By Renee Dudley
The Post and Courier

Two separate studies conducted by researchers at MUSC suggest taking high doses of vitamin D could help avoid complications in pregnancy and slow the progress of Alzheimer's disease.

One study shows that pregnant women can safely take high levels of vitamin D—about 10 times the amount currently recommended.

The lead researcher, whose study was published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, said taking 4,000 units daily might reduce the risk of pregnancy complications.

The brain images below show the decrease in amyloid plaques in APP transgenic mice on vitamin D-enriched diet. Reprinted from the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 25, Yu et al., Vitamin D3-Enriched Diet Correlates with a Decrease of Amyloid Plaques in the Brain of AbetaPP Transgenic Mice, 295-307, 2011, with permission from IOS Press.

The other study shows that high doses of vitamin D-3 slowed the progress of dementia in mice and could curb the progress of Alzheimer's disease in people, according to results published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.
That study, funded by the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, involved three groups of mice with genetic mutations that would lead to dementia. They were fed diets insufficient, sufficient or enriched in vitamin D-3, said lead investigator Mark Kindy. Co-author of the study was Sebastiano Gattoni-Celli, M.D, professor, Department of Radiation Oncology.

Drs. Mark Kindy, left, and Sebastiano Gattoni-Celli

The group with insufficient levels of the vitamin developed disoriented behavior faster than the other groups, while the mice with an enriched diet had a later onset of severe symptoms, said Kindy, Ph.D., professor of neurosciences. It could mean the vitamin helps slow the progress of Alzheimer's, a progressive and ultimately fatal type of dementia that leads to memory loss and disorientation, among other symptoms.

The main source of vitamin D-3 is sunshine absorbed through the skin. People, especially those who get insufficient sun exposure, should take 4,000-unit daily supplements of the vitamin, Kindy said. The elderly and others who spend much time indoors are at risk of having especially low levels, he said.

The researchers have applied for additional grants to study the vitamin's effects in a clinical trial of humans.
The six-year pregnancy study, led by Bruce Hollis, Ph.D., of MUSC's Department of Pediatrics, concluded that pregnant women should take 4,000 units of vitamin D daily to maintain optimal levels of the vitamin in their bodies.

The amount is 10 times the current Institute of Medicine recommendations of 400-600 units daily that doctors generally follow, Hollis said.

The research, funded by a $10 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, studied 350 pregnant women receiving care at MUSC, Hollis said.

The women were given 400, 2,000 or 4,000 units of vitamin D.

A 1963 study, on which the current guidelines are based and which was unsupported by evidence, suggested pregnant women should limit daily vitamin D dosage to 200 units because more than that could harm development of the fetus, Hollis said.

Editor's note: The article ran in the July 5 issue of The Post and Courier and is reprinted with permission.