Should measurement of vitamin D and treatment of vitamin D insufficiency be routine in New Zealand?

Epidemiological studies have reported associations between lower vitamin D levels and a great variety of diseases, prompting calls for widespread treatment of individuals with low vitamin D levels. Most of New Zealand's population have vitamin D levels for at least part of the year that are considered insufficient (25-hydroxyvitamin D <50-80 nmol/L). However, evidence for benefits of vitamin D supplementation in such populations is controversial and there is some evidence of harmful effects. Until adequately powered, randomised, controlled trials of vitamin D supplementation demonstrate safe improvements in health, clinicians should not focus on detecting/treating individuals with vitamin D insufficiency, instead treating those at high risk of vitamin D deficiency (25-hydroxyvitamin D <25 nmol/L), such as the frail elderly, and those with specific clinical indications. Treatment for such individuals does not require vitamin D measurements. Requests for vitamin D measurements in Auckland have nearly quadrupled in the past decade, from 8500 in the year 2000 to 32,800 in 2010, with substantial increases in cost. Vitamin D measurement is often inaccurate and imprecise, and the vast majority of tests performed currently do not reveal vitamin D deficiency. Therefore, a move away from routine vitamin D measurements seems sensible, though they are still indicated when investigating suspected metabolic bone disease or hypocalcaemia.     

Diabetic CVD--focus on vitamin D

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality and morbidity among diabetics. Vitamin D deficiency is very common all over the world. Over last few years, vitamin D has been considered as an important regulating factor for cardiovascular health. Metabolic syndrome and obesity are highly prevalent in vitamin D deficient people. In fact all components of metabolic syndrome are affected by vitamin D. Vitamin D regulates insulin secretion and its action. It has also some controlling effect on Renin-Angiotensin system, which influences cardiomyocytes positively. Vitamin D plays a role in vascular system too. This vitamin reduces vascular calcification and inflammatory processes. Given the important role of Vitamin D in cardiovascular health, this review focuses on the impacts of vitamin D on the various CVD risk factors.     

Therapeutic use of vitamin D and its analogues in autoimmunity

In recent years, there has been great interest in the role of vitamin D in a number of diverse human diseases including autoimmunity, allergy, infection, cardiovascular disease, chronic lung disease, transplantation and cancer. Vitamin D is best known for its role in calcium metabolism; however it also has potent immunomodulatory effects. Epidemiological studies suggest that vitamin D deficiency may be a significant risk factor for many diseases. Furthermore, there is accumulating evidence from experimental studies that vitamin D has anti-inflammatory effects. Recent studies have indicated that a surprisingly high proportion of people are vitamin D deficient, suggesting that vitamin D supplementation may be of benefit to human health. This review will focus on the role of vitamin D in autoimmune diseases, including multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes. We will review the epidemiological and experimental evidence for the protective effects of vitamin D in autoimmunity, as well as the preliminary vitamin D intervention studies and the most recent patented vitamin D analogues.     

Vitamin D supplementation: what's known, what to do, and what's needed

The use of vitamin D supplements to prevent and treat a wide range of illnesses has increased substantially over the last decade. Epidemiologic evidence links vitamin D deficiency to autoimmune disease, cancer, cardiovascular disease, depression, dementia, infectious diseases, musculoskeletal decline, and more. The Institute of Medicine published an exhaustive report in 2010 that concluded that vitamin D supplementation for indications other than musculoskeletal health was not adequately supported by evidence and that most North Americans receive sufficient vitamin D from their diet and sun exposure. These conclusions are at odds with some clinical practice guidelines; thus, we sought to summarize the best available evidence regarding the benefits of vitamin D supplementation, to examine the potential risks, and to provide practical dosing advice. The adequacy of vitamin D stores is determined by measuring the 25-hydroxyvitamin D serum concentrations. The demarcations between deficiency (< 20?ng/ml), insufficiency (20-30?ng/ml), and optimal (30-80?ng/ml) serum concentrations are controversial. Vitamin D in doses of 800-5000?IU/day improve musculoskeletal health (e.g., reduces the rate of fractures and falls in older adults (aged?≥?65?yrs). In patients with documented vitamin D deficiency, a cumulative dose of at least 600,000?IU administered over several weeks appears to be necessary to replenish vitamin D stores. Single large doses of 300,000-500,000?IU should be avoided. Vitamin D supplementation should not be offered routinely to other patient populations. Although results from some prospective clinical trials are promising, most have not been robustly designed and executed. The decision by young, otherwise healthy adults to take vitamin D in doses of 2000?IU/day or lower is unlikely to cause harm. For patients who are not at risk for developing vitamin D deficiency, sensible sun exposure is an inexpensive and enjoyable way to maintain vitamin D stores.     

