The Vitamin D Cure Blog

Vitamin D plays an important role in the formation, function, and protection of the nervous system. Extremely low vitamin D levels are associated with depressed mood, chronic pain from osteomalacia, lower seizure thresholds, and dementia. In the September blog we present more observational data from large cohorts confirming some of these relationships.

It is important to understand the take home message of The Vitamin D Cure (last chapter). Vitamin D is not the answer to all health problems. It is a reflection of an unhealthy lifestyle. The book addresses this lifestyle by focusing on increased sun exposure, supplementation of vitamin D and some other targeted nutrients, dramatic dietary changes, and daily exercise to optimize vitamin D function and lower the risk of all the diseases associated with its deficiency. I cannot emphasize enough, the importance of embracing the entire package of change.

When I wake up at 6 am I do a 30 minute workout. This includes 15 pull ups (whole body), therapeutic band upper body work out, 40 pushups, 100 balance-extension lunges on each leg, recumbent air cycling with leg weights, 40 sit ups, 40 back ups (back extensions lying face down), and stretches. I drink a small pot of Japanese green tea, and then it’s off to work. NO breakfast or lunch 4 days a week. I work straight through the day with no breaks. I drink 2-3 glasses of water through the day. Three days a week I come home from the office and change into my running gear and run 2-3 miles. After my run I have a large meal of lean animal/marine protein and lots of green veggies. Typically I have 1-2 glasses of wine with this and 2 glasses of water. I take my supplements with this meal. My supplements include vitamin D, omega 3, magnesium, niacin, and probiotics.

My grandfather had dementia late in life. My grandmother died at 67 from a heart attack and my father has cardiovascular disease with only a low HDL as a risk factor. I am creating a lifestyle that I believe will prevent the outcomes I see in my family. I am sharing my personal lifestyle with the public because I think that all of us can benefit from these changes. I celebrated my birthday last month and I hope to celebrate many more, without cardiovascular disease and with a brain that works as it was designed to. I offer you the same lifestyle in The Vitamin D Cure.

Recipe of the Month
Remember our recipes are courtesy of Chef Kelly (kellychez@gmail.com). If you have recipes you would like to share or convert to follow the rules of The Vitamin D Cure send them to contact@thevitamindcure.com .

Salmon Citrus Salad

Serves 4

12 ounce salmon fillet with skin
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 cups canned chickpeas
2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
3 cups sliced cucumber
1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions
2 T. chopped basil
1/4 cup orange juice
3 tbs. white wine vinegar
1/4 cup canola oil
2 tsp. brown sugar or a tablespoon of local honey
1 tsp. dijon
1 tsp. fresh orange zest
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper
4 cups mixed greens (collards, kale, spinach and/or romaine)

Preheat broiler. Place salmon skin-side down on a nonstick broiler pan. Sprinkle with pepper. Place 4 inches from heat and broil 6-8 or until fish just flakes when tested with a fork. Drizzle lemon juice over salmon.

Meanwhile, combine beans, tomatoes, cucumber, scallions, basil and dressing in a large bowl; toss to coat.

Combine orange juice through garlic in a jar and shake until combined; season with salt and pepper to taste.

Next, cut salmon into 1-inch chunks and add to the bowl; toss gently to combine.

Transfer mixture to 4 individual plates, placing on top of mixed greens.

Vitamin D in the News

Serum vitamin D and the risk of Parkinson disease. Arch Neurol. 2010 Jul;67(7):808-11.

This study was based on the Mini-Finland Health Survey, which was conducted from 1978 to 1980, with Parkinson disease occurrence follow-up through the end of 2007. During the 29-year follow-up period, 50 Parkinson disease cases occurred. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level was determined from frozen samples stored at baseline. 3173 men and women, aged 50 to 79 years and free of Parkinson disease at baseline were included. RESULTS: There was a 67% reduction in risk for Parkinson disease with the highest vitamin D levels compared to the lowest after adjustment for sex, age, marital status, education, alcohol consumption, leisure-time physical activity, smoking, body mass index, and month of blood draw (≤ 11.2 ng/mL vs. ≥22.8 ng/mL in men. ≤10 ng/mL vs. ≥20 ng/mL in women).

