The vitamin D miracle: Is it for real?

Globe and Mail ^ | 3-30-09 | Martin Mittelstaedt

[STARWISE]

The claims have been sensational. Martin Mittelstaedt checks up on the research behind the hype

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In the summer of 1974, brothers Frank and Cedric Garland had a heretical brainwave.

The young epidemiologists were watching a presentation on death rates from cancer county by county across the United States.

As they sat in a lecture hall at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore looking at the colour-coded cancer maps, they noticed a striking pattern, with the map for colon cancer the most pronounced.

Counties with high death rates were red; those with low rates were blue. Oddly, the nation was almost neatly divided in half, red in the north and blue in the south. Why, they wondered, was the risk of dying from cancer greater in bucolic Maine than in highly polluted Southern California?

*snip*

Exposure to sunshine varies dramatically depending on the latitude. What if that's what was behind the varying cancer rates?

Their hypothesis, painstakingly developed and published six years later in the International Journal of Epidemiology, was that sunlight has a powerful anti-cancer effect through its role in producing vitamin D in bare skin.

Those living at northern latitudes, they theorized, receive less sunlight and make less of the vitamin, which in turn increases their risk of dying from cancer.

Today, with vitamin D so much in the news, it's hard to believe that it took decades for the Garlands' hypothesis to gain traction in the mainstream medical community.

But the benefits of vitamin D are no longer restricted to cancer prevention:

Studies have linked a shortage of the compound to such serious, chronic ailments as multiple sclerosis, diabetes, heart disease, influenza and schizophrenia.

Rest @ link

[djf]

So . . . now sunbathing is good for you?

Yup. In fact, I’ve read accounts where it was noticed in the late 1920’s and early 30’s that people who got skin cancer rarely got other more hidden, more lethal forms.

So they noticed - they just weren’t sure why exactly.

[STARWISE]

Glad you found this ... be well! See my later
post of the pictures and further info ... ;)

[djf]

I had it for about a week, but I was IN BED for four of those days. Temp peaked out at 104

The normal run of the mill flu doesn’t phase me. But back in 94 or so I got one of the Asian flus that was another H1N1 variant and I was laid up for 8 days in a row!

Wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy!

You are quite correct. Vit C, lots of fluids, zinc, Vit D and the B’s. Lotsa fluids. I always make it a point to eat eggs, first, because they’re easy to cook, but mostly because they have all the stuff you need to make white blood cells and ramp up your immune system. Plus, I drank GALLONS of lemonade.

[STARWISE]

That is true .. statins deplete COQ10 .. which
is vital for the heart. I do believe adequate
supplementation with it could very well balance
that out.

Check with an INFORMED doc, who understands
these things.

It’s also like the anti-acids ..

“PPIs, a class of antacid drugs often taken for an indefinite period of time, includes Aciphex, Nexium, Prevacid, Prilosec and Protonix. The medications work by reducing the production of hydrochloric acid in your stomach, which also may affect the absorption of calcium in your small intestine.”

http://drugs.about.com/b/2008/08/15/prescription-antacids-may-increase-risk-of-bone-fractures.htm

They have been known to rob the body of calcium,
thereby provoking more fractures, and what they
do is neutralize the hydrochloric acids in your
stomach to reduce the heartburn, reflux, etc.

However, those natural acids are important in
the digestion of foods .. killing off any
bacteria, etc. I’ve read of some increased
incidents of stomach cancer in those taking them.

As always .. caution and awareness of the long
term and unintended consequences is always
key.

Prescription drugs all typically have some
side effects which have to be weighed against
the greater benefit. That’s why they have
the tiny print info folders in the meds to
declare what they are.

[decimon]

Nature’s Bounty two-fers in New York this week so maybe where you are. I kinda like that brand because they use a lot of gel caps and not hard pills.

[STARWISE]

I take between 200 and 400 mg a day, with no statins.

[STARWISE]

Billberry supplement as a preventative:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16075680

Sadly, my Mom suffers from terrible macular
degeneration, with “interesting” visual
hallucinations... Thank God she’s got a good
sense of humor, ‘cause I just have to bust out
laughing at what she tells me she sees sometimes.
But it’s totally distorted vision, and at
92, there’s not much that can be done. Makes
for some interesting discussions about life in
her nursing home sometimes ... ;)

So, my sis and I now ask her: did anyone else
see what you saw ? ‘Cause there’ve been some
wild stories, I’ll tell ya.

