Importance Of Vitamin Research Articles

The Role of Vitamin D in Thyroid Diseases.

The main role of vitamin D is regulating bone metabolism and calcium and phosphorus homeostasis. Over the past few decades, the importance of vitamin D in non-skeletal actions has been studied, including the role of vitamin D in autoimmune diseases, metabolic syndromes, cardiovascular disease, cancers, and all-cause mortality. Recent evidence has demonstrated an association between low vitamin D status and autoimmune thyroid diseases such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and Graves’ disease, and impaired vitamin D signaling has been reported in thyroid cancers. This review will focus on recent data on the possible role of vitamin D in thyroid diseases, including autoimmune thyroid diseases and thyroid cancers.

The history of food reformulation

The history of food reformulation

ANALYSIS OF LIFESTYLE, KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE, AND KNOWLEDGE OF WOMEN AGED 20-50 YEARS OLD WITH VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY-INSUFFICIENCY IN NORTH SUMATERA, INDONESIA

Background: Study showed that 95% women had serum level of 25(OH)D lower than normal and women have riskier lifestyle than men, this is based on women’s lifestyle, such as avoiding sun rays, sunblock application, low vitamin D intake, and low physical activity. As result of the deficiency, there will be increasing number of metabolic disorders such as obesity and diabetes mellitus type 2.Objectives: To discover lifestyle, knowledge, attitude, and action of women aged 20-50 years old with vitamin D deficiency-insufficiency regarding risk of metabolic disorder caused by vitamin D deficiency.Method: Cross-sectional study engaging 98 women participants with vitamin D deficiency-insufficiency. Lifestyle including avoiding sunlight, low physical activity, and sunblock application were assessed. The scoring was to assess knowledge, attitude and action of women aged 20-50 years old with vitamin D deficiency-insufficiency regarding risk of metabolic disorder in Medan and then the result was analyzed.Result: The study engaged 98 women aged 20-50 years old with vitamin D deficiency-insufficiency, showed vitamin D level with mean 19.66±5.69 ng/ml. There were 95% participants categorized into vitamin D deficiency-insufficiency and 5% participants categorized into vitamin D suficiency. All subjects were found to be low on sun rays exposure, high incidence sunblock applicaton, low vitamin D intake, and low physical activities. According to knowledge about risk of metabolic disorder, there were 42.3% participants with sufficient knowledge and 57.7% with deficient knowledge, and regarding attitude, 48.52% had negative attitude and 51.5% had positive attitude, regarding action, 24.7% was sufficient and 75.3% was deficient. According to the analysis, there was no significant association between action and knowledge, attitude and knowledge, but there was significant association between action and knowledge based on education (p=0.01).Conclusion: Lifestyle, sufficient knowledge, and action could be the caused of low vitamin D level. There was significant association between action and knowledge based on education, but didn’t show any associations. Based on this result, knowledge needs to be improved in order to improve attitude and action with counseling or books that are easy to be understood about the importance of vitamin D

Synergistic effect of 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 and 17β-estradiol on osteoblast differentiation of pediatric MSCs

Vitamin D is essential for mineral homeostasis and contributes to bone metabolism by stimulating osteoblast differentiation of marrow stromal cells (MSCs). In this study, we used MSCs from pre-pubertal girls and boys to test the hypothesis that 1α,25(OH)2D and 17β-estradiol have synergistic effects on these MSCs, and what mechanism is involved. With IRB approval, we isolated MSCs from discarded excess iliac marrow graft from children undergoing alveolar cleft repair. Plasma was available from 8 female (9.3 ± 0.2 years) and 8 male (9.6 ± 0.1 years) subjects for hormone assays [25(OH)D, total testosterone, 17β-estradiol, estrone, DHEA-S, Growth Hormone, IGF-I]. RT-PCR was used for gene expression. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity was used to measure osteoblast differentiation at day 7; alizarin red was used to measure matrix mineralization at day 21. All subjects were pre-pubertal based on their hormone levels. Serum 25(OH)D levels ranged from 13.1 to 26.4 ng/mL, with 75% below 20 ng/mL. Constitutive gene expression of VDR and ERα, β varied from subject to subject with no association with sex or serum chemistries. In osteoblastogenic medium, 1α,25(OH)2D3 (10 nM) increased ALP activity by 36% (p < 0.05) in MSCs; 10 nM of E2 was not stimulatory but the combination of 1α,25(OH)2D3 and E2 increased ALP 151% (p < 0.05 vs. control) and by 84.5% (p < 0.05 vs. 1α,25(OH)2D3 alone). The combination of 1α,25(OH)2D3 and E2 significantly increased mineralization 11-fold, compared with either agent alone. Twenty-four hour treatment with 1α,25(OH)2D3 (10 nM) or E2 (10 nM) upregulated each other’s receptor by as much as 5.8-fold for ERα and 2.9-fold for the VDR. In summary, 1α,25(OH)2D3 stimulated osteoblast differentiation and matrix mineralization with MSCs from pre-pubertal subjects, with a synergistic effect of E2, mediated by upregulated receptor levels, at least in part. These studies add new information about the regulation of human osteoblast differentiation, effects of 1α,25(OH)2D3 and E2 on MSCs, and the importance of vitamin D for skeletal health.

