Vitamin (D) - Further Research

Vitamin D supplements could spare more than three million people from colds or flu in the UK each year, researchers claim.
The sunshine vitamin is vital for healthy bones, but also has a role in the immune system.
The analysis, published in the British Medical Journal, argues food should be fortified with the vitamin.

But Public Health England (PHE) says the infections data is not conclusive, although it does recommend supplements. These, it says, should be taken for improved bone and muscle health.  

The immune system uses vitamin D to make antimicrobial weapons that puncture holes in bacteria and viruses. But as vitamin D is made in the skin while out in the sun, many people have low levels during winter.

Trials on using supplements to prevent infections have given mixed results, so the researchers pooled data on 11,321 people from 25 separate trials to try to get a definitive answer.
The team at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) looked at respiratory tract infections - which covers a wide range of illnesses from a sniffle to flu to pneumonia.

Overall, the study said one person would be spared infection for every 33 taking vitamin D supplements.
That is more effective than flu vaccination, which needs to treat 40 to prevent one case, although flu is far more serious than the common cold.
There were greater benefits for those taking pills daily or weekly - rather than in monthly super-doses - and in people who were deficient in the first place.

                           

               

Its main function is to regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body, which are vital for the growth and maintenance of healthy bones, teeth and muscles.
In extreme cases, low levels can lead to rickets in children - where the bones become soft and weak and misshapen as they continue to grow.
In adults, vitamin D deficiency can lead to osteomalacia - causing severe bone pain and muscle aches. But there is a balance - too much vitamin D can lead to high levels of calcium in the blood which can cause heart and kidney problems.
Anyone with a chronic condition or taking medication should seek advice from their doctor.

One of the researchers, Prof Adrian Martineau, said: "Assuming a UK population of 65 million, and that 70% have at least one acute respiratory infection each year, then daily or weekly vitamin D supplements will mean 3.25 million fewer people would get at least one acute respiratory infection a year."
PHE already advises everyone to take vitamin D supplements in autumn and winter for the sake of healthy bones and muscles.
They are recommended all year round for some people who get little sunlight on their skin, including people in care homes or those who cover up.

However, there is considerable debate about the importance of the latest study.
Prof Louis Levy, the head of nutrition science at PHE, said: "The evidence on vitamin D and infection is inconsistent and this study does not provide sufficient evidence to support recommending vitamin D for reducing the risk of respiratory tract infections."
But Prof Martin Hewison, from the University of Birmingham and the Society for Endocrinology, said the findings were "striking".
"I agree with the authors that this study supports a new indication for vitamin D beyond its established benefits for bone health," he added.
And the research wing of the NHS, the National Institute for Health Research which funded the study, said the findings were "worthy of serious further debate".
Ultimately, the researcher team at QMUL want vitamin D to be added to food like in the US where milk is fortified.
Prof Martineau said: "Vitamin D fortification of foods provides a steady, low-level intake of vitamin D that has virtually eliminated profound vitamin D deficiency in several countries.
"By demonstrating this new benefit of vitamin D, our study strengthens the case for introducing food fortification to improve vitamin D levels in countries such as the UK where profound vitamin D deficiency is common."

Gut Bugs - Support Cancer Drugs

Bacteria living deep inside the digestive system seem to alter how cancer drugs work, a study suggests.

Immunotherapies - which harness the body's own defences to fight tumours - can clear even terminal cancer in a small proportion of patients.
However, a small study by the University of Texas found those harbouring a more diverse community of gut bugs are more likely to benefit.
Cancer Research UK said understanding gut bugs had "great potential".
The human body is home to trillions of micro-organisms - estimates suggest our own tissues are so heavily outnumbered that our bodies are just 10% human.

And a growing wealth of studies shows these microbes can influence our immune systems and have been implicated in auto-immune diseases and allergies.



Higher Levels
Immunotherapies are one of the most exciting breakthroughs in treating cancer. They work by taking the brakes off the immune system to help it to attack tumours more easily.
The research group compared the gut bacteria in 23 patients who responded to the therapy and 11 who did not.
Dr Jennifer Wargo, a melanoma surgeon and scientist, told the BBC News website: "We found a night-and-day difference in the diversity of bacteria species in the faecal samples."
The study, presented at the National Cancer Research Institute's Cancer Conference in Liverpool, found Ruminococcus bacteria in much higher levels in those that responded to treatment.
It suggests that it may be possible to boost the effectiveness of immunotherapy by altering the balance of bacteria in the gut.

'Scratch the Surface'

Procedures such as a trans-poo-sion - a transplant of faecal matter containing beneficial bacteria - are already used as a treatment for some diseases.

Dr Wargo added: "It is hugely plausible I think - we still need to dig a little deeper, but I think we're on to something.
"I think it really does shape our body's immune response as a whole and to cancer."
It is not yet clear if the differences in bacteria are the cause of the better response.
People with diets containing more fruit and vegetables tend to have a richer set of gut bugs, so it is possible that it is those with a healthier lifestyle that respond better to therapy.
"It might point to a healthy diet increasing your chances, which I think would be a great message," she added.
Sir Harpal Kumar, chief executive of Cancer Research UK, said: "Our bodies are filled with trillions of bacteria, and we are just beginning to scratch the surface of understanding their great potential.
"It's really interesting and exciting to see new evidence emerge on the close connection between the immune system and the bacteria living in our guts. As this, and several other studies, have shown, manipulating these bacteria could be exploited in future to help patients respond better to treatment."

Antenna-like structures found on immune cells for first time

A team of NUI Galway scientists have found that cells of the immune system have a previously undescribed ability. In a paper just published Journal of Cell Biology, the scientists describe the presence of primary cilia on immune cells. These antenna-like structures are found on almost all cell types in the body, but since the 1960s, it has been thought that they do not arise in blood cells.

Professor Ciaran Morrison of NUI Galway’s Centre for Chromosome Biology, who co-authored the paper with Dr Suzanna Prosser, explains the significance: “The paper is of scientific interest because it provides new information about how ciliation is controlled. Also, we have shown that immune cells do at least have all the material they would need to make primary cilia. The next question is whether the cells make cilia in the body.”

View article here: Centrin2 regulates CP110 removal in primary cilium formation

The 60 scientists led by 11 Principal Investigators at the Centre for Chromosome Biology in NUIGalway are dedicated to understanding many different areas of chromosome biology, such as how cell proliferation is controlled, the structure and maintenance of the genome, precise control of genome duplication and how genes are expressed. Their work is critical to the ongoing scientific battle against cancer and other areas including human reproduction and fertility and genetic diseases such as Huntington’s Disease.

View full Press Release on NUIG here