Low vitamin D levels linked with chronic generalised pain in women
Back in November one of my blogs focused on the phenomenon of generalised body pain and vitamin D deficiency. The blog was based on my experience in practice of usually female patients, but it was also triggered by a chance conversation I had had very recently with a general practitioner here in the UK who claimed to be getting good results in his patients with generalised pain through treatment with vitamin D.
This week saw the publication of a study which lends some support to the concept that generalised pain can be rooted in a problem with low vitamin D levels. This British research, published on-line in the Annals of Rheumatic Disease, assessed the relationship between pain and vitamin D levels in almost 7000 men and women.
The researchers found that, overall, women with lower vitamin D (25-hydroxy-cholecalciferol) levels were more likely to suffer from “chronic widespread pain” compared to women with higher vitamin D status. After adjusting for so-called confounding factors, this research revealed that women with a vitamin D level of less than 75 nmol/L had a 57 per cent increased risk of suffering from chronic widespread pain compared to women with vitamin D levels of between 75 and 99 nmol/L.
This, this research showed a significant association between vitamin D levels and chronic widespread pain in women. However, no significant association was found in men. The reason for this gender difference is not known. However, my experience in practice has been that individuals with generalised pain in whom vitamin D insufficiency appears to be the triggering factor are usually female.
In my blog in November, I wrote that I view a 25-hydroxy-cholecalciferol level of 50 nmol/L or less as evidence of deficiency. I may need to revise that value now, because this latest research suggests that as far as pain is concerned, vitamin D levels of less than 75 nmol/L may be suboptimal.
References:
Atherton K, et al. Vitamin D and chronic widespread pain in a white middle-aged British population: evidence from a cross-sectional population survey. Ann Rheum Dis [Epub ahead of print 2 August 2008].
Published August 13, 2008 . Filed under: Nutrients and Supplements, Women's Health
Comments
Write Comment
Get Dr Briffa’s latest book – The True You Diet…
The True You Diet helps you discover and explore your own path to optimal wellbeing. Take a step in the right direction right now and receive the unabridged introduction to the book and a True You questionnaire – FREE! Visit TheTrueYouDiet.com for more info |
See
how the UK’s top nutrition doctor “Makes diets history”,
giving you the low-blurb, high-fact option for the diet and lifestyle
that’s right for YOU - based on your body’s unique and individual
needs.Dr Briffa's free weekly e-newsletter - "A Good Look at Good Health" - delivered straight to your inbox
Sign-up now and get Dr John Briffa's Natural Solutions to Common Ailments - an A-Z guide to over 150 symptoms and conditions absolutely free.
Every week, Dr John condenses some of the most interesting and relevant health news from around the world into our free weekly newsletter that will keep you up to date with some of the most pertinent health stories of the week - delivered straight to your inbox.
Our thank you present - when you sign up for the newsletter, you will also receive a free copy of Dr John Briffa's Natural Solutions to Common Ailments - an A-Z guide to over 150 symptoms and conditions.
A word about the adverts that appear on this site
The adverts on this site come via a service known as Google Adsense. Adverts deemed appropriate to the content on the site appear automatically, and are not selected or vetted by John Briffa or any of the team at drbriffa.com. The site does not endorse any of the adverts that appear on the site nor the products or services they promote.
Perhaps the pain experinced in women is related not only to deficiency of vitamin D, but some other “combined” deficiency.
For example lack of iron or magnesium due to monthley blood loss?
August 15, 2008 @ 10:34 am
That is very interesting. Just to corroborate… My mother-in-law is Italian and insists she is allergic to England! When she is in Italy and living the outdoors life in the sun, her virtually crippling pain that she experiences in England is eased. This may be just an excuse to live in Italy of course … but she has be diagnosed with fibromyalgia.
August 15, 2008 @ 11:40 am
Hello John - Do you recommend a particular brand/make of Vitamin D which you know is effective. I could go to a local chemist and pick one up off the shelf. However, I am particular about what supplements I take.
Thanks
Nina
August 15, 2008 @ 1:57 pm
Taking Natalija’s comment further, what about undiagnosed hypothyroidism as a ‘combined’ deficiency, of which Vitamin D might be just one aspect? Aches and pains are a common symptom of hypothyroidism (I can personally vouch for that), and some believe that there are millions of undiagnosed hypothyroids out there due to general ignorance amongst GPs of how common it is plus thyroid blood test reference ranges which miss many cases of hypothyroidism that would benefit from treatment.
