News
A low blood vitamin D level may increase mortality risk
27 June 2014
A new US review suggests that people with lower blood levels of vitamin D are twice as likely to die prematurely as people with higher blood vitamin D levels.
17 June 2016
By Rob Winwood
A small, open label study in Austria looked at the effects of a high dose Vitamin D supplement (a weekly dose of 980 IU/kg bodyweight for 4 weeks, followed by 4 weeks at 490 IU/kg) was given to 16 healthy volunteers. All participants underwent gastroduodenoscopy and colonscopy before and after the intervention. Biopsies were taken throughout the gastrointestinal tract and stool samples were retained and analysed. The microbial population was characterised in each part of the gut. In addition, the number of CD8+ T cells was enumerated as they show the highest expression of the Vitamin D receptors (VDRs). In this manner, the study was able to comment on changes in the total gut microbiome.
Sufferers of Irritable bowel disease (IBD) are often deficient in Vitamin D (2). The study authors suggest that having sufficient levels of Vitamin D in the diet might help avoid the onset of such autoimmune diseases.
The high dose intervention (which was above most recommended levels of supplementation) resulted in mean Vitamin D levels of 55.2 ng/mL in the volunteers. No adverse effects were noted.
Following the intervention, there were major shifts in the bacterial population of the upper gastrointestinal tract, but not in the lower gut or stool samples. The CD8+ T cell fraction was significantly increased in the terminal ileum.
In the upper gut, there was major reduction in Gammaproteobacteria, which includes the opportunistic pathogens, Pseudomonas spp and Escherichia/Shigella spp. These bacterial usually prosper in an inflammatory environment. When the inflammation is removed, beneficial bacteria such as Bacteroides spp. are able to prosper.
Three of the volunteers were infected with Helicobacter pylori, which is a common cause of gastrointestinal ulcers. This single species accounted for 90 percent of the bacteria in their stomachs. However, the overall abundance of Helicobacter spp in the gut was reduced following the intervention.
In summary, this small study indicates that Vitamin D intervention should be able to positively modulate the microbiome in the upper human gastrointestinal tract.
27 June 2014
A new US review suggests that people with lower blood levels of vitamin D are twice as likely to die prematurely as people with higher blood vitamin D levels.
10 June 2016
A new, large, retrospective observational cohort study (1) conducted in Italy clearly demonstrated that an intervention of 1 g per day of marine omega-3 fatty acids in patients who had recently suffered a myocardial infarction (MI) produced a substantial reduction in consequent repeat MIs and sudden cardiac death. This study suggests that a reappraisal of the efficacy of marine omega-3 fatty acids as a part of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is warranted.
1 December 2015
Professor Mary Ward of Ulster University was part of a recent trial in which it was shown that elderly Irish adults (60 years or more) who were deficient in 25-hydroxyvitamin D (<25 nmol/L) were most likely to have the highest levels of inflammatory cytokines when compared to those who were replete (>75 nmol/L). Raised levels of these inflammatory cytokines are associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease and a range of other chronic diseases.