Optimal vitamin D status for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis

Vitamin D(3) (cholecalciferol) sufficiency is essential for maximising bone health. Vitamin D enhances intestinal absorption of calcium and phosphorus. The major source of vitamin D for both children and adults is exposure of the skin to sunlight. Season, latitude, skin pigmentation, sunscreen use, clothing and aging can dramatically influence the synthesis of vitamin D in the skin. Very few foods naturally contain vitamin D or are fortified with vitamin D. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D; calcifediol] is the best measure of vitamin D status. Vitamin D deficiency [as defined by a serum 25(OH)D level of <50 nmol/L (<20 ng/mL)] is pandemic. This deficiency is very prevalent in osteoporotic patients. Vitamin D deficiency causes osteopenia, osteoporosis and osteomalacia, increasing the risk of fracture. Unlike osteoporosis, which is a painless disease, osteomalacia causes aching bone pain that is often misdiagnosed as fibromyalgia or chronic pain syndrome or is simply dismissed as depression. Vitamin D deficiency causes muscle weakness, increasing the risk of falls and fractures, and should be aggressively treated with pharmacological doses of vitamin D. Vitamin D sufficiency can be sustained by sensible sun exposure or ingesting at least 800-1000 IU of vitamin D(3) daily. Patients being treated for osteoporosis should be adequately supplemented with calcium and vitamin D to maximise the benefit of treatment.     

Could Vitamin D Supplements Be a New Therapy for Heart Failure? Possible Pathogenic Mechanisms from Data of Intervention Studies

Vitamin D deficiency may play a role in the pathogenesis of chronic heart failure (HF), but whether giving patients supplements to raise vitamin D into the normal range improves their survival is not clear. It has been demonstrated that vitamin D deficiency is common in patients with HF, especially the elderly, in obese and in dark skinned people, and that low vitamin D levels are associated with adverse outcome. The epidemiological data have been confirmed by experimental data, which show that knockout mice for the vitamin D receptor developed myocardial hypertrophy and dysfunction. Data from interventional studies are scarce and discordant, and more research is urgently needed to confirm whether add-on supplementation therapy with vitamin D has a role in the management of patients with chronic HF.     

Critical thinking about three meta-analyses: can vitamin D alone or with calcium prevent fractures?

Abstract

Critical thinking is crucially important in both research and practice. This article demonstrates that a lack of critical thinking in two meta-analyses resulted in a conclusion that contradicts another meta-analysis and popular opinions. Kahwati et al. and Zhao et al. drew a conclusion that “Vitamin D supplementation alone or with calcium was not associated with reduced fracture incidence among community-dwelling adults without known vitamin D deficiency, osteoporosis, or prior fracture”, which apparently contradicted that of Tang et al. Kahwati et al. and Zhao et al. meta-analyzed vitamin D and/or calcium supplementation, which can decrease fracture risk factors, in a population with no known disorders of bone metabolism or vitamin D deficiency. They concluded that supplementation did not reduce fracture incidence. It is important to note that osteoporosis, which supplementation can prevent, and fractures are two distinct concepts. Zhao et al. presented their conclusion without including the conditions under which their conclusion was true. Subsequently, their conclusion was misleadingly interpreted by the public media as “Vitamin D and Calcium Don’t Prevent Bone Fractures” and “Vitamin D Does Not Prevent Falls, Calcium Does Not Prevent Fractures—A $2 Billion Waste of Money”. If study conclusions do not specify the applicable conditions, guidelines on medications, including supplements, are clinically unacceptable. Researchers must critically think about every step of their studies, including the way their conclusions are presented.     

