Researchers explore supersized doses

From the Globe and Mail:
Researchers are taking a fresh look at vitamin D - the over-the-counter supplement much-ballyhooed as a way to prevent diseases - to determine whether it could be effective as a medical treatment for those who already have chronic illnesses such as cancer.

Although the investigations are in their early stages, any successful outcomes could be a major health breakthrough, giving patients an inexpensive treatment option that's as close as the nearest pharmacy.

Already the so-called sunshine vitamin is glowing brightly in medical circles, with recent studies showing its efficacy in preventing everything from cancer to the flu. Typical of the recent investigations was one conducted at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, where multiple sclerosis patients received one of the largest vitamin D doses ever dispensed in a clinical setting.

It yielded some tantalizing evidence that supersizing the nutrient helps calm symptoms of the neurological disease. ...more

Low vitamin D levels linked to greater risk of heart attacks in men

From the Globe and Mail:
Having low levels of vitamin D is associated with a doubling of the risk of heart attacks in men and an even greater risk of dying from the cardiac condition, according to a new study.

The findings, published yesterday in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine, may help shed light on why many people with no known risk factors - such as high blood pressure or smoking - inexplicably develop heart attacks. It also suggests it may be possible to reduce the incidence of the often fatal condition by popping an inexpensive pill that is widely available in pharmacies and supplement stores.

"It's an important finding," says Edward Giovannucci, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, one of the researchers.

"It does indicate that even individuals without the standard risk factors for heart disease may be at somewhat higher risk if they have lower vitamin D levels," he said.

Dr. Giovannucci said vitamin D may be beneficial by reducing the buildup of plaque in arteries, one of the causes of heart attacks. ...more

Vitamin D levels linked to breast-cancer prognosis

From CTV News:
Women who are vitamin D deficient when they are diagnosed with breast cancer are more likely to have their disease spread and are more likely to die than women who have adequate vitamin D levels, new Canadian research says.

The study found that women who were vitamin D deficient were 94 per cent more likely to have their cancer metastasize (spread) and 73 per cent more likely to die.

The research was led by Dr. Pamela Goodwin, a breast cancer researcher at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto. The study analyzed blood samples and disease outcome from more than 500 women diagnosed with breast cancer between 1989 and 1995. Women were followed up for an average of 11 years. ...more

Vitamin D insufficiency linked to heart disease

From the Globe and Mail:
Heart disease has a long list of known causes, including smoking, obesity and diabetes. But researchers in the United States now say there may be another and somewhat surprising addition to this list: vitamin D insufficiency.

Although it is well known that vitamin D is needed for good bone health, a study released yesterday found that not having enough of the sunshine vitamin is also linked to a higher risk of heart disease.

The research, based on a group of white Americans living near Boston, found that those with low levels of vitamin D in their blood were 62 per cent more likely to develop heart failure, strokes and other circulatory problems than those with more of the nutrient.

Those with both high blood pressure and low vitamin D status had about twice the risk of developing serious cardiac-related problems. ...more

Experts warn against overdoing it on cancer-fighting vitamin D

From the Halifax Daily News:
After the recent flurry of excitement about the cancer-fighting benefits of vitamin D, the Nova Scotia division of the Canadian Cancer Society wants to warn people not to overdo it.

"Sometimes when people hear this really great news, they think that if a little is good, then more should be better, and that is not the case," said Meg McCallum, director of programs for the Canadian Cancer Society in Nova Scotia.

The Canadian Cancer Society announced at the beginning of June that adults who take 1,000 international units of vitamin D a day could cut their chances of breast, colorectal and prostate cancer by up to 60 per cent.

This recommendation should be followed in the fall and winter months, when natural light in the northern hemisphere is low and the body's ability to produce the vitamin decreases. ...more

Vitamin D a hot-ticket item; Pharmacy shelves picked clean since U.S. cancer study released

From the Sault (Ont.) Star:
Psst, need some vitamin D?

Consumers craving the so-called "sunshine drug" may have to find some clandestine sources after shelves across Sault Ste. Marie have been laid bare in the week since a United States study linked vitamin D to reduced risk for colorectal, breast and prostate cancer.

"We were done two days ago. We tried ordering more, but our wholesaler in Toronto has it on back order as well," said Manuel Dos Reis, pharmacist and proprietor of The Medicine Shoppe on Great Northern Road earlier this week.

Shoppers Drug Mart on Second Line West had also gone through its stock by Saturday, a day after results from the four-year study were publicized.

Researchers at Creighton University in Nebraska said of 1,024 women over 55 who completed the trial, those randomly assigned to take calcium and vitamin D and who had higher levels of both in their blood were 77 per cent less likely to develop cancer after the first year compared to those taking placebos or calcium alone. ...more

Vitamin D hoopla has researchers debating what's next

From the Vancouver Sun:
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. ...more

Consult doctor before boosting vitamin D intake, advises Cancer Society

I find this recommendation by the Canadian Cancer Society a bit weak. Consult your doctor before increasing your Vitamin D? Thousands of doctor visits sounds like an unnecessary expense when you consider your neighbourhood pharmacist should be able to answer these questions.

From the Canadian Press:
Canadians should consult with their doctors before rushing to their neighbourhood stores and pharmacies to snap vitamin D off of the shelves, a Canadian Cancer Society official said Tuesday.

The caveat was part of the organization's recommendation last week which advised adult Canadians to consider boosting their intake of the so-called sunshine vitamin in fall and winter by supplementing their diet with 1,000 international units.

"The reason the recommendation is for fall and winter is because of where we live in Canada, almost all Canadians are at risk of vitamin D deficiency during the fall and winter because we don't produce any vitamin D from exposure when you live as north as we do in Canada," said Heather Logan, director of cancer control policy at the Canadian Cancer Society. ...more

Vitamin D selling out

From the Montreal Gazette:
Vitamin D pills are flying off the shelves, a random survey of local pharmacies indicates.

The rush follows publication of a new study indicating that high doses of Vitamin D can reduce the risk of developing some common cancers.

The Pharmaprix on Sherbrooke St. W. near Grey Ave. was cleared out of Vitamin D yesterday.
Pharmacist Ann Labreque also said she had three or four requests for information, which is a lot more than she would normally receive. ...more

Vitamin D dramatically cuts cancer risk: researchers

From the National Post:
A simple vitamin to prevent cancer has finally been accepted by the mainstream.

Long after natural "cures" such as shark cartilage and laetrile from peach pits flopped comes the first study of its kind to show that vitamin D is a potent cancer stopper.

The Canadian Cancer Society has used that finding and others in deciding to recommend for the first time that adult Canadians lower their cancer risk by taking 1,000 international units (IU) of vitamin D daily - five times the current recommended daily amount for people under age 50. ...more