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listings of Restaurants, Weddings, Female doctors and Hotels. It also includes a number of informational pages with links, articles and RSS feeds
to both local and national websites of interest to women in NH & n. MA.
applaud local women. The core of the magazine is our inspirational women's articles, most of which feature local women but occasionally we are
able to interview national women who we feel provide a unique inspiration for our readers. Our other articles cover topics of interest such as food
recipes, home, garden, beauty, health, fashion, dating, parenting, seniors, finance, business, hair care, skin care, advice, real estate, insurance,
weddings etc. Each issue has a feature section as well. Many of our articles are written by local business people who provide information
relevant to their business expertise. The Applaud Women website is also a resource center for local women including the most comprehensive
listings of Restaurants, Weddings, Female doctors and Hotels. It also includes a number of informational pages with links, articles and RSS feeds
to both local and national websites of interest to women in NH & n. MA.
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| Vitamin D: Low Levels can be a Health Risk By Dr. Jennifer Warren |
Vitamin D deficiency has become the "hot topic" in the news lately — and for good reason. There is mounting evidence that low levels of vitamin
D may be associated with increased risk of obesity, weight gain around the waist, cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance, type I and type II
diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis, muscle and joint pain, certain cancers, autoimmune diseases, fatigue and depression, and other
diseases, along with the more well-known problem with bone density, osteoporosis. Recent studies have also suggested that low levels of vitamin
D may be linked to greater susceptibility to viruses such as colds and flu. It is no surprise that more physicians are on the lookout for this
deficiency, and you may hear about vitamin D at your next checkup.
Lack of vitamin D is widespread, by some estimates affecting 80% of the American population. According to an article from the April 15th issue of
Family Practice News, "(a) recent analysis of data collected by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) during 1988-1994
and 2001-2004 even suggests that an epidemic of vitamin D deficiency may have hit the United States." How did this "epidemic" come about?
What has changed in our lifestyle in this country, which would lead to a widespread lack of vitamin D? The answer may be more simple than one
might expect.
Vitamin D comes from three main sources: diet, sunlight, and supplements. Many experts believe that we need 1000-2000 I.U.'s of vitamin D per
day, just to keep up a normal D level in our bodies. A glass of milk only has about 100 I.U.'s of vitamin D (and even that amount is destroyed if it is
exposed to light). Most people do not drink 10-20 glasses of milk per day, so we can't get all of our D from milk! Very few other foods have a large
amount of vitamin D. According to the article referenced in the paragraph above, “you cannot eat enough vitamin D-containing foods to get
anywhere near 1,000 IU of vitamin D per day,” said Connie Weaver, Ph.D., director of the department of food and nutrition, at Purdue University,
West Lafayette, Ind., who served on the IOM committee for the current guidelines.
So our next option is sunlight. Our skin IS capable of producing vitamin D from the sun, but this ability is blocked if we wear sunscreen. Our skin is
also less capable of producing vitamin D as we age, gain weight, or have darker skin tone. Add this to the fact that very few of us spend much
time outdoors hunting or gathering anymore, and we have the scene set for vitamin D deficiency.
So the final, and ultimately best option, is going to be supplementation. The old guidelines appear to be very outdated, and people following
them may have insufficient vitamin D levels. For most people it is safe to take up to 2000 I.U. of vitamin D without having a baseline test, but I do
NOT advise trying to guess, all on your own, how much vitamin D you need. It IS possible to take too much vitamin D; it is fat-soluble, and can
build up over time, with high doses, and certain people, such as those with parathyroid tumors, or sarcoidosis, for example, should be very careful
with vitamin D supplementation. The safest route is to have a baseline blood test, called a 25 hydroxy-vitamin D level, and discuss the results with
your primary care provider. Many experts believe that an ideal level in the blood is in the 50-70 ng/mL range, although expert opinion does vary
somewhat.
The Institute of Medicine is reviewing its 1997 guidelines, and will likely be changing them with the new 2010 guidelines, in light of the new
information on vitamin D deficiency. For now, if you are in a high risk category for vitamin D deficiency (if you have an indoor lifestyle, wear
sunscreen when outdoors, have dark skin, are overweight, have osteoporosis or bone thinning, or have any gastrointestinal absorption problems,
for example), you should ask your physician to test your vitamin D level (be sure to get the 25 hydroxy-vitamin D test.) You may also want to ask
for testing if you have any of the conditions associated with vitamin D deficiency (listed in the first paragraph), or if you have symptoms such as
fatigue, muscle or joint pain, low energy, or fibromyalgia.
Be aware that there is no widespread consensus on ideal levels and treatment courses for vitamin D insufficiency — there is wide variation
among physicians. The good news is that testing can alert you and your physician to your risk, and together you can discuss treatment. In my
own practice, if a patient has very low levels of vitamin D, I often start with a prescription form of vitamin D, retest the level after treatment, and
prescribe a maintenance dose of over-the-counter vitamin D, in order to maintain the new optimal level. I am happy to report that numerous
patients report feeling much better when their low vitamin D levels have been treated. Patients often are surprised at decreased joint and muscle
pain, and improved energy and mood. Of course, our patients at Physicians Healthy Weight Center are also working on improving their nutrition
and lifestyles, so it can be hard to tell which part of the puzzle is the key piece!
