Best pandemic advice: maintain healthy levels of vitamin D!

 

New research shows insufficient blood levels of vitamin D might heighten people's odds for severe or even fatal COVID-19.

Maintaining a healthy level of vitamin D may "reduce the complications, including the cytokine storm (release of inflammatory proteins into the blood too quickly) and ultimately death from COVID-19," according to the study author Dr. Michael Holick. Dr. Holick is a professor of medicine, physiology, biophysics and molecular medicine at Boston University School of Medicine. 

Vitamin D is called the "sunshine vitamin" because it's produced by a cholesterol compound in the skin when skin is exposed to sunlight. But it can also be sourced through certain foods and supplements. 

The findings build upon those of prior research.

Several studies have found that patients with vitamin D deficiency have a worse outcome in COVID-19. Vitamin D has a beneficial effect on the immune system.

Holick and his colleagues assessed vitamin D levels in blood samples from 235 hospitalized COVID-19 patients. The blood samples were also checked for an inflammatory marker called C-reactive protein and for the number of lymphocytes, (immune cells that fight infections.)

Patients who were vitamin D-sufficient -- a blood level of at least 30 nanograms per milliliter -- had a significantly lower risk for serious complications from COVID-19, including losing consciousness, low blood oxygen levels and death. 

Among patients older than 40, those who were vitamin D-sufficient were also 51.5% less likely to die from COVID-19 compared to those who were vitamin D-deficient or insufficient, the team said. 

The study was published Sept. 25 in the journal PLOS ONE.
A prior study by Holick found that having a sufficient amount of vitamin D might also reduce the risk of becoming infected with the new coronavirus by 54%. Along with reducing the risks associated with the new coronavirus, being vitamin D-sufficient does the same against other viruses that cause upper respiratory tract illnesses, including the flu, according to Holick. 

"There is great concern that the combination of an influenza infection and a coronal viral infection could substantially increase hospitalizations and death due to complications from these viral infections," he said in a university news release. 

All in all, vitamin D could offer a simple and cost-effective way to combat the new coronavirus, Holick believes. "Because vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency is so widespread in children and adults in the United States and worldwide, especially in the winter months, it is prudent for everyone to take a vitamin D supplement to reduce risk of being infected and having complications from COVID-19," he said. 

In people who don't take D, the level is usually low, so it may make sense to take D as a supplement. A blood test will reveal your level of vitamin D. Supplements should be in the most bioavailable form of vitamin D, vitamin D-3. A typical adult dose is 4000 to 5000 iu daily.

 

Why We Need Immune-Boosting Vitamin D Right Now

Immune-boosting vitamin D3 is extremely important right now. But why stop at vitamin D? I also advise daily doses of vitamin C, magnesium, omega-3s, and NAC.

Here’s why vitamin D3 is at the top of the list. It plays a central role in supporting our immune system, making all of our immune cells more toxic against invading pathogens. Our white blood cells make chemicals called cytotoxins. These frontline immune cells engulf bacteria or viruses and use those cytotoxins to kill the invaders. 

The role of vitamin D is this: cytotoxins are more lethal to pathogens when vitamin D levels are higher. Vitamin D also facilitates the maturation of monocytes (juvenile white blood cells) into macrophages (the white blood cells that gobble up pathogens and then destroy them).

Vitamin D3 also promotes our body’s production of cathelicidins and defensins, antimicrobial immune warriors that help keep our lungs safe from viral and bacterial infections. Cathelicidin overpowers respiratory viruses like influenza A, which may explain the seasonal fluctuation in influenza that follows the seasonal strength of sunlight, our native source of vitamin D. Cathelicidin also defeats the tuberculosis bacterium which may explain why, in earlier times, people who had tuberculosis were sent to sunnier climates and their health improved.

We are facing a pandemic now, involving a novel coronavirus that attacks the lungs and sometimes leads to severe pneumonia or even acute respiratory distress syndrome in a minority of vulnerable persons. For some, the infection is mild, for others it can be fatal. 

