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Vitamin D Insufficiency Blog

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Study Looks at Vitamin D Needs in Breast-Fed Babies

Posted 30 Apr 2013 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, April 30 – Ideal amounts of vitamin D supplementation for breast-feeding infants are unclear, according to a new study. Vitamin D is important for infant bone growth, but breast-feeding infants are susceptible to vitamin D deficiency due to low levels of the vitamin in breast milk, according to background information included in the study, which was published in the May 1 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study, by Hope Weiler and colleagues at McGill University in Montreal, included 1-month-old healthy breast-fed infants who were followed for 11 months after being randomly assigned to receive different dosages of oral vitamin D supplements. Doses were either 400, 800, 1,200 or 1,600 international units per day. None of the dosages raised and maintained vitamin D levels within a range recommended by some pediatric societies, but all the dosages ... Read more

Vitamin D Important During Pregnancy, Study Suggests

Posted 26 Mar 2013 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, March 26 – Low levels of vitamin D during pregnancy are associated with an increased risk of complications in mothers-to-be and low birth weight in their newborns, a new study finds. The research shows an association but doesn't prove that insufficient vitamin D causes complications. Still, taking vitamin D supplements may help reduce these risks, the researchers noted. Researchers examined data from 31 studies published between 1980 and 2012. The studies had between 95 and 1,100 participants. The analysis revealed that pregnant women with low levels of vitamin D were more likely to develop gestational diabetes (diabetes during pregnancy) and preeclampsia (high blood pressure and protein in the urine). They were also more likely to have a low birth weight baby. The findings, published online March 26 in the BMJ, are "concerning" given recent evidence that low levels of vitamin ... Read more

Related support groups: Vitamin D Deficiency, Vitamin D Insufficiency

Vitamin D Levels in Pregnancy May Not Affect Kids' Future Bone Health

Posted 19 Mar 2013 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, March 19 – Women's vitamin D levels during pregnancy do not affect their children's bone health later in life, a new study shows. British researchers measured vitamin D levels in nearly 4,000 women during pregnancy and assessed the bone mineral density of their children when they were about 12. Bone mineral density is a measure of bone health. A lower mineral content is associated with poorer bone health and a higher risk of diseases such as rickets. There was no significant association between a mother's vitamin D levels during pregnancy and her child's bone mineral density, according to the study published online March 18 in The Lancet. The University of Bristol researchers also found that mothers' vitamin D levels tended to be lowest during the first trimester of pregnancy, and then increased as the pregnancy progressed. As expected, vitamin D levels tended to be lower ... Read more

Related support groups: Vitamin D Deficiency, Vitamin D Insufficiency

Women's Vitamin D Needs Don't Vary By Race, Study Finds

Posted 12 Feb 2013 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Feb. 12 – Older black women who need vitamin D supplements don't need more to take more than white women, a new study concludes. Although black women produce less vitamin D in their skin with sun exposure, researchers found that black and white women absorb and metabolize the vitamin at the same rate. The study will be published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. "African-American women don't have to worry about taking larger doses of vitamin D to compensate," said study lead author Dr. J. Chris Gallagher, of Creighton University School of Medicine in Omaha, in a journal news release. "They should follow the current medical guidelines for vitamin D supplementation suggested recently by the Institute of Medicine." In conducting the double-blind study, the researchers gave older black and white women of similar body types various doses of vitamin D. Although ... Read more

Vitamin D Supplements: Is What You See What You Get?

Posted 11 Feb 2013 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, Feb. 11 – Many vitamin D supplements may not contain what their label says they do, a new study warns. Some pills may pack a lot more vitamin D than the label states, and others may provide markedly less, according to the findings, published in a research letter Feb. 11 in JAMA Internal Medicine. The researchers are more concerned by pills delivering too little of the vitamin than pills providing too much. "It can be hard to overdose on vitamin D," said study author Dr. Erin LeBlanc, an endocrinologist and researcher with the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research in Portland, Ore. However, the findings "may be a concern for those who have been told by their doctor to take vitamin D if their chosen supplement does not have the amount listed." Vitamin D is known as the sunshine vitamin because it is produced in response to exposure to natural sunlight. This nutrient is ... Read more

