| A press release by the publisher Penguin declares the release of Dr. Michael F. Holick's latest book about the remarkable health benefits of vitamin D. "What do obesity, heart disease, depression, diabetes, and fibromyalgia have in common? The answer is vitamin D deficiency," the press releasestates. "More than 200 million Americans lack this essential vitamin. In the landmark book The Vitamin D Solution, Dr. Michael F. Holick identifies the causes of vitamin D deficiency, outlines why it is essential to your health, and provides a 3-step program to attain optimal levels of Vitamin D. Increasing levels of vitamin D can treat, prevent, and even reverse a remarkable number of daily ailments, from high blood pressure to back pain. It can lessen the symptoms of chronic conditions such as diabetes and arthritis, and actually prevent infectious diseases, including H1N1 and cancer. Dr. Holick also credits vitamin D with improving infertility, weight control, memory and mood." How Many Health Benefits Can Optimal Vitamin D Levels Impart? There seems to be no end in sight when searching for the answer to that question. There's constantly new research being published, demonstrating the health benefits of vitamin D and the health risks associated with vitamin D deficiency. Perhaps the most telling piece of information is the fact that higher vitamin D levels significantly reduce mortality rates from ALL causes! And it's no wonder, really, when you consider what vitamin D really is, because it's far more than "just a vitamin." Rather it's the only known substrate for a potent, pleiotropic (meaning it produces multiple effects), repair and maintenance seco-steroid hormone that serves multiple gene-regulatory functions in your body. In fact, there's compelling evidence that vitamin D is in fact KEY for proper gene expression. The Sun is nature's best source of Vitamin D: Sunlight is the initiator of vitamin D3 creation in our bodies. Sunshine's UVB rays interact with the cholesterol in our skin that ignites a process to create vitamin D from our kidneys and liver. This doesn't happen without sunlight. Most of us aren't getting enough of it! Sunscreen, decreased skin exposure to sun, lack of time outdoors, the fear of skin cancer, etc are all potential reasons many are deficient in Vitamin D.
 Why Supplement with Vitamin D3 & What We Have Learned About Vitamin D Dosing? 1) "Over the past several years, the surprising prevalence of vitamin D deficiency has become broadly recognized." 2) Vitamin D deficiency is linked to: Osteoporosis Cardiovascular disease Cancer Autoimmune diseases Multiple sclerosis Pain Loss of Cognitive function Decreased strength Increased rate of all-cause mortality 3) "Deficiency of vitamin D is now recognized as a pandemic, with more than half of the world's population at risk." 4) Approximately 50% of the healthy North American population and more than 80% of those with chronic diseases are vitamin D deficient. 5) 80% of healthy Caucasian infants are vitamin D deficient. [And the rate of vitamin D deficiency tends to be greater in African American and Hispanic children]. 6) Those with vitamin D deficiency experience 39% higher annual healthcare costs than those with normal levels of vitamin D. 7) Suggested levels of vitamin D as measured by 25(OH)D3 is: Caucasians 125 - 175 nmol/l = 50 - 70 mg/dl Hispanics 100 - 150 nmol/l = 40 - 60 mg/dl African Americans 80 - 120 nmol/l = 32- 48 mg/dl 8) The minimum blood levels of vitamin D [25(OH)D3] is 80 nmol/l (32 mg/dl). 9) Prolonged intake of 10,000 IU of supplemental vitamin D3 "is likely to pose no risk of adverse effects in almost all individuals." 10) The maximum safe levels for vitamin 25(OH)D3 in the blood is 275 nmol/l(100 mg/dl). 11) Sarcoidosis patients (and other granulomatous diseases) should not supplement with vitamin D because it increases granuloma production increasing the risk of hypercalcemia. 12) A loading dose of supplemental vitamin D3 of 10,000 IU/day for 3 months and maintenance dose of 5,000 IU/day "is not enough for most people in northern climates." 13) The loading dose of supplemental vitamin D3 should be about 20,000 IU/day for 3 - 6 months with a maintenance dose of 5,000 IU/day. Those taking this amount of supplemental vitamin D3 should periodically have their serum 25(OH)D3 levels measured. Source: Integrative Medicine Vol. 9, No. 1, Feb/Mar 2010  | Vitamin D Dose Recommendations | | | | | Age | Dosage | | Below 5 | 35 units per pound per day | | Age 5 - 10 | 2500 units | | Adults | 5000 units | | Pregnant Women | 5000 units | |
WARNING:
There is no way to know if the above recommendations are correct. The ONLY way to know is to test your blood. You might need 4-5 times the amount recommended above. Ideally your blood level of 25 OH D should be 60ng/ml. The above recommendations are for daily maintenance. We do a blood test here at the office to see we your Vitamin D levels are if you are interested in knowing.
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Why is the public misinformed about UV and vitamin D?
There are a number of reasons why public health policies regarding UV irradiance and vitamin D are not where they should be. Here is a partial list:
1 - The adverse effects of UV irradiance are easy to see and relate to UV; the beneficial effects are difficult to determine as they occur after many years, and may be masked by other factors such as diet, smoking, etc. However, the health benefits are much stronger [Grant, 2009].
2 - The sunscreen industry funds the American Academy of Dermatology to promote the idea that people should avoid the sun and wear sunscreen. As a result, serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations have decreased in the United States [Ginde, 2009] and elsewhere [Glass, 2009; Van der Mei, 2007].
3 - The Institute of Medicine (IoM) convened a committee to review the evidence for beneficial effects of vitamin D and make recommendations. According to prevailing medical practice, types of evidence were ranked from low (ecological studies) to high (randomized controlled trials). This ranking may be appropriate for pharmaceutical drugs, which are artificial compounds, but not for vitamin D, for which the primary source is the sun. However, at least one of the committee members is conducting a randomized controlled trial of vitamin D supplementation, using 2000 IU/d vitamin D3. If the committee had recommended an adequate vitamin D oral intake of 1000-2000 IU/d, such trials might be jeopardized. The Office of Dietary Supplements/National Institutes of Health, the Public Health Agency of Canada, Health Canada, and Food and Drug Administration requested and provided funding for this report. The U.S. funding agencies largely represent Big Pharma. Big Pharma sees vitamin D as a threat to their profits. Thus, it should not be surprising that the committee recommended only 600 IU/d vitamin D3 and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration of 20 ng/ml (50 nmol/l) [Ross, 2011]. This recommendation flies in the face of recommendations by vitamin D researchers [Holick, 2011; Souberbielle, 2010].
4 - We have a disease treatment health care system, not one based on prevention of disease. In an ancient Chinese system, doctors were only paid when the patients were healthy. When they were sick, the doctors had to work without pay to make them healthy again. Imagine what our health care system would look like if that system were in effect today.
5 - The corporate media represent corporations, so largely report what corporations want the public to hear or read. Thus, the New York Times carried a story in November or December 2010 defending the IoM report on vitamin D. The Wall Street Journal had better coverage.
6 - Many of the adverse effects of vitamin D deficiency occur late in life: cancer, cardiovascular disease, falls and fractures, etc. Older people generally don't work but, instead, live on savings, retirement programs, and/or Social Security, thereby being a net drain on society's resources. Many organizations that should be looking out for people at increased risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, etc., are generally allied with Big Pharma and don't try to eliminate the diseases they are associated with.
7 - The best information regarding vitamin D (and any health related topic for that matter) is found at the Internet and in the health or medical journals, such as those listed at www.pubmed.gov. This information is publicly available, but one has to make an effort to find it. PubMed is the largest source of unbiased medical research available. It is not info just pulled off random websites or blogs. PubMed research stands up in any court or doctor's office. Some of the better vitamin D information websites and their principals are:
grassrootshealth.net - Carole Baggerly
www.healthresearchforum.org.uk - Oliver Gillie
www.vitamindcouncil.org - John J. Cannell, MD
vitamindhealth.or/ - Michael F. Holick, MD, PhD
www.VitaminDWiki.com - Henry Lehore *Click on this link from Dr. Mercola for a great detailed information source about Vitamin D: Vitamin D Resource Page I hope this blog was helpful to understand why Vitamin D supplementation is so important. It is one of the four items I supplement with daily (the other three would be Fish Oil, a Multi-Vitamin and Undenatured Whey Protein). With it being MLK Day yesterday, I thought it appropriate to close with this: Stand up & serve. Love and care for others is what makes the biggest difference. I love this quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a man that truly made a difference:
Yours in health, Dr. David Mason 1 Peter 4:10-11 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies-in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. | 
