397 Vitamin D Deficiency Pandemic? [28 Nov 2016]

With the evidence piling up that the RDA for vitamin D is too low and the concern about the increasing deficiencies of the world’s population (a 2010 article in International J of Health Sciences estimated 1 billion people worldwide), it was inevitable that there would be some pushback. It came earlier this month in a paper published in the NEJM “Vitamin D Deficiency – Is There Really a Pandemic?”

This paper argues that vitamin D deficiencies are overestimated because they are based on the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) of 600iu per day for ages 1-70 and 800iu for 70+ which correspond to a blood status of 20ng/ml (75 nmol/L in Canada). Instead (the authors argue) they should use the Estimated Average Intake (EAR) of 400iu and 600iu respectively, which brings half the population to 16 ng/ml, the minimum level to maintain adequate bone health.

A critique of this paper was published on the Vitamin D Council’s website November 18 by A. Tovey and Dr. J.J. Cannell. They made the following points:
• Even for bone health, the RDA is based on faulty statistics and is set too low
• Studies have shown that vitamin D provides many other benefits at much higher levels, so the RDA should be increased significantly
• A March 2013 paper in the Eur J Nutr concluded that vitamin D levels should be over 30 ng/ml to achieve the beneficial effect on chronic diseases.
• People living outdoors near the equator produce levels of 40-80 ng/ml which appears to be the optimum level for good health
• Blood levels of >40 ng/ml are associated with a 65% lower cancer risk
• A 2016 study found that raising blood levels of MS patients from 28 to 84 ng/ml by taking 10,000 iu per day resulted in significant improvements in quality of life scores
• Vitamin D supplementation of 6,400 iu/day safely supplied breast milk with adequate D for the nursing infant
• Raising D levels from 16 to 36 ng/ml improved depression in Swedish adolescents
• The latest data from the US shows that 70% of the population fails to meet even the very conservative 16 mg/ml.

So rather than being overestimated, the rates of vitamin D deficiencies are likely still highly underestimated. Do you know what your blood vitamin D level is?

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.

367 Vitamin D, Cancer & MS [25 April 2016]

Two recent vitamin D studies emphasize the importance of maintaining sufficient levels of this crucial vitamin.

In the most recent study, researchers combined the data from two previous studies – the Lappe cohort from Nebraska and the GrassrotsHealth cohort from San Diego – to examine the risk of cancer at different blood levels of vitamin D. They found that women with Vitamin D concentrations of 40 ng/ml (100 nmol/L) or more had a 67% lower risk of all types of cancer than women with concentrations less than 20 ng/ml (50 nmol/L). As previously reported in these columns, 100 - 150 nmol/L is now considered by many vitamin D researchers to be the optimum level for health. Both these studies looked at white women over 55 years of age, so the results can’t be extrapolated to the general population.

A study published in December 2015 in Neurology compared the effects of standard dose (800 IU) and high dose (10,400 IU) vitamin D in 40 patients with relapsing/remitting MS. The researchers found that the high dose group had lower blood levels of interleukin-17 T cells, which play a role in MS pathogenesis, than did the low dose group. Each 5 ng/ml rise in blood vitamin D levels above 18 ng/ml corresponded with a 1% fall in the percentage of interleukin-17 T cells. There was no reduction in the interleukin-17 T cell percentage in the low dose group.

Although 10,000 IU seems a very high dose, it is the blood level that counts. Previous research has found that MS patients often require extremely high intake of D to maintain normal blood levels. It is critical for people with MS to monitor their blood levels and supplement accordingly. A Rosetown customer told me she has had to take 30,000 IU daily just to maintain her D level at the low end of normal.

Vitamin D likely also plays a significant role in the prevention of MS. A study from Finland published in JAMA Neurology on March 7 of this year found that children of mothers with severe vitamin D deficiency (less than 12 ng/ml) during early pregnancy are at 90% higher risk of later developing MS.

With the rising costs – both financial and in human suffering – of cancer and diseases like MS, we must move swiftly to implement public programs with safe and effective treatments like vitamin D. Every Canadian should be screened for D deficiency and encouraged to supplement (or sunbathe) to achieve optimum levels.

Sources
D & Cancer study PLOSOne
D & Cancer study review by Vitamin D Council
High dose D MS treatment Science Daily Review
High dose D MS treatment MDLinx Review
Maternal D & MS EurekAlert Review

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.

320 Our Gut Microbiome & Our Brain [25 May 2015]

Last fall (#287 & #288) I discussed how our gut microbiome (the bacteria in our intestines) affect our health in many ways, and how it in turn is affected by our diet and lifestyle choices.

In his new 2015 book Brain Maker, the Power of Gut Microbes to Heal and Protect your Brain – For Life, neurologist Dr. David Perlmutter expands on this idea with new research into the relationship between our microbiome and our brain health. The book discusses the gut microbiome’s effect on: inflammation; mood disorders like depression; diabetes and obesity; and neurological disorders like autism, ADHD, Parkinson’s, MS and Alzheimer’s.

