Contemporary Diagnosis and Treatment of Vitamin D-Related Disorders

[Ted Hutchinson]

The American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR) Contemporary Diagnosis and Treatment of Vitamin D-Related Disorders (http://app2.capitalreach.com/esp1204/servlet/tc?cn=asbmr&c=10169&s=20343&e=6950&&)
Welcome and Announcements (Skip this one mainly puff and housekeeping)
Monday, December 4, 2006
Speakers: Elizabeth Shane, M.D. Ronald N. Margolis, Ph.D. Stephen I. Katz, M.D., Ph.D.

Session 1: Assessment of Vitamin D Status (take this one last or save it for when you are feeling particularly intelligent or "With it")
Monday, December 4, 2006
Moderator: Anthony W. Norman, Ph.D.
Speakers: Mark R. Haussler, Ph.D. Glenville Jones, Ph.D. Paul Lips, M.D., Ph.D. J. Wesley Pike, Ph.D. John S. Adams, M.D. Morten F. Nielsen

Session 2: Vitamin D Physiology
Monday, December 4, 2006
Moderator: Hector F. DeLuca, Ph.D.
Speakers: Robert P. Heaney, M.D. (Very important talk should be compulsory for every doctor)
Michael F. Holick, M.D., Ph.D. (video not there and not on his updated website as he promised it would appear)
Felicia Cosman, M.D.
Bruce W. Hollis, Ph.D. Again essential listening.
Bryan S. Benn

Session 3: Traditional Abnormalities of Vitamin D
Monday, December 4, 2006
Moderator: Murray J. Favus, M.D.
Speakers: Connie M. Weaver, Ph.D. Daniel D. Bikle, M.D., Ph.D. Neil Binkley, M.D.

Session 4: Vitamin D and Population Health
Monday, December 4, 2006
Moderator: Lawrence G. Raisz, M.D.
Speakers: Bess Dawson-Hughes, M.D. (very useful) Rebecca D. Jackson, M.D. Reinhold Vieth, Ph.D. (Very important talk everyone should listen) Elizabeth A. Yetley, Ph.D.

Session 5: Non-Traditional Roles of Vitamin D
Tuesday, December 5, 2006
Moderator: Roger A. Bouillon, M.D., Ph.D.
Speakers: Luciano Adorini David Feldman, M.D. (particularly interesting for folk with Prostate cancer) Edward Giovannucci, M.D., Sc.D. JoEllen Welsh, Ph.D.

Session 6: Vitamin D and Kidney Disease
Tuesday, December 5, 2006
Moderator: Craig B. Langman, M.D.
Speakers:
Stuart M. Sprague, D.O. Sharon Martin Moe, M.D. Mary B. Leonard, M.D., MSCE

Session 7: Vitamin D and Other Metabolic Bone Diseases
Tuesday, December 5, 2006
Moderator: David Goltzman, M.D.
Speakers: Shonni J. Silverberg, M.D. Uri A. Liberman, M.D., Ph.D.
Session 8: Final Comments
Tuesday, December 5, 2006
Speakers: Anthony W. Norman, Ph.D. Hector F. DeLuca, Ph.D. Murray J. Favus, M.D. Lawrence G. Raisz, M.D. Roger A. Bouillon, M.D., Ph.D. Craig B. Langman, M.D. David Goltzman, M.D.

[gordman]

Well it the first time I hear about Vitamin D disorders, I find it all very interesting and I also think that more people need to be aware of this. How bad does it get actually?

[Ted Hutchinson]

Well it the first time I hear about Vitamin D disorders, I find it all very interesting and I also think that more people need to be aware of this. How bad does it get actually?The problem is that no one dies with a diagnosis of Profound Vitamin D deficiency. But most causes of death are associated with low vitamin D status. A good place to start is by listening to the presentation by Dr. Louise Gagné
Vitamin D deficiency. The cause of everything (http://accordent.biocom.arizona.edu/2007/10/04/IMGR20071004/links.htm)
This talk will reviews vitamin D physiology, the consequences of deficiency and vitamin D’s emerging role as an immune modulator and cancer protective nutrient. This talk also will cover who is at increased risk, who should be screened and which tests to order.

Gagné is a family physician who practices integrative medicine at the Community Clinic in Saskatoon, Canada. Gagné is a graduate of the University of Arizona’s Fellowship in Integrative Medicine and is a clinical assistant professor in the department of community health and epidemiology at the University of Saskatchewan.

It takes about an hour and as it was for medical students it is easy listening. It does take about an hour but is well worth paying attention to.

[Ted Hutchinson]

Wow, that looks like a lot of interesting info. I'm hoping to go through it at some point when I have more time. I know a general doctor can order bloodwork that shows in general which vitamins and minerals are deficient in the body, explains the test of Vitamin D that is necessary to identify Vitamin D insufficiency (http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/newsletter/2008-july.shtml)

When it comes to correcting Vitamin D insufficiency it's important to understand that each additional 100iu/daily of D3 raises status only 1ng or 2.5 nmol/l that means anyone selling Vitamin D supplements that are only 400iu simply doesn't understand that can only raise status 4ng or 10nmol/l. for most people with average 25(OH)D of around 50nmol/l or 20ng such an increase is totally trivial and not really worth bothering with. There are virtually no medical studies that show improving D3 status by such a trivial amount produces any significant or measurable improvement in health.
In fact I think it is dangerously misleading to promote such low strength Vitamin d supplements as it misleads naive people into thinking they are vit d replete when such a trivial amount of supplement leaves them Vitamin d deficient.

The levels at which we see major reductions in chronic disease incidence are shown here, (http://www.grassrootshealth.org/_download/disease_incidence_prev_chart_101608.pdf)
If say you wanted to reduce your risk of Breast cancer by 50% you would want to raise your status to 130nmol/l~52ng. For the average person that requires raising from current average status of 20ng 50nmol/l up to 130nmol/l or 52ng. As we know each 1000iu raises status 10ng or 25 nmol/l we can see that to achieve that 50% reduction in risk requires the use of an extra 3200iu of D3 daily.
So rather than promoting the use of 1000iu vitamin D supplements we should be looking for EFFECTIVE Strength D3 (http://www.iherb.com/ProductDetails.aspx?c=1&pid=7255860309350762561) that aren't contaminated with large amounts of synthetic vitamin A that can be quite toxic see Cod Liver Oil, Vitamin A Toxicity, Frequent Respiratory Infections, and the Vitamin D Deficiency Epidemic (http://www.annals.com/toc/auto_abstract.php?id=15313)
You will find these are much better value (http://www.iherb.com/ProductsList.aspx?c=1&cid=-63367066713511860) if anyone hasn't used Iherb before the code WAB666 will give you a $5 discount.
UK readers can find a cheap source of D3 here (http://www.thevitaminservice.com/product_detail.asp?id=1009173) now the £ has dropped so much against the $ it's less beneficial to order from the USA particularly as you can get caught for VAT if you order more than £18's worth of supplements, it's not the VAT but the £8 handling charge for collection that adds insult to injury.