Vitamin D and risk of cognitive decline in elderly persons. Arch Intern Med. 2010 Jul 12;170(13):1135-41. Public Health and Epidemiology Group, Peninsula Medical School, University of Exeter, Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, Exeter EX2 5DW, England.

The InCHIANTI population-based study conducted in Italy between 1998 and 2006 with follow-up assessments every 3 years looked at 858 adults 65 years or older who completed interviews, cognitive assessments, and medical examinations and provided blood samples. Cognitive decline was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and substantial decline was defined as 3 or more points. The Trail-Making Tests A and B were also used. RESULTS: The multivariate adjusted relative risk (95% confidence interval [CI]) of substantial cognitive decline on the MMSE in participants who were severely serum 25(OH)D deficient (levels <25 nmol/L) in comparison with those with sufficient levels of 25(OH)D (>/=75 nmol/L) was 1.60 (95% CI, 1.19-2.00). Multivariate adjusted random-effects models demonstrated that the scores of participants who were severely 25(OH)D deficient declined by an additional 0.3 MMSE points per year more than those with sufficient levels of 25(OH)D. The relative risk for substantial decline on Trail-Making Test B was 1.31 (95% CI, 1.03-1.51) among those who were severely 25(OH)D deficient compared with those with sufficient levels of 25(OH)D. No significant association was observed for Trail-Making Test A. CONCLUSION: Low levels of vitamin D were associated with substantial cognitive decline in the elderly population studied over a 6-year period, which raises important new possibilities for treatment and prevention.

Vitamin D Success Story
Please share your successes at success@thevitamindcure.com or online at Amazon. Your success story has a powerful impact on motivating others to change their lifestyle.

The Vitamin D Cure will soon appear in the Korean language published by William Books. The book will be marketed to Korean physicians.

See an interview with Dr. Dowd by the Detroit Free Press at

The Vitamin D Cure is a breakthrough self-help book that takes the most recent scientific ideas and provides a practical program to promote the reader’s health. Here is some of what the Vitamin D Cure provides:

• Explains how vitamin D works in health and how deficiency causes disease.
• Recommends routine measurement of vitamin D levels for health screening.
• Tables help calculate accurate vitamin D replacement using your weight.
• Provides a single table to estimate safe unprotected sun exposure using the UV index.
• Promotes a Paleolithic diet that balances acid-base by emphasizing adequate lean protein from animals and fish combined with generous vegetable matter. (Tables and worksheets)
• Targets supplementation of vitamin D, omega 3 fats, and magnesium.
• Describes exercises to optimize vitamin D metabolism, weight loss, and quality of life.

The Vitamin D Cure introduces the importance of vitamin D and diet as EPIGENETIC influences on the risk for disease as an older child and adult.

The Vitamin D Cure is the first book that emphasizes the importance of vitamin D and diet in altering the development of our MICROBIOTA. These are the bacteria in our colon that shape our growth and development.

I encourage the reader to explore all the nooks and crannies in this book. Take out your highlighter and mark it up and write in the margins. That’s what paper books are for. You will find that this book is packed with information. The references online are organized by chapter and many are linked to full text through PubMed. Take advantage of these links, they are your tax dollars at work.

Recipe of the Month
Remember our recipes are courtesy of Chef Kelly (kellychez@gmail.com). If you have recipes you would like to share or convert to follow the rules of The Vitamin D Cure send them to contact@thevitamindcure.com or post them as comments on the blog.

Mixed Herb Greens with Grilled Chicken, Fresh Raspberries, Pistachios and Balsamic Vinaigrette
Serves 4

4 chicken breasts (about 4 oz. each)
Fresh lemon slices & Pepper
8 cups mixed greens with herbs
1 cup fresh raspberries
1/2 cup pistachios, chopped
1 small red onion, sliced thin
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. honey
3/4 cup olive or canola oil

Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Season chicken breasts with fresh squeezed lemon juice and pepper and grill about 4 minutes a side or until juices run clear. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes then slice.

In a large serving bowl put the mixed greens. Next evenly sprinkle the raspberries, pistachios, and red onion. Top salad with sliced chicken.

In a small food processor place the balsamic vinegar, garlic, Dijon and honey; pulse a few times. With the machine running, slowly drizzle in the olive or canola oil until it has all been incorporated. Season with lemon juice and pepper. Drizzle over salad and serve.

Vitamin D in the News

Is casual exposure to summer sunlight effective at maintaining adequate vitamin D
status? No

A study from the UK shows that current advice about modest sun exposure during the summer months does little in the way of boosting overall 25(OH)D levels. Moreover, they comment that failure to understand the nature of human exposure to sunlight leads to misguided advice concerning the sun exposure necessary for an adequate vitamin D status. See the sun exposure tool on The Vitamin D Cure website to calculate accurate exposure times based on real time UV index data.

Photodermatol Photoimmunol Photomed. 2010 Aug;26(4):172-6.

A study published last month verified this by exposing volunteers to 1.3 erythemal dose of simulated sun apparently only 13 minutes of exposure three times a week during the winter at 53 degrees north latitude. After 6 weeks of this exposure 74% of the volunteers were still deficient. Only 26% of the volunteers had vitamin D levels above 32 ng/mL, which is the cut off for normal.

This tells us that 13 minutes of sun wearing T-shirt and shorts 3 times a week is not enough sun exposure to raise vitamin D levels into the normal range. As we recommend in the Vitamin D Cure, 50% of skin exposure or more is necessary and now more than 3 exposures a week appear to be necessary for sunlight to normalize vitamin D levels in the short summer of the UK. Over exposure becomes a concern with longer times and more frequent exposures. The Vitamin D Cure provides an alternative to struggling for enough sun exposure. Supplementation is an easy and safe way to normalize your vitamin D levels. When combined with dietary and exercise recommendations in the Vitamin D Cure, your vitamin D system is sure to be optimized.

J Invest Dermatol. 2010 May;130(5):1411-8. Epub 2010 Jan 14. Photobiology Unit, Dermatological Sciences, School of Translational Medicine, University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Salford Royal NHS Foundation Hospital, Manchester, UK.

Vitamin D Success Story
Please share your successes at success@thevitamindcure.com or online at Amazon.
Your success story has a powerful impact on motivating others to change their lifestyle.

See my recent interview in the Detroit News.

When the leaves change colors the availability of ultraviolet light to make vitamin D (UVB) disappears till next spring. Your vitamin D level then begins to fall along with all the leaves on the deciduous trees. Ten weeks after peak fall colors your vitamin D level is about half what it was at the end of summer. For me hear in Michigan (42° N) that is about Christmas time or New Year’s. For those of you who live in the southern part of the United States or below 35° N your vitamin D may never fall by half because your winter is not 10 weeks long. The only sources of vitamin D during winter are fat stores and supplements.

Mother Nature intended for us to burn most of our fat stores over the winter due to less food availability. Our Western lifestyles have us typically eating more food through the end of year holidays. So rather than liberating stored vitamin D by burning fat, we are increasing fat volume and retaining vitamin D in fat. If there were ever an appropriate use of fasting it would be from Thanksgiving through Easter. We should eat less in these winter months not more.

Moderate to intense physical activity also stimulates fat burning and will liberate vitamin D from fat stores. Maintaining a routine of this type of activity has been shown in CDC data to translate into significantly higher vitamin D levels. So follow the diet in the Vitamin D Cure year round and establish a daily routine of moderate physical activity.

Remember low vitamin D levels in the winter depress your mood and your immune system. So beat those winter blues and stop all those flu viruses with the Vitamin D Cure.

Recipe of the Month
Remember our recipes are courtesy of Chef Kelly (kellychez@gmail.com). If you have recipes you would like to share or convert to follow the rules of The Vitamin D Cure send them to contact@thevitamindcure.com .

Broiled Spiced Salmon with Roasted Winter Squash & Fennel
Serves 4

For the vegetables:
• 1-1 ½ pound butternut squash, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, halved crosswise, then cut lengthwise into 3/4-inch-wide wedges
• 1 fennel bulb, trimmed, cut lengthwise into 1-inch-wide wedges
• 1 large onion, root end left intact, then cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch-wide wedges
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric

For the Salmon:
• 4 Salmon fillets (4-6 oz. each)
• 1 Tbsp. reserved spice mixture from vegetables
• Salt & Pepper
• Olive oil

1. Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 450°F.
2. Combine squash, fennel, and onion on heavy large rimmed baking sheet. Add oil and toss to coat. Mix all spices in small bowl to blend, reserve 1 Tbsp. for Salmon. Sprinkle spice mixture over vegetables and toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt and generous amount of pepper.
3. Roast until vegetables are tender and browned, turning once, about 45 minutes. Turn oven to broil.
4. For the salmon, foil line and spray a broil pan with nonstick spray.
5. Place salmon fillets on pan and drizzle with oil, season with salt and pepper and evenly sprinkle 4 fillets with reserved spice mixture.
6. Broil for 5 to 7 minutes or until fish flakes easily.
7. Serve over top roasted vegetables.