These bacteria living in our digestive tract make up 99% of the DNA in our bodies, and affect our health in several ways:
• manufacture neurochemicals like dopamine and serotonin, and vitamins like B12;
• maintain the integrity of the gut lining preventing “leaky gut syndrome”; and
• control switches that can turn our own genes on or off.

Leaky gut and inflammation seems to be the keys to the common brain disorders mentioned above. Gut permeability can be measured by measuring levels of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) antibodies – higher blood levels indicate a leaky gut. Strong correlations have been found between LPS levels and many of these chronic disorders, including diabetes. Correlation of course doesn’t necessarily mean causation, but Dr. Perlmutter made some interesting observations after correcting gut flora with fecal transplants (see #243) in a few case studies: Carlos, a 43 year old man with MS who could barely walk with two canes, could now walk unaided; and Jason, a 10 year old boy with severe autism showed remarkable improvements.

While our own DNA has changed little in thousands of years, we can change the 99% of the DNA in our bodies that are found in the gut microbiome in a matter of days – and in so doing significantly reduce our risk for these neurological conditions – simply by changing our diets. More about this in a future article.

Sources: Dr. Perlmutter interview (1 hour)

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.

135 MSG: Much More than a Buzz [11 Oct 2011]

Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) is a common but controversial food additive approved for use in Canada.

Health Canada’s position follows that of most food manufacturers, that MSG is a natural substance whose safety is unquestioned. In fact in Canada MSG is considered a “flavour enhancing ingredient” and is not regulated as a food additive. The Health Canada website states: “…MSG is not a health hazard to consumers… However, some individuals who consume MSG may exhibit an allergic-type reaction … [and temporarily experience] a burning sensation, facial pressure, headache, nausea and chest pains.”

This “Chinese restaurant syndrome” buzz may be the least of our worries. MSG also affects the leptin receptors in our hypothalamus so that even after eating enough we still feel hungry. This makes it a food manufacturer’s dream but also a likely contributor to the obesity epidemic. In fact scientists now use MSG when they want to fatten lab animals for research.

Free glutamate (released by MSG) is an excitotoxin, a substance that over stimulates nerve cells and can damage or even kill them. Lab animals fed MSG show toxic degenerative changes in their liver, kidneys, eyes, nerves and brain. MSG has been linked to a long and growing list of conditions: stroke, heart attacks, epilepsy, Multiple Sclerosis, ALS, autism, ADHD, asthma, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and cancer. And unlike the immediate buzz, these conditions may take years to develop.

Even more disturbing is the discovery that glutamate feeds cancer cells, causing them to grow faster and become more invasive. To date, MSG has been linked to melanoma, breast, thyroid and colon cancers as well as glioblastoma multiforme, a particularly nasty brain cancer.

Note these are links only, and more study is required to prove a causal connection. Health Canada must wait until proof is indisputable before acting, but you don’t! Next week: how to identify and eliminate MSG from your diet.

Sources: Cancer Defeated Newsletter #122 “This Food Additive is Like Fertilizer for Cancer” October 2, 2011; website of Russell Blaylock MD, neurosurgeon.

This article is intended for educational purposes only; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.

122 MS & Vitamin D [11 July 2011]

Multiple Sclerosis is a chronic autoimmune disease of the central nervous system affecting the brain, spinal cord and optic nerve. The myelin sheath covering nerve fibers is damaged by inflammation, affecting nerve impulses. There has been much in the news lately about the CCSVI theory of MS and Dr. Zamboni’s “Liberation Treatment” (a topic for a future column), but another theory links MS to a vitamin D deficiency.

Several facts and observations link MS to vitamin D:
• MS is more frequent at high latitudes (such as Saskatchewan)
• Increased sun exposure is associated with a reduced risk of MS
• More frequent MS symptoms are reported during winter and spring
• A 2011 British study found that UVB exposure [the sunlight that creates vitamin D] could explain 61% of MS prevalence in England
• Lower levels of vitamin D are linked to a higher risk of MS

Vitamin D is believed to affect MS by suppressing cytokines, which reduces inflammation. A 2009 study found that Vitamin D controls a gene variant known to increase the risk of MS, and suggested that a deficiency of vitamin D during fetal development and early childhood may increase the risk of developing MS. While vitamin D’s role in preventing MS is clear, its use as a treatment is controversial. The official line is that there is no evidence supporting amelioration of symptoms by supplementation; many people with MS, however, have reported improvements. Dr. Joseph Mercola recommends optimizing vitamin D levels to between 50-70 ng/ml for healthy adults, and even higher for people with chronic auto-immune diseases His preferred source is sunbathing; with high D3 supplementation he strongly recommends blood levels be monitored to avoid overdosing.

For more information, see vitamindcouncil.org and mercola.com

This article is intended for educational purposes only; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.