Has anybody else tested Vitamin D deficient? Is this something that's typical?
I have to find Vitamin D-3(cholecalciserol) 1000 IU w/o Vitamin A, the stores only have 400IU caps, can't make 1000 out of those. (Sorry, for the math, kids. )
I guess it's ordering online for me. grrr... hate to pay shipping.
Posted by charlie (Member # 25) on :
TB, where you live ought to be the best possible place to get the best possible vit D, from the sun.
Now break out that thong and head for the beach.
Charlie
Posted by mlkeen (Member # 1260) on :
Ths sun is the best source of vitamin D. I remember reading that suppliments are not thought to work exactly like the real thing. Perhaps it was only the D used in milk. The "average" person needs only 10-20 minutes a day to manufacture enough vit D.
Posted by trueblue (Member # 7348) on :
quote:Originally posted by charlie: TB, where you live ought to be the best possible place to get the best possible vit D, from the sun.
Now break out that thong and head for the beach.
Charlie
Kind of scary thought, Charlie!
Otherwise, the sun thing doesn't seem to have done anything. It can't hurt to see if a supplement works for a few weeks to see if it comes up.
Thanks guys!
Posted by TerryK (Member # 8552) on :
Yes, I have very low vitamin D levels. Your doctor can prescribe 50,000IU and that is what is normally done for someone who has low vitamin D. Terry
Posted by trueblue (Member # 7348) on :
Thanks for answering, Terry. Then maybe it's not so low if he's only asking me to add 1000 IU, then, don't know.
How does it manifest and how do you feel differently when it's adjusted?
Curious and slightly confused, trueblue
Posted by TerryK (Member # 8552) on :
You probably already know this but you must be careful with vitamin D so that you don't get too much. Also, the people who developed the Marshall Protocol feel that vitamin D feeds bacteria. This is not accepted by main stream and I have no idea if it is true or not.
Here is an article I wrote about vitamin D, if you want the link so that you can access the links, let me know and I'll send it to you. I am not a doctor.
The two types used for nutritional supplementation are secosterols ergocalciferol (vitamin D2) which is derived from fungal and plant sources and cholecalciferol (vitamin D3), derived from animal sources.
Vitamin D is the principal regulator of calcium in the body. It enhances the efficiency of calcium absorption, and, to a much lesser extent, phosphorus absorption. Vitamin D also plays a role in the immune system and in blood cell formation. A deficiency is characterized by demineralization of the skeleton.
Sources of Vitamin D Most vitamin D intake from foods comes from fortified foods such as milk products and breakfast cereals. Foods that naturally contain vitamin D include fish and fish liver oils (like cod liver oil). Vitamin D can be produced in our bodies by the action of sunlight on 7-dehydrocholesterol (a compound in the body that can be manufactured from cholesterol).
Vitamin D Deficiency Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin and therefore its absorption is adversely affected in those with malabsorption disorders such as Crohn's disease. Those with chronic liver disease, cystic fibrosis, Crohn's disease, diabetes, Whipple's disease and sprue are prone to vitamin D deficiency. Those with reduced exposure to the sun or who use sunscreen are also at risk.
Vitamin D, diabetes and blood sugar Vitamin D supplementation is associated with a decreased risk of type 1 diabetes. In a study of 10,366 children, vitamin D supplementation decreased the frequency of type 1 diabetes.4
In several studies that we reviewed, a high percentage of diabetic's and subjects at risk for diabetes were low in Vitamin D. Low vitamin D is associated with insulin resistance.5. In a study of 171 subjects who were `at-risk' for diabetes, 47% were vitamin D deficient. Glucose tolerance and insulin secretion were directly related to vitamin D in those with low vitamin D but not in those with normal vitamin D levels. It was shown that Vitamin D treatment prevented worsening of glucose tolerance and reduced insulin resistance.6
Another study suggests that vitamin D3 deficiency may at least partly contribute to the impairment of insulin secretion and probably of insulin action.7 This study and others suggest that vitamin D supplementation (in those that are deficient) is shown to be helpful in the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
Osteoporosis and Vitamin D Vitamin D deficiency in adults can lead to osteoporosis. In one study that used vitamin D alone, supplementation with vitamin D was shown to reduce hip fractures by 60%. 1
Rickets & Osteomalcia Vitamin D deficiency causes demineralization of the skeleton and inadequate mineralization of the skeleton is the cause of rickets in children and osteomalcia (soft bones) in adults.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia and Vitamin D A study conducted by the University of Minnesota, shows a link between musculoskeletal pain and vitamin D deficiency. Undetermined Musculoskeletal Pain? Check Your Vitamin D Levels [Fibromyalgia News]
Some doctor's feel that Vitamin D deficiency is often misdiagnosed. Vitamin D Deficiency: Common Cause of Many Ailments?
"A lot of people with aches and pains and marginal weakness could be helped by vitamin D supplements," said Dr. Paresh Dandona of the State University of New York at Buffalo who reported the first five cases of vitamin D deficient myopathy three years ago." Vitamin D is Key: Deficiency Linked to Chronic Diseases (Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome News)
According to Dr. Teitelbaum, Vitamin D deficiency has been implicated in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Please see the link below: Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients: Simplifying nutritional support in CFS/Fibromyalgia. (Highly Effective Treatments for Pain and Fatigue).
Obesity and Vitamin D Defeciency Vitamin D deficiency has been linked with obesity.8 Some speculate that those who are obese are more likely to be deficient because obesity appears to alter the body's ability to produce vitamin D in the skin and to absorb it through the intestines. Others think that Obesity decreases bioavailability of vitamin D(3) because it is deposited in body fat where it is unavailable for use.
Warnings: An overdose of vitamin D can be toxic with serious side effects. Vitamin D is contraindicated in those with hypercalcemia and in those with hypersensitivity to any component of a vitamin D containing product. Patients with sarcoidosis or hyperparathyroidism should not take vitamin D without consulting with their physician.
Interactions Supplemental vitamin D should be used cautiously in those on digoxin or any cardiac glycoside. Concomitant use of thiazides and pharmacologic doses of vitamin D may cause hypercalcemia in some. Vitamin D may interfere with the effectivness of Verapamil. People taking Verapamil should ask their prescribing doctor or a nutritionally oriented doctor before using vitamin D containing supplements.2
Anticonvulsant drug therapy can interfere with vitamin D activity as can Isoniazid, an antibiotic used to prevent and treat tuberculosis. Steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and heparin and Cimetidine may reduce the body's ability to activate vitamin D. Bile acid sequestrants (Cholestryamine, Questran; Colestipol, Colestid) may prevent absorption of fat soluble vitamins such as vitamin D. Doctors can measure levels of activated vitamin D (called 1.25 dihydroxycholecalciferol) to determine whether a deficiency exists.2
Before taking any supplements, consult with your health care provider. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. We do not accept any responsibility for the accuracy of the information or the consequences arising from the application, use, or misuse of any of the information contained herein.
References 1. B. Dawson-Hughs et al., "Rates of Bone Loss in Postmenopausal Women Randomly Assigned to One of Two Dosages of Vitamin D", Am J. Clin Nutr 61 (1995): 1140-45
2. Schuyler W. Liniger, Jr. DC, editor in chief, Alan R. Gaby MD, Steve Austin ND, Forrest Batz PharmD, Eric Yarnell ND, Donald J. Brown ND, George Constantine RPh, PHD "A-Z guide to drug-herb-vitamin interactions", pg. 17, 28, 47, 61,108, 118
3. Skye W. Liniger, DC, editor in chief, Alan R. Gaby MD, Steve Austin ND, Donald J. Brown ND "The Natural Pharmacy", pg. 219
4. Hypponen E, Laara E, Reunanen A, Jarvelin MR, Virtanen SM., "Intake of vitamin D and risk of type 1 diabetes: a birth-cohort study.", Lancet. 2001 Nov 3;358(9292):1500-3. Entrez PubMed
5.Chiu KC, Chu A, Go VL, Saad MF., "Hypovitaminosis D is associated with insulin resistance and beta cell dysfunction.", Am J Clin Nutr. 2004 May;79(5):820-5. Entrez PubMed
6. Dr Barbara Boucher, "Vitamin D deficiency in the aetiology of diabetes: repletion with Vitamin D as a measure for prevention of non-insulin dependent diabetes." 29 June 2000
Research Findings Register: summary number 190
7. Borissova AM, Tankova T, Kirilov G, Dakovska L, Kovacheva R., "The effect of vitamin D3 on insulin secretion and peripheral insulin sensitivity in type 2 diabetic patients.", Int J Clin Pract. 2003 May;57(4):258-61. Entrez PubMed
8. Snijder MB, van Dam RM, Visser M, Deeg DJ, Dekker JM, Bouter LM, Seidell JC, Lips P., "Adiposity in relation to vitamin D status and parathyroid hormone levels a population-based study in older men and women.", J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2005 Apr 26; [Epub ahead of print] Entrez PubMed
9. Wortsman J, Matsuoka LY, Chen TC, Lu Z, Holick MF., "Decreased bioavailability of vitamin D in obesity.", J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2005 Apr 26; [Epub ahead of print] Entrez PubMed
Posted by TerryK (Member # 8552) on :
Actually, I suppose it depends on the doctor that you are seeing as to whether they prescribe large amounts of vitamin D or not. I don't know that it means that yours is mildly low or not. You should ask your doctor.
I personally could not take 50,000IU. It caused me to lose too much fluid but then I have orthostatic edema and my fluid balance is a big problem anyway. I don't think that it bothers most people that way. I also was not keen on taking huge doses of vit D, I don't think it's a good idea to flood the body with huge doses.
I think getting it from the sun is best but not possible for me because I have orthostatic hypotension and the sun drops my blood pressure and wipes me out, sometimes for days.
The symptoms vary but I believe they are all listed in the article from my last post. I take 1200 IU per day and have for about a year. My levels are better but still low and I haven't noticed much difference in the way I feel. Terry
Posted by luvs2ride (Member # 8090) on :
Be careful of the sun if you are taking any abx in the tetracycline family. They cause serious rashes and blisters when exposed to the sun. People on the Marshall Protocol avoid the sun entirely.
Posted by trueblue (Member # 7348) on :
Thank you very much for all that information, Terry.
Many of the reasons stated in your article may be responsible for me havinh low levels.
Chronic liver disease (low-moderate level HepC), very little consumption of dairy prducts and some fairly obvious difficulty absorbing and breaking down foods for a start.
I am also heat intolerant and have great difficulty in the sun, I was raised in the norhteast.
I'm certainly willing to take the 1000 iu's for the month and see if the tests are at all different. I ahve an awful lot of pain, fibromayalgia and musculoskeltal problems and think maybe this could be a piece no body had looked at before.
Was never tested for any deficiencies to anything before. The doctor called saying i needed to start taking this as soon as possible (so he must have seen something enough to feel it warranted). I didn't think to ask for actual levels because I was surprised to get he call at all.
Thank you again I'll come back and read this though again in the morning when my brains turned on and see what else i can absorb.
trueblue, making snse a little at a time. Posted by trueblue (Member # 7348) on :
Thanks luvs, not taking any ABx at this time so don;t have to do the vampire tetra thing at this point.
Must go into my coffin and sleep now though. .
Posted by pq (Member # 6886) on :
best to work up to 1000i.u./day,
also, see yahoogroup cfsprotocol. its a group doing vitamin D. many links on vit.D. much discussion on companion mineral/nutrient intake with Vit.D.
Posted by Lydie (Member # 8327) on :
Thanks for all the good information. My teenage daughter was tested and found extremely low (I think 9 out of 43-?). We have been told repeatedly that the majority of people in the northern U.S. are deficient in Vtiamin D. The use of scunscreen has made this problem much more widespread.
She was prescribed the 50,000 units, to take once a week for 8 weeks, along with daily 400 units. She developed a horrible rash while doing this and stopped.
Carlson makes a 2000 IU gel capsule that is supposed to be very easy to absorb.
At this point, she is taking two of the 400 IU (cholecalciferol) w/out any problem.
She was told it is good to raise calcium intake as well, because the deficient D affects (ed) calcium absorption too.
Posted by pq (Member # 6886) on :
this is a group,in which many with tbds use vitamin D(vd). when there, go to teh first 10 messages to get lots of links on vd, and co-factor supps., like boron, magnesium, etc.
Posted by trueblue (Member # 7348) on :
quote:Originally posted by pq: best to work up to 1000i.u./day,
also, see yahoogroup cfsprotocol. its a group doing vitamin D. many links on vit.D. much discussion on companion mineral/nutrient intake with Vit.D.
pq, Thank you for the link to the yahoo group. I'll take a look.
Also, I was wondering why is it best to work up to that dosage? Is there generally a problem tolerating it? Thanks!
I guess I can sign into the yahoo group and see. (Yahoo groups confuse the **** out of me, never know how to track the darn things.)I'll give it a shot though.
Posted by Healing in Santa Cruz (Member # 7798) on :
My MD just put me on vit D. He gave me an article out of Alternatives Sept/Oct 2004. bioticsresearch.com or call 1-800-231-5777. Its a pretty good article. The clinical importance of vitamin D.
Posted by trueblue (Member # 7348) on :
Thank you for the article, Healing in Santa Cruz!
I saved it to read again; there was lots of interesting stuff there. Posted by pq (Member # 6886) on :
TB
reasons are too many, and many too complex to get into. too time consuming to fetch and post here. see the yahoogroup, and after getting initial links, search the group with the term Vitamin D, and you should pull up experiences with it.
this site, in med. abstrcts, has an abstrt both on vd, and vit. A , mice, and arthritis.
Posted by trueblue (Member # 7348) on :
Thanks pq,
I will.
I only asked in case there was a short answer.
I'll go now.
Posted by Starphoenix (Member # 2402) on :
Recently, I was discovered to be deficient, too.
I was told to take 800 IU per day. I take it in two doses.
My LLPA will test me monthly. Too much can be toxic.
I tested 17 out of 35, I think.
Steph
Posted by trueblue (Member # 7348) on :
Steph ~
Did you jump right into 800 IU a day or start out slower? How long have you been taking it?
Did you have any type of reaction to adding the Vitamin D, as far as you can tell?
I didn't think to ask what the value they got was and don't go back for my results for another few weeks. But apparently it was low enough to fall into deficient range.
Thanks for all the answer and information guys, I really do appreciate them.
Doing lots of reading, now remembering... hahahaha
Posted by duramater (Member # 6480) on :
I too tested deficient (12 on scale of 20-100) and since then I'm tested every two months to assess the efficacy of my treatment. I started at 200 IU and then upped to 400 IU/day. My test went up to 18 with that. My doc increased me to 800 IU/day and then when my test was the same, upped it to 1200 IU/day. My last test had me at 28. I'll be tested again next week. Unfortunately, I'm too sick to get my Vit D dosage via the sun (plus living in New England...), so I take the Source Naturals brand (iherb has both the 400 and 1000 variety -- I'm conservative with meds/supplements, so I went with the 400).
As for what I noticed, at the time I started treatment, I was having what I thought was excrutiating muscle pain especially in my arms. It honestly felt like the pain was in my bones, but I assumed it was muscular being sick with, at the time, untreated Lyme. After just one dose, the pain was gone for several hours. After a few weeks of treatment, the pain was gone totally. No more percocet needed! Evidently, it really was bone pain and voila. Gone.
Posted by trueblue (Member # 7348) on :
quote:Originally posted by duramater: As for what I noticed, at the time I started treatment, I was having what I thought was excrutiating muscle pain especially in my arms. It honestly felt like the pain was in my bones, but I assumed it was muscular being sick with, at the time, untreated Lyme. After just one dose, the pain was gone for several hours. After a few weeks of treatment, the pain was gone totally. No more percocet needed! Evidently, it really was bone pain and voila. Gone.
Thank you so much for telling me this! I've been having bad bone pain for over a year and just kept thinking, that's ridiculous, it must be muscle or connective tissue. Heh, maybe not!
I'm pretty excited to give this a try and am thankful for the new LLMD that thought to test me for things no one else has (in 13 years of intermittent treatment).
Now if the UPS guy will just get here soon...
Feeling pretty hopeful for the first time in a long time. Posted by duramater (Member # 6480) on :
TB:
Here are some links you may also find interesting. Evidently, I wasn't the only person with this problem and response.
I read something else similar in my travels trying to research this in the past day or so. Makes sense to me.
It's funny, I live in Florida and rarley go out in the sun (It's... um... hot). But even when I do, despite being relatively fair-skinned, I don't really burn and tan very slowly. (I never have, my sister for instance turns into a lobster in moments.)
Who knew I had reflective skin?
Thank you again!
edit: I was so excited by the first link I didn't even get to read the second one until just now. Posted by duramater (Member # 6480) on :
Just as an FYI, when I had this response to my first dose of Vit D (dramatic improvement of pain), I thought it was just a coincidence (I didn't know about the research). The next day, had horrible pain, took Vit D, gone 20 minutes later again.
So, I called a friend who's done quite a bit of Vit. D research and he confirmed the possibility of my response given the kind of D I was taking and its probable absorption rate. I was then pointed to this research. Totally cool and just a bonus as the pain wasn't the reason I was being treated!
My PCP was blown away too and totally psyched. Easy cheap non-narcotic fix for some really serious pain. Good idea indeed to check this in folks that have otherwise inexplicable pain. In fact, good to check even in those with reason for pain -- we all thought it was myalgias associated with Bb. Nope.
Hope you have similar results. Do let us know!
Posted by trueblue (Member # 7348) on :
quote:Originally posted by duramater: Hope you have similar results. Do let us know!
Don't worry I will!
Hey, you could have much worse side effects than mysterious relief of pain. Posted by trueblue (Member # 7348) on :
Hi! I'm bringing this up to the top for bluetick.
Posted by trueblue (Member # 7348) on :
Bluetick's thread reminded me I hadn't come back and updated this.
I finally got my test results tuesday and they were as follows:
Vit D, 1,25-dihidroxy = 57 (reference range 15-60)
Vit D, 25-hydroxy = 14 Low (reference range 20-100)
As far as I can tell your VitD 1,25 comes down as the VitD 25 goes up.
I have been taking the 1000 IU daily and getting another 400 IU in my Multi.
I didn't have any problem adding the 1000 all at once, I didn't notice a significant elevation in temperature but that may be because I run a low grade fever most nights anyway.
I did feel better once starting it, had a reduction in inflammation and my twitching completely stopped for a few weeks. (Until I got that flu and took the z-pak of Zith, but the twitching seems to be subsiding again.)
I have not been retested only told to keep going. I'm not sure this amount is enough to raise the low level any time soon.
(From what little reading I've done, I think this amount is about what's needed for someone my age and gender to just maintain the level.)
I'm wondering if I shouldn't ask if I can go a little higher on it, since there does seem to be an obvious benefit for me.
Thank you for all the help and information you all provided me with. I think I should go back and review the whole thread as I only remember bits and pieces. Posted by dguy (Member # 8979) on :
That 57:14 ratio is quite abnormal, found in fewer than 1% of the population, I believe. Very few things can account for such an extreme ratio, but one thing apparently is Lyme. It could well indicate your infection is quite pervasive and significant, and the bugs are rapidly converting the 25D to the 1,25D. My ratio was similar.
One way I figured out that my low 25D was not the problem, but rather the high 1,25D was, was by trying calcitriol supplements. Calcitrol = 1,25D. It made my symptoms even worse.
Another way: if I supplemented with 1000 IU D3 for one day, I'd feel better later that day and the next, but then worse, as that D3 got converted to 25D and then to 1,25D. I was just adding more fuel to the fire by taking D3.
The Marshall Protocol reports excellent success with people who have such abnormal D ratios. It might be a treatment to consider.
Posted by Marnie (Member # 773) on :
I have 7 vitamin D MS word files...if anyone wants them, send me a pvt message and I will reply.
Posted by kelmo (Member # 8797) on :
Marnie, I would like your Vitamin D information. I couldn't reach you through PM.
