We may be lack of Vitamin D

Feel muscle pain? Hard to loss weight? Easy to get sick? We may be lack of Vitamin D (VD).

Looking around, it is not hard to find many people, especially ladies, have sickness related to VD deficiency. Here are a list of some scientiicr esearch studies and reports published on VD:


1.Vitamin D2 Is Much Less Effective than Vitamin D3 in Humans.
The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism Vol. 89, No. 11 5387-5391
Laura A. G. Armas, Bruce W. Hollis and Robert P. Heaney

ABSTRACT: Vitamins D2 and D3 are generally considered to be equivalent in humans. Nevertheless, physicians commonly report equivocal responses to seemingly large doses of the only high-dose calciferol (vitamin D2) available in the U.S. market.
The relative potencies of vitamins D2 and D3 were evaluated by administering single doses of 50,000 IU of the respective calciferols to 20 healthy male volunteers, following the time course of serum vitamin D and 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) over a period of 28 d and measuring the area under the curve of the rise in 25OHD above baseline.

The two calciferols produced similar rises in serum concentration of the administered vitamin, indicating equivalent absorption. Both produced similar initial rises in serum 25OHD over the first 3 d, but 25OHD continued to rise in the D3-treated subjects, peaking at 14 d, whereas serum 25OHD fell rapidly in the D2-treated subjects and was not different from baseline at 14 d. Area under the curve (AUC) to d 28 was 60.2 ng•d/ml (150.5 nmol•d/liter) for vitamin D2 and 204.7 (511.8) for vitamin D3

2.Low Levels of Vitamin D Linked to Muscle Fat, Decreased Strength in Young People

ScienceDaily (Mar. 6, 2010) — A ground-breaking study published in the March 2010 Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism found an astonishing 59 per cent of study subjects had too little Vitamin D in their blood. Nearly a quarter of the group had serious deficiencies (less than 20 ng/ml) of this important vitamin. Since Vitamin D insufficiency is linked to increased body fat, decreased muscle strength and a range of disorders, this is a serious health issue.

3.Lack Of Vitamin D Causes Weight Gain And Stunts Growth In Girls

ScienceDaily (Dec. 11, 2008) — Insufficient vitamin D can stunt growth and foster weight gain during puberty, according to a new study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. Even in sun-drenched California, where scientists from the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and the University of Southern California conducted their study, vitamin D deficiency was found to cause higher body mass and shorter stature in girls at the peak of their growing spurt.

4.Successful Weight Loss With Dieting Is Linked To Vitamin D Levels

ScienceDaily (June 12, 2009) — Vitamin D levels in the body at the start of a low-calorie diet predict weight loss success, a new study found. The results, which suggest a possible role for vitamin D in weight loss, were presented at The Endocrine Society's 91st Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.
"Vitamin D deficiency is associated with obesity, but it is not clear if inadequate vitamin D causes obesity or the other way around," said the study's lead author, Shalamar Sibley, MD, MPH, an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Minnesota.

5.High Levels of Vitamin D in Older People Can Reduce Heart Disease and Diabetes

ScienceDaily (Feb. 22, 2010) — Middle aged and elderly people with high levels of vitamin D could reduce their chances of developing heart disease or diabetes by 43%, according to researchers at the University of Warwick.

6.Vitamin D Insufficiency Linked To Bacterial Vaginosis In Pregnant Women

ScienceDaily (May 21, 2009) — Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is the most common vaginal infection in US women of childbearing age, and is common in pregnant women. BV occurs when the normal balance of bacteria in the vagina is disrupted and replaced by an overgrowth of certain bacteria. Because having BV puts a woman at increased risk for a variety of complications, such as preterm delivery, there is great interest in understanding how it can be prevented.

7. Understanding The Anticancer Effects Of Vitamin D3
ScienceDaily (July 7, 2009) — The active form of vitamin D3 seems to have anticancer effects. To try and understand the mechanisms underlying these effects, researchers previously set out to identify genes whose expression in a human colon cancer cell line was altered by the active form of vitamin D3.

8. Vitamin D Levels Are Too Low In Millions Of US Children, Latest Analysis Confirms
ScienceDaily (Oct. 27, 2009) — Millions of children in the United States between the ages of 1 and 11 may suffer from suboptimal levels of vitamin D, according to a large nationally representative study published in the November issue of Pediatrics, accompanied by an editorial.

9. Women With Breast Cancer Have Low Vitamin D Levels
ScienceDaily (Oct. 10, 2009) — Women with breast cancer should be given high doses of vitamin D because a majority of them are likely to have low levels of vitamin D, which could contribute to decreased bone mass and greater risk of fractures, according to scientists at the University of Rochester Medical Center.

