By Barbara Hale
Public Information
Research with mice at Penn State has demonstrated a connection between vitamin D deficiency and two bowel diseases that occur in one out of every 1,000 people in North America and Europe.
"Our experiments show that vitamin D deficiency worsens the symptoms of Chron's disease and ulcerative colitis," said Margherita T. Cantorna, assistant professor of nutrition and director of the research project. "Treatment with Vitamin D for as little as two weeks lessens the symptoms of these inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) in mice."
Cantorna did her research with undergraduate Carey Munsick and Candace Bemiss, a master's degree candidate in nutrition.
"Vitamin D deficiency is more common in people who have inflammatory bowel disease. In addition, the anti-inflammatory drugs often used to treat IBD can cause bone loss as a side effect," said Cantorna. "Vitamin D taken in combination with these drugs may be able to reduce the effective dose of anti-inflammatory needed to treat the disease and decrease bone loss as well as treat the vitamin deficiency."
In research she conducted previously as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Wisconsin, Cantorna had demonstrated a connection between vitamin D and two other autoimmune diseases, rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis. Autoimmune diseases are disorders of the immune system in which the body attacks itself. In rheumatoid arthritis, for example, the immune system attacks the joints, in multiple sclerosis the spinal cord and brain and in IBD, the gut.
"Since we had previously shown a connection between other autoimmune diseases and vitamin D, it seemed reasonable to explore the possibility of a connection in this case," she said.
However, Cantorna pointed out that there are other factors that suggest that vitamin D and IBD are linked. For example, IBD is more prevalent in North America and Northern Europe, which receive less sunlight than other parts of the world. Vitamin D is manufactured in the skin on exposure to sunlight and people make significantly less in northern climates, especially in the winter. The incidence of IBD in Canada, for example, is the highest in the world.
While Cantorna's research and IBD's geographical distribution suggest a connection between vitamin D status and the incidence of IBD, Cantorna cautions that vitamin D's exact role is still unclear.
"I think that if you are a patient who has been diagnosed with IBD, it would be best to continue to follow your personal physician's advice," she said. "It wouldn't be a good idea to begin taking the vitamin D pills available over-the-counter because of possible problems with absorption. In the experiments, we treated the mice that had full blown symptoms with an active form of vitamin D to circumvent the absorption problems."
"However," she added, "for healthy people, it makes sense to make sure that you are vitamin D adequate."
Summer is the season for backyard grilling, but the same heat and humidity that drives you from the kitchen and out to the patio grill can promote food-borne illness, said a food safety expert in the College of Agricultural Sciences.
"Illnesses from undercooked foods and improper food handling skyrocket during the summer," said Dana McElroy, food safety specialist in the Department of Food Science.
McElroy said food-borne pathogens grow fastest in temperatures between 90 and 110 degrees F. Bacteria also need moisture to flourish -- a requirement supplied by the humid weather of summer.
Symptoms from food-borne illnesses may include stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headaches and fever. Healthy adults often weather the sickness in a day or two. However, young children, senior citizens, pregnant women and people with impaired immune systems can become very sick or even die from these illnesses.
McElroy suggests a few simple guidelines to make sure your cook-out doesn't include a trip to the emergency room.
n Wash hands and surfaces with hot, soapy water before handling food and after using the bathroom.
n Pack disposable washcloths and paper towels for cleaning hands and surfaces.
n Wrap raw meats securely and separate them from ready-to-eat foods within a cooler.
n Wash plates, utensils and cutting boards that have contacted raw meat before using again.
n Check the internal temperature of meats with a thermometer. Ground beef should reach at least 160 degrees F. Whole steaks and roasts should reach 145 degrees F for medium-rare. Other roasts should be cooked to 160 degrees F for medium and 170 degrees F for well-done. Whole poultry should reach 180 degrees F for safety.
n Do not let partially cooked meat sit on the counter. Pre-cooking meat in the microwave or range is a time-saver, but make sure the meat goes directly from the oven or microwave onto the grill.
n Marinate raw fish, meat or poultry in a glass dish in the refrigerator. Do not use the marinade as a basting sauce or dip if raw meat has been placed in it.
n Throw away any leftover food, hot or cold, that has been left out for more than an hour.
n Charcoal should burn for 30 minutes before cooking. The coals should have a light ash coating for best results.