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2241811/posts
New Vitamin D Guidelines May Raise Advised Dose
Family Practice News ^ | 15 April 2009 | ERIK L. GOLDMAN
Posted on Friday, May 01, 2009 1:44:51 AM by neverdem
SAN DIEGO — The Institute of Medicine is reviewing its 1997 guidelines for vitamin D intake, and will likely recommend increased
supplementation when new guidelines are published in 2010.
There is a growing consensus that currently recommended intakes—200 IU per day for individuals under age 50 and 400 IU for those aged 50-
70—are too low, said Connie Weaver, Ph.D., director of the department of food and nutrition, at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind.
D may be associated with increased risk of obesity, weight gain around the waist, cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance, type I and type II
diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis, muscle and joint pain, certain cancers, autoimmune diseases, fatigue and depression, and other
diseases, along with the more well-known problem with bone density, osteoporosis. Recent studies have also suggested that low levels of vitamin
D may be linked to greater susceptibility to viruses such as colds and flu. It is no surprise that more physicians are on the lookout for this
deficiency, and you may hear about vitamin D at your next checkup.
Lack of vitamin D is widespread, by some estimates affecting 80% of the American population. According to an article from the April 15th issue of
Family Practice News, "(a) recent analysis of data collected by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) during 1988-1994
and 2001-2004 even suggests that an epidemic of vitamin D deficiency may have hit the United States." How did this "epidemic" come about?
What has changed in our lifestyle in this country, which would lead to a widespread lack of vitamin D? The answer may be more simple than one
might expect.
Vitamin D comes from three main sources: diet, sunlight, and supplements. Many experts believe that we need 1000-2000 I.U.'s of vitamin D per
day, just to keep up a normal D level in our bodies. A glass of milk only has about 100 I.U.'s of vitamin D (and even that amount is destroyed if it is
exposed to light). Most people do not drink 10-20 glasses of milk per day, so we can't get all of our D from milk! Very few other foods have a large
amount of vitamin D. According to the article referenced in the paragraph above, “you cannot eat enough vitamin D-containing foods to get
anywhere near 1,000 IU of vitamin D per day,” said Connie Weaver, Ph.D., director of the department of food and nutrition, at Purdue University,
West Lafayette, Ind., who served on the IOM committee for the current guidelines.
So our next option is sunlight. Our skin IS capable of producing vitamin D from the sun, but this ability is blocked if we wear sunscreen. Our skin is
also less capable of producing vitamin D as we age, gain weight, or have darker skin tone. Add this to the fact that very few of us spend much
time outdoors hunting or gathering anymore, and we have the scene set for vitamin D deficiency.
So the final, and ultimately best option, is going to be supplementation. The old guidelines appear to be very outdated, and people following
them may have insufficient vitamin D levels. For most people it is safe to take up to 2000 I.U. of vitamin D without having a baseline test, but I do
NOT advise trying to guess, all on your own, how much vitamin D you need. It IS possible to take too much vitamin D; it is fat-soluble, and can
build up over time, with high doses, and certain people, such as those with parathyroid tumors, or sarcoidosis, for example, should be very careful
with vitamin D supplementation. The safest route is to have a baseline blood test, called a 25 hydroxy-vitamin D level, and discuss the results with
your primary care provider. Many experts believe that an ideal level in the blood is in the 50-70 ng/mL range, although expert opinion does vary
somewhat.
The Institute of Medicine is reviewing its 1997 guidelines, and will likely be changing them with the new 2010 guidelines, in light of the new
information on vitamin D deficiency. For now, if you are in a high risk category for vitamin D deficiency (if you have an indoor lifestyle, wear
sunscreen when outdoors, have dark skin, are overweight, have osteoporosis or bone thinning, or have any gastrointestinal absorption problems,
for example), you should ask your physician to test your vitamin D level (be sure to get the 25 hydroxy-vitamin D test.) You may also want to ask
for testing if you have any of the conditions associated with vitamin D deficiency (listed in the first paragraph), or if you have symptoms such as
fatigue, muscle or joint pain, low energy, or fibromyalgia.
Be aware that there is no widespread consensus on ideal levels and treatment courses for vitamin D insufficiency — there is wide variation
among physicians. The good news is that testing can alert you and your physician to your risk, and together you can discuss treatment. In my
own practice, if a patient has very low levels of vitamin D, I often start with a prescription form of vitamin D, retest the level after treatment, and
prescribe a maintenance dose of over-the-counter vitamin D, in order to maintain the new optimal level. I am happy to report that numerous
patients report feeling much better when their low vitamin D levels have been treated. Patients often are surprised at decreased joint and muscle
pain, and improved energy and mood. Of course, our patients at Physicians Healthy Weight Center are also working on improving their nutrition
and lifestyles, so it can be hard to tell which part of the puzzle is the key piece!
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2241811/posts
New Vitamin D Guidelines May Raise Advised Dose
Family Practice News ^ | 15 April 2009 | ERIK L. GOLDMAN
Posted on Friday, May 01, 2009 1:44:51 AM by neverdem
SAN DIEGO — The Institute of Medicine is reviewing its 1997 guidelines for vitamin D intake, and will likely recommend increased
supplementation when new guidelines are published in 2010.
There is a growing consensus that currently recommended intakes—200 IU per day for individuals under age 50 and 400 IU for those aged 50-
70—are too low, said Connie Weaver, Ph.D., director of the department of food and nutrition, at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind.