Big Pharma looks to capitalize on success of vitamin D by turning it into a 'drug' for kidney disease. (NaturalNews) With an incredible success rate for vitamin D in treating a myriad of health conditions, it is no wonder that some drug companies are looking for new ways to capitalize on this natural, inexpensive nutrient.
Biopharmaceutical giant Rockwell Medical recently announced that it has acquired a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for a generic, injectable form of vitamin D called Calcitriol, that it openly refers to as a "drug. " Marketed under several brand names including Rocaltrol (Roche), Calcijex (Abbott), and Decostriol (Mibe, Jesalis), Calcitriol is really nothing more than vitamin D3, or 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol, that has been placed in a syringe with sterile fluids and other additives. And yet Rockwell Medical, as well as various medical information sources, refer to Calicitriol as a "drug," which is why Rockwell Medical obtained an ANDA in the first place. Sources for this story include: Vitamin D and Health - What Should You Eat?
Table of Contents Vitamin D Deficiency: A Global Concern If you live north of the line connecting San Francisco to Philadelphia and Athens to Beijing, odds are that you don’t get enough vitamin D.
The same holds true if you don’t get outside for at least a 15-minute daily walk in the sun. African-Americans and others with dark skin, as well as older individuals, tend to have much lower levels of vitamin D, as do people who are overweight or obese. Big Pharma looks to capitalize on success of vitamin D by turning it into a 'drug' for kidney disease. Johns Hopkins: Arthritis on vitamin D and rheumatoid arthritis. Vitamin D2 Is Much Less Effective than Vitamin D3 in Humans.
Vitamins D2 and D3 are generally considered to be equivalent in humans.
Nevertheless, physicians commonly report equivocal responses to seemingly large doses of the only high-dose calciferol (vitamin D2) available in the U.S. market. Meta-analysis associates reduced vitamin D levels with greater risk of dying over follow-up periods of up to 27 years. Tuesday, December 20, 2011.
The results of a meta-analysis published online on December 14, 2011 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reaffirm an increased risk of all-cause mortality over follow-up periods ranging from 1.3 to 24 years in association with having reduced serum levels of vitamin D. For their review, Sara Gandini of the European Institute of Oncology and her associates selected 14 prospective cohort studies in which serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels were determined for a total of 62,548 men and women with an average age of 45 to 80 years. Over the studies' varying follow-up periods, 5,562 deaths occurred. When the studies were analyzed according to highest versus lowest vitamin D levels, a 29 percent lower average risk of dying was observed for those whose levels were highest. "In summary, this meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies offers further support that concentrations of 75–87.5 nmol 25(OH)D/L are desirable," the authors conclude.
Vitamin D fortification in the United States and Canada: current status and data needs. © 2004 American Society for Clinical Nutrition + Author Affiliations Abstract Most circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D originates from exposure to sunlight; nevertheless, many factors can impair this process, necessitating periodic reliance on dietary sources to maintain adequate serum concentrations.
The US and Canadian populations are largely dependent on fortified foods and dietary supplements to meet these needs, because foods naturally rich in vitamin D are limited. Fluid milk and breakfast cereals are the predominant vehicles for vitamin D in the United States, whereas Canada fortifies fluid milk and margarine. Most circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D originates from exposure to sunlight; however, seasonal changes, living at high latitudes, dark skin pigmentation, aging, and other factors can impair this process, necessitating periodic reliance on dietary sources to supply the needed precursor to 25-hydroxyvitamin D (1-4).
Vitamin D in CVD in Men. Vitamin D3 and Allergies. Over the past several years, a number of studies have been released which appear to show a direct relationship between low levels of Vitamin D in children and the prevalence of childhood allergies.
In February of this year, a study by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University in New York concluded a study involving 3,100 children that was published in Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology showed that children and adolescents suffering from Vitamin D deficiency were highly susceptible to the development of sensitivity to allergens (development of allergies). More than 50% of those studied within the respective child-adolescent age bracket who had low levels of Vitamin D also suffered from allergies. A 2007 study by scientists at Harvard University showed that increased sun exposure (which the body converts into Vitamin D3, or cholecalciferol) could help to prevent both asthma and allergies in children.
Dr. Daniel A. Cancer Treatment Options Are Putting You at a Higher Risk. 2009.29094.full. Increased vitamin D in blood adds years to life and helps prevent colon cancer. Vitamin D and Testosterone. In an earlier blog, I discussed how vitamin D is not just a fat-soluble vitamin but a precursor hormone that allows the body to produce a steroid hormone called calcitriol, which can shield us from many different ailments, including seasonal affective disorder, or SAD.
This time around, I want to talk about how researchers have also discovered that the male reproductive tract is a target tissue for vitamin D, and that a link or association exists between a man's level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25 OH vitamin D) and the level of testosterone in his bloodstream. (More about women's testosterone levels in a bit.)
Vitamin D and Colon Cancer. Vitamin D deficiency rampant in patients undergoing orthopedic surgery, damaging patient recovery. Almost 50 percent of patients undergoing orthopedic surgery have vitamin D deficiency that should be corrected before surgery to improve patient outcomes, according to a study by researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in New York City.
Vitamin D is essential for bone healing and muscle function and is critical for a patient's recovery. The study appears in the October issue of The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. "In the perfect world, test levels, fix and then operate," said Joseph Lane, M.D., professor of Orthopedic Surgery and chief of the Metabolic Bone Disease Service at HSS, who led the study. "If you put people on 2,000-4,000 [IU] of vitamin D based on what their deficient value was, you can usually get them corrected in four to six weeks, which is when you are really going to need the vitamin D. If you are really aggressive right before surgery, you can correct deficient levels quickly, but you have to correct it, measure it, and then act on it.
" According to Dr. Print Alzheimer's Prevention - Vitamin D Clear Alzheimer's Plaques - Health Tip.
Sports Performance. Immunity. New research shows vitamin D slashes risk of cancers by 77 percent; cancer industry refuses to support cancer prevention. Exciting new research conducted at the Creighton University School of Medicine in Nebraska has revealed that supplementing with vitamin D and calcium can reduce your risk of cancer by an astonishing 77 percent.
This includes breast cancer, colon cancer, skin cancer and other forms of cancer. This research provides strong new evidence that vitamin D is the single most effective medicine against cancer, far outpacing the benefits of any cancer drug known to modern science. The study involved 1,179 healthy women from rural Nebraska. Stephanie Seneff on Sulfur.
Breast Cancer. Understand the importance of vitamin D and essential nutrients to prevent chronic disease. (NaturalNews) Prominent research studies continue to extol the virtues of maintaining proper levels of critical nutrients such as vitamin D throughout life to prevent most diseases that plaque western cultures.
Publishing in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, scientists found that by simply raising the low end of the vitamin D blood saturation range (from 30 ng/mL to 44 ng/mL) all-cause mortality could be reduced by 7.6% to 17.3% for most women. This supports the extensive body of work published by Dr. Bruce Ames that explains how low nutritional status through life results in the development of diseases including heart disease, cancer, diabetes and dementia. A high quality multi-vitamin taken daily can provide a broad range of protection against a host of chronic illnesses. If you found out that you could lower your risk of dying by as much as 20% simply by increasing vitamin D intake, would you be willing to make the change? Dr. Dr. Article References: