Vitamin A Deficiency News and Research

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Dompé’s investigational biotech molecule receives orphan drug designation for treatment of neurotrophic keratitis

The Dompé biopharmaceutical company announced today that the Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has officially designated recombinant human Nerve Growth Factor (rhNGF) - the investigational biotech molecule developed by Dompé based on research by Nobel Laureate Rita Levi Montalcini - as an orphan drug for the treatment of neurotrophic keratitis.

8 Dec 2015

Vitamin D supplements have no effect on frequency and severity of colds in asthma patients

Vitamin D supplements do not reduce the number or severity of colds in asthma patients, according to a new study published online ahead of print publication in the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

25 Nov 2015

Low vitamin D levels may limit effectiveness of HIV treatment

A University of Georgia researcher has found that low levels of vitamin D may limit the effectiveness of HIV treatment in adults.

18 Nov 2015

Johns Hopkins researchers present new healthcare tips from American Heart Association Meeting

Linking digital activity trackers to smartphones and periodically pinging users with personalized texts that urge them to walk more can significantly increase physical activity levels and spark healthy behavior changes, according to findings of a pilot study conducted at Johns Hopkins.

13 Nov 2015

Vitamin D deficiency puts people at risk of developing heart problems

A lack of vitamin D can result in weak bones. Recent studies also show that vitamin D deficiency is linked to more serious health risks such as coronary artery disease, heart attacks, and strokes.

10 Nov 2015

Standardized method can help compare existing vitamin D measurements across studies and countries

Knowledge about the vitamin D level of a population is important in order to assess the proportion that is vitamin D deficient or is at risk of becoming deficient, and to develop food strategies that will ensure optimal vitamin D intake. By using a standardizing method it is possible to compare existing vitamin D measurements across studies and countries.

5 Nov 2015

Elderly women should take more vitamin D supplementation during the wintertime, suggests researchers

Osteoporosis is one of the chief reasons why the elderly often suffer broken bones from relatively minor injuries. Postmenopausal women in particular experience a relatively rapid loss in bone mass due to a reduced concentration of oestrogen, which is responsible for strong bone growth during youth. Maintaining bone mass requires physical exercise and vitamin D, which is mainly produced in the skin with the help of UVB radiation. This is why, especially in the wintertime, many elderly women are prescribed a vitamin D supplement by their doctor to maintain bone mass.

4 Nov 2015

Successful treatment of rare neurodegenerative disease exemplifies potential of precision medicine

A 20-month-old girl suffering from a rare neurodegenerative disease was diagnosed by exome sequencing and successfully treated.

23 Oct 2015

Study: Sun exposure during teenage years may delay onset of multiple sclerosis

A study of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) found that those who spent time in the sun every day during the summer as teens developed the disease later than those reporting not spending time in the sun every day.

8 Oct 2015

New research highlights vitamin E needs for people with metabolic syndrome

New research shows that the estimated one-third of Americans who have a cluster of health problems that add up to metabolic syndrome don't absorb dietary vitamin E as effectively as healthy people.

8 Oct 2015

Age, race and family history are the biggest risk factors for prostate cancer, new research suggests

New research suggests that age, race and family history are the biggest risk factors for a man to develop prostate cancer, although high blood pressure, high cholesterol, vitamin D deficiency, inflammation of prostate, and vasectomy also add to the risk. In contrast, obesity, alcohol abuse, and smoking show a negative association with the disease.

30 Sep 2015

Healthy diet and exercise can protect against AMD

People with a genetic predisposition for age-related macular degeneration (AMD) significantly increased their odds of developing the blinding eye disorder if they had a history of heavy smoking and consistently did not exercise or eat enough fruits and vegetables, according to an observational study of women funded by the National Eye Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health.

16 Sep 2015

Obese people may be malnourished before they undergo weight loss surgery, shows study

Malnutrition is a known complication of weight loss surgery, but findings from a small study by researchers at Johns Hopkins show many obese people may be malnourished before they undergo the procedure.

15 Sep 2015

Earliest known case of rickets in the UK identified in Neolithic Tiree skeleton

Rickets has been identified in a Neolithic skeleton from the Scottish island of Tiree, making it the earliest case of the disease in the UK, according to research announced at the British Science Festival in Bradford.

14 Sep 2015

Bio-fortification of sweet potatoes may help combat vitamin A deficiency in South Africa

Vitamin A deficiency is the leading cause of preventable blindness in children. It also increases the risk of disease and death from severe infections, according to the World Health Organization.

14 Aug 2015

Following restrictive sun exposure advice may be harmful to health

Following restrictive sun exposure advice in countries with low solar intensity like Canada might in fact be harmful to your health, says the co-author of a new study on sunlight and vitamin D.

14 Jul 2015

Study looks at effects of three levels of vitamin D supplementation in overweight, obese blacks

The current recommended minimum daily dose of vitamin D is not sufficient to restore healthy vitamin D levels in overweight or obese blacks, researchers report.

8 Jul 2015

Vitamin B12 supplements offer no benefits for neurological or cognitive function in older people

Vitamin B12 supplements offer no benefits for neurological or cognitive function in older people with moderate vitamin B12 deficiency, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

3 Jul 2015

Discovery could help scientists reduce global vitamin A deficiency

A research team's discovery of new information about how plants synthesize carotenoids, precursors for vitamin A that are essential for plant development and survival, and human health, could help scientists increase the levels of provitamin A in food crops and reduce global vitamin A deficiency.

16 Jun 2015

Vitamin D deficiency can leave people less able to fight HIV-1 infection

Vitamin D plays an important part in the human immune response and deficiency can leave individuals less able to fight infections like HIV-1. Now an international team of researchers has found that high-dose vitamin D supplementation can reverse the deficiency and also improve immune response.