Bacterial Vaginosis Linked to Vitamin D Deficiency
New research, published in The Journal of Nutrition (June 2009) and reported in The New York Times, has found a link between low levels of Vitamin D and bacterial vaginosis. Previously known contributing factors in the development of BV have included hot weather, poor health, poor hygiene, use of an intrauterine device (IUD) for birth control, and routine vaginal douching, as well as the transference of E.coli from the rectum to the vagina during sexual intercourse.
According to The Times article, an analysis of 469 pregnant women, which included 209 white women and 260 black women, found that over half of the women had Vitamin D levels that were less that half of the generally accepted normal level of at least 80. Women whose Vitamin D levels were less than 37 were more than 50% more likely to have bacterial vaginosis. Significantly more black women had BV than white women with 52% of black women having the vaginal infection compared to only about 27% of white women who had the infection. It's thought this difference may occur because darker skin simply doesn't synthesize the Vitamin D provided by sunshine as well as lighter skin.
So, does this mean women should start supplementing their Vitamin D intake? Definitely not. Always talk to your doctor before you begin taking any supplements, as well as any herbs or other alternative treatments.
More: Bacterial Vaginosis FAQs
What Vaginal Itching Means and How To Relieve The Itch
Comments
Well, this is a good report and most important information you forgot to put in.
We do not need the Vitamin D supplements,however,
we can get good source of vitamin D while walking,
garden,,,doing any sport outside early in the mor-
ning or later in the afternoon,when the sun still
shines but it is less risk from get skin cancer.
The sun it is the best supplement to get vitamin
D.The pills does not work as well,and with deficien
cy of this vitamin it also affect our calcium in take that our bones need to keeping health for as
long as we need.
So,after taked a cold shower in the summer, get
free hair dry,while walking,a nice tan, good body,
and with all this keeping yourself healthy and all
this for free…No need money back,,,you feel great
and have a good night of sleeping too…
Litza, Dermatologists recommend no more than 15 minutes in the sun without sunscreen, and this is not nearly enough to produce adequate Vitamin D.
The rate of melanoma and other skin cancers is rising dramatically and we need to use sunscreen daily, and not be out in the sun unprotected between 10 am and 2 pm.
New info indicated we need about 2000-5000 iu a day, many times more than the 400 iu in most multi-vitamins (which we all need daily, too)
Further, anyone north of a line drawn between La and Atlanta cannot get enough Vit D even from sun exposure.
We all need Vit D supplements.
Check with your family doc for all this new info.
Sandy R
medical educator
I’d like a definitive answer on this before I pass on the information. How should women best eliminate a Vit D deficiency? Thanks.
We certainly DO need Vitamin D. Actually Vitamin D3 for our health, especially our bones. Calciuim is not enough and we cannot get enough Vit D from foods. The best source is from the sun— 15 minutes of sunlight.
New research into Vitamin D is exactly as Sandy R stated. Being in the sun is NOT going to provide sufficient amount of this much needed vitamin – which most people are deficient in. Please keep up to date with the latest research and development in health and nutrition before giving advice. Misguidance can cause some serious health issues.
About 46/7 years ago I got called a fool when I said that vetinawry researchers had said that the reason cats sit in the sun and ash themselves so much is to get Vitamin D and that as we are all descended from Adam and Eve it logically followed that we are intended to be naked as a matter of course and obviously benefit from the sunshine. This is why we all feel good when we are out on a nice day.
Incidentally under our skin we have a shole forest network of little collector/receptors…I forget the name but from their design I can’t help thinking that they are intended to absorb and feed into us something that is abundant in sunshine. Could those receptors be Vitamnin D production units?
It is unfortunate that for most of the people on earth our climate is too extreme to allow much fresh air and sun consumption.
And of course these days far too many people couchpotato all the time instead of getting out in the fresh air.
Vaginitis might indeed be simply cured by fresh air and sunshine as might so many other modern illnesses.
This is very helpful information. Thank u for this knowlegde.
In July, 2008 I had my Vit D level checked and it was at 25.2 L. The reference range is 32 to 100 ng/mL with a notation that 32 is considered the lower limit as a threshold for optimal health. My endocrinologist told me that I should try to get more sun exposure as that would help bring up my level. I told her I walk my dog twice a day plus I work outside in my yard all the time. I felt I got enough sunshine so trying to get more didn’t seem to be the right idea. I did research on Vit D and what Sandyr says is on the right track. I started taking 1000 iu’s and brought my level up to 34.3. I then started on 2000 iu’s and my level went up to 40.6. I am now taking 4000 iu’s per day and my level this July (2009) is 58.0. So, in one year’s time my level went from 25.2 to 58. I am very pleased. I will continue taking 4000 iu’s from now on. I don’t think my level would have gone up this much just by trying to get more sunshine.
I should have mentioned that you really need to get your blood level measured before you start adding Vit D to know whether or not you are deficient. But adding 1000 iu’s a day to your diet won’t hurt because most people don’t get enough as it is.
I asked my doc to test my level and she absolutely refused. I had the swine flu and got a secondary lung infection. Since I have chronic yeast infections, I cannot go on any more antibiotics so I take 10 000IU of vit D3 right now until I am better. I wish I wasn’t going into it blindly like I am. Maybe now if I tell my doc what I am doing to myself she will bother to test my levels
Anyway, according to Dr. Mercola, it is the angle of sunlight that makes the difference, and the further north you go, the less likely you are to get the right rays to make adequate vit D3. If you are in the right place to do so, just a half an hour in the sun is good enough, 15min won’t do it. And the reason you can get a burn and then cancer is dependent on your antioxidant status. Many people are terribly deficient in those, and the free radicals produced run amok in your body and cause cancer. Antioxidants bind up the free radicals and neutralize them, keeping cancer at bay, at least in when it comes to sun exposure. I am not sure about the rest, but it must be helpful with other cancers as well.