Laurie's Blogs.

I was searching through some old blog posts that I keep track of, and I found a juicy nugget of information!  There is a correlation between vitamin D deficiency and benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV).

The link between vitamin D and benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) lies in vitamin D's role in calcium metabolism and inner ear function. BPPV is caused by dislodged calcium carbonate crystals (otoconia) in the inner ear, which disrupt balance and cause vertigo. Vitamin D regulates calcium homeostasis, and deficiency may lead to abnormal otoconia formation or degeneration, increasing BPPV risk.

Here’s how vitamin D might be linked to BPPV:

•   Calcium Regulation: Vitamin D helps regulate calcium levels in the body, which is critical for the formation and maintenance of otoconia. Low vitamin D levels could lead to abnormal or fragile otoconia, increasing the likelihood of their displacement and triggering BPPV.

•   Inner Ear Health: The inner ear relies on precise calcium dynamics to function properly. Insufficient vitamin D may disrupt these processes, potentially contributing to balance issues.

•   Recurrence Risk: Studies have found that people with BPPV often have lower vitamin D levels than those without the condition. Meta-analyses of relevant research suggest that correcting vitamin D deficiency through supplementation could reduce the frequency of BPPV relapses.

What can we take from this study when thinking about dogs with geriatric vestibular disease?

•   Nothing could be found published in veterinary literature that discusses Vitamin D and any vestibular condition.

•   A 2016 study found that oral supplementation of dogs with Vitamin D3 with the safe upper limit recommendation by the National Research Council (5x the recommended) did not significantly raise serum concentrations of vitamin D. ²

•   In one study, a commercial dog food supplemented with over 100 times the recommended amount resulted in severe vitamin D toxicity.³

What can you do?

On the ‘human side’, you can get your Vitamin D levels tested.  Levels below 20 ng/mL are generally considered deficient.  You can talk to your doctor.  You can try supplementation and/or you can boost your vitamin D levels naturally through diet.

What about dogs?

Dogs do not acquire vitamin D  through sun exposure via the skin.  “Likely through evolutionary adaptation to a carnivorous, vitamin D rich diet, dogs and cats have a reduced ability to synthesize vitamin D cutaneously via dermal photosynthesis in comparison to herbivore species. The consumption of prey animals, particularly of fat, liver, and blood, which is high in vitamin D, and of meat, which is very high in phosphorus, provided adequate nutritional supply of vitamin D.”¹

Diet is likely the best way to increase vitamin D intake for a dog.  Some suggestions are fatty fish (salmon, mackerel or sardines), fish liver oils, egg yolks, mushrooms (maitake or chanterelle), or beef liver.  Naturally, caution should be taken to avoid an gastrointestinal mishaps… but this is literally ‘food for thought’ in these cases.

Disclaimer

I’m not making any specific recommendations… but I found this interesting and I thought you might as well!

Cheers,

Laurie

REFERENCES:

Inspirational Resource for this Blog:

https://www.themanualtherapist.com/2021/03/bppv-and-vitamin-d.html  

Dog References:

1. Hurst EA, Homer NZ, Mellanby RJ. Vitamin D Metabolism and Profiling in Veterinary Species. Metabolites. 2020 Sep 15;10(9):371.

2. Young LR, Backus RC. Oral vitamin D supplementation at five times the recommended allowance marginally affects serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations in dogs. J Nutr Sci. 2016 Jul 29;5:e31. 

3. Mellanby R.J., Mee A.P., Berry J.L., Herrtage M.E. Hypercalcaemia in two dogs caused by excessive dietary supplementation. J. Small Anim. Pract. 2005;46:334–338.