Vitamin D-Too Good To Be True?

VitaminD-Too Good to Be True?

I have heard from a couple of people regarding my latest posts on Vitamin D. “This is great Annette, but I don’t know if I actually buy into this. It seems like a bunch of hype to me.” First of all, thank you for letting me know your thoughts. Your feedback will only help this blog get better. As for having doubts, I don’t blame you! It does sound too good to be true! We have all been burned before. This is why you should look at several different sources for your information. Pubmed is an excellent resource for information on the latest studies. Here is a listing of some other resources for you to check out:

• http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/vitamin-d/index.html
• http://www.johnshopkinshealthalerts.com/alerts/arthritis/JohnsHopkinsArthritisHealthAlert_3300-1.html
• http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/vitamins/vitaminD/
• http://www.grassrootshealth.org/_download/scientists'%20letter%20050508.pdf
• http://news.ucsf.edu/releases/low-vitamin-d-levels-are-associated-with-greater-risk-of-relapse-in-childho/  MS
• http://synapse.ucsf.edu/articles/2009/February/12/thoughtfood.html
• http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100127104904.htm Crohn’s
• http://www.webmd.com/multiple-sclerosis/news/20090428/high-doses-vitamin-d-cut-ms-relapses
• http://diabetes.webmd.com/news/20080605/vitamin-d-may-cut-risk-of-type-1-diabetes
• Sunlight, Nutrition and Health Research Center
• The UV Foundation
• http://www.grassrootshealth.net/
• http://www.betterbones.com/sitesearch.aspx?q=vitamin%20D
• http://www.healthresearchforum.org.uk/reports.html

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it” George Santayana. This is not the first time that the world has faced a health care epidemic that was caused by a vitamin deficiency. In the late 1800’s in parts of Japan and Southeast Asia, people had replaced their traditional brown rice with white rice. This caused a deadly epidemic known as Beriberi. Eventually scientists figured out that while stripping the rice of its bran, they also depleted the rice of thiamin (B-6). Beriberi has now been virtually eliminated with the introduction of “enriched rice”.

More recently, between 1906 and 1940, there was an epidemic of pellagra in the southern part of the US. This is a very serious and sometimes fatal disease caused by the lack of the B vitamin Niacin and the amino acid tryptophan. It is estimated that 3 million developed it and at least 100,000 people died from it. It was caused by the excessive consumption of corn based cereals. Loren Cordain, Ph.D.  Colorado State University.  Author of The Paleo Diet pg54.

The present recommended dosage of vitamin D is based on eliminating rickets as a disease in children. More recent research into Vitamin D has discovered how it plays a key role in the proper function of the autoimmune system. While Vitamin D is surely not the only factor associated with many different autoimmune diseases, heart disease and cancer, numerous studies have shown a very strong correlation involving low Vitamin D levels in people having these diseases. For these reasons many doctors involved in the research are calling for the levels of Vitamin D to be raised from the 25ng/mL level to 50-80ng/mL range.  Bottom line: There is a huge upside potential for you or your loved ones to avoid many very serious diseases by supplementing your diet with vitamin D with very little risk. While we are waiting for the official medical establishment to catch up with what researchers and other doctors have been recommending for years, we are putting our health at risk!  Had we known a year ago, what we know now, perhaps we could have avoided this unfortunate situation with Nick. Then you would be reading my delightfully witty Christmas letter instead of this blog. Don’t just take it from me, check out the research yourself!