Increasing vitamin D intake could prevent 37,000 deaths annually and help taxpayers save billions
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CALGARY, Nov. 27, 2014 /CNW Telbec/ - New research finds that current national vitamin D intake recommendations are too low and that body weight must be taken into account to determine the appropriate vitamin D dose in any given individual. This is currently not the case, posing a serious Canadian public health issue with significant cost and health impacts.
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The impact of vitamin D deficiency is costing taxpayers billions"Vitamin D, the "sunshine vitamin", is very important to our health. It is used by nearly every cell in the body and has an effect on every system – it acts as a protector and regulator, and enhances the functioning of our body's systems to protect against disease. Simply put, optimizing vitamin D levels results in better health," stated Dr. David Hanley, Endocrinologist and Professor in the Departments of Medicine, Oncology, and Community Health Sciences at the University of Calgary.
Studies have found that if Canadians increased their intake of Vitamin D, the estimated death rate could fall by 37,000 deaths annually, representing 16.1% of annual deaths. In addition, the economic burden would decrease by 6.9% or $14.4 billion per year based on 2005 figures.[1]
Recommendations for vitamin D need to be re-evaluatedIn the newly published study "The importance of body weight for the dose response relationship of oral vitamin D supplementation and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D in healthy volunteers[2]" the recommended daily allowance (RDA) for vitamin D, 600 IU/d, was found to be much lower than the dose needed to achieve optimal vitamin D status when more than 20,000 measurements of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] were analyzed. The dose required for overweight or obese individuals to reach optimal 25(OH)D levels is actually 12,000-20,000 IU/d; 2-3 times higher than the amount needed by a normal weight individual, and 4-5 times higher than the tolerable upper level of intake currently recommended by Health Canada. Given the fact that two thirds of our population is overweight or obese, this has significant public health impact. Also, the study showed that vitamin D supplementation was safe up to 20,000 IU/d, even with normal weight.
"The public health and clinical implications of an error in the calculation of the recommended dietary allowance for Vitamin D are serious, particularly for residents of Canada," stated Dr. Paul Veugelers, Research Chair in Nutrition and Disease Prevention at the School of Public Health, University of Alberta and one of the authors of the new study.3 "Current public health targets are not being met. Many Canadians will still be vitamin D deficient or insufficient, even if they follow Health Canada's recommendation of 600 IU per day," he added.
"Canada's current approach to health must change from treating disease to optimizing health. This is the only way to prevent chronic illness. A proactive preventative approach increases health benefits for individuals and has cost-benefits for taxpayers and government. Based on these new findings we believe that it is imperative the Canadian guidelines need to be reviewed," stated Dr. Samantha Kimball, Director of Research for the Pure North S'Energy Foundation.
About Pure North S'Energy FoundationThe Pure North S'Energy Foundation is a chronic disease prevention program that uses nutritional supplements and is backed by research. We are Canada's largest primary prevention focused not-for-profit organization. Pure North evolved from an employee health and wellness program that was offered to employees of Canadian Natural Resources Limited, their families and contractors. It now operates as a separate foundation that has been expanded to include participants from the public and is offered at no charge to populations who are considered at-risk or vulnerable. Our mission is to give people the opportunity to "Feel Better and Live Longer."
[1] Grant et al. 2010. An estimate of the economic burden and premature deaths due to vitamin D deficiency in Canada. Molecular Nutrition and Food 54:1172-81.[2] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25372709 Ekwaru JP, Zwicker JD, Holic MF, Giovannucci E, Veugelers PJ (2014) The importance of Body Weight for the Dose Response Relationship of Oral Vitamin D Supplementation and Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D in Healthy Volunteers. PLoS ONE 9(11): e111265.doi:10.1371/journal.prone.01112653 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25333201 Veugelers PJ, Ekwaru JP. A statistical error in the estimation of the recommended dietary allowance for vitamin D. Nutrients. 2014 Oct 20;6(10):4472-5. doi: 10.3390/nu6104472.
SOURCE Pure North S'Energy Foundation
