When it comes to vitamin D, consumers are bombarded with mixed messages about the best source for this essential nutrient. While some may argue that small doses of intentional sun exposure are safe, dermatologists point out that the risk of developing skin cancer from ultraviolet (UV) radiation far outweighs the benefit of stimulating vitamin D production - particularly when enriched foods and supplements are safe and effective sources of this vitamin. [More]

Enobia Pharma announced today the initiation of a Phase 2 clinical study of ENB-0040, a bone-targeted enzyme replacement therapy, under investigation for the treatment of hypophosphatasia (HPP). The six-month study will assess the safety, efficacy and pharmacokinetics of ENB-0040 in up to 12 children with HPP. [More]

In response to the current trend toward personalized medicine, the Beaumont Weight Control Center, affiliated with Beaumont Hospitals, a major Detroit-area health system, now offers individualized MicroNutrient Testing for patients. [More]

Millions of children in the United States between the ages of 1 and 11 may suffer from suboptimal levels of vitamin D, according to a large nationally representative study published in the November issue of Pediatrics, accompanied by an editorial. [More]

An early laboratory success is taking University of Michigan researchers a step closer to parathyroid gland transplants that could one day prevent a currently untreatable form of bone loss associated with thyroid surgery. [More]

Summarizing current knowledge, the physiology of calcium, magnesium and phosphate metabolism, the technique of bone biopsy and uses and pitfalls of bone density scanning are discussed. The main part of this publication describes in detail the disorders associated with hypocalcemia, hypercalcemia, rickets, phosphate metabolism, primary and secondary osteoporosis. The genetic nature of many of these conditions is highlighted and each condition is referred to by the number of its OMIM entry. The final chapter, which distinguishes this book from previous publications on the topic, comprises case reports illustrating some of the problems that are examined in previous chapters. [More]

Enobia Pharma today announced positive data from a clinical study of ENB-0040, a bone targeted enzyme replacement therapy, under investigation for the treatment of hypophosphatasia (HPP). After six months of treatment with ENB-0040, four of five severely affected patients showed marked improvements in bone mineralization, correction of skeletal defects, better respiratory function, including weaning from assisted ventilation, and cognitive and motor development. [More]

Australian researchers have discovered that many critically ill patients in intensive care are deficient in vitamin D. [More]

Serum levels of vitamin D in more than 600 Costa Rican children were inversely linked to several indicators of allergy and asthma severity, including hospitalizations for asthma, use of inhaled steroids and total IgE levels, according to a study that will appear in the first issue for May of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. [More]

A study by Australian scientists has found that women who wear veils for religious or cultural reasons may not be getting enough vitamin D. [More]

Average blood levels of vitamin D appear to have decreased in the United States between 1994 and 2004, according to a report in the March 23 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine. [More]

One in seven American adolescents is vitamin D deficient, according to a new study by researchers in the Department of Public Health at Weill Cornell Medical College. [More]

Low levels of vitamin D were associated with an increased risk of high blood pressure, high blood sugar and metabolic syndrome in teenagers, researchers reported at the American Heart Association's 49th Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention. [More]

Nutritionists are nearly unanimous in recommending that Americans should eat significantly more omega-3 fatty acids and consume them in foods, not in vitamin pills. [More]

Vitamin D is significantly associated with muscle power and force in adolescent girls, according to a new study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism ( JCEM ). [More]