While there have not yet been studies using vitamin D against this coronavirus, there is reason to be positive about the protection vitamin D might offer. Previous studies have shown us that through multiple mechanisms, vitamin D can reduce the risk of infections. Those mechanisms include inducing the previously mentioned cathelicidins and defensins. They can lower viral replication rates and reduce concentrations of pro-inflammatory cytokines (chemicals produced by our cells) that produce the inflammation that injures the lining of the lungs, leading to pneumonia. 

Cathelicidins and defensins also increase concentrations of anti-inflammatory cytokines. Since one of the observations in the current pandemic is of overactive immune responses, described as “cytokine storms,” vitamin D’s ability to calm the storm and return the immune response to balance may prove to be crucial.

Experts such as members of the Vitamin D Council suggest that during the next several months to possibly years, we should strive to get our serum vitamin D levels to a target of 40-60 ng/mL. Normal 25OH D levels range between 30 ng/mL and 100 ng/mL.

On average, adults need a daily intake of 5,000-10,000 IU of vitamin D3 to achieve a serum level in the midrange of normal, or 40-60 ng/mL

Please note magnesium supplementation is recommended when taking vitamin D supplements. Magnesium helps activate vitamin D, which in turn helps regulate calcium and phosphate homeostasis to influence the growth and maintenance of bones. All of the enzymes that metabolize vitamin D seem to require magnesium, which acts as a cofactor in the enzymatic reactions in the liver and kidneys. The dose of magnesium should be in the range of 250–500 mg/d, along with twice that dose of calcium. 

In the Age of Coronavirus Induced Covid 19 Pay attention to Your Vitamin D Levels

An important review of vitamin D and respiratory health was published April 2 in the Journal Nutrients. Here is the abstract followed by the link to the full paper. Be certain you are getting enough vitamin D to support robust lung health.

Evidence that Vitamin D Supplementation Could Reduce Risk of Influenza and COVID-19 Infections and Deaths
Nutrients 2020, 12(4), 988; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12040988

Abstract: The world is in the grip of the COVID-19 pandemic. Public health measures that can reduce the risk of infection and death in addition to quarantines are desperately needed. This article reviews the roles of vitamin D in reducing the risk of respiratory tract infections, knowledge about the epidemiology of influenza and COVID-19, and how vitamin D supplementation might be a useful measure to reduce risk. Through several mechanisms, vitamin D can reduce risk of infections. Those mechanisms include inducing cathelicidins and defensins that can lower viral replication rates and reducing concentrations of pro-inflammatory cytokines that produce the inflammation that injures the lining of the lungs, leading to pneumonia, as well as increasing concentrations of anti-inflammatory cytokines. Several observational studies and clinical trials reported that vitamin D supplementation reduced the risk of influenza, whereas others did not. Evidence supporting the role of vitamin D in reducing risk of COVID-19 includes that the outbreak occurred in winter, a time when 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations are lowest; that the number of cases in the Southern Hemisphere near the end of summer are low; that vitamin D deficiency has been found to contribute to acute respiratory distress syndrome; and that case-fatality rates increase with age and with chronic disease comorbidity, both of which are associated with lower 25(OH)D concentration. To reduce the risk of infection, it is recommended that people at risk of influenza and/or COVID-19 consider taking 10,000 IU/d of vitamin D3 for a few weeks to rapidly raise 25(OH)D concentrations, followed by 5000 IU/d. The goal should be to raise 25(OH)D concentrations above 40–60 ng/mL (100–150 nmol/L). For treatment of people who become infected with COVID-19, higher vitamin D3 doses might be useful. Randomized controlled trials and large population studies should be conducted to evaluate these recommendations.

https://www.preprints.org/manuscript/202003.0235/v2

Vitamin D3 could heal and protect your heart.

A study has been published in the International Journal of Nanomedicine. It shows that Vitamin D3 -- which is made by the body naturally when skin is exposed to the sun -- can significantly restore the damage to the cardiovascular system caused by several diseases, including hypertension, diabetes and atherosclerosis. Vitamin D3 supplements are also available over-the-counter.

