IBD, Liver Disease Patients Show Vitamin D Deficits

People with inflammatory bowel disease or chronic liver disease may be at increased risk of developing vitamin D deficiencies. Two separate studies, presented recently at the American College of Gastroenterology annual meeting, suggest that patients with certain digestive diseases should have their vitamin D levels regularly monitored. In the first study of 504 people with inflammatory bowel disease, researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin found almost half were vitamin D-deficient at some point, with 11 percent being severely deficient. In patients with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, low levels of vitamin D were linked to increased disease activity. Based on responses to patient questionnaires, those with Crohn's also had a worse quality of life compared to those with the disease who had sufficient levels of vitamin D. In the other study, researchers from University of Tennessee in Memphis found more than 92 percent of 118 chronic liver patients studied had some level of vitamin D deficiency, with a third being severely deficient. The patients included those with hepatitis C and/or cirrhosis.

Bonnie - when you have severe digestive conditions such these, your ability to absorb nutrients suffers greatly. The results of these studies are not shocking. It confirms yet again why it is imperative to add supplemental nutrients, including vitamin D to the healthy as well as the sick.