Vitamin D Loss Attributed to Obesity

Posted 5 Feb 2013 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Feb. 5 – Obesity can lead to vitamin D deficiency, a new study indicates. British researchers looked at data from about 165,000 people, and found that a 10 percent rise in body-mass index (BMI) was linked with a 4 percent drop in concentrations of vitamin D in the body. BMI is a measurement of body fat based on height and weight. The link between BMI and vitamin D levels was found in men and women, as well as in younger and older people, the investigators noted. The findings suggest that a higher BMI leads to lower levels of vitamin D circulating in the body, while a lack of vitamin D has only a small effect on BMI, according to the authors of the study, published Feb. 5 in the journal PLoS Medicine. Efforts to tackle obesity may also help reduce levels of vitamin D deficiency, said lead investigator Dr. Elina Hypponen, of University College London's Institute of Child Health. ... Read more

Related support groups: Obesity, Vitamin D Deficiency, Vitamin D Insufficiency

Keep Tots' Milk to 2 Cups a Day: Study

Posted 17 Dec 2012 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, Dec. 17 – Drinking two cups of milk a day gives toddlers adequate amounts of vitamin D without lowering their iron levels, according to new research. Vitamin D and iron are crucial nutrients, especially for toddlers' growing brains and bodies. In this study, researchers confirmed that there's a tradeoff between the two when consumption of cow's milk exceeds two cups a day. "We found that ... around two cups a day is appropriate. For the average child, any more milk than that seems to reduce iron stores," explained study author Dr. Jonathon Maguire, a pediatrician and scientist at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto. Before this study, which was published online Dec. 17 in the journal Pediatrics, milk recommendations haven't always been clear, Maguire explained. Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium, which is necessary to develop strong bones. Vitamin D also may help prevent ... Read more

Related support groups: Vitamin D Deficiency, Vitamin D Insufficiency

Vitamin D Levels Linked to Daytime Sleepiness

Posted 14 Dec 2012 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, Dec. 14 – A strong but complicated association exists between vitamin D levels and daytime sleepiness, and race is a major factor, according to a small new study. The study included 81 sleep clinic patients who were eventually diagnosed with a sleep disorder. Most of the patients were found to have obstructive sleep apnea. People with obstructive sleep apnea experience repeated breathing interruptions while they sleep. The patients' levels of daytime sleepiness were assessed and blood samples were taken to measure their vitamin D levels. Among patients with normal vitamin D levels, progressively higher levels of daytime sleepiness were associated with progressively lower levels of vitamin D, the investigators found. Among patients with vitamin D deficiency, an association between vitamin D levels and daytime sleepiness was seen only in black patients. But in these patients, ... Read more

Vitamin D in Pregnancy May Be Key to Women's Risk for MS, Study Says

Posted 19 Nov 2012 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, Nov. 19 – Pregnant women with higher levels of vitamin D circulating in their blood were significantly less likely to develop multiple sclerosis in the years after giving birth, a new Swedish study suggests. Researchers also found that vitamin D blood levels had decreased gradually since 1975 in those tested, possibly providing clues as to why MS has become more common in industrialized parts of the world. "It seems that vitamin D might help twist the immune system towards a more non-inflammatory state, and this has been suggested as one of the [presumed] mechanisms by which vitamin D might influence MS risk," said study author Dr. Jonatan Salzer, a doctoral student in pharmacology and clinical neuroscience at Umea University. "The finding does, however, need confirmation in a different [group] before it's considered a 'true' finding, as is generally the case with these kinds ... Read more

Related support groups: Multiple Sclerosis, Vitamin D Deficiency, Vitamin D Insufficiency

Health Issues Add to Risk of Vitamin D Deficiency, Study Says

Posted 1 Nov 2012 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, Nov. 1 – Vitamin D levels are known to decrease during the winter months, but for women with certain health problems, the drop may be even more significant, a new study finds. For these women, extra measures may be required to maintain their levels of vitamin D, which is linked to a variety of health benefits, including strong bones, blood pressure regulation and cardiovascular health. For the study, researchers from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., assessed the winter and summer vitamin D levels of nearly 250 women with health conditions including osteoporosis, high blood pressure, arthritis, cancer and hypothyroidism. Vitamin D levels of less than 20 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) are considered deficient, and levels of 20 to 29 ng/mL are deemed insufficient. Based on these parameters, 28 percent of the women had deficient levels of vitamin D in the winter and ... Read more