Is there an association between vitamin D and hypertension?

Vitamin D has an important role in bone mineralization and maintenance of calcium homeostasis. Thus, vitamin D deficiency is better characterized in the situations that involve the musculoskeletal system and bone metabolism. Recently, there is an interest in the association of vitamin D deficiency with the presence of metabolic syndrome, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease and arterial hypertension. The mechanism underlying the inverse relationship between vitamin D levels and blood pressure is not completely understood, but it seems to involve several systems. Clinical and experimental studies suggest that vitamin D may influence blood pressure by regulating renin-angiotensin system, improving endothelial function, blunting cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, improving insulin sensitivity, reducing the concentrations of serum free fatty acids and regulating the expression of the natriuretic peptide receptor. In accordance with recent clinical studies and meta-analyses, the association between blood 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations and hypertension is controversy. There is no doubt about the role of vitamin D in skeletal health. However, the vitamin D supplementation to prevent or treat hypertension has been the subject of recent debate. Thus, the decision to use supplementation with vitamin D would be important in patients with vitamin D deficiency. This review article discusses the association between vitamin D and hypertension, vitamin D supplementation and some recent patents related to vitamin D and hypertension.     

维生素D的代谢、与疾病的关系以及合理使用的探讨

维生素D是人体必需的脂溶性维生素,其水平受很多因素的影响,主要包括紫外线辐射、膳食补充、年龄和肥胖、种族和民族因素等。维生素D缺乏与很多疾病的发生密切相关,包括骨骼疾病、癌症、自身免疫性疾病和心血管疾病等,因此及时了解人体的维生素D的状态,实现维生素D的个体化补充具有重要的意义。     

Vitamin D status in relation to age,bone mineral density of the spine and femur in obese Saudi females – A hospital-based study

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the association between Bone mineral density in lumber spine and femoral neck with serum total levels of vitamin D, sun exposure and Consumption of vitamin D Supplement in obese Saudi females aged between 30 and 54?years old. Recent attention to the high prevalence of osteoporosis and its association with low vitamin D levels in adults has raised the importance of vitamin D evaluation. A low level of vitamin D is considered to be one of the most important risk factors for osteoporosis. In this study; 120 obese Saudi females with no diagnosed chronic diseases attending the Outpatient clinic at king Khalid University hospital in Riyadh. Saudi Arabia, recruited randomly in period of 12?months. In this study, Serum levels of total Vitamin D were considered to be severe deficient if it was lower than 25?ng/mL, mild to moderate deficient if it was between 25 and 60?ng/mL and optimum level if it was 61–200?ng/mL. The results showed that; sun exposure was significantly affect and Correlate with serum level of Vitamin D in the subjects. In addition, daily consumption of Vitamin D supplement was significantly affect and Correlate with serum level of Vitamin D in the subjects of this study. Moreover, the results showed that; 50% of the age group (40–49?years old) having severe deficiency of Vitamin D. While, 50% of the age group (50–59?years old) having optimal level of Vitamin D. And these results mean that age is not Correlated with vitamin D deficiency in subjects of this study.     