Coverage of Vitamin A Supplementation among Under-Five Children in Hegarmanah Village, Jatinangor in August 2014

Background: The vitamin A supplementation program conducted every February and August aims to reduce children morbidity and mortality. Mother’s knowledge on the importance of vitamin A is crucial to succeeding this program. This study aimed to examine the coverage of the program among under-five children and the mother’s knowledge about vitamin A supplementation in Hegarmanah Village, Jatinangor in August 2014. Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study involving mothers of children aged 6−59 months in eight RWs in Hegarmanah Village. The mothers were interviewed to find out whether their children received vitamin A supplementation. Additional questionnaire-based data about mother’s knowledge on vitamin A was also collected. The subjects in this study were the mothers of 220 under-five children. Data collection was obtained by direct interviews with the mothers during their visit to the Puskesmas or during home visits to children who missed the Posyandu appointments. Results: Two hundred and fourteen (97.27%) children received vitamin A supplementation and only 6 (2.73%) did not. The questionnaires revealed that 94 children (96%) received vitamin A, while 4 (4%) did not. The mother’s level of knowledge in vitamin A was either poor (1%), moderate (37%), or good (62%). Conclusions: The coverage of vitamin A supplementation in Hegarmanah Village reaches 97.27% and the mother’s understanding about vitamin A is generally good. DOI: 10.15850/amj.v4n2.1079

The effects of vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy and maternal vitamin D levels on neonatal vitamin D levels and birth parameters

Objective: The current study aimed to measure the levels of vitamin 25(OH)D in pregnant women and in the umbilical cord blood of newborns and to evaluate the association of vitamin D levels with birth parameters.Methods: This cross-sectional analytic investigation was performed in 100 pregnant women at term and in 100 newborns born to these mothers. Plasma vitamin D level was measured and birth parameters of the babies were recorded.Results: Mean vitamin D levels in pregnant women and cord blood were 11.39 ± 6.24 ng/ml and 8.00 ± 4.95 ng/ml, respectively. Vitamin D levels were found to be higher in the women who had received vitamin D support during pregnancy (p < .001). Height (p = .004), head circumference (p = .003), and chest circumference (p = .005) of newborns born to mothers who had received vitamin D support were higher compared to non-receivers. Maternal vitamin D deficiency (<10 ng/ml) and insufficiency (10–30 ng/ml) was detected in 53.0% and 47.0% of the cases, respectively. None of the women had sufficient levels of vitamin D.Conclusions: This study established that vitamin D levels were low in maternal and cord blood in spite of the administration program of Ministry of Health in pregnant women. The importance of vitamin D supplementation should be explained to the pregnant women in each visit.

New Insights into Vitamin D and Autophagy in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases.

Vitamin D exerts an anti-inflammatory effect in both health and disease. The importance of vitamin D in protection against various inflammatory and metabolic diseases, including inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), has been discussed. Considerable data indicate a role for vitamin D in the activation of autophagy, an intracellular renewal system that maintains homeostasis by eliminating large protein aggregates and damaged organelles. Recent studies have demonstrated an intricate interplay between autophagy and the regulation of inflammation, suggesting that autophagy-modulating agents could be used to treat IBDs. This review focuses on the role and mechanisms of vitamin D in autophagy and the regulation of intestinal inflammation. Vitamin D shows promise for the prevention and amelioration of pathologic responses in IBD, an effect that is mediated, at least in part, by the induction and modulation of autophagy.

