and fluoride, all of which have key roles in developing and maintaining bone and other calcified tissues in the body. View or download the entire 454 page document or just selected sections below, or find information for obtaining the book version. Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Vitamin D, and Fluoride (1997) National Academy of Sciences. Institute of Medicine. Food and Nutrition Board.

Novel role of the vitamin D receptor in maintaining the integrity of the intestinal mucosal barrier. Kong J, Zhang Z, Musch MW, Ning G, Sun J, Hart J, Bissonnette M, Li YC. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol. 2008 Jan;294(1):G208-16. Epub 2007 Oct 25. PMID: 17962355 These observations suggest that VDR plays a critical role in mucosal barrier homeostasis by preserving the integrity of junction complexes and the healing capacity of the colonic epithelium. Therefore, vitamin D deficiency may compromise the mucosal barrier, leading to increased susceptibility to mucosal damage and increased risk of IBD.

[Low levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) in patients with inflammatory bowel disease and its correlation with bone mineral density] Souza HN, Lora FL, Kulak CA, Mañas NC, Amarante HM, Borba VZ. Arq Bras Endocrinol Metabol. 2008 Jun;52(4):684-91. Portuguese. PMID: 18604382

Vitamin D and pancreatic cancer risk in the alpha-tocopherol, beta-carotene cancer prevention cohort. Michaud DS. Cancer Res. 2006 Oct 15;66(20):9802-3.

ScienceDaily (Apr. 24, 2009) - New research provides evidence for a link between vitamin D insufficiency and asthma severity. Serum levels of vitamin D in more than 600 Costa Rican children were inversely linked to several indicators of allergy and asthma severity, including hospitalizations for asthma, use of inhaled steroids and total IgE levels, according to a study that will appear in the first issue for May of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

Vitamin D, respiratory infections, and asthma. Ginde AA, Mansbach JM, Camargo CA Jr. Curr Allergy Asthma Rep. 2009 Jan;9(1):81-7. Review. PMID: 19063829

Is vitamin D deficiency to blame for the asthma epidemic? Litonjua AA, Weiss ST. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2007 Nov;120(5):1031-5. Epub 2007 Oct 24. PMID: 17919705

Vitamin D deficiency is a very serious health problem. Most people tend to think of it only in terms of skeletal problems; however, it is much more than that. Vitamin D deficiency has now been linked with a multitude of neoplasms, autoimmune dysfunction, compromised innate immunity and neurodevelopment in utero. Vitamin D is made in huge amounts when we go into intense sun. A fair-skinned individual can produce approximately 20,000 IU in 10 minutes' time with a total body exposure. A person with significant pigmentation will require up to 10 times the exposure to make an equivalent amount. In the winter at the latitude of Chicago, even a fair person cannot photo-produce vitamin D from mid-October through March. Thus, it is VERY important to have a realistic vitamin D recommendation as the current 200 IU/day recommendation is a joke

Contemporary Diagnosis and Treatment of Vitamin D-Related Disorders

The Vitamin D Cure (Paperback) by James Dowd MD (Author), Diane Stafford Diane Stafford (Author) › Visit Amazon's Diane Stafford Page Find all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author Are you an author? Learn about Author Central (Author)

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).

Usean Euroopan maan yhteistyönä tehdyssä tutkimuksessa on saatu alustavia viitteitä siitä, että D-vitamiinin puute voi liittyä älyllisten toimintojen heikentymiseen. Tutkimuksessa kartoitettiin 3 400 keski-ikäiseltä ja iäkkäältä mieheltä, miten elimistön D-vitamiinipitoisuus oli yhteydessä aivojen kognitiivisiin toimintoihin. Miehet suorittivat kolme kognitiivisia eli tiedollisia taitoja kartoittavaa testiä. D-vitamiinipitoisuuden mittarina käytettiin elimistön D-vitamiinitilannetta parhaiten kuvastavaa seerumin 25(OH)D3-pitoisuutta, jonka riittävänä arvona pidetään 50-75 nmol/l. Tuloksista ilmeni, että miehet, joiden 25(OH)D3-pitoisuus oli suuri, menestyivät kognitiivisissa testeissä paremmin kuin miehet, joiden vitamiinipitoisuus oli pieni.

Vitamin D plays a critical role in the human body's response to tuberculosis, according to new research that explains why people of African descent are more susceptible to TB. The research also suggests a new way to fight one of the world's deadliest diseases: with a simple dietary supplement. Tuberculosis, usually caused when a person inhales tuberculosis bacteria, killed an estimated 1.7 million people in 2003 and is the leading cause of death for people afflicted with AIDS, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

The effect of vitamin D as supplementary treatment in patients with moderately advanced pulmonary tuberculous lesion. Nursyam EW, Amin Z, Rumende CM. Acta Med Indones. 2006 Jan-Mar;38(1):3-5. PMID: 16479024

Relationship between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin d and pulmonary function in the third national health and nutrition examination survey. Black PN, Scragg R. Chest. 2005 Dec;128(6):3792-8. PMID: 16354847

Effect of Vitamin D on falls: a meta-analysis. Bischoff-Ferrari HA, Dawson-Hughes B, Willett WC, Staehelin HB, Bazemore MG, Zee RY, Wong JB. JAMA. 2004 Apr 28;291(16):1999-2006. Review. PMID: 15113819

Vitamin D deficiency and mortality. Zittermann A, Gummert JF, Börgermann J. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2009 Aug 25. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 19710612

In his recent essay, Trevor G. Marshall explores how vitamin D supplementation may be contributing to the current epidemics of obesity and chronic disease[1]. Unfortunately, he has overlooked many important papers that disagree with his hypothesis. This letter points out some of the omissions. The health benefits of vitamin D3 have been reviewed recently[2]. The benefits for bone health have been known for nearly a century. Benefits for cancer, infectious diseases, autoimmune diseases, and metabolic diseases have been identified in the past three decades.

Prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency in Brazilian adolescents. Peters BS, dos Santos LC, Fisberg M, Wood RJ, Martini LA. Ann Nutr Metab. 2009;54(1):15-21. Epub 2009 Feb 5. PMID: 19194104 DOI: 10.1159/000199454 CONCLUSIONS: The present study suggests that even in a sunny climate like Brazil the prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency in adolescents is high. Most likely this is due to low intakes of vitamin D in this group. Due to the limited extent of natural dietary sources of vitamin D, a policy of vitamin D food fortification should be considered in the future, and in the meantime greater use of vitamin D supplements in this population group should be encouraged to provide the increased amounts of this essential nutrient for optimal health.