Vitamin D supplements: The pharmacists’ perspective

ObjectiveThe purpose of this narrative review was to provide guidance for pharmacists concerning vitamin D supplementation.MethodsRelevant studies were identified in a search of MEDLINE/PubMed, EBSCOhost, and Google Scholar from January 1966 to September 2020 using the search terms vitamin D, vitamin D₂, vitamin D₃, calcitriol, and vitamin D deficiency. Abstracts were reviewed for relevance and, if relevant, full-text articles were retrieved and reviewed. References were checked, and citation searches using identified studies were conducted. The literature search included English-language studies involving administration of vitamin D monotherapy compared with placebo.ResultsSerum 25–hydroxyvitamin D levels of less than 12 ng/mL indicate a vitamin D deficiency. The Institute of Medicine recommends a daily intake of 600 IU of vitamin D in individuals aged up to 70 years and 800 IU in those aged above 70 years. Vitamin D is labeled for rickets, osetomalacia, hypophosphatemia (familial or secondary), renal osteodystrophy, and corticosteroid-induced osteoporosis. When used for these indications, vitamin D should be prescribed with appropriate monitoring by a qualified health care practitioner. There is evidence for vitamin D supplementation in individuals aged 75 years or older and in those with problems associated with mobility, gait, or balance. There is insufficient evidence to support vitamin D supplementation in the prevention of cardiovascular disease, cancer, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbations, new-onset type 2 diabetes, infectious lung diseases, cognitive dysfunction, Alzheimer disease, and depression, or in prenatal use.ConclusionPharmacists can provide evidence-based recommendations concerning the indications, dosing, monitoring, and adverse effects of vitamin D supplements.     

Vitamin D therapy in cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure

Vitamin D3 is made in the skin, modified in the liver to form 25(OH)D, and then further hydroxylated in the kidney to form the active hormone, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (calcitriol). Calcitriol binds to and activates the vitamin D receptor (VDR), a nuclear receptor, to regulate numerous downstream signaling pathways in different cells and tissues. Emerging evidence suggests that VDR plays an important role in modulating cardiovascular, immunological, metabolic and other functions. Data from preclinical, epidemiological and clinical studies have shown that deficiency in VDR activation is associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Results from interventional trials using either nutritional vitamin D or VDR agonists (VDRAs) support the idea that VDR activation is beneficial for improving the underlying factors of CVD such as hypertension, endothelial dysfunction, atherosclerosis, vascular calcification, cardiac hypertrophy and progressive renal dysfunction. Furthermore, a majority of chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients die of CVD and VDRA therapy is associated with a survival benefit in both pre-dialysis and dialysis CKD patients. Most of the studies measured serum 25(OH)D as an indication for vitamin D deficiency, which does not truly reflect the VDR activation status. Although VDR plays an important role in regulating cardiovascular function and VDRAs may be potentially useful for treating CVD, at present VDRAs are not indicated for the treatment of CVD.     

维生素D与代谢综合征的关系及机制研究进展

维生素D(VD)是一种重要的脂溶性维生素,研究表明其不仅与维持体内钙磷电解质平衡及骨代谢有关,较低的VD水平还会增加心血管疾病和糖尿病、肥胖及血脂异常等代谢性疾病的风险。代谢综合征是以多种代谢性疾病合并出现为临床特点的一组临床症候群,其与VD的相关性也日益引起国内外的重视。本文将从VD与代谢综合征的相互关系及其作用机制等方面进行综述,阐述VD与代谢综合征发病过程之间的作用关系,为临床合理补充VD以改善代谢综合征的发病及进程提供一定的依据。     

Vitamin D deficiency in alcohol-use disorders and its relationship to comorbid major depression: A cross-sectional study of inpatients in Nepal

Background

Mounting evidence suggests that deficiency of vitamin D may be associated with major health problems, including alcohol-use disorders (AUD) and major depression (MD). This study aimed to identify the vitamin D status of Nepalese inpatients with an AUD. We explored socio-demographic and alcohol-use related correlates and the relationship between vitamin D deficiency and comorbid MD.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted on AUD inpatients (N = 174) at eight alcohol/drug treatment centres around Kathmandu. Structured questionnaires were administered to assess the socio-demographic and alcohol-use parameters and to establish DSM-IV diagnoses of AUD and MD. Vitamin D deficiency was defined as a serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentration of <50 nmol/L.

