Target levels of vitamin D need to allow for seasonal variation
DOCTORS should allow for a winter drop in vitamin D levels when assessing the status of patients in summer, experts say.
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supplementation
The following articles have the tag supplementation
Cochrane review
Vitamin D supplements fail to improve bone density REVIEWERS have found vitamin D supplements fail to improve bone density in healthy children with adequate vitamin D levels. The review of six randomised trials, including 1000 children and adolescents, found healthy children randomised to vitamin D supplementation for at least three months had no statistically significant improvement in bone density at the hip, lumbar spine, forearm or of the whole body compared with those given placebo. However, the authors, from the University of Tasmania, said the findings suggested children with vitamin D deficiency might derive a “clinically ...
Need for iodine supplements in pregnancy questioned
DEBATE continues over the necessity for pregnant women, or those planning a pregnancy, to take iodine supplements. A letter by University of Adelaide nutritionists and children’s health researchers questions a previous MJA article (MO, 30 April) that argued for supplementation. The authors say such recommendations are premature without evaluating the effect of mandatory iodine fortification of bread, introduced last year. They also believe there is little evidence on the effects of supplementation in women and babies from an area of mild iodine deficiency, such as Australia. In response, the authors of the original study agreed there ...
Low testosterone linked to depression in older men
ELDERLY men with low testosterone levels are at increased risk of depression, which could have major implications for future screening and treatment, an Australian study has found. Professor Ian Hickie, executive director of Sydney’s Brain & Mind Research Institute, said using testosterone levels to screen for depression was a “potentially very useful approach”. “Hormonal treatments have probably been underestimated in terms of their contribution to mood disorder treatments,” he said. The Perth study of 3987 men aged 71 to 89 years found those with free testosterone concentrations below 77 pmol/L were 2.7 times more likely to ...