Generally, Vitamin D3 is associated with the bones. However, in recent years, in clinical settings people recognize that many patients who have a heart attack will have a deficiency of D3. It doesn't mean that the deficiency caused the heart attack, but it increased the risk of heart attack.  A research team used nanosensors to see why Vitamin D3 can be beneficial, especially for the function and restoration of the cardiovascular system.

The Ohio University team has developed unique methods and systems of measurements using nanosensors, which are about 1,000 times smaller in diameter than a human hair, to track the impacts of Vitamin D3 on single endothelial cells, a vital regulatory component of the cardiovascular system. A major discovery from these studies is that vitamin D3 is a powerful stimulator of nitric oxide (NO), which is a major signaling molecule in the regulation of blood flow and the prevention of the formation of clots in the cardiovasculature. Additionally, vitamin D3 significantly reduced the level of oxidative stress in the cardiovascular system.

Most importantly, these studies show that treatment with vitamin D3 can significantly restore the damage to the cardiovascular system caused by several diseases, including hypertension, atherosclerosis, and diabetes, while also reducing the risk of heart attack. These studies, performed on cells from Caucasian Americans and African Americans, yielded similar results for both ethnic groups.

There are not many, if any, known systems which can be used to restore cardiovascular endothelial cells which are already damaged, and Vitamin D3 can do it. "This is a very inexpensive solution to repair the cardiovascular system. We don't have to develop a new drug. We already have it."

These studies, performed at Ohio University, are the first to identify the molecular mechanism of vitamin D3-triggered restoration of the function of damaged endothelium in the cardiovasculature. While these studies were performed using a cellular model of hypertension, the implication of vitamin D3 on dysfunctional endothelium is much broader. The dysfunction of endothelium is a common denominator of several cardiovascular diseases, particularly those associated with ischemic events.

Therefore, the authors suggest that vitamin D3 may be of clinical importance in the restoration of dysfunctional cardiac endothelium after heart attack, capillary endothelium after brain ischemia (stroke), hypovolemia, vasculopathy, diabetes and atherosclerosis. This suggestion is strongly supported by several clinical studies which indicate that vitamin D3 at doses higher than those currently used for the treatment of bone diseases, may be highly beneficial for the treatment of the dysfunctional cardiovascular system.

Here comes the sun, or rather the sunshine vitamin, to the rescue against cancer.

Lower levels of vitamin D have been linked with a higher risk of cancer, researchers have found. The study supports a link found between vitamin D status and rates of breast, lung and bladder cancer first seen in the 1980s.

My hope is that the findings from this research might shape healthcare guidelines by identifying vitamin D status as a key prevention tool. Being aware of the relationship of cancer and low vitamin D would allow primary prevention to slow or reverse upward trends in cancer incidence, treatment burden, mortality, and associated costs.

Look at 2012. There were 14 million new cases of cancer worldwide in 2012 and 8.2 million cancer- related deaths. The annual number of new cases is projected to increase to 22 million within the next twenty years.
In Europe and North America cancer is the most significant cause of death and morbidity after cardiovascular diseases.

In this study, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine researchers sought to determine what blood level of vitamin D was required to effectively reduce cancer risk. They were specifically looking at 25-hydroxyvitamin D, the main form of vitamin D in the blood, as a marker for vitamin D levels. They combined data from two previous studies. One was a randomized clinical trial of 1,169 women (Lappe trial cohort) and the other was a prospective cohort study of 1,135 women (GrassrootsHealth cohort). By combining the two studies, the researchers were able to work from a larger sample size and a greater range of blood serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D).

It is generally accepted that the most accurate measure of vitamin D levels in a person is a blood test. In the Lappe trial cohort, the median blood serum level of 25(OH)D was 30 nanograms (ng) per millilitre (ml). In the GrassrootsHealth prospective cohort, it was higher: 48 ng/ml. The team found that the age-adjusted cancer incidence was 1,020 cases per 100,000 person-years in the Lappe cohort and 722 per 100,000 person-years in the GrassrootsHealth cohort.

