Vitamin D, Magic Mushrooms

[InfiniteNow]

Originally Posted by Michaelangelica

Interesting thanks
For pensioners, like me, supplements are too expensive
Although I once went to an orthomolecular specialist and was taking a handful of supplements three times a day. After about 3 months I certainly felt healthier but a lot poorer

Funny, as I always saw magic mushies as richer in vitamin whee.

Per the vitamin D, here's a nifty site you may enjoy. It seems that salmon is the breakfast of champions... Complete with vita A, vita C, vita E, vita D, and even the wonderous omega-3.

WHFoods: vitamin D

Although typically categorized as a fat-soluble vitamin, vitamin D actually functions more like a hormone. Calcitriol, the most metabolically active form of vitamin D, works with parathyroid hormone (PTH) to maintain proper levels of calcium in the blood. Low levels of calcium in the blood stimulate the secretion of PTH from the parathyroid gland. PTH then stimulates the conversion of inactive forms of vitamin D to calcitriol. Calcitriol acts to increase the intestinal absorption of calcium, increase the resorption of calcium by the kidneys, and stimulate the release of calcium from the bone, thereby increasing blood calcium levels. Alternatively, when blood levels of calcium are too high, calcitriol decreases the intestinal absorption of calcium and stimulates the bones to take up calcium, thereby decreasing blood calcium levels.

[Michaelangelica]

[QUOTE]

Originally Posted by InfiniteNow

Funny, as I always saw magic mushies as richer in vitamin whee.

LOL
A new vitamin?

Thanks some interesting links.
I don't eat a lot of fish these days since they found out Sydney fishermen and their children, where full of chlorinated hydrocarbons from an old ICI plant (making agent orange for Viet-nam war??). They had to send the fisher-folk's blood to Germany to get tested; so that means the Health Department here is/can not monitoring the situation.

I love raw tuna as served in Japanese restaurants
But Japan is buying soo much Oz fish that the price has gone through the roof
It all starts at $20 a kilo, and the sky is literally the limit.

A STORY
Having lunch at Terrigal Beach one day and a high-tech, super-boat road into the beach. The men in the boat carefully lifted something out of the boat with uncharacteristic gentleness and care.
"Look!" my imaganative wife said" "Drug runners!"
"Eh?! " I said
"How else would they afford a boat like that and why are they being so precious about unloading it?"
I had another look.
They were unloading a huge blue fin Tuna that that afternoon would be on a first class QUANTAS plane flight to Japan.

"Catalyst" a very good ABC science show is doing a doco. on Japan and its insatiable love of fish this week.
If it is any good, I will post it on the "So long, and thanks for all the fish" thread

I was interested in this comment:-

In addition, breast milk may not contain a sufficient amount of vitamin D, so exclusively breast-fed infants may require supplemental vitamin D.

this annoyed me.
The SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE IS Part of the planet too.

It is particularly important for individuals with limited sun exposure to include good sources of vitamin D in their diets. Homebound individuals, people living in northern latitudes, individuals who wear clothing that completely covers the body, and individuals working in occupations that prevent exposure to sunlight are at risk for vitamin D deficiency.

Ignorance and neglect of this fact just leads to this sort anger and perhaps a little anti-social behaviour You must check out this link to see what I mean..
SatireWire | Australia Gets Drunk, Wakes Up in North Atlantic

This was an interesting quirky fact too

Obesity is also associated with vitamin D deficiency. Since vitamin D is fat-soluble, it can be taken into fat cells and stored, thus making it potentially less available in our body's metabolism.

the drug interactions were a bit scary too especially with such widely (universally ?) used drugs like ant acids

Hormone replacement therapy may increase blood levels of vitamin D.

I'll bet there is a lot more vit. D deficiency than we realise.
A Muslim woman, wearing purdah, living in high latitudes?

What a long list!

Vitamin D may play a role in the prevention and/or treatment of the following health conditions:

• * Atherosclerosis
• * Breast cancer
• * Colon cancer
• * Ovarian cancer
• * Depression
• * Epilepsy
• * Hypertension
• * Inflammatory bowel disease
• * Kidney disease
• * Liver disease
• * Multiple sclerosis
• * Osteoporosis
• * Periodontal disease
• * Preeclampsia
• * Psoriasis
• * Tinnitus
• * Ulcerative colitis

[Michaelangelica]

Vitamin D on the news last night.
Minister for Health talking about it
Good Grief The world has gone Vitamin D mad
Finally catching up with me!

Last Update: Sunday, June 17, 2007. 10:45pm (AEST)
Aussies issued vitamin D guidelines

The Cancer Council has issued new guidelines to tell Australians how much sunlight they need to avoid vitamin D deficiency without increasing their risk of skin cancer.