Vitamin D in the News

Vitamin D has profound and multiple effects on the immune system. This is particularly true when it comes to your response to infections. We know how it affects our response to tuberculosis. The effects of vitamin D on our response to viruses like the flu are a bit less clear. Here is an excellent review of the data that is our there.

Vitamin D for treatment and prevention of infectious diseases: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Endocr Pract. 2009 Jul-Aug;15(5):438-49.
Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30030, USA.
OBJECTIVE: To review the existing human controlled intervention studies of vitamin D as adjunctive therapy in settings of infection and provide recommendations for design and implementation of future studies in this field on the basis of the evidence reviewed. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review of randomized controlled clinical trials that studied vitamin D for treatment or prevention of infectious diseases in humans. Studies from 1948 through 2009 were identified through search terms in PubMed and Ovid MEDLINE. RESULTS: Thirteen published controlled trials were identified by our search criteria. Ten trials were placebo controlled, and 9 of the 10 were conducted in a rigorous double-blind design. The selected clinical trials demonstrated substantial heterogeneity in baseline patient demographics, sample size, and vitamin D intervention strategies. Serious adverse events attributable to vitamin D supplementation were rare across all studies. On the basis of studies reviewed to date, the strongest evidence supports further research into adjunctive vitamin D therapy for tuberculosis, influenza, and viral upper respiratory tract illnesses. In the selected studies, certain aspects of study design are highlighted to help guide future clinical research in the field. CONCLUSION: More rigorously designed clinical trials are needed for further evaluation of the relationship between vitamin D status and the immune response to infection as well as for delineation of necessary changes in clinical practice and medical care of patients with
Vitamin D deficiency in infectious disease settings.

Vitamin D Success Story
Please share your successes at success@thevitamindcure.com or online at Amazon. Your success story has a powerful impact on motivating others to change their lifestyle.

Hi,
I am a Registered Nurse working in the City of London. As I live in rural Essex, I commute daily in to London. Reading my newspaper on the train a few weeks ago I came across an article on Vit. D. This seemed interesting so I ordered Dr. Dowd’s book.

On reading this book I realized that I ticked all the boxes of symptoms being Vitamin D deficient. I have weak muscles/aches/not much strength, and always struggle when I went to a Gym. I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia around 10 years ago, which settled but I always feel fatigued etc… I lead a very busy life working full time in London as a Registered Nurse. You wouldn’t know that I have discomfort as I just get on with it.

A colleague took some blood and my level of Vit. D was 31 nmol/L range from out lab is 75 - 200 nmol/L. Magnesium level is 0.84 range from our lab is 0.65 - 1.05. I put myself on ‘Life Extention’ 1000iu x 2 daily from Victoria Health and Magnesium. I am trying to change my diet which was mostly vegetarian.

By the way I am Scottish….so not much sun in my life when I was growing up. I am going to keep to this regime and will let you know the outcome. So glad I came across the article and the book which will be useful for my colleagues and patients. I have ordered a couple of copies of the book to give to a couple of my doctor colleagues.

Regards,
Lorna.

Recipe of the Month
Remember our recipes are courtesy of Chef Kelly (kellychez@gmail.com). If you have recipes you would like to share or convert to follow the rules of The Vitamin D Cure send them to contact@thevitamindcure.com .

Roasted Tomato and Vegetable Soup

Yield: 8 servings (1 1/3 cup)

Ingredients:
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, sliced
• 1 medium carrot, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 3 14-oz. cans chicken stock (low sodium)
• 2 cups butternut squash; peeled, seeded and cut into 1-in. pieces
• 1 14.5-oz. can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• 1 15-to 19-oz. can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced
• 1 cup small broccoli and/or cauliflower florets
• 1 Tbsp. fresh oregano, chopped
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper

Directions:
• In a 4-quart pot, cook onion, celery, carrot, and garlic in hot oil over medium heat until tender, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in chicken stock, squash, and undrained tomatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes covered.
• Add beans, zucchini, broccoli and/or cauliflower, oregano, salt and pepper; cook for another 5 minutes.
• Slow Cooker Option: Omit the olive oil and combine all ingredients except the zucchini, broccoli and/or cauliflower and fresh oregano in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours. Add zucchini, broccoli and/or cauliflower and fresh oregano and cook 30 minutes more on high.
• You can have a grilled chicken breast or nice piece of white fish with a bowl of this soup.

