GrassrootsHealth’s Greatest Achievements – Highlights from Our First 15 Years

Published on July 27, 2022

Our participants, supporters, and scientists have all played a role in these great accomplishments, which have majorly influenced the public knowledge of vitamin D

In 2007, GrassrootsHealth was founded by Carole Baggerly with the mission of moving vitamin D research findings into the hands of the public and into practice.

What has happened in the 15 years since our founding to support that mission? Let’s take a walk down memory lane together! Following is a timeline of what GrassrootsHealth, along with the help of our scientists, participants, and supporters, has accomplished over the years. We appreciate all who have joined us along the way! Keep up the participation and help spread the word… let us know how you can help by emailing us at jen @grassrootshealth.org.

A 15 Year Review of GrassrootsHealth’s Achievements

2007

• GrassrootsHealth is Founded!

2008

Projects

• Enrollment into the D*action study begins

Key Materials & Education

• The Scientists’ Call to D*action is first issued and signed by 40 international vitamin D scientists
• The first “Diagnosis and Treatment of Vitamin D Deficiency Seminar” is presented by GrassrootsHealth at the University of California, San Diego

2010

Key Materials & Education

• The Disease Incidence Prevention Chart was first released, with the need to educate practitioners of the importance of achieved serum level for specific conditions – the reminder is still needed today!
• The second “Diagnosis and Treatment of Vitamin D Deficiency Seminar” is presented by GrassrootsHealth at the University of California, San Diego

2011

Papers Published

• The first paper using D*action data is published, Vitamin D Supplement Doses and Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D in the Range Associated with Cancer Prevention — this paper was a wake-up call as the first publication showing the dose response relationship as a curve versus a linear relationship, and showing the uniqueness of individual response

Awareness Movement

• Breast Cancer Prevention Month initiated by GrassrootsHealth

2013

Key Materials & Education

• Launch of a series of free webinars on vitamin D, “Scientists Answer YOUR Questions”

Papers Published

• 5 additional papers based on D*action data and the mission of GrassrootsHealth were published:
• All-Source Basal Vitamin D Inputs are Greater Than Previously Thought and Cutaneous Inputs are Smaller
• A Novel Approach Localizes the Association of Vitamin D Status With Insulin Resistance to One Region of the 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Continuum
• 25-Hydroxyvitamin D in the Range of 20 to 100 ng/ml and Incidence of Kidney Stones
• Quantifying the Non-Food Sources of Basal Vitamin D Input
• Quantifying the Food Sources of Basal Vitamin D Input

2014

Key Materials & Education

• Hosted the “Vitamin D for Public Health” Seminar at the University of California, San Diego

Papers Published

• 3 more papers published with the help of GrassrootsHealth:
• 25(OH)D Serum Levels May Provide Additional Reduction in Breast Cancer Risk
• Meta-Analysis of All-Cause Mortality According to Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D
• Post-Hoc Comparison of Vitamin D Status at Three Time Points During Pregnancy Demonstrates Lower Risk of Preterm Birth with Higher Vitamin D Closer to Delivery

2015

Projects

• The Protect Our Children NOW! project is launched with all prenatal patients at the Medical University of South Carolina

Papers Published

• GrassrootsHealth helps publish Letter to Veugelers, P.J. and Ekwaru, J.P., A Statistical Error in the Estimation of the Recommended Dietary Allowance for Vitamin D
• Sunlight and Vitamin D: Necessary for Public Health
• Incidence Rate of Type 2 Diabetes is >50% Lower in GrassrootsHealth Cohort with Median Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D of 41 ng/ml than in NHANES Cohort with Median of 22 ng/ml

2016

Key Materials & Education

• The first Vitamin D*calculator is released

Awards & Recognition

• GrassrootsHealth is named the 2016 Humanitarian Award Recipient from the American College of Nutrition to honor our tireless efforts to move vitamin D research into practice

Awareness Movement

• GrassrootsHealth declares May as “National Sunshine Month”

Papers Published

• Post-hoc Analysis of Vitamin D Status and Reduced Risk of Preterm Birth in Two Vitamin D Pregnancy Cohorts Compared with South Carolina March of Dimes 2009-2011 rates
• Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Concentrations ≥40 ng/ml are Associated with >65% Lower Cancer Risk: Pooled Analysis of Randomized Trial and Prospective Cohort Study

2017

Papers Published

• 1st publication from Protect Our Children NOW! project, Maternal 25(OH)D concentrations ≥40 ng/mL associated with 60% lower preterm birth risk among general obstetrical patients at an urban medical center

Projects

• Launch of the Omega-3 Project with the Omega-3 Index test included with Vitamin D

2018

Awards & Recognition

• GrassrootsHealth and the Organic & Natural Health Association are presented the 2018 NBJ Award for Excellence in Education
• GrassrootsHealth receives the 2018 Mercola Achievement Award

