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Safety and Immunologic Effect of Low Dose Versus High Dose Vitamin D3 in RRMS
Johns Hopkins is currently recruiting RRMS patients as subjects for a study on Vit D. Wish I was closer so I could participate as I'm very interested in the potential effect of Vit D on this disease.
"The purpose of this study is to determine the safety and the immunologic effects of supplementation with low-dose and high-dose cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis."
http:// clinicaltrials.gov /ct2/show/NCT01024777?term=multiple+sclerosis&recr=Open&rank=2
"The purpose of this study is to determine the safety and the immunologic effects of supplementation with low-dose and high-dose cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis."
http:// clinicaltrials.gov /ct2/show/NCT01024777?term=multiple+sclerosis&recr=Open&rank=2
I believe this is true of all items merchandized as dietary supplements, patientX. The lack of consistency and regulations allows some good and some bad and some very bad things to be available OTC.
But what explains the discovery I made during a recent review of my personal prescription drug history? I found out that the 50,000 unit doses of prescription vitamin D I took for 8 weeks was in D2 form. Since D2 is almost surely less effective for humans than D3 at correcting severe deficits, it's no wonder my levels didn't rise significantly until I started taking OTC vitamin D3 4000 units a day.
As always, self education is an extremely valuable endeavor.
Mary
But what explains the discovery I made during a recent review of my personal prescription drug history? I found out that the 50,000 unit doses of prescription vitamin D I took for 8 weeks was in D2 form. Since D2 is almost surely less effective for humans than D3 at correcting severe deficits, it's no wonder my levels didn't rise significantly until I started taking OTC vitamin D3 4000 units a day.
As always, self education is an extremely valuable endeavor.
Mary
A little off-topic, but this was presented at last year's ACTRIMS meeting. May help explain why some have a hard time getting their vitamin D levels up:
--------------------------------------------------------
Vitamin D3 content in commercially available oral supplements
Christopher P. Eckstein, Veera Bandaru, Norman Haughey, Peter A.
Calabresi Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
Background: As the role of vitamin D in the immune system becomes better understood, oral supplementation for vitamin D deficiency is increasingly common in multiple sclerosis (MS) centers with many patients requiring high dose supplementation to reach adequate serum levels. However, given the wide variety of vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) supplements available and limited regulation within the nutritional supplement industry, the true vitamin D3 content of over-the-counter (OTC) supplements is a concern.
Objectives: To determine the vitamin D3 content in various OTC oral vitamin D3 supplements.
Methods: Various OTC vitamin D3 supplements ranging in dose from 400 IU to 10,000 IU were purchased at local and on-line retail pharmacies or nutrition stores. Vitamin D3 was extracted using ethanol extraction, and sample analysis was performed by liquid chromatography triple quadrupole electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (PE Sciex API 3000).
Results: Ten bottles from various brands with labeled doses ranging from 400 IU to 10,000 IU were tested. The mean cholecalciferol content among all samples was 33.5% of the labeled dose with a range of 0.236 to 81.7% (p<0.0001). Mean (SD) percent cholecalciferol content was higher for the low dose tablets when compared to high dose: 51.5% (44.6) for 400 IU (p=0.015), 34.1% (13.2) for 1,000 IU (p=0.0277), and 29.9% (41.4) for 10,000 IU tablets (p=0.0077).
Conclusions: Many OTC vitamin D3 supplements have significantly lower vitamin content than advertised, which may contribute to the difficulty for some patients to reach adequate serum vitamin D levels despite supplementation. This reflects the need for increased regulation of the vitamin industry.
--------------------------------------------------------
Vitamin D3 content in commercially available oral supplements
Christopher P. Eckstein, Veera Bandaru, Norman Haughey, Peter A.
Calabresi Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
Background: As the role of vitamin D in the immune system becomes better understood, oral supplementation for vitamin D deficiency is increasingly common in multiple sclerosis (MS) centers with many patients requiring high dose supplementation to reach adequate serum levels. However, given the wide variety of vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) supplements available and limited regulation within the nutritional supplement industry, the true vitamin D3 content of over-the-counter (OTC) supplements is a concern.
Objectives: To determine the vitamin D3 content in various OTC oral vitamin D3 supplements.
Methods: Various OTC vitamin D3 supplements ranging in dose from 400 IU to 10,000 IU were purchased at local and on-line retail pharmacies or nutrition stores. Vitamin D3 was extracted using ethanol extraction, and sample analysis was performed by liquid chromatography triple quadrupole electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (PE Sciex API 3000).
Results: Ten bottles from various brands with labeled doses ranging from 400 IU to 10,000 IU were tested. The mean cholecalciferol content among all samples was 33.5% of the labeled dose with a range of 0.236 to 81.7% (p<0.0001). Mean (SD) percent cholecalciferol content was higher for the low dose tablets when compared to high dose: 51.5% (44.6) for 400 IU (p=0.015), 34.1% (13.2) for 1,000 IU (p=0.0277), and 29.9% (41.4) for 10,000 IU tablets (p=0.0077).
Conclusions: Many OTC vitamin D3 supplements have significantly lower vitamin content than advertised, which may contribute to the difficulty for some patients to reach adequate serum vitamin D levels despite supplementation. This reflects the need for increased regulation of the vitamin industry.
That would be interesting DV, especially as it's being billed as a DEBATE to start with.
Sorry I didn't make it back here earlier. The 'bad press' Addi, came when the results of a joint US/Canadian study were released in the fall of 2010. Apparently, the study suggested that vitamin D in high doses doesn't actually have the beneficial effect on health (or in prevention of things like cardiac disease and cancer) that had been previously advertised.
In fact, the results suggested that high doses of vitamin D could actually be harmful. At the moment, I can't remember the specific mention of anything but kidney stone development as a potential harm.
Researchers were saying that adequate amounts of these nutrients could be obtained from eating the foods of a balanced diet and spending short amounts of time in the sun. I THINK they approved supplementation of up to 2000units of vitamin D and 2000mg of calcium per day even though they clearly preferred staying at levels just slightly above historic recommendations.
Naturally, there was then and continues to be debate about how true the findings are and how much they can be applied to a worldwide population that includes a wide variance of available sun and food nutrients.
Basically, it was yet another example of announcements to the public about how very sure researchers and medical professionals are about what is good for us that is subject to reversal at any given moment or whim. Sorry. That's my memory and experience revolting.
Mary
Sorry I didn't make it back here earlier. The 'bad press' Addi, came when the results of a joint US/Canadian study were released in the fall of 2010. Apparently, the study suggested that vitamin D in high doses doesn't actually have the beneficial effect on health (or in prevention of things like cardiac disease and cancer) that had been previously advertised.
In fact, the results suggested that high doses of vitamin D could actually be harmful. At the moment, I can't remember the specific mention of anything but kidney stone development as a potential harm.
Researchers were saying that adequate amounts of these nutrients could be obtained from eating the foods of a balanced diet and spending short amounts of time in the sun. I THINK they approved supplementation of up to 2000units of vitamin D and 2000mg of calcium per day even though they clearly preferred staying at levels just slightly above historic recommendations.
Naturally, there was then and continues to be debate about how true the findings are and how much they can be applied to a worldwide population that includes a wide variance of available sun and food nutrients.
Basically, it was yet another example of announcements to the public about how very sure researchers and medical professionals are about what is good for us that is subject to reversal at any given moment or whim. Sorry. That's my memory and experience revolting.
Mary
Univ. of Calgary is hosting a debate about Vit D this Tues. Wish it wasn't an 8 hr drive for me. Would love to hear about it if anyone reading this does attend.
http://www. ucalgary .ca/knes/news/vitd_ebate
How much is enough? The Vitamin D Debate
Join us on Tuesday, February 8th @ 2:00 pm in the Rosza Centre where the HOT topic of Vitamin D will be debated by a panel of experts from across Canada. Vitamin D has been tenuously linked to cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, multiple sclerosis and other conditions. So how much Vitamin D is optimal? Recently Health Canada has revised the daily recommended dosages yet experts in the area still have differing opinions. For event details see please go to: http://www.ucalgary.ca/usrp/upcoming_events
Everyone is welcome to join us for this lively debate! Admission is free. Reception to follow.
This event falls under the same umbrella as the Markin Undergraduate Student Research Program (USRP) in Health and Wellness which offers studentships of $6000 or $4000 twice yearly for undergraduate research projects. For Summer 2011 the application deadline is February 15, 2011.
Questions?
Ingrid Schmidt, Markin USRP Coordinator
Phone: 403.220.2278
Expert Panel Includes: Dr. David Hanley, University of Calgary, Dr. Glenville Jones, Queen’s University, Dr. Reinhold Vieth, University of Toronto and Dr. Stuart Wilkinson, a Calgary family medicine physician.
http://www. ucalgary .ca/knes/news/vitd_ebate
How much is enough? The Vitamin D Debate
Join us on Tuesday, February 8th @ 2:00 pm in the Rosza Centre where the HOT topic of Vitamin D will be debated by a panel of experts from across Canada. Vitamin D has been tenuously linked to cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, multiple sclerosis and other conditions. So how much Vitamin D is optimal? Recently Health Canada has revised the daily recommended dosages yet experts in the area still have differing opinions. For event details see please go to: http://www.ucalgary.ca/usrp/upcoming_events
Everyone is welcome to join us for this lively debate! Admission is free. Reception to follow.
This event falls under the same umbrella as the Markin Undergraduate Student Research Program (USRP) in Health and Wellness which offers studentships of $6000 or $4000 twice yearly for undergraduate research projects. For Summer 2011 the application deadline is February 15, 2011.
Questions?
Ingrid Schmidt, Markin USRP Coordinator
Phone: 403.220.2278
Expert Panel Includes: Dr. David Hanley, University of Calgary, Dr. Glenville Jones, Queen’s University, Dr. Reinhold Vieth, University of Toronto and Dr. Stuart Wilkinson, a Calgary family medicine physician.
I was taking 3000 IU a day of D3 per my old neuro's advice.
My new neuro had it dropped down to 2000 IU because he thought 3000 IU is too high.
It's interesting the different thoughts on it. But I think everything I've read has said the majority of those with MS have lower levels of D3 compared with the general population.
-Kelly
My new neuro had it dropped down to 2000 IU because he thought 3000 IU is too high.
It's interesting the different thoughts on it. But I think everything I've read has said the majority of those with MS have lower levels of D3 compared with the general population.
-Kelly
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