Here’s some further info and newer meds:

http://www.johnshopkinshealthalerts.com/reports/vision/3116-1.html

[STARWISE]

I can’t stand the smell or taste of flax seed oil.

But I do take flax meal in my oatmeal and added
to cooking for the fiber. It’s wonderful.

[decimon]

I appreciate your detailed reply. However...

I’m left wondering about the storage of vitamin D (in hormonal, pre-hormonal or post-hormonal form) in, so it is said, fat cells.

What I’m getting at is this: If I’m much outdoors in the sun in August and then hole up indoors in September, for how long into September will I have an adequate amount of stored vitamin D? I’m looking for a guesstimate and not some impossibly specific answer.

BTW - I am right now listening to Dr. Cannell pushing his Purity Products potion.

BBTW - I’d like to emphasize that I truly do appreciate your reply.

[djf]

If you get the fresh stuff, it’s ok. It’s not wonderful, but it’s not horrible...

It goes bad VERY fast, so I wouldn’t even bother buying it at a drug store. If there is a health food store around that specializes in that sort of thing, it would be worth a look. It should be refrigerated. I buy the caps because they have a longer shelf life, and I keep the bottle of caps in the fridge.

[STARWISE]

Good question ...

their cheeks, foreheads are exposed to the
sun .. you’ve seen the leathery old men and
women .. their necks. I think they’re getting
some strong sun in the mountain summers, but
not in the winter in Afghanistan, I wouldn’t
think.

I doubt any organizations are tracking their
nutrition and physical health like that in
the civilized world.

Anyway .. those studies would be skewed by
the many lead-filled, exploded numbers ... ;)

[SuziQ]

Vitamin D Ping

[Pharmboy]

You are most welcome. I attempted to get you quality info as I thought you were concerned about storage and toxicity, but I now see your question more clearly...and it is an excellent one.

I do not think that data exist which can answer your question, but i will ask Holick via email.

And you and I have two mutual interests: American history and nutrition...not bad.

[SamAdams76]

I got some natural vitamin D today and it was only 28 degrees for a high with about three inches of snow on the ground.

[djf]

This site says the half life of D3 is about 3 wks. I had heard 30 days, but the numbers seem to be all over the place.

http://www.naturalnews.com/026870_Vitamin_D_vitamin_D3_health.html

[STARWISE]

Always was vital ... our planet, food and we
couldn’t survive without it.

Moderation in the sun is key, as in everything
else.

The recommendation for getting Vit D naturally
in the sun is 10-15 mins. a day . . no sunscreen.

Interesting info here:

http://www.theherbprof.com/vitVitaminD.htm

http://www.healingcancernaturally.com/healingwithlight2.html

Dr. Ott believed natural light was a nutrient and vital.
Later in his life, my boss and he collaborated on producing
lightboxes with full spectrum light for SADD (seasonal
affective disorder .. winter blues) and commercial lights.

I worked for the company for many years .. I swear by
these ‘natural’ lights... couldn’t go back to the yellow
regular bulbs. I have 18 lamps and bulbs in my little
apartment. I shine the light on my skin (no sunscreen)
and read, compute, grow plants and sew by them. It’s the
best for seeing true colors for matching thread, fabric,
beads, socks, etc. and seeing print cleanly on the book
page .. .. colors are not distorted as they are by the
yellow light from incandescents.

http://www.ott-lite.com/t-ourcompany.aspx

Joann Fabrics typically has them on sale at 40-50% off
if you get on their mailing list, and the bulbs last
forever .. 10,000 hrs = years.. and low wattage. My
lamps are 13W and 18W and bulbs 20 and 23W, yet they
emit about 4 times their usage of good quality clean light.

[Tribune7]

OK, thanks.

[decimon]

Thanks again.

Some of the claims of the benefits of vitamin D have made intuitive sense to me. Increased illness during the months of the shortest days, for instance. But knowing better how long is the potential storage of vitamin D would help complete my understanding of the seasonality of the thing. Or maybe just make me feel smarter for supplementing. Can’t underestimate that psychic boost. ;-)

[Pharmboy]

Well, that may well be in a lab setting, but after significant amounts are stored in the fat, who knows? Likely longer...

[maine yankee]

A hundred and seventy posts, and nobody mentioned cod liver oil.