Thanks Kelly
Posted by Al (Member # 9420) on :
YES: I TESTED VERY LOW FOR VIT.D ; THE TEST WAS AT THE END OF SUMMER. I WORK OUTSIDE SO I GET PLENTY OF SUN. I was given 50,000 units pr. week for 5 weeks and my levels returned to normal. I don't know if it's lyme related or not but I seem to remember a few mentions of this in the past. Al
Posted by Dave6002 (Member # 9064) on :
Department of Molecular Cell Biology and Immunology, VU Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. [email protected]
MS is a chronic, immune-mediated inflammatory and neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system (CNS), with an etiology that is not yet fully understood. The prevalence of MS is highest where environmental supplies of vitamin D are lowest. It is well recognized that the active hormonal form of vitamin D, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25-(OH)(2)D), is a natural immunoregulator with anti-inflammatory action. The mechanism by which vitamin D nutrition is thought to influence MS involves paracrine or autocrine metabolism of 25OHD by cells expressing the enzyme 1 alpha-OHase in peripheral tissues involved in immune and neural function. Administration of the active metabolite 1,25-(OH)(2)D in mice and rats with experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE, an animal model of MS) not only prevented, but also reduced disease activity. 1,25-(OH)(2)D alters dendritic cell and T-cell function and regulates macrophages in EAE. Interestingly, 1,25-(OH)(2)D is thought to be operating on CNS constituent cells as well. Vitamin D deficiency is caused by insufficient sunlight exposure or low dietary vitamin D(3) intake. Subtle defects in vitamin D metabolism, including genetic polymorphisms related to vitamin D, might possibly be involved as well. Optimal 25OHD serum concentrations, throughout the year, may be beneficial for patients with MS, both to obtain immune-mediated suppression of disease activity, and also to decrease disease-related complications, including increased bone resorption, fractures, and muscle weakness.
PMID: 15054436 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Posted by Dave6002 (Member # 9064) on :
Occup Environ Med. 2000 Jun;57(6):418-21.
Mortality from multiple sclerosis and exposure to residential and occupational solar radiation: a case-control study based on death certificates.
* Freedman DM, * Dosemeci M, * Alavanja MC.
Radiation Epidemiology Branch, National Cancer Institute, 6120 Executive Boulevard, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA. [email protected]
OBJECTIVES: To explore whether mortality from multiple sclerosis is negatively associated with exposure to sunlight.
METHODS: Two case-control studies based on death certificates were conducted for mortality from multiple sclerosis and non-melanoma skin cancer (as a positive control) to examine associations with residential and occupational exposure to sunlight.
Cases were all deaths from multiple sclerosis between 1984 and 1995 in 24 states of the United States.
Controls, which were age frequency matched to a series of cases, excluded cancer and certain neurological deaths.
The effects of occupational exposure to sunlight were assessed among subjects with usual occupations requiring substantial activity, so as to exclude those whose indoor jobs resulted from disabilities subsequent to the onset of the disease.
Multiple logistic regression analyses were applied, with adjustment for age, sex, race, and socioeconomic status.
RESULTS: Unlike mortality from skin cancer, mortality from multiple sclerosis was negatively associated with residential exposure to sunlight (odds ratio (OR)=0.53 (multiple sclerosis) and OR=1.24 (skin cancer)).
Odds ratios for the highest occupational exposure to sunlight were 0.74 (95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.61 to 0.89) for mortality from multiple sclerosis, compared with 1.21 (1.09 to 1.34) for mortality from non-melanoma skin cancer.
The OR was 0.24 for the combined effect of the highest levels of residential and occupational exposure to sunlight on multiple sclerosis, compared with an OR of 1.38 for skin cancer.
CONCLUSIONS: In this exploratory study, mortality from multiple sclerosis, unlike mortality from skin cancer, was negatively associated with both residential and occupational exposure to sunlight.
PMID: 10810132 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
[ 08. March 2007, 09:42 PM: Message edited by: Dave6002 ]
Posted by Dave6002 (Member # 9064) on :
The geographic distribution of MS: nearly zero in equatorial regions and increases markedly with latitude, suggests a striking correlation between sunlight and MS.
The synthesis of vitamin D in skin is catalyzed by sun light. Low-sunlight conditions in western hemisphere may cause insufficient production of vitamin D, resulting in an impaired immune regulation and development of CNS inflammation and demyelination in MS.
Vitamin D deficiency is commonly observed in MS patients and treatment with vitamin D supplements decreases the incidence of relapses and severity of the disease.
Posted by lymednva (Member # 9098) on :
True,
I recently tested low for Vit. D also. My LLMD told me to supplement. I ordered from Vitacost. I figure the cost of shipping isn't much different from the cost of driving these days! Posted by lifeline (Member # 3445) on :
After many years of having osteoporosis, I was tested for Vit D and tested quite low. I have been taking Fosamax for osteoporosis and now take FosamaxD which gives an added 400 Vit D daily. Plus, with all the calcium I take that has Vit D, my numbers are okay.
So, for those that have osteoporosis, Vit D testing might be an option.
lifeline
Posted by dguy (Member # 8979) on :
The most important thing to take away from this string is that there are multiple forms of vitamin D.
If your doctor orders a standard vitamin D test, only 25D will be tested. In most Lymies, 25D is low because the bacteria are busily converting it to 1,25D. If you then consume more vitamin D via diet or supplements, you are giving the infection more fuel.
A proper test measures both 25D and 1,25D. Low 25D coupled with high 1,25D is a good indication you are infected.
1,25D is the active form of the vitamin, that is, the type our bodies use. Since the infection manufactures it, most Lymies have too much 1,25D, and therefore no reason to take more via diet or supplementation.
To avoid being misled by a low 25D, get an accurate picture of your vitamin D levels by testing both 25D and 1,25D.
Posted by kelmo (Member # 8797) on :
cave, I TOTALLY agree with you on Fosomax. That drug will never cross my lips. Fosomax holds on to ALL bone cells, even the dead, brittle ones.
Anyone I know taking it has problems with their esophogus, stomach, or are growing nodules on their bones...jaws, heels, etc.
The BEST thing you can do for your bone health is to make sure you have a balance of good natural progesterone and estrogen.
Progesterone cleanses the system of dead cells, estrogen creates cells. When new cells are created, they are stronger than the ones removed.
Thanks for the information on the Vitamin D. I have learned a lot, and realize that it's not just simply a matter of taking a supplement. It has to be the right supplement for the right reason.
You've given me a lot of food for thought.
Kelly
Posted by susan2health (Member # 10446) on :
Marnie, would you send me the files?
Dguy, thanks. I keep upping my cod liver oil, and my 25D is not going up.
Posted by trueblue (Member # 7348) on :
Hi Susan and Kelmo ~
Marnie's response on this thread is from last April. I don't imagine she'll see a request posted here.
you might want to contact her by PM or start a thread with her name in the title to get her attention.
Good luck, I hope she still has the files you're asking for.
Posted by kelmo (Member # 8797) on :
Her PM is disabled. I'll try the HEADLINE.
Kelly
Posted by canbravelyme (Member # 9785) on :
quote:Originally posted by dguy: If your doctor orders a standard vitamin D test, only 25D will be tested. In most Lymies, 25D is low because the bacteria are busily converting it to 1,25D. If you then consume more vitamin D via diet or supplements, you are giving the infection more fuel.
This is what I would love to know: Is there some way for us to "mop up" the 1,25D? Using Beta Carotene, for instance? I just tested deficient in Vit D (likely the 25D), but I'm thoroughly convinced that I actually have _way_ too much Vitamin D going on, because of the way I want to scream when any light touches my skin.
Your thoughts?
With best wishes for great health for all,
canbravelyme.
Posted by kelmo (Member # 8797) on :
When my daughter started the "D" she had a MAJOR HERX. We were afraid, as well, that she was D overloaded.
When we told our doc he reaction, he was very excited, and said that it showed she was severely deficient.
When you spend ten minutes in the sun, you absorb at least 10,000 IUs of D. Compare that to one 400IU supplement every day. What does that mean to the people working outside all day? Are they D overdosed?
My daughter has worked up to a couple of minutes of sun a day, unprotected. She no longer gets as sick as she did that first four days.
We aren't doing any testing, she doesn't go outside, she MUST be D deficient. It's a natural antibiotic, so you may have a herx reaction.
If you don't want 10,000 IUs of D, don't go outside unprotected. Work up slowly with 400IU caps every other day.
My opinion.
Posted by dguy (Member # 8979) on :
quote:Originally posted by canbravelyme: This is what I would love to know: Is there some way for us to "mop up" the 1,25D? Using Beta Carotene, for instance? I just tested deficient in Vit D (likely the 25D), but I'm thoroughly convinced that I actually have _way_ too much Vitamin D going on, because of the way I want to scream when any light touches my skin.
I've wondered similar, and thought about more direct filtration of the cause: if the Lyme spirochetes are circulating via blood, can't we filter them out via a process similar to dialysis? Yes, some spirochetes will hide in tissue, but the total infection load on the body will be much reduced, speeding recovery.
The only way I know of to reduce vitamin D at present is to avoid ingestion and minimize light exposure.
Posted by dguy (Member # 8979) on :
quote:Originally posted by kelmo: My daughter has worked up to a couple of minutes of sun a day, unprotected. She no longer gets as sick as she did that first four days.
If your daughter is D deficient and not infected with spirochetal bacteria, then adding D seems reasonable.
However, if she is infected with Lyme, then sun exposure is ill-advised since it will decrease her immune response. She may feel better (less immune response, less inflammation) but her infection will be spreading.
Vitamin D is a steroid precursor. Conventional medicine agrees you don't give steroids to people with infections because those steroids turn down the infection fighting ability of the person's immune system.
the peptides vitamin D produce "directly and rapidly destroy the cell walls of bacteria, fungi, and viruses, including the influenza virus."
So, the antibiotic mechanism is the destruction of the infection's cell walls.
But spirochetal bacteria like Lyme *don't have cell walls*! They are cell-wall deficient bacteria. Thus they cannot be killed via this mechanism.
I'm not a doctor, but IMO your daughter is now feeling better because the light exposure has ramped up her vitamin D steroids, and those steroids are turning down her immune response. If this is what is happening, she might feel better in the short term, but this will allow the infection to grow worse and she will be much sicker in the future.
Posted by gwenb (Member # 7217) on :
Here are some links that I urge everyone to read regarding Vit D. See if you have Vit D deficiency signs such as sore bones, dense breasts, high blood pressure, psoriasis, Syndrome X etc, I have all of these symptoms, plus the fact that I live in Canada, where you can't get enough Vit D from sunshine 6 months of the year.
There is an endless supply of studies linking low levels of vitamin D to an increased risk of breast, colon and prostate cancer. There are literally hundreds of studies presenting very compelling data. Also Vit D deficiency is implicated in rheumatoid arthritis and MS, both of which Lyme disease is frequently misdiagnosed as.
Most North Americans are deficient in Vit D. There is compelling scientific evidence that the current RDA of 400 IU is likely far below what is needed to help prevent cancer. The 400 IU RDA is the threshhold needed to ward off rickets but not much else.
Because of our radically reduced sun exposure, compared to 100 years ago, through both avoidance and sunscreen we are likely making ourselves vulnerable to an increased cancer risk. In the next 5 years I am sure we will see a substantial increase in the Vit D RDA levels.
To be on the safe side people should get their base-line Vitamin D levels checked before supplementing, just make sure you get the right levels checked. Refer to the Vit D Council link below for what test to take.
quote:Originally posted by kelmo: If we're wrong, we'll stop. But, for now autoimmune titers are dropping.
Aha, well, if instead your daughter has been documented with an autoimmune condition (Th17 or Th2 overexpression), that's quite different from what most lymies are dealing with (Th1 overexpression).
That would suggest a therapy opposite to what would be best for lymies, as you are trying.
Here are some technical articles about automimmunity and Th2:
Thank you, both, for your hard work and research. I'll look into it.
Kelly
Posted by trueblue (Member # 7348) on :
Thank you for all the links and video GwenB and dguy (I'm not sure I agree with your hypothesis, dguy).
I have no idea about what's dominant and thought TBDs could, and do, flip back and forth. I may be misunderstanding that, as i don't actually understand it at all.
That said after supplementing Vit D3 for 6 months(3 months at 1400 mg and 3 months at 2400) I am still low in Vit D, calcium and glutathione levels. My magnesium levels are fine without adding any. Seems to me I'm not supplementing enough.
Perhaps I fall into the group where I have more other things going on than keets. About 4 or 5 viruses, B. macroti and likely Bart (maybe other stuff not yet found).
I don't seem to have any ill effects from supplementing and think I may feel slightly better with it. I think for me it's more important to take care of an obvious deficiency and will take my chances.
Thanks for bringing this around Kelly, I was surprised when it surfaced, but read a lot of interesting stuff and watched the video. Posted by kelmo (Member # 8797) on :
I'm bringing this back up because I believe that this improvement is due to the addition of Vitamin D.
My daughter's ANA titers have been hovering around 1:640 for a couple of years. She started supplementing D in January. The last three blood tests have shown a decrease in the titers. 1:140, 1:320, today...1:116!!
I think Vitamin D could be the missing link for a lot of people.
Gwen
Posted by trueblue (Member # 7348) on :
Thank you, yet again Gwen!
I think I'm going to ask to have my Vit D 25 hydroxy and 1,25 hydroxy retested. In the not too distant future.
I'd like to see if the supplementation is making any dent at all or if the dose really needs to be considerably higher. I'm hovering around 2000 these days after a few months of 1000. Calcium and D are still low and magnesium is fine. According to intracellular tests that last time. I'd like to repeat the original tests for comparision.
Having little medical knowledge I sort of suspect the intracellular test may show a delayed response. I'm adding this to my list of things to quiz the the doc about.
Thank loads for plying me with information and things I can both understand and use. Posted by klutzo (Member # 5701) on :
dguy, Are you suggesting that someone with a normal ratio of I25D to 25D would not have Lyme? Could this be a reliable test? (At least as reliable as any other).
My 25D is normal, and my ratio is perfect (1.08). I am also VERY TH2 dominant, to the point where it has been life-threatening more than once. However, I have two very positive Bowen tests for Lyme.
There also seems to be quite a controversy over the "normal" ranges for 25D. Many integrative and alt. docs insist the norms were compiled from test results from an already deficient population. They say the optimal level is much higher than the current norm.
Klutzo
Posted by kelmo (Member # 8797) on :
My doc did not think a blood test was necessary. The herx she had spoke volumes to him of her deficiency.
Kelly
Posted by Kawai (Member # 10005) on :
I was misdiagnosed with MS until a LLMD said it wasn't MS, but lyme disease.
One of the reasons he felt it was a misdiagnosis is that my vitamin D level was extremely high.
I'm from Wisconsin so it can't be too much sun.
Is this a significant marker for either lyme or MS? I thought MS was associated with low vitamin D.
Posted by gwenb (Member # 7217) on :
You need to make sure that you get the right test. If you look at the links that I provided above from the Vit D Research Council, it will tell you which test is the correct one to take.
My understanding, is that some doctors use the wrong test, which can be misleading, as one it often shows high levels of a certain type of vitamin D, when in fact the level that should be tested is actually very low.
Just to make things more confusing.
Gwen
Posted by Leonard (Member # 10531) on :
Interesting to see this topic came up today. Yesterday I had a phone conference with my LLMD. He asked how I was doing and I told him that I was ready for spring and thought warm weather would help. He said that was interesting since he has just been doing some reasearch and noticed more Lyme in the northern half of the country. He thought that could be due to the shortage of sunshine and heat in the winter.
This goes right along with this topic and I can't wait to put on shorts and sit in the sun at the campgrounds.
He also recommended tying some Vit. D as I wait for spring and summer.
Leonard
Posted by dguy (Member # 8979) on :
quote:Originally posted by klutzo: dguy, Are you suggesting that someone with a normal ratio of I25D to 25D would not have Lyme? Could this be a reliable test? (At least as reliable as any other).
A normal D ratio does not rule out Lyme. If something else is boosting your Th2 side, that may be exerting a balacing act, compensating for the Th1 boost that Lyme will produce. Perhaps that then causes your D ratios to be normal? I'm just speculating.
Posted by dguy (Member # 8979) on :
quote:Originally posted by kelmo: My doc did not think a blood test was necessary. The herx she had spoke volumes to him of her deficiency.
I thought of something else. Ask the doctor if steroids would reduce the autoimmune titers. Steroids supress the immune system, something very unwise when an infection is present.
If so, then you've found the likely mechanism by which the vitamin D (a steroid) supplements your daughter is taking are reducing the autoimmune titers: they are supressing her immune system.
Posted by kelmo (Member # 8797) on :
I'll ask him. That would be interesting to know.
He doesn't consider D to be a steroid, but a natural antibiotic.
That would support the Marshall protocol, would it not? No sun equals healing?
Kelly
Posted by trueblue (Member # 7348) on :
My understanding was Vit D works as a hormone precursor. I haven't seen anything saying steriod.
Have I missed something (definately not impossible) and if so can you point me to where that reference might be?
Posted by kelmo (Member # 8797) on :
I googled all of those terms: Vitamin D steroids; vitamin D natural antibiotic; vitamin D hormone.
What I learned was that it is seen as all three. It's an amazing vitamin. The steroid aspect is actually a sixth generation precurser to sterol. It's not a big player.
It is highly effective as a natural antibiotic, and a hormone precurser. It says it's good for thyroid.
The only negative I saw was on Dr. Mercola's website. He was the only one that went into overdose warnings.
Think of all the people that work outside all day getting thousand upon thousands of units of vitamin D. It would take more than 400IUs a day to put you over the line.
Kelly
Posted by trueblue (Member # 7348) on :
Thanks Kelly!
Posted by Cathy DeVoe (Member # 11271) on :
I also tested low for vit D and my LLMD had me start taking 3000IU every day with retesting every 3 mths. She said this could even help my neuropathy a little and I believe it has. Magnesium and Vit D are the 2 supplements people in the US are most deficient in.
Posted by dguy (Member # 8979) on :
quote:Originally posted by trueblue: My understanding was Vit D works as a hormone precursor. I haven't seen anything saying steriod.
Have I missed something (definately not impossible) and if so can you point me to where that reference might be?
It's very important to keep in mind that "vitamin D" takes many forms. That's the most important bit of info to glean from this long message string.
So, when someone says, "My vitamin D is low" the question to ask is "Which vitamin D?" Vitamin 25D (the kind frequently tested) is typically low in lymies. Vitamin 1,25D (the kind less frequently tested) is usually high.
Our bodies convert 25D to 1,25D, and so does the infection, excessively in fact.
"This sunlight- generated vitamin D3 is a precursor of the steroid hormone 1a,25(OH)2D3."
So, the infection boosts 1,25D, and since that is a steroid, it damps down our immune system, making things all the more cozy for the infection. This is quite a survival trick found by a little bacterium!
Posted by gwenb (Member # 7217) on :
In regards to Vitamin D dampening our immune system, I believe the exact opposite is true.
Read below for this fascinating article on Vitamin D fighting TB. Pay special attention to how vitamin D helps attack "intracellular Mycobacterium tuberculosis."
1: Science. 2006 Mar 24;311(5768):1770-3. Epub 2006 Feb 23. Links
Comment in:
Science. 2006 Jun 30;312(5782):1874-5; author reply 1874-5.
Toll-like receptor triggering of a vitamin D-mediated human antimicrobial response.
Liu PT, Stenger S, Li H, Wenzel L, Tan BH, Krutzik SR, Ochoa MT, Schauber J, Wu K, Meinken C, Kamen DL, Wagner M, Bals R, Steinmeyer A, Zugel U, Gallo RL, Eisenberg D, Hewison M, Hollis BW, Adams JS, Bloom BR, Modlin RL. Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
In innate immune responses, activation of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) triggers direct antimicrobial activity against intracellular bacteria, which in murine, but not human, monocytes and macrophages is mediated principally by nitric oxide. We report here that TLR activation of human macrophages up-regulated expression of the vitamin D receptor and the vitamin D-1-hydroxylase genes, leading to induction of the antimicrobial peptide cathelicidin and killing of intracellular Mycobacterium tuberculosis. We also observed that sera from African-American individuals, known to have increased susceptibility to tuberculosis, had low 25-hydroxyvitamin D and were inefficient in supporting cathelicidin messenger RNA induction. These data support a link between TLRs and vitamin D-mediated innate immunity and suggest that differences in ability of human populations to produce vitamin D may contribute to susceptibility to microbial infection.
PMID: 16497887 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Gwen B
Posted by trueblue (Member # 7348) on :
Thank you dguy and GwenB! If I'm not careful I might actually learn something.
Seriously, I do appreciate the input, opinions and especially the scientific stuff.
I do plan to ask to be retested and see if the numbers have moved. I was tested for 25 and 1,25 to begin with. I can't see any reason not to have them run again a year later.
Posted by gwenb (Member # 7217) on :
More links on Vit D helping to fight infection, specifically TB.
I hadn't read the last 2 before. I feel better and better seeing the amount of abstracts on this. I had read some before but it's great to see them all in one place.
