The third thing I tell my students will statistically increase life expectancy is to optimize your Vitamin D levels. While this may seem like a small thing, it is huge when it comes to improving your health.
First and foremost, Vitamin D is not really a vitamin. Yes, our bodies cannot function without it, but we are supposed to able to make Vitamin D from exposing our skin to UVB radiation. Vitamin D is truly a hormone called calcitriol. It is more like the estrogens or testosterone in function than Vitamins A, E, or K, the other vitamins that are soluble in fat. I would wager a guess that due to our fear of sun exposure today (see my blog Healthy Cavemen Didn't Live in Caves), we are more deficient in this hormone than any other "vitamin".
The Human Genome Project was a huge undertaking by the US government scientists to map all of the genes that govern our physiology. Expected to find genes numbering in the hundreds of thousands and take decades, this project took only a few years and discovered we had a paltry 30,000 genes. Since the completion of this project, we have found that of these, about 3,000, or a full 10% are modulated by Vitamin D. That means that these genes will either be turned up, down, on, or off by being exposed to this wondrous hormone. A partial list of conditions that repeated research has shown are positively influenced by Vitamin D include a wide array of cancers, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, endocrine diseases, anxiety, depression, dementia, anemia, common cold, influenza, HIV/AIDS, MRSA, prostate dysfunction, fibromyalgia, osteoporosis, autism, MS, ALS, dental caries (cavities), asthma, COPD, acne, psoriasis, POCS, and pre-eclampsia among a host of others. Overwhelming evidence is being accumulated that maternal and early childhood Vitamin D deficiency is a likely cause of asthma, several auto-immune diseases including Type I diabetes, and autism.
As I have started investigating Vitamin D levels in my patients, I have been appalled by the deficiency epidemic. I have yet to find a single patient, even in the middle of summer, that has met the absurdly low medical minimum without supplementation. Even those on supplements rarely breach this threshold and some without have not even had detectable levels in their blood. Could you imagine the body functioning even remotely close to normal with levels of other hormones that were undetectable? No. Unfortunately, this epidemic is being exacerbated and perpetuated by the "experts" in our policy making agencies, especially at the Food and Nutrition Board (FNB). In their most recent policy statement of November, 2010, they decided that a 6 pound infant needs about the same amount of the hormone Vitamin D as does a 450 pound man. In whose world does that make sense? Shouldn't that make either one toxic or deficient? Are they ignoring the biochemistry and research, or is there some other motive for them dooming millions of Americans to a shortened life of reduced health? You have to wonder; if they can get Vitamin D that wrong in the face of so much evidence, can we count on them to be correct with ANYTHING?
Vitamin D is measured in the blood as 25-hydroxy-Vitamin D3 (calcidiol). Vitamin D that was made in the skin is converted into this form by the liver, and goes on to the kidneys to be converted into 1,25-dihydroxy-Vitamin D3 (calcitriol). Calcitriol, while most bio-active, is not easily measured, so calcidiol is the standard. Modern Medical ranges for this hormone are 32-100 ng/ml. Unfortunately, as with most medical ranges, we see little or no benefit from only have a level of 32. Real benefits start with levels at above 50, and optimal levels for the general populace is between 65-80. Patients with cancer should be attaining levels of 80-100. Others, like those with autism, require levels well in excess of the medical range of 100, which causes may allopathic doctors to hyperventilate and demand an instant stop to all supplementation, even though most often the symptoms of autism are significantly reduced when patients hit this range.
How much sun exposure or supplementation does it take to reach levels of 65-80? That all depends on individual genetic expression and liver and kidney health. I have seen it take as little as 2,000 IU per day and as much as 75,000 IU per day. As I said earlier, I have never seen even medical minimum levels in Minnesota without supplementation, even in the height of summer. Should you take supplements to be safe and what if you end up taking too much? The simple answer is yes but verify. If you are taking less than 2,000 IU per day as an adult, you can feel safe that your chance of being toxic is about the same as winning the PowerBall. If you decide to take more than 2,000 IU per day, I highly recommend you have your Vitamin D levels checked after one month of supplementation to see where your levels are. If they are inadequate, increase. If they are in the 65-80 range, stay at that dose. If you're over 100, back your dose down until you hit the optimal range.
Looking at the biochemistry of Vitamin D and the multitude of conditions it impacts, I cannot understand why our FNB is deciding to recommend the majority of Americans continue their Vitamin D deficient state. Again, we must hold the "experts" feet to the fire - they are for some reason ignoring evidence and creating unneeded sickness. Look for future blogs that will expose more lies with the truth the "experts" are ignoring or hiding. You can also visit my website, like me on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter.
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