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Dental X-rays Show Vitamin D Deficiency

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McMaster anthropologists have found that human teeth hold important information about Vitamin D deficiency which can be identified by a dental X-ray. The researchers had previously discovered that human teeth hold a detailed and permanent record of Vitamin D deficiency. The teeth show microscopic deformities in dentin. This is preserved by enamel which protect teeth from breaking down. Vitamin D deficiency often occurs when a human does not get enough exposure to sunlight. This work is useful for examining the teeth of people who lived years ago to see if they were ever deprived of sunlight and had Vitamin D deficiency. An issue when looking for teeth deformities currently is that that a tooth must be cut open and there are limited teeth the researchers had access to. To avoid wasting specimens, the researchers tried to find a way to … Read more

Vitamin D deficiency and increased chronic headaches

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Researchers from the University of Eastern Finland have shown that a vitamin D deficiency may increase the risk of chronic headache. The Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study, analysed the serum vitamin D levels and occurrence of headache in approximately 2,600 men between 42 and 60 years old in 1984-1989. In 68% of these men, the serum vitamin D level was below 50 nmol/l, which is generally considered to be a vitamin D deficiency. In the study chronic headache occurring at least once a week occurred in 250 men, and men reporting chronic headache had lower serum vitamin D levels than others. The study population was divided into four groups based on their serum vitamin D levels. The group with the lowest vitamin D levels had over a twofold increased risk of chronic headache in comparison to the group … Read more