Discussion Forums > Diet, Nutrition and Supplements
Many Americans Fall Short on Their Vitamin D
Andy Battaglia:
This is not exclusive to Americans. With reduced exposure to the sun, we are seeing much higher rates of people deficient in vitamin D.
http://www.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=625331
--- Quote --- Many Americans Fall Short on Their Vitamin D
Recommended levels in foods need to be increased, experts say
By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, March 23 (HealthDay News) -- Over the course of two decades, vitamin D levels have dramatically decreased among Americans, a new study finds.
Low levels of vitamin D have been associated with rickets in children and lower bone mineral density in adults. Recent research has also linked insufficient vitamin D to cancer, heart disease, infection and poorer health overall. Optimal levels range from 30 nanograms per milliliter to 40 nanograms per milliliter, the researchers said.
"We found a marked increase in vitamin D deficiency over the past two decades," said lead researcher Dr. Adit Ginde, an assistant professor of surgery at the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine. "Over three out of every four Americans now have vitamin D levels below what we believe is necessary for optimal health. African-Americans and Hispanics are at particularly high risk -- nearly all have suboptimal levels."
The report was published in the March 23 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
For the study, Ginde's group collected data on vitamin D levels in 18,883 people collected between 1988 and 1994, and 13,369 people collected between 2001 and 2004. All the data came from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
The researchers found that average vitamin D levels were 30 nanograms per milliliter from 1988 to 1994, but decreased to 24 nanograms per milliliter between 2001 and 2004. Moreover, vitamin D levels of less than 10 nanograms per milliliter increased from 2 percent to 6 percent over the study period. There were also fewer people with vitamin D levels of 30 nanograms per milliliter or higher (45 percent vs. 23 percent).
The greatest drops in vitamin D levels were seen among blacks, where levels of vitamin D of less than 10 nanograms per milliliter rose from 9 percent to 29 percent, and levels of more than 30 nanograms per milliliter or higher dropped from 12 percent to 3 percent, the researchers found.
"Increases in vitamin D deficiency in the population may have reduced the overall health of the population," Ginde said. "Since sunlight is the body's major source of vitamin D, increases in sunscreen, sun avoidance, and overall decreased outdoor activity, while successful in reducing skin cancers, has probably reduced vitamin D levels in the population."
Ten minutes of sunlight on exposed arms and legs two to three times per week would significantly improve vitamin D production, but must be weighed against the risk for skin cancer, Ginde noted. Vitamin D supplementation is another way to increase levels. However, current recommended doses of vitamin D supplements are outdated and inadequate, he added.
Right now, recommended levels of vitamin D supplements are 200 international units per day from birth to age 50, 400 international units (IU) per day from age 51 to 70, and 600 international units per day for adults aged 71 and older. These recommendations are primarily for improving bone health.
"Vitamin D is an important and underappreciated public health issue and may be responsible for some racial differences in health outcomes," Ginde said. "Most Americans could use more vitamin D. Higher doses of vitamin D supplementation than currently recommended, at least 1,000 to 2,000 IU daily, are likely needed to raise vitamin D levels for many people."
Another report in the same journal highlights the importance of vitamin D for bone health. In the study, Swiss researchers conclude that 400 IU of vitamin D supplements per day are associated with a reduced risk of fractures in older adults.
"Given the frequency, severity and cost of non-vertebral fractures, everyone age 65 and older should take vitamin D in a dose close to 800 IU per day," said lead researcher Heike A. Bischoff-Ferrari, an assistant professor at the University of Zurich.
To reach their conclusion, Bischoff-Ferrari and colleagues reviewed the findings of 12 clinical trials of looking at the benefits of vitamin D supplements in reducing fractures in adults aged 65 and older. In all, the trials involved 42,279 participants.
The researchers found that vitamin D supplements decreased the risk of non-vertebral fractures by 14 percent and of hip fractures by 9 percent. In trials where people were given doses of more than 400 IUs a day, fractures were reduced by 20 percent and hip fractures by 18 percent.
In addition, for people taking high doses of vitamin D, calcium supplements did not appear to have any additional protective effect against fractures, the researchers reported.
"At the higher dose, this benefit is not restricted to frail older individuals, but is also present in community-dwelling older individuals," Bischoff-Ferrari said. "In the subgroup of community-dwelling older individuals, vitamin D at the higher dose reduced non-vertebral fractures by 33 percent."
Dr. Michael F. Holick, director of the Vitamin D Laboratory at Boston University, noted that the recommended levels of vitamin D are under review and likely to be increased.
"An Institute of Medicine panel is planning to have new recommendations out by mid-2010," Holick said. "It's pretty clear that you need a minimum of 1,400 and up to 2,000 IU a day, and if you are obese, you probably need at least one and a half to two times as much, because the fat sequesters the vitamin D," he said.
Holick said people are drinking less milk and staying out of the sun, which are the main reasons for the decreasing vitamin D levels in the population.
One way to combat the problem is to increase vitamin D supplementation in foods, Holick said. New recommendations that increase vitamin D levels will let the food industry increase vitamin D levels in foods and add vitamin D to more foods, he said.
"We are in desperate need to have a marked increase in the adequate intake recommendation, and hopefully, that will be 1,000 to 2,000 IUs per day and raise the safe upper limit to at least 10,000 IUs a day," Holick said. "The plan would be to increase the amount per serving and increase the number of foods fortified with vitamin D."
