Introduction: Vitamin D deficiency is a worldwide public health problem. The objective of this survey was to assess the undergraduate students’ vitamin D status and knowledge about this vitamin. Materials and methods: An online multi-choice survey was designed and launched in Northern Poland (Gdańsk region). The first part of the survey assessed diet, supplementation, UV radiation exposure (UVE) and general health of respondents. The second part was a vitamin D knowledge test (vitamin D optimal level, deficiency-related diseases). 1766 student volunteers responded to the survey: 369 male and 1397 female. Data was divided according to the respondents’ sex and university affiliation. Appropriate parametric or non-parametric statistical tests were used with statistical significance set at p<0.05. Results: Regular consumption of vitamin D-rich food was high, except for fish (only 18; 22%). High number of participants did not declare any type of supplementation (43; 44%) and only occasionally were exposed to UV (77%; 80%). The most frequently recognized disease linked to vitamin D was osteoporosis. Medical University students obtained higher test scores (4,55), however this did not correlate with healthy vitamin D habits. Conclusion: Undergraduate medical and non-medical students have unsatisfactory vitamin D status and poor understanding of its function and impact on health, which implies the need for changes in the educational program.
Objectives. Recent epidemiological studies suggested an association between a poor vitamin D [25(OH)D] status, inflammatory mediators, and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We have recently proposed that pro-inflammatory interleukin 6 (IL-6) may represent a good marker for disease activity of RA. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between serum 25(OH)D levels and disease activity, joint damage, as well as serum IL-6 levels in a Polish RA population. Materials and Methods. Serum 25(OH)D levels were measured in 35 female RA patients and 38 age- and gender-matched healthy controls. Statistical correlations between 25(OH)D levels and the disease activity score 28 (DAS 28), joint damage based on the Steinbrocker criteria, as well as serum IL-6 levels were performed. Results. There was no statistically significant difference between levels of 25(OH)D in RA (16.89±8.57 ng/ml) and healthy controls (14.12±7.51 ng/ml), and the vitamin D deficiency (<20 ng/ml) was found in 71.43% of RA patients and 73.68 % of healthy controls. While vitamin D status did not correlate with DAS 28 (r=0.265, p=0.149) and joint damage based on the Steinbrocker criteria (r=0.367, p=0.065), a positive correlation between 25(OH)D and IL-6 (r=0.537, p=0.002) was observed in RA. Conclusion. Although further studies on a larger group of patients will be needed to confirm the data presented here, it seems that hypovitaminosis D is common in the RA patients and middle-aged non-RA healthy women in the Polish population. 25(OH)D levels were similar in the RA patients and age- and gender-matched healthy controls, and were not associated with joint damage and disease activity in patients.
Introduction Vitamin D deficiency is a worldwide public health problem. The objective of this survey was to assess the undergraduate students’ vitamin D status and knowledge about this vitamin. Materials and methods An online multi-choice survey was designed and launched in Northern Poland (Gdańsk region). The first part of the survey assessed diet, supplementation, UV radiation exposure (UVE) and general health of respondents. The second part was a vitamin D knowledge test (vitamin D optimal level, deficiency-related diseases). 1766 student volunteers responded to the survey: 369 male and 1397 female. Data was divided according to the respondents’ sex and university affiliation. Appropriate parametric or non-parametric statistical tests were used with statistical significance set at p<0.05. Results Regular consumption of vitamin D-rich food was high, except for fish (only 18; 22%). High number of participants did not declare any type of supplementation (43; 44%) and only occasionally were exposed to UV (77%; 80%). The most frequently recognized disease linked to vitamin D was osteoporosis. Medical University students obtained higher test scores (4,55), however this did not correlate with healthy vitamin D habits. Conclusion Undergraduate medical and non-medical students have unsatisfactory vitamin D status and poor understanding of its function and impact on health, which implies the need for changes in the educational program.
There is no doubt that vitamin D plays a crucial role in the maintenance of musculoskeletal system. But the function of this ancient molecule presumably ranges far beyond hormone-like regulation, as it could be generated by simple unicellular organisms. First, we are going to discuss the role of vitamin D as a global regulator of homeostasis from a historical perspective, but later we will focus on current views and its relevance to human physiology and pathology. Three milestones are defining the impact of vitamin D on science and humanity. Firstly, discovery that vitamin D is the cure for rickets, brought us supplementation programs and rapid irradiation of this devastating disease. Secondly, detail description of photoproduction of vitamin D, its subsequent metabolism and interaction with vitamin D receptor VDR, provided mechanistic background for future discoveries. Finally, recent large epidemiological studies provided indirect, but strong evidence that optimal level of vitamin D in serum has beneficial effects on our health and protects us from multiple diseases, including cancer. Furthermore, existence of alternative pathways of vitamin D metabolism and multiple intracellular targets broadens our understanding of its physiological activities and offers new and very promising tools for prophylactics and treatment of many diseases of civilization. Although vitamin D (and its derivatives) should not be regarded as a cure-all for every human disease, its beneficial effects on the human health have to be taken under consideration.
