Vitamin D Council October 30th, 2012 This newsletter is in part made possible by the support of our sponsors

Be ready! November 2nd is Vitamin D Day
November 2, 2012
This day is dedicated to spreading awareness on vitamin D, vitamin D deficiency and making sure you and your loved ones are sufficient throughout the winter. Please join us in recognizing this day and spreading awareness on the issue, as we prepare for winter.

Furthermore, November is Vitamin D Awareness Month, so if you don’t have time to pay your dues November 2nd, please take the time to spread awareness throughout the month. 

Check out vitamindday.net for a full list of details for events, press releases, quotes from vitamin D researchers, and actions you can take to help spread the message. To spread the word, like the Vitamin D Day Facebook page and join the conversation with the hashtag #vitamindday on Twitter! 

Vote for the Vitamin D Council in the Fed Ex grant contest!
October 23, 2012
The Vitamin D Council is taking part in Fed Ex's small business grant contest for a change to win up to $25,000! The winner will be picked based on how compelling their story is and how many votes they acquire. Help us be a contender by voting! Each person can vote once a day up until November 24th.

The grant will help the VDC continue our mission in educating health professionals and the general public about vitamin D and vitamin D deficiency. With a $25,000 grant, the Vitamin D Council will improve its technology to receive donations. This kind of investment will improve the organization's capacity for many more years to come.

So, tell your friends and family to join in and vote daily! Click here to view our grant contest page.

VDC Blogs and News

Vitamin D and multiple sclerosis: Implications for assessment and treatment
Rebecca Oshiro Continue reading → (membership required)   Dear Dr Cannell: Vitamin D malabsorption
John Cannell, MD Continue reading → (no membership required)

Sepsis and vitamin D: A look at the research
John Cannell, MD Continue reading → (membership required)

Further research: Vitamin D and reproductive health
Kate Saley Continue reading → (no membership required)

Vitamin D3 reduces metabolic stress in the liver?
John Cannell, MD Continue reading → (membership required)

Vitamin D and the developing brain
John Cannell, MD Continue reading → (membership required)

Dear Dr Cannell: Will D decrease statin side effects? 
John Cannell, MD Continue reading → (no membership required)

Vitamin D - Minimum, maximum, optimum: Conference overview
Dr William Grant Continue reading → (no membership required)

How high can we mega-dose?
Brant Cebulla Continue reading → (membership required)

D deficiency among pregnant women in urban obstetric practice
John Cannell, MD Continue reading → (membership required)

Alzheimer's, D deficiency association: Meta-analysis and review confirm
Kate Saley Continue reading → (no membership required)

Vitamin D may benefit lupus patients
Vitamin D news Continue reading → (news)

Vitamin D deficiency linked to gestational diabetes
Vitamin D News Continue reading → (news)

Calcium, vitamin D reduce spine fractures
Vitamin D News Continue reading → (news)

No risk of calcium overload with high vitamin D dosage
Vitamin D News Continue reading → (news)

Australian MS trial to explore vitamin D link
Vitamin D News Continue reading → (news)

D deficiency, increased vitamin B12 associated with mortality risk
Vitamin D News Continue reading → (news)

Finnish University finds vitamin D supplements deficient
Vitamin D News Continue reading → (news)

Vitamin D status and muscle function in UK athletes
Vitamin D News Continue reading → (news)

I have often mentioned that vitamin D is effective against the flu and colds. A recent study found that 60% of flu infections are prevented by vitamin D given in optimal doses. This is way ahead of a flu shot which is ineffective a great deal of the time and maybe problematic to some. What is not mentioned is that there are other viral infections out there that it may help treat. How about shingles ( a virus that lives in the nerves after infection with chicken pox) which seems to affect people with poor immune function or who are under a great deal of stress. I know personally of people who have had multiple cases of this and it stopped after optimizing vitamin D.
Lets not stop there! Lets think about other kinds of viral infection that some studies suggest vitamin D maybe very helpful. Cold sores, genital herpes, and HIV. All these things are viral . Vitamin D improves immune function.
What do you have to risk. A bottle at my favorite vitamin store of 400 pills that are 5,000 iu, cost under ten dollars. That is a years treatment at the conservative dose of 5 k a day. Optimize your dose after three months of daily dosing. Only by testing can your blood level can you determine a optimized dose! I believe a optimized blood level is between 70 and 100 ng/ml.
I love to hear feed back from people who have tried Vitamin D. So feel free to contact me. I will keep your statements confidential.
B Bennett CRNA Retired.

