Is Sunny the Best of Vitamins?
In a previous publication, I cited data from recent medical studies that question the benefits of taking antioxidants and a number of vitamins. Moreover, most of these studies conclude that there is a serious increase in risks resulting from the use of such supplements. But, one of the vitamins (D) clearly falls out of the range of “dangerous” ones. Here is the evidence that doctors give.
VITAMIN AND PREGNANCY
There is increasing evidence that vitamin D levels have fallen below what is considered healthy. Vitamin D deficiency in the early stages of life is associated with an increased risk of respiratory infections. Low levels in adults are associated with cardiovascular disease and certain types of cancer.
In the United States, 7 out of every 10 pregnant women do not get enough vitamin D according to a study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Adit Ginde, Ph.D. from the University of Colorado, lead author of the study, said: “We already know that vitamin D is important for mother and baby bones, but we’ve only begun to understand the many potential benefits of vitamin D during pregnancy.”
“Multivitamins help increase vitamin D levels, but many women start taking them after pregnancy. Although research is ongoing, I think it’s better for a woman to start taking it a few months before pregnancy in order to increase the likelihood of health benefits, ”said Ginde.
A research team from the University of Colorado School of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Children's Hospital in Boston, analyzed 928 pregnant and 5.173 non-pregnant women of childbearing age.
MUSCLE
Sarcopenia, or gradual loss of muscle mass is a consequence of aging, and is a significant risk factor for disability in the elderly, leading to an increased risk of fractures and other injuries.
The International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) has published a new review that identifies nutritional factors that contribute to muscle loss and, conversely, have beneficial effects on maintaining muscle mass. Experts analyzed data from worldwide studies on the role of nutrition in sarcopenia.
“The most obvious measures against sarcopenia are physical activity in the form of strength training,” said Jean-Philippe Bonjour professor at the University of Geneva. “However, adequate nutrient intake and a biologically optimal acid-base balance are also very important elements of any strategy to maintain muscle mass and strength during aging.” The
review discusses and highlights the following important nutritional factors:
• Protein: plays an important role in muscle health. The authors propose considering consumption of 1.0-1.2 g / kg body weight per day as the optimal norm for skeletal muscle and bone health in the elderly.
• Vitamin D: Vitamin D supplementation by the elderly, especially in the elderly, is recommended for optimal musculoskeletal health.
• Reducing the intake of food acids: excessive consumption of meat and cereals in combination with low consumption of (alkalizing) fruits and vegetables can adversely affect the health of the musculoskeletal system. In the diet you need to include more fruits and vegetables.
LYMPHOMA
Researchers who studied 374 patients with diffuse large cell lymphoma saw that 50% had low levels of vitamin D. Patients with insufficient levels of vitamin D had a 1.5 times greater risk of disease progression and a twice as high risk of death than patients with optimal vitamin D. The
study was conducted by a team of researchers from the Mayo Clinic and the University of Iowa.
“The findings of the researchers support the growing association between vitamin D and cancer risk and results, and suggest that vitamin D supplements can help even those patients who are already diagnosed with some forms of cancer,” says the study leader. "The exact role that vitamin D can play in the initiation or progression of cancer is unknown, but we know that this vitamin plays an important role in regulating cell growth and death, among other processes important in limiting cancer." ...
Professor Drake says: "Pretty easy maintain vitamin D levels with an inexpensive daily supplement or 15 minutes in the sun three times a week in the summer. Many doctors recommend 800-1,200 international units (IU) daily. ”
Vitamin D is a steroid hormone derived from sunlight and converted into an active form in the skin. It may also come from food or from supplements. As you know, his best role is to increase the flow of calcium in the blood. Because of this role, vitamin D deficiency is a major risk factor for bone loss and bone fractures, especially in older people whose skin is less effective at converting sunlight to vitamin D.
American cancer researchers have found that vitamin D regulates a number of different genes. cancers, including the prostate, colon and breast. Recent studies have shown that vitamin D deficiency can play a role in the occurrence of certain types of cancer, and also affects the outcome if someone develops cancer.
Researchers analyzed vitamin D levels in patients with lymphomas. It turned out that the incidence and mortality from this cancer increases the more the north you live (that is, the more sunlight is limited in winter). In addition, several studies have concluded that vitamin D deficiency is associated with poor results in other cancers, including breast, colon, and head and neck cancers.
PROSTATE
Scientists from the Cancer Center of the University of Colorado recently published compelling evidence in the Prostate journal about the relationship between vitamin D and prostate cancer. In particular, the study showed that the HDF-15 gene, which is known to be activated with vitamin D, was often absent in samples of human prostate cancer, due to inflammation.
