X-Message-Number: 29507
Date: Sun, 13 May 2007 09:47:13 -0700 (PDT)
From: 
Subject: life extension with vitamin D: Part 1

[There's a brief summary after the medical abstracts.]

J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2007 Mar;103(3-5):635-41. Epub 2007 Jan 10.
The case for improving vitamin D status.
    Heaney RP. Creighton University Medical Center, 601 North 30th
Street-Suite 4841, Omaha, NE 68131, USA.
    Evidence from both physiological experiments and randomized trials
demonstrates that elevating vitamin D status above levels prevailing in
the North American and European adult populations improves calcium
absorption and reduces fall risk and osteoporotic fractures. Additionally
observational data suggest that raising vitamin D status protects against
various cancers and autoimmune disorders as well. Hence a strong case can
be made for immediate improvement in vitamin D status of the general
population. PMID: 17222549

Recent Results Cancer Res. 2007;174:225-34.
An estimate of cancer mortality rate reductions in Europe and the US with
1,000 IU of oral vitamin D per day.
    Grant WB, Garland CF, Gorham ED. Sunlight, Nutrition and Health
Research Center, San Francisco, CA 94109-2510, USA.
    Solar ultraviolet B (UVB) irradiance and/or vitamin D have been found
inversely correlated with incidence, mortality, and/or survival rates for
breast, colorectal, ovarian, and prostate cancer and Hodgkin's and
non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Evidence is emerging that more than 17 different
types of cancer are likely to be vitamin D-sensitive. A recent
meta-analysis concluded that 1,000 IU of oral vitamin D per day is
associated with a 50% reduction in colorectal cancer incidence. Using
this value, as well as the findings in a multifactorial ecologic study of
cancer mortality rates in the US, estimates for reductions in risk of
vitamin D-sensitive cancer mortality rates were made for 1,000
IU/day. These estimates, along with annual average serum
25-hydroxyvitamin D levels, were used to estimate the reduction in cancer
mortality rates in several Western European and North American
countries that would result from intake of 1,000 IU/day of vitamin D. It
was estimated that reductions could be 7% for males and 9% for females in
the US and 14% for males and 20% for females in Western European countries
below 59 degrees. It is proposed that increased fortification of food and
increased availability of supplements could help increase vitamin D
intake and could augment small increases in production of vitamin D from
solar UVB irradiance. Providing 1,000 IU of vitamin D per day for all
adult Americans would cost about $1 billion; the expected benefits for
cancer would be in the range of $16-25 billion in addition to other health
benefits of vitamin D. PMID: 17302200

J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2007 Mar;103(3-5):708-11.
Vitamin D and prevention of breast cancer: pooled analysis.
    Garland CF, Gorham ED, Mohr SB, Grant WB, Giovannucci EL, Lipkin M,
Newmark H, Holick MF, Garland FC. Department of Family and Preventive
Medicine, University of California-San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La
Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
    BACKGROUND: Inadequate photosynthesis or oral intake of Vitamin D are
associated with high incidence and mortality rates of breast cancer in
ecological and observational studies, but the dose-response relationship
in individuals has not been adequately studied. METHODS: A literature
search for all studies that reported risk by of breast cancer by quantiles
of 25(OH)D identified two studies with 1760 individuals. Data were pooled
to assess the dose-response association between serum 25(OH)D and risk of
breast cancer. RESULTS: The medians of the pooled quintiles of serum
25(OH)D were 6, 18, 29, 37 and 48 ng/ml. Pooled odds ratios for breast
cancer from lowest to highest quintile, were 1.00, 0.90, 0.70, 0.70 and
0.50 (p trend<0.001). According to the pooled analysis, individuals with
serum 25(OH)D of approximately 52 ng/ml had 50% lower risk of breast
cancer than those with serum <13 ng/ml. This serum level corresponds to
intake of 4000 IU/day. This exceeds the National Academy of Sciences
upper limit of 2000 IU/day. A 25(OH)D level of 52 ng/ml could be
maintained by intake of 2000 IU/day and, when appropriate, about 12
min/day in the sun, equivalent to oral intake of 3000 IU of
Vitamin D(3). CONCLUSIONS: Intake of 2000 IU/day of Vitamin D(3), and,
when possible, very moderate exposure to sunlight, could raise serum
25(OH)D to 52 ng/ml, a level associated with reduction by 50% in
incidence of breast cancer, according to observational
studies. PMID: 17368188