Nothing like a free conference with lots of information by experts. Maybe you know some one who would be interested in attending even if you can not. Headlines are a 60% reduction in flu with vitamin D and 75% reduction in Breast Cancer too. From other readings I understand to prevent flu you must be on vitamin D in adequate amounts starting three months before the flu season.
With all the corruption that exist in the FDA ( collusion between the drug industry and FDA) and the fact that the companies do their own testing to determine safety of drugs and vaccines I will not take the flu shot.  Also everyone sues everyone else in this country, but did you know there is a law you can not sue drug companies for deleterious effects of the flu vaccine? Efficacy of the vaccine is question by some including Mercola.com.. Me too. But that is a personal decision at this point. I understand there is a group of legislators that want to make the vaccine compulsory. Wonder who that would benefit.
As always doing the best I can to keep you informed.
B Bennett CRNA retired.
OH, yes the site to sign up.
http://www.grassrootshealth.net/media/download/ottawa%20vitamin%20d%20symposium110112.pdf

Vitamin D Council October 16th, 2012 This newsletter is in part made possible by the support of our sponsors

A closer look: Vitamin D prevents pain in women starting breast cancer treatment
October 15, 2012 -- Kate Saley
Research presented at the annual American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting reports that high dose vitamin D3 combats joint pain, a common side effect of breast cancer therapy.

Musculoskeletal pain is one of the most pronounced side effects of aromatase inhibitor (AI) therapy, a common treatment for breast cancer. The pain associated with the treatment is one of the main causes of treatment discontinuation.

A pilot study published in 2009 by Dr Qamar J Khan and colleagues presented results from a small scale study that suggested beneficial effects from vitamin D3 supplementation on AI treatment side effects. Dr. Khan’s present study strengthens the validity of the past research.

Dr Khan, Dr Bruce Kimler, and colleagues recruited 160 women with stage I-III breast cancers who were starting adjuvant AI therapy and had a vitamin D level ≤40 ng/mL. All participants received the AI treatment (letrozole), as well as 600 IU vitamin D3 and 1200 mg calcium daily. The participants were randomly assigned to the vitamin D arm (30,000 IU D3/weekly) or the placebo arm for 24 weeks. Vitamin D status, symptoms (pain, fatigue, and quality of life), and hand grip strength were all assessed at baseline, 12, and 24 weeks. Continue reading → (no membership required)

RCT: Vitamin D induces short-term increase in muscular power
October 12, 2012 -- Brant Cebulla
A recent randomized controlled trial has found that vitamin D supplementation may help peak power in the short term, but perhaps not in the long run over the course of a workout program. Continue reading → (membership required)
  RCT: Investigating the effects of vitamin D supplementation on Finnish infants
October 9, 2012 -- Rebecca Oshiro
A recent randomized controlled trial (RCT) published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism investigated the effects of vitamin D supplementation on vitamin D status, calcium homeostasis, and bone strength in infants. Continue reading → (membership required)


Low vitamin D status may increase risk of death from pneumonia
October 11, 2012 -- John Cannell, MD
Researchers in New Zealand wanted to know if death rates from community-acquired pneumonia were related to vitamin D levels. Dr Cannell explains the study findings. Continue reading → (no membership required)

A closer look: Vitamin D toxicity
October 15, 2012 -- John Cannell, MD
Dr Cannell discusses research on vitamin D intoxication due to manufacturing errors, and the possible implications this has for further vitamin D and cancer research. Continue reading → (membership required)



Dear Dr Cannell: Vitamin D connection with alopecia areata?
October 14, 2012 -- John Cannell, MD
A mother writes to Dr Cannell asking if vitamin D could help her daughter’s alopecia areata, an inflammatory condition in which hair is lost, usually from different spots on the scalp. Continue reading →  (no membership required)

Vitamin D prevents pain in women starting breast cancer treatment
October 15, 2012 -- Vitamin D News
Research presented recently at the American Society of Clinical Oncology reports that high dose vitamin D is effective in decreasing joint pain, a common side effect of breast cancer treatment. Continue reading → (news)