BLADDER CANCER
High levels of vitamin D are associated with protection against bladder cancer. This is the conclusion of a study by molecular biologists and epidemiologists of the Spanish National Cancer Research Center (CNIO), whose findings were published on October 30 in the journal of the National Cancer Institute (JNCI). The study is led by Nuria Malats, head of the CNIO genetic and molecular epidemiology team.
The authors of the study took blood samples from more than 2,000 people, including patients with bladder cancer and people from the control group free of disease in 18 Spanish hospitals.
"These results show that high levels of vitamin A are associated with protection against the disease, or similarly, low levels are associated with a higher risk," says Malats. "Using in vitro molecular analysis, we also showed that vitamin D regulates the expression of FGFR3 protein, which is involved in the development of bladder cancer. "
According to the study, this protective effect is more evident in patients with more aggressive types of cancer." We see that high levels of vitamin D reduce, primarily, the risk of developing invasive cancer of the mo low FGFR3 level, ”says Andre FS Amaral, the first author of the study.
Research indicates that increasing the additional intake of this vitamin, or a controlled increase in sun exposure, may be beneficial for the patient in terms of prevention and treatment.
Bladder cancer is a serious public health problem in many countries, especially Spain, where 11,000 new cases are reported every year (one of the highest rates in the world). In fact, it is the 4th most common type of tumor among Spanish men, after prostate cancer, lung cancer, and colorectal cancer.
OBESITY AND DIABETES
Childhood and adolescent obesity in the United States has risen sharply in the past three decades. Obesity causes an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Now, researchers at the University of Missouri have found that vitamin D supplements can help obese children and adolescents manage their blood sugar levels and help them prevent the disease.
“Increasing vitamin D intake has had a powerful effect,” said Catherine Peterson, associate professor of nutrition and exercise physiology at the university. “We observed a decrease in insulin levels, which means better glucose control, despite the absence of changes in body weight, diet or physical activity.”
Peterson and her colleagues studied 35 children and adolescents with pre-diabetic obesity who were hospitalized. All who participated in the study had insufficient vitamin D levels, had similar diets and activity levels. The study participants were randomly assigned either high doses of vitamin D or placebo, which they took daily for 6 months. Those who took vitamin D supplements had less insulin in their blood.
Peterson said: “For medical practitioners, the main message of this study is to check vitamin D levels in their obese patients because they most likely do not have enough."
"The reason that vitamin D levels are inadequate in obese people is because they absorb vitamin D two times less than people with normal weight," Peterson said. "Vitamin is stored in adipose tissue, which keeps it from being used. This means that these people need to consume about twice as much vitamin D as their thin peers. ”
RISK OF FALLS
Daily supplementation of vitamin D at a dose of 700-1000 IU reduces the risk of falling among older people by 19% according to a study published in the British Medical magazine. od however, doses of less than 700 IU per day are not affected (IU is the international unit of measure for vitamins). Every year, every 3 people aged 65 and over have experience at least one drop. About 6% of them get a fracture.
Several trials have shown that vitamin D enhances strength and balance in older people, while other studies have not found any significant effect on the risk of falling.
Therefore, an international team of researchers analyzed the results of eight studies to prevent falls to assess the effectiveness of vitamin D in prevention. Differences in methods and quality of studies were taken into account to minimize possible errors. Summarized results have shown that the benefits of vitamin D supplementation in the prevention of falls depend on its dose.
Vitamin D2 and D3 supplements were investigated. It turned out that daily doses of 700-1000 IU of vitamin D2 or vitamin D3 reduce the fall by 19% and 26%, respectively.
This effect was independent of age and other parameters. The effect was significant within two to five months from the start of treatment and lasted more than 12 months. However, vitamin D supplementation does not reduce falls at a dose of less than 700 IU per day.
The use of active forms of vitamin D is not more effective. The active form of vitamin D are costly and are associated with increased risk of hypercalcemia (excessive increase of blood calcium levels) when compared with the reception of an "ordinary" vitamin D.
URTICARIA
A study by the University of Nebraska shows that taking vitamin D as adjunctive therapy may provide some relief from chronic urticaria, a condition that does not have effective treatment. An allergic skin condition - chronic urticaria - creates red, itchy scars on the skin and sometimes swelling. They can occur daily and last more than six weeks, and sometimes several years.
For 12 weeks, 38 study participants took vitamin D3 daily in combination with three allergy medications. Half of the patients took 600 IU of vitamin D3, and the other half took 4000 IU.
Researchers found that after just one week, the severity of symptom patients decreased by 33% for both groups. But after 3 months, in the group taking 4000 IU, there was a decrease in the severity of the disease by another 40%. In the low-vitamin D3 group, no further improvement occurred.
Patients participating in the study suffered from urticaria from 5 to 20 years with severe symptoms. The cause of urticaria is generally unknown, but allergies and autoimmune reactions play a role. Treatment options for chronic urticaria are very limited. Standard therapy is antihistamines and other anti-allergic drugs.
