ImmuneSupport.com
02-02-2004
By Salynn Boyles
WebMD Medical News
Reviewed By Brunilda Nazario, MD on Wednesday, December 10, 2003
Dec. 10, 2003 -- There is new evidence that small amounts of unprotected sun exposure could be good for you. Earlier studies have linked vitamin D deficiency with an increased risk for several cancers. Now comes word that it may also be a major cause of unexplained muscle and bone pain.
In a study involving 150 children and adults with unexplained muscle and bone pain, almost all were found to be vitamin D deficient; many were severely deficient with extremely low levels of vitamin D in their bodies.
Humans tend to get most of their vitamin D from exposure to sunlight, so those who avoid the sun completely or who always wear sunscreen to protect themselves against skin cancers are at risk for vitamin D deficiencies, says Michael Holick, MD. Holick runs the Vitamin D Research Lab at Boston University Medical Center.
"I think the current message that all unprotected sun exposure is bad for you is too extreme," he tells WebMD. "The original message was that people should limit their sun exposure, not that they should avoid the sun entirely. I do believe that some unprotected exposure to the sun is important for health."
Dermatologists Disagree
Holick claims there is now a strong epidemiological case linking vitamin D deficiency with a host of cancers including those of the prostate, colon, and breast; and he says vitamin D may also help protect against heart disease, autoimmune diseases, and even type 1 diabetes.
He will present the evidence in a book scheduled for publication next spring, but the nation's largest dermatology group remains unconvinced. In a recent press release, American Academy of Dermatology officials wrote that they were "deeply concerned" that the message that unprotected sun exposure may have health benefits could "mislead the public about the very real danger of sun exposure, the leading cause of skin cancer."
Patients Should Be Tested
In the latest study, Gregory A. Plotnikoff, MD, of the University of Minnesota Medical School found a much higher incidence of vitamin D deficiency in the patients with unexplained muscle and skeletal pain than expected, regardless of their ages.
All of the African Americans, East Africans, Hispanics, and Native Americans who participated in the study were vitamin D deficient, as were all of the patients under the age of 30.
The researcher says it was a big surprise that the worst vitamin D deficiencies occurred in young people -- especially women of childbearing age. The findings are reported in the December issue of the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
"The message here is that unexplained pain may very well be linked to a vitamin D deficiency," Plotnikoff tells WebMD. "My hope is that patients with unexplained pain will be tested for vitamin D status, and treated, if necessary."
Food and Pills
Although it is possible to get vitamin D through foods or supplements, both researchers say it is not easy. A glass of fortified milk or fortified orange juice has about 100 international units (IU) of vitamin D and a multivitamin typically has 400 IU.
Holick believes most people need about 1000 IU of vitamin D each day. The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for vitamin D varies with age, sex, and various medical conditions but in general is 200-600 IU per day.
Other sources of vitamin D include:
• Cod Liver Oil. 1 tablespoon=1360 IU of vitamin D
• Salmon. 3 ounces=425 IU of vitamin D
• Herring. 3 ounces=765 IU of vitamin D
• Sardines. Canned, 3 ounces=255 IU of vitamin D
Multivitamin supplements commonly provide 200-400 IU of vitamin D daily.
He says a light-skinned person wearing a swimsuit at the beach will have absorbed about 20,000 IU of vitamin D in the time it takes their skin to get lightly pink.
The amount of sun exposure needed to get the proper dose of vitamin D depends on a person's skin type, where they live, and time of year, and time of day the exposure occurs. Holick says it is difficult for people living in northern climates to get the vitamin D they need from the sun in the winter, but in the summer a light-skinned person at the beach should get all the vitamin D they need in about five minutes.
"The trick is getting just enough sun to satisfy your body's vitamin D requirement, without damaging the skin," he says. "It is difficult to believe that this kind of limited exposure significantly increases a person's risk of skin cancer."
SOURCES: Plotnikoff, G. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, December 2003; vol. 78: pp. 1463-1470. Gregory A. Plotnikoff, MD, MTS, departments of internal medicine and pediatrics, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis. Michael Holick, MD, department of medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston. News release, American Academy of Dermatology, July 3, 2003; "Vitamin D + Sunshine + Bad Medicine."