Projects

• Launch of the Type 1 Diabetes Prevention project with new tests added for hsCRP, HbA1c

Papers Published

• Breast cancer risk markedly lower with serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations ≥ 60 vs < 20 ng/ml (150 vs 50 nmol/L): Pooled analysis of two randomized trials and a prospective cohort

2019

Key Education & Materials

• The Omega-3 Index calculator is released

Projects

• Magnesium PLUS Focus Project launched, with the addition of the Magnesium PLUS Elements panel

Papers Published

• 25-Hydroxyvitamin D variability within person due to diurnal rhythm and illness: a case report
• Cross-sectional study of the combined associations of dietary and supplemental eicosapentaenoic acid + docosahexaenoic acid on Omega-3 Index

2020

Key Education & Materials

• The Vitamin D*calculator is updated, including calculations for a loading dose

Projects

• Launch of the Immune Boost Project

Papers Published

• GrassrootsHealth helps author and publish Evidence that Vitamin D Supplementation Could Reduce Risk of Influenza and COVID-19 Infections and Deaths

2021

Awards & Recognition

• Exciting news!! Our paper, titled Breast cancer risk markedly lower with serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations ≥ 60 vs < 20 ng/ml (150 vs 50 nmol/L): Pooled analysis of two randomized trials and a prospective cohort, is among the top 10% of 2018 papers published in PLOS ONE for being cited in other research.

2022

Key Education & Materials

• The IRB approved Vitamin D Deficiency Risk Assessment Quiz (Beta) is released; scoring is intended to determine if an individual has a low, moderate, or high risk of having a vitamin D level below 40 ng/ml (100 nmol/L)
• The KNOW “D” NUMBER Patient and Provider Guide to Understanding Vitamin D, Testing & Results Booklet is released to help guide providers through implementing vitamin D standards into practice
• The eBook, Vitamin D & COVID-19, A Summary of Published Research, is released for purchase; it is a condensed and concise compilation of much of this research in an easy-to-read and print PDF

Projects

• Phase 2 of the Type 1 Diabetes Prevention Project is launched to include the measurement of T1D Autoantibodies with a home blood spot test
• The North Dakota Project launches, with our first billboard exposure spreading the word to enormous audiences! This opportunity to share with the masses was made possible thanks to our very own participants.
• First results from the North Dakota Project are released – and they were quite dismal…
• Over 18,000 D*action participants world-wide!

2023

Key Education & Materials

• An online educational course (CEU approved) titled Moving Vitamin D Research into Practice: Addressing Vitamin D Deficiency to Improve Patient Outcomes, Population Health & Reduce Costs is released, along with a Vitamin D Best Practices Toolkit

Projects

• A second group of results are released from the North Dakota project, finding a majority are very deficient

Papers Published

• Exposure to a Vitamin D Best Practices Toolkit, Model, and E-Tools Increases Knowledge, Confidence, and the Translation of Research to Public Health and Practice

WHY SHOULD YOU TAKE D*ACTION AND TEST TODAY?

Build your custom kit or choose from our top selling test combinations:

Vitamin D Test	Vitamin D & Omega-3 Index	Immune Boost Panel
Purchase Here	Purchase Here	Purchase Here

ENSURE HEALTHY NUTRIENT LEVELS BY TESTING TODAY

Having and maintaining healthy nutrient levels can help improve your health now and for your future. Choose which nutrients to measure with your vitamin D, such as your omega-3s and essential minerals including magnesium and zinc, by creating your custom home test kit today. Take steps to improve the status of each of these measurements to benefit your overall health. With measurement you can then determine how much is needed and steps to achieve your goals. You can also track your own intakes, symptoms and results to see what works best for YOU.

Take steps for your own health to ensure optimal vitamin D levels – for your family and loved ones as well – by measuring at home today.

Test Your Vitamin D Now

How Can You Use this Information for YOUR Health?

Having and maintaining healthy vitamin D and other nutrient levels can help improve your health now and for your future. Measuring is the only way to make sure you are getting enough!

STEP 1 Order your at-home blood spot test kit to measure vitamin D and other nutrients of concern to you, such as omega-3s, magnesium, essential and toxic elements (zinc, copper, selenium, lead, cadmium, mercury); include hsCRP as a marker of inflammation or HbA1c for blood sugar health

STEP 2 Answer the online questionnaire as part of the GrassrootsHealth study

STEP 3 Using our educational materials and tools (such as our dose calculators), assess your results to determine if you are in your desired target range or if actions should be taken to get there

STEP 4 After 3-6 months of implementing your changes, re-test to see if you have achieved your target level(s)

Enroll in D*action and Build Your Custom Test Kit!

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