New data shows many Australians are deliberately seeking sun exposure without protection because they are worried about vitamin D.

The Cancer Council says fair-skinned people can maintain adequate vitamin D levels in summer from a few minutes of exposure to sunlight on their hands, arms and face on either side of the peak UV index periods.

In winter, when UV radiation levels are less intense, people need about two or three hours of sunlight to the hands, arms or face over a week.

Those most at risk of a vitamin D deficiency are naturally dark-skinned people, who need more UV exposure.

People who cover their skin for cultural reasons and those who are housebound or in institutional care also face a high risk of deficiency.

Low vitamin D linked to increased CV risk factors

June 15, 2007 Shelley Wood

Los Angeles, CA - Adults with low serum levels of vitamin D are more likely to have hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and high triglycerides than are adults with higher vitamin-D levels, an analysis of the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) shows[1]. Authors of the new analysis say their findings add to growing evidence suggesting it may be time to revisit public-health recommendations for vitamin-D intake.

"There's been more and more evidence that vitamin D is involved in a variety of bodily functions, including heart health," senior author on the study, Dr Keith Norris (Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA), told heartwire. Current recommendations—ranging from 400 to 800 units in healthy adults to 1200 units in women with osteoporosis—are based on the relationship between vitamin D and parathyroid function for calcium regulation, he explained. "The recommended level of serum vitamin D is the level at which the parathyroid level does not become hyperactive, but we now know that vitamin D affects not only the parathyroid gland, but all these other systems in the body, and it appears we need even higher levels to have a positive effect on these other systems," he said.

The study appears in the June 14, 2007 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Vitamin and Supplements > Health Benefits Of Vitamin D
Run on vitamin D after study

Run on vitamin D after study
Andy Riga, CanWest News Service; Montreal Gazette
Published: Monday, June 18, 2007

MONTREAL - The Jean Coutu pharmacy in Montreal is a long way from the bucolic cornfields of Nebraska. A simple little pill is what they have in common.

The drugstore's vitamin D supply ran dry after the release of a small but groundbreaking study last week involving 1,179 white, older Nebraskan women. It found the vitamin can dramatically cut the risk of cancer.

The run on vitamin D reported in Canadian pharmacies - after the Canadian Cancer Society, reacting to the study, recommended all adults consider taking the supplement - is just the first ramification of a report that may profoundly affect efforts to prevent cancer.

In the wake of the Nebraska study, researchers are scrambling to organize an international meeting later this year to make a plan on how to best exploit recent vitamin D discoveries.

Modified mushrooms may yield human drugs
Mushrooms might serve as bio-factories for the production of various beneficial human drugs, according to plant pathologists who have inserted new genes into mushrooms.
Modified mushrooms may yield human drugs

[Michaelangelica]

VITAMIN D TABLETS FOUND TO CUT THE RISK OF PANCREATIC CANCER
24 June 2007 - American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)
According to a study led by researchers at Northwestern and Harvard universities, consumption of Vitamin D tablets was found to cut the risk of pancreatic cancer nearly in half.

The findings point to Vitamin D’s potential to prevent the disease, and is one of the first known studies to use a large-scale epidemiological survey to examine the relationship between the nutrient and cancer of the pancreas. The study, led by Halcyon Skinner, Ph.D., of Northwestern, appears in the Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention.

The study examined data from two large, long-term health surveys and found that taking the U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance of Vitamin D (400 IU/day) reduced the risk of pancreatic cancer by 43 percent. By comparison, those who consumed less than 150 IUs per day experienced a 22 percent reduced risk of cancer. Increased consumption of the vitamin beyond 400 IUs per day resulted in no significant increased benefit.

“Because there is no effective screening for pancreatic cancer, identifying controllable risk factors for the disease is essential for developing strategies that can prevent cancer,” said Skinner. “Vitamin D has shown strong potential for preventing and treating prostate cancer, and areas with greater sunlight exposure have lower incidence and mortality for prostate, breast, and colon cancers, leading us to investigate a role for Vitamin D in pancreatic cancer risk. Few studies have examined this association, and we did observe a reduced risk for pancreatic cancer with higher intake of Vitamin D.”

Skinner, currently in the Department of Population Health Sciences at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, and his colleagues analyzed data from two long-term studies of health and diet practices, conducted at Harvard University. They looked at data on 46,771 men aged 40 to 75 years who took part in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, and 75,427 women aged 38 to 65 years who participated in the Nurses’ Health Study.