© 2003 WebMD Inc. All rights reserved.
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http://www.immunesupport.com/library/showarticle.cfm/ID/5250/e/1/T/CFIDS_FM/
Undetermined Musculoskeletal Pain? Check Your Vitamin D Levels [Fibromyalgia News]
ImmuneSupport.com
12-22-2003
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (Dec. 8, 2003) -- People with persistent, non-specific musculoskeletal pain should be screened regularly for vitamin D deficiency, the leading study in the December 9, 2003 Mayo Clinic Proceedings reports. Research conducted at the University of Minnesota found that 93 percent of all subjects with non-specific musculoskeletal pain were vitamin D deficient.
A study of 150 children and adults at the University of Minnesota found that 100 percent of African-American, East African, Hispanic, and Native American subjects were vitamin D deficient. In addition, all study patients under age 30 were vitamin D deficient. Of these, 55 percent were severely deficient. Five patients unexpectedly had no vitamin D at all.
"These findings are remarkably different than what is taught is medical school. We would expect vitamin D deficiency in old persons or housebound persons," says Greg Plotnikoff, M.D., M.T.S., professor at the University of Minnesota's Center for Spirituality and Healing and lead researcher on the study. "We found the worst vitamin D deficiency in young persons--especially women of childbearing age. We were stunned to find no vitamin D at all in five patients who had been told their pain was 'all in their head.' This study supports more routine testing for vitamin D deficiency.
"This pain is the most common type of complaint seen by primary care doctors. Patients with this type of pain should be tested for vitamin D deficiency," says Plotnikoff. Vitamin D deficiency is associated with significant risks for osteoporosis, hypertension, diabetes, cancer, and auto-immune diseases such as multiple sclerosis. It also is harmful for developing fetuses and causes rickets in children. According to the Nov. 12, 2003 edition of the pain management issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, unsuccessfully treated pain costs $61.2 billion per year.
An unrelated study in the December issue of Psychosomatics found that 37 percent of physician visits are for symptoms of no known cause, most frequently unexplained back, head, arm, and leg pain. A trial to assess management of persistent, non-specific pain by prescription of vitamin D replenishment is recommended by Plotnikoff.
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http://www.connecticutcenterforhealth.com/health-news001.html
http://www.diagnose-me.com/cond/C113681.html
http://www.immunesupport.com/library/print.cfm?ID=5466
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Vitamin D can be toxic in high doses
BEST WAY TO GET VITAMIN D:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002405.htm
Vitamin D
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Definition Return to top
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is used by the body in the absorption of calcium.
Function Return to top
Vitamin D promotes the body's absorption of calcium, which is essential for the normal development and maintenance of healthy teeth and bones. Calcium is also important to nerve cells, including the brain.
Vitamin D also helps maintain adequate blood levels of calcium and phosphorus.
Food Sources Return to top
Vitamin D is found in the following foods: (I have to add my '2 cents'- milk and dairy products are fairly 'iffy' in other ways - so my advice is to use 2% milk and make kefir. Shellfish - any fish without scales and fins- are bad for you-- even, along with pork, etc., included the 'don't eats' in the Bible. Lobsters, etc., are scavenger fish, and you don't EVEN want the oysters! --'Cheyenne Cin')
- Dairy products
- Cheese
- Butter and margarine
- Cream
- Fortified milk (all milk in the United States is fortified with vitamin D)
- Fish
- Oysters
- Fortified cereals
Side Effects Return to top
A vitamin D deficiency can lead to osteoporosis in adults or rickets in children.
Excessive doses of vitamin D can result in increased calcium absorption from the intestinal tract. This may cause increased calcium resorption from the bones, leading to elevated levels of calcium in the blood. Elevated blood calcium may then cause calcium deposition in soft tissues such as the heart and lungs. This can reduce their ability to function.
Kidney stones, vomiting, and muscle weakness may also occur due to the ingestion of too much vitamin D.