Vitamin D in the News

In the book we speculated that HIV transmission might be greater with lower vitamin D levels. This data from Africa and Harvard suggests that the spread of HIV in Africa particularly between mother and child is at least in part due to lower vitamin D levels. These data also suggest that our lifestyles that lead to low vitamin D levels and malnutrition are facilitating another epidemic, HIV/AIDS.

High frequency of vitamin D deficiency in ambulatory HIV-Positive patients.AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses. 2009 Jan;25(1):9-14.
Infectious Disease Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA.

Several reports have suggested an increased prevalence of osteopenia and osteoporosis in HIV-infected individuals. Vitamin D deficiency may be a risk factor for osteoporosis and bone fractures. These researchers determined the prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency in an outpatient HIV clinic in Boston. They collected serum levels of 25-OH vitamin D and evaluated calcium and vitamin D intake in adult HIV-positive outpatients during the winter and spring of 2005. Fifty-seven subjects were enrolled. The prevalence of moderate (< or = 20 and>10 ng/ml) and severe (< or =10 ng/ml) 25-OH vitamin D deficiency was 36.8% and 10.5%, respectively. Lower vitamin D intake was significantly associated with severe 25-OH vitamin D deficiency (p=0.01). Lactose intolerance tended to be associated with severe vitamin D deficiency (p=0.08). Antiretroviral use and low daily calcium intake were significantly associated with elevated parathyroid hormone levels (p=0.01 and 0.03, respectively). Vitamin D deficiency was frequent in ambulatory HIV-positive patients. HIV-infected individuals living in areas with low exposure to ultraviolet light during winter may benefit from vitamin D supplementation.

Perinatal Outcomes, Including Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV, and Child
Mortality and Their Association with Maternal Vitamin D Status in Tanzania.
J Infect Dis. 2009 Aug 12.
Departments of Epidemiology, Nutrition, Biostatistics, and Global Health and Population, Harvard School of Public Health, and Channing Laboratory, Department Of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Departments of Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, and Community Health, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dares Salaam, Tanzania.

Background. Vitamin D is a strong immunomodulator and may protect against adverse pregnancy outcomes, mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and child mortality. Methods. A total of 884 HIV-infected pregnant women who were participating in a vitamin supplementation trial in Tanzania were monitored to assess pregnancy outcomes and child mortality. Results. No association was observed between maternal vitamin D status and adverse pregnancy outcomes, including low birth weight and preterm birth. In multivariate models, a low maternal vitamin D level (<32 ng/mL) was associated with a 50% higher risk (95% confidence interval [CI], 2%-120%) of MTCT of HIV at 6 weeks, a 2-fold higher risk of MTCT of HIV through breast-feeding among children who were HIV uninfected at 6 weeks (95% CI, 1.08-3.82), and a 46% higher overall risk of HIV infection (95% CI, 11%-91%). Children born to women with a low vitamin D level had a 61% higher risk of dying during follow-up (95% CI, 25%-107%). Conclusions. If found to be efficacious in randomized trials, vitamin D supplementation could prove to be an inexpensive method of reducing the burden of HIV infection and death among children, particularly in resource-limited settings.

Vitamin D Success Story
Please share your successes at success@thevitamindcure.com or online at Amazon. Your success story has a powerful impact on motivating others to change their lifestyle.

Dr. Dowd,

First I’d like to say that your book has made quite an impact on my life. Because I have a sun-sensitive porphyria I have always avoided sunlight, but over the years that led to constant battles with viruses, anemia, and eventually heart failure and cancer. I became convinced that many of my problems were related to a vitamin D deficiency so I had my blood checked and sure enough I was deficient in spite of excellent DEXA scans.

