[Future Useless Eater]

Good points all...

I totally agree on the need to supplement with vitamin D3. Some things I have learned on the subject...

-If you have low blood levels of D you will be sick often, plus risk heart disease and cancer

-Conversely, if you know how to keep your blood levels of D up to summertime levels you should stay very healthy.

-most people who are sick are VERY low in D, even more true the older you get.

-vitamin D does MUCH more than just help keep calcium in our bones...
Among other things, it punches holes in the lipid (fat coating) of viruses, and makes them then vulnerable to destruction by your own immune system.

-vitamin D also acts like a librarian. It helps our cells access their dna library to lookup how to defeat various infections and viruses.

-most adults would do well with 4000 or 5000 IU per day in the winter, however everyone is different, so at first, study, and guess, then after 2 months pay for a blood test to see how you are doing.
If you succeeded in getting your blood "D" levels up to normal summertime levels, you've found the right doseage for you.

-you should take ONLY gel caps, since D requires fat to be absorbed, otherwise it goes mostly down the toilet.

-you should avoid getting your D from Cod LIver Oil. The reason is that C.L.O also contains large amounts of a dangerous form of vitamin A called Retinol. THat is the activated form, and it overwhelms your system and depresses the useability of the vitamin D in your system.
Vitamin A is safe if taken in the beta-carotene form. Vitamin A is rarely as critically low as D.

-D3 can help reverse calcified (hardened) arteries. -Another fat-soluble vitamin that may be even better at that is vitamin K2
(see vitaminK2.org and go to "scientific presentations" to watch their video)
If you have ANY osteoporosis in your family WATCH THOSE videos!

-the vitamin D called D3 (cholocalciferol) is good. D2 (ergocalciferol is junk). They add D2 to milk. and the prescription vitamin D pills are usually D2.

-Avoid "Nature Made" brand of Vitamin D. It has been repeatedly shown to be worthless.
http://heartscanblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/is-it-or-isnt-it-vitamin-d.html

-As we age, our bodies get worse and worse at converting the sun to vitamin D

-(this one is uniquely my OWN opinion) due our body's loss of sun-conversion ability as we age, our livers recognize our dangerously low levels of D, and work overtime to MANUFACTURE more cholesterol.
The reason our livers do that is because cholesterol is needed to manufacture D, and by making more cholesterol, and pumping it out to our skin, the body hopes to cause more sun-conversion.

-most people on statins don't need them. Vitamin D does an even better job.

-unless you are a man, and under 50, AND have had a heart attack already, statistically you will live longer by REFUSING your pill-pusher-doctor's advice to take a statin.

-Statins somehow boost our D levels slightly. Much cheaper to just take it yourself and avoid the side effects

-Statins also mimic the very cheap amino acid L-arginine. Taking the later, is safer and more effective

-best source for toxicity info or general vitamin D info is at http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/news.shtml

-And Don't believe all 'they' tell you about high cholesterol being bad.
--The TOTAL cholesterol number is nearly worthless.
--HDL is good, (and eating MORE MEAT and LESS BREAD will raise that.)
--LDL they say is bad, but that is decieving.
--It is really SMALL DENSE LDL (sLDL) that is dangerous.
--A different type of LDL is LARGE FLUFFY LDL, and that is harmless.
--Guess what you get LOTS of if you eat lots of GRAINS? It will be mostly the dangerous sLDL.
--GUess what you get LOTS of if you avoid grains and eat lots of tasty animals? Yes, mostly safe fluffy LDL,

-There are new studies being pushed now that say that more than 'just a little' Vitamin D can be dangerous and increases certain cancer risks.
Those studies have the same flaw. The countries in the northern latitudes like FINLAND, that get their vitamin D from Cod Liver or Cod Liver oil, are damaging their VItamin D blood levels because of the dangerous Retinol that is also in that Cod Liver Oil.

-These studies seem to be paid-for by the statin industry, since they are so glaringly bad and obvious.

Here is a rebuttal: What the Institute of Medicine SHOULD have said

[RnMomof7]

Thank you thank you

I am saving this post

[Liberty Ship]

I’ll add this. When I raised my supplemental D3 intake from the 400IU in my multiple vitamin to 5,400IU/day, within a week my blood pressure went from an average of 140/95 to an average of 120/80. I have heard of similar results from others on the Web.

Society overlooks the fact that D is not exactly a vitamin, it is more of a hormone. We call it a vitamin because that’s what they called it when they discovered it, no knowing as much about it as we do now.

[Sprite518]

Good and interesting post. The Big 3 for me are

1)B6,

2) C

3) E (the multi-tocopherols (Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta and not just the single Alpha that you find in most stores)

Oh and compound that with Flaxseed Oil and Fish Oil.

http://www.essortment.com/all/whatisflaxsee_pfy.htm

Regarding the entire debate about Cholesterol is a myth IMHO. Our bodies produce it for a reason. This is because the older our arteries walls become the weaker they become. This is why our bodies produce cholesterol to strengthens them. What produces a heart attack is the oxidation of your fat cells. That why for instance we take anti-oxidants. What triggers the oxidation ( I can’t recall the name) but it comes from your liver. According to medical establishment there is no treatment, but from what I hear that is not true. The combination of B6,C, and (multi-tocopherols) E brings that number down. That is one of the main reason I take this combination.