Recommendations Return to top
Recommended daily allowances (RDAs) are defined as the levels of intake of essential nutrients that, on the basis of scientific knowledge, the Food and Nutrition Board judges to be adequate to meet the known nutrient needs of practically all healthy persons.
The best way to get the daily requirement of essential vitamins is to eat a balanced diet that contains a variety of foods from the food guide pyramid.
Vitamin D is also known as the "sunshine vitamin" because the body manufactures the vitamin after being exposed to sunshine. Ten to 15 minutes of sunshine 3 times weekly is adequate to produce the body's requirement of vitamin D.
Specific recommendations for each vitamin depend on age, gender, and other factors (such as pregnancy). The U.S. Department of Agriculture has a PDF file that lists these recommendations.
---------- http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002399.htm
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http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/vitamins.html
Vitamin D: If you live north of the line connecting San Francisco to Philadelphia, odds are you don't get enough vitamin D. The same holds true if you don't, or can't, get outside for at least a 15-minute daily walk in the sun. A study of people admitted to a Boston hospital, for example, showed that 57% were deficient in vitamin D.(18)
Vitamin D helps ensure that the body absorbs and retains calcium and phosphorus, both critical for building bone. Laboratory studies also show that vitamin D keeps cancer cells from growing and dividing.
Some preliminary studies indicate that insufficient intake of vitamin D is associated with an increased risk of fractures, and that vitamin D supplementation may prevent them.(19) Other early studies suggest an association between low vitamin D intake and increased risks of prostate, breast, colon, and other cancers.
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http://my.webmd.com/content/article/77/95547.htm
Calcium + Vitamin D = Lower Cancer Risk
The Two Nutrients Act Together to Prevent Colorectal Polyps
And while exposure to the sun is one of the best ways to get vitamin D, this obviously carries its own risks.
Vitamin D for Cancer 6/18/03
... Vitamin D is one important nutrient and the best way to grab it is by exposing your
skin ... In warm weather, most people get enough vitamin D, as sunshine ...
eHow.com: How to Best Absorb Vitamin D Supplements
... The sun is the best and easiest way to get vitamin D. Go out before
10 am and after 2 pm, when the rays are not so strong. Warnings: ...
Do not take high doses of vitamin D unless under the direction of a health practitioner. ...
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http://www.mercola.com/2002/may/11/vitamin_d.htm
Women who take vitamin D supplements lower their risk of death from heart disease by one-third. Low levels of vitamin D in the blood have previously been correlated with higher risk of heart disease and heart attacks. Dr. Paul D. Varosy set out to determine if taking vitamin D supplements decreases this risk. His team analyzed data from nearly 10,000 women over the age of 65 who were enrolled in a study of how often osteoporosis causes broken bones. Of these, more than 4,200 women reported that they took vitamin D supplements at the time of the study, and another 733 reported a prior history of supplement use. After following the women for an average of nearly 11 years, researchers found that the risk of heart disease death was 31% lower in those women who were taking vitamin D at the time of the study. The researchers note that calcium supplements, education, self-reported health status or health-related behaviors had no effect on the protection afforded by vitamin D. 42nd annual conference on Cardiovascular Disease and Epidemiology Prevention in Honolulu, Hawaii. April 23, 2002 Dr. Mercola's Comment: An interesting study that shows that enormous potential benefit of vitamin D supplementation. Vitamin D works by lowering insulin resistance, which is also one of the major factors leading to the number one killer in the US, heart disease. Northern countries have higher levels of heart disease and more heart attacks occur in the winter months. Vitamin D is one of my favorite nutrients to optimize for people as it is the sunshine vitamin. If you haven't read my review of vitamin D please do. Ideally the best way to obtain vitamin D would be from the sun. So the study would have been far better if it has actually measured these women's vitamin D levels. This is a very important test and I do it on most all of my new patients. In the winter months, nearly everyone seems to benefit from cod liver oil supplementation which has a natural form of vitamin D. However, from May to September, for those of us who live in the US, if we have regular sun exposure it would be wise to avoid cod liver oil during this time as it is clearly possible to overdose on vitamin D. Ideally you should have your vitamin D levels checked. Related Articles:
Vitamin D Decreases Heart Disease Death Risk
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