TUBERCULOSIS
Decades before antibiotics became publicly available, sunlight was used to treat tuberculosis. Patients were often sent to Swiss clinics to soak up the sun under healing rays. Now, for the first time, scientists have shown how and why heliotherapy has an effect.
The work of researchers at the University of London, conducted in collaboration with the National Medical Research Institute, showed that high doses of vitamin D supplementing antibiotic treatment help patients with tuberculosis recover faster.
The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States, is the first to examine the effect of vitamin D on the immune response in patients receiving treatment for an infectious disease. The results showed that high doses of vitamin D may weaken the body's inflammatory response to infection, allowing patients to recover faster, with less damage to their lungs. The authors say that their results suggest that vitamin D can help patients recover better from other diseases, such as like pneumonia.
Dr. Adrian Martino, senior lecturer at the Department of Respiratory Infection and Immunity, University of London, who led the study, said: “These results are very significant. They indicate that vitamin D may play a role in accelerating the resolution of the inflammatory response in tuberculosis patients. This is important because sometimes these inflammatory reactions can cause tissue damage, leading to the development of cavities in the lungs. If we can help heal these cavities, patients will be contagious for a shorter period of time and are less prone to lung damage. ”
"The ability of vitamin D to alleviate inflammatory reactions without compromising the effects of antibiotics increases the likelihood that supplements give benefits to patients receiving antibiotic therapy for pneumonia, sepsis, and other pulmonary infections."
FIBROMIALGIA
Patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) tend to have chronic pain and fatigue.For people with low levels of vitamin D, vitamin supplements can reduce pain and can be a cost-effective alternative or supplement to other treatments, research says Vatel.
In addition to pain and fatigue, individuals diagnosed with PMS may experience sleep disturbances, morning stiffness, poor concentration, and (mild to severe) mental symptoms such as anxiety or depression. The disease can have a significant impact on the quality of life of the patient and leads to loss of jobs and / or withdrawal from social life. So far, there is no cure, but some symptoms can be alleviated with physical therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, temporary drug therapy (amitriptyline, duloxetine) and multimodal therapy.
Calcifediol is a pre-hormone and is produced in the liver by the action of vitamin D3. Calcifediol is then converted to calcitriol, which is an active form of vitamin D. Concentration of calcifediol in the blood is considered the best indicator of vitamin D. Researchers have suggested that vitamin D supplementation will reduce the degree of chronic pain experienced by FMS patients with low levels of calcifediol,
“Low calcifediol blood levels are especially common in patients with severe pain and fibromyalgia, ”says lead researcher Florian Wepner, MD, Department of Orthopedics, Speising Orthopedic Hospital Vienna, Austria. “Therefore, our goal was to determine whether an increase in calcifediol levels in these patients is a way to alleviate pain and cause overall improvement.”
In a randomized controlled trial, 30 women with PMS participated. 24 weeks after the administration of vitamin supplements, a marked decrease in the level of perceived pain occurred in patients of the main group. While in the placebo group, the situation remained unchanged. The main group also recorded a significant reduction in the problem of “morning fatigue”. However, there were no significant changes in depression or anxiety symptoms.
“We believe that the data presented in this study are promising. FMS is a very wide range of problems that cannot be explained only by a deficiency of vitamin D. However, the addition of vitamin D can be considered as a relatively safe and economical treatment for patients with FMS and an extremely economical alternative or addition to expensive pharmacological treatment, as well as physical, behavioral and multimodal therapy, ”says Wepner.
REPRODUCTIVE FUNCTIONS
It has long been known that vitamin D levels are important for reproductive function in various animals, but now researchers from the University of Copenhagen and the University Hospital of Copenhagen have shown that this is important for humans.
A new study conducted on 300 normal men showed a positive correlation between the percentage of motile sperm and vitamin D. The study was published in the scientific journal Human Reproduction.
“Our study is not sufficient and should not be used to modify existing treatment practices. However, it reveals some of the functions of vitamin D and generates new hypotheses. This is an intriguing discovery because it suggests that vitamin D has an effect on sperm movement and function, ”explains Martin Blomberg Jensen of the University of Copenhagen Hospital. “This study shows that vitamin D is needed for male reproduction.”
Vision, cholesterol, uterine fibroids
The main reason why our vision begins to “slip” after 50 years is because of what is called age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a slowly progressive blur that starts near the center of the eye and interferes with our ability to see clearly. Your chances of being with AMD depend mainly on your age, race and genes, that is, largely outside your control. However, a recent study suggests that maintaining optimal levels of vitamin D can also help, even if the genetic cards are against you.
Buffalo University researchers examined 913 postmenopausal women (as part of CAREDS, a study of age-related eye disease's female health). It turned out that women who had a vitamin deficiency had a higher risk of developing AMD by 6.7 times, if this was accompanied by an additional genetic risk.