Related support groups: Vitamin D Deficiency, Vitamin D Insufficiency

Men May Benefit From Osteoporosis Drug, Too: Study

Posted 31 Oct 2012 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 31 – Older men at risk for fractures from osteoporosis may reap the same benefit as women from bone-strengthening drugs called bisphosphonates, a new study suggests. In this case, one such drug called zoledronic acid (Reclast) significantly reduced backbone breaks in men suffering from osteoporosis. Bisphosphonates work by building bone mass, the researchers explained. Age-linked fracture risk doesn't disappear "just because you're a man," said Dr. Robert Recker, president of the National Osteoporosis Foundation, who had no part in the study. "We have ignored the problem in men," he believes. "Half of women over 40 will have an osteoporotic fracture before they die and about 25 percent of men will, too, so it's a substantial problem." However, there are ways to reduce the risk in men, just as there are in women, Recker said. "This study documents this for one of the ... Read more

Millions May Be Taking Vitamin D Unnecessarily, Analysis Suggests

Posted 25 Oct 2012 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 24 – Under the latest guidelines from the Institute of Medicine, it's possible that almost 80 million Americans who've previously been considered as having low levels of vitamin D don't need supplements of this nutrient at all, according to a new study. Older guidelines had suggested that anyone with a blood level of vitamin D that was less than 30 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) needed to boost their levels, but the newer Institute of Medicine (IOM) guidelines say that a minimum level of 20 ng/mL is sufficient. However, not all experts agree with the new guidelines from the IOM, a nonprofit American organization that dispenses health advice. "The IOM guidelines are so different than the Endocrine Society's guidelines that this study will just add to the controversy," said lead study author Dr. Holly Kramer, an associate professor of medicine at Loyola University ... Read more

Vitamin D in Pregnancy Critical for Brain Development, Study Says

Posted 17 Sep 2012 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, Sept. 17 – Vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy could hinder babies' brain development, impeding their mental and motor skills, a new study suggests. Researchers in Spain measured the level of vitamin D in the blood of almost 2,000 women in their first or second trimester of pregnancy and evaluated the mental and motor abilities of their babies at about 14 months of age. The investigators found that children of vitamin D-deficient mothers scored lower than those whose mothers had adequate levels of the sunshine vitamin. "These differences in the mental and psychomotor development scores do not likely make any difference at the individual level, but might have an important impact at the population level," said study lead author Dr. Eva Morales, a medical epidemiologist in the Center for Research in Environmental Epidemiology in Barcelona. Overall, lower scores in these tests ... Read more

Vitamin D Supplements Won't Help Cholesterol Levels: Study

Posted 4 Sep 2012 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Sept. 4 – Boosting vitamin D with supplements may not improve blood cholesterol levels among people who have low vitamin D levels, a new study suggests. In the small new study of people who were deficient in vitamin D, those who received 50,000 international units (IU) of vitamin D3 for eight weeks did not show any improvements in their cholesterol profile when compared to their counterparts who received a placebo. Those who took vitamin D showed a decrease in levels of parathyroid hormone and increases in calcium levels. These changes corresponded with an increase in low-density lipoprotein or "bad" cholesterol levels, the study showed. "Correcting a vitamin D deficiency with oral vitamin D supplements does not improve cholesterol levels in the short term," said study author Dr. Manish Ponda, assistant professor of clinical investigation in the laboratory of biochemical ... Read more

Low Vitamin D Levels May Raise Death Risk in Older Adults: Study

Posted 7 Aug 2012 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, Aug. 3 – Older adults with low vitamin D levels – especially those who are frail – have an increased risk of death. That's the finding of Oregon State University researchers who analyzed data from a survey of more than 4,300 U.S. adults older than 60. Those with low vitamin D levels had a 30 percent greater risk of death during the study period than those with higher levels. Frail people had more than double the risk of death than those who were not frail. And those who were both frail and had low vitamin D levels were three times more likely to die than those who were not frail and had higher vitamin D levels. The study was published online recently in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. "What this really means is that it is important to assess vitamin D levels in older adults, and especially among people who are frail," lead author and nutritional epidemiologist ... Read more

Related support groups: Vitamin D Deficiency, Vitamin D Insufficiency

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Vitamin/Mineral Supplementation and Deficiency

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Vitamin D3, cholecalciferol, Replesta, Delta D3, D2000, D400, D3-5, D 1000 IU, D3-50