Vitamin D-eficiency?

Vitamin D has long been known to prevent rickets disease in children, and in helping the intestine to  absorb calcium, but currently Vitamin D is also known to protect the body from many other conditions and diseases. 

Take a look for yourself and you will find "D"-eficiency connections to these things:

Autoimmune diseases (RA, Crohns, MS, psoriasis)
Behavioral and Learning disorders
Fibromyalgia
Bowel Disorders
Obesity
Chronic Fatigue
Diabetes
High Blood Pressure
Infertility
Rickets
Depression
Stress
Cancers
Pain
Parkinsons
Peripheral neuropathy
Polycystic Ovary Disease
Premenstrual Syndrome

Cancer risk reduction can be as much as 80% in the clinical studies of recent years.  Wow!


Causes of Vitamin D deficiency include:

Sunscreen use
darker skin pigment
aging
liver or kidney disease
excess animal protein in the diet
low UVB exposure due to climates and seasons
certain medications (anticonvulsants, steroids, HIV/AIDS meds, transplant medications, and Alli)
diseases (cystic fibrosis, celiac disease, Crohn's and Whipple's disease.)
poor absorption and metabolism related to stress, dieting, illness, diet, drug and alcohol consumption, allergies, and processed foods can also contribute to "D"eficiencies.

D3 or D2?

D3 is technically a prohormone and is produced from UV light hitting the skin.  It is also found in cod liver oil and vitamin D supplements. 
D2 is not found in animals, but is prepared commercially by exposing a component to fungal cell membranes to UV light.

Both D3 and D2 are hydroxylated in the liver to form the major circulating form of the prohormone.  However D2 has a lower affinity than D3 for binding which results in a shorter half-life in the blood stream.  Therefore D2 must be given in higher doses. When given daily, D2 is as effective as D3 but most assays only measure D3 and not D2 so it's hard to tell the progress from a blood evaluation.  Many vitamin producers are already switching to D3 in their preparations.

Food Sources of Vitamin D: (Salmon 300-600IU, Tuna 230 IU, Sardines 300IU, Milk fortified with D 100IU, Margarine fortified 430IU, Cereal fortified 100IU, Cod Liver Oil 400-1000IU)

Sunlight provides about 3000IU with 10 minutes of exposure.  Here's the problem though. When formed on the skin it takes about 48 hours to absorb into the bloodstream and washing with soap will wash away most of the Vit D that has been formed.  It is recommended to only soap the underarms and groin area when possible within that 48 hours.  So I guess you can only take a bath every 2 days.  (smile)

Recommendations:
40-75 % of the world is "D"eficient.
Recent findings suggest daily intake of about 2000IU/day to prevent the diseases mentioned above.
Grassroots Health at the U of Cal, San Diego found that oral doses of 10,000IU daily did not show any toxicity and the average to test at 60ng/ml (the lab marker) was around 6000IU daily.
Some conditions are more sensitive to Vitamin D levels and you should consult a healthcare professional if certain diseases exist. (liver, kidney, kidney stones, heart disease, etc.)

We carry an excellent Vitamin D3 product (pharmaceutical grade) that is formulated with Omega Fish Oils to provide dual health benefits.  If you are not supplementing with Vitamin D, you might want to start.

To your good health,
Dr. Sonja