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Previous studies have questioned whether gut microbe imbalances and vitamin D deficiency may be linked to schizophrenia. New research published in Neuropsychopharmacology Reports now indicates that taking probiotics plus vitamin D supplements may improve cognitive function in individuals with the disease. For the study, 70 adults with schizophrenia were randomized to take a placebo or probiotic supplements plus 400 IU vitamin D daily for 12 weeks. Severity of the disease and cognitive function were evaluated by tests called the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and the 30-point Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), respectively. A total of 69 patients completed the...

One in five Americans regularly reach for vitamin D supplements, yet most are unaware that they’re taking not just a vitamin - but a hormone.While renowned for bolstering bone strength and immune health, vitamin D’s story is not straightforward. A blend of myth and established science invites a closer look into its true nature and impact.Vitamin D: Understanding Its Dual RoleVitamin D stands apart in the world of nutrients. It’s a sun-sourced substance acting as both a nutrient and a hormone. This dual role is significant, as hormones, which orchestrate many bodily functions, aren’t typically taken as supplements like vitamins.Endocrinologist...

An increased serum level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) is independently associated with a lower risk for bowel resection with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), according to a study. Lintao Dan and colleagues examined the association between serum vitamin D levels and the risk for bowel resection in individuals with IBD. The analysis included 5,474 individuals with IBD followed for a mean 13.1 years. The researchers found that compared with participants with vitamin D deficiency, nondeficient participants showed a significantly reduced bowel resection risk in IBD (hazard ratio [HR], 0.72), Crohn disease (CD; HR, 0.74), and ulcerative colitis (UC; HR, 0.73). For...

A team of medical researchers and doctors reports that administration of vitamin D2 to patients newly diagnosed with diabetes type 1 can prolong the so-called honeymoon phase of the disease. The group conducted a clinical trial involving giving vitamin D2 supplements to children newly diagnosed with diabetes. Prior research has shown that at the time of diagnosis, most diabetes type 1 patients still have approximately 30% to 50% function in pancreatic beta cells (diabetes occurs when such cells stop making insulin). Sometimes the beta cells continue to function for several months or even years. This time period is known as...

New research suggests that patients who have insufficient levels of vitamin D before starting paclitaxel treatment are more likely to experience peripheral neuropathy. According to an analysis of 1,191 patients with early-stage breast cancer—using data collected in the SWOG S0221 study—20.7% of patients with vitamin D deficiency experienced at least a grade 3 level of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), compared to 14.2% of those with sufficient vitamin D levels. The researchers also found that inducing vitamin D deficiency in an accompanying mice model study caused neurotoxicity-like symptoms. "These results suggest that vitamin D supplementation in patients with lower levels of...

More than eight million people in the U.S. experience psoriasis, a condition in which skin cells build up and form itchy dry patches. A person's vitamin D levels could play an important role in psoriasis severity, according to one of the largest studies to date. The analysis, which included almost 500 psoriasis cases from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), showed a linear relationship between increasing psoriasis severity and decreasing vitamin D levels measured through blood tests. "Topical synthetic vitamin D creams are emerging as new therapies for psoriasis, but these usually require a doctor's prescription," said Rachel...

People with diabetes run the risk of nerve damage if they at the same time suffer from vitamin D deficiency, research suggests. Called neuropathy, the nerve problem which gets worse over time, afflicts 50% of patients in the United Arab Emirates, according to Dr. Bashair M. Mussa. Science illustrates that "about 30% to 50%" of patients with type 2 diabetes experience neuropathy at a point in their life, Dr. Mussa states. However, Dr. Mussa's study finds that neuropathy is at the highest documented rate among UAE's diabetes patients. The research involved 600 Emirati patients. The cross-sectional study examined data in...

If you work indoors, live in the north, avoid the sun, are lactose intolerant, vegan, elderly or darker skinned, chances are you may be deficient in vitamin D. It's a common problem affecting as many as 25% of Americans, according to a recent study. Deficiency rates are even higher among Black Americans, reaching 60%. Low levels of this key nutrient during pregnancy could have negative child health outcomes, according to Melissa Melough. Melough has discovered a link between gestational vitamin D and behavioral outcomes in children. Melough examined nearly 3,200 mother and child pairs from across the country. As many...

Surely to the chagrin of anti-vitamin D “brought to you by Pfizer” jihadists like CNN, more evidence mounts that increasing your vitamin D levels might be the single most effective strategy for longevity and quality of life.Via research published by the Alzheimer’s Association:In this longitudinal study of dementia-free NACC participants, exposure to vitamin D was associated with higher dementia-free survival and lower dementia incidence rates over 10 years. These findings were consistent across each vitamin D formulation: calcium–vitamin D, cholecalciferol, and ergocalciferol. Interaction analyses revealed that while exposure to vitamin D was associated with lower dementia incidence across all strata...

