The results of a recent trial were disappointing to some but I think that disappointment is unwarranted. Subjects were given 1000 iu of D3 daily. This dose did not reduce their body weight. That would have been nice for those wanting to lose weight. However, the subjects did significantly lower body fat and abdominal fat, both of which are more meaningfully connected to your health. Also, as many of you I am sure recognize, 1000 iu/day is pathetic. Just to reach a normal blood level, most of my patients have to take a minimum of 3-5,000 iu/day. So, an adequate dose might well have done more. That would have been in keeping with numerous other studies linking elevated weight with low vitamin D status.
A recent study in DERMATO-ENDOCRINOLGY authored by vitamin D pioneer William Grant adds to the evidence linking low vitamin D with autism. Children living in sunnier states developed autism roughly half as often as children living in the cold, dark northern states. With their darker, less vitamin D efficient skin, African Americans in the northern states were 40% more likely to be diagnosed with autism than white children in the same states, which parallels their reduced blood levels of vitamin D.