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!

This may just help explain my mouth full of childhood cavities…how about YOU?

Vitamin D during pregnancy may impact baby’s teeth

Do you suffer from some sort of chronic pain condition?

More and more research is showing very strong correlations between low vitamin D and chronic pain. There’s certainly nothing to lose by getting a simple blood test to check yourself for vitamin D deficiency. If you’re out there suffering, vitamin D research is telling us that properly treated low vitamin D levels might give you some relief!

Here’s a link to the latest news about this:

Vitamin D may provide relief to chronic pain patients

Vitamin D improves colon cancer survival rates

The authors of this new study found a significant trend for lower death rate as pre-cancer diagnosis levels of vitamin D increased.

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.

Findings published yesterday in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine, may help explain why many people with no known risk factors - such as high blood pressure or smoking - inexplicably develop heart attacks. It also suggests it may be possible to reduce the incidence of the often fatal condition by popping an inexpensive (vitamin D) pill that is widely available in pharmacies and supplement stores.

The new finding may help explain why heart attack incidence has a peculiar distribution. It rises during the winter months, and is more common in northerly countries, such as Canada, regardless of whether people have other proven risk factors.

The vitamin seems to explain the trend because it has a strong seasonal fluctuation, falling in people’s bodies during fall and winter when sunlight is too feeble to make any of it in the skin.

Read more here and the abstract from the study here

Breast cancer patients with low levels of vitamin D were much more likely to die of the disease or have it spread than patients getting enough of the nutrient, a study found — adding to evidence the “sunshine vitamin” has anti-cancer benefits.

Only 24 percent of women in the study had sufficient blood levels of D at the time they their breast cancer was diagnosed. Those who were deficient were nearly twice as likely to have their cancer recur or spread over the next 10 years, and 73 percent more likely to die of the disease.

“These are pretty big differences,” said study leader Dr. Pamela Goodwin of Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto. “It’s the first time that vitamin D has been linked to breast cancer progression.”

A new analysis of current research provides “the strongest evidence to date” that giving small children supplemental vitamin D will help prevent them from developing type 1 diabetes later on, according to the review’s co-author.

The vitamin D Council’s Newsletter is out for June.

The focus of this issue is a 7 year old boy with autism. I’ve pasted much of the information below, be sure to check out the entire newsletter (but this is the only topic for this month)

In this month’s Vitamin D Council newsletter, Dr. John Cannell, psychiatrist and director of the non-profit educational organization, the Vitamin D Council, reports on a 7-year-old 50-pound boy whose autistic symptoms were clearly seasonal, who had a low serum 25-hydroxy-vitamin D, and who appeared to rapidly respond to treatment with 2,000 IU of cholecalciferol per day.

John is a seven-year old boy living in the northeastern US with a long standing diagnosis of autism. Symptoms include temper tantrums, repetitive self-stimulatory behavior, impaired language, mood swings, fear of being alone, toileting problems, dysbacteriosis, and impaired muscle strength. John spends a lot of time outdoors starting in the spring and his mother noticed a distinct seasonal variation in his symptoms in that he improved in the summer and regressed in the winter. A 25-hydroxy-vitamin D in April of 2008 was 25 ng/ml and obtained after John had begun to play outside. Due to the seasonality of John’s symptoms the mother consulted me and I advised the mother to stop all products containing vitamin A including cod liver oil and begin John on 5,000 IU of vitamin D3 per day for two weeks followed by 2,000 IU per day in the form of powdered vitamin D dissolved in juice. Within a week of starting the vitamin D language began to return and he was no longer as fearful of being alone. At the end of two weeks his language showed further improvement, he began to toilet himself, counted to 10 and knew the spelling of his name. After three weeks language continued to improve and some improvements were noted in his dysbiosis. After four weeks of vitamin D treatment, the mother noted improvements in muscle strength as well as continued improvements in language. A repeat 25-hydroxy-vitamin D is pending while John continues taking 2,000 IU of vitamin D per day.

Dr. Cannell cautions that this is only a case report and does not prove a treatment effect. Parents need to understand that vitamin D will not cure autism. Furthermore, Dr. Cannell cautions that it is unlikely that older autistic children or individuals with severe autism will show these sorts of apparent improvements. Furthermore, autism is a multifactorial disease with strong genetic roots and it is highly unlikely that treatment of vitamin D deficiency in all autistic children will result in similar improvements. Finally, Dr. Cannell did not examine this child, and is relying on the child’s mother to report his condition and his apparent response to vitamin D treatment. However, the mother agreed to speak with the press about her son and allow for independent confirmation of the apparent treatment response.

Dr. Cannell also reminds readers that the main value of case reports is to stimulate further research. He called upon Dr. Thomas Insel, Director of the National Institute of Mental Health, to see that additional needed reasearch is done in a timely manner.

I’ve mentioned previously that mushrooms can be a good source of vitamin D. Well, Dole Food Company is taking mushrooms to a whole new level with their new Sliced Portobello Mushrooms. These babies are vitamin D super charged with a flash of light!

I’m not a fan of mushrooms, but for those of you who are this product might just be something you’d like to add to your cuisine.