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Know Your Vit D Levels
KIM KOZLOWSKI The Detroit News
Posted Aug 11, 2010
By Kim Kozlowski
The Detroit News
Susan Waun remembers her doctor was skeptical when she asked for
a vitamin D test.
That changed when the test showed she was deficient. Since then,
Waun's doctor has given her a prescription dosage that increased
her vitamin D level.
A growing body of research suggests the vitamin -- long known to
ward off rickets in children and osteoporosis in adults -- also
shows promise in fighting scores of ailments, including heart
attacks, cancer, autism, arthritis, migraine headaches and even
depression.
More doctors are testing patients' levels as a federal committee
prepares a vitamin D report scheduled for release this year.
"I feel better that I've discovered something that could have a
long-term effect" on preventing serious disease, said Waun, a
Lathrup Village resident.
Vitamin D, found only in a limited number of foods such as
salmon and tuna, is produced naturally in the body through
sunlight.
But officials say the number of people deficient in vitamin D is
reaching epidemic proportions, as more forgo the sun over fears of
skin cancer and other skin damage.
Many also live in regions far away from the equator, making it
more difficult to get adequate sun exposure to produce vitamin D
naturally. The maximum amount of possible sunshine from sunrise to
sunset with clear skies in Detroit is 53 percent annually, compared
to 70 percent in Miami and 73 percent in Los Angeles, according to
Comparative Climatic Data, a report by three federal agencies.
Federal officials issued guidelines for recommended daily
vitamin D intake in 1997. The suggested amounts range from 200 to
600 units, depending on age.
But new recommendations could be on the horizon: The Institute
of Medicine's Food and Nutrition Board has just completed its final
meetings of a year long examination of vitamin D, and a report on
recommended levels is expected later this summer or early fall,
said Matthew Spear, senior program assistant.
Vitamin D technically is not a vitamin but a steroid hormone
system in the skin. It is critical because it regulates more than
1,000 genes, said Dr. John Cannell, executive director and founder
of the Vitamin D Council in San Luis Obispo, Calif.
"Treating vitamin D deficiencies has a good chance to
profoundly change the practice of medicine," Cannell said.
More doctors are starting to test their patients' vitamin D
levels with a blood test. Although data is not available for
Michigan, Quest Diagnostics, one of the world's largest medical
testing labs, which is based in Madison, N.J., reported a 50
percent growth in vitamin D tests during the last quarter of 2009
over the previous year, said spokeswoman Wendy Bost.
Vitamin D eases symptoms
Among the doctors who screen patients' vitamin D levels is Dr.
James Dowd, a Brighton-based rheumatologist. He personally
discovered an optimum level of vitamin D can make a difference when
he was struggling with insomnia, muscle cramps and aching joints at
age 40. Many of his patients were complaining of the same thing.
He started taking supplements and his symptoms vanished. He has
since been testing all of his patients' vitamin D levels and
prescribes supplements when necessary.
"It amazing how such a simple change made a difference in how
they felt," said Dowd, who wrote the book "The Vitamin D Cure."
Dr. Paul Erhmann, a Royal Oak general practitioner, also tests
patients for vitamin D deficiency.
He said it's important to monitor levels since too much of the
fat-soluble vitamin can lead to neurological or kidney problems.
"We've been surprised by people who are vitamin D deficient,"
Erhmann said. "It's an important risk factor for a lot of
preventable problems."
Tied to disease prevention
Research began decades ago when epidemiologists noticed fewer
people suffered from chronic diseases who lived in regions with
more sun exposure. Hundreds of studies have since shown links
between optimum level of vitamin D and prevention of disease.
"It's one issue but it's a very, very important issue because
it can be so easily addressed and so inexpensively addressed,"
Cannell said.
New federal research released last month is dashing hopes about
the potential that vitamin D could have in reducing the risk of
some cancers. Though some studies have shown a risk reduction in
colorectal cancer with higher levels of vitamin D, a large study by
researchers at the National Cancer Institute found adequate levels
of vitamin D offered no protection against cancers such as
non-Hodgkin's lymphoma or cancers of the esophagus, stomach,
kidney, ovary or pancreas.
"We did not see lower cancer risk in persons with high vitamin
D blood concentrations compared to normal concentrations for any of
these cancers," said Demetrius Albanes, an investigator in the
study that appeared online in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
Even so, many Metro Detroiters are turning to supplements or
extra sunshine, just in case.
Leigh Anne Cutcher thought it was funny when she saw her cousin
sprawled out in the sun, hoping to boost her vitamin D levels.
But not long after, Cutcher, 47, went to her doctor and found
out she needed more of the "sunshine vitamin."
Cutcher, of Farmington Hills, has since been taking vitamin D
regularly to give her body what it needs. "When you have something
low or out of balance," she said, "it's important to know it so
you can proactively address it and avoid some of those health
issues."
Who should take vitamin D?
Breast-fed infants: The American Academy of Pediatrics
recommends breast-fed infants receive a daily supplement of 400
international units, since there is not enough vitamin D in breast
milk.
People 50 and older: As people age, their skin is less efficient
in synthesizing the vitamin and kidneys are less able to convert it
to its active hormone form, so people in this group are at risk for
deficiency.
People with limited sun exposure: Those who are homebound,
living in northern latitudes or wear head coverings and long robes.
People with dark skin: High amounts of pigment melanin reduces
the skin's ability to produce vitamin D from sunshine.
People who are obese: Individuals with a body mass index equal
to or greater than 30 typically have a low concentration of the
vitamin in the blood.
Source: National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary
Supplements
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