In a 2014 study of 600 women, researchers found that after 2 years of taking 400 IU of vitamin D daily, their “bad” cholesterol was about 4.5 mg / dl compared to women who were given a placebo. And the level of "good" cholesterol increased.
Uterine fibroids are not a cancerous tumor. However, they can grow to the size of a large grapefruit and can be painful and uncomfortable for some, while other women with smaller fibroids do not even notice them. They are associated with hormones and unfortunate genetics.
But in 2013, doctors discovered that vitamin D could also play a role. Among 35 to 50 year olds, those who had sufficient vitamin D had a 32% lower chance of developing fibroids than those who lacked vitamin D.
OSTEOARTHROSIS
People who lack vitamin D can double their risk of osteoarthrosis, erosion cartilage and joint diseases. With age, this leads to knee pain and mobility problems.
Fang Fang Zhang, an assistant professor of epidemiology at Friedman’s school and her colleagues tracked 418 people who already had some signs of knee arthrosis, which, according to the Arthritis Foundation, affects nearly 50% of adults. They found a relationship between low levels of vitamin D and arthrosis.
The observational study included patients who complained of knee pain, or whose X-ray showed the first signs of the disease. Zhang and her colleagues examined subsequent x-ray images taken over four years to determine whether osteoarthritis worsened. Researchers also examined patients and performed tests to monitor their vitamin D levels.
Researchers saw an “almost twofold risk of disease progression in people with low levels of vitamin D compared to those who had adequate levels of vitamin D”.
She and her colleagues saw a doubling of risk in people who had less than a microgram of vitamin D per liter of blood. Researchers have chosen this value as a reference point, since it complies with established dietary guidelines developed by the Institute of Medicine.
SUNNY VITAMIN
Sometimes it can be difficult to weigh the benefits of vitamin D supplements over sun exposure.
Dr. Anjali Mahto, a dermatologist and spokeswoman for the British Skin Foundation, says: “Vitamin D is essential for bone health and low levels of it can be associated with rickets in children. Although the sun is the main source of vitamin D, sun baths should be balanced, because the sun is also the main cause of skin cancer. The rate of skin cancer has continued to increase in the UK since the mid-1970s. ”
There is a single point of view that the time required for the production of vitamin D is short, and significantly less than the amount of time required for the skin to redden. British dermatologists recommend going out regularly.
A few minutes in the sun in the spring and summer months with UV doses lower than that which will cause a tan should be enough to produce enough vitamin. In the UK, in winter, there is not enough UV. However, if a sufficient supply is made in the summer, the amounts of vitamin should be sufficient to go through the winter period.
People should experiment a bit to get an idea of how long they can spend outdoors without visible reddening of the skin. For most people, the occasional daily exposure to sunlight in the summertime should be sufficient to produce an adequate amount of vitamin D.
Blood levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D are the best marker of vitamin D levels in the body. Values below 25 nmol / L are considered insufficient.
It is important to practice “solar safety” measures to ensure skin protection. A broad-spectrum sunscreen that provides protection against UVA and UVB (at least SPF 30) is recommended.
Tanning is a sign of DNA damage in skin cells as a result of UV radiation. Protect the young skin of children more thoroughly than the skin of adults. The data show that 5 or more sunburns in youth can increase the risk of melanoma during life by 80%, and this risk should not be taken lightly.
The recommended time for sun exposure at noon on June 21 for people living above 42.5 degrees north latitude is:
* for white-skinned, not tanned people - 4 minutes;
* for whites, mainly tanned - 6 minutes;
* for white, very tanned people - 8 minutes;
* for people with a Mediterranean skin type - 12 min;
* for people with East Asian skin type - 15 min;
* for people with African skin type - 18 min.
NOTE: Moscow is located at 55.75 degrees north latitude)
HOW TO TAKE VITAMIN “D”
Foods containing vitamin D - salmon, sardines, char, trout.
If you take vitamin D capsules, you can absorb more if you eat a capsule with a little fat. Fat stimulates the secretion of bile into the duodenum, which improves the absorption of this fat-soluble vitamin.
Bess Dawson-Hughes, director of the Bone Metabolism Laboratory at the Research Center for Aging (HNRCA), shows how important this recommendation is in her research report, published in the journal Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
She controlled the intake of 50 healthy men and women with vitamin D3. Some of the subjects received a low-fat breakfast (egg white, toast, fruits and juice with vitamin D). Another part of the subjects ate a similar breakfast, but 30% of the calories from this breakfast came from corn or olive oil. Each of the groups had lunch and dinner, observing the same level of fat intake as during breakfast.
At the end of the day, blood tests showed that people who consumed food with fats absorbed 32% more vitamin D than the group that “ignored” fats.
