Lower Vitamin D Levels Associated with Twice the Risk of Respiratory Disease

The Vitamin D Society wants to make the public aware of a new study showing an association between lower vitamin D levels and twice the risk of respiratory disease for older people.

Woodstock, ON (PRWEB) May 31, 2013 – The Vitamin D Society wants to make the public aware of a new study published online in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, which reported that older adults deficient in vitamin D were twice as likely to report a respiratory disease as those with the highest levels(1). The study examined 2,070 adults age 65 or older who participated in the 2005 Health Survey in England. The study author, Dr. Hirani, found that people with severely deficient vitamin D levels, less than 35 nmol/L, had more than twice the risk of respiratory disease when compared to those in the highest vitamin D quartile, greater than 64 nmol/L, after adjustments for covariates. The study concluded: low serum 25(OH)D concentrations are associated with respiratory disease. Ensuring adequate 25(OH)D levels is of public health importance for older populations living in northern latitudes and may be an effective way to prevent concurrent respiratory infections and related complications in older people.

Vitamin D Disease Prevention Symposium in Victoria, BC

The Vitamin D Society would like to invite the public to attend the Victoria Vitamin D Disease Prevention Symposium on May 22, 2013. Come learn what vitamin D can do for your health.

Woodstock, ON (PRWEB) May 21, 2013

The Vitamin D Society would like to invite medical professionals and the public to attend a free information session on vitamin D and disease prevention on May 22, 2013. The vitamin D symposium features a presentation by Dr. Robert Heaney, M.D. Professor of Medicine at Creighton University, a leading vitamin D researcher and author of over 400 original research papers on nutrition and vitamin D. Dr. Heaney will present an overview of the latest research papers showing the relationship between optimal vitamin D blood levels and disease prevention.

New Study Reveals How Vitamin D Prevents Disease

The Vitamin D Society wants to make the public aware of a new study that reports for the first time on how vitamin D status is linked to the reduction of chronic diseases through gene expression.

Toronto, ON (PRWEB) March 28, 2013

The Vitamin D Society wants the public to know about a new research study published online in PLOS ONE which reports that improving vitamin D status could have a number of non-skeletal health benefits for the public. The study reveals for the first time that as your vitamin D blood level goes up the genes involved with a number of biologic pathways associated with cancer, cardiovascular disease (CVD), infectious diseases and autoimmune diseases are expressed 1.5 times greater than base levels(1).

“This research confirms the positive disease prevention associations that vitamin D has on various serious chronic diseases and which has been reported in thousands of previously published research studies” exclaimed Perry Holman, Executive Director of the Vitamin D Society. “It provides insight into ‘how’ vitamin D works to help prevent disease.”

Are Adult Vitamin D Recommendations Too Low?

The Vitamin D Society wants to make the public aware that current vitamin D intake recommendations for adults are low in comparison to levels prescribed for infants. After a recent review of the IOM vitamin D recommendations the Vitamin D Society discovered that the vitamin D dose per pound was substantially lower for adults.

Toronto, ON (PRWEB) February 28, 2013 -- The Vitamin D Society wants to make the public aware that current vitamin D intake recommendations for adults are low in comparison to doses suggested for infants. The Vitamin D Society analyzed daily vitamin D intake recommendations and found that the dosage, when expressed as IU per pound, were substantially lower for adults than those recommended for infants. The Institute of Medicine(IOM) set the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for vitamin D through an extensive review and report in 2010(1). Health organizations across North America have now standardized on the IOM recommendations for vitamin D intake. The IOM recommends that infants under 1 year of age receive 400 IU, ages 1 to 70 take 600 IU and people age 71 and older receive 800 IU of vitamin D daily. The response to vitamin D is dependent on body weight(2). People that weigh more will need more vitamin D dosage than people who weigh less(3).

“Dividing the IOM vitamin D recommendations by weight shows that a small 10 pound newborn infant gets 40 IU of vitamin D per pound (400 IU/10 lbs=40). In comparison, a large adult weighing 200 pounds would only get 3 IU of vitamin D per pound (600 IU/200 lbs=3). The IOM recommended vitamin D dietary allowance for adults is clearly lower by a factor of 10 than the dose for a newborn infant” reported Perry Holman, Executive Director of the Vitamin D Society.

Could Vitamin D Eradicate Diabetes

The Vitamin D Society wants to make the public aware that new research studies report that up to 50% of diabetes could be prevented through the achievement of optimal vitamin D levels.