Posted by Cass A (Member # 11134) on :
I was on high doses of Vit D3 under advice from a friend, and I started getting severe dry and itcy eyes and my husband got heart arythmia (he was on it too)
When I found the Marshall Protocol, that made total sense to me--with Lyme, the bacteria use the ingested D for their own protection and cameoflage. You feel better for awhile, then....
A low 25D and a high 1,25 D, according to Trevor Marshall, means that the bacteria are causing a major inflammatory reaction. Any 1,25 D over 45 is into the hypervitaminosis D range bigtime--and those are many symptoms of Lyme.
As a result, I started avoiding foods containing Vit D and sun, and am doing much better, although I'm not on anyone's protocol as yet.
If Marshall is right, taking high doses of Vit D when you have Lyme is like shooting yourself in the foot.
Love,
Cassandra
Posted by dguy (Member # 8979) on :
quote:Originally posted by gwenb: In regards to Vitamin D dampening our immune system, I believe the exact opposite is true.
Read below for this fascinating article on Vitamin D fighting TB. Pay special attention to how vitamin D helps attack "intracellular Mycobacterium tuberculosis."
the peptides vitamin D produce "directly and rapidly destroy the cell walls of bacteria, fungi, and viruses, including the influenza virus."
So, the antibiotic mechanism is the destruction of the cell walls of Mycobacterium tuberculosis
But spirochetal bacteria like Lyme *don't have cell walls*! They are cell-wall deficient bacteria. Thus they cannot be killed via this mechanism.
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
Rosemary and Phil who did well on salt/c I believe they both live in Australia. Significant? Well read this long post on vitamin D------- Something which Buhner neglects to mention! Wallace
The Vitamin D Newsletter March, 2007
Peak Athletic Performance and Vitamin D
"No way doc." I had just finished telling my patient about the benefits of vitamin D, telling him he should take 4,000 IU per day, using all the techniques I had learned in 30 years of medical practice to convince someone proper treatment is important. But, he knew the U.S. government said he only needed 200 IU per day, not 4,000. He also knew the official Upper Limit was 2,000 IU a day. "What are you trying to do doc, kill me?" I told him his 25(OH)-vitamin D blood test was low, only 13 ng/ml. He had read about that too, in a medical textbook, where it said normal levels are between 10 and 40 ng/ml. "I'm fine doc;" adding "Are you in the vitamin business?" I explained I was not; that the government used outdated values; that recent studies indicate ideal 25(OH)D levels are about 50 ng/ml; and that they indicated that he needed about 4,000 IU per day to get his level up to 50. "No thanks doc, I'm fine."
So I tried a different tact. I brought him copies of recent press articles. "Look," I said, "look at these." Science News called vitamin D the Antibiotic Vitamin. The Independent in England says vitamin D explains why people die from influenza in the winter, and not the summer. U.S. News and World Report says almost everyone needs more. Newsweek says it prevents cancer and helps fight infection. In four different recent reports, United Press International says that: it reduces falls in the elderly, many pregnant women are deficient , it reduces stress fractures, and that it helps heals wounds.
He glanced at the articles, showing a little interest in stress fractures. Then he told me what he was really thinking. "Look doc, all this stuff may be important to old guys like you. I'm 22. All I care about are girls and sports. When I get older, maybe I'll think about it. I'm too young to worry about it. I'm in great condition." I couldn't argue. He was in good health and a very good basketball player, playing several hours every day, always on indoor courts.
What could I do to open his eyes? As an African American, his risk of early death was very high, although the risk for blacks doesn't start to dramatically increase until their 40's and 50's. Like all young people, he saw himself as forever young. The U.S. government was no help, relying on a ten-year-old report from the Institute of Medicine that is full of misinformation.
I tired to tell him that the 200 IU per day the U.S. government recommends for 20-year-olds is to prevent bone disease, not to treat low vitamin D levels like his. I pointed out the U.S. government's official current Upper Limit of 2,000 IU/day is the same for a 300 pound adult as it is for a 25 pound toddler. That is, the government says it's safe for a one-year-old, 25-pound, child to take 2,000 IU per day but it's not safe for a 30-year old, 300-pound, adult to take 2,000 and one IU a day. I mean, whoever thought up these Upper Limits must have left their thinking caps at home. Nevertheless, nothing worked. My vitamin D deficient patient was not interested in taking any vitamin D.
What are young men interested in? I remembered that he had told me: "Sex and sports." Two years ago I had researched the medical literature looking for any evidence vitamin D enhanced sexual performance. Absolutely nothing. That would have been nice. Can you imagine the interest?
Then I remembered that several readers had written to ask me if vitamin D could possibly improve their athletic performance? They told me that after taking 2,000 to 5,000 IU per day for several months, they seemed just a little faster, a little stronger, maybe had a little better balance and timing. A pianist had written to tell me she even played a better piano, her fingers moved over the keys more effortlessly! Was vitamin D responsible for these subtle changes or was it a placebo effect? That is, did readers just think their athletic performance improved because they knew vitamin D was a steroid hormone precursor (hormone, from the Greek, meaning "to set in motion")?
The active form of vitamin D is a steroid (actually a seco-steroid) in the same way that testosterone is a steroid and vitamin D is a hormone in the same way that growth hormone is a hormone. Steroid hormones are substances made from cholesterol, which circulate in the body, and work at distant sites by "setting in motion" genetic protein transcription. That is, both vitamin D and testosterone regulate your genome, the stuff of life. While testosterone is a sex steroid hormone, vitamin D is a pleomorphic (multiple function) steroid hormone.
All of a sudden, it didn't seem so silly. Certainly steroids can improve athletic performance although they can be quite dangerous. In addition, few people are deficient in growth hormone or testosterone, so when athletes take sex steroids or growth hormone they are cheating, or doping. The case with vitamin D is quite different because natural vitamin D levels are about 50 ng/ml and, since almost no one has such levels, extra vitamin D is not doping, it's just good treatment. I decided to exhaustively research the medical literature on vitamin D and athletic performance. It took me over a year.
To my surprise, I discovered that there are five totally independent bodies of research that all converge on an inescapable conclusion: vitamin D will improve athletic performance in vitamin D deficient people (and that includes most people). Even more interesting is who published this literature, and when. Are you old enough to remember when the Germans and Russians won every Olympics in the 60's and 70's? Well, it turns out that the most convincing evidence that vitamin D improves athletic performance was published in old German and Russian medical literature.
With the help of my wife and mother-in-law, both of whom are Russian, and with the help of Marc Sorenson, whose book Solar Power is a must read, I finally was able to look at translations of much of the old Russian and German literature. When one combines that old literature with the modern English language literature on neuromuscular performance, the conclusion is inescapable. The readers who wrote me are right.
If you are vitamin D deficient, the medical literature indicates that the right amount of vitamin D will make you faster, stronger, improve your balance and timing, etc. How much it will improve your athletic ability depends on how deficient you are to begin with. How good an athlete you will be depends on your innate ability, training, and dedication. However, peak athletic performance also depends upon the neuromuscular cells in your body and brain having unfettered access to the steroid hormone, activated vitamin D. In addition, how much activated vitamin D is available to your brain, muscle, and nerves depends on having ideal levels of vitamin D in your blood - about 50 ng/ml, to be precise.
Why would I write about such a frivolous topic like peak athletic performance when cancer patients all across this land are dying vitamin D deficient? Like many vitamin D advocates, I have been disappointed that the medical profession and the public don't seem to care about vitamin D. Maybe people, like my young basketball player, will care if it makes better athletes. So, Hey! You jocks! Listen up! I'm talking speed, balance, choice reaction time, muscle mass, muscle strength, squats, reps, etc. Important stuff. Here's the Vitamin D Council's first ever sports quiz.
1. Vitamin D-producing UVB radiation improves athletic performance and may have been widely practiced by German and Russian Olympic athletes in the 1960's and 70's.
True. I found tantalizing evidence the Russians and especially the Germans were on to this during the 60's and 70's when those two nations took turns placing number one and number two in the Olympics every year?
For example, in 1938, Russian researchers reported that a course of ultraviolet irradiations improved speed in the 100-meter dash in college students compared to matched controls, both groups undergoing daily training. Average 100-meter dash times decreased from 13.51 seconds to 13.28 seconds in the non-irradiated controls, but from 13.63 seconds to 12.62 seconds in the irradiated students. Here we see training improved times but training and irradiation improved times much more. Obviously, irradiation or vitamin D would not render the same magnitude of improvements in world-class sprinters, but they would be happy with a few milliseconds.
Gorkin Z, Gorkin MJ, Teslenko NE. [The effect of ultraviolet irradiation upon training for 100m sprint.] The Journal of Physiology of the USSR [Fiziol, z. (RSSR)] 1938; 25: 695-701. (In Russian)
If you want to know what early German thinking was on this, read this summation of the German literature:
"It is a well-known fact that physical performance can be increased through ultra-violet irradiation. In 1927, a heated argument arose after the decision by the German Swimmers' Association to use the sunlamp as an artificial aid, constituting an athletic unfairness, doping, so to speak. In 1926, Rancken had already reported the improving effect of sunlamp irradiation on muscle work with the hand-dynamo-graph. Heib observed an improvement in swimming times after repeated irradiations. In thorough experiments, Backmund showed that a substantial increase in muscle activity happens after radiation of larger portions of the body with an artificial sunlamp; that this performance increase is not caused through local - direct or indirect - effects on the musculature, but through a general effect. This general effect, triggered by ultra-violet irradiation, is caused by a systemic effect on the nervous system." (p. 17)
Parade GW, Otto H. Die beeinflussung der leistungsfahigkeit durch Hohensonnenbestrahlung. Zeitschrift fur Klinische Medizin (Z Klin Med),1940;137:17-21 [In German]
In 1945, two Americans measured the cardiovascular fitness and muscular endurance of 11 male Illinois subjects undergoing training in an indoor physical education class, comparing them to 10 matched controls. Both groups underwent similar physical training. Treatment consisted of ultraviolet irradiation, given in the nude, up to two minutes per session, three times per week, for ten weeks in the late fall and winter. After ten weeks, the treatment group had a 19% standard score gain in cardiovascular fitness compare to a 2% improvement in the control students. To regular readers of this newsletter, it should come as no surprise that the un-irradiated control group reported twice as many viral respiratory infections as the treatment group.
Allen R, Cureton T. Effects of Ultraviolet Radiation on Physical Fitness. Arch Phys Med 1945: 10: 641-44.