Avocados, nuts, salmon, and vegetable oils are good sources of healthy unsaturated fats - all of which can be consumed with vitamin D.
VITAMIN AND PREGNANCY
There is increasing evidence that vitamin D levels have fallen below what is considered healthy. Vitamin D deficiency in the early stages of life is associated with an increased risk of respiratory infections. Low levels in adults are associated with cardiovascular disease and certain types of cancer.
In the United States, 7 out of every 10 pregnant women do not get enough vitamin D according to a study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Adit Ginde, Ph.D. from the University of Colorado, lead author of the study, said: “We already know that vitamin D is important for mother and baby bones, but we’ve only begun to understand the many potential benefits of vitamin D during pregnancy.”
“Multivitamins help increase vitamin D levels, but many women start taking them after pregnancy. Although research is ongoing, I think it’s better for a woman to start taking it a few months before pregnancy in order to increase the likelihood of health benefits, ”said Ginde.
A research team from the University of Colorado School of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Children's Hospital in Boston, analyzed 928 pregnant and 5.173 non-pregnant women of childbearing age.
MUSCLE
Sarcopenia, or gradual loss of muscle mass is a consequence of aging, and is a significant risk factor for disability in the elderly, leading to an increased risk of fractures and other injuries.
The International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) has published a new review that identifies nutritional factors that contribute to muscle loss and, conversely, have beneficial effects on maintaining muscle mass. Experts analyzed data from worldwide studies on the role of nutrition in sarcopenia.
“The most obvious measures against sarcopenia are physical activity in the form of strength training,” said Jean-Philippe Bonjour professor at the University of Geneva. “However, adequate nutrient intake and a biologically optimal acid-base balance are also very important elements of any strategy to maintain muscle mass and strength during aging.” The
review discusses and highlights the following important nutritional factors:
• Protein: plays an important role in muscle health. The authors propose considering consumption of 1.0-1.2 g / kg body weight per day as the optimal norm for skeletal muscle and bone health in the elderly.
• Vitamin D: Vitamin D supplementation by the elderly, especially in the elderly, is recommended for optimal musculoskeletal health.
• Reducing the intake of food acids: excessive consumption of meat and cereals in combination with low consumption of (alkalizing) fruits and vegetables can adversely affect the health of the musculoskeletal system. In the diet you need to include more fruits and vegetables.
LYMPHOMA
Researchers who studied 374 patients with diffuse large cell lymphoma saw that 50% had low levels of vitamin D. Patients with insufficient levels of vitamin D had a 1.5 times greater risk of disease progression and a twice as high risk of death than patients with optimal vitamin D. The
study was conducted by a team of researchers from the Mayo Clinic and the University of Iowa.
“The findings of the researchers support the growing association between vitamin D and cancer risk and results, and suggest that vitamin D supplements can help even those patients who are already diagnosed with some forms of cancer,” says the study leader. "The exact role that vitamin D can play in the initiation or progression of cancer is unknown, but we know that this vitamin plays an important role in regulating cell growth and death, among other processes important in limiting cancer." ...
Professor Drake says: "Pretty easy maintain vitamin D levels with an inexpensive daily supplement or 15 minutes in the sun three times a week in the summer. Many doctors recommend 800-1,200 international units (IU) daily. ”
Vitamin D is a steroid hormone derived from sunlight and converted into an active form in the skin. It may also come from food or from supplements. As you know, his best role is to increase the flow of calcium in the blood. Because of this role, vitamin D deficiency is a major risk factor for bone loss and bone fractures, especially in older people whose skin is less effective at converting sunlight to vitamin D.
American cancer researchers have found that vitamin D regulates a number of different genes. cancers, including the prostate, colon and breast. Recent studies have shown that vitamin D deficiency can play a role in the occurrence of certain types of cancer, and also affects the outcome if someone develops cancer.
Researchers analyzed vitamin D levels in patients with lymphomas. It turned out that the incidence and mortality from this cancer increases the more the north you live (that is, the more sunlight is limited in winter). In addition, several studies have concluded that vitamin D deficiency is associated with poor results in other cancers, including breast, colon, and head and neck cancers.
PROSTATE
Scientists from the Cancer Center of the University of Colorado recently published compelling evidence in the Prostate journal about the relationship between vitamin D and prostate cancer. In particular, the study showed that the HDF-15 gene, which is known to be activated with vitamin D, was often absent in samples of human prostate cancer, due to inflammation.
BLADDER CANCER
High levels of vitamin D are associated with protection against bladder cancer. This is the conclusion of a study by molecular biologists and epidemiologists of the Spanish National Cancer Research Center (CNIO), whose findings were published on October 30 in the journal of the National Cancer Institute (JNCI). The study is led by Nuria Malats, head of the CNIO genetic and molecular epidemiology team.
