Military and Vitamin D - many studies

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Overview

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Vitamin D Deficiency in the Military: It’s Time to Act! - Oct 2021

 Download the PDF from VitaminDWiki

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86% of US military no longer have enough Vitamin D (30 ng) – Dec 2020

Page has the following comments by VitaminDWiki

• There have been many reports of the military no longer having adequate levels of Vitamin D, but little has been done
• A war finally caused Britain to add Vitamin C to their sailors to prevent scurvy, delayed 100 years by offical indecision after a clear-cut clinical trial of vitamin C
• Will it take a war for the US military to restore Vitamin D levels(too late?
• Note: in Dec 2020 we are at war with COVID-19, a war which can be won with Vitamin D

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Soldiers' vitamin D levels dropped by half over 18 years – March 2014

"Clinical relevance of optimizing vitamin D status in soldiers to enhance physical and cognitive performance" paper
J Spec Oper Med. 2014 Spring;14(1):58-66.
Wentz LM, Eldred JD, Henry MD, Berry-Caban CS.

Vitamin D deficiency initiates a loss of combat effectiveness by impairing the physical and cognitive functioning of combat Operators.
Synthesized in response to sunlight and consumed in the diet, vitamin D functions as a hormone and regulates gene expression for nearly 300 genes throughout the human body.
These target genes are involved in processes essential to combat operations, such as

• immune function,
• response to stress,
• inflammation, and
• regulation of calcium movement.

Since widespread vitamin D deficiency is observed across the U.S. population, poor vitamin D status is expected in Servicemembers.

Physical conditions linked to vitamin D deficiency include increased risk for muscle or bone injury, muscle weakness, and reduced neuromuscular function.

Hormonally, vitamin D levels have been positively correlated with testosterone levels.

Vitamin D deficiency is also associated with

• cognitive decline
• and depression and
• may prolong recovery following mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI).

Since vitamin D deficiency elevates systemic inflammation, poor vitamin D status at the time of brain injury may prolong the inflammatory response and exacerbate postconcussive symptoms.

Furthermore, veterans with mTBI experience chronic endocrine dysfunction.

While vitamin D status has not been assessed post-mTBI, it is plausible that vitamin D levels are altered along with testosterone and growth hormone, raising the question of whether vitamin D deficiency results from trauma-related hormonal abnormalities or whether vitamin D deficiency increases the risk for endocrine dysfunction.

Through its association with testosterone production, vitamin D deficiency may increase the risk for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) since testosterone levels are altered in veterans with PTSD. Therefore, vitamin D status has a significant impact on Operator health and performance. Supplementing vitamin D to deficient Operators provides a noninvasive and low-cost intervention to maintain combat force.

 Download the PDF from ResearchGate via VitaminDWiki
This study was cited by 18 publications as of Jan 2021

• Prevalence of Vitamin D Deficiency and Its Effects on Military Forces' Performance-A Review Study - in Farsi, not English
• Correlations between Vitamin D Concentrations and Lipid Panels in Active Duty and Veteran Military Personnel - 2016
  •  Download the PDF from VitaminDWiki - also by Wentz
  • Does NOT have any information about vitamin D vs. time
• Vitamin D correlation with testosterone concentration in male US soldiers and veterans - 2016
• Fatty Acid Blood Levels, Vitamin D Status, Physical Performance, Activity, and Resiliency: A Novel Potential Screening Tool for Depressed Mood in Active Duty. . . - 2016, free PDF
• Vitamin D Clinical Relevance in the Recovery From Traumatic Brain Injury Among the Military Population
• Significance of Vitamin D to tactical athletes - 2014

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Chart: Vitamin D levels of everyone dropped by half over 18 years

Vitamin D levels have been crashing since 1995 (Polish Children, Elite Military, etc)

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Need for Routine Vitamin D Screening in Military Personnel - letter to Editor 2016