Results

The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency was 64%. Higher age, having a stable job or business, shorter time since last alcohol intake and winter serum samples were related to having lower 25(OH)D levels. Several features of AUD severity were associated with low vitamin D levels: guilt about drinking, using alcohol as eye-opener, and history of relapse after alcohol treatment (p ≤ 0.03). Patients with a comorbid major depression, in particular secondarily depressed cases, were less likely to have vitamin D deficiency (X² = 6.8; p = 0.01).

Conclusions

This study confirms high rates of vitamin D deficiency in alcohol treatment sample and shows a positive association between vitamin D deficiency and severity of alcohol-use disorders. Competing risk and other confounders may help explain the vitamin D status among patients with alcohol-use disorders and comorbid major depression.     

重症患者入ICU时多元维生素水平及临床相关性研究

目的：分析患者进入重症监护病房（ICU）24 h内的多元维生素水平及缺乏症,并进行临床相关性研究。方法：收集2022年2月 ~ 11月南京鼓楼医院收治的369例成人重症患者的临床数据,分析患者多元维生素水平及其与C反应蛋白（CRP）、序贯器官衰竭评分（SOFA）和全因死亡率等之间的相关性。 结果：重症患者VA、VD和VE缺乏症的发生率分别为42.01%、87.26%和22.49%。患者体内VA水平和CRP水平相关（P < 0.05）。VA、VD和VE水平之间呈正相关（P < 0.001）。VA和VD水平与SOFA呈负相关（P < 0.05）。369例患者中死亡85例,总体死亡率23.04%,死亡组患者的VA和VD水平以及VD缺乏症的发生率显著低于存活组（P < 0.05）,VD缺乏、VA水平降低、VD水平降低、SOFA增加和机械通气时间延长为患者ICU住院期间全因死亡的相关因素。结论：重症患者普遍存在维生素缺乏,VA和VD水平与患者的预后相关,需要进一步研究维生素在重症患者中的作用。     

Vitamin D and multiple sclerosis: review of a possible association

There has been growing interest in determining environmental risk factors that may play a role in the development or progression of multiple sclerosis (MS). Epidemiological evidence and data from human and animal studies have shown an association between low serum vitamin D levels and an increased incidence of MS and that supplementation with vitamin D may protect against MS development and/or disease relapses. The most appropriate vitamin D dosage for patients with MS is unclear, but investigator shave proposed that serum vitamin D concentrations between 75 and 100 nmol/L (30-40 ng/mL) are optimal to achieve favor able clinical outcomes. Vitamin D supplemented in doses up to 3000 International Units (IU) daily may be necessary to achieve these levels in many patients, and doses of 500 to 800 IU daily appear to be necessary to maintain desired serum vitamin D levels.Short-term supplementation with doses up to 40 000 IU daily has been found to be safe. However, larger and longer clinical studies are needed to assess whether a true relationship exists between serum vitamin D concentrations and MS and to determine a safe and effective amount of vitamin D supplementation.     

婴幼儿维生素D营养状况与贫血的关系研究

目的:了解广州地区婴幼儿维生素D营养状况及贫血状况,探讨维生素D营养状况与贫血的关系,为婴幼儿维生素D缺乏性疾病防治提供科学依据,为婴幼儿贫血预防提供参考。方法:采用现况研究,调查2018年于广东省妇幼保健院健康体检的婴幼儿8 530名（男4 935名,女3 595名,3～36月龄）,采集血样,检测25-羟维生素D［2...     

Vitamin D and cardiovascular disease

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death among patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Vitamin D deficiency accompanies the loss of kidney function and is extremely common. Treatment with active vitamin D has improved survival rate in dialysis patients. The relationship between vitamin D and CVD has been reported in the literature. Genetic factors have been known to cause both vitamin D deficiency and CVD. Vitamin D receptor is found in the heart muscle. Vitamin D is reported to be involved in the pathogenesis of many cardiovascular problems. Certainly, vitamin D has an important role in modulating CVD.