The authors of the study took blood samples from more than 2,000 people, including patients with bladder cancer and people from the control group free of disease in 18 Spanish hospitals.
"These results show that high levels of vitamin A are associated with protection against the disease, or similarly, low levels are associated with a higher risk," says Malats. "Using in vitro molecular analysis, we also showed that vitamin D regulates the expression of FGFR3 protein, which is involved in the development of bladder cancer. "
According to the study, this protective effect is more evident in patients with more aggressive types of cancer." We see that high levels of vitamin D reduce, primarily, the risk of developing invasive cancer of the mo low FGFR3 level, ”says Andre FS Amaral, the first author of the study.
Research indicates that increasing the additional intake of this vitamin, or a controlled increase in sun exposure, may be beneficial for the patient in terms of prevention and treatment.
Bladder cancer is a serious public health problem in many countries, especially Spain, where 11,000 new cases are reported every year (one of the highest rates in the world). In fact, it is the 4th most common type of tumor among Spanish men, after prostate cancer, lung cancer, and colorectal cancer.
OBESITY AND DIABETES
Childhood and adolescent obesity in the United States has risen sharply in the past three decades. Obesity causes an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Now, researchers at the University of Missouri have found that vitamin D supplements can help obese children and adolescents manage their blood sugar levels and help them prevent the disease.
“Increasing vitamin D intake has had a powerful effect,” said Catherine Peterson, associate professor of nutrition and exercise physiology at the university. “We observed a decrease in insulin levels, which means better glucose control, despite the absence of changes in body weight, diet or physical activity.”
Peterson and her colleagues studied 35 children and adolescents with pre-diabetic obesity who were hospitalized. All who participated in the study had insufficient vitamin D levels, had similar diets and activity levels. The study participants were randomly assigned either high doses of vitamin D or placebo, which they took daily for 6 months. Those who took vitamin D supplements had less insulin in their blood.
Peterson said: “For medical practitioners, the main message of this study is to check vitamin D levels in their obese patients because they most likely do not have enough."
"The reason that vitamin D levels are inadequate in obese people is because they absorb vitamin D two times less than people with normal weight," Peterson said. "Vitamin is stored in adipose tissue, which keeps it from being used. This means that these people need to consume about twice as much vitamin D as their thin peers. ”
RISK OF FALLS
Daily supplementation of vitamin D at a dose of 700-1000 IU reduces the risk of falling among older people by 19% according to a study published in the British Medical magazine. od however, doses of less than 700 IU per day are not affected (IU is the international unit of measure for vitamins). Every year, every 3 people aged 65 and over have experience at least one drop. About 6% of them get a fracture.
Several trials have shown that vitamin D enhances strength and balance in older people, while other studies have not found any significant effect on the risk of falling.
Therefore, an international team of researchers analyzed the results of eight studies to prevent falls to assess the effectiveness of vitamin D in prevention. Differences in methods and quality of studies were taken into account to minimize possible errors. Summarized results have shown that the benefits of vitamin D supplementation in the prevention of falls depend on its dose.
Vitamin D2 and D3 supplements were investigated. It turned out that daily doses of 700-1000 IU of vitamin D2 or vitamin D3 reduce the fall by 19% and 26%, respectively.
This effect was independent of age and other parameters. The effect was significant within two to five months from the start of treatment and lasted more than 12 months. However, vitamin D supplementation does not reduce falls at a dose of less than 700 IU per day.
The use of active forms of vitamin D is not more effective. The active form of vitamin D are costly and are associated with increased risk of hypercalcemia (excessive increase of blood calcium levels) when compared with the reception of an "ordinary" vitamin D.
URTICARIA
A study by the University of Nebraska shows that taking vitamin D as adjunctive therapy may provide some relief from chronic urticaria, a condition that does not have effective treatment. An allergic skin condition - chronic urticaria - creates red, itchy scars on the skin and sometimes swelling. They can occur daily and last more than six weeks, and sometimes several years.
For 12 weeks, 38 study participants took vitamin D3 daily in combination with three allergy medications. Half of the patients took 600 IU of vitamin D3, and the other half took 4000 IU.
Researchers found that after just one week, the severity of symptom patients decreased by 33% for both groups. But after 3 months, in the group taking 4000 IU, there was a decrease in the severity of the disease by another 40%. In the low-vitamin D3 group, no further improvement occurred.
Patients participating in the study suffered from urticaria from 5 to 20 years with severe symptoms. The cause of urticaria is generally unknown, but allergies and autoimmune reactions play a role. Treatment options for chronic urticaria are very limited. Standard therapy is antihistamines and other anti-allergic drugs.
