Chronic illness link to lack of Vitamin D

OFTEN dubbed the sunshine vitamin, as it’s produced by our bodies when we’re exposed to the sun, Vitamin D has been causing excitement in the medical community this month.

Two pieces of research have linked low levels of the vitamin to ill health. One five year study claims Scotland’s poor health record is related to the country’s low levels of sunlight – and hence a lack of vitamin D. A second study claims low levels of the vitamin may contribute to chronic pain in women.

The author of the first report, London-based researcher and writer Dr Oliver Gillie, claims the link between a lack of vitamin D and poor health among the Scots is so compelling that he has called for ‘urgent’ Government moves to encourage the population to take a daily dose.

His study – Scotland’s Health Deficit: An Explanation and a Plan - builds on previous research into vitamin D deficiency, which had already established a link to higher rates of multiple sclerosis, diabetes, hypertension, arthritis, several cancers and cardiovascular disease.

Dr Gillie points out that not only does Scotland have some of the highest rates of these conditions in Europe – people die younger on average in Scotland than in almost any other western European nation – but vitamin D deficiency is twice as common in the Scots as in their neighbours in England.

His figures show that the difference in the amount of sunshine north and south of the Border is marked: Glasgow, for example, gets 400 hours less sun than London each year. He concludes that chronic illness north of the Border is linked to the resulting lack of vitamin D.

Dr Gillie has suggested that in addition to offering daily vitamin D supplements for the population, the Scottish Government should consider adding vitamin D supplements to foods such as bread, orange juice and milk.

Meanwhile the second study, by a team from London’s Institute of Child Health, has linked a lack of the vitamin to chronic pain in women.  

One in ten people in the UK are thought to be affected by chronic pain.

When studying 7,000 men and women aged 45 from England, Scotland and Wales the researchers found that, among the women, vitamin D levels appeared to play a part.

Those with a level of vitamin D thought to be necessary for good bone health had the lowest rates of chronic pain – just over eight per cent. Those with much lower levels of the vitamin had the highest rates of chronic pain – 14.4 per cent.

The researchers are now calling for further studies to see if vitamin D supplements could help prevent chronic pain. Vitamin D is also found in oily fish, egg yolks and margarine

Vitamin B12 may protect against memory loss & dementia

NEW research suggests that vitamin B12 may protect the brain from memory loss and dementia in old age.

Scientists from the University of Oxford found that people with lower levels of the vitamin were six times more likely to suffer from brain shrinkage – a condition strongly linked with a higher risk of developing dementia – than those with higher levels in their blood. There are 700,000 people living with dementia in the UK today, a figure predicted to double within a generation. One new case of the condition is currently diagnosed every 3.2 minutes.

‘Many factors that affect brain health are thought to be out of our control,’ says Anna Vogiatzoglou of the Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics at Oxford University. ‘But this study suggests that simply adjusting our diets to consume more vitamin B12 may be something we can easily adjust to prevent brain shrinkage and so perhaps save our memory. Research shows that vitamin B12 deficiency is a public heath problem, especially among the elderly, so more vitamin B12 intake could help reverse this problem.’

Vitamin B12 is found in meat, fish, fortified cereals and milk. Liver and shellfish are particularly rich sources.

During the study, which was supported by bodies including the Alzheimer’s Research Trust and the Medical Research Council, the scientists examined 107 apparently healthy people between the ages of 61 and 87. 

Those taking part were given brain scans, memory tests and physical examinations. The tests were then repeated five years later. Researchers also collected blood samples to measure vitamin B12 levels. Although none of those tested had a vitamin B12 deficiency there was still a marked difference in brain volume between those who had high levels of the vitamin and those who had lower levels.

Some studies suggest that two out of five people are deficient in vitamin B12. The problem is thought to be even more common among the elderly. The Oxford University study results were published this month (September 2008) in the respected journal Neurology.

A clinical trial is now planned to measure whether taking B vitamins, including B12, can slow brain shrinkage. Results from this study, part-funded by the Alzheimer’s Research Trust, are expected next year.