Vitamin D Roundup: Fast Food, Rx & Pregnancy

One of the world’s largest restaurant chains is going to great lengths to boost the vitamin D content of a staple menu item. Sandwich purveyor Subway is making arrangements to enrich its sub rolls with vitamin D (30 percent RDA) and calcium (20 percent RDA). It’s just one more way to attract consumers – whether from a health angle or thanks to the chain’s $5 specials.

Subway doesn’t stand to make any added profit solely from its fortified bread; however, leave it to big pharma to see if they can get a piece of the … pie. Rockwell Medical reports it’s obtained an FDA new drug application for Calcitrol, basically high-potency vitamin D3 in a syringe.

Calcitriol can be used to aid patients with kidney or parathyroid gland problems. It’s also been used with other conditions such as cancer and bone disease.

While the indoor tanning community welcomes increased awareness of the benefits of vitamin D, this latest development could introduce a slippery slope. If drug companies are able to patent various forms of vitamin D, there’s no telling how far they’ll go to gain control of the substance in the retail marketplace. Between sunscare tactics and sunscreen, more consumers are turning to supplements and drugs to obtain the remedy already offered by nature – and indoor tanning – for so many ailments. Just something to keep an eye on.

Meanwhile, in Australia, medical professionals are debating the importance of testing the vitamin D levels of all pregnant women. While the area’s obstetricians currently advocate for assessing only patients at high-risk of deficiency, other health groups are pushing for widespread testing. The Endocrine Society of Australia, Australasian Paediatric Endocrine Group, and Australian and New Zealand Bone and Mineral Society are leaning toward incorporating the test as part of routine medical care during pregnancy.

As with most regions, there are bureaucratic concerns about the cost of universal testing. Last year, nearly 3 million blood tests for vitamin D levels were done in Australia, with the federal government footing the tab at approximately $100 million. The prevalence of testing has been steadily escalating – doubling in the past couple years and increasing more than 50-fold in the past 10 years.

Some skeptics are concerned that the medical community may be pushing testing for their own financial gain – and that perhaps pregnant women and others should just supplement safe levels of vitamin D over-the-counter, rather than waiting to establish and then treat a deficiency.

With increasing incidences of rickets and other health problems likely to be averted due to proper vitamin D stimulation, other clinicians advocate the testing. Still other physicians point to disagreement on the proper RDA of vitamin D – a factor which makes it difficult to measure and adjust levels for deficiency or potential excess, should testing occur. Certainly, doctors are even more hesitant to recommend supplementation without extensive research regarding fetal health in this scenario.

Sources

International Business Times: Big Pharma looks to capitalize on success of vitamin D by turning it into a 'drug' for kidney disease

The Sydney Morning Herald: Experts at odds on vitamin D tests for pregnant women