TUBERCULOSIS
Decades before antibiotics became publicly available, sunlight was used to treat tuberculosis. Patients were often sent to Swiss clinics to soak up the sun under healing rays. Now, for the first time, scientists have shown how and why heliotherapy has an effect.
The work of researchers at the University of London, conducted in collaboration with the National Medical Research Institute, showed that high doses of vitamin D supplementing antibiotic treatment help patients with tuberculosis recover faster.
The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States, is the first to examine the effect of vitamin D on the immune response in patients receiving treatment for an infectious disease. The results showed that high doses of vitamin D may weaken the body's inflammatory response to infection, allowing patients to recover faster, with less damage to their lungs. The authors say that their results suggest that vitamin D can help patients recover better from other diseases, such as like pneumonia.
Dr. Adrian Martino, senior lecturer at the Department of Respiratory Infection and Immunity, University of London, who led the study, said: “These results are very significant. They indicate that vitamin D may play a role in accelerating the resolution of the inflammatory response in tuberculosis patients. This is important because sometimes these inflammatory reactions can cause tissue damage, leading to the development of cavities in the lungs. If we can help heal these cavities, patients will be contagious for a shorter period of time and are less prone to lung damage. ”
"The ability of vitamin D to alleviate inflammatory reactions without compromising the effects of antibiotics increases the likelihood that supplements give benefits to patients receiving antibiotic therapy for pneumonia, sepsis, and other pulmonary infections."
FIBROMIALGIA
Patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) tend to have chronic pain and fatigue.For people with low levels of vitamin D, vitamin supplements can reduce pain and can be a cost-effective alternative or supplement to other treatments, research says Vatel.
In addition to pain and fatigue, individuals diagnosed with PMS may experience sleep disturbances, morning stiffness, poor concentration, and (mild to severe) mental symptoms such as anxiety or depression. The disease can have a significant impact on the quality of life of the patient and leads to loss of jobs and / or withdrawal from social life. So far, there is no cure, but some symptoms can be alleviated with physical therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, temporary drug therapy (amitriptyline, duloxetine) and multimodal therapy.
Calcifediol is a pre-hormone and is produced in the liver by the action of vitamin D3. Calcifediol is then converted to calcitriol, which is an active form of vitamin D. Concentration of calcifediol in the blood is considered the best indicator of vitamin D. Researchers have suggested that vitamin D supplementation will reduce the degree of chronic pain experienced by FMS patients with low levels of calcifediol,
“Low calcifediol blood levels are especially common in patients with severe pain and fibromyalgia, ”says lead researcher Florian Wepner, MD, Department of Orthopedics, Speising Orthopedic Hospital Vienna, Austria. “Therefore, our goal was to determine whether an increase in calcifediol levels in these patients is a way to alleviate pain and cause overall improvement.”
In a randomized controlled trial, 30 women with PMS participated. 24 weeks after the administration of vitamin supplements, a marked decrease in the level of perceived pain occurred in patients of the main group. While in the placebo group, the situation remained unchanged. The main group also recorded a significant reduction in the problem of “morning fatigue”. However, there were no significant changes in depression or anxiety symptoms.
“We believe that the data presented in this study are promising. FMS is a very wide range of problems that cannot be explained only by a deficiency of vitamin D. However, the addition of vitamin D can be considered as a relatively safe and economical treatment for patients with FMS and an extremely economical alternative or addition to expensive pharmacological treatment, as well as physical, behavioral and multimodal therapy, ”says Wepner.
REPRODUCTIVE FUNCTIONS
It has long been known that vitamin D levels are important for reproductive function in various animals, but now researchers from the University of Copenhagen and the University Hospital of Copenhagen have shown that this is important for humans.
A new study conducted on 300 normal men showed a positive correlation between the percentage of motile sperm and vitamin D. The study was published in the scientific journal Human Reproduction.
“Our study is not sufficient and should not be used to modify existing treatment practices. However, it reveals some of the functions of vitamin D and generates new hypotheses. This is an intriguing discovery because it suggests that vitamin D has an effect on sperm movement and function, ”explains Martin Blomberg Jensen of the University of Copenhagen Hospital. “This study shows that vitamin D is needed for male reproduction.”
Vision, cholesterol, uterine fibroids
The main reason why our vision begins to “slip” after 50 years is because of what is called age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a slowly progressive blur that starts near the center of the eye and interferes with our ability to see clearly. Your chances of being with AMD depend mainly on your age, race and genes, that is, largely outside your control. However, a recent study suggests that maintaining optimal levels of vitamin D can also help, even if the genetic cards are against you.
Buffalo University researchers examined 913 postmenopausal women (as part of CAREDS, a study of age-related eye disease's female health). It turned out that women who had a vitamin deficiency had a higher risk of developing AMD by 6.7 times, if this was accompanied by an additional genetic risk.
