While most known for its role in bone and immune health, vitamin D touches pretty much every system in your body. And studies consistently show that poor vitamin D status is linked to type 2 diabetes1, heart disease2, and inflammation. (It's estimated that 41% of U.S. adults3 are vitamin D insufficient). 

New randomised control trial illustrates the effects of vitamin D supplementation on Major Depressive Disorder, and finds possible neural explanation.

Now that shorter days are here (at least in the UK), many of us will be taking additional vitamin D until sunny days return. Vitamin D, which our bodies create upon exposure to sunlight, is important for both our bones and maintaining a healthy immune system.

Recently, though, research has extended our understanding of this vitamin's potential benefits. Work has linked a deficiency in this vitamin with an increased risk of developing Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), and some studies have suggested that supplements may help reduce symptoms.

There has been a lack of gold-standard randomised controlled trials to investigate the effects of supplements on patients over time, however. But in a new paper in Psychological Medicine, Wenming Zhao Anhui Medical University, China, and colleagues report just such a study.

It is with hearts full of admiration, appreciation, love and sadness that we write today to inform our followers and supporters of the passing of Carole Baggerly, the founder of GrassrootsHealth, this past Saturday, October 26th.

As many of you know, it was after Carole’s diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer in 2005 that she first learned of vitamin D and began the journey that would lead her to meet the scientists involved in formulating the Scientists’ Call to D*action, followed by the launch of GrassrootsHealth and the Vitamin D*action project, an endeavor of hers that would continue through the next two decades. Carole and her husband Leo traveled across the United States and Canada to meet with top vitamin D researchers, to really dig into what vitamin D is, how it works, and how many people could benefit from knowing about it, and most importantly, knowing what to DO about it (hence, Vitamin D*Action). She asked for a sense of urgency to get the word out to Move Vitamin D Research into Practice and found a group of scientists to step up and join her.

Key Takeaways

Vitamin D supplements appear to lower blood pressure in seniors who are obese

Seniors taking supplements experienced lower blood pressure

• TUESDAY, Nov. 12, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Vitamin D supplements might lower blood pressure in seniors who are obese, reducing their heart health risk, a new study says.

  But taking more than the recommended daily dose will not provide additional health benefits, researchers report in the Journal of the Endocrine Society.

  “Our study found vitamin D supplementation may decrease blood pressure in specific subgroups such older people, people with obesity and possibly those with low vitamin D levels,” said researcher Dr. Ghada El-Hajj Fuleihan of the American University of Beirut Medical Center in Beirut, Lebanon.

World Vitamin D Day - November 2nd

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Distribution

TORONTO, ON (October 28, 2024) - November is the month that Vitamin D winter begins in northern latitudes – including all of Canada. A time when the sun can no longer trigger vitamin D production in your skin as fall and winter UVB rays are too weak. The Vitamin D Society is reminding everyone that now is the time to TAKE ACTION to ensure you are not vitamin D deficient through winter.

During the last 16 years the Vitamin D Society has educated the public about the benefits of vitamin D and sun exposure through November Vitamin D Awareness Month and World Vitamin D Day on November 2^nd to help prevent vitamin D deficiency.

The importance of regular, non-burning sun exposure for health was highlighted this year by a new study published by researchers from the University of Edinburgh. This study looked at the health records of 395,000 people from the UK Biobank database and found that the people who use solariums and who live at locations with higher annual average sun exposure in the UK have a lower risk of both cardiovascular and cancer mortality.

McGill discovery explains link, highlights the importance of adequate vitamin D intake, especially in children

As Canadians brace for “vitamin D winter” – months when the sun’s angle is too low to produce the vitamin in the skin – a McGill University study explains why vitamin D deficiency early in life is associated with a higher risk of autoimmune diseases.

During childhood, the thymus helps train immune cells to distinguish between the body’s own tissues and harmful invaders. A vitamin D deficiency at that stage of life causes the thymus to age more quickly, the researchers discovered.

“An aging thymus leads to a ‘leaky’ immune system,” said lead author John White, a Professor in and Chair of McGill’s Department of Physiology. “This means the thymus becomes less effective at filtering out immune cells that could mistakenly attack healthy tissues, increasing the risk of autoimmune diseases like Type 1 diabetes.”

Key Takeaways

• Vitamin D plays a neuroprotective role, influencing serotonin synthesis and brain plasticity, relevant for mental health conditions like depression and anxiety.
• Deficiency in vitamin D is linked to increased risk of depression, ADHD, anxiety, and suicide, with supplementation showing potential benefits.
• Testing vitamin D levels is essential in psychiatry to identify deficiencies and tailor treatment, supporting personalized mental health care.
• Despite research limitations, vitamin D supplementation is a simple, effective intervention that can enhance standard mental health treatments.