In other words, rates of cancer declined with increased 25(OH)D levels. Females with 25(OH)D concentrations of 40 ng/ml or greater had a 67% lower risk of cancer than women with levels of 20 ng/ml or less. 

"These findings support an inverse association between 25(OH)D and risk of cancer," said Dr Cedric Garland, adjunct professor in the UC San Diego School of Medicine Department of Family Medicine and Public Health and member of Moores Cancer Center at UC San Diego Health.

“It highlights the importance for cancer prevention of achieving a vitamin D blood serum

concentration above 20 ng/ml, the concentration recommended by the Institute of Medicine for bone health." 

The results suggest the importance of vitamin D for the prevention of cancer and are supported by a number of additional studies that have also found a similar reduction in risk for individual cancers. 

In a hospital-based case control study women with serum concentrations of more than 60 ng/ml had an 83% reduction in breast cancer risk compared to women with concentrations less than 20 ng/ml. 

A population based study found a 63% lower risk of breast cancer for women with 25(OH)D concentrations of 30 ng/ml compared to women with concentrations of less than 20 ng/ml, with a 71% lower risk among post-menopausal women.

A nested case control study found a 55% lower risk of colorectal cancer in women with 25(OH)D concentrations of 29 ng/ml compared to women with concentrations of less than 18 ng/ml.

The wealth of studies has made recommending an optimum blood serum level of vitamin D difficult to establish. 

Garland did not identify a singular, optimum daily intake of vitamin D or the manner of intake, which may be sunlight exposure, diet and/or supplementation.
He stated that the current study clarified that reduced cancer risk became measurable at 40 ng/ml, with additional benefit at higher levels. 

All of this means that a target vitamin D level recommended by the US Institute of Medicine of 20g/mL is not ideal for reducing cancer risk. If that is the goal higher blood levels may be advised.

“Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Concentrations 40 ng/ml Are Associated with >65% Lower Cancer Risk: Pooled Analysis of Randomized Trial and Prospective Cohort Study.”
Authors: Sharon McDonnell, Carole Baggerly, Christine French, Leo Baggerly, Cedric Garland, Edward Gorham, Joan Lappe, Robert Heaney. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D may control brain serotonin, affecting behavior and psychiatric disorders.

In a previous paper published last year, authors Patrick and Ames discussed the implications of their finding that vitamin D regulates the conversion of the essential amino acid tryptophan into serotonin, and how this may influence the development of autism, particularly in developing children with poor vitamin D status.

Here they discuss the relevance of these micronutrients for neuropsychiatric illness. Serotonin affects a wide-range of cognitive functions and behaviors including mood, decision-making, social behavior, impulsive behavior, and even plays a role in social decision-making by keeping in check aggressive social responses or impulsive behavior.

Many clinical disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and depression share as a unifying attribute low brain serotonin. "In this paper we explain how serotonin is a critical modulator of executive function, impulse control, sensory gating, and pro-social behavior," says Dr. Patrick. "We link serotonin production and function to vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids, suggesting one way these important micronutrients help the brain function and affect the way we behave."

Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) increases serotonin release from presynaptic neurons by reducing inflammatory signaling molecules in the brain known as E2 series prostaglandins, which inhibit serotonin release and suggests how inflammation may negatively impact serotonin in the brain. EPA, however, is not the only omega-3 that plays a role in the serotonin pathway. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) also influences the action of various serotonin receptors by making them more accessible to serotonin by increasing cell membrane fluidity in postsynaptic neurons.

Their paper illuminates the mechanistic links that explain why low vitamin D, which is mostly produced by the skin when exposed to sun, and marine omega-3 deficiencies interacts with genetic pathways, such as the serotonin pathway, that are important for brain development, social cognition, and decision-making, and how these gene-

micronutrient interactions may influence neuropsychiatric outcomes. "Vitamin D, which is converted to a steroid hormone that controls about 1,000 genes, many in the brain, is a major deficiency in the US and omega-3 fatty acid deficiencies are very common because people don't eat enough fish," said Dr. Ames.