Ther Apher Dial. 2006 Dec;10 Suppl 1:S27-33.
Vitamin d, cardiovascular system, and longevity of hemodialysis patients.
    Shoji T, Nishizawa Y. Department of Metabolism, Endocrinology, and
Molecular Medicine, Osaka City University Graduate School of Medicine,
Osaka, Japan.
    The risk of cardiovascular death is high in hemodialysis
(HD) patients, and thickening, stiffening and calcification of the
arterial wall have been shown as its predictive factors. Activated
vitamin D preparations are used for the treatment of secondary
hyperparathyroidism in HD patients, but as they increase serum phosphate
and calcium concentrations, there is a concern that they promote vascular
calcification and, consequently, exacerbate the outcomes. In this
article, the effects of vitamin D therapy on survival, cardiac function,
arteriosclerosis, immunity, and inflammation are evaluated by reviewing
the literature. In HD patients, the risk of death (particularly
cardiovascular death) is significantly lower in those treated than in
those not treated with vitamin D. Moreover, activated vitamin D improves
cardiac function and alleviates cardiac hypertrophy in HD patients.
Experimental data in cultured macrophages, vascular smooth muscle cells,
and vascular endothelial cells suggest that it has antiatherosclerotic
effects. In vivo, the administration of vitamin D improves immune
functions and normalizes inflammatory reactions. In HD patients, vascular
calcification is related to the dose of calcium carbonate, but its
relationship with the administration of vitamin D is not
significant. These observations suggest that, contrary to the general
concerns, activated vitamin D exerts favorable effects on the
cardiovascular system in HD patients as long as it is used in
appropriate clinical doses. PMID: 17229138

Prog Biophys Mol Biol. 2006 Sep;92(1):39-48. Epub 2006 Feb 28.
Vitamin D and disease prevention with special reference to cardiovascular
disease.
    Zittermann A. Department of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, Heart Center
North-Rhine Westfalia, Ruhr University of Bochum, Bad Oeynhausen,
Georgstrasse 11, 32545, Germany.
    Circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] is the hallmark for
determining vitamin D status. Serum parathyroid hormone [PTH] increases
progressively when 25(OH)D falls below 75 nmol/l. Concentrations of
25(OH)D below 50 nmol/l or even below 25 nmol/l are frequently observed
in various population groups throughout the world. This paper highlights
the relationship of vitamin D insufficiency with cardiovascular disease
and non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus, two diseases that account
for up to 50% of all deaths in western countries. There is evidence from
patients with end-stage renal disease that high PTH concentrations are
causally related to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Activated
vitamin D is able to increase survival in this patient group
significantly. Moreover, already slightly enhanced PTH concentrations are
associated with ventricular hypertrophy and coronary heart disease in the
general population. Experimental studies have demonstrated that a lack of
vitamin D action leads to hypertension in mice. Some intervention trials
have also shown that vitamin D can reduce blood pressure in hypertensive
patients. In young and elderly adults, serum 25(OH)D is inversely
correlated with blood glucose concentrations and insulin
resistance. Sun-deprived lifestyle, resulting in low cutaneous vitamin D
synthesis, is the major factor for an insufficient vitamin D
status. Unfortunately, vitamin D content of most foods is
negligible. Moreover, fortified foods and over-the-counter supplements
usually contain inadequate amounts of vitamin D to increase serum 25(OH)D
to 75 nmol/l. As a consequence, legislation has to be changed to allow
higher amounts of vitamin D in fortified foods and supplements.
PMID: 16600341

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