Vitamin D Awareness and Intake in Collegiate Athletes

Approximately 56% of athletes worldwide are vitamin D deficient which may negatively influence health and physical performance. Lack of knowledge about the importance of vitamin D may be contributing to the high prevalence of deficiency. PURPOSE: To assess vitamin D awareness in NCAA athletes and examine its association with total dietary vitamin D intake. METHODS: 52 women (mean ± SD: age = 20.0 ± 1.5 yr, 4 cross country, 4 golf, 8 hockey, 14 soccer, 6 softball, 8 swim and dive, 6 track and field, 2 tennis) and 29 men (age = 22.1 ± 1.9 yr, 4 baseball, 3 cross country, 9 football, 1 swim and dive, 7 track and field, 5 tennis) competing at the University of North Dakota completed an online survey between November 1, 2015 and January 30, 2016. Vitamin D awareness was assessed using five vitamin D-specific questions related to the following: 1) familiarity with vitamin; 2) concern about levels; 3) risk of deficiency; 4) importance for health; and 5) importance for physical performance. Responses were scored using a 5-point Likert Scale. Total dietary vitamin D intake was assessed using the vitamin D-specific Diet and Lifestyle Questionnaire. Spearman’s rank order correlation coefficients were used to evaluate the association between Likert scores for each awareness question and total dietary vitamin D intake. RESULTS: Overall, 21% of athletes reported “rarely” hearing anything about vitamin D. The majority of athletes responded that vitamin D “probably” or “definitely” will play a role in their health (88.9%) and physical performance (71.6%). However, only 23.4% and 28.4% of athletes reported concern for their vitamin D levels or believed they were at risk for deficiency, respectively. The RDA for vitamin D was met by 30% of women and 62% of men. Familiarity with vitamin D in women (r = 0.33, p = 0.02) and concern about vitamin D levels in men (r = 0.45, p = 0.02) were positively associated with total dietary vitamin D intake. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of collegiate athletes believed vitamin D plays a role in their health and physical performance; however, most expressed low concern for their vitamin D levels. Increased familiarity with vitamin D and concern for vitamin D levels were associated with increased total intake of vitamin D, and thus, interventions addressing these factors could reduce the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in athletes.

The Physiological/Pathophysiological Significance of Vitamin D in Cancer, Cardiovascular Disorders and Beyond.

Vitamin D, a molecular precursor of the potent steroid hormone calcitriol, has crucial functions and roles in physiology and pathophysiology. Tellingly, calcitriol has been shown to regulate various cellular signalling networks and cascades that have crucial role in cancer biology and diagnostics. Mounting lines of evidences from previous clinical and preclinical investigations indicate that the deficiency of vitamin D may contribute to the carcinogenesis risk. Concomitantly, recent reports suggested that significant reduction in the cancer occurrence and progression is more likely to appear after vitamin D supplementation. Furthermore, a pivotal role functioned by vitamin D in cardiovascular physiology indicates that the deficiency of vitamin D is significantly correlated with enhanced prevalence of stroke, hypertension and myocardial infarction. Notably, vitamin D status is more likely to be used as a lifestyle biomarker, since poor and unhealthy lifestyles are correlated with the deficiency of vitamin D, a feature which may result in cardiovascular complications. Moreover, recent reports revealed that the effect of vitamin D is to cover not only cardiovascular system but also skeletal system. Herein, we are highlighting the recent knowledge of vitamin D roles and functions with respect to pathophysiological disorders such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and debate the potential avails of vitamin D on slowing cancer, cardiovascular disease and RA progression. The findings of this review confirm that the importance of vitamin D metabolites or analogues which can provide a helpful platform to target some kinds of cancer, particularly when used in combination with existing therapies. Moreover, the correlation between vitamin D deficiencies with cardiovascular diseases and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) progression might suggest a pivotal role of vitamin D in either initiation or progression of these diseases.

