<<< Back to Cures Naturally Articles
<<< Back to Cures Naturally Supplements-Vitamins
What would happen if patients with cancer, heart disease, dementia, auto immune disease, influenza A,
chronic pain, depression, gingivitis, the common cold, and dozens of other diseases associated with vitamin D
deficiency, were treated with adequate doses of the drug: vitamin D?"
Vitamin D Protects Against Tuberculosis
02.23.06, 12:00 AM ET
THURSDAY, Feb. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Discovery of the molecular mechanism that the body uses to fight off tuberculosis could open the way to use of ordinary vitamin supplements to help prevent the disease, researchers report.
The finding also helps explain why blacks are more vulnerable than whites to tuberculosis and why they develop more severe cases when infected, according to a study in the Feb. 23 online issue of Science.
The story starts about a decade ago, when research revealed that the immune system of fruit flies produces a protein that attacks bacteria and fungi, explained study author Dr. Robert L. Modlin, chief of dermatology at the University of California, Los Angeles.
"In 1999, it became clear that there were equivalents in humans, a family of proteins," Modlin said. "Each recognizes a defined biochemical from a bacterium or virus."
Studies showed that in mice, the defense involved production of nitric oxide to fight infection. However, that was not found to happen in human cells, Modlin said.
Four years of work led to the finding that the human defense mechanism involves vitamin D, he said. White blood cells are stimulated to convert ordinary vitamin D -- which is produced, in large part, by exposure to sunlight -- into an active form that is used to make a protein that kills the tuberculosis bacteria.
"Our other main finding was that African-Americans, who are known to be more susceptible to tuberculosis, have lower levels of vitamin D in their blood," Modlin said. Melanin, the pigment that darkens skin, absorbs the ultraviolet rays of sunlight, reducing vitamin D production in blacks, he explained.
Cells grown in blood serum from black individuals produced 63 percent less of the bacteria-fighting protein than those grown in blood serum from white people. Adding vitamin D to the cultures increased production of the protein, Modlin said.
One question raised by the discovery is whether giving vitamin D to humans can do the same thing, he said, adding, "Were hoping this paper will raise interest in that."
If the vitamin does have a protective effect, "a vitamin D supplement I think is the way to go," Modlin said. As a dermatologist, he noted, he is acutely aware of the damage that can be done by overexposure to sunlight.
However, "I can't recommend that people take vitamin D supplements yet," Modlin said. "We need to do more studies." His group is doing studies along that line, looking at "what effects vitamin D might have on the immune system."
There's a possibility that the work might have implications beyond tuberculosis, Modlin said. "Our results indicate we have much yet to learn about human immune responses to infections," he said
1: Acta Med Indones. 2006 Jan-Mar;38(1):3-5. Related Articles, Links
The effect of vitamin d as supplementary treatment in patients with moderately advanced pulmonary
tuberculous lesion.
Nursyam EW
, Amin Z,
Rumende CM.
Departement of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia-dr.Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital.
Aim: to compare the vitamin D group of pulmonary tuberculosis patients with a placebo group in terms of clinical improvement, nutritional status, sputum conversion, and radiological improvement. Methods: sixty seven tuberculosis patient visiting the Pulmonary Clinic, of Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital, Jakarta, from January 1st to August 31st, 2001 were included in this study. The subjects were randomised to receive vitamin D (0.25 mg/day) or placebo in a double blind method, during the 6th initial week of Tb treatment. The rate of sputum conversion, complete blood counts, blood chemistry as well as radiologic examination were evaluated. Results: there were more male patients than females (39:28), 78.7% were in the productive age group, 71.6% had low nutritional status, 62.4% with low education level, and 67.2% with low income. One hundred percent of the vitamin D group and only 76.7% of the placebo group had sputum conversion. This difference is statistically significant (p=0.002). Conclusion: the sputum conversion had no correlation with the hemoglobin level, blood clotting time, calcium level, lymphocyte count, age, sex, and nutritional status. There were more subjects with radiological improvement in the vitamin D group.
PMID: 16479024 [PubMed - in process]
What would happen if patients with cancer, heart disease, dementia, autoimmune disease, influenza A, chronic pain, depression, gingivitis, the common cold, and dozens of other diseases associated with vitamin D deficiency, were treated with adequate doses of the drug: vitamin D?
John Cannell, MD
The Vitamin D Council
9100 San Gregorio Road
Atascadero, CA 93422
Back to top of document