Life Extension Foundation supported trial finds 7,000 IU vitamin D improves immunological parameters in HIV-positive individuals

News provided by

Life Extension Foundation

08 Jan, 2015, 10:00 ET

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Jan. 8, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr. Virginia A. Stallings and colleagues from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia published a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial in which treatment with a 7,000 IU vitamin D3 product benefited HIV-positive children and young adults. The vitamin D supplements used in the trial were provided by the Life Extension Foundation. The publication, titled "High-Dose Vitamin D3 Supplementation in Children and Young Adults with HIV: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial," was published in The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal.

Over a 12-month period, 50 HIV-positive individuals aged 5 to 24.9 years were given 7,000 IU of vitamin D3 or placebo daily. Blood tests showed that 95% of study participants had suboptimal vitamin D blood levels at baseline.  Vitamin D3 supplementation increased average serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 levels from 18 ng/mL at baseline to 32 ng/mL at three months. After the 12-month study period, vitamin D3 subjects maintained a 12 ng/mL increase in 25-hydroxyvitamin D blood levels compared to placebo. The supplement dosage was also observed to be safe in this population.

Several measures of immune function improved with vitamin D3 supplementation compared with placebo. There was an increase in the percentage of naïve T helper cells, CD4+ cells, and a reduction in RNA viral load at several time points during the study.

"It's encouraging to see that high-dose vitamin D3 improved important aspects of immune function in these HIV-positive study participants without causing any major side effects. This study certainly supports further research into the use of high-dose vitamin D3 supplementation for individuals with HIV," says Dr. Steven Hirsh, director of clinical research for Life Extension.

Life Extension Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to finding new scientific methods to enhance and expand the healthy human life span. It funds research programs aimed at developing new anti-aging therapies and combating such age-related killers as heart disease, stroke, cancer, and Alzheimer's disease. The Life Extension Foundation has donated over $125 million to anti-aging and disease prevention studies. 

SOURCE Life Extension Foundation

PRN Top Stories Newsletters

Sign up to get PRN’s top stories and curated news delivered to your inbox weekly!

Thank you for subscribing!

By signing up you agree to receive content from us.
Our newsletters contain tracking pixels to help us deliver unique content based on each subscriber's engagement and interests. For more information on how we will use your data to ensure we send you relevant content please visit our PRN Consumer Newsletter Privacy Notice. You can withdraw your consent at any time in the footer of every email you'll receive. Mit Ihrer Anmeldung erklären Sie sich damit einverstanden, Inhalte von uns zu erhalten.
Unsere Newsletter enthalten Zählpixel, die die Lieferung einzigartiger Inhalte in Bezug auf das Abonnement und die Interessen der einzelnen Abonnenten ermöglichen. Weitere Informationen über die Verwendung Ihrer Daten im Hinblick auf die Zusendung von relevanten Inhalten, finden Sie in unserer PRN Consumer Newsletter Privacy Notice. Ihre Zustimmung können Sie jederzeit in der Fußzeile jeder erhaltenen E-Mail widerrufen. En vous inscrivant à la newsletter, vous consentez à la réception de contenus de notre part.
Notre newsletter contient des pixels espions nous permettant la fourniture à chaque abonné, d’un contenu unique en lien avec ses souscriptions et intérêts. Pour de plus amples informations sur l’utilisation faite de vos données en vue de l’envoi des contenus concernés, nous vous invitons à consulter la politique de confidentialité disponible à partir du lien suivant PRN Consumer Newsletter Privacy Notice. Vous pouvez à tout moment revenir sur votre consentement par le biais des informations situées au bas de chaque e-mail reçu. Регистрирайки се, Вие се съгласявате да получавате информационно съдържание от нас. Нашите бюлетини съдържат проследяващи пиксели, които ни помагат да предоставяме уникално съдържание въз основа на ангажираността и интересите на всеки абонат. За повече информация относно начина, по който ще използваме Вашите данни, за да гарантираме, че Ви изпращаме подходящо съдържание, моля, направете справка с нашето Уведомление за поверителност на потребителския бюлетин на PRN. Можете да оттеглите съгласието си по всяко време в долния колонтитул на всеки от имейлите, които ще получите.