This publication suggests that optimizing intakes of vitamin D, EPA, and DHA would optimize brain serotonin concentrations and function, possibly preventing and ameliorating some of the symptoms associated with these disorders without side effects.
Rhonda P. Patrick And Bruce N. Ames. Vitamin D and the omega-3 fatty acids control serotonin synthesis and action, part 2: relevance for ADHD, bipolar, schizophrenia, and impulsive behavior. FASEB Journal, February 2015

Making Choices that Slow Aging Significantly

Have you heard about telomeres? At the end of your chromosomes or DNA strands, you have protective caps called telomeres (imagine the little caps at the end of your shoelaces).

The length of your telomeres can tell you either how quickly or how slowly you are aging. Telomeres also shed light on the strength of your immune system. Their length indicates your risk of death and disease, including heart disease and cancer. Having short telomeres even points to higher risk of dementia.

In people who are older than 60 researchers have shown that those with shorter telomeres are eight times more likely to die from infectious diseases and three times more likely to die from heart disease. Although all telomeres shorten with age, an unhealthy lifestyle is linked to significantly greater telomere shortening. Researchers studying telomeres believe that lifespan may be increased by as much as five to ten years by changing habits that impact telomere length. Here are the most important choices you can make to protect your telomeres.

Knock out inflammation, and eat an antioxidant rich diet.

Chronic inflammation and oxidative stress caused by free radicals sabotage health, longevity and telomere length. Eating foods that contain lots of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds helps prevent this double whammy of damage.

Be sure your diet includes abundant colorful fruits and vegetables like berries, cherries, pomegranates,  beets, oranges, and apples. And load up on dark green vegetables like collard greens and kale. Choose daily servings of orange veggies like carrots and sweet potato. And enjoy nuts, seeds, beans, fatty fish (salmon, rainbow trout, sardines), herbs, spices, 100% whole grains. Drink green or black tea and cook at low temperatures with extra virgin olive oil.

In terms of supplements, research suggests that vitamin D may improve telomere maintenance. Know your vitamin D levels by getting them checked at your annual check up. In the Sister Study, a daily multivitamin was also linked to longer telomeres in women. And of course if you don’t eat fatty fish at least twice a week, you should take a daily fish oil capsule. In the Heart And Soul study at the University of California, San Francisco involving over 600 outpatients with stable heart disease, individuals with the lowest intakes of marine source omega-3 fats experienced the most rapid rate of telomere shortening, whereas those with the highest intakes experienced the slowest rate of telomere shortening. Be sure you get at least 1000 mg daily of the EPA and DHA from cold water fish. And be sure the supplement you choose is tested and found to be free of harmful levels of compounds like mercury, lead, cadmium and PCBs. My fish oil brand is Carlson Laboratories.  Disclosure: I am their Senior Nutritionist and Educator. The folks at Carlson are seriously nice people, lucky me.

Eliminate added sugar, white bread, unhealthy fats and processed meat.

Some foods slow the aging process, others put aging on the fast track. Sugar, refined carbohydrates including white bread cakes cookies and crackers, unhealthy fats particularly trans fats and high omega-6 vegetable oils and processed meats are the most harmful. Based on data from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey involving over 5300 adults, drinking one sugar- sweetened soft drink daily accelerated aging as much as smoking. In a study of children and teens in Spain, white bread was the worst habit. In a study in Finland, involving almost 2000 elderly men and women, a high intake of saturated fat was linked to shorter telomeres.

Do whatever you must to stay at a healthy weight for your height.