MILITARY MEDICINE, 181, 9:1163, 2016
COL Albert F. DiNicola, MC USAR (Ret.)*; Peter J. DiNicola, BS f; Lucia Sanchez*

• Pinnacle Medical Group, 8110 Mango Avenue, Fontana, CA 92335.

f University of California, Riverside, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, CA 92521.
Dear Editor:

Vitamin D is a necessary component in repairing bone damage, decreasing predisposition to bone injury, and strengthening the immune system. Vitamin D deficiency plays a key role in the etiology of bone pathologies such as rickets, osteoporosis, and osteomalacia. In military personnel, as noted by the Deployment Health Clinical Center, low vitamin D blood levels have been associated with

• musculoskeletal injuries and stress fractures

as well as implicated in increased susceptibility to

• chronic musculoskeletal pain,
• autoimmune disease,
• cancer,
• immune system dysfunction,
• diabetes, and
• post-traumatic stress disorder-mild traumatic brain injury symptoms.

Deployed Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom military personnel have a predisposition to low vitamin D levels as a result of lack of sun exposure due to uniform sleeves worn down, shade-cover-seeking behaviors, nighttime operational requirements, use of sunblock, and lack of fortified dairy products in MREs (Meals Ready to Eat). Heavy field loads, carried by Service Members and weighing 60-100 plus pounds, also increase the risk of musculoskeletal injuries.
The intent of our study is to demonstrate the suboptimal blood vitamin D levels in apparently well-appearing adolescents and thus support the need for the military to routinely screen for and treat vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency so as to optimize bone health, reduce the risk of musculoskeletal injuries, and enhance immune system function. In our study, 120 adolescents were randomly screened during routine adolescent well checks for vitamin D deficiency (25-hydroxy blood vitamin D levels 0-19.9 ng/mL) and vitamin D insufficiency (25-hydroxy blood vitamin D levels 20.0-29.9 ng/mL). Age ranges were 11-18 years, with a mean age of 14.6 years, with 53% males (63/120) and 47% females (57/120). Ethnicities in this predominantly low middle-income class population were 95% Hispanic, 4% Caucasian, and 1% Middle Eastern with vitamin D levels obtained from May 2015 to February 2016.
The results were as follows:

• total number of patients with vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency 80% (95/120),
• total number with vitamin D deficiency 32% (38/120),
• total number with vitamin D insufficiency 48% (57/120),
• total number of males with vitamin D insufficiency 56% (35/63) and deficiency 17% (11/63), and
• total number of females with vitamin D insufficiency 39% (22/57) and deficiency 47% (27/57).

The average 25-hydroxy vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency levels were 14.7 ng/mL and 23.4 ng/mL, respectively. Our results demonstrate a high incidence of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency levels in both adolescent males and females, with the percentage of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency in females (86%, 49/57) greater than in males (73%, 46/63).

In conclusion, more studies are needed to determine the prevalence of suboptimal vitamin D levels among military personnel and the general population, and possible links to other medical conditions, such as

• nonhealing fractures,
• chronic pain,
• anxiety,
• depression, and
• post-traumatic stress disorder-mild traumatic brain injury.

Mandatory vitamin D levels should be routinely obtained on all military personnel, especially those in pre- and postdeployment mobilization phases. Obtaining blood vitamin D levels are widely available, rapid, inexpensive, and reliable.

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Related items in VitaminDWiki

Military

• Vitamin D trials by military – all 4 found benefit – review Sept 2019
• No military trainee consumed Vitamin D RDA (most were also low in Magnesium) – July 2018
• Large decreases in Vitamin D and Iron during military basic training – March 2017
• VA found less testing for vitamin D resulted in increased health costs – Jan 2012
• 5,000 IU Vitamin D daily resulted in many benefits after 3 months (US soldiers) – RCT March 2019
• Need for Routine Vitamin D Screening in Military Personnel – Sept 2016
• Huge increase in Vitamin D supplementation in the US military (2005-13) – Oct 2016 - taking Vitamin D supplements
  