Taking vitamin D supplements may help ward off dementia, according to a study. Researchers explored the relationship between vitamin D supplementation and dementia in more than 12,388 participants. The team found that taking vitamin D was associated with living dementia-free for longer, and they also found 40 percent fewer dementia diagnoses in the group who took supplements. Professor Zahinoor said, "We know that vitamin D has some effects in the brain that could have implications for reducing dementia, however so far, research has yielded conflicting results. Our findings give key insights into groups who might be specifically targeted for vitamin...

A new study hints that treating low vitamin D levels with supplements might have a critical benefit for certain people: a decreased risk of attempting suicide. Researchers found that those prescribed vitamin D were nearly 50% less likely to attempt suicide over eight years, versus those who were not prescribed the supplements. At the same time, it's known that vitamin D deficiency can cause depression-like symptoms, including mood changes and chronic fatigue, said Dr. Christine Crawford. Crawford, who was not involved in the study, said that in her practice, she often has patients with depression symptoms tested for blood levels...

Various studies have found an association between severe vitamin D deficiency and COVID-19-related outcomes. Vitamin D plays a crucial role in immune function and inflammation. Recent data have suggested a protective role of vitamin D in COVID-19-related health outcomes. 4. Conclusions The current evidence supports the benefits of vitamin D interventions in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 due to the protective effect provided by vitamin D against ICU admission and mortality. A meta-analysis per se does not allow us to state whether the results are truly positive or false-positive. In addition, the inclusion of studies with large effect sizes and significant...

We now know that Vitamin D supplementation provides substantial benefit in terms of reducing the risk of admission to intensive care during the Corona virus pandemic. 72% is the probable figure. Certainly substantial. And it probably provides a substantial protection against death. 51% is the probable figure.

Researchers have found that vitamin D may be metabolized differently in people with an elevated body mass index (BMI). The study is a new analysis of data from the VITAL trial that investigated taking vitamin D or marine omega-3 supplements. "The analysis of the original VITAL data found that vitamin D supplementation correlated with positive effects on several health outcomes, but only among people with a BMI under 25," said first author Deirdre K. Tobias, ScD. "There seems to be something different happening with vitamin D metabolism at higher body weights, and this study may help explain diminished outcomes of...

It is estimated that 2 billion people globally suffer from the disease today. But vitamin D can help the immune system fight tuberculosis, a new study concludes. "We have shown that vitamin D improves the immune system's ability to fight the tuberculosis bacterium, Mycobacterium tuberculosis," says Associate Professor Martin Kongsbak-Wismann. Today, tuberculosis is treated with antibiotics, but in the past, many tuberculosis patients were admitted to sanatoriums and made to lie out in the sun. This caused their vitamin D levels to rise. Therefore, researchers have long suspected that vitamin D can help fight tuberculosis. The study showed that the...

Vitamin D plays an important role in the regulation of calcium and phosphorus absorption by an organism. It also helps keep the brain and immune system working. Researchers have now shown that vitamin D supplementation reduces the risk of dynapenia in older people by 78%. Dynapenia is an age-associated loss of muscle strength. "Vitamin D is known to participate in various functions of the organism. It’s a hormone and roles include helping to repair muscles and releasing calcium for muscle contraction kinetics," said Tiago da Silva Alexandre. Bone and muscle tissue are interconnected not just mechanically and physically, but also...

A study of more than 300,000 adults in the United Kingdom has found support for a causal relationship between vitamin D deficiency and mortality. These findings suggest a need for public health strategies to maintain healthy levels of vitamin D in the population. Low vitamin D status has been linked to increased mortality, but mortality in the context of vitamin D deficiency remains unclear. Randomized controlled trials either fail to recruit people with severe deficiency or, because of ethical reasons, are prevented from doing so. Researchers conducted a nonlinear mendelian randomization study of 307,601 participants in the U.K. Biobank to...

Inflammation is an essential part of the body's healing process. But when it persists, it can contribute to a wide range of complex diseases including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and autoimmune diseases. Now, research shows a direct link between low levels of vitamin D and high levels of inflammation, providing an important biomarker to identify people at higher risk of or severity of chronic illnesses with an inflammatory component. The study examined the genetic data of participants in the UK Biobank, using Mendelian randomization to show the association between vitamin D and C-reactive protein levels, an indicator of inflammation....

Eating an egg every day in winter can help keep your vitamin D levels up, new research has found. As many as one in three Australian adults may have vitamin D deficiency. It can lead to fatigue, aches, muscle weakness, mood changes and an increased risk of contracting respiratory infections. "Vitamin D deficiency can have a negative impact on bone health as the key function of vitamin D is to promote calcium absorption," says research lead, Professor Robin Daly. "Vitamin D deficiency may also increase the risk of other non-skeletal diseases such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, depression and Alzheimer's...

Dementia is one of the major causes of disability and dependency among older people worldwide, affecting thinking and behaviours as you age. But what if you could stop this degenerative disease in its tracks? A world-first study from the University of South Australia could make this a reality as new genetic research shows a direct link between dementia and a lack of vitamin D. Investigating the association between vitamin D, neuroimaging features, and the risk of dementia and stroke, the study found: * low levels of vitamin D were associated with lower brain volumes and an increased risk of dementia...