I have heard of people dying from heart attack with clean arteries. Remember that runner in the 1970’s that started the whole running thing in our country. He ran 10 miles a day and died of a Heart Attack at the age of 52. It’s the oxidation is what does it, and that is triggered by, can’t recall the name, from your liver. The goal is to keep that number as low as possible.

Just keep thing mind too. Too much of anything (including vitamins, herbs, etc) over a long period of time is not good for you.

[Logic n' Reason]

Excellent information...

I'm doing D3 (5,000 IU) plus a multi-vit (Centrum Silver or Ultra) daily. However, I can't remember the brand I use for the D3 - I'll check that. I bought the stuff at Sam's cause it's cheaper than at Walgreens or Wally World.

Thanks again....

[Magic Fingers]

“-you should take ONLY gel caps, since D requires fat to be absorbed, otherwise it goes mostly down the toilet.”

I disagree. I take Life Extension’s dry capsule with either a meal, fish oil, or both, and have a winter time OH3D level of 75.

[scripter]

Thanks for the ping.

[slowhandluke]

-vitamin D does MUCH more than just help keep calcium in our bones...

Eh. It doesn't even do that.
Vitamin D and Calcium from US Dept of HHS

or A Randomized, Controlled Trial of Vitamin D Supplementation upon Musculoskeletal Health in Postmenarchal Females. "Despite improvements in 25(OH)D status, treatment with vitamin D2 was not shown to increase mineral accretion, bone geometry or strength, muscle force, or power. "

And as a single point, I've been quite D-deficient (<10) for 6 years, and my bone density is sharply up, not down.

And the folks who take it and think they no longer have colds need to worry about whether or not the lack of symptoms just means they've just totally suppressed the immune response to the common cold. Reversing Bacteria-Induced Vitamin D Receptor Dysfunction to Treat Chronic Disease: Why Vitamin D Supplementation Can Be Immunosuppressive, Potentially Leading to Pathogen Increase

[luckystarmom]

Thanks for the information. I like the information about taking D3 in a gel formula.

My daughter is low on Vitamin D due to epilepsy meds sucking it out of her system.

We’ve been supplementing, but it is still low.

I then read that she should take it with food, so we’ve been doing that.

I need to get her levels checked again.

By the way, she’s had so many colds since she went on the anti-seizure meds. Last year, it seemed like she was continually sick all winter long. This year, she’s had 1 cold, and it didn’t go into a bacterial infection (which was the case all last year). She’s also lowering her anti-seizure medication, so that may be having an affect on the vitamin D levels also.

[Califreak]

Thank you for the ping.

Lots of good info in that post.

[goodnesswins]

Excellent synopsis...I can vouge (sp) for what you say about LDL....I was told about 6 yrs ago I had small, dense non-buyoant LDL, and it was “hereditary”....I started eating mostly the CAVEMAN diet...and guess what....that is changing according to my most recent cholesterol test. You can find out if you ask your doc to request a VAP cholesterol test...it isn’t more expensive but gives more info.

[brytlea]

Thanks for posting that. I have to admit, this stuff is all confusing even to people who read a lot and have a little bit of educational background in health and nutrition.

[Cinnamontea]

Fascinating! Thank you.

[editor-surveyor]

.
“Here’s what I believe the Institute of Medicine SHOULD have said:

Multiple lines of evidence suggest that there is a plausible biological basis for vitamin D’s effects on cancer, inflammatory responses, bone health, and metabolic responses including insulin responsiveness and blood glucose. However, the full extent and magnitude of these responses has not yet been fully characterized.

Given the substantial observations reported in several large epidemiologic studies that show an inverse correlation between 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels and mortality, there is without question an association between vitamin D and mortality from cancer, cardiovascular disease, and all cause mortality. However, it has not been established that there are cause-effect relationships, as this cannot be established by epidemiologic study.”
.

[Scythian]

Get post, I take Carlton’s Vitamin D, it’s from fish but I don’t know if it’s Cod Liver oil, uggh !!

[dixiechick2000]

Bump, and thanks for the post and ping!

There’s a lot of good info there.

[CutePuppy]

Thanks for the ping and a great summary.

Here is a recent article on the role of vitamin D3 in some cases of depression (might coincide with or be the reason for what's known as "winter blues" / Seasonal Affected Disorder - SAD):
Depression Linked to Vitamin D Deficiency, Study Says - TET, by Alex Johnston, 2010 November 29 - December 01

Depression is likely to occur more often in people who get less vitamin D, a recent report has found.

Other studies have found that vitamin D deficiencies have been linked to an increase in depression. However, researchers at Georgia State University provided more conclusive evidence to support the vitamin D—depression link in research published earlier this month.

The study found that those with a significant deficiency in the vitamin had an 85 percent chance of being depressed.

Researchers evaluated nearly 8,000 non-institutionalized people in the US aged 15 to 39 to come up with their findings.

Related Articles
Natural Approaches to Combating Winter Blues - TET, by Dr. John Briffa, 2010 October 25
Sunlight Exposure Improves Brain Function - TET, by Dr. John Briffa, 2009 August 28

..... < snip >

I didn't see these posted, maybe someone can post all these on a thread.