Low D status associated with impaired hepatitis C treatment response
October 11, 2012 -- Vitamin D News
Study finds that people co-infected with HIV and hepatitis C who are vitamin D deficient are significantly less likely to have an early or sustained response to treatment than those with normal vitamin D status. Continue reading → (news)

Susan G Komen funding vitamin D, breast cancer research
October 10, 2012 -- Vitamin D News
Susan G Komen for the Cure is currently funding research investigating the effect of vitamin D and body weight on breast cancer prevention. Continue reading → (news)

Vitamin D Council October 9th, 2012 This newsletter is in part made possible by the support of our sponsors

A closer look: "Vitamin D no match for common cold"
October 4, 2012 -- John Cannell, MD
Many of readers report a reduction (not absence) of colds and flu with 5,000 IU daily doses of vitamin D. However, hundreds of media outlets are reporting on a well-conducted JAMA study that showed no benefit for vitamin D in preventing the common cold.

• Vitamin D Won’t Save You From Common Cold, Latest Study Says
• Vitamin D may do nothing to prevent common colds
• Trying to Avoid a Cold? Skip the Vitamin D Supplements
• Vitamin D doesn’t fight off colds

The randomized controlled trial, led by Dr David R Murdock of the University of Otago in New Zealand, found that 200, 000 IU per month for two months followed by 100,000 IU per month of vitamin D for 16 months in 161 patients did not prevent either the diagnosis or complaint of the common cold. The study included viral cultures, rigorous efforts to capture all infections, vitamin D given during monthly doctor visits, and initial and follow up vitamin D levels. The average initial level in the treatment group was 29 ng/ml and 18 months later, the mean level was approximately 50 ng/ml, with no side effects.

However, only 13 of the 161 placebo patients had levels below 20 ng/ml and only 5 of the 322 total patients had levels less than 10 ng/ml to begin the study. That is, the placebo group had relatively high levels (mean of 28 ng/ml initially), compared to most populations, and all but 13 patients had levels above 20 ng/ml for most of the study, apparently from sun exposure. Continue reading → (no membership required)

Vitamin D deficiency in pregnant women: National cross-sectional study
October 5, 2012 -- John Cannell, MD
Researchers at the Scientific Institute of Public Health in Belgium discovered vitamin D deficiency among Belgium women is alarmingly prevalent. Continue reading → (membership required)
  Meta-analysis and review: Low D increases risk of Alzheimer's
October 4, 2012 -- Kate Saley
A recent meta-analysis and review published in Neurology reports that lower vitamin D levels are associated with decreased cognitive function and an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Continue reading → (no membership required)


What is Kaiser's protocol for treating vitamin D deficiency?
October 3, 2012 -- Brant Cebulla
Ever wonder how often vitamin D deficiency is being treated in a clinical setting? Doctors from Kaiser Permanente of Northern California have shared their practices in the most recent issue of the Journal of Managed Care Pharmacy. Continue reading → (membership required)

Dear Dr Cannell: Preventing autism?
October 2, 2012 -- John Cannell, MD
A doctor from NY writes to the Council about his experience with vitamin D and autism in his private pediatric practice. Continue reading → (no membership required)



Vitamin D and the 'panacea' of the sun
October 6, 2012 -- John Cannell, MD
Dr Cannell discusses a scientist who was writing and researching about the non-calcitropic (heart, lung, brain, pancreas, stomach, muscle, immune, etc.) effects of vitamin D long before many. Continue reading → (no membership required)

RCT shows curious relationship between vitamin D and cholesterol
October 8, 2012 -- Brant Cebulla
A recent randomized controlled trial published in the journal Atherosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology reports that vitamin D in the short term has no effect on cholesterol. Continue reading → (membership required)


October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month
October 2, 2012 -- Vitamin D News
It's that time again. We'll be seeing football teams dressed in pink and pink ribbons everywhere. Yep, it's National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM). Continue reading → (news)

RCT: Vitamin D reduced body fat mass in overweight women
October 5, 2012 -- Vitamin D News
A double-blind, randomized controlled trial published last month in Nutrition Journal reports that increasing vitamin D serum levels led to body fat mass reduction. Continue reading → (news)



Low D, high PTH associated with increased mortality in older adults
October 3, 2012 -- Vitamin D News
Research published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism reports low vitamin D levels and high parathyroid hormone levels are associated with increased mortality among African American and Caucasian elderly. Continue reading → (news)