In 1952, the German sports medicine researcher, Spellerberg, reported on the effects of wholesale irradiation of athletes studying and training at the Sports College of Cologne - including many elite athletes - with a "central sun lamp." He irradiated the athletes in their bathing suits, on both sides of their bodies, for up to ten minutes, twice a week, for 6 weeks. He reported a "convincing effect" on athletic performance and a 50% reduction in sports injuries. Results were particularly impressive for swimmers, soccer, handball, hockey, and tennis players, as well as for boxers and most track and field athletes. He reported that irradiation leading to burns, further irradiation of athletes having achieved peak performance, and irradiation within 24 hours of competition, all impaired athletic performance. Their results were so convincing, the Sports College of Cologne officially notified the "national German and International Olympic committee." (p. 570)
Spellerberg AE. [Increase of athletic effectiveness by systematic ultraviolet irradiation.] Strahlentherapie 1952; 88: 567-70. [In German]
In 1952, Ronge exposed 120 German schoolchildren to UV lights installed in classrooms and compared them to 120 un-irradiated control children. Over a two-year period - excluding summer vacations - he tested both groups with a series of six cardiovascular fitness tests using a bike ergometer. Un-irradiated children showed a distinct seasonality in fitness, with the highest values right after summer break and the lowest values in the spring. Treated children showed no seasonal differences in physical performance. Differences in work performance between the irradiated and un-irradiated children were most conspicuous in the spring with 56% difference between the two groups. In a final experiment, he gave 30 children in the control classrooms 6.25 mg (250,000 IU) of vitamin D as a single dose in February and found their performance had "increased considerably," one month later but did not report the actual numbers. He concluded that vitamin D, either as a supplement or induced via UV irradiation, improved physical performance.
Ronge HE. [Increase of physical effectiveness by systematic ultraviolet irradiation.] Strahlentherapie 1952; 88: 563-6. [In German]
In 1954, another researcher, at the Max-Planck Institute for Industrial Physiology in Dortmund, Germany, administered three different wavelengths of UV light over 8 weeks to university students. He found that ultraviolet light in the vitamin D-producing UVB range was consistently effective in reducing resting pulse, lowering the basal metabolic rate, and increasing athletic performance. UVA had no effect; interestingly, artificial UVC irradiation (the atmosphere normally completely filters out UVC radiation and thus it's not naturally present on earth) also gave some positive results.
Lehmann G. [Significance of certain wave lengths for increased efficacy of ultraviolet irradiation.] Strahlentherapie. 1954 Nov;95(3):447-53. [In German]
In 1956, Hettinger and Seidel irradiated seven subjects in two different experiments: athletic performance on bike-ergometers and forearm muscle strength. They found that UV radiation induced a significant improvement in both muscle strength and athletic performance.
Hettinger T, Seidl E. [Ultraviolet irradiation and trainability of musculature.] Internationale Zeitschrift f�r angewandte Physiologie, einschliesslich Arbeitsphysiologie 1956; 16: 177-83. [In German]
Another German researcher, at the Institute for Medical Physics and Biophysics at the University of Gottiingen, studied reaction times (the time needed to recognize a light and switch it off) during October and November in a series of controlled experiments on 16 children and an unspecified number of adults. He first controlled for practice effects (getting better by practicing) and then administered nine full-body UV radiation treatments over three weeks to the two treatment groups, using placebo radiation in the two control groups. UV radiation improved choice reaction time by 25% in children and 20% in adults while reaction time worsened in controls. The improvements in the irradiated groups peaked at the end of the three weeks of UV treatments and reverted to baseline levels three weeks later. In the two control groups, he found distinctly improved reaction times in the sunnier months.
Sigmund R. [Effect of ultraviolet rays on reaction time in man.] Strahlentherapie. 1956; 101: 623-9. [In German]
The next study threw me because it was very well conducted, meticulously designed, and completely negative. In 1963, Berven reported on the effects of ultraviolet irradiation and vitamin D supplementation in a group of 30 Stockholm schoolchildren, aged 10 -11, comparing them to appropriate controls. He found no seasonality of fitness in the control group and no effect from either irradiation or two different vitamin D supplementation protocols (1500 IU of cholecalciferol daily for two months and a single dose of 400,000 IU of ergocalciferol) on performance on a bike ergometer.
Berven H. The physical working capacity of healthy children; seasonal variations and effect of ultraviolet irradiation and vitamin-D supply. Acta paediatrica. Supplementum 1963; 148: 1-22.
However, two things were not right and got me thinking. One, Berven found no seasonality of physical fitness and was the only author who found no such seasonal variations in athletic performance. Second, he found no effect from irradiation, again, the only author. Then I realized he was working with Swedish children in the late 1950's. Supplementation of children with high doses of vitamin D - often as cod liver oil - was routine in Scandinavia in the past, particularly in children. For example, in neighboring Finland, the official recommended daily dose of vitamin D for children - including infants - was 4,000 IU per day until 1964, when authorities reduced it to 2,000 IU/day. (That's right, you read that correctly, 4,000 IU per day for infants, which is too much by the way.)
In 1975, Finnish authorities reduced it to 1,000 IU per day, and, in 1992, to 400 IU per day. I emailed Professor Elina Hypponen who confirmed that the Swedish recommendations were similar to the Finnish ones. Therefore, it seems highly unlikely that many of Berven's Swedish children, studied in 1958 and 1959, all from "families with a good standard of living," were vitamin D deficient. Therefore, this study showed that vitamin D will not improve athletic ability in vitamin D replete people. That's very important because it indicates more is not necessarily better. More is only better if you are not taking enough.
Hypponen E, et al. Intake of vitamin D and risk of type 1 diabetes: a birth-cohort study. Lancet. 2001 Nov 3;358(9292):1500-3. In the 1960's, three American researchers conducted experiments with university students. Rosentswieg studied the effects of a single six-minute dose of UV light on each side of the trunk in 23 college women, recording changes in various tests of muscle strength at one and five hours. He found a trend towards significance after five hours in white but not African American students. In 1968, Cheatum found that a six-minute administration of UV light, on each side of the trunk, increased the speed of 15 college women in the 30-yard dash. In 1969, Rosentswieg found a six-minute dose of UV light, on each side of the trunk, finding improved performance on a bicycle ergometer in college women. However, unlike the Germans and Russians, I could find no evidence that any of these American findings interested any American professionals involved in the care or training of athletes.
Rosentsweig J. The effect of a single suberythemic biodose of ultraviolet radiation upon the strength of college women. J Assoc Phys Ment Rehabil. 1967 Jul-Aug;21(4):131-3.
Cheatum BA. Effects of a single biodose of ultraviolet radiation upon the speed of college women. Res Q. 1968 Oct;39(3):482-5.
Rosentswieg J. The effect of a single suberythemic biodose of ultraviolet radiation upon the endurance of college women. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 1969 Jun;9(2):104-6.
2. Athletic performance peaks in the summer when vitamin D levels peak, and is at its lowest in the winter when vitamin D levels are at their lowest.
A. True B. False
True. The studies below - all I could find in the literature - show tests of physical performance peak in the summer, when vitamin D levels peak, start to decline in early autumn, as vitamin D levels decline, and athletic performance reaches its lowest point in late winter, when vitamin D levels bottom out. However, it is reasonable to assume that any associations between athletic performance and summer season may be due to "reverse causation." That is, improved athletic performance in the summer might be secondary to increased outdoor physical and recreational activity in the warmer weather with an indoor sedentary lifestyle during the colder months. Maybe people have better athletic ability in the summer because they exercise more. If that is true - and using the same logic - athletic performance should not begin to decline until late autumn, because at most temperate latitudes early fall weather is ideal for outdoor physical activities.
However, some of the studies below controlled for seasonal variations in time spent exercising. Furthermore, besides a consistent positive association of summer season with improved athletic performance, the below studies found an abrupt - and unexplained - reduction in athletic performance beginning in the early fall - when vitamin D levels decline - but when the weather is ideal for outdoor activities.
For example, in 1956, German researchers found a distinct seasonal variation in the trainability of musculature, studying wrist flexor strength in 21 German subjects undergoing daily training. They found highly significant seasonal differences with peak performance during the later part of the summer, nadirs in the winter, and an unexplained sharp autumn decline beginning in October.
Hettinger T, Muller EA. Seasonal course of trainability of musculature. Int Z Angew Physiol. 1956;16(2):90-4.
A study of Polish pilots and crew found physical fitness and tolerance to hypoxia were highest in the late summer with an unexplained sharp decline starting in September. The authors hypothesized that seasonal variations in an unidentified hormone best explained their results.
Kwarecki K, Golec L, Klossowski M, Zuzewicz K. Circannual rhythms of physical fitness and tolerance of hypoxic hypoxia. Acta Physiol Pol. 1981 Nov-Dec;32(6):629-36.
Cumulative work ability among 1,835 mainly sedentary Norwegian men during bicycle exercise tests showed an August peak, a sharp decline starting in the autumn, and a wintertime nadir. There were no seasonal changes in body weights, as might be expected if more caloric-demanding recreational activity during the sunnier months explained their results.
Erikssen J, Rodahl K. Seasonal variation in work performance and heart rate response to exercise. A study of 1,835 middle-aged men. Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol. 1979 Oct;42(2):133-40.
Koch and Raschka reviewed the mostly German literature on the seasonality of physical performance, discussing studies indicating that muscle strength and stamina peak in the late summer. The authors then attempted to control for seasonal variations in the time spent exercising by instituting a controlled yearlong training regimen, beginning in December. The training regimen consisted of at least 20 push-ups per day and 2 or 3 long-distances races per week for the entire year. They found the both the number of push-ups and muscle strength peaked in late summer followed by a rapid decline in the fall, and a nadir in the winter, despite continued training. They concluded that seasonal variations in an unidentified hormone best explained their results. In addition, by now we all know that vitamin D is a seasonal hormone, and a steroid hormone precursor to boot.
Koch H, Raschka C. Circannual period of physical performance analysed by means of standard cosinor analysis: a case report. Rom J Physiol. 2000 Jan-Dec;37(1-4):51-8.
3. Vitamin D has direct muscle-building (anabolic) effects.
A. True B. False
True, but only in vitamin D deficient subjects. Both animal and human studies have found that vitamin D directly affects muscle. That is, vitamin D increases muscle mass.
For example, Birge and Haddad found that vitamin D caused new protein synthesis in rat muscle.