Toronto, ON (PRWEB) February 25, 2013

Three new studies on vitamin D and diabetes report that people with higher levels of vitamin D have just half the risk of developing type 1 and type 2 diabetes as people with lower levels. Diabetes is a group of diseases marked by high levels of blood glucose resulting from defects in insulin production, insulin action, or both(1). Overall, the risk for death among people with diabetes is about twice that of people of similar age but without diabetes(2). Vitamin D lowers diabetes risk through improvement in insulin secretion and glucose tolerance(3). The Vitamin D Society believes public health action programs are urgently needed to encourage increased vitamin D from all sources to improve overall health and to help prevent diabetes.

Stats Canada Data: Canadians' Vitamin D Levels Declining

Toronto, ON (PRWEB) February 01, 2013

The Vitamin D Society wants to make Canadians aware of the recently published Statistics Canada study, Vitamin D blood levels of Canadians, 2009-2011. The study reports that Canadians between the ages of 6 and 79 years old had overall mean vitamin D blood levels of 63.5 nmol/L; this represents a 6.2% decline from the previous report issued in 2010.

According to a new report by Statistics Canada, vitamin D levels for Canadians is declining dramatically(1). The mean average vitamin D blood levels for Canadians between the ages of 6 and 79 years of age fell sharply by 6.2% from 67.7 nmol/L in 2009(2) to just 63.5 nmol/L in 2011. This decrease is very disturbing as research studies continue to show that people with lower vitamin D levels are at a much higher risk of developing serious diseases. Just over two-thirds of Canadians (68%) had vitamin D blood levels sufficient for healthy bones (50 nmol/L). But based on the latest Stats Canada report less than 10% of Canadians reached natural optimal levels of over 100 nmol/L. Public health action programs encouraging vitamin D production from all sources are urgently needed to help reverse this steep decline.

UK Cancer Group Supports Increased Vitamin D Through Sensible Sun Exposure

The Vitamin D Society wishes to make Canadians aware of a new innovative Vitamin D and Skin Cancer Prevention program developed by Cancer Research UK. On its website, Cancer Research UK reports that “by enjoying the sun safely and avoiding sunburn, people can reduce their risk of skin cancer and enjoy the beneficial effects of the sun.” More than 90% of the vitamin D requirement for most people comes from casual exposure to sunlight(1).

Toronto, ON (PRWEB) January 28, 2013 - The Vitamin D Society wants to congratulate Cancer Research UK on its innovative Vitamin D and Skin Cancer Prevention Program(2). The new program promotes the beneficial effects of sun exposure through vitamin D production. The Vitamin D Society is hopeful that North American health organizations review the Cancer Research UK Vitamin D program and consider promoting a more balanced sun message which includes both the benefits and risks of moderate sun exposure.

Canadian’s Vitamin D Levels 72% Below 'Natural' Levels, Study Says

The Vitamin D Society wants to inform Canadians that vitamin D deficiency during "Vitamin D Winter" will put Canadians at increased risk for many serious diseases and conditions including bone disease, various cancers, infections, autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular diseases and adverse pregnancy outcomes.

World Vitamin D Day – November 2

Canadian Initiative Spreads Worldwide to Prevent Vitamin D Deficiency

TORONTO --- October 29, 2012 --- Organizations across the world are establishing World Vitamin D Day on November 2nd, asking health organizations to join the Canadian founders of this event in promoting new vitamin D awareness and action.(www.vitamindday.ca)

November is the beginning of "Vitamin D Winter" in the Northern Hemisphere -- a four-to-five-month period where people’s vitamin D levels begin to plummet because there is little UVB in winter sunlight to initiate natural vitamin D production in the skin. Humans make and store abundant vitamin D with sun exposure to the skin in the summer, but overzealous sun protection blocks vitamin D production and puts people in a vitamin D deficit at the beginning of winter that only gets worse by the time spring sunshine returns.

Vitamin D Society Launches Updated Website

Kelowna, BC (March 15, 2012) – The Vitamin D Society is happy to announce the launch of its upgraded and updated website, www.vitamindsociety.org

 With vitamin D research progressing faster than any field in medicine today, the new website provides users with up-to-date news, press releases, events, videos, books and reference material. It also retains the key critical general information about vitamin D, such as health benefits, natural levels and sources.

Leading Canadian medical organizations endorse Scientists Call to D*action for Vitamin D awareness month

TORONTO --- November 18, 2011 --- The clocks have turned back an hour and Canadians are receiving less exposure to daylight. November is Vitamin D Awareness month in Canada and serves as a timely reminder for people of all ages to test their vitamin D levels to ensure they aren’t dropping. With a decrease in UVB exposure, now is the time to check and make certain that optimal vitamin D levels are maintained through the long, cold, low light Canadian winters.