At St. Thomas Hospital in the UK, obese women had telomeres that were significantly shorter than in lean women of the same age. This was not surprising. Fat cells are biologically active, and not in a good way. Fat secretes hormones that increase inflammation in the body and cause oxidative stress. ( Oh those two again!) Thus telomeres shorten, aging hits the gas pedal, and lifespans are shortened. Eat whole foods, be more active and work to reduce stress to keep your weight within a healthy range.

At the risk of being redundant. Stay active and reduce sitting time.
Moving your body several times everyday provides phenomenal health benefits, not the least of which is slamming the brakes on aging considerably. Daily activity boosts your resistance to infections, guards against chronic inflammation and helps to combat stress. You’ll get slim and you’ll be protecting the length of those all important telomeres. In one study that followed 2,400 twins, being regularly active during leisure time meant significantly longer telomeres (about 10 years younger biologically) compared to persons who were inactive.

Get up out of that chair! How much time you spend sitting also matters. In a 6 month study in Sweden, involving sedentary, overweight men and women, reducing sitting time resulted in significantly longer telomeres. Always aim for a minimum of 30 to 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity each day. Break up sitting time throughout the day and evening too. Sitting equals aging. Here’s an idea. Get up every 30 minutes and drink a small glass of water. (see what I did there?)

Watch your alcohol and never smoke cigarettes. If you smoke now is the time to quit.
Have you ever looked at people who smoke regularly or who drink excessively? They do not paint a pretty picture. They always look older than they should for their age. Heavy drinking and smoking ages you at a cellular level. The American Association for Cancer Research reported that telomere length was dramatically shorter (about half as long) in those who consumed heavy amounts of alcohol compared to those who did not. In a study reported in the UK, telomere shortening caused by smoking one pack of cigarettes a day for 40 years was equivalent to the loss of almost 71⁄2 years of life. Bottom line: don’t smoke and if you drink, do so only in moderation (one drink daily for women and two for men).

Defend your quality of sleep vigorously. Getting enough sleep (7 hours or more) and getting good quality sleep are both linked to longer telomeres. The older you are, the more significant this relationship is. Proper sleep helps repair telomeres and protects against damage caused by inflammation. Lack of sleep increases inflammation in the body significantly.

Zen extends life. If you’re chronically stressed out, anxious, lonely or depressed, your telomeres are probably shorter. If you have recently suffered a great loss, you’re also at risk. Stress hormones, like cortisol, make you gain weight around the middle, think belly fat. The hormone also damages cells and hastens aging. In a study involving healthy premenopausal women, those with the highest levels of perceived stress had telomeres shorter on average by the equivalent of at least 10 years of additional aging compared to low stress women. 

In a demonstration of all of the points made here today, a UC study found that telomere shortening was less pronounced  in high stress women if they exercised, ate well and got enough sleep. Good self-care must be a priority. 

There is also good news for meditators. Meditation also benefits telomere health. Om.

More Severe Heart Disease Found in Patients With Low Vitamin D

Have you had your vitamin D levels tested? I certainly hope you have because lower levels of vitamin D predict extent of coronary artery disease. Your goal should be a 25 OHD level of 30ng/mL or higher.

Vitamin D deficiency is an independent risk factor for heart disease with lower levels of vitamin D being associated with a higher presence and severity of coronary artery disease, according to research to be presented at the American College of Cardiology's 63rd Annual Scientific Session.

A growing body of research shows that vitamin D may be beneficial in preventing heart disease. Several recent studies also support the idea that low levels of vitamin D are linked to an increased risk of heart disease. Since most of us wear sunscreen and many of us are spending most of our time indoors, supplements may be your only means of maintaining adequate vitamin D levels.

In the largest study of its kind to evaluate the relationship between vitamin D levels and coronary artery disease, vitamin D deficiency (<20ng/mL) was observed in 70.4 percent of patients undergoing coronary angiography – an imaging test used to see how blood flows through the arteries in the heart. Vitamin D deficiency was associated with higher prevalence of coronary artery disease, with a 32 percent higher occurrence in patients with the lowest vitamin D levels and a near 20 percent higher frequency of severe disease affecting multiple vessels. A progressive increase in heart disease was found according to the severity of vitamin D deficiency. Patients with values lower than 10 mg/dl had a near two-fold increased rate of coronary atherosclerosis as compared with those showing normal levels.

