HCR 5: Relating to prevention of disease and to vitamin D.
00 HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 5 01 Relating to prevention of disease and to vitamin D. 02 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 03 WHEREAS the nutrient and pre-hormone vitamin D is manufactured in the skin 04 during exposure to ultraviolet B light from high-angle sunshine; and 05 WHEREAS, for seven months a year, the angle of the sun's rays is too low for 06 adequate ultraviolet B exposure in the state; and 07 WHEREAS Alaskans have one of the lowest levels of vitamin D blood serum in the 08 nation because of the state's northern latitude; and 09 WHEREAS the state has a high incidence of preventable diseases that are correlated 10 with insufficient blood serum levels of vitamin D; and 11 WHEREAS a 2008 study by the Ketchikan Indian Community Tribal Health Clinic 12 found that blood serum levels of vitamin D of Alaska Natives tested in Ketchikan averaged 13 between 6 and 17 ng/ml; and 14 WHEREAS a 1986 study by the University of Alaska Fairbanks found the blood 15 serum levels of vitamin D of Caucasian males averaged 27 ng/ml; and 16 WHEREAS a 2007 article published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
01 reported that a study that compared cancer rates of a group taking 1100 IU of vitamin D 02 supplements in combination with calcium to cancer rates of a group taking a placebo found 03 the risk of developing any cancer after four years was 60 percent lower in the group taking 04 vitamin D supplements; and 05 WHEREAS a study presented at the 2008 annual meeting of the American 06 Association for Cancer Research found that blood serum levels of vitamin D of at least 50 07 ng/ml were associated with an 83 percent reduction in the incidence of breast cancer 08 compared to blood serum levels of vitamin D of 25 ng/ml; and 09 WHEREAS a 2007 article published in the American Journal of Preventative 10 Medicine reported that a study found that a group with blood serum levels of vitamin D of at 11 least 42 ng/ml had a 60 percent reduction in the incidence of colorectal cancer compared to a 12 group with blood serum levels of vitamin D of 25 ng/ml; and 13 WHEREAS a 2010 study by the University of San Diego showed that incidence of 14 bladder cancer increases as latitude increases and that the incidence of bladder cancer 15 decreased by 40 percent with adequate blood serum levels of vitamin D; and 16 WHEREAS a study referenced by Michael F. Holick, Ph.D., M.D., in The Vitamin D 17 Solution found that men with prostate cancer who received 2,000 IU of vitamin D a day for 18 two years had a 50 percent reduction in the rise of prostate-specific antigen, an indicator of 19 prostate cancer activity; and 20 WHEREAS a 2001 study published in The Lancet found that a group with blood 21 serum levels of vitamin D of 52 ng/ml had a 66 percent reduction in the incidence of type 1 22 diabetes compared to a group with blood serum levels of vitamin D of 25 ng/ml; and 23 WHEREAS a 2001 study published in the Lancet found that children in Finland who 24 received 2,000 IU a day of vitamin D for the first year of life were 80 percent less likely to 25 develop type 1 diabetes by age 30 compared to children receiving 400 IU a day of vitamin D; 26 and 27 WHEREAS a 2006 study published in Diabetes Care found that taking 800 IU of 28 vitamin D in combination with calcium resulted in a 33 percent reduction in the risk of type 2 29 diabetes; and 30 WHEREAS a 1998 study published in the Journal of the American College of 31 Cardiology found that the incidence of heart attacks is 53 percent higher during the sun-
01 deprived winter months than during the summer months; and 02 WHEREAS a growing body of research from around the world indicates that 03 deficiency in vitamin D correlates with a broad spectrum of conditions, such as high blood 04 pressure, poor insulin sensitivity, inflammation, and other conditions related to heart disease; 05 and 06 WHEREAS numerous studies have found that vitamin D suppresses the inflammation 07 that plays a role in rheumatoid arthritis, chronic muscle pain, metabolic syndrome, congestive 08 heart failure, and stroke; and 09 WHEREAS a 2008 study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine showed that 10 the risk for heart attack in men with vitamin D blood serum levels at or below 15 ng/ml is 2.4 11 times greater than that for men whose vitamin D levels are at or above 30 ng/ml; and 12 WHEREAS a 1999 study published in the Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging 13 found that patients with seasonal affective disorder treated with a single dose of 100,000 IU of 14 vitamin D showed significant improvement after one month; and 15 WHEREAS a 2004 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 16 found that low blood serum levels of vitamin D were associated with periodontal disease; and 17 WHEREAS a 2005 study published in the American Journal of Public Health found 18 that the rate of oral disease among Alaska Natives is disproportionately high; and 19 WHEREAS a 2010 study published in the Journal of Laryngology and Otology found 20 that low levels of vitamin D are associated with an increased incidence of upper respiratory 21 tract infections; and 22 WHEREAS the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that influenza 23 vaccine effectiveness varies greatly; and 24 WHEREAS in 2010, the Department of Health and Social Services, reported that the 25 state is no longer subsidizing universal vaccinations for influenza because of a seven-fold 26 increase in cost over 10 years and a decrease in federal funding; and 27 WHEREAS a 2010 article published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 28 reported that a study of a group of Japanese school children who received 2,000 IU of vitamin 29 D a day showed a 50 percent reduction in the incidence of influenza compared to other school 30 children; and 31 WHEREAS vitamin D has been shown to influence the immune response to