And Lisa mentions fibromyalgia, which with CFS or ME, is thought by doctors such as Dr John Lowe and Dr Sarah Myhill to be undiagnosed hypothyroidism …
Am I making connections where there aren’t any?
Jackie
August 15, 2008 @ 4:22 pm
The best food sources of vitamin D are cod liver oil and lard from pasture-raised pigs.
August 15, 2008 @ 7:44 pm
Reference the question from Nina, i take Bio D Emulsion from Nutri Link and find it has the most positive effect on my health. i had a painful hip and started taking Bio d Emulsion, together with Eskimo 3 from Nutri and 1000mg of vitamin C twice daily. the effects were, i was ‘pain free’ overnight, and have continued to be so. i’m certain if i had not taken these supplements i would now be thinking of hip replacement surgery. i think everyone would benefit from extra Vitamin D in this wet and grey summer we are having in the UK.
August 16, 2008 @ 1:54 pm
Re Nina’s query. It’s important to remember that to achieve the optimal levels of 25(OH)D one should supplement ONLY with cholocalciferol, Vit D3 — not any other form of D3, especially not Calcitriol.
The maximum pill size available in the UK is mainly 400IU, which is ridiculous, since in the winter months, or if you’re not sunbathing, most adults need around 5,000-10,000IU daily to achieve and then maintain optimum levels — that’s a lot of 400IU pills!
Really comprehensive info on VitD is available on John Cannell’s brilliant website http://www.vitamindcouncil.com. Do have a look, if you haven’t already.
August 16, 2008 @ 9:39 pm
Thanks to Dr. Briffa for consistently bringing us information most docs don’t know or care about. It is very important to know that all Statin drugs rob the body of Vitamin D3, it took a long period of debilitating pain to discover that I was woefully Vitamin D deficient. Dr. Beatrice Golomb, Principal Researcher for the Statin Effects Study at Univ. of Calif., San Diego found that use of Statins makes Vitamin D levels plummet. After coronary artery by-pass surgery, I could barely walk 20 feet, was totally exhausted and had plenty of pain. Over and over again I was told it was “normal”, but once I began supplementing with VitD3 and Cod Liver Oil, the exhaustion, pain and weakness in my legs stopped entirely (I quit the Statin drugs). Perhaps, Dr. Briffa will let others know how statins are preventing heart patients from having full and pain-free recoveries. This is information the manufacturers of statins do not want us to know, because world-wide, it is currently the most profitable pharmaceutical on the market. Good for them and the kiss of death for us. Thanks again Dr. Briffa!
August 17, 2008 @ 10:27 pm
Thank you Cynthia and Dominic.
My daughter and I both suffer from ‘bone pain’. This is hard to understand if you have never experienced it. We both have the sickle cell positive trait which I think is linked to our bone pain. My GP says this is not possible as we would need to be suffering sickle cell anaemia to experience the symptoms (bone pain being one such symptom). I’m certainly going to try a vitamin D supplement as my daughter has been referred to a rheumatology specialist (who didn’t quite understand that her pain was in her bones and not in her joints).
August 18, 2008 @ 11:11 am
I was electrocuted Jan 2005 my pain seemed to get unbearable over the next year. I was diagnosed with fibromyagia by one doctor. Over the next year I saw 15 doctors. None of them could figure out what was wrong only that my pain was real and they thought it was connected to my accident. I finally saw a physical medicine doctor at Scott & White who said there wasn’t a name for what I had and I would always have it.
My Father and my Aunt both have the same pain. My Aunt was recently tested for a vitamin D levels. Which were very low. I am starting to have hope that one day I will wake up without pain and not have to take five differnt medication a day. Thank you for making people aware of the studies.
August 18, 2008 @ 9:55 pm
I agree with Lisa’s mother in law when in Italy: as soon as I am in a hot country I am totally pain free. Two weeks after returning to UK I have aches and pains again. Obviously, I shall have to leave the country!!
September 2, 2008 @ 5:51 pm
I have been suffering with increasingly dibilitating fibromyagia, chronic fatique, and now artritis.
A friend encouraged me to have my Vit D level checked. It was 19, and they have started me on 50,000 iu once a week for 8 weeks, with follow up monitoring.
Any other suggestions, for improving my heath. I live in Minnesota, and dream of moving to to the SouthWest.
Thanks for your consideration and willingness to share.
Respectfully Submitted, Joy
April 9, 2009 @ 1:49 am