On Wednesday, I attended a lecture at the FDA by Michael F. Holick, PhD, MD, Professor of Medicine, Physiology and Biophysics, Director of the Vitamin D, Skin and Bone Research Laboratory, Boston University Medical Center. WOW! What a lecture. Here's the bottom line. START TAKING VITAMIN D TODAY! Dr. Holick recommends 3000 IU per day. Vitamin D deficiency is the most common medical condition wordwide.
In summary:
1. Every tissue in the body has vitamin D receptors and 2000 genes are controlled by vitamin D.
2. If you live north of Atlanta, you cannot absorb any vitamin D from the sun in the winter months.
3. In Spring, Summer, and Fall you must get sun between the hours of 10 am and 3 pm to absorb vitamin D. You need 1 minimum erythemal dose (MED) of sun. 1 MED is the amount of time it takes you to get red when exposed to the sun. If it takes you 20 minutes to get a little red, stay out for 20 minutes BEFORE PUTTING ON SUNSCREEN! 30 SPF sunscreen decreases D production by 99%! A recent study showed that 87% of Australian dermatologists were vitamin D deficient.
4. You cannot get enough vitamin D from eating food. High vitamin D foods are mushrooms and oily fish (farm raised salmon have no D!). Milk has only about 100 IU of D in an 8 oz glass.
5. If you are obese smoke, are older than 50, take anti-seizure medication, or take anti-inflammatory medication, you have a very high likelihood of vitamin D deficiency.
6. It is not necessary to get your levels checked before you start taking vitamin D. You should get your levels checked as part of your annual physical blood work. If your doctor does not do this or won't do this - GET A NEW DOCTOR!
7. Your levels should be above 30, better if over 50. Over 100, even as high as 200, is still safe!
8. Vitamin D toxicity is EXTREMELY rare. You cannot get vitamin D toxicity by staying in the sun. You would have to ingest 10s of thousands of units per day for many months and still probably would not reach toxic levels.
9. Vitamin D deficiency put you at risk for bone fracture, requiring a C-section (400% increase risk), failure to thrive (infants), osteoporosis, osteomalacia (softened bones), muscular aches and pains, MS, getting the flu, cardiovascular disease, heart failure, arteriosclerosis, heart attack (100% increase risk of dying), metabolic syndrome, diabetes, dementia, and dying (7% increased risk).
So what are you waiting for! Many of you use very poor quality and expensive D supplements you have purchased as the grocery store or vitamin store. I have done the research for MYSELF and MY FAMILY. Order Here!