• See all VitaminDWiki titles containing military OR soldiers (29 titles as of June 2021)

Brain and Trauma

• Mild Traumatic Brain Injury reduced by Vitamin D – May 2014 by Wentz
• Vitamin D aided progesterone in reducing traumatic brain injury – RCT Dec 2012
• Traumatic brain injury treated by Vitamin D Progesterone Omega-3 and glutamine – May 2013
• Concussions (traumatic brain injury) getting big press coverage, vitamin D might be both a cause and a solution

Bone and Muscle

• Army Training trying performance readiness bars with 1400 IU of Vitamin D (Dr. Matthews) – Sept 2018
• Increased stress fractures during military training if low vitamin D (now in UK as well as US) – Jan 2016
• Increased Bone strength during military training – with just 800 IU of vitamin D and Calcium – RCT April 2014
• Stress fractures in basic training associated with 2.5 ng less vitamin D – meta-analysis Nov 2014
• Vitamin D provides faster recovery after muscle overuse – April 2013
• Muscle inflammation 17X more probable if vitamin D deficient – Feb 2013

Retired military

• VA showed increased vitamin D associated with lower health costs - Lancet May 2012
• 3X less Multiple Sclerosis with enough vitamin D - Veterans Administration
• Veterans Affairs System Coronavirus Deaths Top 6,400; Cases Are Above 148,000 Dec 29, 2020

COVID-19 treated by Vitamin D - studies, reports, videos

• As of March 31, 2024, the VitaminDWiki COVID page had:  trial results,   meta-analyses and reviews,   Mortality studies   see related:   Governments,   HealthProblems,   Hospitals,  Dark Skins,   All 26 COVID risk factors are associated with low Vit D,   Fight COVID-19 with 50K Vit D weekly   Vaccines   Take lots of Vitamin D at first signs of COVID   166 COVID Clinical Trials using Vitamin D (Aug 2023)   Prevent a COVID death: 9 dollars of Vitamin D or 900,000 dollars of vaccine - Aug 2023

5 most-recently changed Virus entries

Overview Sports and vitamin D have the following summary
Athletes are helped by vitamin D by:

1. Faster reaction time
2. Far fewer colds/flus during the winter
3. Less sore/tired after a workout
4. Fewer micro-cracks and broken bones
5. Bones which do break heal much more quickly
6. Increased VO2 and exercise endurance Feb 2011
7. Indoor athletes especially need vitamin D
8. Professional indoor athletes are starting to take vitamin D and/or use UV beds
9. Olympic athletes have used UV/vitamin D since the 1930's
10. The biggest gain from the use of vitamin D is by those who exercise less than 2 hours per day.
11. Reduced muscle fatigue with 10,000 IU vitamin D daily
12. Muscle strength improved when vitamin D added: 3 Meta-analysis
13. Reduced Concussions
    See also: Sports and Vitamin D category 279 items

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Related items on the web

• Risk/caution of vitamin D insufficiency for quarantined athletes returning to play after COVID-19 Oct 2020, FREE PDF
  • Probably a similar concern for the military
• Femoral and tibial stress fractures associated with vitamin D insufficiency J R Army Med Corps, March 2014
• Correction: Low Vitamin D Status and Suicide: A Case-Control Study of Active Duty Military Service Members. Sept 2013 full text online
• Bone Mineral Density Loss Following Combat-Related Lower Extremity Amputation Aug 2013
• Diet, physical activity, and bone density in soldiers before and after deployment. April 2013
• Vitamin D status, dietary intake, and bone turnover in female Soldiers during military training: a longitudinal study. Aug 2012
• Army conducting joint study to improve bone health in military personnel Jan 2014

Anabolic Adaptations Occur in Conscripts During Basic Military Training Despite High Prevalence of Vitamin D Deficiency and Decrease in Iron Status - March 2017  Download the PDF from VitaminDWiki

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24 VitaminDWiki pages have MILITARY in the title

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Veterans and Vitamin D - many studies 17+

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