846 Vitamin D Debate

Tune in to our radio show on your local public radio station, or sign up for the podcast and listen at your leisure. Here’s what it’s about:
Vitamin D has long been recognized as critical for preventing rickets in the bones of young children. Research over the past decade or so has also established that it is essential for warding off osteoporosis in older adults.
There is a mystery as to why so many different cells in the body have vitamin D receptors. How does this vital nutrient affect arthritis, blood pressure, diabetes, cognitive function, psoriasis and muscle weakness? Learn how much vitamin D you need, and whether vitamin D2 or D3 is better. How can we avoid toxicity?
Guests: Michael F. Holick, MD, PhD, is Professor of Medicine, Physiology and Biophysics and Director of the General Clinical Research Center as well as Director of the Bone Health Care Clinic at Boston University Medical Center. His books include The UV Advantage (with Mark Jenkins) and The Vitamin D Solution. His website is www.vitamindhealth.org
JoAnn E. Manson, MD, DrPH, is Chief of the Division of Preventive Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH). She is Professor of Medicine and the Elizabeth Fay Brigham Professor of Women’s Health at Harvard Medical School and Co-Director of the Connors Center for Women’s Health and Gender Biology at BWH. Dr. Manson is one of the members of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) Committee on Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin D and Calcium. She is the Principal Investigator of the VITamin D and OmegA-3 TriaL (VITAL), which is testing the role of vitamin D in the prevention of cancer and cardiovascular disease. The website to learn more is www.vitalstudy.org

The podcast of this program will be available the Monday after the broadcast date. The show can be streamed online from this site and podcasts can be downloaded for free for six weeks after the date of broadcast. After that time has passed, digital downloads are available for $2.99. CDs may be purchased at any time after broadcast for $9.99.