As the new
Medical Director
at the clinic,
Dr. Frances Feudale
has been streamlining various processes and reviewing the testing services available to patients at VIM.
During her research, Dr. Feudale came across an interesting article published by
Harvard Medical School
regarding Vitamin D screenings. Here are a few key takeaways from the article:
1) The exact definition of a low vitamin D level is
not well-established
throughout the medical community.
2) There are
NO studies
that directly evaluated the benefits or harms of screening for low vitamin D levels in adults.
3) There IS evidence that shows treating healthy, average-risk people with "low vitamin D levels"
does NOT
reduce cancer, type 2 diabetes, early death, or bone fractures.
So should patients be screened for vitamin D levels? The answer is rarely but with exceptions. People who might need testing include those who:
1) have
severe osteoporosis
, early onset osteoporosis or other bone-health problems.
2) have conditions that affect fat absorption, including
celiac disease
or weight-loss surgery.
3) routinely
take medications
that interfere with vitamin D activity, including anticonvulsants and glucocorticoids.
The clinic will provide
Vitamin D screenings
for patients as needed and will refer patients to Dr. Dana Manning, VIM's clinical dietitian, for dietary supplementation.