Vitamina D şi efectele extrascheletice

Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin and a steroid hormone with endocrine, paracrine and autocrine actions. The two major forms are vitamin D2 (ergocalcifeol) and vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol), the active hormone being calcitriol. The importance of vitamin D and its metabolites lies in the key role in calcium homeostasis and bone metabolism but vitamin D also has extraskeletal effects, still incompletely understood. Vitamin D receptor (VDR) is ubiquitous in the body, the presence of VDR in multiple tissues suggesting a more general role of calcitriol. Vitamin D can regulate many cellular functions such as cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. Calcitriol exerts immunomodulating and antiproliferative effects and plays a potential role in the prevention and therapy of various cancers (breast, colorectal, prostate, thyroid), autoimmune diseases (rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis and type 1 diabetes, thyroid autoimmunity), obesity and also in cardiovascular, renal, maternal-fetal pathologies. Conclusions. The current studies bring increasingly more evidence about the benefits of vitamin D supplementation in extraskeletal pathology although there is no agreed protocol in this regard. However, these patients should be considered for adequate intake of vitamin D for the prevention, improving the evolution and the prognosis of their disease.

Epidemic of Vitamin D Deficiency and Its Management: Awareness among Indian Medical Undergraduates.

Vitamin D deficiency is prevalent across all age groups in epidemic proportions. The purpose of this study was to acquire a baseline assessment and create awareness among medical students regarding vitamin D. A cross-sectional, voluntary survey was conducted among undergraduate medical students. Data were collected using a questionnaire which assessed the level of knowledge students had with regard to where vitamin D comes from, what it does for health, how much is recommended, factors that affect its levels, and deficiency management. Majority of students were unaware that vitamin D deficiency has attained epidemic proportions. Though bone and skeletal disorders as a complication of vitamin D deficiency were known, a large number were unaware of systemic consequences (diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases, and cancers). Only one-third of respondents were aware of duration and timing of sun exposure required for adequate serum vitamin D levels. However, we observed lack of awareness among students regarding the various biochemical forms, dose, and duration of vitamin D supplementation for treatment of nutritional deficiency. Our study highlighted a lack of knowledge about the importance of vitamin D, worldwide prevalence of vitamin D deficiency, and its management among medical students. Promoting vitamin D health awareness, if replicated across populations, could lead to positive health outcomes globally.

Serum Vitamin D Status and Outcome in Critically Ill Children.

Background:Vitamin D is a pleiotropic hormone essential for optimal health. Critical illness in children is a major cause of significant health-care utilization and mortality around the world. The association of Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) in critically ill adults has been well-studied, in comparison, the importance of Vitamin D in pediatric critical illness has been much less studied.Aim and Objectives:This study aimed to assess Vitamin D status and its determinants in patients admitted to a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) in North of Turkey. We also investigated the association between Vitamin D status and clinical outcomes.Materials and Methods:All patients aged 1 month to 18 years admitted to the PICU of a tertiary care hospital who had levels of 25-hydroxy Vitamin D available within 24 h of admission were included in this retrospective study. VDD was defined as <20 ng/mL levels.Results:VDD was observed in 120 (58.5*) children. In multivariable linear regression model, only identified patient age and winter season as statistically associated with VDD. Vitamin D deficient patients were older and heavier and were more likely to receive catecholamine. There was no association between Vitamin D deficiency and other illness severity factors including mortality.Conclusions:Hypovitaminosis D occurrence was high in critically ill children and was associated with higher vasopressor requirement but not with other markers of illness severity including mortality.

Influence of vitamin D signaling on hormone receptor status and HER2 expression in breast cancer.

Breast cancer is a significant global public health issue. It is the leading cause of death among women around the world, with an incidence increasing annually. In recent years, there has been more and more information in the literature regarding a protective role of vitamin D in cancer. Increasingly preclinical and clinical studies suggest that vitamin D optimal levels can reduce the risk of breast cancer development and regulate cancer-related pathways. In this review, we focus on the importance of vitamin D in breast cancers, discussing especially the influence of vitamin D signaling on estrogen receptor and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), two major biomarkers of breast cancer today. We discuss the possibility of actual and future targeted therapeutic approaches for vitamin D signaling in breast cancer.