VITAMIN D TABLETS FOUND TO CUT THE RISK OF PANCREATIC CANCER



This one is from left field

Combining his agricultural knowledge with colleague Gavin McIntyre's interest in sustainable technology, the two created their patented "Greensulate" formula, an organic, fire-retardant board made of water, flour, oyster mushroom spores and perlite, a mineral blend found in potting soil. They're hoping the invention will soon be part of the growing market for eco-friendly products.

green building :: Eben Bayer grew up on :: ENN

[Michaelangelica]

Seems we need about an hour aday of sun depending on many other variables.

When the skin is exposed to ultraviolet light, it creates a reaction in the body that makes vitamin D. How much vitamin D is produced depends on skin color, latitude, age, time of year and diet. Generally, about 15 - 20 minutes a day on your face, arms and hands will produce about 200 IU. If you wear a bathing suit and get several hours of exposure in a day without suntan lotion, you will produce about 5,000 - 10,000 IU per day.* (The U.S. RDA is 400 IU per day.)

I might try it for my Blood Pressure, out with the bathing suit in -winter?

It is common to see blood pressure increase in the winter and decline in the summer and increase at greater distances from the equator. I have seen several cases of high blood pressure that were unresponsive to many therapies. When individuals supplemented with 4,000 IU per day of vitamin D, their blood pressure returned to normal.

I have a friend with diabetes, he is an actor and playwright and rarely sees the sun.

Vitamin D is also very helpful in treating diabetes and blood-sugar problems. Several studies demonstrated that taking about 1,300 IU of vitamin D per day for 30 days changed insulin levels by almost 25 percent.

How much is enough?
How much is too much?

If you do not go out in the sun and/or wear sun block when you are outside, then you most likely will need about 2,000 - 3,000 IU per day as an adult (1,500 - 2,000 IU for children three to ten years old). These are very safe levels. If you are in the sun for at least an hour a day, and you are getting tan on your arms, legs and face, then most likely you don’t need any supplemental vitamin D. If there is a deficiency, I have found supplementing with vitamin D to be the safest and easiest way to remedy the deficiency.

I also recommend that you get a blood test to check your vitamin D status. Ask your healthcare practitioner to check for 25(OH)D (this measures the most active form of vitamin D). The optimal range is 40 - 65 ng/mL. Below 40 is a sign of mild deficiency, below 30 is worse and below 20 indicates an all-out vitamin D deficiency. In the last 50 people we tested, only two people came back with normal levels — they were both very tan (from frequent trips to California and Mexico). If you are deficient, then I recommend that you take about 5,000 IU per day for 2 - 3 days and then re-check your levels.

From the archives of a great website
Issue 8
Vitamin D Delivers
by Dr. David Ramaley
Polishing Stone

[Michaelangelica]

Again avery small sample.
Can't see any racial or religious variable.
How poluted is air in Hawaii?

The 93 participants in the study spent an average 22.4 hours per week outside without sunscreen and 28.9 hours per week outside with and without sunscreen. This translates to a mean of 11.1 hours per week of total body skin exposure with no sunscreen used, the authors calculate.

Despite this abundant sun exposure, 51 percent of these individuals were found to have low vitamin D levels, the researchers found.

“This implies that the common clinical recommendation to allow sun exposure to the hands and face for 15 minutes may not ensure vitamin D sufficiency,” Binkley and colleagues report.

It should not be assumed that individuals with abundant sun exposure have adequate vitamin D status,” the team concludes.

Catching rays won’t guarantee vitamin D - More Health News - MSNBC.com

[NLN]

I have read that getting your vitamin D from sunshine is best -- but of course you want to avoid getting sunburned at all cost.

[orbsycli]

One dance a day
keeps the evils at
bay

[Michaelangelica]

Originally Posted by orbsycli

One dance a day
keeps the evils at
bay

Yes but not at night
All rave parties and wutch's coven meetings will now take place in day time

