Posted on 11/01/2010 8:16:56 PM PDT by blam
Vitamin D Is Essential To The Modern Indoor Lifestyle
By Michael Holick
October 23rd, 2010; Vol.178 #9 (p. 32)
Every cell in the body has a vitamin D receptor protein. It's estimated that upwards of 2,000 genes are directly or indirectly regulated by vitamin D.It’s known that vitamin D is necessary for proper bone formation and maintenance. But recent decades have seen a torrent of studies suggesting that vitamin D can also affect many other aspects of health; some scientists have come to consider the daily recommended intake of 400 international units of vitamin D far too low.
Michael Holick is a biochemist and endocrinologist at Boston University who has spent a career researching the effects of vitamin D (which is actually not a vitamin but a hormone precursor). His new book is The Vitamin D Solution (Hudson Street Press, 2010). Holick recently spoke with Science News biomedicine writer Nathan Seppa.
How much vitamin D do we need?
Children should be taking at least 400 to 1,000 international units of vitamin D as a supplement every day, and adults should take 1,500 to 2,000 IU.
What about pregnant or breast-feeding women?
We tested pregnant women who were taking a prenatal vitamin containing 400 IU of vitamin D each day and drinking two glasses of fortified milk, and found that 76 percent of them — and 81 percent of their newborns — were still vitamin D deficient at the time of giving birth. We also estimate that most breast-feeding women are vitamin D deficient, and they pass along deficient milk to their infants.
Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to increased risks of infectious diseases, cancer, autoimmune diseases, heart disease, cognitive decline, Parkinson’s disease, asthma, mood disorders and even diabetes.
[snip]
(Excerpt) Read more at sciencenews.org ...
This whole phobia about sun exposure is another factor in Vitamin D deficiency. The only time I ever use suntan lotion is when I’m on the beach.
D3. 2000 a day. I’ve got mom taking it too.
If you live in Socal and wear a tank top and shorts every day, while outisde 4-5 hours every day...you, too get enough.
You can store it from summer to winter...but you have to load up.
Good post.
“Children should be taking at least 400 to 1,000 international units of vitamin D as a supplement every day, and adults should take 1,500 to 2,000 IU.” is a good start.
1,000iu per 25lbs body weight is more accurate. But these numbers are a improvement.
It should also be in D3 form and oil based and taken with Magnesium. If tablet form is all you can obtain, take with some fat like Olive Oil or Coconut oil.
Depending on what part of the country you live in, even summer sun(in my case Michigan) is not enough to raise serum levels to an adequate healthy level.
I found that out the hard way. I couldn’t get well from pneumonia, had no strength in my legs and found out I was seriously deficient in vitamin D. Immediately after I got on the heavy regimen, I got better.
I now take 2000 daily.
I live in Texas — no shortage of sun here — and walk my dog every day. But I did use sunscreen on my arms because I was putting Retin A on them.
Yup. I was getting 1-2 bouts of bronchitis every winter. I read the article in post #4 and started taking an increased dose at that time and have moved up to 4,000 IU daily presently.
I haven't been sick since. Period!
My cardiologist and general practitioner both told me vitamin D helps either reduce bad cholesterol, increase good cholesterol or both, so I started taking it. I’d like to verify this info when I have time...
“It should also be in D3 form and oil based and taken with Magnesium.”
I have had success (latest serum level = 75 ng/ml) with 5000 i.u./day of Life Extension’s dry D3 capsules, although I usually take them with a couple of fish oil capsules.
I do not Jog. I do not Hike. I do not Walk. There’s WEATHER out there, you know. I exercise at home with the AC turned up to Meat Locker. And yes, even living in Hawaii, I take D daily...
OK, here I am to rain on everybody’s parade. There is a correlation between low levels of D and certain conditions. That does not prove that taking vitamin D supplements will correct those conditions. They don’t know that much yet.
I have read that taking large amounts of vitamin D might hinder a person’s ability to make D naturally from sunlight. That would not be a good thing.
Bodies like homeostasis, even if it is not a kind we appreciate (such as if we think we weigh too much), but attempting to alter one thing will cause our bodies to respond in ways we do not expect. Sometimes it takes years before we know what side effects may occur from taking a drug or large doses of vitamins or supplements.
In other words, proceed with caution. If at all possible, it is still best to get your D from sun exposure.
After reading about Vitamin D and its defense against cancer, I take 2000IU daily.
High levels of D3 can give some people heart palpitations an supposedly, heart damage. After 10 days on 5000 per day the heart palpitations were scary and I stopped. Just saying that some people shouldn’t and can’t take high doses.
“OK, here I am to rain on everybody’s parade. Sometimes it takes years before we know what side effects may occur from taking a drug or large doses of vitamins or supplements. In other words, proceed with caution.”
No rain here. As someone who’s trying to avoid recurrence of a cancer known to be positively impacted by relatively high serum levels of Vitamin D I’m proceeding cautiously, but I’m proceeding. Unintended consequences of therapeutic levels of Vitamin D that might take years to manifest are not a high priority to me.
In the winter, that’s time for light therapy. It treats more than SAD triggered by reduced exposure to plenty of daylight.
I’ve learned that the hard way...I live in Oregon.
I also take 4,000 units and did not have a sniffle last winter.
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