D is for Dramatic

Healthy by Nature radio show this week: Harvey Diamond, author of a number of books, including the NY Times Best Seller, Fit for Life, discusses his latest, Eat for Life. It covers the role of enzymes in health, longevity and weight loss. I’ll also ask Harvey to tell us about his moving life story. First up, Andrew Shepherd and I talk about how one part of the body affects the other parts. (He is giving a lecture on detoxification this Saturday in Plano, TX. LINK.) Click here to find podcasts, show archives and ways to listen nationwide. Call during the show: 1-800-281-8255.
 
VITAMIN D – Superstar
To be thorough in covering the ongoing news on Vitamin D, I’d have to make it the only topic every week. The study titles below do not necessarily represent the most important roles of vitamin D. They are just a selection of what has surfaced recently. Later I’ll list suggestions for making sure you are adequately nourished with vitamin D.

Stayin’ alive: No, I’m not talking about the Bee Gee’s song. I mean actually not dying ahead of your time. German researchers analyzed 11 studies that included nearly 60,000 subjects. They concluded that those with higher blood levels of vitamin D compared to those with the lowest levels were significantly less likely to die. They did not find any significant improvement in mortality with blood levels higher than 35 ng/mL. LINK. That doesn’t mean there would not have been benefit of the higher levels over a longer time period (e.g. the decades it takes to develop cancer). Also, like all studies that average very mixed groups, it doesn’t reveal the different effects on subgroups. For example, it doesn’t mean that higher levels weren’t of benefit for those with health conditions like osteoporosis and depression or weren’t of benefit for certain races, etc.

Vitamin D and cardiovascular disease: potential role in health disparities. This is an example of those differences I mentioned above. Researchers believe the fact that African Americans are more likely to be vitamin D deficient is linked to the another fact – they are more likely to have cardiovascular disease. LINK.

Vitamin D rejuvenates aging eyes by reducing inflammation, clearing amyloid beta and improving visual function. LINK. Wow.Plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin d and risk of pancreatic cancer. Those with low levels of vitamin D were more likely to develop this nasty disease. LINK. I’m serious and not being disrespectful when I say I often wondered if Steve Jobs (the late founder of Apple) was getting enough sun.

Vitamin D: a potential role in reducing suicide risk? LINK. Seems likely given the growing evidence that Vitamin D helps depression. LINK.

Calcium and vitamin D supplementation is associated with decreased abdominal visceral [gut] adipose [fat] tissue in overweight and obese adults. That fat around the middle is not only unattractive in a bikini, it is linked to diabetes, heart disease and more. The researchers said “calcium and/or Vitamin D” provided the benefit. (They must have loved that outcome because now they can be assured of more grant money for another study to sort it all out.) LINK.

Plasma vitamin D levels and risk of metabolic syndrome in Canadians. This one associates low Vitamin D with insulin resistance (a step on the road to diabetes). LINK.

Does Vitamin D deficiency play a role in peripheral neuropathy in Type 2 diabetes? Apparently, it does. LINK.

More news: As this newsletter goes to print, when I search PubMed (the National Institutes of Health Database) for “Vitamin D”, it lists 53,883 articles and counting. The non-profit Vitamin D Council is a good place to keep up with the latest. Currently it shows new references to lung disease, liver disease, inflammatory bowel disease, testosterone and more.

Bottom line: Obviously, nature expected that we would be in the sun and uses Vitamin D in processes all over the body. But “civilized” lifestyles and experts giving advice to prevent skin cancer have short-circuited the plan. No, food isn’t the answer – there is little Vitamin D in it. The question now becomes how much to supplement. From balancing the advice of the overly enthusiastic with that of the overly cautious, I believe we should be tested and strive for a blood level certainly above a minimum of 30 ng/mL and probably closer to 50 (or even above). Safety says to stay below 100.

Since each of us has a unique biochemistry, it is impossible to say what supplement dose will get you there. It took 5,000 IU a day for a year to get my blood level to 50. Husband Bill had the same experience. Dr. Cannell, the director of the Vitamin D Council actually snapped at me when I asked if 2,000 IU a day was good level for most people. He said, 5,000 is more like it. Of course, you can overdo anything. I looked for studies on excess but found very little. I did find this one instance where a 70 year old woman got in trouble because she was mistakenly given 50,000 IU per day for 3 months. Thankfully she did recover. LINK. Some scientist suspect that extremely high blood levels (e.g. over 100) may contribute to a heart valve irregularity, atrial fibrillation. LINK.

Here are examples of Vitamin D supplements that I selected from among Healthy by Nature sponsors:  

Microlinual tablets that quickly dissolve on your tongue
   Superior Source. (They come in different dosages.)

Capsules (Several dosages are available from each source)
   HealthWorks from RealFoodGrocery (they also carry the microlingual tablets above)
   Nordic Naturals
   Jarrow
   Doctor’s Best
  

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My first book : Natural Alternatives to Nexium, Maalox, Tagamet, Prilosec & Other Acid Blockers. Subtitle: What to Use to Relieve Acid Reflux, Heartburn, and Gastric Ailments.

My latest book: Aloe Vera-Modern Science Sheds Light on an Ancient Herbal Remedy

The information contained in this newsletter has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. The contents are for informational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice.

Copyright 2012 Martie Whittekin, CCN