News
Vitamin D may slow progression of multiple sclerosis
23 January 2014
A new international study reports that low blood vitamin D concentrations may be an early predictor of increased multiple sclerosis activity and progression in patients.
21 December 2017
A comprehensive, systematic literature review has been conducted regarding serum 25(OH) vitamin D plasma levels in Southern Europe and Eastern Mediterranean populations with data extracted from 107 studies, covering 630,093 individuals (1). In more than a third of studies, mean serum 25(OH)D levels were <50 nmol/L (i.e. usually defined as the level of insufficiency”) and in ca. 10% of studies the mean were serum levels <25 nmol/L (usually defined as “deficiency”). As perhaps could be expected, there was considerable heterogeneity in the studies, however the populations with poorest vitamin D status were found to be infants, adolescents and females.
This study was necessary because the recent European Union-funded ODIN project predominantly looked at plasma 25(OH)D levels in Northern Europe (2). It would be logical to expect the populations in Southern European Countries with much higher levels of ultraviolet B (UVB) sunshine, and hence, potential for synthesis in exposed skin, to have higher levels of plasma 25(OH)D than levels in Northern Europe (3). Actually, the new study shows the opposite is true. At present, it is not clear why this contradiction exists. It is possible that young people and women tend to cover up more in Southern Europe and generally avoid the sun. The government policies toward dietary supplementation in these countries could provide another explanation.
It seems that Southern Europeans, like their northern cousins, are afflicted with a pandemic of hypovitaminosis D. The solutions likely lie with government led schemes to encourage food fortification and widespread use of vitamin D supplements, particularly for “at risk” groups, including the elderly, females and adolescents.
23 January 2014
A new international study reports that low blood vitamin D concentrations may be an early predictor of increased multiple sclerosis activity and progression in patients.
19 January 2015
According to a new US study, an adequate supply of B vitamins in women seems to increase their chances of becoming and staying pregnant even when they have high blood concentrations of a common pesticide.
9 June 2010
Increased intake of vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 may reduce the risk of elderly people developing depression, says a new US study.