More information
For more on vitamin D, visit the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
SOURCES: Adit Ginde, M.D., M.P.H., assistant professor, surgery, University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine; Heike A. Bischoff-Ferrari, Dr.P.H., assistant professor, University of Zurich, University Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland; Michael F. Holick, M.D., Ph.D., director, Vitamin D Laboratory, Boston University; March 23, 2009, Archives of Internal Medicine
Copyright © 2009 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.
--- End quote ---
It may prove to be far more important to take adequate vitamin D than it is to take calcium for bone health. Yes, you do need calcium but without vitamin D, it does little good. Also, please note that darker skinned people have higher deficiencies in D. The darker the skin, the more sun that is needed to provide enough vitamin D. Thalassemics have an even higher need for vitamin D. Do not ignore this key part of nutrition.
Zaini:
Thanks for the info Andy,Viatmin D sure seems like a wonder vitamin.
Zaini.
Dori:
This news comes from USA. So I will post it here. I hope it is ok
New Measurement Standard For Vitamin D May Lead To Better Bone Health
26 Mar 2009
In a development that could help improve the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis, rickets, and other bone diseases, government chemists are reporting an advance in developing an accurate, reliable set of standards for measuring vitamin D levels in blood. Their findings could affect the health of millions of people worldwide, particularly children, women, and the elderly, who suffer from or are at risk of these debilitating diseases. The study will be presented here at the American Chemical Society's 237th National Meeting.
The advance comes in the midst of a growing awareness that many children and adults are not getting enough vitamin D. New studies also link vitamin D deficiency to a higher risk of diseases ranging from cancer to cognitive impairment in the elderly. Everyone needs ample vitamin D not just to absorb calcium and maintain bone strength but to promote good overall health.
People produce the vitamin naturally when sunlight shines on their skin. Concerns about skin cancer, however, have reduced exposure to sunlight. Likewise, declines in consumption of certain dairy products have reduced intake of another natural source of vitamin D. The vitamin also is available as a dietary supplement.
Despite concerns about adequate vitamin D intake, there is no standard laboratory test for measuring vitamin D levels in humans, and no universal agreement on what are considered "normal" or "optimal" vitamin D levels. To understand vitamin D's role in health and disease, and use that knowledge in everyday medicine, laboratories need better measurement standards, the scientists say.
"No one really knows what methods or assays are correct at this point," says Mary Bedner, Ph.D., an analytical chemist with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, Md. "Right now, you can send a blood sample to two different labs and get completely different results for vitamin D."
About three years ago, NIST, the Federal Government agency that sets measurement standards, began efforts to develop a standard for measuring vitamin D in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health's (NIH's) Office of Dietary Supplements. Later this year, after much consultation with experts and extensive laboratory testing, NIST scientists plan to unveil their standard to the public in a development that promises to lead to a better understanding of vitamin D in health and disease.
The most commonly used indicator of a person's vitamin D status is the measurement of 25-hydroxyvitamin D in the blood. But several different forms of this vitamin exist in the blood including 25-hydroxyvitamin D2 and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 that are of clinical significance and would be overlooked by scientists focusing on total 25-hydroxyvitamin D alone.
To account for these other forms of vitamin D, NIST developed Standard Reference Material 972 (SRM 972). The material is composed of four different pools of human blood serum obtained from a wide cross-section of blood donors. Each of the four pools contains different amounts of 25-hydroxyvitamin D2 and D3 to represent vitamin D profiles normally seen in a clinical setting. All were carefully measured using a combination of state-of-the-art liquid chromatography and mass spectroscopy highly sensitive analytical chemistry tools.
One pool represents "normal" serum, which contains mostly 25-hydroxyvitamin D3. The second pool, which represents vitamin D deficient individuals, contains about half as much 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 as the "normal" pool. The third represents the blood profile of someone taking vitamin D supplements and contains elevated levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D2. Finally, the fourth pool contains high levels of 3-epi-25-hydroxyvitamin D3, or the "epi" form of vitamin D, which is typically found in the blood of small children.
By using these four blood samples as reference points, clinical laboratories can calibrate their instruments and measurement techniques to assure more accurate and reliable vitamin D measurements for blood samples so doctors can make the right treatment decisions. As a result, testing based on this standard can more reliably tell patients whether they're getting enough vitamin D and provide information about what forms of vitamin D they need to take to stay healthy, the researchers say.
"Accuracy is key," Bedner says. "We need to provide a reference material that other people can trust."
The researchers plan to make their reference standard commercially available within the next year. NIST and NIH funded the research.
The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With more than 154,000 members, ACS is the world's largest scientific society and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.
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Article URL: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/143753.php
Main News Category: Bones / Orthopaedics
Also Appears In: Nutrition / Diet, Conferences,
Sharmin:
Thanks for this Dore. I really believe that vitamin D has a significant impact on overall health.
Sharmin
KHALIFA:
Ten minutes of sunlight on exposed arms and legs two to three times per week would significantly improve vitamin D production,
Hi Guys well the weather here in kuwait now is arround 75F and it will increase slowley withen few days my point is if any body need a real sun and can cook some egg over the street he will be very welcome in kuwait ,,, i have my sweming pool also some fresh drink... ( you can make it as invitation for any body) :rotfl
khalifa
state of kuwait
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