What about humans? In 1981, Young performed muscle biopsies on 12 severely vitamin D deficient patients before and after vitamin D treatment. They found type-II (fast-twitch) muscle fibers were small before treatment and significantly enlarged after treatment. Sorensen performed muscle biopsies on eleven older patients with osteoporosis before and after treatment with vitamin D. The percentage and area of fast twitch fibers increased significantly after treatment, despite the lack of any physical training.
Young A, Edwards R, Jones D, Brenton D. Quadriceps muscle strength and fibre size during treatment of osteomalacia. In: Stokes IAF (ed) Mechanical factors and the skeleton. 1981. pp 137-145.
Sorensen OH, Lund B, Saltin B, Lund B, Andersen RB, Hjorth L, Melsen F, Mosekilde L. Myopathy in bone loss of ageing: improvement by treatment with 1 alpha-hydroxycholecalciferol and calcium. Clin Sci (Lond). 1979 Feb;56(2):157-61.
Sato reported that two years of treatment with 1,000 IU of vitamin D per day significantly increased muscle strength, doubled the mean diameter, and tripled the percentage of fast-twitch muscle fibers, in the functional limbs of 48 severely vitamin D deficient elderly stroke patients. The placebo control group suffered declines in muscle strength, and in the size and percentage of fast-twitch muscle fibers.
Sato Y, Iwamoto J, Kanoko T, Satoh K. Low-Dose Vitamin D Prevents Muscular Atrophy and Reduces Falls and Hip Fractures in Women after Stroke: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Cerebrovasc Dis. 2005 Jul 27;20(3):187-192 [Epub ahead of print]
These studies clearly show that vitamin D when administered to vitamin D deficient people stimulates the growth and number of those muscle fibers critical to athletic ability, type-2, or "fast twitch," muscle fibers.
4. Many studies have found direct associations between physical performance and vitamin D levels. That is, the higher your vitamin D level, the better your athletic performance.
A. True B. False
True. I found 13 positive studies of associations between vitamin D levels and various parameters of neuromuscular performance. However, they were all in old people. Of course, old people can be athletes too. Furthermore, age differences in physiology and pharmacology are quantitative, not qualitative. That is, what is true in old people will be true in young people, although the magnitude might be different. Higher vitamin D levels are associated with a wide variety of athletic performance but appear to have the strongest associations with balance, timing, and timed tests of physical performance.
The three largest studies had more than 7,000 elderly subjects. All found evidence of a vitamin D threshold of between 30 - 50 ng/ml, above which further improvements in athletic performance were not seen. Wicherts and her colleagues found a linear correlation between vitamin D and neuromuscular performance; scores were 78% better for those with vitamin D levels greater than 30 ng/ml compared to those with levels less than10 ng/ml.
Bischoff-Ferrari HA, Dietrich T, Orav EJ, Hu FB, Zhang Y, Karlson EW, Dawson-Hughes B. Higher 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations are associated with better lower-extremity function in both active and inactive persons aged > or =60 y. Am J Clin Nutr. 2004 Sep;80(3):752-8.
Gerdhem P, Ringsberg KA, Obrant KJ, Akesson K. Association between 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels, physical activity, muscle strength and fractures in the prospective population-based OPRA Study of Elderly Women. Osteoporos Int. 2005 Nov;16(11):1425-31.
Wicherts IS, et al. Vitamin D status predicts physical performance and its decline in older persons. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2007 Mar 6; [Epub ahead of print]
Professor Heike Bischoff-Ferrari, now in Switzerland, did the largest study. She and her colleagues found a strong positive correlation and suggestion of a U-shaped curve with athletic performance on one test peaking with vitamin D levels of 50 ng/ml but deteriorating at higher levels. It is interesting to speculate that levels around 50 ng/ml may be optimal for athletic performance as such levels are common in humans living in a "natural" state of sun-exposure, such as lifeguards or tropical farmers.
Bischoff HA, Stahelin HB, Urscheler N, Ehrsam R, Vonthein R, Perrig-Chiello P, Tyndall A, Theiler R. Muscle strength in the elderly: its relation to vitamin D metabolites. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 1999 Jan;80(1):54-8.
Interestingly, all three studies that looked for an association between mental abilities and vitamin D levels found one. A fourth study, unrelated to athletic function, also found an association. The obvious explanation for these findings is that cognitively impaired patients do not go outdoors as often as higher functioning patients and thus have lower vitamin D levels. However, Dhesi found the association after excluding all but mildly demented patients, making such an explanation more difficult. Flicker and - more recently - Przybelski and Binkley, found the association after controlling for outdoor activities, raising the possibility that the association of vitamin D levels with cognitive abilities is causal. Both the vitamin D receptor and the enzyme necessary to activate vitamin D are present in a wide-variety of human brain tissue. If vitamin D deficiency impairs cognitive abilities, it is likely that such deficiencies will also impair the brain's ability to process the complex circuits needed for peak athletic performance.
Dhesi JK, Bearne LM, Moniz C, Hurley MV, Jackson SH, Swift CG, Allain TJ. Neuromuscular and psychomotor function in elderly subjects who fall and the relationship with vitamin D status. J Bone Miner Res. 2002 May;17(5):891-7.
Kenny AM, Biskup B, Robbins B, Marcella G, Burleson JA. Effects of vitamin D supplementation on strength, physical function, and health perception in older, community-dwelling men. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2003 Dec;51(12):1762-7.
Flicker L, Mead K, MacInnis RJ, Nowson C, Scherer S, Stein MS, Thomasx J, Hopper JL, Wark JD. Serum vitamin D and falls in older women in residential care in Australia. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2003 Nov;51(11):1533-8.
Przybelski RJ, Binkley NC. Is vitamin D important for preserving cognition? A positive correlation of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration with cognitive function. Arch Biochem Biophys. 2007 Jan 8;
There can be no doubt that higher vitamin D levels are associated with improved athletic performance in the elderly. From what we know of physiology and pharmacology, the same associations should hold true in young people, including young athletes.
5. Numerous studies have found that vitamin D improves physical performance.
A. True B. False.
True, but, again, most all the studies are in old persons, not young ones, and none of the studies are in world-class athletes. However, there is no medical reason why vitamin D would improve the athletic performance of vitamin D deficient old people but not vitamin D deficient young ones. Eleven studies found vitamin D improved physical performance, mainly on measures of balance and reaction time. The one study of younger subjects showed dramatic physical performance effects in 55 severely vitamin D deficient women.
Sorensen OH, Lund B, Saltin B, Lund B, Andersen RB, Hjorth L, Melsen F, Mosekilde L. Myopathy in bone loss of ageing: improvement by treatment with 1 alpha-hydroxycholecalciferol and calcium. Clin Sci (Lond). 1979 Feb;56(2):157-61.
Gloth FM 3rd, Smith CE, Hollis BW, Tobin JD. Functional improvement with vitamin D replenishment in a cohort of frail, vitamin D-deficient older people. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1995 Nov;43(11):1269-71.
Glerup H, Mikkelsen K, Poulsen L, Hass E, Overbeck S, Andersen H, Charles P, Eriksen EF. Hypovitaminosis D myopathy without biochemical signs of osteomalacic bone involvement. Calcif Tissue Int. 2000 Jun;66(6):419-24.
Prabhala A, Garg R, Dandona P. Severe myopathy associated with vitamin D deficiency in western New York. Arch Intern Med. 2000 Apr 24;160(8):1199-203.
Verhaar HJ, Samson MM, Jansen PA, de Vreede PL, Manten JW, Duursma SA. Muscle strength, functional mobility and vitamin D in older women. Aging (Milano). 2000 Dec;12(6):455-60.
Pfeifer M, Begerow B, Minne HW, Abrams C, Nachtigall D, Hansen C. Effects of a short-term vitamin D and calcium supplementation on body sway and secondary hyperparathyroidism in elderly women. J Bone Miner Res. 2000 Jun;15(6):1113-8.
Bischoff HA, Stahelin HB, Dick W, Akos R, Knecht M, Salis C, Nebiker M, Theiler R, Pfeifer M, Begerow B, Lew RA, Conzelmann M. Effects of vitamin D and calcium supplementation on falls: a randomized controlled trial. J Bone Miner Res. 2003 Feb;18(2):343-51.
Dhesi JK, Jackson SH, Bearne LM, Moniz C, Hurley MV, Swift CG, Allain TJ. Vitamin D supplementation improves neuromuscular function in older people who fall. Age Ageing. 2004 Nov;33(6):589-95.
Sato Y, Iwamoto J, Kanoko T, Satoh K. Low-Dose Vitamin D Prevents Muscular Atrophy and Reduces Falls and Hip Fractures in Women after Stroke: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Cerebrovasc Dis. 2005 Jul 27;20(3):187-192 [Epub ahead of print]
In summary, five converging - but totally separate - lines of scientific evidence leave little doubt that vitamin D improves athletic performance. (I actually left out a sixth line of evidence, something a little more complicated, studies of muscle strength and vitamin D receptor polymorphisms; the two studies I could find were both positive.) Anyway, the scientific evidence that UVB radiation, either from the sun or from sunbeds, will improve athletic performance is overwhelming and the mechanism is almost certainly vitamin D production. Peak athletic performance will probably occur with 25(OH)D levels of about 50 ng/ml, whether from sun, sunbeds, or supplements.
All that is missing is a big-time professional or college team identifying and then treating their elite athletes who are vitamin D deficient. Can you imagine what such performance-enhancing effects would do for basketball players, most of who are African American and who practice and play indoors all winter? Or gymnasts? Or weight lifters?
However, a word of caution. The above studies suggest that taking too much vitamin D (more than 5,000 IU per day) may actually worsen athletic performance. Take the right amount, not all you can swallow. Take enough to keep your 25(OH)D levels around 50 ng/ml, year round. Easier yet, regularly use the sun in the summer and sunbeds in the winter - with care not to burn. Once a week should be about right.
When you think about it, none of this should surprise anyone. Every body builder knows that steroid hormones can improve athletic performance, certainly increase muscle mass. Barry Bonds knows they increase timing and power. Moreover, activated vitamin D is as potent a steroid hormone as exists in the human body. However, unlike other steroids, levels of activated vitamin D in muscle and nerve tissue are primarily regulated by sun exposure. That's right, the rate-limiting step for the cellular function (autocrine) of activated vitamin D is under your control. It depends on how much you put in your both or go into the sun. It's ironic that many athletes now avoid the sun, organized baseball is even promoting sun avoidance and sunblocks. The ancient Greeks knew better; they had there elite athletes train on the beach and in the nude.
