10.22.09
Recommendations from the Vitamin D Council
The Vitamin D Council is a California non-profit that promotes education about the health benefits of Vitamin D, and advocates for wider use of supplementation, at a much higher dose than the current RDA, to ward off a variety of diseases, including several types of cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
Here are some highlights from the Council’s home page, as accessed by us 10/22/2009:
Current research has implicated vitamin D deficiency as a major factor in the pathology of at least 17 varieties of cancer as well as heart disease, stroke, hypertension, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, depression, chronic pain, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, muscle weakness, muscle wasting, birth defects, periodontal disease, and more.
Vitamin D’s influence on key biological functions vital to one’s health and well-being mandates that vitamin D no longer be ignored by the health care industry nor by individuals striving to achieve and maintain a greater state of health.
…
Sunshine and Your HealthIf well adults and adolescents regularly avoid sunlight exposure, research indicates a necessity to supplement with at least 5,000 units (IU) of vitamin D daily. To obtain this amount from milk one would need to consume 50 glasses. With a multivitamin more than 10 tablets would be necessary. Neither is advisable.
The skin produces approximately 10,000 IU vitamin D in response 20–30 minutes summer sun exposure—50 times more than the US government’s recommendation of 200 IU per day!
On this website, we also noted with interest a letter from a Wisconsin doctor/long-term care facility manager on the apparent protective value of Vitamin D during a spike in the state’s swine flu rate in June 2009. The doctor had mandated Vitamin D supplementation for the long-term care facility’s residents, whereas staff at the facility were under no such requirement. During the June swine flu peak, less than 1% of the facility residents developed swine flu, while at least 7% of the staff did–a significant variation in outcomes.
We’ll stay tuned to the Vitamin D Council’s website, which seems to us a useful clearinghouse of information on a supplement that holds a great deal of promise, if we’re to judge by the flood of positive new research results coming out in just the past few years. On the practical side, we also note that Vitamin D supplementation is inexpensive; that blood levels of the vitamin are easily monitored; and that overdose is rare (though we certainly recommend checking with your doctor if you plan to supplement at the levels advocated by the Vitamin D Council).
SEE ALSO THE NYBC ENTRY:
D3 – 2500IU (This format provides a convenient way to supplement for those wishing to follow the recommendations of the Vitamin D Council; other strengths are also available at NYBC.)
04.07.09
Vitamin D and bone loss in people with HIV
Here’s still more research on Vitamin D and its particular importance for people with HIV, who experience low levels of the vitamin and also appear more susceptible to bone loss (osteopenia and osteoporosis), possibly leading to increased risk of fractures. (See other entries under Vitamin D on this blog for details.)
The recent piece of research was reported at a British HIV conference, and focused especially on supplementing with Vitamin D to counter tenofovir-related bone hormone deficiency. (The “bone hormone” in question is parathyroid hormone, or PTH, which causes loss of calcium from the bones.) The research team measured Vitamin D and PTH levels in 45 men who were taking HIV drugs. They found sub-optimal vitamin D levels in 71% of the men and higher-than normal levels of PTH in 41%. All the patients with high PTH were taking tenofovir, and no subject whose levels of vitamin D were normal or above had high PTH.
A small study followed some of these participants as they supplemented with Vitamin D. Supplementation increased D levels, and also showed considerable effectiveness in reducing high PTH. Although this research is preliminary, it does certainly suggest that further
study of Vitamin D supplementation to counter bone loss in people with HIV is warranted.
Reference: Childs K et al. Vitamin D and calcium supplements reverse the secondary hyperparathyroidism that commonly occurs in HIV patients on TDF-containing HAART. Fifteenth BHIVA Conference, Liverpool. Poster P89. 2009.
We found information on this study at
http://www.aidsmap.com/en/news/AA992216-3C05-4F6F-93EB-3423DEC33FA9.asp
02.05.09
High Frequency of Vitamin D Deficiency in People with HIV
A number of reports in recent years have suggested an increased prevalence of osteopenia and osteoporosis (moderate and severe bone loss) in HIV-infected patients. In 2008, moreover, a study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism reported a higher rate of fractures in HIV-infected individuals compared with uninfected individuals. So there is reason for concern that osteoporosis and osteoporotic fractures will become major health problems for people with HIV as they age.
Here, we’re reporting on another study, released at the start of 2009, which fills in more pieces of information about bone health in people with HIV–and also provides guidance on supplementation strategies that could counteract bone loss and increased bone fracture rates associated with HIV. This research looked at fairly healthy (“ambulatory”) people with HIV visiting a Boston clinic in mid-winter and early spring months, and found a high frequency of vitamin D deficiency. Further tests linked this deficiency to a diminished ability to absorb and use calcium, the central ingredient in bone mass.
Based on their study, the investigators suggested that many people with HIV could benefit from daily vitamin D intake of at least 700-800 IU taken with 1200-1500mg of calcium, especially during the winter months, when the body does not have the opportunity to produce Vitamin D from exposure to sunlight.
Our conclusion: studies are now filling in the details that allow us to conclude that osteoporosis and osteoporosis-related fractures may become an increasingly important health concern for people with HIV as they age. However, there is also growing evidence that supplementing with Vitamin D and calcium can reduce this risk to bone health. It’s therefore important for people with HIV to check their multivitamin to see if they are getting appropriate levels of these two nutrients, or add a specific Vitamin D – Calcium supplement to their diet.
NOTE: NYBC stocks Vitamin D3 (the form most readily used by the body) and Calcium Blend (a food-based vegetarian supplement which includes Vitamin D3). Also available: Bone Up (Jarrow), a supplement containing calcium, Vitamin D and other components specifically for bone health.
Reference: M. Rodriguez, B. Daniels, S. Gunawardene, and G.K. Robbins. High Frequency of Vitamin D Deficiency in Ambulatory HIV-Positive Patients. AIDS RESEARCH AND HUMAN RETROVIRUSES, Vol 25, 1, 2009.
11.20.08
Advocating for Vitamin D: higher dosages as a preventive measure with wide-ranging health benefits, from reduction of cancer risk to prevention of colds and flus
We took a look recently at the website of the Vitamin D Council, a nonprofit educational organization that advocates for wider use of this supplement, and suggests that the long-accepted dosage recommendations are too low. This is a widely discussed viewpoint, which comes following a flood of interesting research on Vitamin D in the last decade, including a great deal sponsored by the federal government. Here’s the link: http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/
Some of the website’s main points:
–Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to many varieties of cancer, as well as heart disease, stroke, hypertension, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, depression, chronic pain, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, and more.
–A recent federally-funded study found that supplementing with 1100 IU Vitamin D3 plus calcium daily yielded a substantial decrease in cancer rates among post-menopausal women. This daily dosage of D is significantly higher than the 400 IUs traditionally recommended.
–The “flu season” may actually be a “Vitamin D deficiency season,” since a decrease in sun exposure leads to a fall in the body’s Vitamin D levels. Thus one of the most effective preventives for colds and flu may be increasing Vitamin D supplementation during the winter.
–There may be significant benefit to doses of D as high as 5000 IUs daily, especially for those who have a marked deficiency. (This is perhaps one of the more controversial positions endorsed by this website.)
For more, see the NYBC entry:
Note the NYBC also stocks Jarrow’s Bone Up, a supplement that conveniently provides dosages of both D3 (1000 IU) and Calcium (1000mg) closely reflecting those used in the federally-funded study that showed a substantial reduction in cancer rates.
09.18.08
Maintaining bone health – recommendations for Calcium and Vitamin D3 supplementation
Calcium and Vitamin D are both important for keeping bones healthy. Calcium is needed by the body every day, and if not enough is taken in, then calcium is lost from the bones. Meanwhile, in order to absorb calcium effectively, the body needs Vitamin D3. So these two nutrients are both necessary, on a very regular basis, for the long-term maintenance of bone health and the prevention of such conditions as osteopenia and osteoporosis.
Recently, there has also been a lot of research and discussion about the optimum intake of Vitamin D3 to maintain bone health. Many investigators now believe that a minimum of 700 to 800 IU of vitamin D3 per day is needed by adults. This is approximately double the daily intake of 400mg that was commonly recommended in the past.
Other lines of recent research have pointed to supplementation with calcium and Vitamin D3 as having benefits in reducing risk of cancer in some populations; and there is also much study now being devoted to Vitamin D3’s role in the health of the immune system. So the old “sunshine vitamin” is definitely one to watch!
References:
Vieth R, Bischoff-Ferrari H, Boucher BJ, et al. The urgent need to recommend an intake of vitamin D that is effective. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2007 Mar;85:649-50.
Lappe JM, Travers-Gustafson D, Davies KM, et al. Vitamin D and calcium supplementation reduces cancer risk: results of a randomized trial. AmericanJournal of Clinical Nutrition 2007 Jun;85(6):1586-91.
For special concerns regarding HIV and bone loss, see the CATIE treatment update “Complications and Side Effects – Calcium and Vitamin D”.
For some recommendations on supplementation from NYBC, see the section “Better Bones”.
03.27.08
Women’s Blend – multivitamin from Super Nutrition
Some information about Women’s Blend from Super Nutrition, which also produces the Super Blend and Opti-Pack multivitamins.
Here are some excerpts from the Super Nutrition description of this multi:
This is a food-based multivitamin, enriched with organic green foods and herbs.
–Includes a robust B-Complex formula to increase energy throughout the day
–Immune supporting, anti-aging antioxidants
–Bone support – 1,000 mg Calcium, 600 mg Magnesium, 1,000 IU Vitamin D, 3 mg Boron and 1,000 mg Vitamin C
–Heart Healthy – 1,000 mcg Folic Acid, 200 mg Vitamin B6, 200 mcg Vitamin B12 plus 400 IU Vitamin E
–Enriched with 600 mcg Biotin & 100 mg GLA
–Special female herbal blend with Pau d’Arco, Peony, organic Nettles and Rosemary
100 mg 5:1 Vitex extract*
–Special flower petal blend, featuring Red Rosebuds
–200 mg Vitamin B6 to help reduce PMS*
–6 tablets per day
*Here’s some additional information, supplied by Michael Mooney at Super Nutrition in response to our request:
> Vitex for PMS. A placebo-controlled study showed that 20 mg of Vitex extract reduced PMS 28> percent better than placebo. Women’s Blend has 100 mg of 5:1 extract.
> 200 mg B6 reduced PMS 79 percent of the women in a PC study, 100 – 160 reduced it 68 percent.