Leading Canadian medical and health organizations like The Ontario Society of Physicians for Complementary Medicine are encouraging support of optimal vitamin D levels through the endorsement of the Scientists Call to D*action.

Canadian women invited to join global Vitamin D study to help prevent breast cancer

TORONTO --- October 31, 2011 --- At a time when more and more evidence is pointing to a direct link between increased vitamin D levels and a reduction in breast cancer, a new study announced today by GrassrootsHealth is seeking to find some answers for Canadian women.

The GrassrootsHealth Breast Cancer Prevention Study in Canada will seek to prospectively examine the occurrence of breast cancer among Canadian women 60 and over who achieve and maintain a targeted vitamin D serum level in the bloodstream.

'D' Levels More Important than IUs: Scientists

TORONTO, Nov. 29, 2010 /CNW/ - Vitamin D blood levels - and not vitamin D intake itself - should be the focus of media coverage of this Tuesday's anticipated Institutes of Medicine (IOM) revised North American vitamin D recommendations, according to a worldwide coalition of 41 vitamin D researchers.

"We hope everyone sees the big picture that new daily vitamin D recommendations are only the means to the more-important end: a person's actual vitamin D blood serum level," says Dr. Robert Heaney, a Creighton University vitamin D researcher with 50 years in the field and more than 400 published papers. Heaney is one of eight experts on the D-Action coalition who will be available for interviews this week.

 

Who Has Canada's Best Killer 'D'-Fense?

WOODSTOCK, Ont., Nov. 16, 2010 /CNW/ - Canada's sun-deprived northerly latitudes mean 90 percent of Canadians will be Vitamin D deficient in the winter, according to 2010 data from Statistics Canada and new recommendations from 41 Vitamin D researchers from GrassrootsHealth. That's why it's not surprising that regular sunbed users have the highest Vitamin D levels of any group in Canada.

November is Canadian Vitamin D Awareness Month

WOODSTOCK, ON, Nov. 1, 2010 /CNW/ - More than 90 percent of Canadians are at risk for negative health outcomes because they will become vitamin D deficient this winter. That's why Canada's Vitamin D Society is recognizing November as its 4th Annual Vitamin D Awareness Month.

The solution starts with one simple step: Get your vitamin D levels tested this winter. The Vitamin D Society is promoting that message in a new public service advertising campaign distributed to Canadian radio stations Oct. 26.

 

Canadian Vitamin D study: Higher Vitamin D levels could save 37,000 lives a year

TORONTO, April 6, 2010 /CNW/ - Canada's death rate could fall by as many as 37,000 deaths each year or 16 per cent if Canadians simply increased their daily vitamin D intake to intended levels, says a study conducted by four of the world's leading vitamin D researchers entitled: An Estimate of the Economic Burden and Premature Deaths Due to Vitamin D Deficiency in Canada. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20352622?dopt=Abstract

In dollars saved, increased vitamin D blood levels would reduce the economic burden on Canada's health care system by about $14.4 billion, or 7.3 per cent, according to the study

Need a source? November is Vitamin D Awareness Month in Canada - kicked off by a major North American conference on Vitamin D in Toronto November 3

TORONTO, Oct. 29, 2009 /CNW/ - Vitamin D Deficiency - linked to significantly higher rates of most cancers, heart disease, autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, and even flu - affects 97 per cent of Canadians. Yet fewer than 3 per cent of Canadians say they know their vitamin D blood levels.

The world's most renowned vitamin D researchers will be joined by public health officials from across Canada on November 3 for "Diagnosis and Treatment of Vitamin D Deficiency" - a symposium hosted by Grassroots Health and the University of Toronto School of Medicine. The event will run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the University of Toronto's Faculty Club.

Vitamin D Deficiency Continues To Affect Millions of Canadians

KELOWNA, BC, Nov. 4, 2008 /CNW/ - With the advent of November as 'Vitamin D Awareness Month,' The Vitamin D Society of Canada is reminding all Canadians to get their levels checked by their doctors.

"Vitamin D has become a topic of interest but it is more than a trend, there is still a need to bolster awareness for Canadians to get their levels checked," said Joseph Levy, executive director, The Vitamin D Society. "Just
like people get a flu shot for the winter, you should also ask for your vitamin D levels to be checked."

 

Vitamin D Society Declares November ‘Vitamin D Awareness Month’ in Canada

KELOWNA, BC - October 31, 2007 - Research this year has left no doubt that vitamin D deficiency – which affects an estimated 97 per cent of Canadians in the winter – is nothing less than a Canadian crisis and a worldwide problem.

This is why Canada’s Vitamin D Society is recognizing the month of November as the world’s first Vitamin D Awareness Month.