I tried various levels of exposure to see what I could tolerate without triggering a porphyria attack and have come up with 15 minutes between 9 and 10am MST (Colorado) or after 4pm. I’ve done this three times a week most of the summer and my recent kidney scan showed that my cancer had decreased in size. My overall health is getting much better including my heart and lung function and viral load (I had viral pneumonia, CMV and Parvo all at one time!). Thanks so much for your work.

Janet, Colorado Springs

Many patients with diseases that prevent them from getting adequate sun exposure are vitamin D deficient. Supplementation using the tables in The Vitamin D Cure is safe, convenient, and inexpensive

July 2009

Just a comment on health policy: There is no better time than now to write your congress persons about healthcare reform. The key word is healthcare, note; it does not say health insurance reform. Giving more money in the form of premiums to health insurance companies does not make anybody healthier, it simply costs money. Insurances are in the business of holding on to their money (actually your money). We need HEALTHCARE reform. This would imply making Americans healthier. How much do you think flood insurance costs in Scottsdale, Arizona? You probably can’t sell it to anybody because it never floods. But, I’ll bet it’s really inexpensive. Now, if everybody were as healthy as Jack LaLanne is at 95 how expensive would health insurance be? It would be really inexpensive. How much of the health care system do you think Jack has used over the years? Almost none. Healthcare crisis solved. We all need to do our part to live a healthy lifestyle through diet, exercise, and some targeted supplements. Anything that can incentivize this behavior and penalize unhealthy behavior will lower costs and improve the health of Americans. The taxes and public health campaigns against cigarette smoking are a testament to the success of this approach. Prevention is the only affordable solution to this healthcare crisis. The Vitamin D Cure is a step in that direction.

Don’t forget to use the UV Calculator on the website this summer for safe sun exposure http://www.thevitamindcure.com/calculator/

Recipe of the Month
Remember our recipes are courtesy of Chef Kelly (kellychez@gmail.com). If you have recipes you would like to share or convert to follow the rules of The Vitamin D Cure send them to contact@thevitamindcure.com .

Roasted Salmon & Bok Choy with Roasted Red Pepper Puree
Yield: 4 Servings

Ingredients:
• 3 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• 1-1 ½ lbs. Salmon Fillet, cut into 4 portions
• Salt & Pepper, to taste
• 1 ½ lb. Bok Choy, cut cross grain in ¼- ½ inch pieces
• ½ tsp. lemon zest, grated
• 6 oz. roasted red peppers, drained
• 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• 1 clove garlic
• Dash of Tabasco
• Salt & Pepper, to taste

Procedure
• Heat oven to 475 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Heat olive oil in a skillet large enough to hold fish in a single layer.
• Season fish with salt and pepper and place fish, flesh-side down, in skillet and place in oven to roast for about 10 minutes, turning carefully once halfway through cooking time, until just cooked through.
• Remove salmon from the skillet; tent with foil.
• Add bok choy and lemon zest to skillet, stir to coat with pan’s oil. Place in oven 1 to 2 minutes, until leaves are wilted and stems are warmed through.
• To make puree, blend peppers, olive oil, garlic and Tabasco in a blender until smooth; season with salt and pepper to taste.
• To serve, divide greens on four plates; top each with a piece of fish. Finish with the puree over the fish.

Vitamin D in the News

Effect of vitamin D on blood pressure’ a systematic review and meta-analysis.
J Hypertens. 2009 Jul 7.
Section of Ageing and Health, Scotland Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Centre for Cardiovascular and Lung Biology, Division of Medical Sciences, University of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, Dundee, Scotland.

Vitamin D insufficiency has been linked to hypertension and cardiovascular events in observational studies. It is unclear whether vitamin D supplementation can reduce blood pressure, and, if so, by how much. METHODS: Researchers performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine whether vitamin D reduces blood pressure. Interventions included activated vitamin D, unactivated vitamin D2 and D3 and ultraviolet B radiation. RESULTS: Eleven randomized, controlled trials fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Studies were small and of variable methodological quality. Mean baseline blood pressure was more than 140/90 mmHg in eight studies. Meta-analysis of these eight studies showed a non-significant reduction in systolic blood pressure in the vitamin D group compared with placebo [-3.6 mmHg, 95% confidence interval (CI) -8.0 to 0.7]. A small, statistically significant reduction was seen in diastolic blood pressure (-3.1 mmHg, 95% CI -5.5 to -0.6). Subgroup analysis suggested that unactivated vitamin D produced a greater fall in systolic blood pressure than activated vitamin D (-6.2 mmHg, 95% CI -12.32 to -0.04, vs. +0.7 mmHg, 95% CI
-4.8 to 6.2). No reduction in blood pressure was seen in studies examining patients whose blood pressure was normal at baseline. CONCLUSION: The researchers found weak evidence to support a small effect of vitamin D on blood pressure in studies of hypertensive patients.