The medical literature indicates vitamin D levels of about 50 ng/ml are associated with peak athletic performance. Of course, recent studies show such levels are ideal for preventing cancer, diabetes, hypertension, influenza, multiple sclerosis, major depression, cognitive decline, etc. But who cares about all that disease stuff old people get, we're talking about something really important: speed, balance, reaction time, muscle mass, muscle strength, squats, reps, etc. And guess who's now taking 4,000 IU/day? Yes he is, and he tells me his timing is better, he can jump a little higher, run a little faster, and the ball feels "sweeter," whatever that means.
John Cannell, MD
This is a periodic newsletter from the Vitamin D Council, a non-profit trying to end the epidemic of vitamin D deficiency. If you don't want to get the newsletter, please hit reply and let us know. We don't copyright this newsletter. Please feel free to reproduce it and post it on Internet sites and blogs. Remember, we are a non-profit educational organization. Our pathetic finances are available for public inspection. We rely on donations to publish our newsletter and maintain our website. Send your tax-deductible contributions to:
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Posted by trueblue (Member # 7348) on :
Thank you, Wallace!
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
How to Reduce Your Risk of Cancer By 50% POSTED BY Dr. Mercola View Dr. Mercola's Profile
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March 28, 2007
I have some vital information for you that can literally save your life, save you from dying from cancer; not just from getting cancer, but from dying from it. I came across this absolutely vital information while researching my new book called, Dark Deception, info which is just too important to keep under wraps until the book's release in a year's time.
Cancer is now the number one cause of death in the country, having surpassed heart disease a few years ago.
Please check out the graph in the video that illustrates the relationship between latitude, sun exposure and death rates from cancer. Remember the vertical axis shows the number of cancer-related deaths per 100,000, while the horizontal axis indicates latitude. It clearly shows that cancer-deaths go up significantly, the farther away from the equator one lives.
Here's why. With sun exposure, UVB radiation from the sun converts cholesterol to vitamin D, one of the most potent anticancer vitamins. See the connection? Please keep your vitamin D levels in a healthy range. If you're taking oral vitamin D in cod liver oil or a supplement, you need to measure your vitamin D blood levels to avoid overdosing. Take a simple blood test to help you keep your vitamin D levels in a safe, optimal range, and go to my vitamin D testing page for more details
While in Maui this winter, I heard a number of heartbreaking stories from folks there, who told me of close relatives who either had cancer, were dying from it or had died from it. How tragic! With this new information about vitamin D in mind, I said to them, "I don't know your relative." I asked, "But did they stay in the sun? Do they have a tan?", and even though some of these people lived in Maui, it seems every one of these people did not get much sun and were pale. This was a giant clue, empirically confirming what I was learning about sun exposure.
The best and safest way to get vitamin D is from the sun. The safe way to get sun exposure is to just go out enough so that your skin turns the very lightest pink. You'll also need enough of your skin exposed to sun. Exposing only your face and hands while going from office to car is not enough for conversion into vitamin D. We must remain sensible in our approach to this issue. This means: PLEASE DON'T GET SUNBURNED!
Bear in mind unique risk factors for dark-complexioned individuals. So if you're African-American, from the Middle East or India and live in America or Europe or in a very northern latitude, you're at very high risk for developing these cancers, as high as four times the risk. Darker skin serves as a filter, causing the need for two to five times as much sunlight as someone with very pale skin.
Also be careful about using most sunblocks as they are dangerous. If you are looking for a safe one I have researched this and recommend Active Full Spectrum Sun Block. If you can't easily find it I put it in my store for your convenience.
In light-skinned individuals, overexposure to sun can also be problematic.
Normally, skin cancer is not going to be the melanoma type, for which there are multiple causes. Follow the link below to learn more. But having sun exposure can increase the risk of other types of skin cancers, which while not as dangerous as melanoma, are easily avoided with cautious sun exposure
BOTTOM LINE: NEVER GET SUNBURNED!
Avoid commercial sun blocks, which contain toxic chemicals that enter your bloodstream through the skin, and follow the link below for more info and alternatives to these products.
If you have any questions at all about the relationship about sun and skin cancer please be sure to visit my article on that topic.
Stay informed. Have a healthy, careful, appropriate relationship with sunlight.
( 53 Comments )
+21 Points
BY CathyVM View CathyVM's Profile
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March 28, 2007
Excellent advice again Dr Mercola. I do think that getting enough sun is difficult for most in the further northern and southern latitudes. Long commutes to work, working in artificially lit offices, perhaps with no external window, and returning home when the sun has gone down is the reality for many people in this modern world.
I would suggest that whenever people can, go outside during your tea-breaks and lunch-breaks (weather permitting). Perhaps a full spectrum light bulb in a desk lamp might be of benefit?
We're latitude 30� here in Auckland, maybe we should be grateful for the hole in the ozone.
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+11 Points
BY GGMarks View GGMarks's Profile
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Quote: "You can NOT get vitamin D from full spectrum bulbs it has to be a bulb that produces ultraviolet radiation. UVB specially as that is what causes your skin to convert cholesterol into vitamin D."
Full-spectrum bulbs are great for a number of reasons, including the alleviation of seasonal affective disorder symptoms, but, unfortunately, not for vitamin D production.
As for your suggestion about going outside during breaks, perhaps pretend to be a smoker and take numerous smoke breaks, but actually just enjoy the sunshine? Take "sun breaks"?
+3 Points
BY CathyVM View CathyVM's Profile
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9 hrs ago
More important information on sunscreens! Apparently they only block UVB[1] - meaning the slip-slap-slop greasy folks are exposing themselves to more of the dangerous UVA. The ratio of UVA to UVB is lower at midday (mad dogs indeed!) - making it the safest time - as long as you don't burn. Yet again, those idiots ``in charge'' of public health display their ignorance.
1. Zastrow, L., et al., Integrated sun protection factor: a new sun protection factor based on free radicals generated by UV irradiation. Skin Pharmacol Physiol, 2004. 17(5): p. 219-31.
+3 Points
BY david View david's Profile
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March 29, 2007
Hi Cathy, I've just returned from an amazing 3months in your beautiful country,,,and whilst there, visited your museum in Domain park. If you do this, you will find that there is a display of sat. photos, taken over several decades, showing that there has NEVER been a hole in the ozone layer....over New Zealand!! Interesting eh?!
BY Duane View Duane's Profile
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9 hrs ago
Cathy, Cathy, Cathy - Look, if they're gonna take your $$, then put a whole sh*tload of toxic man-made chemicals in your blood-stream, why SHOULDN'T they block the Vitamin D forming rays and let in the dangerous ones - all at the same time? Hah?? Duane
+13 Points
BY Russ Bianchi View Russ Bianchi's Profile
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March 29, 2007
Might I suggest this extremely salient good advice be called: The Mercola Sunshine Law?
If animals naturally gravitate, for a limited period of time, to 'taking in the sun', why not us?
Nature knows best, not WACKO reactive models and protocol that are harmful to human health from Big Pharma.
As the lyrics go to the old 5th Dimension song: "Let The Sunshine In...".
+11 Points
BY Duane View Duane's Profile
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March 28, 2007
I have a secret. I've discovered that if I take extra PABA, I don't burn. Before I got healthy, I would typically burn before I tan. But early on I started taking PABA (high doses) because I read that it has many times caused gray hair to re-color. In studies, maybe 20% of people get this effect. Also, it has other anti-aging benefits. Anyways, I didn't burn anymore! And I got lots of sun! This has been confirmed for about 5 years now. My gray hair didn't darken, though.
I read later that PABA helps healthy bacteria grow in the skin. I wonder if there is a connection? Are bacteria helping us out with sun exposure?... It's hard to believe that orally it is acting as a physical sunblock. Try it. Duane
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+4 Points
BY Jeremy View Jeremy's Profile
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March 29, 2007
Thanks for the PABA info Duane, I beleive it's used in topical sunscreens products too. I have heard of using it as a supplement. I would be interested in a food source for it though because I would rather eat food than pills if possible. I'll look it up.. quick.. ok..
PABA functions: Red blood cells; prevents gray hair; intestinal bacterial activity; protein metabolism; production of folic acid; coenzyme production; free radicals scavenger (antioxidant) / Sources: Blackstrap molasses, brewer's yeast, beef liver, eggs, wheat germ.
This is yet another antioxidant! I guess I'm covered on my PABA by the incredible, edible, raw egg!
Area51, I was thinking internally like nutrients - but excellent information, I wasn't thinking of coconut oil in that way.. I have used coconut oil for 3 summers now. I started using it because Mercola was saying it was very nourishing for the skin. I used it as an exotic tanning oil (this was great), and I also used it to treat sunburn too. I never really had much of a problem with burning I guess when I was using coconut oil.. I would notice a different looking tan later that night, like some type of effect from the oil.. Hmm, guess I was on the right track.
BY Area51 View Area51's Profile
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March 29, 2007
Jeremy, I heard Bear Grilles from "Man vs.Wild" on the Discovery channel say that rubbing coconut oil on your skin protects it from gettng sunburn. That's what he did on one of his shows where he was on a deserted island and needed protection from the sun. So I guess coconut oil is sort of a natural sunscreen. I wonder if Dr. Mercola agrees???
Also, I myself have noticed that if I ever get a sunburn, that applying an organic aloe vera gel to the burn makes the skin in that area heal very quickly. It's very soothing to the skin and heals nicely with the aloe vera gel. The one I use is by "Lily of the Desert" and it is a 99% aloe vera gel that is organic. Non-organic doesn't work as well.
+8 Points
BY BB88 View BB88's Profile
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March 29, 2007
I'm really embarrassed to admit that I've been severely sunburned more than once, actually more than like 5 times. I'm a generally pretty pale person, and my mom is obsessed with tropical beaches and tries to take me every year where I always get super sun burned even after wearing loads of sun block. It's just so impossible to avoid for some reason, and last year was THE WORST. The skin on my face literally blistered off and stung terribly when I was in Acapulco (yes, I applied sun block, or at least what I thought was). I have really bad skin damage around my shoulders (luckily not my face) and again, I'm really embarrassed about it. The sun just doesn't seem to like me Posted by on :
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(Yahoo groups confuse the **** out of me, never know how to track the darn things.)I'll give it a shot though.
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