The Benefits of vitamin D make Time Magazines Top 10 medical breakthroughs for 2007!

Giving school children very high doses of vitamin D is safe, and may be necessary to bring their blood levels of the nutrient up to the amount necessary for optimum bone growth and health, a new study shows.

Study backs low vitamin D-diabetes link
People with lower levels of vitamin D in their blood may be at greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to research published in the journal Epidemiology this month.

One update from our clinic. We see things like this all of the time now, but I thought I would mention it. We just checked a D level on a patient who was having trouble maintaining an adequate vitamin D level on 10,000 IU’s last year. She’s now been on 15,000 IU’s daily for the past 6 months and is maintaining nicely right in the middle of the range at 60ng/ML. This type of finding re-enforces the importance of having your doctor re-check your D levels and not just assume anything about dosing. It certainly appears not to be a one dose fits all nutrient!

I’ve been on vacation!

It’s been a while since I’ve posted. We had a week vacation and I decided to stay off of the computer to help refresh my brain a little. I’ve also started coaching fall baseball which tends to take up a fair amount of my free time. Add to this getting our kids ready for a new school year and well, I think you see why I’ve been away. Although I’ve taken a few weeks off, the headlines about vitamin D deficiency have not. Here are some of the headlines since I’ve been away:

New York Times - Vitamin D May Play Larger Role in Health

Johns Hopkins Gazette - Low Vitamin D Levels Pose a Large Threat to Health

U.S. News & World Report - Low Vitamin D Raises Women’s Hip Fracture Risk

The Associated Press - Vitamin D’s wild days: Who to test, what to take?

Times of India - Vitamin D, which the body makes when exposed to sunlight, may help prevent multiple sclerosis (MS), suggests a new study.

New York Times - Vitamin D Deficiency May Lurk in Babies
“we’re finding so many mothers are vitamin D deficient themselves that the milk is therefore deficient, so many babies can’t keep their levels up.”

I thought this was a pretty good list - Top 10 Myths About Vitamin D

So I just finished reading the July Newsletter from the Vitamin D Council. If you’re not reading it each month you should!

In the latest edition Dr Cannell has written a very informative and to the point Frequently Asked Questions page that you should all point people to when they pepper you with Vitamin D questions.

It was nice to hear him mention that the lab we use for our vitamin D testing is utilizing the testing procedure that has the most accuracy!

He also mentions a very cool vitamin D Call To Action statement issued by Grassroots Health and signed by leading vitamin D doctors and researchers. Along with that is a series of lectures around the country by Grassroots Health. The talks are called Vitamin D Prevents Cancer and Other Diseases–Is It TRUE? You can see the Cities and schedule here (so far nothing in Washington State)

Dr Cannell also pointed out this interesting tidbit:

CHICAGO, June 17, 2008 —-The American Medical Association (AMA), the nation’s largest physician organization, voted today at its Annual Meeting to adopt the following new public health policy: The current Reference Intake Values for Vitamin D were established by the Food and Nutrition Board in 1997. Current research suggests that the Upper Limits for adults is likely overly conservative. Today the AMA called on the FDA to re-examine the current Daily Reference Intake Value for Vitamin D in light of new scientific findings. “The health benefits of Vitamin D are plentiful, such as strong bones and a reduced risk of breast cancer and cardiovascular disease,” said AMA Board Member Steven Stack, M.D. “It’s time to take a good look at the current daily recommended level of Vitamin D and ensure that Americans know the appropriate levels so they can reap the full health benefits.”

The AMA’s statement is timely in light of another study published a few days later that showed those with the lowest vitamin D levels are twice as likely to die as those with the highest levels.

Anyway, that’s it for now!

I thought that this headline was pretty exciting:

Mad Rush At Labs For Vitamin D Tests

That headline corroborates what we see locally. The lab that we use for our D testing has just installed their own machine to do their vitamin D testing in-house. (they use to send them to another lab) Our rep for the lab also told me that they’re planning on adding a second machine within the next month or so. I think that each machine is something like $100 K.

This also means that we’ll be getting the results faster now. It use to take about 5 business days, now they’ll be done in about 24 hours. All of this is really great to hear! The need for more vitamin D testing machines means that doctors are hearing the news and getting the message that it’s important to check their patients vitamin D levels.

That’s all for now,
Darcy

If that headline doesn’t get your attention I’m guessing nothing will……

New research shows that having low vitamin D levels leads to an increase risk of death.

As I look at the pink tint of my skin from sitting at a mostly cloudy baseball game last night, I’m reminded about how darn easily I burn and how I just can’t get away without wearing sunscreen. But us pink folks are not alone!

Although it’s been a very cold and cloud covered spring here in the Pacific Northwest, I felt compelled to post an important reminder for those who are currently (or hopefully will be soon) out in the warm summer sunshine. This is a quote from one of the biggest vitamin D researhers out there:

“My message is very clear, YOU SHOULD NEVER BURN and always use sunlight in moderation for the beneficial effect which is the production of vitamin D.” Michael Hollick MD

Hollick MD recommends 15 minutes of mid-day sun without sunscreen, that’s it. Other than that you’re looking at oral vitamin D supplementation.

From what we’ve seen with numerous vitamin D lab tests done at our clinic in the middle of last summer, it’s very difficult to get enough vitamin D in the Pacific NW summer sun. So don’t think you’re doing yourself a favor by getting extra (likely harmful) sun exposure! Chances are that you’d be getting too much UVA (burning rays) and not enough UVB (vitamin D rays).

To be sure that you’re on the right track with proper vitamin D testing and treatment, check out some of the information in our vitamin D learning center.

Do you have inflammatory joint disease, rheumatism, arthritis, backache, or osteoporosis?

In a recent study nearly three quarters of patients seen at a rheumatology clinic, which focuses on diseases affecting the joints, muscles, bones, and tendons, have a vitamin D deficiency, researchers based in Ireland found. You can read more about it here: Low vitamin D common with rheumatic diseases

AT LEAST 40 percent of American infants and toddlers aren’t getting enough vitamin D, according to researchers from Children’s Hospital in Boston.

Seems to me that if you’re thinking about having babies you should make sure that your own vitamin D level is good FIRST. Isn’t it just logical that if mom is vitamin D deficient, her breast milk will be too?

Would you ever have imagined that the people who live in the UAE in the middle east would be seriously at risk of vitamin D deficiency? 65% of females and 60% of males were vitamin D deficient in a recent study of 17,000 residents there. The latitude is just 24 degrees north of the equator!

I’ve got to think that it’s just too hot to get outside for most folks during the peak vitamin D hours of the day. It also may correlate with staying covered up as I’ve already mentioned in recent posts.

Wow, who would have imagined!

This is the first doctor I’ve found (other than my wife) who has acknowledged that we don’t get enough vitamin D in the Pacific NW even in the middle of summer! Apparently there’s just not adequate UVB rays this far north of the equator…

“Seattleites need more vitamin D. We don’t get enough sunshine, says a Kirkland rheumatologist. The levels weren’t only low in winter, though, when the sun rarely peeks through the clouds in Seattle. Patients weren’t building levels during summer, either when maximum sunlight shines here, Neiman said. (He suggested vitamin D should be added to the water.)” (read more)

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Also, here’s a new video news story about Vitamin D deficiency - nothing earth-shattering, but always great to see more publicity!