Vitamin D intake in children aged 0-4: A comparison of cultural and motivational beliefs between native and Islamic parents

Vitamin D is very important for children in order to strengthen bones and teeth and to prevent some types of cancer and both diabetes type I and II later in life. The Dutch Health Council therefore advices to provide children aged 0-4 with an additional 10 mcg of vitamin D on a daily basis, preferably via supplements. Great sources of vitamin D are sunlight, fatty fish, eggs and vitamin D fortified foods like infant milk and dairy for children. The importance of vitamin D is not only emphasized by The Dutch Health Council but also via child health centers and on the internet. The compliance, nevertheless, is not optimal, especially amongst Islamic children which results in an insufficient intake of vitamin D by two third of Islamic children. This study aimed at exploring religious and motivational beliefs regarding vitamin D intake. It was expected Islamic religion and a bad motivation to provide sufficient vitamin D would be important determinants of bad compliance. This thesis had an explorative-observational character and a qualitative research design was practiced. A semi-structured questionnaire was chosen to investigate the differences in beliefs. Ten native and five Islamic mothers participated in an individual interview. In order to structure the audio-taped interviews ‘free nodes’ were developed in the coding programme Nvivo. The ‘free nodes’ were based on the concepts of the theoretical framework. Examples of the ‘free nodes’ were ‘knowledge of advantages’, ‘severity of insufficient consumption’ and ‘religious beliefs’. The tree map retrieved from Nvivo showed the different beliefs per concept of the questionnaire and improved the comparison. Both groups had limited knowledge about the (natural) sources of vitamin D and most participants were not able to mention health benefits. Islamic participants used sunscreen less often than native participants did because of less fear of sunburn and skin cancer. Islamic participants indicated Islamic beliefs did not reject the provision of supplements, fortified foods or sunlight exposure to children. Both groups mentioned to provide their child(ren) with any kind of fortified food although some participants rejected the great amounts of sugar in dairy for children a preferred low-sugar dairy without added vitamin D. The main difference in beliefs regarding vitamin D intake between native and Islamic mothers is related to the high frequency of sunscreen and greater feelings of anxiety and guilt if child(ren) would be unprotected amongst the native mothers. Islamic beliefs could justify the consumption of supplements; fortified foods and exposure to sunlight in order produce vitamin D. The limited level of knowledge about the sources and effects of sufficient vitamin D intake could be a reason for improvement of the communication and information on vitamin D provided in a child health center. This investigation could be improved by a focus group interview in order to stimulate discussion and furthermore be complemented by a quantitative questionnaire to gain more information about the amounts and frequencies of vitamin D consumption and sunscreen use.

ДЕФІЦИТ ВІТАМІНУ D І ВАГІТНІСТЬ.

У статті наведені дані щодо сучасних поглядів на роль вітаміну D у забезпеченні різноманітних функцій організму і, зокрема, ролі дефіциту вітаміну D у розвитку ускладнень вагітності. Показано багатогранність функцій вітаміну D та вплив його дефіциту на низку акушерських і перинатальних ускладнень. Вказано на необхідність скринінгового цілеспрямованого обстеження вагітних на вміст вітаміну D у сироватці крові, що дозволить проводити вчасну корекцію та попередити ускладнення.

Elevated vitamin E content improves all-trans β-carotene accumulation and stability in biofortified sorghum

Micronutrient deficiencies are common in locales where people must rely upon sorghum as their staple diet. Sorghum grain is seriously deficient in provitamin A (β-carotene) and in the bioavailability of iron and zinc. Biofortification is a process to improve crops for one or more micronutrient deficiencies. We have developed sorghum with increased β-carotene accumulation that will alleviate vitamin A deficiency among people who rely on sorghum as their dietary staple. However, subsequent β-carotene instability during storage negatively affects the full utilization of this essential micronutrient. We determined that oxidation is the main factor causing β-carotene degradation under ambient conditions. We further demonstrated that coexpression of homogentisate geranylgeranyl transferase (HGGT), stacked with carotenoid biosynthesis genes, can mitigate β-carotene oxidative degradation, resulting in increased β-carotene accumulation and stability. A kinetic study of β-carotene degradation showed that the half-life of β-carotene is extended from less than 4 wk to 10 wk on average with HGGT coexpression.

The importance of vitamin D: Looking beyond bones

Up to a third of children aged 4 to 10 years and approximately 40% of adolescents have low vitamin D levels. As a result, rickets and other skeletal problems linked to vitamin D deficiency seem to be re-emerging. Meanwhile, biologists increasingly recognise that vitamin D has numerous roles beyond bone metabolism and calcium homoeostasis. Indeed, low levels may predispose to several chronic conditions, including osteoporosis, diabetes, some cancers, as well as certain cardiovascular, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis. Against this background, NICE suggests that people working in nurseries, schools and children's centres should ‘raise awareness of the importance of vitamin D supplements among the local population’.

