Vitamin D Deficiency: Common And Problematic Yet Preventable

Science Daily - In a review article to appear in the July 19th issue of the
New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. Michael Holick, an internationally
recognized expert in vitamin D, provides an overview of his pioneering work
that expounds on the important role vitamin D plays in a wide variety of
chronic health conditions, as well as suggesting strategies for the
prevention and treatment of vitamin D deficiency.

Humans attain vitamin D from exposure to sunlight, diet and supplements.
Vitamin D deficiency is common in children and adults. In utero and
childhood, vitamin D deficiency may cause growth retardation, skeletal
deformities and increase risk of hip fractures later in life. In adults,
vitamin D deficiency may precipitate or exacerbate osteopenia, osteoporosis,
muscle weakness, fractures, common cancers, autoimmune diseases, infectious
diseases and cardiovascular diseases.

According to Holick, a professor of medicine, physiology, and biophysics,
and director of the General Clinical Research Center at Boston University
School of Medicine and Director of the Bone Healthcare Clinic at Boston
Medical Center, it has been estimated that 1 billion people world-wide are
vitamin D deficient or insufficient.

Without vitamin D only about 10-15 percent of dietary calcium and about 60
percent of phosphorus is absorbed by the body. This is directly related to
bone mineral density which is responsible for osteoporosis and fractures, as
well as muscle strength and falls in adults. In utero and childhood, calcium
and vitamin D deficiency prevents the maximum deposition of calcium in the
skeleton.

Studies have shown people living at higher latitudes (where the angle of the
sun's rays are unable to sufficiently produce adequate amounts of vitamin D
in the skin) are more likely to develop and die of Hodgkin's lymphoma,
colon, pancreatic, prostate, ovarian, breast and other cancers.
According to Holick, both prospective and retrospective epidemiologic
studies have also shown an association between low levels of vitamin D and
an increased risk for Type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, Crohn's disease,
hypertension and cardiovascular disease.

Holick believes the current recommended Adequate Intakes for vitamin D need
to be increased to 800 -- 1000 IU vitaminD3/d. "However, one can not obtain
these amounts from most dietary sources unless one is eating oily fish
frequently," says Holick.
"Thus, sensible sun exposure (or UVB
irradiation) and/or supplements are required to satisfy the body's vitamin D
requirement," he adds.

Lastly Holick adds, "The goal of this paper is to make physicians aware of
the medical problems associated with vitamin D deficiency. Physicians will
then be able to impart this knowledge to their patients so they too will
know how to recognize, treat and most importantly, maintain adequate levels
of this important vitamin."

Source: Science Daily.