Vitamin D is a pleiotropic hormone important for the proper functioning of multi-organ systems. Vitamin D deficiency is very common and is associated with a variety of chronic conditions in the general population. So far, the best documented association with vitamin D deficiency is the occurrence of skeletal diseases, e.g. rickets in children and infants. However, there are data suggesting that vitamin D deficiency also increases the risk of many other diseases, such as insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and various types of cancer. This review aims to summarize the current knowledge base on vitamin D deficiency in various diseases.
PL
Witamina D jest hormonem plejotropowym ważnym dla prawidłowego funkcjonowania układów wielonarządowych. Niedobór witaminy D jest bardzo powszechny oraz wiąże się z różnorodnymi przewlekłymi schorzeniami w populacji ogólnej. Do tej pory najlepiej udokumentowanym związkiem z niedoborem witaminy D jest występowanie chorób układu kostnego np. krzywicy u dzieci oraz niemowląt. Jednak istnieją dane sugerujące, że niedobór witaminy D wpływa również na zwiększenie ryzyka wielu innych chorób np. insulinooporności, cukrzycy typu 2, chorób układu krążenia oraz różnych typów nowotworów. Niniejszy przegląd ma na celu podsumowanie aktualnej bazy wiedzy na temat niedoboru witaminy D w różnych jednostkach chorobowych.
In the recent years, an alarming tendency has been observed concerning the growing prevalence of obese and overweight people in populations. This is a worldwide problem, but is observed less often in the societies of African and South Asian countries. The World Health Organization drew attention to the social context of obesity by supporting epidemiological studies and emphasised the problem by, for instance, establishing the World Anti-Obesity Day. Obesity and overweight are risk factors of significant threats for human health, including: metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, atherosclerosis and cardiovascular complications as well as urolithiasis. The coexistence of obesity, metabolic syndrome and urolithiasis significantly increases the risk of cardiovascular events, including myocardial infarction and stroke. Obese patients frequently manifest vitamin D deficiency, which also contributes to metabolic disturbances. Obesity is associated with a greater risk of neoplasia, particularly oestrogen-dependent one. The most common is simple obesity, caused by improper nutritional habits, both in terms of quantity and quality, as well as the lack of physical activity. The causes of secondary obesity are more complex, e.g. in the course of endocrinopathy, central nervous system disorders, genetically determined syndromes and iatrogenic syndromes (following therapies with glucocorticosteroids, oestrogen, antidepressants and certain neuroleptics).
PL
W ostatnich latach obserwuje się niepokojącą tendencję do występowania w populacjach coraz większej liczby osób z nadwagą i otyłością. Problem ma zakres ogólnoświatowy, chociaż w mniejszym stopniu dotyczy społeczeństw krajów afrykańskich i południowoazjatyckich. Na społeczny wymiar otyłości zwróciła uwagę Światowa Organizacja Zdrowia, patronując badaniom epidemiologicznym i akcentując problem m.in. poprzez ustanowienie Światowego Dnia Walki z Otyłością. Otyłość i nadwaga są czynnikami ryzyka istotnych zagrożeń dla zdrowia, w tym: rozwoju zespołu metabolicznego, cukrzycy typu 2., miażdżycy i powikłań sercowo-naczyniowych, kamicy moczowej. Współistnienie otyłości, zespołu metabolicznego i kamicy znamiennie zwiększa ryzyko zdarzeń sercowo-naczyniowych, w tym zawałów serca i udarów mózgu. U pacjentów otyłych często stwierdza się niedobór witaminy D, mający również wpływ na zaburzenia metaboliczne. Otyłość wiąże się z większym ryzykiem rozwoju nowotworów, zwłaszcza estrogenozależnych. Najczęściej występuje otyłość prosta, spowodowana nieprawidłowymi zwyczajami żywieniowymi zarówno w zakresie ilościowym, jak i jakościowym oraz brakiem aktywności fizycznej. Bardziej złożone są przyczyny otyłości wtórnej, występującej m.in. w przebiegu endokrynopatii, zaburzeń ośrodkowego układu nerwowego, zespołów uwarunkowanych genetycznie, zespołów jatrogennych (po leczeniu glikokortykosteroidami, estrogenami, lekami przeciwdepresyjnymi i niektórymi neuroleptykami)
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