Of the many researched integrative medicine interventions for the treatment of mental health conditions, perhaps one of the simplest is vitamin D. While controversy around its use remains, including recent guidelines that recommend against testing vitamin D levels for virtually any reason,1 my own clinical experience combined with the latest research strongly suggest benefits for a number of mental health conditions.

For 40 years, Americans have been told that lying in the sun without skin protection from ultraviolet (UV) rays is a dangerous thing. After all, the incidence of melanoma − the most dangerous form of skin cancer − has been increasing globally.

But a new study from the University of Edinburgh of 360,000 people living in the United Kingdom indicates that when the health benefits of sun exposure are factored in, we might rethink the issue.

Correcting for confounding factors of age, gender, smoking, socioeconomic status, and exercise, the study found that sunbed users had a 23% lower rate of cardiovascular (CV) death and a 14% lower rate of cancer death in general.

A recent follow-up to the MAVIDOS trial confirms that vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy improves offspring bone mineral density, with benefits persisting up to seven years of age.

Previously, the MAVIDOS trial reported that vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy significantly improved offspring's bone mineral density (BMD) when measured at four years. In a recent study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers examine the persistence of this improvement in BMD into later childhood years.

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Distribution

TORONTO, ON (August 20, 2024) – A large, cohort study from the UK has reported that people who have higher exposure to UV through sunlight or sunbeds have a lower risk of all-cause, cardiovascular disease and cancer mortality. The study adds to the growing evidence that the health benefits of UV exposure may outweigh the risks in low-sunlight environments.

The Vitamin D Society has been educating people on the benefits of non-burning UV exposure – the body’s primary source of vitamin D - for 15 years. This is the first time that sunbed users have been included in a large study of health benefits and mortality.

The health benefits of spending time in the sun could outweigh the risks for those living in areas with limited sunshine, a study suggests.

In low-sunlight locations such as parts of the UK, exposure to higher levels of ultraviolet (UV) radiation – found in sunlight – was linked to a drop in deaths due to cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Adapting public health advice to reflect both the risks and benefits of UV exposure may help to reduce disease burden and improve life expectancy in low-sunlight countries, the research team says.

Experts caution that measures should still be taken to protect the skin when UV levels are high, to prevent sunburn and the development of skin cancer.

Neuroscientist and TED speaker Sarah Baldeo joined CTV Morning Live’s Kent Morrison on the importance of sunny vacations and taking breaks.

Kent Morrison: Vacations are not just a way to escape the ordinary, they can actually have a big impact on your brain in a good way. Sarah, I'm very much looking forward to this conversation here in August, when a lot of people are on vacation. What happens to our brain when we take a break?

Sarah Baldeo: Your brain is kind of like an engine, right? You've got all these pistons firing, and the worst thing is when you're overloading one piston. So imagine you go on vacation, you get all this great stimuli, and that lights up multiple areas of your brain, and it really distributes the energy across all those pistons. That's what we want. We want that real big brain energy.

Vitamin D and Autism

The relationship between vitamin D and autism has garnered significant attention in recent years. Researchers have explored the link between vitamin D deficiency and the risk of developing autism, as well as the potential benefits of vitamin D supplementation in improving autism symptoms.

Link Between Vitamin D Deficiency and Autism Risk

A 2020 study published by Frontiers suggests a link between vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy and an increased risk of autism in children, highlighting the potential impact of this vitamin on brain development [1]. While more research is needed to fully understand the mechanisms at play, this study suggests that optimizing vitamin D levels during pregnancy may have a protective effect against autism.

Improvements in Autism Symptoms with Vitamin D

Research has also explored the potential benefits of vitamin D supplementation in improving autism symptoms. A 2022 study published by Frontiers found that children with autism who have low vitamin D levels can see improvements in their autism symptoms when their vitamin D levels increase. Although the exact reasons for these improvements are not yet fully understood, it highlights the potential role of vitamin D in managing autism.

It's important to note that while there have been suggestions of potential benefits, vitamin D supplementation for children with autism is not yet widely recommended or supported by extensive scientific evidence. Further research is needed to better understand the specific mechanisms and optimal dosage for vitamin D supplementation in autism management.

To delve deeper into the research findings on vitamin D and autism, continue reading our article sections on studies showing lower vitamin D levels in children with autism, the impact of vitamin D deficiency on ASD severity, and the potential benefits of vitamin D supplementation for ASD. Additionally, we will explore the mechanisms of action behind how vitamin D affects neurodevelopment in children with ASD and the association between maternal vitamin D levels and offspring ASD risk. Stay tuned for more information on this promising ally in the fight against autism.