Title:
Vitamin D Synthesis by UV Radiation: the Importance of Ozone Monitoring
Authors:
Olds, W. J.; Moore, M. R.; Kimlin, M. G.
Affiliation:
AA(Australian Sun and Health Research Laboratory (ASHRL), Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation (IHBI) Faculty of Health Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, Qld 4059 Australia ; w.olds@qut.edu.au), AB(National Research Centre for Environmental Toxicology (EnTox), University of Queensland 39 Kessels Road, Coopers Plains, Qld 4108 Australia ; m.moore@uq.edu.au), AC(Australian Sun and Health Research Laboratory (ASHRL), Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation (IHBI) Faculty of Health Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, Qld 4059 Australia ; m.kimlin@qut.edu.au)
Publication:
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2006, abstract #A21F-0912
Publication Date:
12/2006
Origin:
AGU
AGU Keywords:
0422 Bio-optics, 0545 Modeling (4255), 2479 Solar radiation and cosmic ray effects, 7549 Ultraviolet emissions, 9330 Australia
Abstract Copyright:
(c) 2006: American Geophysical Union
Bibliographic Code:
2006AGUFM.A21F0912O
Abstract
The majority of humans rely on incidental sun exposure to maintain vitamin D sufficiency.
Depending on where thresholds of vitamin D "sufficiency" are defined, it was recently stated that up to one billion people worldwide have suboptimal vitamin D levels.
Even in sunny southeast Queensland, the world's skin cancer capital, a 2006 study uncovered deficiency rates of up to 78%
. Vitamin D regulates calcium absorption and inadequate levels are proven to result in osteomalacia, osteoporosis, rickets, bone pain and general skeletal weakness.

Recent evidence also suggests vitamin D plays a preventative role in autoimmune diseases including numerous cancers, diabetes, schizophrenia, coronary heart disease, depression and other disorders.

The most promising means of alleviating the worldwide burden of vitamin D deficiency seems to be by increased UV exposure.
However, a much more mature understanding of UV exposures encountered in everyday life is required.
This understanding is fundamentally founded in geophysics. UV exposures are strongly influenced by season/time of year, time of day, climate, location, pollution, aerosols and, importantly, ozone.

In this work, we use computer simulations to obtain daily totals of vitamin D producing UV at numerous latitudes during one year.
The ozone concentration is varied from 260 DU to 360 DU to determine the role of ozone variability on the ambient levels of vitamin D UV.
Vitamin D synthesis is highly dependent on UVB. In our results, we demonstrate that this has important implications.
Namely, vitamin D is strongly affected by ozone variability, since ozone filters UVB more strongly than UVA.

Moreover, since erythema (sunburn) can occur at UVA wavelengths, ozone variation will more strongly affect vitamin D synthesis than erythema.
Our results highlight that ozone monitoring is essential for understanding appropriate UV exposures for vitamin D health. . . .

Vitamin D deficiency in breastfed infants in Iowa
Journal title : Pediatrics. [ Pediatrics. ] , 2006 , vol. 118 , no 2 , pp. 603 - 610 [ 8 pages. ]
ZIEGLER Ekhard E. , HOLLIS Bruce W. , NELSON Steven E. , JETER Janice M.

Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa
Departments of Pediatrics, Biochemistry, and Molecular Biology, Medical University of South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina

Language : Anglais
INIST shelf number : 6967
Publisher :
American Academy of Pediatrics
Elk Grove Village, IL
Etats-Unis
Abstract : OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this work was to assess the vitamin D status of breastfed infants living in Iowa (latitude: 41�N).

METHODS. Blood samples and dietary records from 84 breastfed infants participating in another study were used for a survey of vitamin D status at 280 days of age.
The vitamin D status of those (35 infants) who did not receive preformed vitamin D at 280 days of age (unsupplemented infants) was assessed longitudinally between 112 days and 15 months of age. Plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D and, in most cases, parathyroid hormone and alkaline phosphatase were determined.

RESULTS. At 280 days of age, 10% of breastfed infants were vitamin D deficient (25-hydroxyvitamin D <11 ng/mL).
Deficiency was significantly more prevalent among dark-skinned infants and during winter and occurred exclusively in unsupplemented infants.

During winter, 78% of unsupplemented infants were vitamin D deficient. During summer, only 1 infant who had dark skin pigmentation was vitamin D deficient.
Longitudinal assessment of unsupplemented infants similarly showed that the majority of breastfed infants were vitamin D deficient during winter. Severe deficiency (25-hydroxyvitamin D <5 ng/mL) was common and was accompanied by elevation of parathyroid hormone and alkaline phosphatase.
The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency decreased with age but was still 12% at 15 months of age if no preformed vitamin D was received.

CONCLUSIONS. Vitamin D deficiency, including severe deficiency, was common among breastfed infants in Iowa who did not receive preformed vitamin D.
Deficiency occurred mostly during winter but was not completely absent during summer.
It affected infants with light as well as dark skin pigmentation. Consumption of preformed vitamin D from vitamin supplements or formula is effective in preventing vitamin D deficiency.
Vitamin D supplementation should be provided to all breastfed infants.

Article@INIST

I wonder what the implications of early childhood D deficiency are?
Should ALL infants have D supliments as the authors suggest?
Or
Only those in Iowa?
Again a small study -35 & A bit hard to work out how big the "control" (Vit D suplimented) group was from the abstract (49?)

[NLN]

Terrific articles, Michaelangelica!