Metabolomics analysis of serum 25-hydroxy-vitamin D in the Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention (ATBC) Study.

Vitamin D has been discussed in the context of cardiovascular disease, cancer, bone health and other outcomes. Epidemiological studies have reported on the importance of vitamin D in cancer prevention and treatment. The discovery of vitamin D-associated metabolites through agnostic metabolomics analyses offers a new approach for elucidating disease aetiology and health-related pathway identification. Baseline serum 25-hydroxy-vitamin D [25(OH)D] and 940 serum metabolites were measured in 392 men from eight nested cancer case-control studies in the Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention Study of Finnish male smokers (aged 50-69 years). The metabolomic profiling was conducted using mass spectrometry. We used linear regression to estimate the standardized beta-coefficient as the effect metric for the associations between metabolites and 25(OH)D levels. A majority of the metabolites associated with 25(OH)D were of lipid origin, including 3-carboxy-4-methyl-5-propyl-2-furanpropanoic acid (CMPF) [beta-estimate 0.38 per 1 standard deviation (SD) increment], stearoyl-arachidonoyl-glycerophosphoethanolamine (GPPE) (-0.38 per SD) and two essential fatty acids: eicosapentaenoate (EPA; 0.17 per SD) and docosahexaenoate (DHA; 0.13 per SD). Each of these lipid metabolites was associated with 25(OH)D at the principal components corrected P-value of 3.09 × 10-4 CONCLUSIONS: The large number of metabolites, particularly lipid compounds, found to be associated with serum 25(OH)D provide new biological clues relevant to the role of vitamin D status and human health outcomes. The present findings should be re-examined in other metabolomics studies of diverse populations.

Serum vitamin C and spinal pain: a nationwide study.

Back pain brings about one of the heaviest burden of disease. Despite much research, this condition remains poorly understood, and effective treatments are frustratingly elusive. Thus, researchers in the field need to consider new hypotheses. Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is an essential cofactor for collagen crosslinks, a key determinant of ligament, tendon, and bone quality. Recent studies have reported high frequency of hypovitaminosis C in the general population. We hypothesized that lack of vitamin C contributes to poor collagen properties and back pain. We conducted this study to examine the associations between serum concentration of vitamin C and the prevalence of spinal pain and related functional limitations in the adult general population. This study used nationwide cross-sectional data from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003-2004. Data were available for 4742 individuals aged ≥20 years. Suboptimal serum vitamin C concentrations were associated with the prevalence of neck pain (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 1.5; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.2-2.0), low back pain (aOR: 1.3; 95% CI: 1.0-1.6), and low back pain with pain below knee (aOR: 1.3; 95% CI: 1.0-1.9) in the past 3 months, self-reported diagnosis of arthritis/rheumatism (aOR: 1.4; 95% CI: 1.2-1.7), and related functional limitations' score (adjusted difference of means [aB]: 0.03; 95% CI: 0.00-0.05). The prevalence of hypovitaminosis C in the general population is high. Our study shows associations between vitamin C and spinal pain that warrant further investigation to determine the possible importance of vitamin C in the treatment of back pain patients.

Vitamin D status among infants, children, and adolescents in southeastern China.

Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency are global public health problems, which must first be identified before they can be appropriately addressed, and yet information is strikingly lacking in most parts of the Asia and Pacific region. The study aimed to document and account for the actual situation in Wenzhou on the southeastern coast of China. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels among a total of 5845 infants, preschool children, school children, and adolescents aged 1-18 years were examined between March 2014 and February 2015. Their mean levels were (110.2±26.8), (77.5±25.7), (55.6±15.4), and (47.2±13.9) nmol/L, respectively. Older age groups were involved in increasing risk of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency. There were significant seasonal differences in its median level and prevalence of deficiency and insufficiency among school children and adolescents, but there was no significant sex difference in mean level and prevalence in any age group. Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency were prevalent among infants, preschool children, school children, and adolescents in Wenzhou. A vitamin D-rich diet and outdoor activities for 1-2 h per day under the natural conditions favorable to its endogeous synthesis do not suffice. The vitamin D status in Wenzhounese infants excelling over that in the US was the result of its supplementation thanks to the Chinese Medical Association recommendations, which should be consequently extended to more age groups. Life style shaped by socio-economic environments affects vitamin D status. Knowledge on the importance of vitamin D for healthy growth should be popularized.