Vitamin D Deficiency Leaves Millions of Children and Adults at Risk....

[Editor-in-Chief]

Vitamin D Deficiency Leaves Millions of Children and Adults at Risk For Numerous Diseases and Disorders



MCLEAN, Va., July 18 /PRNewswire/ -- In a review article published in The New England Journal of Medicine today, Dr. Michael F. Holick, Ph.D.,M.D., one of the nation's leading experts on vitamin D, explores the natureof vitamin D deficiency and concludes it to be one of the most commonly unrecognized medical conditions, a condition that leaves millions at risk of developing not only osteoporosis and fractures but also numerous serious and often fatal diseases, including several common cancers, autoimmune diseases, infectious diseases and heart disease.

In his review, Dr. Holick estimates that there are over one billion people worldwide at risk for vitamin D deficiency, with 30-50% of children and adults in the United States at high risk for this potentially life threatening condition.

According to Holick, the effects of this condition can be both immediate and far-reaching for women and children. For example, pregnant women, even when taking a prenatal vitamin, are still at high risk for preeclampsia, a condition characterized by hypertension, fluid retention and protein loss in the urine. Low levels of calcium and vitamin D in utero and in childhood may prevent the maximum deposition of calcium in the skeleton.

Vitamin D deficiency in early life may increase the risk of developing serious chronic diseases such as type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis. In adults, recent evidence has shown that vitamin D deficiency can put an individual at risk for developing a variety of deadly cancers. Holick points to prospective and retrospective studies indicating that vitamin D deficiency is associated with a 30-50% increased risk of colon, prostate and breast cancer along with higher mortality among those diagnosed with these cancers, especially darker skin individuals who have the highest incidence of vitamin D deficiency in the US. Vitamin D deficiency has also been linked to an increased risk of infectious diseases including tuberculosis and influenza as well as hypertension and cardiovascular disease.

"Vitamin D deficiency is an epidemic in this country," stated Dr.Holick. "Sensible sun exposure and the use of supplements are the best ways to address this easily preventable condition," he added.

Dr. Michael F. Holick is a Professor of Medicine, Physiology and Biophysics at Boston University. He is internationally recognized for his expertise and contributions to the fields of vitamin D, calcium, bone and the biologic effects of light in dermatology, endocrinology, and medicine.To see this article as it appears in the New England Journal of Medicine, please visit Dr. Holick's website at http://www.uvadvantage.org. About the Ultraviolet Light Research and Educational Foundation --Founded in 2004, the UV Foundation is dedicated to funding research to explore the effects of ultraviolet light on the human body. For more information about the UV Foundation, call 703.677.6885 or visit info@uvfoundation.org

SOURCE Ultraviolet Light Research and Educational Foundation

[Editor-in-Chief]

We can't even depend on the UV Foundation for some positive words about moderate exposure to artificial UV light.