Chronic Tension-Type Headache With Vitamin D Deficiency: Casual or Causal Association?
Headache. 2009 Jul 8.
From the Department of Neurology, Medical College, Baroda, Gujarat, India; Department of Psychiatry, Medical College, Baroda, Gujarat, India

The prevalence of tension-type headache and vitamin D deficiency are both very high in the general population. The inter-relations between the two have not been explored in the literature. These researchers report 8 patients with chronic tension-type headache and vitamin D deficiency severe enough to cause osteomalacia (a bone disease caused by severe vitamin D deficiency). All the patients responded poorly to conventional therapy for tension headache. The headache and osteomalacia of each of the 8 patients responded to vitamin D and calcium supplementation. The improvement in the headache was much earlier than the improvements in the symptom complex of osteomalacia.

This phenomenon is not common in European Americans but in peoples of color with much lower vitamin D levels headache is likely a common symptom of vitamin D deficiency.

Replete vitamin D stores predict reproductive success following in vitro fertilization.
Kocaeli University, School of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kocaeli, Turkey.

OBJECTIVE: The researchers wanted to determine whether 25OH-D levels in the follicular fluid (FF) of infertile women undergoing in-vitro fertilization (IVF) were related with IVF cycle parameters or outcome, hypothesizing that vitamin D in body fluids are reflective of vitamin repletion status. PATIENT(S): Eighty-four infertile women undergoing IVF. INTERVENTION(S): Follicular fluid from follicles >/=14mm; serum (n = 10) and FF levels of 25OH-D. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Clinical pregnancy (CP), defined as evidence of intrauterine gestation sac on ultrasound, following IVF; IVF cycle parameters. RESULT(S): Serum and FF levels of 25OH-D were highly correlated (r = 0.94). In a predominantly Caucasian population (66%), significantly lower FF 25OH-D levels were noted in Black versus non-Black patients. Significant inverse correlations were seen between FF 25OH-D levels and body mass index (r = -0.25). Significantly higher cycle parameters (CP) and implantation rates were observed across 25th percentiles of FF 25OH-D; patients achieving CP following IVF (n = 26) exhibited significantly higher FF levels of 25OH-D. Multivariable logistic regression analysis confirmed FF 25OH-D levels as an independent predictor to success of an IVF cycle; adjusting for age, body mass index, ethnicity, and number of embryos transferred, each ng/mL increase in FF 25OH-D increased the likelihood for achieving CP by 6%. CONCLUSION(S): Our findings that women with higher vitamin D level in their serum and FF are significantly more likely to achieve CP following IVF-embryo transfer are novel. A potential for benefit of vitamin D supplementation on treatment success in infertile patients undergoing IVF is suggested and merits further investigation.

This is consistent with a similar smaller study that identified high rates of vitamin D deficiency in infertile women with polycystic ovarian disease. And, that replacement of vitamin D increased the rate of successful pregnancy in this same population.

Vitamin D Success Story
Please share your successes at success@thevitamindcure.com or online at Amazon. Your success story has a powerful impact on motivating others to change their lifestyle.

The mother of a patient of mine shared this with me and also posted it on Amazon. Don’t forget your children when thinking about vitamin D.

“My son was lucky to be referred to Dr. Dowd when he was 13 years old. Dr. Dowd discovered he didn’t have rheumatoid arthritis (like his MD has suspected) or even “growing pains” like I suspected, but had low levels of vitamin D. After 4-6 weeks of vitamin D supplements, all his joint pain was gone! In addition, he stays much healthier (colds, flu, etc.) and much to our surprise, the warts on his feet finally went away…after three different doctors and three different methods of treatment for the warts! “

“Having the opportunity to meet Dr. Dowd is amazing. He is so smart and able to explain the immune system and the role of vitamin D in language even my 13 year old son could understand. Three years later, and my son is still symptom free as long as he keeps taking the vitamin D.”