Just a few extra minutes of sunlight each day is supposed to do wonders for your mood and energy levels. As a health editor, I had to test out the claim.

Small habits can make big differences in your well-being—and sitting in the sun in the mornings may just be one of them.

2 Sounds like an easy task for some pretty major benefits, but it turns out that many people aren't spending enough time outside.

In a survey conducted by the National Recreation and Park Association, 43% of people spend less than 30 minutes outside daily. That percentage is even higher if you're a millennial or Gen Z. In fact, 9% of Gen Z survey respondents said they don't spend any time outdoors each day.3 One study suggests that younger groups are seeing a decline in outdoor time due to a rise in technology and social media.4

The Endocrine Society’s latest guideline update sparks disagreement among top vitamin D experts leading to confusion and potential harm to public health.

Key Points

• Updated vitamin D guidelines just released by the Endocrine Society suggest that most adults should take no more than the recommended daily allowance (RDA) as set by the outdated (2011) Institute of Medicine (IOM) document; however, this recommendation has led to high rates of deficiency and associated diseases, harming the population worldwide
• In addition, the new guidelines do not advise testing 25(OH)D levels among any population, even for the vulnerable, nor do they define a sufficiency level; this recommendation is short-sighted, dangerous, and confusing, and is a significant step backward from what the Endocrine Society previously recommended for vitamin D in 2011
• GrassrootsHealth and leading vitamin D experts are now asking for support from others, especially asking those in the vitamin D scientific field to acknowledge this Call to Action and join the effort to counter the information set in these outdated guidelines for vitamin D

80% of the vitamin D our body receives comes from the sun and only 20% comes from food.

Sunbathing has multiple health benefits, including vitamin D production and boosting our immune system. However, given the increase in skin cancer cases over the last few decades, experts recommend limiting our exposure to 5 to 20 minutes a day, depending on the season’s year.

Dermatologist Mónica Morcos González, of TecSalud, tells us in an interview with TecScience that it isn’t common to talk about the positive aspects of sunbathing, as specialists usually focus on risks.

Nevertheless, the first thing to consider is that the sun rules our circadian cycle, that is, the internal clock that regulates the cycles of sleep and wakefulness. Therefore, according to the experts, exposing ourselves to its rays improves our willingness to sleep at night.

Encinitas, CA (May 1, 2024) Official recommendations for sunshine exposure have been evolving at a rapid pace over the last few years, although most of the general public has remained unaware of this new advice. Instead, the anti-sun slogan “Slip, Slop, Slap” has remained at the forefront of many people’s minds because of the association between excess sun exposure and an increased risk for skin cancer. While true for people with fair skin and a history of repeated sun burns, for the majority of the population, sensible sunshine exposure (in proper doses, without burning) can have a positive impact on health and may protect against disease, even helping people live longer. That is why GrassrootsHealth is excited to announce their 8th annual Sunshine Month this month of May, 2024.

UVR is a skin carcinogen, yet no studies link sun exposure to increased all-cause mortality. Epidemiological studies from the United Kingdom and Sweden link sun exposure with reduced all-cause, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality. Vitamin D synthesis is dependent on UVB exposure. Individuals with higher serum levels of vitamin D are healthier in many ways, yet multiple trials of oral vitamin D supplementation show little benefit. Growing evidence shows that sunlight has health benefits through vitamin D-independent pathways, such as photomobilization of nitric oxide from cutaneous stores with reduction in cardiovascular morbidity. Sunlight has important systemic health benefit as well as risks.

A study has found a possible link between vitamin D and improved immunity in a breakthrough in the fight against cancer.

The study in mice found that the vitamin encourages the growth of a type of gut bacteria which gives the animals better immunity to the disease.

The researchers found that mice given a diet rich in vitamin D had better immune resistance to experimentally transplanted cancers, and improved responses to immunotherapy treatment.

The researchers were surprised to find that vitamin D acts on specific cells in the intestine, which in turn increase the amount of a bacteria called Bacteroides fragilis.

According to the findings, the tumours did not grow as much, suggesting that the microbe gave mice better immunity to cancer.

FOUR out of ten adults and three out of ten children in Alicante province suffer from Vitamin D deficiency.

Despite some of Spain’s biggest levels of sunshine hours, a widespread use of high factor blocks to stop skin cancer(but reduce Vitamin D absorption) and a sedentary life style are behind the problem.

A lack of vitamin D can lead to heart attacks and cancer, according to studies.

Dr. Mari Angeles Medina, president of the Valencian Society of Family and Community Medicine, said: “Having very low values of this nutrient is related to cardiovascular disease and with oncological pathology.”