Vitamin A Deficiency News and Research

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High vitamin D levels boost survival for metastatic colorectal cancer patients

According to a new study led by researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, clinical trial patients with metastatic colorectal cancer who had high levels of vitamin D in their bloodstream prior to treatment with chemotherapy and targeted drugs, survived longer, on average, than patients with lower levels of the vitamin.

14 Jan 2015

CWRU researchers find mechanism that enables LRAT enzyme to store vitamin A

Researchers at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have uncovered the mechanism that enables the enzyme Lecithin: retinol acyltransferase (LRAT) to store vitamin A — a process that is indispensable for vision.

12 Dec 2014

Enzymatic activity essential for vision may provide target for drug transport

10 Dec 2014

Pregnant women lacking vitamin E nearly twice as likely to have miscarriage

Pregnant women in Bangladesh with low levels of the most common form of vitamin E are nearly twice as likely to have a miscarriage than those with adequate levels of the vitamin in their blood, according to new research led by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

3 Dec 2014

Researchers find link between vitamin D deficiency and seasonal affective disorder

Vitamin D deficiency is not just harmful to physical health--it also might impact mental health, according to a team of researchers that has found a link between seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, and a lack of sunlight.

3 Dec 2014

Researchers warn that Vitamin A deficiency can cause eye problems

Obese patients who have undergone bariatric surgery to shed weight should take the supplements prescribed to them to protect their eyes. Taking in too little Vitamin A, in particular, could in some cases actually cause night blindness, dry eyes, corneal ulcers, and in extreme cases total blindness. This advice comes from Rui Azevedo Guerreiro and Rui Ribeiro of the Centro Hospitalar de Lisboa Central in Portugal, who reviewed what little research there currently is on the occurrence of eye conditions following bariatric surgery.

2 Dec 2014

Canada's current vitamin D intake recommendations need to be re-evaluated: Study

New research finds that current national vitamin D intake recommendations are too low and that body weight must be taken into account to determine the appropriate vitamin D dose in any given individual. This is currently not the case, posing a serious Canadian public health issue with significant cost and health impacts.

27 Nov 2014

University at Buffalo researchers receive $500,000 grant to study IED-induced vision loss

It's well known that battlefield explosions can cause hearing loss, but veterans may be surprised to learn that their vision may also suffer — sometimes weeks or months after combat exposure.

14 Nov 2014

Study points to major role of obesity in triggering, prolonging autoimmune diseases

Autoimmune diseases like Crohn's Disease and multiple sclerosis, in which the immune system attacks its own body rather than predatory invaders, affect 5-20% of the global community. A study published recently in Autoimmunity Reviews by Prof. Yehuda Shoenfeld, the Laura Schwarz-Kipp Chair for Research of Autoimmune Diseases at Tel Aviv University's Sackler Faculty of Medicine and Head of Zabludowicz Center for Autoimmune Diseases at Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, points to the major role obesity plays in triggering and prolonging these autoimmune diseases.

11 Nov 2014

Study: Vitamin D deficiency more prevalent in neuromuscular conditions

A study presented at the annual meeting of the American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine adds more credence to a growing awareness of the high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in neuromuscular disease.

31 Oct 2014

Hypocalcaemic seizure surveillance highlights UK public health policy failings

The occurrence of 91 confirmed or probable hypocalcaemic seizures in children with vitamin D deficiency over a 2-year period in the UK highlights a failure to promote appropriate supplementation.

30 Oct 2014

UMass Amherst epidemiologist investigates risk of early menopause

The estimated 10 percent of women in Western nations who enter menopause before age 45 have an elevated risk of cardiovascular disease, as well as lower fertility. Now epidemiologist Elizabeth Bertone-Johnson at the University of Massachusetts Amherst is conducting the first large study to investigate whether vitamin D deficiency, inflammatory factors, hormones and other factors are associated with risk of early menopause, funded by NIH.

29 Oct 2014

Low vitamin D levels linked to poor brain function after sudden cardiac arrest

Vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of poor brain function after sudden cardiac arrest by seven-fold, according to research presented at Acute Cardiovascular Care 2014 by Dr Jin Wi from Korea. Vitamin D deficiency also led to a higher chance of dying after sudden cardiac arrest.

20 Oct 2014

Pregnant women with low vitamin D levels experience more pain during labor

Pregnant women with low vitamin D levels experience an increased amount of pain during labor, according to a study presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY 2014 annual meeting. Vitamin D deficiency has long been associated with depression and pain, but this is the first study to demonstrate its association with increased consumption of pain medication during childbirth.

15 Oct 2014

Vitamin D supplement significantly reduces symptoms of winter-related atopic dermatitis

A study conducted in more than 100 Mongolian schoolchildren found that daily treatment with a vitamin D supplement significantly reduced the symptoms of winter-related atopic dermatitis, a type of eczema.

5 Oct 2014

Recommendations for nutritional rickets announced

New consensus recommendations for the management of nutritional rickets include universal vitamin D supplementation during the first year of life.

2 Oct 2014

Study on widespread vitamin D deficiency among patients who undergo thyroidectomy

A new study from researchers at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit finds widespread vitamin D deficiency among patients who undergo a thyroidectomy, potentially putting them at greater risk for developing dangerously low blood calcium levels after surgery.

26 Sep 2014

Food allergies in inner-city children: an interview with Dr. Robert Wood

The general interest is in trying to better define the true prevalence of food allergy; not just how common it is, but whether it's becoming more common over time.

22 Sep 2014

Adequate levels of vitamin E critical for young, elderly and pregnant women

Amid conflicting reports about the need for vitamin E and how much is enough, a new analysis published today suggests that adequate levels of this essential micronutrient are especially critical for the very young, the elderly, and women who are or may become pregnant.

16 Sep 2014

Study identifies protein that appears to play key role in protecting people infected with tuberculosis

UCLA-led study has identified a protein that appears to play a key role in protecting people infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis — the bacterium that causes tuberculosis — from developing the active form of the disease.

21 Aug 2014