In a 2014 study of 600 women, researchers found that after 2 years of taking 400 IU of vitamin D daily, their “bad” cholesterol was about 4.5 mg / dl compared to women who were given a placebo. And the level of "good" cholesterol increased.
Uterine fibroids are not a cancerous tumor. However, they can grow to the size of a large grapefruit and can be painful and uncomfortable for some, while other women with smaller fibroids do not even notice them. They are associated with hormones and unfortunate genetics.
But in 2013, doctors discovered that vitamin D could also play a role. Among 35 to 50 year olds, those who had sufficient vitamin D had a 32% lower chance of developing fibroids than those who lacked vitamin D.
OSTEOARTHROSIS
People who lack vitamin D can double their risk of osteoarthrosis, erosion cartilage and joint diseases. With age, this leads to knee pain and mobility problems.
Fang Fang Zhang, an assistant professor of epidemiology at Friedman’s school and her colleagues tracked 418 people who already had some signs of knee arthrosis, which, according to the Arthritis Foundation, affects nearly 50% of adults. They found a relationship between low levels of vitamin D and arthrosis.
The observational study included patients who complained of knee pain, or whose X-ray showed the first signs of the disease. Zhang and her colleagues examined subsequent x-ray images taken over four years to determine whether osteoarthritis worsened. Researchers also examined patients and performed tests to monitor their vitamin D levels.
Researchers saw an “almost twofold risk of disease progression in people with low levels of vitamin D compared to those who had adequate levels of vitamin D”.
She and her colleagues saw a doubling of risk in people who had less than a microgram of vitamin D per liter of blood. Researchers have chosen this value as a reference point, since it complies with established dietary guidelines developed by the Institute of Medicine.
SUNNY VITAMIN
Sometimes it can be difficult to weigh the benefits of vitamin D supplements over sun exposure.
Dr. Anjali Mahto, a dermatologist and spokeswoman for the British Skin Foundation, says: “Vitamin D is essential for bone health and low levels of it can be associated with rickets in children. Although the sun is the main source of vitamin D, sun baths should be balanced, because the sun is also the main cause of skin cancer. The rate of skin cancer has continued to increase in the UK since the mid-1970s. ”
There is a single point of view that the time required for the production of vitamin D is short, and significantly less than the amount of time required for the skin to redden. British dermatologists recommend going out regularly.
A few minutes in the sun in the spring and summer months with UV doses lower than that which will cause a tan should be enough to produce enough vitamin. In the UK, in winter, there is not enough UV. However, if a sufficient supply is made in the summer, the amounts of vitamin should be sufficient to go through the winter period.
People should experiment a bit to get an idea of how long they can spend outdoors without visible reddening of the skin. For most people, the occasional daily exposure to sunlight in the summertime should be sufficient to produce an adequate amount of vitamin D.
Blood levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D are the best marker of vitamin D levels in the body. Values below 25 nmol / L are considered insufficient.
It is important to practice “solar safety” measures to ensure skin protection. A broad-spectrum sunscreen that provides protection against UVA and UVB (at least SPF 30) is recommended.
Tanning is a sign of DNA damage in skin cells as a result of UV radiation. Protect the young skin of children more thoroughly than the skin of adults. The data show that 5 or more sunburns in youth can increase the risk of melanoma during life by 80%, and this risk should not be taken lightly.
The recommended time for sun exposure at noon on June 21 for people living above 42.5 degrees north latitude is:
* for white-skinned, not tanned people - 4 minutes;
* for whites, mainly tanned - 6 minutes;
* for white, very tanned people - 8 minutes;
* for people with a Mediterranean skin type - 12 min;
* for people with East Asian skin type - 15 min;
* for people with African skin type - 18 min.
NOTE: Moscow is located at 55.75 degrees north latitude)
HOW TO TAKE VITAMIN “D”
Foods containing vitamin D - salmon, sardines, char, trout.
If you take vitamin D capsules, you can absorb more if you eat a capsule with a little fat. Fat stimulates the secretion of bile into the duodenum, which improves the absorption of this fat-soluble vitamin.
Bess Dawson-Hughes, director of the Bone Metabolism Laboratory at the Research Center for Aging (HNRCA), shows how important this recommendation is in her research report, published in the journal Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
She controlled the intake of 50 healthy men and women with vitamin D3. Some of the subjects received a low-fat breakfast (egg white, toast, fruits and juice with vitamin D). Another part of the subjects ate a similar breakfast, but 30% of the calories from this breakfast came from corn or olive oil. Each of the groups had lunch and dinner, observing the same level of fat intake as during breakfast.
At the end of the day, blood tests showed that people who consumed food with fats absorbed 32% more vitamin D than the group that “ignored” fats.
Avocados, nuts, salmon, and vegetable oils are good sources of healthy unsaturated fats - all of which can be consumed with vitamin D.