Researchers evaluated vitamin D levels in 1,484 patients. Vitamin D deficiency was defined as levels lower than 20ng/mL, and severe vitamin D deficiency was defined as levels under 10ng/mL. Patients were considered to have coronary artery disease if they had a diameter reduction of greater than 50 percent in at least one coronary artery. The extent and severity of heart disease were measured by quantitative coronary angiography – a procedure that determines the degree of blockage in arteries.

"Present results suggest vitamin D deficiency to be the cause rather than the consequence of atherosclerosis," said Monica Verdoia, M.D., specializing cardiologist at the Department of Cardiology, Ospedale Maggiore della Carità, Eastern Piedmont University in Novara, Italy, and investigator on the study on behalf of the Novara Atherosclerosis study group by Prof. Giuseppe De Luca.

Researchers estimate that more than half of U.S. adults are vitamin D deficient, with the highest rates among African Americans and Hispanics. Vitamin D is being studied for its possible connection to several diseases and health problems, including diabetes, high blood pressure, multiple sclerosis, autoimmune conditions, bone disorders and some types of cancer.

Vitamin D supplements are inexpensive. Look for vitamin D3 as it is most effective at raising circulating vitamin D levels.

The research was presented at The American College of Cardiology’s annual scientific sessions.

Higher vitamin D levels correlated with improved breast cancer prognosis.

An article published online on October 9, 2013 in Breast Cancer Research and Treatment found a link between higher levels of serum vitamin D and improved prognosis in women with early stage breast cancer.
When the lowest versus highest categories of serum vitamin D were compared in a pooled analysis, women whose levels were low had a risk of recurrence that was more than double that of subjects whose levels were high and a risk of death that was 76% higher. 
The authors point out that vitamin D, when activated, can alter the transcription and expression of specific genes, resulting in growth arrest, apoptosis, aromatase suppression, decreased inflammation, and inhibition of angiogenesis, invasion and metastasis, all of which help combat cancer. A measurement of vitamin D at your next checkup will help you determine your level, and if it is below 30 ng/ml a higher level of supplementation should be considered. Be sure your vitamin D is vitamin D3 cholecalciferol and not the less active vitamin D2 ergocalciferol.

Vitamin D deficiency increases risk of type 2 Diabetes.

This study investigated whether baseline vitamin D level is associated with the incidence of type 2 diabetes in high-risk subjects for up to 5 years of follow-up, independently of obesity, baseline insulin resistance, and β cell function. Participants were 1080 nondiabetic Korean subjects based on the presence of one or more risk factors for type 2 diabetes, including obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and/or family history of type 2 diabetes. Of the participants, 10.5% had a serum vitamin D deficiency (<10 ng/mL), 51.6% had an insufficiency (10.0-19.9 ng/mL), and 38.0% had a sufficiency (≥20 ng/mL), and the incidence of type 2 diabetes at 32.3 months declined accordingly: 15.9%, 10.2%, and 5.4%, respectively. After adjustment for age, sex, blood pressure, lifestyles, family history, season, parathyroid hormone, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, the participants with vitamin D deficiency had an increased risk of type 2 diabetes (106% increase for vitamin D levels 10-19.9 ng/mL compared with ≥20 ng/mL and 223% for vitamin D level <10 ng/mL compared with ≥20 ng/mL) independently of BMI, HOMA2-IR, and insulinogenic index. The authors conclude "The current prospective study suggests that vitamin D metabolism may play a role in type 2 diabetes pathogenesis independently of known risk factors".

Lim S, Kim MJ, Choi SH, Shin CS, Park KS, Jang HC, Billings LK, Meigs JB. Association of vitamin D deficiency with incidence of type 2 diabetes in high-risk Asian subjects. Am J Clin Nutr. 2013 Mar;97(3):524-30.