10. Vitamin D Supplements Could Fight Crohn's Disease
ScienceDaily (Jan. 27, 2010) — A new study has found that Vitamin D, readily available in supplements or cod liver oil, can counter the effects of Crohn's disease. John White, an endocrinologist at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, led a team of scientists from McGill University and the Université de Montréal who present their findings about the inflammatory bowel disease in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

11. Vitamin D Deficiency Related To Increased Inflammation In Healthy Women
ScienceDaily (Apr. 14, 2009) — According to a recent study in the Archives of Internal Medicine, 75 percent of Americans do not get enough Vitamin D. Researchers have found that the deficiency may negatively impact immune function and cardiovascular health and increase cancer risk. Now, a University of Missouri nutritional sciences researcher has found that vitamin D deficiency is associated with inflammation, a negative response of the immune system, in healthy women.

12. Vitamin D Crucial to Activating Immune Defenses
ScienceDaily (Mar. 8, 2010) — Scientists at the University of Copenhagen have discovered that Vitamin D is crucial to activating our immune defenses and that without sufficient intake of the vitamin, the killer cells of the immune system -- T cells -- will not be able to react to and fight off serious infections in the body.

13. Vitamin D, Curcumin May Help Clear Amyloid Plaques Found In Alzheimer's Disease
ScienceDaily (July 16, 2009) — UCLA scientists and colleagues from UC Riverside and the Human BioMolecular Research Institute have found that a form of vitamin D, together with a chemical found in turmeric spice called curcumin, may help stimulate the immune system to clear the brain of amyloid beta, which forms the plaques considered the hallmark of Alzheimer's disease.

14. One In Seven U.S. Teens Is Vitamin D Deficient
ScienceDaily (Mar. 12, 2009) — One in seven American adolescents is vitamin D deficient, according to a new study by researchers in the Department of Public Health at Weill Cornell Medical College. The findings are published in the March issue of the journal Pediatrics and were presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies' Annual Meeting in May 2008.

15. Vitamin D Is The 'It' Nutrient Of The Moment
ScienceDaily (Jan. 14, 2009) — Vitamin D is quickly becoming the "it" nutrient with health benefits for diseases, including cancer, osteoporosis, heart disease and now diabetes.
"Vitamin D has widespread benefits for our health and certain chronic diseases in particular," said Sue Penckofer, Ph.D., R.N., study co-author and professor, Loyola University Chicago Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing. "This article further substantiates the role of this nutrient in the prevention and management of glucose intolerance and diabetes."

16. New Guidelines Double Amount Of Recommended Vitamin D For Young
ScienceDaily (Oct. 14, 2008) — The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is doubling the amount of vitamin D it recommends for infants, children and adolescents. The new clinical report, "Prevention of Rickets and Vitamin D Deficiency in Infants, Children, and Adolescents, " recommends all children receive 400 IU a day of vitamin D, beginning in the first few days of life.

Key points:
• Low levels of circulating vitamin D are associated with increased risk and mortality from cancer.
• Vitamin D plays an important role in activating the immune system, fostering the "innate" immune response and controlling over-reaction of adaptive immunity, and as such may help control autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis.
• Cathelicidin can profoundly boost the innate immune system, and could form the basis for new therapies to combat pathogenic infections.
• The regulation of cathelicidin by vitamin D, a unique biological pathway for the function of vitamin D that could help explain its multiple roles in proper immune function, is so important that it's only known to exist in two groups of animals -- humans and non-human primates -- and has been conserved in them through millions of years of evolution.
• Vitamin D deficiency is a risk factor for tuberculosis, was historically used to treat it, and analogs of it may provide the basis for new therapeutic approaches not only to that disease but also HIV infection.
• Epidemiological studies show a link between vitamin D deficiency and increased rates of respiratory infection and influenza, and it has been hypothesized that flu epidemics may be the result of vitamin D deficiency.
• Higher levels of a protein linked to vitamin D have been associated with reduced infections and longer survival of dialysis patients.
• Vitamin D has important roles in reducing inflammation, blood pressure and helping to protect against heart disease.

17. Inadequate Levels of Vitamin D May Significantly Increase Risk of Stroke, Heart Disease and Death
ScienceDaily (Nov. 16, 2009) — While mothers have known that feeding their kids milk builds strong bones, a new study by researchers at the Heart Institute at Intermountain Medical Center in Salt Lake City suggests that Vitamin D contributes to a strong and healthy heart as well -- and that inadequate levels of the vitamin may significantly increase a person's risk of stroke, heart disease, and death, even among people who've never had heart disease.

18. Vitamin D Deficiency Is Widespread And On The Increase
ScienceDaily (July 6, 2009) — A new report issued by the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) and published in the scientific journal Osteoporosis International1, shows that populations across the globe are suffering from the impact of low levels of vitamin D. The problem is widespread and on the increase, with potentially severe repercussions for overall health and fracture rates.

19. Vitamin D Deficiency In Younger Women Is Associated With Increased Risk Of High Blood Pressure
ScienceDaily (Sep. 25, 2009) — Vitamin D deficiency in premenopausal women may increase the risk of developing systolic hypertension 15 years later, according to research reported at the American Heart Association’s 63rd High Blood Pressure Research Conference.

Vitamin D on Swine Flu ??

1. Believe or not: the best recommendation to prevent swine flu was, Vitamin D. Please read on:

Warning: Swine Flu Shot Linked to Killer Nerve Disease

2. Vitamin D – Popular Science

It's D-lightful, It's D-licious, It's D Vitamin...

Vitamin D: how much we know about it?

1. Vitamin D in the News

D Vital for the Heart

• · Sunscreens can block vitamin D
• · Pediatricians Double Vitamin D Requirement
• · Vitamin D Deficit in Pregnancy Tied to Caesarean Risk
• · Lack Of Vitamin D Can Double Your Risk Of Stroke

2. Role of vitamin D
• Promotes the proper synthesis and functioning of important proteins essential for proper calcium utilization
• Supports the maintenance of bones
• Supports immune health
• Helps maintain cardiovascular health
• Helps maintain normal blood pressure

3. Sources of vitamin D
• Fat-soluble vitamin can obtain from:
• Food (Salmon: 360 IUs; Mackerel: 345 IUs; Tuna: 200 IUs; Sardines: 250 IUs; Fortified Milk: 98 IUs)
• Supplementation
• Sunlight
• Supplementation
• Sunlight

4. Vitamin D Deficiency
• More than1 billion people worldwide do not consume adequate amounts of vitamin
• More than 50% of postmenopausal women taking medication for osteoporosis have suboptimal levels of vitamin D
• Without adequate vitamin D, only 10-15% of dietary calcium is absorbed
• Vitamin D deficiency: a worldwide problem with health consequences ( Am J Clin Nutr. 2008 Apr;87(4):1080S-6S)
• Vitamin D deficiency is now recognized as a pandemic.
• Very few foods naturally contain vitamin D, and foods that are fortified with vitamin D are often inadequate to satisfy either a child's or an adult's vitamin D requirement
• Vitamin D deficiency causes rickets in children and will precipitate and exacerbate osteopenia, osteoporosis, and fractures in adults
• Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with increased risk of common cancers, autoimmune diseases, hypertension, and infectious diseases

5. Research findings
• Vitamin D supplementation and total mortality (Arch Intern Med. 2007 Sep 10;167(16):1730-7)
• A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials including 57,311 participants.
• Intake of ordinary doses (300 to 2000 IU) of vitamin D supplements seems to be associated with decreases in total mortality rates.
• Vitamin D and calcium supplementation reduces cancer risk ( Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Jun;85(6):1586-91)
• A 4-year, population-based, double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled trial.
• 1179 healthy postmenopausal women aged >55 years.

6. Current Researches
• Vitamin D may reduce prostate cancer metastasis by several mechanisms including blocking Stat3 (Am J Patholo. 2008 Nov;173(5):1589-90)
• Double-dose vitamin D lowers cancer risk in women over 55 (J Fam Pract. 2007 Nov;56(11):907-10 )

7. Use of vitamin D in clinical practice (Altern Med Rev. 2008 Mar;13(1):6-20)
• Natural vitamin D levels, those found in humans living in a sun-rich environment, are between 40-70 ng per ml.
• Treatment of vitamin D deficiency in otherwise healthy patients with 2,000-7,000 IU vitamin D per day should be sufficient to maintain year-round 25(OH)D levels between 40-70 ng per mL.
• In those with serious illnesses associated with vitamin D deficiency, such as cancer, heart disease, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, autism, and a host of other illnesses, doses should be sufficient to maintain year-round 25(OH)D levels between 55 -70 ng per mL.

8. Why Vitamin K2?
• Promotes normal calcium absorption
• Promotes healthy arteries
• Active form of vitamin K with highest bioavailability
• Women with low bone density have been found to be deficient in vitamin K
• Addresses the “calcium paradox”
• Vitamin K1 vs. K2
• Both are naturally occurring forms of vitamin K. Different chemical structures resulting in different pharmacokinetic properties
• K1 is absorbed primarily in the liver where at high doses it may interfere with anticoagulant medications
• K2 is transported primarily to the bones and blood vessels
• Only 10% of dietary vitamin K is in K2 form

9. Why take vitamins D and K as supplements?
• Most people are vitamin D deficient or insufficient
• Diet
• Sun exposure
• Very little vitamin K is stored in the body
• These vitamins work together