01 tuberculosis, and studies have shown that vitamin D deficiency is associated with increased 02 risk of acquiring tuberculosis; and 03 WHEREAS a 2010 article in The Lancet reported that the risk of multiple sclerosis 04 increases with latitude and with low blood serum levels of vitamin D; and 05 WHEREAS a 2006 article published in the Journal of American Medical Association 06 reported that a study examining blood samples of more than 7,000,000 army recruits from 07 1992 - 2004 found that higher blood serum levels of vitamin D were associated with a 08 significantly lower risk of developing multiple sclerosis; and 09 WHEREAS a 2005 article published in the Journal of the American Medical 10 Association reported that elderly persons who had blood serum levels of vitamin D of at least 11 45 ng/ml experienced a 50 percent reduction of fractures, and a 2007 article published in the 12 Journal of the American Geriatric Society reported that elderly persons who had blood serum 13 levels of vitamin D of at least 30 ng/ml experienced a 72 percent reduction in falls compared 14 to those who had blood serum levels of vitamin D below 25 ng/ml; and 15 WHEREAS the elderly are at high risk for vitamin D deficiency because of indoor 16 lifestyle and the reduced ability of aging skin to manufacture vitamin D; and 17 WHEREAS a 2009 article published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease reported 18 that vitamin D reduces the risk of several types of diseases that have been identified as risk 19 factors for or precursors to dementia; and 20 WHEREAS a 2010 article published in The Journal of Alternative and 21 Complementary Medicine reported that a study in Egypt found that children without autism 22 had blood serum levels of vitamin D averaging 40.1 ng/ml, and children with autism had 23 significantly lower blood serum levels of vitamin D, averaging 28.5 ng/ml; and 24 WHEREAS Sara B. Arnaud, M.D., found that infants and children with blood serum 25 levels of vitamin D of at least 18 ng/ml have a 99 percent prevention rate of the bone disease 26 rickets; and 27 WHEREAS a 2007 study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and 28 Metabolism found that females who received regular vitamin D supplementation during the 29 first year of life are 50 percent less likely to develop preeclampsia in their first pregnancy; and 30 WHEREAS a 2009 article published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and 31 Metabolism found that pregnant women with low blood serum levels of vitamin D were
01 nearly four times more likely to deliver by cesarean section than women with blood serum 02 levels of vitamin D of at least 15 ng/ml; and 03 WHEREAS a 2009 study at the Medical University of South Carolina found that 04 pregnant women who took 4,000 IU a day of vitamin D during pregnancy had a 50 percent 05 reduction in the rate of premature birth and delivered fewer babies with low birth weight than 06 women who took 400 IU a day of vitamin D; and 07 WHEREAS a 2010 study at the Rebecca Sieff Hospital in Israel found that when 08 patients with hepatitis C were given 1,000 IU a day of vitamin D, the blood of 44 percent of 09 the participants was virus-free after a month of treatment, and the blood of 96 percent of the 10 participants was virus-free after three months; and 11 WHEREAS, although the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, 12 in 2010, recommended 600 IU a day of vitamin D, levels above 2,000 IU a day may be more 13 appropriate for those who live in the northern latitude; and 14 WHEREAS a 2007 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 15 found vitamin D toxicity only above 30,000 IU a day; and 16 WHEREAS a 2007 article published in the Journal of Photochemistry and 17 Photobiology estimated that the United States economic burden due to vitamin D deficiency 18 from inadequate exposure to ultraviolet B light, inadequate diet, and lack of supplements was 19 estimated at $40,000,000,000 - 56,000,000,000 in 2004; and 20 WHEREAS a 2010 article published in Molecular Nutrition and Food Research 21 regarding the rate of premature death and the economic burden in Canada found that annual 22 deaths could be reduced by 37,000 and the economic burden reduced by 6.9 percent or 23 $14,400,000,000 if blood serum levels of vitamin D of the population were adequate; and 24 WHEREAS part of the budget of the Department of Health and Social Services is 25 used to treat illnesses that could be prevented with adequate blood serum levels of vitamin D; 26 and 27 WHEREAS vitamin D supplements are inexpensive; 28 BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature respectfully requests the 29 Governor to establish prevention of disease as a primary model of health care in Alaska; and 30 be it 31 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature encourages the Alaska
01 Department of Health and Social Services and health care providers to increase attention to 02 vitamin D deficiency and vitamin D testing and to promote awareness of the long-term health 03 benefits of and increased chances of cancer survival with sufficient levels of vitamin D; and 04 be it 05 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges the Department of 06 Health and Social Services to provide vitamin D supplements to the elderly to prevent bone 07 loss, falls, fractures, and other age-related health problems; and be it 08 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges the Department of 09 Health and Social Services to investigate substituting vitamin D supplementation for influenza 10 vaccination as a less costly method for preventing influenza; and be it 11 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges the Department of 12 Health and Social Services to provide vitamin D supplements to pregnant women and infants 13 to prevent pregnancy complications, preterm births, type 1 diabetes, and rickets.