PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Researchers determine vitamin D blood level for reducing major medical risks in older adults

Association of low blood concentrations with major disease events, like heart attacks, varies with seasons

Researchers determine vitamin D blood level for reducing major medical risks in older adults
2012-05-02
(Press-News.org) In testing older patients' blood vitamin D levels, there's uncertainty about where the dividing line falls between enough and not enough. The threshold amount has become controversial as several scientific societies set different targets.

To help resolve this debate, University of Washington researchers conducted an observational study. They wanted to learn how much vitamin D must be circulating in the blood to lower the risk of a major medical event. This category included heart attack, hip fracture, diagnosis of cancer, or death.

Their findings are reported today, May 1, in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Dr. Ian de Boer, assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Nephrology and a member of the Kidney Research Institute, led the project. He also holds an appointment in the Department of Epidemiology, UW School of Public Health.

Vitamin D is measured in the blood as 25-hydroxy-vitamin D, abbreviated 25(OH)D.

The researchers tested 25(OH)D concentrations from a biorepository of blood samples of 1,621 Caucasian adults. These adults had enrolled in the early 1990s in the Cardiovascular Health Study, originally designed to look at risk factors and progression of heart disease in people age 65 and over. The participants lived in one of four areas in the United States: Forsyth County, North Carolina; Sacramento, County, California; Washington County, Maryland; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Over about an 11-year follow-up, researchers looked at the association between each individual's 25(OH)D test results and the time that a first defining medical event occurred. Among the participants, 1,018 had such an event. There were 137 hip fractures, 186 heart attacks (myocardial infarctions), 335 incidences of cancer, and 360 deaths.

Through their statistical analysis, the researchers concluded that the risk of these disease events rose when the concentration of 25(OH)D fell below 20 ng/milliliter or 50 nmol/liter.

"Our results," de Boer said, "lend support to the threshold level recently recommended by the Institute of Medicine, a national, independent government advisory group."

He added, "This target level for adults is considerably lower than that set by other expert panels.'

His research team also found that the association of low 25(OH)D blood concentrations with risk of major disease events varied with the season. Because people soak up most of their Vitamin D from the sun, their levels run highest in the summer and lowest in the winter. Levels in autumn are generally above those in spring.

"In evaluating health risk," the researchers concluded, "Season-specific targets for 25(OH)D blood concentration may be more appropriate than a static target when evaluating patients health risk."

Future research in this area, de Boer said, will require clinical trials. Researcher will look, for example, at the health effects of attempts to raise 25(OH)D in patients whose levels fall below the target. Interventions might include supplements, dietary changes and increasing outdoor activity.

"Sun exposure is tricky," de Boer said, "because people have to protect themselves from skin cancer and other sun damage." Sunscreen blocks the UVB waves responsible for producing Vitamin D. Food sources for Vitamin D are milk, fortified juice and cereal and oily fish like salmon, mackerel, cod and herring.

Vitamin D provides many different beneficial effects on health because it is actually not a vitamin, but a prohormone. It can suppress the hormonal systems that cause fluid to be retained and blood pressure to go up, modulate the function of immune cells, and stop abnormal cells from overgrowing.



INFORMATION:



In addition to de Boer, other UW authors of the research paper, "Serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D concentrations and risk of major clinical disease events in a community-based population" are Gregory Levin and Mary L. Biggs, Biostatistics; Cassianne Robinson-Cohen, Epidemiology; Andy Hoofnagle, Laboratory Medicine; David Siscovick, Cardiovascular Health Unit and Medicine and Epidemiology; and Bryan Kestenbaum, Nephrology, Kidney Research Institute and Epidemiology.

The research was funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health, including the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, the National Institute on Aging, and the National Institute of Diabetes and Kidney Disease.


[Attachments] See images for this press release:
Researchers determine vitamin D blood level for reducing major medical risks in older adults

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Uniwatches - Quality and Affordability Online

2012-05-02
Buying quality watches has never been easier. Uniwatches is a Danish internet based company that provides watches from some of the most famous brands at affordable price. This way, quality and low prices go hand in hand to provide the customers with the best products. Some of the brands available on the website include Guess, Seiko, Casio, Hugo Boss and Emporio Armani (interesting to know is that the Norwegian term is Casio armbandsur, Hugo Boss armbandsur and Emporio Armani armbandsur). All of the watches on the website are official and 100% original. For those who ...

DiscountVouchers.co.uk Introduces New Deals for Savings at Top Fashion Stores

2012-05-02
DiscountVouchers.co.uk, the website where shoppers are able to save money at hundreds of top name stores, has announced new deals to help people get summer holiday fashions and accessories on a budget. Debenhams and Marks & Spencer are the stores featured in the site's new deals published this week. One of the UK's favourite department stores for designer label fashions is Debenhams and UK consumers can kit their wardrobes out there on a budget right now. A visit to the DiscountVouchers.co.uk site this week allows shoppers to browse the latest Debenhams discount ...

Protections needed for some people who say no to research, study concludes

2012-05-02
(Garrison, NY) Although federal regulations provide protections for people who participate in research, protections are also needed for some people who decline to participate and may face harmful repercussions as a result, concludes an article in IRB: Ethics & Human Research. In addition, the authors say that deception may be necessary and ethically justified as a means for researchers to protect decliners from those who might harm them because they chose not to enroll in a study. People in need of such protections include prisoners and others in vulnerable circumstances. The ...

The Stewart Law Firm, PLLC Supports 2012 Walk Like MADD

2012-05-02
Stephen W. Stewart, founder of The Stewart Law Firm in Austin, Texas, announces that The Stewart Law Firm was a proud supporter of the 2012 Austin Walk Like MADD, a 5k walk benefiting Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD)--Texas. This year's Austin Walk Like MADD event took place at Camp Mabry in Austin, Texas on Saturday, April 28, 2012. Through the generosity of law firm walk-team members and donors, The Stewart Law Firm was recognized at the event for being the "Top Corporate Team" for donations to the walk event. Regarding The Stewart Law Firm's participation ...

Differences in dopamine may determine how hard people work

2012-05-02
Washington, DC — Whether someone is a "go-getter" or a "slacker" may depend on individual differences in the brain chemical dopamine, according to new research in the May 2 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. The findings suggest that dopamine affects cost-benefit analyses. The study found that people who chose to put in more effort — even in the face of long odds — showed greater dopamine response in the striatum and ventromedial prefrontal cortex, areas of the brain important in reward and motivation. In contrast, those who were least likely to expend effort showed ...

Hepatitis C drug can cause depression

2012-05-02
MAYWOOD, Ill. -- There's a high rate of depression among patients with hepatitis C, but a standard treatment for the disease includes a drug, interferon, that can cause depression. In a review article, researchers tackle the complexities of diagnosing and managing depression before and after initiating treatment with interferon. Dr. Murali S. Rao of Loyola University Medical Center is a co-author of the study, published in the International Journal of Interferon, Cytokine and Mediator Research. "Depression is a relatively frequent and potentially serious complication ...

Special Program : Right Spiritual Path in Life to Happiness, Success & Fulfilment for Frustrated & Unfulfilled Individuals

2012-05-02
The lack of fulfilment and peace within is causing more and more individuals to reach out and look for spiritual answers. Otherwise generally accomplished individuals with many positive aspects in their lives have found themselves lacking in confidence, the time is ticking and they are not where they planned they would be in their lives by now. People looking for their spiritual path in life feel like they are currently stuck in a rut, lacking direction, are frustrated with certain personal or professional relationships and have been unsuccessful in making change on ...

What to Expect after a DUI

2012-05-02
Getting arrested for driving under the influence (DUI) is a terrible experience. However, getting convicted of a DUI can be even worse. When you are first pulled over, you may have to perform humiliating roadside tests or take a breathalyzer. If your blood alcohol content is above .08, you will be arrested. When you get to the detention facility, you will be booked and given a blood test. This test determines the actual level of alcohol in your blood and will be used against you in future criminal proceedings. Depending on how many DUIs you have been arrested for, ...

LASIK vs. Wavefront LASIK

2012-05-02
Most laser eye surgeons offer several options for LASIK . Traditional LASIK has been used for nearly 30 years to correct refractive errors such as myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism. This time has provided eye surgeons with a lot of information about safety, potential complications, and good techniques, making tradition LASIK a proven effective way to provide crystal clear vision. By contrast wavefront LASIK is a relatively new advancement. This means that this technique does not have as much historical data to back up its benefits. However, since its introduction, ...

How Often Do Police Investigate Michigan Domestic Assault Offenses?

2012-05-02
In any criminal prosecution involving allegations that the defendant committed a violent crime such as aggravated assault or murder, important issues such as intent, self-defense and witness credibility come into play. In many cases, competing versions of events must be considered, and this issue is very likely to arise in domestic violence cases. The latest full-year statistics from the Michigan Incident Crime Reporting (MICR) Section of the Michigan State Police reveal that more than 101,000 domestic violence offenses were reported by Michigan law enforcement in 2010. ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Being physically active, even just a couple of days a week, may be key to better health

High-fat diet promote breast cancer metastasis in animal models

A router for photons

Nurses and AI collaborate to save lives, reduce hospital stays

Multi-resistance in bacteria predicted by AI model

Tinker Tots: A citizen science project to explore ethical dilemmas in embryo selection

Sensing sickness

Cost to build multifamily housing in California more than twice as high as in Texas

Program takes aim at drinking, unsafe sex, and sexual assault on college campuses

Inability to pay for healthcare reaches record high in U.S.

Science ‘storytelling’ urgently needed amid climate and biodiversity crisis

KAIST Develops Retinal Therapy to Restore Lost Vision​

Adipocyte-hepatocyte signaling mechanism uncovered in endoplasmic reticulum stress response

Mammals were adapting from life in the trees to living on the ground before dinosaur-killing asteroid

Low LDL cholesterol levels linked to reduced risk of dementia

Thickening of the eye’s retina associated with greater risk and severity of postoperative delirium in older patients

Almost one in ten people surveyed report having been harmed by the NHS in the last three years

Enhancing light control with complex frequency excitations

New research finds novel drug target for acute myeloid leukemia, bringing hope for cancer patients

New insight into factors associated with a common disease among dogs and humans

Illuminating single atoms for sustainable propylene production

New study finds Rocky Mountain snow contamination

Study examines lactation in critically ill patients

UVA Engineering Dean Jennifer West earns AIMBE’s 2025 Pierre Galletti Award

Doubling down on metasurfaces

New Cedars-Sinai study shows how specialized diet can improve gut disorders

Making moves and hitting the breaks: Owl journeys surprise researchers in western Montana

PKU Scientists simulate the origin and evolution of the North Atlantic Oscillation

ICRAFT breakthrough: Unlocking A20’s dual role in cancer immunotherapy

How VR technology is changing the game for Alzheimer’s disease

[Press-News.org] Researchers determine vitamin D blood level for reducing major medical risks in older adults
Association of low blood concentrations with major disease events, like heart attacks, varies with seasons